Chapter 34 They can't sleep here
"What little cats and dogs? Fifth Senior Brother, you're really going too far with your words." Cui Mingyue stepped forward and shielded the little boy behind her, saying, "Have you forgotten? This is Xu Xiaosheng. Last time he helped you sort the medicinal herbs, and you even said he had a good memory."
“He’s too young, just turned ten. What’s the difference between this and hiring child labor?” Cui frowned, not uttering his thoughts aloud. With the head physician at Renxintang currently short-staffed, he naturally preferred experienced apprentices who could help with patient care after a period of training.
Such a child would be nothing but trouble for Renxintang now.
Hearing this, Shen Qingtang stared at the little boy's thin body, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected him to be a few years younger than she had imagined.
To be honest, compared to the other three adult apprentices who came to apply, this kid named Xu Xiaosheng was really incomparable. He was even half a head shorter than the counter, and even if he were to be hired, he would have to stand on a high stool to get medicine.
Before Cui Mingyue could speak, a dark head popped out from behind her. His clothes were washed until they were almost white, and his dark green eyes had turned bright green with anger. He clenched his fists and retorted defiantly, "You're the little one! I'm already ten years old! And I recognize all the Chinese medicinal herbs. I can come here as an apprentice." Perhaps because he didn't have money to get a haircut, his long bangs covered his entire forehead, making him appear somewhat unruly.
Cui Mingyue followed closely behind, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, saying, "I don't think Xiao Sheng is any different from the others."
Cui Min: "..." He glanced at the three apprentices opposite him, and twitched his lips speechlessly, saying, "I don't even want to talk to you." What kind of people did you recruit?
The man to his right was dark-skinned, muscular, and had an honest, kind face. He just kept smiling and didn't utter a sound for ages after he came in. He almost thought he was a migrant worker from a nearby construction site trying to scam food. After asking around, he learned that the man was a herbalist from Qinghe Village named Liu Haoren, who had come here as an apprentice to learn some real skills.
Next to Liu Haoren was a man with the complete opposite personality, named Sun Hou (Monkey). True to his name, he was incredibly thin, almost like a skinny monkey. His eyes darted around, and he looked shrewd. He had just graduated from medical school and was being forced into work by his family. He was very articulate; during his job interview, he gave a complete introduction of his personal information in a minute and even recited a short medical rhyme on the spot.
The last apprentice was even more bizarre. It was the height of summer, and this guy was dressed entirely in a black cloak, revealing nothing except his eyes. Even the most conservative Arab women were more open than him. When he first entered, Cui Min thought he was cosplaying some kind of dark character. If Liu Haoren was quiet and often smiled, this guy was completely silent. From the moment he entered until now, all he knew was that the guy's name was Fang Ze and that he had been an apprentice at several medical clinics.
If the shop weren't so short-staffed, he would never have hired this kind of nice guy, skinny guy, and gloomy guy as an apprentice. All three of them had their own grievances and all scored below 60.
But regardless, these people are all adults, not children who need their care. Therefore, he could reluctantly accept the first three, but Xu Xiaosheng would absolutely not.
Seeing Cui Min's resolute attitude, Cui Mingyue blinked and turned to Shen Qingtang, saying, "Sister Shen, let's take Xiaosheng in. Don't underestimate him because of his young age; he recognizes most medicinal herbs. All we need to do is provide him with three meals a day. Besides..." She paused and continued, "He and his sister are the only ones living in their family. They either rely on our neighbors for help or scavenge for food in the trash. They're very pitiful."
Cui Mingyue didn't deny that she had some selfish motives and was determined to use her connections to get Xu Xiaosheng a job. To be fair, the benefits offered to apprentices at Renxin Medical Clinic weren't great; they only provided three meals a day and didn't even include accommodation. But as long as the meals were provided, it would be enough for the two children to survive. Besides, apprentices are meant to learn, and the young boy was perfect for being trained.
In fact, Cui Mingyue had considered giving the two children money regularly each month, but firstly, her salary wasn't very high, and she had an elderly mother to support; secondly, she had noticed that although Xiao Sheng was young, he had a strong sense of self-respect. She knew he wouldn't accept money if she kept giving it to him.
Hearing Cui Mingyue's words, Shen Qingtang pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on the little boy's thin face with prominent cheekbones, and asked, "Where are their parents? How old is his sister?"
