Lamp Flower Smile

Fifteen days after the minor heat, Shengjing ushered in the severe heat.

This was the hottest time of the year in the Liang Dynasty. Thunderstorms made the heat and humidity on the ground even heavier, and the weather was so stuffy that it felt sticky even if I put a bamboo mat on it.

As the heat and humidity worsened, fewer people went to the medical clinic during the day.

Du Changqing put red dates on a tray, placed it on the table in front of the counter, and invited Acheng to come over and eat. Yin Zheng piled up the bamboo tubes that had been filled with water and put the jasmine flowers Xia Rongrong bought into them. The whole shop was filled with fragrance.

Hu Yuanwai came to the hospital early in the morning and asked Acheng to make him tea.

There were no poplar flowers flying at this time of year, and Hu Yuan was not suffering from suffocation of the nose. In addition, now that "Xianxian" is selling well, Du Changqing can live hand to mouth, so Hu Yuanwai has no intention to take care of the business, and Lu Zhuo has not seen him for about half a month.

It was rare to see him come to the medical clinic again today.

Du Changqing grabbed a handful of red dates from the tea tray and gave it to Mr. Hu. He leaned against the table and asked him, "Uncle, what brought you here?"

Mr. Hu waved his hand and said, "If you don't want to eat, I've had a toothache for almost a month. Please take a look at it, Dr. Lu."

Lu Yan washed his hands and asked Hu Yuanwai to open his mouth and look at it carefully before saying, "worm teeth."

"Then what should we do?" Hu Yuanwai asked: "I can't eat enough these days and can't sleep at night. I'm really suffering. Is there anything Dr. Lu can do?"

"I asked Acheng to grab some platycodon and coix root, and Mr. Hu decoct them with water." Lu Zhu sat down at the table and wrote the prescription, "Asarum, Sophora flavescens, and Acanthus root, decoct them together and rinse them. There are apricots." If so, you can chew one or two pieces raw after eating."

She raised her head and handed the written prescription to Acheng: "After using it for a few days, the raspberries will remove the insects and it will not be difficult to cure."

When Hu Yuanwai heard this, he felt relieved. While waiting for Acheng to get the medicine, he praised Lu Zhu: "I said that there is no other good person like Dr. Lu in the whole West Street. He is also very skilled. He is young and has great medical skills, which is a hundred times better than a man. Chang Qing, don’t just care about your love affairs every day. You are young and have to make progress."

Du Changqing rolled his eyes: "Uncle, I look at the medical clinic every day. How can I make progress? I'm hanging on my buttocks."

Hu Yuanwai hated the iron and taught him: "What's wrong with the hanging beam? When your father was alive, he often told me that you are smart, but unfortunately you don't like to study. If you use your playful thoughts on studying, go and get a good name." How good is it?”

"Come on, it's not like I can pass the exam if I want to. You haven't seen Wu Xiucai from the Fresh Fish Shop. He failed to pass the exam after so many years." Du Changqing threw a red date into his mouth, "This guy? , Everyone has his own destiny. When he becomes an official and how big an official he can be, it is all written in his destiny."

"It's written in my destiny that this is what I will do." Du Changqing chewed red dates, "I am satisfied."

These words made Mr. Hu's beard stand up in anger: "I'm really not ashamed, but proud of it!"

Lu Zhuo put away his pen and paper and asked, "Wu Xiucai? Is he the one who lives at the Fresh Fish Shop in Miaokou?"

Hu Yuanwai said curiously: "Yes, how come you know Dr. Lu?"

"He asked me to make a medical visit before and went to his home to treat his mother."

Hu Yuanwai sighed: "So that's how it is. Talented people have always been very filial. I wanted to get some fame to make his mother happy, but it's a pity... ugh!"

Lu Zhu got up and walked to the back shop, took the teapot from Acheng's hand, and boiled mint water in the teapot to clear away heat and relieve the heat. Lu Zhu poured a cup and handed it to Hu Yuanwai, asking: "Wu Xiucai has been taking the exam for many years and has never passed the exam." The list...is the article bad? If it is very bad, why are you so persistent?"

As soon as these words came out, Hu Yuanwai immediately jumped up and said: "Who said that? Wu Xiucai's articles are top-notch!"

Everyone in the room stared at him.

Hu Yuanwai took Lu Zhuo's cup of tea, took a deep sip, and said angrily: "I watched Wu Xiucai grow up, and he wrote very beautiful articles when he was thirteen or fourteen years old. He has good qualifications and a good memory. Well, not only this old man, but also the kids around him were convinced after seeing the article he wrote. We all say he is like this, so why not worry about earning the top prize and coming back to shine, who knows... Hey!"

