Chapter 70: Scholars Are Different
Dingxiang stared at him for a long time before asking again, "Lu Qingqing, do you know Young Master Fu? Did you really save the magistrate's son?"
"No comment!"
"Lu Qingqing, could you please plead for my father? He didn't harm anyone; those children picked the wrong herbs."
"Lilac!" Lu Qingqing shouted sharply.
"Get this straight! Your father is a doctor; he should know that herbs are used to treat illnesses and save lives."
One wrong move and someone could die!
He's trying to go against me, letting his kids steal medicinal herbs from me on the mountain, but he doesn't properly supervise or carefully inspect them. He'll have to bear all the responsibility.
Does he deserve to be a doctor if he disregards the lives of others for his own selfish reasons?
That man didn't die today. If he had, your father would have paid with his life!
Dingxiang stood there dumbfounded.
Lu Qingqing ignored her.
In truth, Lu Qingqing didn't understand either.
Ding Hongshi failed to properly inspect the goods and sent them to Tian Leshan. Tian Leshan was not there, and his wife did not know how to accept them. Then the clinic did not examine them carefully before accepting them.
Before the medicine was even dispensed, it was discovered that it had been given to the patient.
There are at least four testing steps involved.
If any one of the steps gets stuck, there won't be any problems.
But then, a problem arose.
This illustrates how unrigorous the medical industry was in this era.
When something goes wrong, they start shifting blame to each other again.
It's infuriating! None of them are innocent; they all deserve to be taught a lesson.
Dingxiang stood at the village entrance, looking in the direction her father was taken away.
His gaze was blank, as if he didn't know what to do or where to go.
Her former best friends no longer talk to her; she has no one to even speak to.
She didn't know how things had turned out this way.
Becoming a scholar's wife should have been a very prestigious thing.
Even her mother-in-law, Liu, said that back then, her father-in-law was just a student who had passed the imperial examinations, yet he was highly respected in the village. Anyone who didn't behave properly would call her "Ning Family Lady."
Unfortunately, her father-in-law slipped and fell into a ditch, severing one of his fingers on a stone, leaving him disabled.
People with disabilities were unable to take the imperial examinations, thus cutting off their path to success.
The father-in-law was devastated and fell ill. Even on his deathbed, he kept looking at the inspirational motto he had written: "The top scholar is known throughout the land, and the fish leaps over the dragon gate to soar to the highest heavens."
The mother-in-law always used her husband's father's achievements to encourage him, and he lived up to her expectations, passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar.
But this scholar seems to be nothing special.
They enjoyed their moment of glory for a day, but afterwards, it was all about the mundane realities of daily life.
Even now, the villagers look down on the Ning family.
Only Liu was still indignant, saying that the villagers didn't know what was good for them.
She grew increasingly bewildered. Could her father really say that good fortune was on the horizon?
In the distance, a horse-drawn carriage appeared.
Ning Xiuwen sat upright, deliberately sitting at the front.
A light shone in Dingxiang's eyes.
"My husband, my husband—"
"Get in the car!" Ning Xiuwen called to her, his tone arrogant.
"I'm sorry, scholar, the carriage is wide, but the village roads are difficult to navigate, and the wheels might get stuck. Haha, we always stop at the village entrance."
Ning Xiuwen's face darkened. "I see everyone else can come in, but you can't? Is this a sign of looking down on me?"
If he doesn't go into the village, how can anyone see him returning in a horse-drawn carriage?
The coachman smiled apologetically: "Scholar, don't be angry. Everyone else who goes there pays extra. If the wheels really get stuck, it'll be difficult to handle..."
"Alright, alright, how much more?"
"Husband, stop arguing here! My father is in trouble; he's been arrested by the authorities..."
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Ning Xiuwen shouted at her sternly.
"You can't even speak clearly. Is it because the magistrate's son has fallen ill again, and you asked Father to go see a doctor?"
Seeing his expression, Dingxiang could only nod vaguely.
Ning Xiuwen didn't ask for more money, got off the carriage, and waved his hand, saying, "You drove well, I'll come back to you next time."
The driver nodded with a smile, "Thank you for your patronage, scholar. I'll give you a discount next time."
The coachman turned the horse around and spat out a "pui" sound.
"What kind of scholar is as stingy as you? You haggled for ages before you even got a seat!"
He insisted on sitting in the front so that everyone could see him. No one asked him what he did, but he just boasted that he was a scholar.
Just say something, stop spouting this rubbish, it's so sour!
After the driver had gone some distance, Ning Xiuwen coldly reprimanded him, "Is your father's accident something to be proud of? Why don't you keep it a secret and talk about it in front of outsiders!"
"Husband, I was so anxious! Father has been arrested by the authorities for selling counterfeit medicine and harming people. Do you know what kind of punishment he will receive?"
"The consequences range from a fine to imprisonment."
Ning Xiuwen looked at Dingxiang, whose face was covered with brown spots due to her pregnancy, and thought of what the other scholars had said. His eyes filled with disgust.
But his tone softened: "Actually, I had already heard about it in the city and even inquired about it."
The patient didn't die. Since he's alive, we can make an exception; it's just a matter of spending some money.
"Really?" Dingxiang was overjoyed.
"Really, with my status as a scholar, getting someone out of trouble at the yamen wouldn't be a problem."
Only then did Dingxiang understand what her father had said.
Having the status of a scholar is definitely different from being a commoner.
When Lu Qingqing got into trouble, her whole family was punished.
If her father gets into trouble, she can settle things with a little money.
Dingxiang's heart was filled with hope for the future once again.
"How much silver will that require? Is ten taels enough?"
"Ten taels? You're ignorant. That's going to the yamen, not just a quarrel with your neighbor."
Even the smallest matter won't cost less than fifty taels of silver once it goes through the yamen (government office).
Besides, your father is a doctor without a medical license. If people keep pressing him, they can dig up all the things that happened in the past!
"They'll be bankrupt by then!"
Ning Xiuwen said it casually, but Dingxiang seemed to be greatly frightened.
His face turned deathly pale.
My lower abdomen also feels a dull ache.
Ning Xiuwen was also nervous about his child. "Don't worry, I'm here. It's not that serious. Prepare eighty taels first. I'll go to the yamen tomorrow."
"Eighty taels..."
It used to be easy to get it.
But her father took out another thirty taels of silver to help Ning Xiuwen become an apprentice.
She didn't know if her father still had that much money; she had to go home and look for it.
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