Chapter 307: Doctor Hu Induces Labor
The next evening, Doctor Hu brought Lu Qiniang a set of wine cups.
"Why is it so particular this time?" Lu Qiniang opened it with a smile.
When she opened it, she was stunned.
The wine cup is grayish green all over, and the glaze is as lustrous as the first condensed spring water. There are a few ice cracks faintly visible on the cup body, and the moon-white body is as thin as a cicada's wing.
Even if Lu Qiniang didn't know the value of something, she knew it was a good thing.
"What? You're not going to celebrate?" Lu Qiniang rolled her eyes at him and carefully wrapped the things up again. "Save them for Hu Rui to marry."
"Wine is not a good thing. I don't want this anymore. I've kept it for years." Doctor Hu said, "Leave it to Erya as a dowry. Don't just focus on Daya, Erya is also of marriageable age."
Lu Qiniang knew that he was still upset and sighed.
She didn't want it, but Doctor Hu thought she was too nagging.
He said, "I don't have a daughter anymore. I can't rely on my son either. When I get old, I'll wait for my Erya to come and see me, an old man who has never died."
Finally, Erya came out and put the things away.
Lu Qiniang invited Divine Doctor Hu to dinner and advised him, "You should always look forward to the future and do what you should do."
"I can't do it anymore. I'm exhausted." said Doctor Hu.
"Then I'll find you a job? It's a no-brainer."
"What kind of work? Tell me what it is," said Doctor Hu. "Please don't give me any bad advice. I won't go if you ask me to do a free clinic. If you are a bad person, you will live a hundred years. If you are a good person, you will be struck by lightning."
"To be a bad guy, you need good luck. If you do that, you might end up dead." Lu Qiniang poured him a cup of tea. "Xiao Yan brought it back and said it was very expensive. I can't tell the difference between good and bad. There's a shop next door, not big, with a monthly rent of twelve taels. I think it won't be a problem if we can negotiate it down to ten taels."
"Ten taels? I'm not as wealthy as you. Where can I get the money to support that?"
"Look, listen to me. I've been recruiting some women to help out lately. I wanted to hire six, but that would make one or two hundred people. I don't need that many, but women looking for work each have their own difficulties. I was thinking, why don't you open a herbal medicine store specializing in herbs?"
In this way, we can hire some people to help, and those who are not needed can also be taught to dig medicinal herbs in the mountains.
"How much medicinal herbs does the capital consume every day? If we can't sell them, we can still ship them out since we're next to the canal. I remember you can prepare those finished medicines, so you can also sell them. We don't want them to be too expensive, just make some money."
Lu Qiniang blurted out all her thoughts, "You provide the manpower, I provide the money, and we'll each take half of the profit."
This job must be very busy. If he is busy, he won't have time to think about other things.
"That shop has a habitable backyard. You and your family can move in. You won't have to constantly be living in your old house, where everything you see reminds you of Dujuan."
"Lu Qinniang, it's really not in vain that I met you." Doctor Hu raised his hand and wiped the corners of his eyes.
"I dare not take the credit for this. This was Xiao Yan's suggestion, but he said he wanted to buy the shop, but I didn't agree. I have to keep some money on hand in case I want to start other businesses. I can't be short of money."
Doctor Hu: "...it's still my brother Xiao who cares about me."
"Why don't you two just become sworn brothers." Lu Qiniang joked.
Xiao Yan smiled, "I have my own selfish motives. You can look after the shop at the dock. In the future, if my family or anyone we bring with us has a headache or a fever, we can go to your place."
"Come, come, I don't charge any money." said Doctor Hu.
"Ah," Lu Qiniang sighed, "Don't even mention that those women are fighting over themselves to work in my shop. I get paid and fed, and even get medical treatment when I'm sick. If I could find such a job in the past, I would have grabbed it. Life in this world is not easy for anyone, and it's even harder for women."
The last few women she took in were either divorced or had to support their husbands because they were sick... In short, she picked the most difficult ones.
She hopes to become bigger and stronger in the future and help more women out of difficulties.
After dinner, Lu Qiniang went to the kitchen to clean up by herself - the children's time was precious, so she would do more if she could. Now that there were people helping in the shop during the day, she had some free time.
San Ya went back to sleep, Daya and Erya read and wrote, and Yun Ting also stayed up late in his room working hard.
"I read a lot of mixed opinions in the book and I don't know what to do." Xiao Yan was asking Doctor Hu about contraception.
Doctor Hu frowned: "You two are not young anymore. If you don't want to have children now, do you have to wait until you are in your seventies or eighties?"
"The Du Juan incident has left a shadow in Qi Niang's heart. She's worried about unfair treatment." Xiao Yan said truthfully, "I have the same concerns, so at least for now, the two of us don't want children."
"Nonsense! Someone was bitten by a snake, and you're afraid of the rope." Doctor Hu pursed his beard and glared, "Don't listen to her. Hurry and have a baby."
"Is there really no other solution?"
"There is a solution. I used to think that since I already have Du Juan and Hu Rui, and a son and a daughter, having so many children would be a burden. So I take the medicine myself, one pill a month, and the effect should be enough."
This is also the reason why he and Lin did not have any more children after Hu Rui.
Xiao Yan was overjoyed.
"But don't ask me for it. I won't give it to you." Doctor Hu said, "Just wait. I'll go talk to Lu Qi's mother."
When Lu Qiniang came in, Doctor Hu scolded her, "Are you stupid? If you don't give birth now, you'll cry when Xiao Yan changes his mind and no one wants to have a child with you? Even now, in front of Xiao Yan, I can still say that men are bastards, and only children belong to you. Qi Niang, you have to have your own flesh and blood!"
Doctor Hu has experienced so much himself and has a deep understanding of this.
When you feel completely hopeless, you can still look at your children.
He also has blood-related children who provide him with spiritual comfort, and his and Lin's crumbling family can be repaired because of the children.
At least, life can go on.
"I can't promise you that Brother Xiao won't change his mind in the future. But your mother, Lu Qi, can't you afford to raise a child?"
Xiao Yan is upright and values friendship and loyalty.
But who can predict what will happen in the future?
Human beings are inherently secular and vulgar.
Men like young bodies and beautiful faces, it's natural.
It’s just that some people can control their desires, while others sink into depravity with their desires.
The temptation Xiao Yan faces is the same.
He may change his mind in the future.
But children will have an extra burden.
"And even if Xiao Yan didn't exist, I would still suggest you find someone to have a child. You're not incapable of raising one. Where can you find a man like Xiao Yan?" Doctor Hu asked. "I know you. Sometimes you think you're not worthy enough, sometimes you think the children will be jealous. Anyway, you always have one reason or another to back out."
"All three girls are going to get married, so you won't find a good one to marry into your family. Regardless of whether Xiao Yan changes his mind or not, in the future, either Xiao Yan will accompany you, or Xiao Yan and your son will accompany you together, or only your son will accompany you. It doesn't matter which way it is."
"Zhang Heyao hurt you, and then Xiao Yan got into trouble. Do you think this is fair?"
"Abandoned mother, listen to me, don't be silly."
Doctor Hu, within his limited knowledge, gave Lu Qiniang life advice from the bottom of his heart.
Only true friends will give sincere advice at the risk of being blamed later.
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