Although Shen Qingtang's tone remained indifferent, Cui Mingyue immediately sensed an opportunity from the content of her question. She promptly recounted everything she knew: "Xiaosheng isn't from here. His parents are dead, and he only came to our community half a year ago. The first time I saw him, he was fighting for food with a group of stray cats. His younger sister is eight years old, named Xiaoxun. But Xiaoxun isn't Xiaosheng's biological sister; she seems to have been in an orphanage." At this point, Cui Mingyue's eyes flickered, and she glossed over the details: "Anyway, the two of them are now relying on each other."
"Sister Chen, please let Xiaosheng stay. Two kids don't eat much for three meals a day. Just consider it a good deed."
Cui Min was almost driven mad by Cui Mingyue's words. She emphasized, "I've already said that this is a clinic, not a charity. Besides, a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. This is the time when children eat a lot."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaosheng felt as if he had been slapped across the face. The burning sensation seemed to cling to his soul and linger there. His proud self-esteem was crushed into mud at that moment, and the feeling of shame made him clench his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms.
But he quickly took a deep breath, thinking of his little sister Xiao Xun still lying in the rented room waiting for him. He suppressed his embarrassment, blushed, looked at Shen Qingtang, swallowed hard, and tried to sell himself with trembling lips: "Sister Shen, I can eat only one meal a day. I'm very smart, I can do accounting and use an abacus, and I can find out all kinds of inside information. Sister Shen, you won't lose out if you take me as your apprentice. I will definitely become a very good doctor in the future, just like Master Huang."
He knew Shen Qingtang was watching him, and he also knew how unconvincing his conditions were, but he had no choice but to fight for them.
Once he became an apprentice at Renxin Pharmacy, with Sister Mingyue's help, at least he and Xiaoxun would be able to fill their stomachs every day. Compared to that, his pride was utterly worthless, a lesson he had learned at a very young age.
Hearing this, Cui Minyue crossed her arms and sneered, "Young in age, but with such a big mouth. How dare you dream of becoming a physician on par with Elder Huang."
Xu Xiaosheng's embarrassment deepened. In fact, he only knew Huang Lao's reputation, which was why he made such a boast. But he still stubbornly raised his head and said, "So what? I'm still young. Maybe I can even surpass Huang Lao."
Seeing that Cui Min was about to refute, Cui Mingyue quickly defended her, saying, "Fifth Senior Brother, didn't you also start as an apprentice to achieve what you have today? You talked a lot more big talk when you were young than Xiao Sheng, and I didn't laugh at you back then."
Upon hearing this, Cui Min paused for a moment, then turned to Shen Qingtang and said, "Sister Shen, you make the decision. It's the same whether you bring one, two, or three."
Meeting the boy's unusual green eyes, Shen Qingtang inexplicably thought of someone, and her heart softened. She looked at Xiao Sheng but asked a completely unrelated question: "Does your sister also know any Chinese herbal medicine?"
Upon hearing the implication, Cui Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she nudged Xu Xiaosheng, saying, "Xiaosheng, quickly tell Sister Chen everything." After saying that, she glanced at Cui Min and said, "I told you Sister Chen is a good person."
With Cui Mingyue's prompting, the little boy quickly grasped the meaning and nodded repeatedly, saying, "She knows her, she knows her." His eyes sparkled as he said, "Although Xiao Xun is two years younger than me, she has read the Complete Guide to Identifying Chinese Herbal Medicines with me and knows many herbs. She is smarter than me."
He was young and short, and he always looked up at Shen Qingtang, so Shen Qingtang could clearly see the expectation and longing in his eyes.
It looks more like a puppy carrying an empty plate, hoping to be adopted, or a miniature version of a large wild beast.
For no apparent reason, she smiled slightly at her inappropriate association and analogy, and couldn't help but reach out and pat Xu Xiaosheng's head, saying, "Then bring your sister over as an apprentice too."
Even if a clinic is poor, it can still support two mouths.
The little boy cheered and was overjoyed, repeatedly thanking her, "Sister Chen, thank you so much." Not only did she make him an apprentice at Renxin Medical Clinic, but she also made it possible for Xiaoxun to become an apprentice as well.
He was living a life of hardship, barely having enough to eat, but in an instant, his and his sister's lives changed. From then on, he was not only able to eat his fill every day, but he was also able to become a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.
Shen Qingtang reached out her fingertip and gently tapped his emerald green eyes, saying, "If you want to thank someone, thank it."
The pale fingers flashed by like a dragonfly skimming the water, leaving a slight tingling sensation in his eyes. He stood there in disbelief, touching his ears, almost thinking he had misheard.
Has his pair of green eyes, which people always call monsters, brought him good luck now?
