Chapter 253: Chapter 108: Running into Him Again_1
Doctor Lu was unaware of the minor commotion involving the Minister of the Imperial Treasury.
The weather was growing colder and colder, and the plum tree branches outside the window had already started to bud, indicating that it wouldn’t be long before the tree blossomed.
After a snowfall, the ground of West Street was covered with frost and snow. Ah Cheng swept the snow from the doorway of Renxin Medical Hall and piled it up into a crude snow lion.
The snow lion, rough in its construction, had lumpish limbs and big head, with two black dates for eyes, it leapt and roared at the door of the medical hall.
Official Hu’s eyesight was poor, and he didn’t see it clearly upon entering, tumbling over with a thud. Startled, Du Changqing rushed to help him into the clinic, fearing the old man might have injured himself seriously.
Yin Zheng came out with a tray of fruit and handed Official Hu a frozen pear, smiling as she asked, "Mr. Hu, what brings you here?"
The frozen pear was fresh. Yin Zheng would keep the pears in an ice bucket in the yard overnight, and by the next morning they would have formed a layer of frost. After taking them out and letting them freeze again for four to five hours, repeating this process for a few days until the skin turned black, they would be ready to eat.
The frozen pears were cool and sweet with an abundance of juice. Ah Cheng could eat several at a time.
Official Hu took out a handkerchief and wiped the pear’s skin, taking a bite that made him shiver from the cold. After a long pause, he finally said, "Nothing serious, just came to see you."
Renxin Medical Hall was now very different from before, with a considerable monthly income. As an old customer, he no longer needed to come by every now and then to support his late friend’s son’s business. Although there was a faint sense of loss, he felt more relief than anything else.
Du Changqing was now able to support himself.
After eating a few bites of pear, Official Hu remembered something and said to Du Changqing, "By the way, Youcai is no longer living on West Street; he’s residing in a master’s estate outside the city. That room over at the fish shop has been entrusted to me to sublet to someone else. Since you’re close to the fish shop, have a look when you’re free to make sure no one is making a mess of Youcai’s room."
Since that encounter after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wu Youcai hadn’t appeared on West Street again. Just as Lu Tong came out carrying a medicine pot, she overheard Official Hu mentioning it to Du Changqing and asked, "Is he doing well these days?"
Official Hu wiped the juice off his mustache, "Very well indeed. The family that employed him as a tutor is generous, paying a good sum of silver and treating him decently. I saw him last month, and he looked much healthier."
Lu Tong nodded, "That’s good to hear."
From the sound of it, Scholar Wu was doing quite well.
Just then, the sound of a horse-drawn carriage approached from outside.
West Street was narrow, mostly consisting of commoner shopfronts. Except for the likes of Official Hu, who needed to use a carriage due to mobility issues, it was rare to see a carriage there on ordinary days.
The carriage came to a stop under a plum tree. A few granny attendants stepped down from it and walked towards the medical hall.
The leading granny was dressed in a bright cotton-padded long jacket, her hair in a married woman’s style, quick in her movements, and at first glance, she seemed somewhat formidable. She stopped at the entrance of the medical hall and called out from the outside, "Doctor Lu?"
Lu Tong looked up, "Missus Wang?"
The visitor was Missus Wang from the residence of the Minister of the Imperial Treasury.
On Lu Tong’s previous visits to the Dong Residence, Lady Dong had Missus Wang escort her back to West Street. Missus Wang was shrewd and capable, serving as Lady Dong’s right hand. Lu Tong had interacted with her several times, and each time Missus Wang was courteous and polite.
Today, however, there seemed to be something different.
Missus Wang stood at the entrance, followed by several stout attendants, and they looked as if they had come to make a scene. The grandeur of this entourage, coupled with the conspicuousness of the Minister of the Imperial Treasury’s carriage, instantly revitalized the normally sluggish street vendors nearby; their gazes fixed upon them with renewed vigor.
Lu Tong walked up to Missus Wang and whispered, "What brings you here, Missus Wang?"
Granny Wang appraised the person in front of her.
After the heavy snow, the street was as smooth as jade, and Lu Tong, standing under the deep red, vermillion eaves, wore a plain dark blue jacket and an ivory-colored down skirt, with a frosted white silk flower beside her temples. Without any makeup, her beauty was more striking, her hair was like clouds, and her features were exquisite. Amidst the icy landscape, she stood out like a solitary, vibrant plum blossom in full bloom, captivating.
In her heart, Granny Wang speculated, no wonder she had caught Pei Yunmeng’s eye before and later caused her own young master to be completely infatuated. Speak of beauty, Lu Tong truly stood out among the noble ladies of Shengjing.
It was a pity that her ambitions soared high as the heavens while her fate was as thin as paper—a resident female doctor daring to dream of becoming a phoenix and rising to the branches.
Putting aside her disdain, Granny Wang looked at Lu Tong with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and said, "I’m here today to convey a message from the lady of the house on behalf of Doctor Lu."
"Please speak, Missus Wang."
Granny Wang paused for a moment before deliberately raising her voice, "The thing about Doctor Lu asking our young master to recommend you for the medical examinations this spring, I’m afraid that won’t be possible."