He murmured: "Why didn't you pass the exam?"

Du Changqing, who was watching with cold eyes, was not too worried about the excitement: "So let me just say, each person has his own destiny, and Wu Xiucai is destined to be a white man. He fails the exam every year. What a waste of effort. "

"What do you know?" Hu Yuanwai seemed to feel very sorry for Wu Xiucai. Hearing this, he was furious: "He is a man who knows all about books and history, and he has such an article. It is unusual for him to fail the exam! Maybe he has become an official in recent years. If the star hasn't arrived yet, it's better if we can't keep it together this year. I'll ask him to go to the temple and put two sticks of incense on Wenquxing later."

Du Changqing sneered: "Give Wen Quxing two sticks of incense... You might as well ask him to give the examiner two stacks of silver notes."

As soon as these words came out, there was silence all around.

Lu Yan looked at Du Changqing. Hu Yuanwai was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses. He pointed at Du Changqing with shaking fingers: "What did you say?"

"Hey, I didn't say this, I heard it from others." Du Changqing came closer and lowered his voice, "I used to have a friend. His cousin couldn't understand a word and was even more useless than me. Later, he turned up in Qiu Wei. He passed the exam. Later, when he was drunk, he spilled the beans and said that he bribed the examiner."

Du Changqing said: "Wu Xiucai, the fish seller, is so poor that he can't even look down on him when he is sick. He also has no money to manage the etiquette department. He deserves to be given a quota. He doesn't understand this. He says he knows everything about books and history. He is a nerd!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Hu Yuanwai interrupted him, "If others hear these slanderous words, you and I will be in trouble. Sir, you must be careful what you say, otherwise you will cause trouble, and I will also I can’t save you!”

Having said that, Hu Yuanwai's face was a little uncertain. After all, before Mr. Du passed away, Du Changqing did have a bunch of fun friends. These news may not be true.

Du Changqing shrugged, lowered his head and picked at the red dates in the tea tray: "Uncle, of course I know that I can't say this to others, but I think Wu Xiucai may not be in the list this year. There are new people paying tribute every year. He is always there." You have to move forward in the rankings. This is a hopeless thing. If you do it, it will be in vain. It is better to give up early."

"you!"

Lu Yan asked: "Since there is chaos in the examination room, why don't you report it to heaven? Fraud is a serious crime."

Hu Yuanwai hesitated to speak, but Du Changqing had no scruples and said with a smile: "How can you report something without evidence to heaven? Maybe the complaint was written during the day, and the person who wrote the complaint was arrested at night. Substituted results We are all white scholars, who can afford to be an enemy of the government? Failure in the exam will only mean your career will be lost, and being an enemy of an official will cost you your life."

He clicked his tongue a few times, shook his head and sighed: "Who told us we are powerless? In this world, who is the master and who has the final say."

Hu Yuanwai's face was stern, as if he was aroused by Du Changqing's words, but he had no choice but to hold back for a while before he said: "People can see the present, but God can see the long-term. I don't know what will happen in the future. I think the scholar will definitely be able to go to high school. It is destined." Appearance!"

Du Changqing stretched out: "Uncle, who did you deceive with your words?" He thought for a while, "But I heard that your Majesty has heard about fraud in the past few years. Maybe this year, after strict investigation and reporting, you can really give me some advice." It’s a chance for Wu Xiucai to get ahead.”

This was a perfunctory comfort, but Hu Yuanwai's expression did not improve. After a moment of silence, he changed his subject and said, "Don't mention this, Mr. Chang. The Xinglin Hall hasn't given you any trouble lately, has it?"

Du Changqing: "No, it's been such a long time. The man named Bai is now at his wits' end. The number of people who come to Xinglin Hall to see a doctor has been reduced by half. It's too late for him to worry, so how can he think of sharing it with me?"

Since "Xianxian" started to be sold, the number of customers in Xinglin Hall has decreased a lot. Bai Shouyi had previously put all the blame on Zhou Ji because of Chun Shui's incident, and then drove Zhou Ji away. Without the old doctor sitting in the hall, the number of people coming to Xinglin Hall for medical treatment is getting smaller and smaller day by day.

Acheng handed the wrapped medicinal materials to Hu Yuanwai. Hu Yuanwai took the medicine and nodded: "That's good. If he dares to cause trouble for you, I will make the decision for you."

Du Changqing agreed with a smile and sent Hu Yuanwai to the carriage. After Hu Yuanwai left, he wandered back to the shop.

Lu Yan was reading a newly purchased medical book.

