Chapter 35: With his pockets empty, he told his little sister that she didn't need to eat anymore...
Qiu Yuruo naturally disagreed with her younger sister's suggestion that she no longer needed to take the medicine.
The younger sister's tears streamed down her face: "I've spent all the money in the house, and I still owe the clinic four taels of silver. Sister-in-law, I'm all better now, and I don't need to spend money on medicine anymore!"
The child was so sensible it broke her heart. Qiu Yuruo gently hugged her and said, "It's not all gone. I still have money. The money I owed the clinic was just because I didn't take that much that day. I'll pay them back tomorrow."
The little girl was hugged by Qiu Yuruo and cried even harder, "I don't want to watch anymore, I don't want to watch anymore..."
When my eldest brother fell into a coma, my grandfather wouldn't even spend a single tael of silver on his medicine in town. My eldest brother was the eldest grandson in the family and had the title of a scholar, yet my grandfather was still reluctant to spend money on his medical treatment.
Now, I'm sick and living a life of leisure at home. My sister-in-law first took me to see a doctor in town several times, which cost a couple of taels of silver. Then she took me to the county, which cost another ten taels of silver!
Huani, who was sick with me, has died. If my sister-in-law hadn't taken me to the county, I would probably be dead by now.
The younger sister actually had a rough idea of how much money the family had. She didn't believe Qiu Yu at all when she said that the family still had savings. If there really was, it would be the same as the money her sister-in-law had invested in the food stall, which her sister-in-law had saved up herself.
But how much money could my sister-in-law, an orphan without parents, possibly have saved?
The younger sister felt incredibly guilty and kept crying, saying she wouldn't watch anymore.
Qiu Yuruo took a handkerchief to wipe her tears: "The rest of the medicine is just for consolidation, it won't cost that much money. If you don't drink it, and it relapses, it will cost another ten taels. You do the math, is it more appropriate to spend a few more taels of silver to cure the illness directly, or to spend another ten taels after it relapses?"
After hearing this, the younger sister choked back sobs and fell silent.
Qiu Yuruo coaxed the man to rest, and together with Yun Che, they tidied up his brother, sent him out, and closed the door.
When Su Yunting regained consciousness, he heard the sound of the table being moved and the sound of bricks scraping against each other again.
Su Yunting was filled with guilt. He knew that Yu Ruo had worked hard for more than half a year and her monthly income was not small. Now, not only had she not recovered the principal she had invested in the food stall, but she had also lost the few taels of silver she had left.
Su Yunting, who never thought about accumulating wealth in his previous life, has now started planning how to quickly get a sum of money after waking up.
Qiu Yuruo removed the brick, revealing an oil paper package containing silver ingots and a silver bracelet. She carefully took them out and opened the oil paper package.
The final assets were revealed before us.
With my younger sister's illness, not only will we lose the remaining five taels of silver ingots, but if we go to get medicine tomorrow, we'll probably have to pawn the silver bracelet that our mother left us to the clinic.
Whenever things get tough, Qiu Yuruo always tries to think positively. For example, right now, she's going to use her last savings to pay for her younger sister's medical treatment. She's glad that she's somewhat familiar with Dr. Zhang, so she's pawning her silver bracelet at his clinic and letting him keep it safe for her.
He took out the silver ingots and silver bracelets, wrapped them in a handkerchief, put the oil paper package back in, restored the bricks and table to their original state, washed his hands, and went to bed.
Su Yunting had just heard Qiu Yuruo sigh several times, and he figured she wouldn't be in the mood to talk to him tonight.
Unexpectedly, after Qiu Yuruo went to bed, she did some accounting and her depressed mood gradually improved.
"I'm going to get medicine for my little sister tomorrow. Dr. Zhang might prescribe seven days' worth. There are two market days during the time she takes the medicine. If the temperature rises, I'll definitely be able to earn enough to cover the cost of the medicine when I go to get more next time."
Get the medicine for your little sister again. It'll be another month before you go to get the medicine. By then it will be March, and there will be so many more merchants on the road—more than I can imagine. You should still be able to earn enough for a month's worth of medicine.
Then, the weather really did get warmer…
The more Qiu Yuruo thought about it, the more she felt that the days ahead would be easier, and her mood brightened up a bit.
She turned to face Su Yunting and said, "When the weather gets warmer and we have some extra money, we'll make you some nice clothes. For now..."
She chuckled for a moment before continuing, "Let's put our needs first. You'll just have to make do with your short clothes."
Su Yunting had no opinion about what he wore; of course, even if he did, he couldn't express it.
Qiu Yuruo chatted about other things for a while, then felt sleepy. She pushed Su Yunting back into a lying position, lay down herself, and fell asleep in no time.
After she fell asleep, Su Yunting began to gather his strength to break through the cage that confined him.
...
The next day when we went to Dr. Zhang's clinic, although my younger sister hadn't fully recovered to her lively self, she was in good spirits.
Qiu Yu first repaid the four taels of silver she owed last time, and then asked Doctor Zhang to take her younger sister's pulse.
When Dr. Zhang saw the little girl he had pulled back from the brink of death a few days earlier, a smile appeared on his face.
The younger sister politely thanked him.
Dr. Zhang smiled and said, "No need to thank me, you should thank your sister-in-law."
My younger sister's condition progressed rapidly in the later stages, and the costs were higher than for other patients. If Qiu Yuruo hadn't made the decisive move to bring her to the county, and given three doses of medicine costing two taels of silver a day, my younger sister would probably be dead by now.
