Chapter 86 One must always be wary of others
Thus, Li San Niang agreed to Qi Zhi Die's request, and the group formally exchanged names.
Actually, the matchmaker herself didn't give her name. She was sold to a matchmaker by her own mother for five taels of silver when she was ten years old because her family wanted to find a husband for her brother.
Therefore, she still remembered that her original surname was Ji. However, since she was already old enough to remember when she was sold, her mother sold her even though she knew she was being sold into prostitution in order to sell her for a high price. Since then, she has harbored resentment and does not want to mention her surname. She only asks everyone to call her Hongniang (Matchmaker).
Li's mother sighed upon hearing this. Having frequently traveled to the countryside to deliver babies, she had witnessed families selling their daughters. However, those families wouldn't actually sell their daughters unless they were desperate. Therefore, they sought out a matchmaker, preferring to sell the girl to a wealthy family for a lower price, hoping she could be redeemed and return home, or be married off to a servant when she reached marriageable age—at least it would be a way to survive.
A family with a conscience wouldn't continue selling girls in a place they know will be sold into prostitution just to get a higher price.
Therefore, Li's mother understood Hongniang's reluctance to mention her original surname.
Looking at it this way, it really does prove what Qi Zhidie said: none of the women who enter the brothel are without suffering; it's just a matter of who suffers more.
Li San Niang then had her mother accept the gold ingots and gemstones that Qi Zhi Die had previously taken out, but she did not accept the gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones.
Although Li San Niang didn't know much about the jewelry worn by these women, she could tell that the hairpin was no ordinary gold ornament and must have a story behind it. Therefore, Li San Niang signaled Qi Zhi Die to take back the gold hairpin, as the remaining ones were enough to form an alliance in private and allow the women of Shi Hua Lou to join.
Now that everything is collected, it's time to get to work.
Li San Niang invited Hong Niang to the side hall for a consultation. Because Hong Niang was quite young, she asked for her consent and then invited Qi Zhi Die to come along as well.
As they got closer, the faint fishy smell that Li San Niang had noticed earlier became even more pronounced.
After the matchmaker removed her heavy makeup, took her pulse, and then lifted her skirt and took off her pants for examination, Li San Niang had a better understanding of the situation.
After being questioned, Li San Niang, though outwardly expressionless, was truly heartbroken. Hong Niang was only a sixteen-year-old girl, yet she had already gone through so much; it was truly distressing.
Qi Zhidie, who was standing nearby, helped Hongniang straighten her clothes, but the blush on Hongniang's shy face had not yet disappeared.
Li San Niang then wrote down a prescription on a small table with paper and pen.
"If Madam Qi really wants Hongniang to live, besides taking these ten doses of medicine, I will also prescribe a decoction to soak in water, and use this decoction to wash her every day for ten consecutive days. Most importantly, Hongniang needs to rest."
Qi Zhidie naturally understood Li Sanniang's meaning. Shihualou was not a very big building. There were only thirty-three maids in total. This included four maids, including Qi Zhidie, who were over thirty years old and no longer entertained men. There were also three young women who had not yet reached the age of marriage and had not yet entertained customers. Therefore, it was acceptable to have fewer maids entertain customers. It would just mean earning less money.
"Mom, I..."
Qi Zhidie patted Hongniang's head and said, "Listen to Doctor Li, you should rest for a few days and wait until you're better before we talk about it."
After all that fuss, the curfew had long passed. Just like when she helped Diliber last time, Li San Niang took the lantern that her older brother Li had specially found after returning from his shift, went to the medicine cabinet, grabbed ten doses of medicine for both internal and external use, and brewed another dose, which she had Qi Zhidie take to Hong Niang to drink.
Tonight, the three of them will stay in the room in the front hall for the night. It was also arranged with Qi Zhidie that they would come again in three days. At that time, Li Sanniang would explain the details of joining the Women's Assistance Association to her and discuss how to get Li Sanniang to help the women of Shihualou with their medical treatments.
After parting ways with Li's mother, Li San Niang returned to her room and lay down with Lu Zhu'er in her arms. It was past midnight. Because she was afraid of missing the last flash of inspiration in her mind, she carefully wrote down the medical records of Dilibaier and the matchmaker tonight by the dim light. She also wrote down the content of the plan for how to start the Women's Assistance Association that she had been thinking about. That's why she was delayed.
Because she had exhausted herself the night before, Li San Niang woke up rather late the next day. It was only because her mother saw that if she slept any longer she would have to get up for lunch that she forcibly woke Li San Niang up.
Before Li San Niang got up, Li's mother naturally told the family about what happened last night, but she avoided telling the four little ones. She only told the others after the four little ones went to school.
Today is Brother Li's day off. After hearing from his mother that his third sister wanted to start a women's association, he didn't think it was impossible. After all, Brother Li believed that his younger sister had excellent medical skills. It was just a private association, so it would be easy to organize.
Brother Li was worried that Li San Niang, as a future female doctor, had become involved with the women of Pingkangfang. If word got out, Li San Niang would face a huge uproar.
Although Brother Li did not follow in his father's footsteps as a doctor, Brother Li's second brother had done a lot of work a few years earlier in order to join the medical alliance. Brother Li, watching from the sidelines, naturally understood how important a doctor's reputation was.
If Li San Niang not only treats the women of Pingkangfang, but also gets them to join the alliance she established, then it's not just a matter for Li San Niang alone, but rather a matter of Li San Niang joining the medical alliance and becoming a physician within it!
This is a big deal.
"Third Sister, setting up an alliance is fine. After all, according to Second Brother, there are quite a few private alliances within the Medical Alliance, and the Imperial Medical Bureau hasn't objected. As long as you pay taxes on time and obey regulations, there shouldn't be any problems. But your idea of helping the women of Pingkang Ward and getting them on the alliance's secret register is a huge hidden danger. Who knows if you won't be exposed one day and implicated?"
Pingkangfang was never a respectable place. The transactions involving money, power, and sex there were not things that could be discussed openly. And who knew whether Qi Zhidie truly wanted to live for the women in the brothel, or what her motives were?
Li San Niang had considered this, but she couldn't bear to abandon these already unfortunate women and let them fend for themselves. Li San Niang felt that since she had encountered them, it was only right to lend a helping hand.
But it is also true that one should always be wary of others.
"Brother, what do you think? Should I tell Mr. Bu Ke, the scoundrel, about this?"
Not only Brother Li, but the other members of the Li family were also stunned when they heard what Li San Niang said. No one expected that Li San Niang would think of finding the Bad People to cover for her.
"I was tricked into joining the Bad Guys by Mr. Ke Ke. They will definitely make sure that Aye and I help treat the wounded in the future. How can we not make good use of such a good opportunity?"
Li Erxiong chimed in, "I think Third Sister's idea is feasible. We should make good use of what we can, otherwise Third Sister wouldn't have been completely clueless when she went to the banquet at the Duke of Liang's mansion last time."
"Then, Third Sister, you should think it over carefully. How do you tell Mr. Ke Bu? Let Da Lang go to the liaison office with you tonight."
Li San Niang nodded, then turned to Li Er Xiong and said to take the equipment diagrams she had drawn last time to Mr. Bu Ke and ask the master craftsman to make a few sets so that they could be kept for the second lecture at the Medical Alliance in the future.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com