Chapter 33 Fear of Physician Pang
"Fifty taels! What nonsense are you spouting!" Wang Mazi shouted in disbelief.
"Turtle soup! This is really expensive!" a villager said.
"Master Wan in town has a particular fondness for this dish, and I've heard that he can sometimes eat dozens of taels of silver in one meal!"
Moreover, it contains ginseng, so wouldn't it be even more expensive!
I wonder what this tastes like; I really want to try it.
The villagers' gossip made Wang Mazi anxious.
"You think it's that expensive just because you say so? Who would believe that! Lu Sixi has no parents, how can he afford it?"
The Wan family's dog eats white flour buns, while his family can't even afford a single cornbread bun!
Upon hearing this, Grandma Liu's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
It's all her fault for being useless, making sure the child isn't getting enough to eat every day.
They used to own a piece of land, but that year, Sixi had a stomachache and couldn't afford treatment, so she had to sell the land...
Si Xi glared angrily at Wang Mazi, deliberately tilting his head back to show his toughness.
He hated the disgusted looks from others, but he hated the pitying looks from some people even more.
He doesn't need those people's self-righteous pity.
They say things like "this child is pitiful" behind his back.
It's none of these people's business whether he eats dirt or chaff.
He will grow up, earn money, and live well with his grandmother!
But that's all self-deception.
In reality, he was just a pitiful child who lacked love.
No one protects them, no one cares for them, they are hungry and cold.
They can only use a tough exterior to protect their pitiful self-esteem.
Lu Qingqing's calm face turned icy cold.
His eyes, sharp as blades, stared at Wang Mazi.
Her voice changed from cold to sharp: "Lu Sixi has a father and a mother. His father is a hero who went to the battlefield!"
Wang Mazi, the reason you can live peacefully in the village like a normal person is because of the sacrifices of these soldiers who left their hometowns to guard the territory!
Even the emperor said: "The loyal souls on the frontier build an everlasting empire, and every soldier is a hero!"
And you, enjoying the peace they bring, are secretly bullying the hero's son!
Wang Mazi, you certainly have parents who raised you well, but unfortunately you've raised a scumbag, a coward, a piece of trash worse than a pig or a dog!
The entire room fell silent.
Wang Mazi was so shocked and flustered by these sharp and pointed words that he couldn't utter a single word.
Si Xi stared blankly at Lu Qingqing.
The moon rose and shone on her face, coating it with a layer of silver frost.
It appeared mysterious and solemn.
Lu Qingqing turned to look around again: "There are also many heroes in Liuyun Village who went to the battlefield and never came back. Are their families also being bullied? Bullying those who have lost their sons, husbands, and fathers? Don't you have any conscience?
A real man should stand tall and support his heroic parents.
As a woman, you should be compassionate and protect the hero's son!
Instead of standing by and being indifferent.
Otherwise, if disaster strikes you one day, no one will defend you or seek justice for you!
Lu Qingqing knew that there were more than a dozen families like Sixi's father in Liuyun Village.
Her words served as a reminder to them.
Sticking together makes it less likely for us to be bullied.
"Little sister, well said."
Lu Feng and Lu Yun looked at Lu Qingqing with admiration, their eyes shining.
Then, someone in the crowd started shouting, "That's right! Well said! My son was a hero! He died fighting the Northern Rong barbarians. You're bullying an old man like me who's almost in the grave. You're heartless!"
Someone else shouted, "My older brother is a hero too!"
Grandma Liu covered her face and cried, "My son is a hero! He protected you all. My grandson is his only son. You can't bully him anymore..."
Xiao Sixi's eyes were full of tears, and even when she tried to open them wide, she couldn't see the person in front of her clearly.
What he heard most often since childhood was: no father or mother, pitiful, wild child, will never amount to anything.
In the best-natured way, it means his father isn't a coward, and he should strive to be more capable, take charge of the household early, and grow up quickly.
But no one has ever said with such certainty that his father was a hero, a hero even the emperor acknowledged.
This is something to be proud of. All those like his father no longer remain silent and shout out in protest.
At that moment, Sixi felt that his head was truly raised.
"Wang Mazi! Meng Zhaodi! Don't think we don't know! You always bully that grandmother and grandson, so it's no wonder your son got beaten up today!"
"That's right! If they bully Sixi and Aunt Liu again, I, Erzhu, will never stand idly by!"
"And your son Wang Jincai, he bullies younger kids all day long. It's time to discipline him. If you don't do anything about it, don't blame us for teaching him a lesson!"
...
The villagers began to attack Wang Mazi's family without any politeness.
This made them even more panicked.
Meng was still lying on the ground, unsure whether to get up or not. In her panic, she looked at Ding Hongshi.
Ding Hongshi shook his head almost imperceptibly.
It seems that the Meng family has found their backbone.
She shouted, "Does being the son of a hero give you the right to hit people? He beat my son too badly! And Lu Qingqing, your family doesn't have any heroes, so what right do you have to hit people?"
"I said I'd pay your medical expenses, and in return, you'd pay us for the Dragon and Phoenix Stew."
"I won't pay! You're just lying. A bowl of soup is only worth a few coins!"
"You say a turtle is twenty years old, so it's twenty years old? You say there's ginseng, so there's ginseng?"
“Yes, that’s it,” Dingxiang couldn’t help but interject.
"Lu Qingqing, Lu Sixi is one thing, but you can't just hit people for no reason. A bowl of soup costs fifty taels. Who are you trying to fool? Even the county magistrate has never drunk such expensive soup."
We saw the turtle; you can find a 30-year-old ginseng as easily as a big radish!
"My dad can tell if it's ginseng or not. Do you dare let him take a bite?"
Lu Qingqing scoffed: "Your father isn't worthy!"
"Lu Qingqing!" Ding Hongshi's eyes were sinister, and his face was frighteningly dark.
"Dr. Ding, don't be angry. Anger will make you sick and no one can take your place. If you make me die, I will be happy."
"..."
Lu Qingqing looked at him and said leisurely, "No matter how much you brag, you don't have a medical license, so I don't trust you."
If you're going to try it, you should find the most skilled doctor to do it. I'd choose Dr. Pang from Ming'an County.
While we're at it, let Dr. Pang check whether Dr. Ding's diagnosis of Meng's injury was accurate.
Sixi, go and call the village headman. I need to report this to the authorities and let the magistrate make a clear judgment, so no one will accuse me of extortion.
Lu Yun chuckled: "Silly girl, you don't know, do you? My little sister saved Lin Zhuang, and the money Lin Zhuang gave for the medicine was a thirty-year-old ginseng."
Si Xi turned and ran.
"Stop right there!" Ding Hongshi shouted. "We're all from the same village, why bother reporting to the authorities? Let's talk it over and resolve this!"
This has nothing to do with me, so I won't get involved.
Wang Mazi, going to the yamen won't do you any good, whether you're in the right or not. Try to reason with them properly, don't make a scene!
Ding Hongshi and his daughter turned and left.
Wang Mazi was dumbfounded.
He had just thought Ding Hongshi could help, since he knew the county magistrate.
How can you just abandon us like that?
Lu Qingqing gave a cold laugh.
She was right; the two of them were indeed afraid of Dr. Pang.
They must be afraid that Physician Pang would discover that the two of them were impersonating the county magistrate's son, who had saved their lives.
Without the necessary skills, one dares to take on a job beyond their capabilities.
He's courting death.
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