"You silly kid, are you out of your mind with joy? Hurry up and bring your sister over. Oh, and tell me your and your sister's sizes, so I'll have someone make two sets of shop assistant uniforms." Cui Min was a typical person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She really liked Xu Xiaosheng, otherwise she wouldn't have asked him to help her before and secretly given him some subsidies.
However, he felt that Cui Mingyue's backdoor approach was too obvious. Shen Qingtang wasn't Director Cui and had no obligation to pay for her kindness. Ultimately, he always remembered his identity as a worker. Seeing that Shen Qingtang not only agreed to let Xiao Sheng come as an apprentice but also took Xiao Xun in, he couldn't help but feel a little more favorably towards Shen Qingtang.
Cui Mingyue said with a smile, "Xiao Sheng, didn't you say you love hot pot the most? Sister Chen said she'll take us out for dinner tonight. We'd love to welcome you all to the Renxin Medical Clinic family."
Xu Xiaosheng's eyes reddened, and he quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, saying, "Thank you, Sister Mingyue." He knew that he was able to come here as an apprentice thanks to Cui Mingyue's help.
When Xu Xiaoxun arrived, Shen Qingtang was even more surprised. Xu Xiaosheng already looked much thinner than his peers, but Xu Xiaoxun was even thinner. It was no exaggeration to say that her arms were like two thin bamboo poles, and she was so thin that she was depleted of qi and blood.
She stroked her chin and gave Cui Mingyue a few instructions, to which the latter replied, "Sister Chen, I remember. I'll brew her medicine every day." She frowned and said, "It's just that the medicine is really too bitter. I don't know if Xiao Xun will be afraid of it."
Suddenly, a timid and soft voice came from the corner: "The medicine is good stuff, it's for me to strengthen my body. I'm not afraid of bitterness, thank you Sister Chen and Sister Mingyue for prescribing the medicine for me."
The other person's bright eyes held a resilience and intelligence rarely seen in children. Because of her difficult life, she was forced to mature early, but she always had a smiling face and a grateful heart.
No one could remain unmoved by such a little girl, but Shen Qingtang knew that the other party was already tired of hearing words of sympathy and comfort, so she simply looked at Cui Mingyue and added lightly, "I remember there's a supermarket nearby, buy a few more bags of candy."
As for who ate the candy, it goes without saying.
Although Cui Min was sharp-tongued, he was undoubtedly a very responsible person. He had a solid foundation in the subject and nearly four or five years of experience in the clinic. Shen Qingtang was very relieved to entrust the five apprentices to him. Cui Mingyue was cheerful and lively, which was perfect for welcoming and seeing off guests. In addition, the new Renxin Clinic had just opened and they didn't have many customers yet, so they could handle it.
Shen Qingtang has always believed in the principle of trusting those she employs and not employing those she doesn't trust. In addition, Zhang Xining kept a close eye on the effects of the beauty pills, so she simply became a hands-off manager. Except when she was giving Mrs. Li regular acupuncture, she spent the rest of her time alone in the pharmacy.
She was so engrossed in her research that her return to the Qin mansion was inevitably delayed further and further. It wasn't until a week later that she finally finished preparing the formula for the Beauty Elixir.
She stood up, turned her stiff head, and stretched her arms. Just then, the phone rang. Her previously calm mood fluctuated slightly when she saw the name flashing in her contacts, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
"Brother Qin, is there something you need calling me so late?"
Looking at the dark, thick night outside, which resembled a splash of ink, Qin Guanlan smiled helplessly and said, "So you knew it was this late."
Shen Qingtang then looked enlightened, patted her head with a guilty expression, and said, "Brother Qin, I'll take a taxi home right away." Brother Qin's legs had recovered to their best condition, and now he only needed acupuncture twice a day. He must have been waiting too long, which was why he was impatiently urging her to go home.
"Go home..." Hearing the words on the phone, Qin Guanlan's previously furrowed brows instantly smoothed out with those two words. His tone also softened considerably: "No need, wait for me at the clinic. I'm already on my way to pick you up." He paused, then added, "Didn't you say the mutton hotpot at Yangquan Restaurant was good? I packed some for you. Sit down and eat before you go."
Qin Guanlan and Shen Qingtang had spent several months together and had gained a certain understanding of each other's personalities. Shen Qingtang was serious and meticulous in her work, but she had a fatal flaw: once she became too focused on something, she would get completely absorbed in it, often forgetting to eat or drink.
