Originally, Su Qingluan was not sure whether Madam Xi had encountered any difficulties. After all, Madam Xi used to attract customers with such a loud voice. If her throat was uncomfortable for a day or two occasionally, it would explain why she became so silent.
However, Su Qingluan was grateful for the help that Madam Xi had given her before, so she went to take a look at the pancake stall opposite.
But Mrs. Xi, who always had a rosy complexion, now had dark circles under her eyes and her face became a little pale, which was really hard to explain with "throat discomfort".
When Madam Xi heard Su Qingluan's question, she looked up and saw the girl looking at her directly with eyes full of concern.
She had been in the martial arts world for many years, and she was quite good at judging people, not to mention other places. She could tell who was sincere and who was insincere with just one look. Unless she was a particularly experienced old fox, she could basically see through them.
Therefore, Madam Xi could tell at a glance that Su Qingluan was genuinely worried about her.
She forced herself to smile. "Hey, my pancake stall is doing really well. It's not that hard..."
Although she tried her best to say that she was "fine", her gradually hoarse voice and slightly red eyes did not look like she was "fine" at all.
However, Madam Xi was obviously not comfortable showing weakness in front of others—especially since Su Qingluan was not even very familiar with her—so that fragile expression only appeared for a moment.
She rubbed her eyes hard, cleared her throat, and said in that loud voice again: "It's okay! What could happen?" Then she stuffed the oil paper wrapped in the pancake into Su Qingluan's arms without saying anything.
"Take it and eat it. Don't give me any more money, or I'll be angry!" After "threatening" Su Qingluan, she turned around and started to solicit customers again: "Hey! Delicious pancakes! The more you chew them, the more delicious they become!!"
However, the scene just now still made Su Qingluan feel uneasy.
She knew that if she continued to pester her with such questions, it would probably embarrass her, given Madam Xi's stubborn nature. But judging by her expression, it was clear that she had some unspoken difficulty.
So she thought about it, took the pancakes back temporarily, and turned around to ask Skinny Monkey to help find out what difficulties Madam Xi had encountered.
Although Skinny Monkey is a bit of a mouthy person, he has strong communication skills. Although his personality is a bit eccentric, he is generally a warm-hearted person.
So after a few days of skinny monkey's inquiries, Su Qingluan understood what Madam Xi's difficulties were.
Speaking of this matter, Su Qingluan had heard of it before - the male head of Xi Madam's family, Liu Sheng, accidentally fell from a high place and was injured while trying to catch Xi Madam.
Originally everyone thought that he had broken his leg, but after Skinny Monkey made inquiries from many sources, they found out that Liu Sheng had actually become paralyzed!
However, Xi Niangzi and Liu Sheng had been traveling around the world, willing to endure hardships, and had some skills, so they had some savings in their early years.
However, ever since Liu Sheng became paralyzed, the money spent on his treatment was like water. Now the whole family has fallen into poverty and lives in a small alley full of poor people on the outskirts of the county town, and their living place is a crooked shack.
It is called a wooden house, but it is moldy and leaky everywhere, and is completely different from the spacious and bright wooden house.
Su Qingluan couldn't help but frown when she heard this: "Does treating an illness require such a huge expense? Could it be that I was cheated?"
She wondered, "Didn't the ancients treat illnesses with traditional Chinese medicine? How much could that cost? It wasn't like modern medicine with its exorbitantly expensive targeted drugs or surgeries. Could it be that she had hired some shaman, been tricked, and wasted a fortune?"
Su Qingluan's mind flashed through countless images of Madam Xi's family being scammed, while Skinny Monkey shook his head: "I wasn't scammed, but the doctor's consultation and medicine fees are shockingly high."
As a person born in a new era and once a patient suffering from long-term illness, she knew that there could be no macro-control in this era, so when she heard the sky-high medical fees, her blood pressure subconsciously rose a little.
But she also understood that judging people of this era by the standards of her own era was harsh, unrealistic, and unreasonable. She couldn't help but sneer, saying sarcastically, "I wonder which medical expert is asking for such exorbitant prices? They'd be better off turning to business. We'd be ashamed of ourselves."
When Shou Houer heard Sui Qingluan's sarcastic tone, he gave her a look that said, "You don't know that?" and asked, "You know Huichuntang, right?"
Huichuntang? Su Qingluan was stunned: This name really does sound familiar!
After just three or four months of traveling through time, Su Qingluan had to deal with the drug store and clinic only a few times. Thinking about it, she remembered the "Lu San" who had almost choked on the dumplings at "Hongfulou" and was saved by her using the "Heimlich maneuver". The doctor that Manager Liang had called in at that time was from Huichuntang!
Thinking back on this, Su Qingluan also remembered that Manager Liang had complained to her afterwards that Huichuntang always charged a high price, but in order to avoid getting involved in a murder lawsuit, he had no choice but to hold his nose and spend money to avoid disaster.
Although Su Qingluan took the initiative and saved Manager Liang a lot of money later, Huichuntang actually collected ten taels of silver as "emergency medical fee"!
Su Qingluan gasped when she heard the outrageous price. Thinking back on it now, it still made her feel unbelievable: "I remember now!" The corners of her mouth twitched, "It's Huichuntang, the place that charged ten taels of silver for just one emergency visit!"
"Ten taels? You didn't prescribe any medicine or give any acupuncture, you just checked the patient's pulse, right?" The skinny monkey curled his lips.
Su Qingluan thought about it, and it was indeed true! The doctor at Huichuntang had only said that the young master, named "Lu San", had been frightened but not seriously injured. The prescription he prescribed was a common tranquilizer, a "mediocre" prescription that any doctor or pharmacy, even a layman with a couple of medical books, could have written.
"So..." Su Qingluan asked cautiously, "If it's treatment, the price will be calculated separately?"
Skinny Monkey nodded: "Mrs. Xi's family has been treated in Huichuntang for half a year!"
Su Qingluan gasped when he heard this: Half a year!
This is equivalent to Madam Xi spending several months in a very expensive private hospital to treat her head of the family's illness!
What's more, in this day and age, there is no medical insurance that can reduce the financial burden of seeing a doctor. In other words, these expensive private hospitals are 100% self-funded and there is no reimbursement!
Su Qingluan gasped instantly: "Can't we go to another cheaper clinic?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
