The man's face was filled with indignation. He spat fiercely at the beggar woman who was lying on the ground struggling and trying to get up but couldn't move.
"Bah! What a slutty woman! You're pregnant with a bastard from who knows where! And you dare to enter our Huichun Hall! You're so shameless! Aren't you afraid of soiling the clean floor of our Huichun Hall with your dirty feet?"
The old lady who was watching the fun explained to Xia Daohua dutifully:
"That's what the woman's husband's family said. She's had a hard life, after all.
After her husband died, she still lived in the original shack with her child, but one night, she was raped by some refugees.
Her husband's family felt that they had lost face and refused to acknowledge that the child in her belly was her husband's. They even said that her other three children were bastards and wanted to sell her and her three children.
As a result, she somehow became ill and developed a rash all over her body and many boils. She looked so scary that no one dared to buy from her.
The two children were too young, and the buyer felt that they would have to spend a lot of food and raise them for several years, so he kept the price very low.
Her husband's family felt that it was too much of a loss, so in the end they only sold her eldest daughter."
Xia Daohua just felt that this woman was too miserable.
Perhaps, what was even more tragic was her eldest daughter... no one knew where she was sold to.
In fact, it is hard to say whether the child in her belly is her husband's posthumous child.
After all, she had experienced such a nightmare, and maybe even she herself was confused.
But her husband's family actually claimed that the other three children were also bastards, which was pure slander. I'm afraid her husband's family deliberately threw dirty water on her to make it easier for them to sell them off.
Huichuntang might not be unaware that she was wronged.
But in order to show his nobility and innocence, he was determined not to have anything to do with her.
Even if it's just to show her the symptoms.
Even if someone is willing to pay for her.
Even if he didn't set foot on the grounds of their Huichun Hall.
Xia Daohua fell into deep thought, but the guy thought she had convinced him, so he rolled his eyes, snorted, and turned back arrogantly.
Xia Yujiao burst into tears, her whole body shaking.
Xia Daohua then realized that the man's words had brought back Xia Yujiao's worries and reminded her of the sad things that happened in the past.
Xia Daohua turned to the old lady who had just gossiped with her:
"Mother-in-law, do you know of a nearby clinic with good medical skills and a good attitude that can treat this patient?"
In Bohai County, people would find it more pleasant to address a woman of this age as "Grandma" or "Auntie." But in Jixiang County, older women prefer to be called "Grandma."
When the old lady heard Xia Daohua ask this, she immediately laughed:
"What a sweet talker, young lady! Go straight from here to that side, and after passing three alleys, there is a clinic.
The front is quite simple and the place is not very big. But the lady inside is nice, the medicine is not expensive, and the medical skills are also acceptable.
Seeing that Xia Daohua wanted to help the beggar woman, the old lady enthusiastically followed suit:
"Hey, who's that? Can you lend me your door panel? Let's carry this woman to the small clinic in Donggua Hutong."
"Grandma Zhang, I'm the mistress of the Gao family. My full name is Gao Jinxi. Why can't you remember my name?"
"Gao Xiaosan, stop messing around here! The guy has fainted, why don't you lend a hand?"
It seems that the mother-in-law who was watching the fun had a good relationship with the neighbors around her!
Chatting and laughing, they deftly removed a door panel and moved the female beggar onto it. Gao Jinxi and another young man of about his age, one in front and one behind, lifted the door panel steadily and went to Donggua Hutong.
Several idle people who came to watch the fun also followed.
Xia Daohua held Xia Yujiao's hand and followed behind Grandma Zhang, listening to her passionate storytelling and gossip all the way. She also curiously inquired about their identities:
"Dr. Hu from Donggua Alley is such a good man! He never charges any money when we, the neighbors, go to him for a headache or a fever.
If the herbs he prescribed were collected by himself, he would not charge for them. If they were not collected by himself, he would only charge for the medicine.
I just don’t know if he can cure Hanako’s illness.”
"You two young ladies are so kindhearted. When you encountered something like this, not only did you not avoid it, you were willing to lend a hand. It's a blessing for Huazi to meet you!
If there were more people like you in this world, everyone would have hope in their lives!
However, Huichuntang is not someone you can easily mess with. They have powerful backers! If you make enemies with them, you’ll probably be in big trouble in the future!
As Grandma Zhang spoke, she looked up and down at the expressions of Xia Daohua and Xia Yujiao after they heard this, as well as at their clothes.
They were both wearing fine cotton silk, dyed and embroidered with auspicious patterns...
Although cotton satin is considered low-end among silks, it is not something that ordinary people can afford to wear casually.
Then look at the three children following them. They are all wearing fine cotton clothes without a single patch on them...
The family must be well-off to be willing to use large pieces of fine cotton cloth to make clothes for the children.
Looking more closely, the older woman with tearful eyes had a silver hairpin inlaid with red rubies and two pearl flowers on her hair, agate pendants on her ears, and a pair of jade bracelets on her hands.
The young lady who was so polite to him had her hair tied up in a simple bun and pinned with a clear black jade hairpin.
The two little girls wore delicate and lovely tongcao flowers on their heads.
Around the little boy's neck hung a longevity lock weighing two taels.
Several of them have regular facial features, pretty looks, and skin so tender that you can pinch water out of it... You can tell at a glance that they have never suffered from the hardships of wind and sun.
The more Granny Zhang looked, the more she smiled, and her toothless mouth could hardly close.
These people might be the daughters of some wealthy families, hiding their identities and coming out for fun. If I serve them well, I might even get some rewards!
Granny Zhang narrowed her eyes in a smile. When she looked up, she saw they had already reached Donggua Hutong. "Look, ladies, it's the third shop from that side."
Xia Daohua looked up and saw that the clinic's facade was indeed not big. There was a wooden plaque hanging above the door with four large characters "Hu Family Clinic" engraved on it.
The main door was open, with a half-draped curtain hanging on it. There was a small window next to the main door, also open, through which one could vaguely see figures moving around inside and some scattered baskets of medicinal herbs.
There are shops on both sides, and the storefronts are relatively large.
The small Hu Family Clinic is sandwiched between two shops. At first glance, it looks quite pitiful.
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