Wu Caiwei finally came to her senses and quickly took them to the medical clinic. After the doctor examined them and prescribed medicine, they remembered a serious problem: they had no money.
"Mom, Dad, did you bring any money?" Wu Caiwei looked at them anxiously.
"We came here because we were worried about you. We didn't expect to be beaten before we even reached your place. We're farmers, where would we have money?" Mother Zhou's heart ached at the thought of the two taels of silver the doctor said was needed. For a moment, she didn't want to continue treatment, but the medicine had already been prescribed, and the young attendant was glaring at them, as if afraid they would turn around and beat the couple again.
"I don't have money either. What should we do now?" Wu Caiwei was on the verge of tears.
"You've been in the city for so long, don't you know some people? Hurry up and borrow some money to pay the doctor," Father Zhou said to her impatiently, thinking his daughter was a jinx who brought nothing but trouble. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Yes... yes... okay... okay, but Mom and Dad, you have to be mentally prepared. It will take me one to two years to repay the two taels of silver, and I won't be able to visit you for the next two years. Please forgive me." Wu Caiwei looked at them with a guilty expression and laid out the unpleasant truth.
"Why so much nonsense? Hurry up and borrow the money. Can't you see your mother and I are badly injured?" Father Zhou was extremely annoyed. He noticed the strange looks people were giving them and didn't want to linger there babbling.
"Okay, you wait here for a moment, I'll be right back." With that, Wu Caiwei left, glancing back repeatedly, her reluctance and worry evident on her face.
After leaving the clinic, in a place where no one could see her, Wu Caiwei smiled and walked towards a nearby small tavern. She ordered two dishes and a pot of tea, and began to eat slowly. She hadn't eaten since morning, and her stomach was already protesting.
After eating her fill, she strolled through the streets to aid digestion. As dusk approached, she quickly ran back to the clinic.
"You ungrateful girl, you finally remember you have parents? I thought you'd forgotten about us." After she left, the couple sat there with bruised and swollen faces, attracting a lot of attention. The young attendant and the shopkeeper were already displeased, and as time passed and Wu Caiwei didn't reappear, their looks became increasingly unfriendly.
Especially when the shopkeeper had just told them irritably that the clinic would be closing soon and they would be kicked out if they didn't pay.
The couple quickly put on a smiling face, but at the same time, they couldn't help but panic. Would that wretched girl abandon them here? Without her, in this unfamiliar place, they really didn't know what to do.
Unable to vent their anxiety, they saw her and immediately unleashed their pent-up anger.
Wu Caiwei ignored their harsh words and quickly handed the silver to the doctor, who then gave her the medicine. The couple, eager to leave the place, immediately followed her out.
As the sun was about to set, the street was empty. The wind blew, making Mother Zhou shiver uncontrollably.
They walked on, with Mother Zhou grumbling continuously. Soon, Wu Caiwei led them to the most remote inn in the city and booked two beds.
Upon seeing the dormitory-style sleeping quarters, the couple was dumbfounded. "This place stinks, how can we live here?"
"I have no money left. I borrowed the money just now, and I don't know when I'll be able to repay it. If Mom and Dad have money, you can take it out, and we can find a better room," Wu Caiwei said to them with a distressed expression.
When the couple heard they had to pay, they immediately fell silent. After arranging their lodging, Wu Caiwei started to leave. Mother Zhou quickly stopped her. "Where are you going? Aren't you sleeping here?"
"I want to stay here with you, but it costs twenty copper coins for the night, and I really don't have any money. I have to go back to the embroidery workshop," Wu Caiwei said with regret.
"Then hurry up and go. Oh, and don't forget to bring us breakfast when you come tomorrow morning." With their lodging sorted out, Mother Zhou remembered she hadn't eaten since morning and was starving. She had clearly seen that all the shops on the street were closed. When Wu Caiwei wasn't paying attention, she had asked at the inn, and the food there was very expensive. But at this moment, they couldn't afford to care about that. Of course, these things had to be kept from their daughter.
Wu Caiwei nodded quickly and left after a few worried instructions.
Back in her small courtyard, the elderly woman who cooked for her made her a bowl of noodles after asking for her opinion. After eating her fill, Wu Caiwei lay in bed and slept soundly. The next morning, she sluggishly took out two cold steamed buns from the kitchen and slowly walked towards the inn.
Seeing what their daughter had brought, the couple, though hungry, had no appetite. The buns were hard, how could they eat them? However, it was made of white flour, so Mother Zhou put them away after some thought.
"What do Mom and Dad plan to do now? How about we go to the embroidery workshop where I work? But I need to tell you in advance, don't say anything once we get there. My employer has a bad temper. If he sees someone he dislikes or someone who disrespects him, he retaliates.
His uncle is the county magistrate, so no one dares to provoke him. Therefore, we common folk should be more careful." Even though she said this, Wu Caiwei looked at her parents with worry.
In fact, after yesterday's events, they were no longer curious about her workplace. They were mainly intimidated by Sun Wenlin, thinking that the young masters and ladies in the city were not to be trifled with and would beat people on sight. As for them, country folk with no money or influence, they couldn't afford to offend them. If they were beaten again, it would cost them several taels of silver for medical treatment. Wu Caiwei had already borrowed money for this, and she probably couldn't borrow any more if something like this happened again.
Besides, they weren't concerned about their daughter; they just wanted to know where she worked so they could ask her for money later. But this time, not only would they not get any money, but they had also incurred debt. Fearing that people would demand money if they saw them, they would avoid them. How could they possibly go with her now?
Mother Zhou's eyes darted around, thinking of a strategy. She couldn't outright refuse, in case she still had some use for her and they would visit again. After a while, she said hesitantly, "Since your employer has a bad temper, we'd better not go. After all, we're from the countryside and don't understand anything. If we cause trouble for you and make your life difficult, wouldn't that be hurting us?"
"Yes, yes. You've been out for so long, and if the employer finds out, he'll definitely blame you. How could two big people like your mother and I get lost? We'll take a carriage back to the countryside soon and visit you again next time we have the chance," Father Zhou also wanted to leave this place of trouble, feeling that the countryside was safer. People in the city were too terrifying.