The dirt road in the countryside was a bit bumpy. Meng Zhao hurried along in his donkey cart and finally caught up with Chen Xiaowu, who was carrying starch into the county town, just as they were about to reach it.
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, stop for a second," Meng Zhao called out impatiently.
Seeing Meng Zhao chasing after him, Chen Xiaowu stopped the caravan, jumped off the donkey cart, and asked, thinking something had happened, "Boss Meng, what's wrong?"
"Brother Xiaowu, would you please come over to the side to talk?" Since it was a private matter, Meng Zhao asked him to go aside to talk, and Chen Xiaowu followed without thinking much about it.
"Brother Xiao Wu, I'd like to ask you for a favor?"
"What can I do for you, Mr. Meng?"
"Does Brother Xiao Wu know any doctors in the county?"
Chen Xiaowu slowly shook his head and said, "No, not at all."
After all, he used to be a waiter, greeting guests and serving them tea and water. He only recently started working for Xiao Youzhi and didn't really know any doctors.
Then he remembered something, "But I have a good brother who has been an apprentice at Huichuntang since he was a child. He has only been practicing for a short time and probably can't be considered a doctor yet. But we grew up together and I know his character better than anyone. I can trust him completely."
Meng Zhao nodded in surprise, "Yes, that's fine. Then please introduce me, Brother Xiao Wu."
Although she brought money with her, hiring someone was not as good as finding a real doctor, and Li Yunxiang's health needed to be examined by a real doctor.
Chen Xiaowu was also happy to be able to help Meng Zhao. "Okay, but I have to go back and report. Boss Meng can go directly to Huichuntang and find a man named Li Shize. Just tell him that I introduced him and he will definitely help."
"Brother Xiao Wu, you've really helped me a lot. I'll definitely treat you to a meal when I move to the county."
Chen Xiaowu's eyes lit up. He had tasted Boss Meng's cooking before. "Boss Meng, you're too kind. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to work for Young Master Xiao."
Although he was still just a servant running errands and delivering messages, working for the big boss was much better than being a waiter at Chunfenglou.
Meng Zhao said with a smile, "It also depends on your own intelligence and ability to seize opportunities. In the future, you'll need to put in a good word for me with Boss Xiao."
That's how relationships work – you help me, I help you, and that's how they're maintained. Having more friends means having more options. Chen Xiaowu is a clever guy, and he works for Xiao Youzhi, so getting along well with him is never a bad thing.
After exchanging a few polite words, Meng Zhao dared not delay any longer and hurriedly drove the donkey cart into the city. Huichuntang was a well-known name, and after entering the city, Meng Zhao asked someone for directions to Huichuntang. He arrived at the place smoothly in no time.
There were no shop assistants at the entrance of Huichuntang, so Meng Zhao went straight in. The pharmacy was well-organized, divided into several different areas, including a consultation table for doctors to take patients' pulses and treat them, and a medicine cabinet displaying various medicinal materials for people to fill and take medicine.
As soon as Meng Zhao walked in, he smelled a strong medicinal fragrance.
The doctors at the examination table were all quietly taking pulses, and Meng Zhao didn't want to disturb them, so she turned around and went to the medicine table.
A young man in his early twenties was standing behind the counter. Meng Zhao politely asked, "Excuse me, is Li Shize here right now?"
Upon hearing Meng Zhao's question, a hint of doubt flashed in the man's eyes. He couldn't help but look Meng Zhao up and down, his gaze filled with curiosity. "I am Li Shize. Do you have something to discuss with me, young lady?"
Meng Zhao spoke directly, "Dr. Li, I need to ask you to make a house call."
Li Shize shook his head after hearing this, "I have just started practicing medicine and cannot make house calls on my own yet. I need to ask my master for help."
Meng Zhao quickly said, "Chen Xiaowu and I are friends. This is a private matter, and I would like to ask for your help."
"Please wait a moment, I'll ask the shopkeeper for leave and go out with you." He and Chen Xiaowu had grown up together since childhood and had a deep friendship. Since Chen Xiaowu's friend needed his help, he naturally couldn't refuse.
Meng Zhao nodded, and after Li Shize made the arrangements, he took him to the city gate.
In fact, Meng Zhao's solution was very simple: he had Granny Fang and Li Dayong take the initiative to divorce Li Yunxiang.
Under normal circumstances, this would be virtually impossible, because Li Yunxiang is the main breadwinner of the Li family. She does all the farm work and housework, and her family treats her like an ox. Naturally, they wouldn't let go of this free labor.
Moreover, given Li Dayong's circumstances—his family is poor and he is inherently lazy—it would be virtually impossible for him to find someone hardworking and resilient after losing Li Yunxiang.
Although women are now permitted to engage in business, work, and study outside the home, and even widows can remarry after fulfilling their filial duties for three years, if a woman initiates a divorce, she is still considered unconventional and scorned by others.
The reason for this was simply that after hundreds of years of chaos, most of the people had died out. If men alone were to support the operation of the entire court, women would not be able to do so. Therefore, women were allowed to show their faces in public and participate in production labor.
Because of the long years of war, the population had decreased sharply, and the court urgently needed to increase the population. If women were to remain widows for life because of the death of men, it would be a waste of precious reproductive resources for the court.
Therefore, these current rules do not reflect a genuine improvement in women's status, but are merely a means to maintain the stability of the imperial regime.
If they want a divorce, it can only be initiated by Granny Fang and Li Dayong. For people like them who prioritize profit above all else, the best approach is to make Li Yunxiang no longer of any use to them.
This is where Li Shize's help comes in. Meng Zhao won't tell Li Shize everything, at least not about Li Yunxiang's desire for a divorce.
After all, many people view people of the same gender as a community of shared interests and will not allow others to infringe upon the interests of people of the same gender as themselves.
"Dr. Li, please help me out. Tell her to exaggerate her illness. She just wants to rest for a while and recover."
Li Shize frowned slightly, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. After all, even exaggerating the illness would violate medical ethics. But seeing Meng Zhao's earnest words and the fact that she was Chen Xiaowu's friend, he nodded and agreed.
Seeing that Li Shize had agreed, Meng Zhao was relieved. The two of them took a donkey cart to the city gate, where they happened to run into Shen Yun.
"Chen Yun, how is your sister-in-law Yunxiang?"
Shen Yun replied, panting, "It's nothing. When I arrived, the village head had already brought people to 'rescue' Sister Yunxiang. I told him I was coming to the county to get a doctor, and then I ran over here."
She had a long and tiring day, so Meng Zhao first wiped the sweat from her forehead and then helped her onto the donkey cart. The three of them returned to Shenjia Village together.
After escorting the two to the village entrance, Meng Zhao did not follow them. Who knew if Granny Fang, Li Dayong, and their ilk would try to take advantage of her if they saw her? It was best for her to avoid this matter as much as possible.
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