Shen Qingtang touched her empty stomach, belatedly feeling the hunger pangs, and then remembered that she hadn't eaten dinner. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Qin, I'm actually hungry now."
Qi Yi, who was driving, interrupted, "Sister Chen, you didn't actually eat anything, did you?" Feeling the sharp look coming from behind, he quickly shrank back and made a zipping motion with his lips.
Qi Er sat in the passenger seat with his arms crossed, looking completely indifferent. In his heart, he thought: Qi Yi doesn't deserve any sympathy. Even when Brother Qin called Sister Chen, he had to add drama to the situation—wasn't that just asking for trouble?
After sending Zhang Xining the message "Come pick up the Beauty Pill tomorrow," Shen Qingtang leisurely came out of the medicine-making room, locked the door, and then walked to the front hall, turned on the lights, and set out tables and chairs.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound and looked around. The back hall was small, with the office, kitchen, medicine room, and storage room crammed together, leaving no room for living. So Shen Qingtang instinctively thought it was a mouse, but after searching several times, she couldn't find one. She thought to herself that she would have to have Cui Mingyue organize a thorough cleaning tomorrow.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from outside. It was already late at night. Without thinking, Shen Qingtang went straight to the front door. Sure enough, Qi Yi's loud voice came from outside.
"Brother Qin, this is the Renxin Medical Clinic run by Sister Shen. Although it is a little small, it has everything you need."
"That's strange, why is there a new Renxin across the street? Is it a branch?"
Shen Qingtang walked over with a flashlight and looked at Qin Guanlan, who was sitting in a wheelchair and had rushed over, and a feeling of regret suddenly rose in her heart.
She has always been a simple person. Although she took over Renxin Medical Hall, her real purpose was to practice the Thirteen Ghost Needles and find patients with similar illnesses to Brother Qin to treat, so that Brother Qin could stand up again and heal them.
Therefore, she didn't care much about Renxin Medical Clinic. The threshold at the entrance was still as high as ever, and the path leading in was paved with gravel. It had just rained the night before, so it was full of potholes. The friction sound of the wheelchair running over it was even louder, and the person in the wheelchair shook again and again.
"These roads should be repaired properly," Shen Qingtang thought to herself. Then, without a word, she walked behind Qin Guanlan, took the wheelchair from Qi Er's hands very naturally, and pushed it forward.
"Sister Chen, look, Brother Qin brought you a mutton hot pot from Yangquan Restaurant, it's perfect for you to replenish your body."
"You've been working so hard researching elixirs lately, you've even lost a lot of weight."
Ignoring Qi Yi's winking and teasing words, Qin Guanlan keenly sensed Shen Qingtang's low spirits.
Before he could even finish asking "What's wrong?", he heard Shen Qingtang say in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry."
Qin Guanlan said, somewhat amused and exasperated, "I brought you a mutton hotpot, shouldn't you say thank you?" Shen Qingtang pursed her lips and then changed her words, "I'm sorry, thank you."
This seemingly incoherent and nonsensical statement, which should have left one bewildered, made Qin Guanlan's lips curl into a smile as she saw the genuine concern in the other person's eyes. Her smile widened: "I should be thanking you."
If it weren't for the other person's constant companionship, he might still be trapped in that room. He deliberately changed the subject with a joke, saying, "It's just a mutton hotpot. You've been working so hard giving me acupuncture every day, and I haven't even thanked you."
Shen Qingtang shook her head and said, "Brother Qin, this is different. It's what I should do."
Qin Guanlan lightly touched Shen Qingtang's right hand as if by accident and said, "There is nothing that you should or shouldn't do. I already said that day that the way I am now is not solely your fault."
Qi Yi and Qi Er, who were standing close together, suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the air had become sticky. After exchanging a glance, they tacitly and deliberately sped up their pace.
Qi Yi, who was originally planning to help Qin Guanlan, was suddenly bombarded with a dose of PDA.
Although I don't know why, today's dog food is still delicious.
Qi Yi and Qi Er arrived first and laid out the packaged mutton hot pot broth.
The portable gas stove was lit, and fresh mutton, tripe, and offal were laid out one by one, along with a large portion of chopped white radish as a side dish.
As the saying goes, "Eat crabs in autumn and lamb in winter," the cold winter months are the best season for eating lamb, and the lamb has less of a gamey smell then. However, Yangquan Restaurant has its own grassland breeding center, where the sheep eat pure, natural, and pollution-free pasture. Therefore, even in this season, the lamb is still incredibly delicious, making your mouth water and leaving you wanting more.