Du Changqing whispered to himself: "Who wants him to make the decision? If he dares to trouble me..."

Yin Zheng was curious: "How?"

Du Changqing flatteringly handed a red date to Lu Chen: "I'll let Doctor Lu make the decision for me."

Yin Zheng: "..."

Du Changqing picked up his tea and walked to the bamboo chair, muttering softly: "I wonder what that old bastard is doing now?"

…

Bai Shouyi sat in the room and sulked.

In recent months, he had lost a lot of weight, and even his face, which was as white and plump as Maitreya, had become shriveled up. He was no longer as kind as before, and looked more mean.

Wenyou stood beside him and carefully handed him a cup of tea.

Since the "Chun Shui Sheng" incident, the reputation of Xinglin Hall has been damaged. Bai Shouyi was not willing to suffer this loss, so he simply found Lou Si, the medicinal material identification officer of the Institute of Cooked Medicine, thinking of using the name of the Institute of Cooked Medicine to sell "Spring Water Sheng". "With the resumption of the official pharmacy and the loss of Chun Shui Sheng's business, Renxin Medical Center will naturally have no way to make money.

Who would have thought that the doctor at Renxin Medical Center, Lu Zhuo, was really capable. After taking over the official pharmacy, he actually made another "Xianxian".

"Xianxian" was more famous than "Chun Shuisheng". Seeing the steady flow of money to Renxin Medical Center, Bai Shouyi couldn't sleep well at night.

He wanted to cause trouble for Lu Huo again, but Lou Si, the medicinal materials inspector, told him a bolt from the blue. Lu Huo was actually related to the Dong family, the current minister of Taifu Temple!

That's the Minister of Taifu Temple!

Bai Shouyi's face was gloomy.

Lou Si's words rang in his ears again.

"Last time, I just received the official deed of the patent medicine from Renxin Medical Center, and the Dong family came to support Renxin Medical Center. They forced me to return the official deed to Du Changqing, and even treated me better. Intimidation.”

"...Later, when I inquired about it, it turned out that the doctor at Renxin Medical Center had treated the young master of the Dong family once, and that was how he became connected with the Dong family. It was only then that Mrs. Dong treated her differently. "

Lu Zhuo established a relationship with the minister of Taifu Temple...

That was something he couldn't afford.

I don't know what kind of good luck Du Changqing had. He was already rotting in the mud, but who knew that a woman would fall from the sky and bring that shabby medical clinic back to life. Makes people jealous.

Bai Shouyi thought for a long time and planned to find another way and simply take the talented medical woman under his command. However, the woman surnamed Lu did not know what was good and what was good. Wenyou went to see Lu Zhu several times in private, but was always ignored by Lu Zhu. The girl next to me was sent back.

Seeing that Renxin Medical Center was prospering these days, and even officials from Shengjing came to buy medicine, the more Bai Shouyi thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He couldn't help cursing: "What do you say when you are extorting money? 'The money will be used for business. He's so angry that his head is rotten. If something goes wrong, he'll just mess around and not pay back the money. This dog named Lou eats meat but doesn't spit out bones!"

Wen You stood aside, not daring to express his anger. Now that Xinglin Hall has no income, Bai Shouyi is upset, and servants like them don't dare to get into trouble.

Just as he was thinking about it, the door curtain was lifted, and Mrs. Tong walked in from outside the house.

She walked over and said, "Have you heard, sir? Du Changqing's cousin came to Shengjing and is currently staying at Renxin Medical Center."

"Cousin?" Bai Shouyi was stunned.

Mrs. Tong sat down, picked up the tea cup on the table, blew on it, and handed it to Bai Shouyi.

"She is just a poor relative who is fighting against the autumn wind. Only Du Changqing, the big enemy, treats her as his sister. Let me tell you, sir, you have been worrying about the Du family all day long so you can't eat well or sleep well, and Lu Shun is so ignorant. , why not talk to cousin Du Changqing."

"What can I do with her?"

Mrs. Tong smiled: "There are a lot of things that can be done. The Du family's cousin lives in Renxin Medical Center and is not leaving. I see that she is not just looking for a small favor, but Lu Shun and Du Changqing don't know each other. With..."

"Young Master Du has always been a romantic person, so it is inevitable that there will be a fire in the backyard. If the Du family's cousin can drive Lu Zhuo out..." She smiled, "Without Lu Zhuo, wouldn't Renxin Medical Center have nothing to fear?"

Bai Shouyi said nothing.

After a while, he narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.

"What you said makes sense. We should talk to her."

Happy New Year, friends! ! !