Dr. Zhang sees several patients with similar conditions every day recently. Patients in the early stages are relatively easy to treat, and the medication costs are not particularly expensive. Most families will get the medication for their children.
Children in the middle and late stages are more difficult to treat, and the cost of treatment is also high. Families with good financial conditions can negotiate, but those from poor families, or those who don't think their children are that important, will stop spending money on treatment and take their children home as soon as they hear the price.
Dr. Zhang knew that 90% of the children who stopped receiving treatment would not live more than three days.
Compared to the parents and relatives of those children, Qiu Yuruo, the eldest sister-in-law, is more than just generous to my younger sister.
The younger sister said, "My sister-in-law told me that I must thank you properly. She said that even if she had money, she couldn't save my life without your excellent medical skills!"
No doctor dislikes being praised for their medical skills, and Dr. Zhang was no exception, accepting the young woman's thanks with a smile.
While taking his younger sister's pulse, the smile on his face did not fade, and Qiu Yuruo's heart finally calmed down.
After Dr. Zhang took her pulse and wrote a prescription, Qiu Yuruo said to her younger sister, "It's rare for us to come to the county. Let Auntie and Brother Su Huai take you to the gate to have a look. Don't go too far. Once you've gotten the medicine, we'll go back."
My younger sister had never been to the county before. She had been peering out the window the whole time in the train carriage. Now that my sister-in-law has allowed her to go out, she is very excited.
After they left, Qiu Yuruo asked the doctor about the price of the medicine this time.
Dr. Zhang: "The price of this medicine is much cheaper than before. This course of treatment lasts for seven days and only costs two taels of silver."
Qiu Yuruo took out the one tael of silver and the silver bracelet she had just found and said, "Recently, the family's expenses have been quite high, and I don't have enough cash on hand for the time being. Could you please leave this bracelet with you for one tael of silver? I will bring the silver back to exchange it for it later."
The bracelet in her hand was old-fashioned, but its weight clearly indicated it weighed more than an ounce.
Whenever Qiu Yu came to Dr. Zhang's clinic, she would always spend five or ten taels of silver. Dr. Zhang never saw any reluctance or other expression in her eyes.
But now, she cherishes and is reluctant to part with the bracelet in her hand, which weighs only a little over an ounce.
Having experienced countless hardships, Dr. Zhang could tell at a glance that this bracelet held a special meaning for her.
Just as Qiu Yuruo had expected, Doctor Zhang allowed her to use the silver bracelet to pay for the medicine, and promised to keep it safe for her, and to exchange it for silver when she had more money.
Having successfully obtained the medicine, Qiu Yuruo was about to go find her younger sister when they unexpectedly returned first, accompanied by a young gentleman.
Before Qiu Yu could ask, the younger sister said, "Sister-in-law, this is Brother Wang Bin, my brother's classmate at the academy."
When Wang Bin saw Qiu Yuru looking at him, he bowed first and then said, "When Yunting was sick, a few of us classmates went to visit him at home. We didn't know he was already married. Please forgive us for any shortcomings in our etiquette."
Qiu Yuruo returned his greeting, "Young Master Wang, you are too kind. Yunting is ill, and my family was afraid of neglecting you all, which is why we didn't send out invitations."
Wang Bin had heard from his classmates some time ago that he had met Su Yunting at Dr. Zhang's clinic. Su Yunting was still unconscious and had been brought to the clinic by his wife.
Wang Bin also heard from his classmates that they would visit him at his home again when they had a day off.
I happened to recognize the younger sister on the street today. She told me that her sister-in-law had brought her to see a doctor. Out of politeness, Wang Bin came over to say hello.
In Wang Bin's mind, the woman Su Yunting's family arranged for him to marry must be a woman as strong as a tower, who must have admired his knowledge and appearance to choose to marry him.
Wang Bin had his own logic in thinking this way, because if Su Yunting's wife wasn't strong enough, she wouldn't be able to earn enough money to come to the county to get medical treatment for him. If she didn't care about him enough, she wouldn't be willing to spend money on his medical treatment.
Before coming with his younger sister, Wang Bin had prepared himself to face Yun Ting's wife, who was as strong as a man, but he did not expect to meet a young wife with a moderate figure and a pretty face.
After he finished speaking politely, Qiu Yuruo responded reasonably and appropriately.
Wang Bin thought to himself, "No one can compare to Su Yunting's luck. He was unconscious, yet he still managed to marry such a wonderful wife."
Judging from Qiu Yuruo's appearance, personality, and demeanor, she would be worthy of marrying not only a comatose scholar, but even a normal scholar!
Wang Bin invited his former classmate's family to his home for a meal, as their younger sister had come to the county for medical treatment, accompanied by a man.
Qiu Yuruo naturally refused, saying that she had something to attend to at home and needed to rush back, and that she would visit her family again when she had time later.
...
When Qiu Yuruo returned from the county, her purse was emptier than her face.
After half a year of hard work, we've been back to square one.
Fortunately, I still had ingredients and tea at home, otherwise I would have had to borrow money to buy ingredients if I wanted to set up a stall.
The next day, I set up my stall early and made some money in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to town to buy meat, because tomorrow is the market day and I need to prepare pastries and meat sauce in advance today.
For the seven days that her younger sister was taking the medicine, Qiu Yuru prayed every day that it would not rain.
This time, even the heavens seemed to know she had reached her limit, and stopped working against her. For the past seven days, there has been no wind or rain, and the temperature has even risen...
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