Shen Qingtang ate alone while the others ate with her. The aroma of mutton wafted through the air, making the cold night feel especially warm.
Kyoto locals prefer the original flavor of lamb hot pot, so the broth is a milky white lamb bone soup that has been simmered overnight. Nothing else is added except a few goji berries and red dates for aroma and color.
The mutton is as thin as a cicada's wing. Discerning people will only dip it lightly in the boiling pot for three seconds before dipping it in a sauce made of fermented bean curd, cilantro, and mutton broth. They will roll it up and down, touch it with their tongues and chew it. Finally, they will eat a bite of soft white radish and drink a sip of delicious mutton broth. This is the way old gourmets do it.
Of course, to cater to Shen Qingtang's taste, Qi Yi and the others specially bought a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce and placed it next to her.
They are closer than family, so they don't have many formalities or customs; they just care about what suits their own taste.
Since Qin Guanlan and the other two had already eaten, they only took a few bites.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from my stomach, accompanied by the faint sound of swallowing saliva, which was very clear in the middle of the night.
Qi Yi immediately gave Qi Er a pork knuckle, rolled his eyes at him, and said, "Eat if you want, I'm not stopping you." When he offered it to Qi Er earlier, the man insisted on eating it and only ate one piece.
Hearing Qi Yi's complaint, Qi Er twitched his lips speechlessly and said, "It wasn't me who made the sound. I'm not hungry." Qin Guanlan, who was sitting next to Shen Qingtang, twitched his ears and said, "It sounds like two little mice."
Before Shen Qingtang could hear clearly, she saw Qi Er suddenly stand up and soon pull out two "little mice" that were covering their faces and had turned red.
"Xiaosheng, Xiaoxun, what are you doing here?" Shen Qingtang's eyes flashed with surprise. She gestured for Qi Er to put the two down and asked, "Shouldn't you be home by now?" When she applied for the apprenticeship, she had specifically registered their addresses. After all, they were just two children; it was always better to be careful.
Hearing this, Xu Xiaosheng blushed but stubbornly said, "Sister Chen, I heard that there are many medicinal herbs stored in the storage room. I was afraid that they would be stolen at night, so I brought Xiaoxun here to keep watch."
Xiao Xun bit her lip, looking scared, and said with her head down, "Sister Chen, I'm sorry, if you don't want to, we'll go home right away."
The two children thought their expressions were flawless, but in reality, they were full of flaws.
One was guilty but stubborn, while the other was so guilty that he dared not look the adult in the eye, his face showing obvious panic.
Hearing Xiao Sheng's excuse, Shen Qingtang was even more speechless. The medicinal herbs in the storage room had always been stored there, and they were locked with three or four locks. Moreover, all the more valuable herbs had been "taken away" by Chen Maquan, leaving only the worthless perilla leaves.
Even if we take a step back and assume that the herbs are stolen, we wouldn't let two children keep watch at night.
"Are you afraid to go back, or do you have nowhere to go back to?" Shen Qingtang saw through the reason behind it at a glance.
The two children's faces turned even redder. Xu Xiaosheng bit his lip and stubbornly insisted, "No way!" As he said this, he glanced at the half-eaten mutton hotpot and swallowed his saliva, thinking he was being discreet.
Xiao Xun tugged at Xu Xiaosheng's sleeve and said, "Xiaosheng, let's be honest with Sister Chen." Under Xu Xiaosheng's disapproving gaze, Xiao Xun said, "Sister Chen, we didn't have money to pay the rent, so we slept in the clinic. Today is the second day."
She paused, her eyes pleading, and said, "Sister Chen, I promise we'll only sleep in the front hall and we absolutely won't dirty the clinic."
She pleaded through teary eyes, her pitiful appearance tugging at the heartstrings.
Qi Er couldn't help but plead, "Sister Chen, why don't you just agree? It's just that two children won't take up much space."
Shen Qingtang shook her head and said, "No, they can't sleep here."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Sheng's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembled but he couldn't utter a word. He understood Shen Qingtang's concerns; after all, he was just a child, and his words carried little weight.
Xiao Xun, with tears in her eyes, said, "Sister Chen, please, we'll be good."
Seeing that both children were crying, Qi Yi and Qi Er looked at each other and couldn't help but plead, "Sister Chen, why don't you let them stay here? They're just two children."
Qi Yi squatted down and tugged at the blankets and quilts they had prepared themselves, pleading, "Sister Chen, look how thin their blankets are. They must really be out of money."
Shen Qingtang still shook her head and insisted, "No, they really can't sleep here."
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