Chapter 8: The mother is not kind, but the son is filial
"I do believe you..." Doctor Lin has a conscience when charging for medical treatment, otherwise the Song family would not have kept looking for him.
However, when she heard that the prescription contained 100% bitter coptis root, Mrs. Song's face wrinkled.
"Old lady, good medicine tastes bitter. Even though you are in good health now, if this continues for a long time, I'm afraid it will affect your lifespan..."
When she heard that her life span would be shortened, the old lady stopped making a fuss and could only ask her maid to make it and bring it to her.
Looking at the black medicine, just by sniffing it, you can smell the bitter taste...
Old Mrs. Song felt her mouth dry. Thinking of what Doctor Lin said, she had not seen the eldest and second sons achieve anything yet, and had not received imperial decrees yet. She pinched her nose and drank it all in one gulp.
As soon as the medicine entered her mouth, it was so bitter that the root of her tongue went numb.
"Bitter, bitter! Bring me the candied fruit, bring it quickly."
The maid brought some candied fruit and stuffed it into her mouth, and she finally felt better...
The thought of drinking it three times a day made her feel dizzy... She was really uncomfortable.
In the third room, Song Ci listened to the news Wanxiang had found out and laughed so hard that she fell over.
"Should!"
"The old lady used to be so unreasonable, but the young lady and the mistress never objected. This servant used to be angry, but today she finally calmed down."
Wanxiang smiled with sparkling eyes. In the past, the third house always suffered losses and she was also bullied. Today, seeing the old lady suffer, she finally felt relieved. The young lady now is different from the previous one, and she likes the young lady now!
"Don't worry, our third room will only get better and better in the future."
Wanxiang didn't understand why the young lady suddenly said this, she just smiled and nodded heavily. Now she finally had some hope.
Zhang Baiwan rested at the Song family for a few days and was well taken care of. His injuries had not yet healed completely, but it did not affect his journey, so he took the initiative to resign and said he wanted to return home.
He had already sent a letter home, and someone from his family would come to take him back today.
Uncle Song secretly felt it was a pity. He had tried to persuade Zhang Baiwan to stay several times but was always declined, so he could only send him to the door.
He was confident that after spending a few more days together, he would be able to have a closer relationship with the other party, and then he would be able to ask for help.
When he reached the door, Zhang Baiwan looked around, but didn't see any trace of Song Laosan. He asked, "Where is Mr. Song San?"
Uncle Song saw that he was still thinking about his useless brother, and he forced a smile on his face. "My brother is a lazy and unreliable person. I'm afraid he's still resting in the house. I'm afraid he can't come to see Brother Zhang off."
Zhang Baiwan glanced at him with doubt in his heart.
The eldest and second sons of the Song family are fair and slightly fat, while the third son has dark skin and is thin.
No matter how you look at it, he is not a lazy guy.
As they were talking, a figure walked in from the door. Song Laosan had just walked through the fields on the outskirts of the city to check this year's harvest. The sweat on his forehead had not yet completely dried. He turned around and saw the people at the door.
"Brother Zhang, eldest brother, second brother."
Zhang Baiwan noticed the black mud between his fingernails and knew where he had been. He felt a little upset when he thought about what Boss Song said about his benefactor.
Boss Song had just lied when he was slapped in the face. He felt embarrassed and stammered without saying a word.
"Mr. Song, I'm leaving for home today and won't bother you anymore."
Song Lao San was stunned. Although he was not seriously injured when he picked up Zhang Baiwan that day, he still had many wounds of varying sizes on his body. He looked him up and down with some concern, "You have quite a few wounds on your body. Don't force yourself."
Thinking about how the eldest and second oldest Song brothers had been constantly checking on him these past few days, and how only the third oldest Song brother had genuinely cared about his injury, Zhang Baiwan felt a sense of gratitude, his eyes softening. He didn't care about the dirt on his hands and held them tightly, "Brother Song, I will always remember your concern and life-saving grace. Let's get together again if we have the chance in the future."
Song Lao San's face flushed slightly, and he felt a little embarrassed. "But they are just trivial matters. Why bother you to keep them in mind like this?"
"It's a small matter for you, Brother Song, but it's a big deal for me, Zhang Baiwan. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave."
Seeing the contact coming, Zhang Baiwan bowed and left.
Several people watched him leave in his carriage.
Song Lao San noticed that Zhang Baiwan had stuffed something into his hand when he left. Just as he was about to take it out, he heard Uncle Song snort coldly, "You just got home, but you don't know how to be more filial to your mother. You just run away all day long. No wonder your mother gets angry when she sees you."
Song Laosan was scolded so harshly that he forgot what he was holding.
"Brother, the fertile fields outside the city are ready for harvest these days. I'm going to go see how the harvest is going... I bought some cakes that mother likes. I'll wash up and go see mother later."
"Third brother." Song Lao Er glanced at him, "You look so unkempt every day, and you're not afraid of losing face in the Song family when you go out. It's really... a disgrace to the family."
Old Song lowered his head, noticing the dirt on the corners of his clothes and shoes. Then he looked at his brothers, who were meticulously dressed, and felt ashamed. "I'll definitely pay attention to this later, little brother."
He knew that his elder brother would become an official in the future, so he naturally valued his family's reputation, and he could not lose face for the Song family.
Boss Song felt relieved when he saw his humble and submissive look.
She hurriedly urged him, "Mom is waiting for you, why don't you go quickly? Do you want to keep me waiting for a long time?"
"Yes, yes, brother, I'll go right away."
As soon as Song Lao San left, Song Lao Da and Song Lao Er's faces darkened.
"What a pity! Zhang Baiwan is so vigilant and refuses to give in. Otherwise, with his connections, it would have been much easier for me to stay in Beijing..."
There is no money at home now, so his hope of staying in Beijing is probably slim.
"Brother, Zhang Baiwan treats me well. Why don't you ask me to go and ask for his help? He always listens to you. If you ask him to go, he won't dare to refuse. He is Zhang Baiwan's savior. If you risk your reputation and ask for help, it will be done."
When Boss Song heard this, a smile appeared on his face, "What you said is a good idea."
As for how Song Lao San asked for help, it was not his concern.
Old Mrs. Song was drinking the medicine, which was so bitter that her eyes were full of gold. The worst thing was that her stomach kept churning after drinking the medicine. She had to go to the toilet several times, but she could hardly hold it in.
After eating this bowl of food, my stomach started to rumble again.
"Mom, your son is here to see you."
When she heard Song Lao San's voice, Old Lady Song became furious. When the man arrived in front of her, she raised her hand, grabbed his ear and pulled hard.
"You heartless thing, your mother is sick and needs to take such bitter medicine, but you are not here to serve her. Where have you been?"
Song Laosan's ears were pulled red and swollen, and he immediately explained where he had been today.
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