Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 984: She Can Gain Two Advantages

Doctor Liu was very displeased when he heard this: "Yesterday evening when you came for a consultation, I asked you if you wanted me to see the patient personally. An old man’s consultation fee is a bit expensive. At the time, you spoke grandiosely, saying you didn’t lack money and insisted on a personal consultation. Now, you’re complaining about the cost? What do you mean by this, are you trying to skip out on the bill?"

Tian Xiwang was at a loss for words, recalling that Doctor Liu had indeed asked them. However, he protested, "You only said it was a bit expensive, how were we supposed to know it would cost so much silver? You deliberately didn’t make the fee clear, it’s obvious you want to extort us!"

Doctor Liu snorted coldly, "I clearly stated that the consultation fee is what ordinary wealthy patrons pay for their sons or daughters. Do you know how much the wealthy in the prefecture pay for me to see them? As much as a hundred taels, at least thirty taels, and now I only charge you thirty taels, what more do you want?"

Pointing at Tian Xiwang, he continued, "Do you dare complain that I didn’t find a major illness for your daughter, do you so wish for her to have a terminal illness? Last night, I spent an hour checking to see if she was poisoned, doesn’t that deserve payment? I also gave her a lot of good medicine and provided you with a meal. The consultation fee, medicine fees, poison examination fee, meal, and accommodation, all add up to just thirty taels. I’ve never done such charity in my life, yet you still find it expensive!"

"I’ve noticed that your family looks affluent but isn’t actually that wealthy. Seeing that you’re not well-off, I didn’t calculate as clearly with you. Since you don’t appreciate it, let’s settle this account line by line."

With that, he immediately called his apprentice, "Old San, bring the account book for Tian Hui’er, and settle the account with them line by line. If they dare to default, we’ll report them to the authorities!"

"Yes." Doctor Liu’s third apprentice brought over Tian Hui’er’s account book and started accounting with Tian Xiwang’s family. It turned out just the ginseng chicken they ate last night cost twenty-six taels of silver: "The chicken isn’t expensive, but the ginseng used was the finest wild mountain ginseng from the clinic. You said Tian Hui’er fainted and could only have something like ginseng chicken soup. We offered to sell you a bowl, but you got greedy, saying you hadn’t eaten either, and took the whole pot. By the time the attendant informed me and I rushed over to persuade you, only a pile of chewed chicken bones was left."

This family was particularly ruthless, not even letting the chicken bones go, chewing them to extract all the flavor before spitting them out.

Tian Xiwang nearly fainted upon hearing how much the ginseng chicken cost, pointing at Doctor Liu’s apprentice and cursing, "Swindlers, swindlers! Why didn’t you say anything when we were eating such expensive things?"

Doctor Liu’s apprentice sneered, "The attendant informed you before eating. After eating, I also told you the ginseng chicken was expensive, but you claimed your family had a wealthy son-in-law, with money piling up like a mountain at his house. You didn’t mind the cost."

An attendant nearby pointed at Tian Xiwang’s son, "Your son even went to our clinic kitchen this morning and cooked ten eggs. If the kitchen staff hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve eaten the whole basket of eggs."

"Another ten eggs?" Doctor Liu was furious, pointing at his apprentice, "Old San, mark that down!"

This Tian family boy must have been reincarnated from a starving ghost. Eating ten eggs at once, it’s not your family’s eggs, so of course, you don’t feel the pinch.

"Can’t mark it down, can’t mark it down." Tian Xiwang was anxious and didn’t want to pay for the eggs.

While the chaos of settling accounts continued outside, Tian Hui’er was helped out by Tian Xiwang’s wife.

Tian Hui’er looked at Doctor Liu and asked, "Doctor, have I been poisoned?"

She wasn’t foolish and knew she fainted right after Gu Jinli poked her with something, so she immediately came out to ask when she heard Doctor Liu had tested her for poison last night.

Doctor Liu saw her, felt very displeased, but still replied, "You’re not poisoned, you’re perfectly fine."

Tian Hui’er frowned, "I don’t believe you."

Doctor Liu was so angry he wanted to stab Tian Hui’er with a needle to make her faint: "Ha, you little girl, you don’t believe it? I wasted a good hour last night and used quite a few expensive detoxifying herbs, all to check you. You’re not poisoned."

Adding another sentence: "If you don’t believe it, you can go to the Capital to find an Imperial Physician to test you for poison. In Jianghuai, you won’t find a better expert than me on toxins!"

That’s how formidable he was!

Tian Hui’er furrowed her brow, extending her hand to Doctor Liu, saying, "Doctor, someone poked me with a needle last night, that’s why I was poisoned. Look at my wrist, there’s a needle mark."

Doctor Liu replied impatiently, "Your wrist doesn’t have just one needle mark, but a bunch. Last night, I applied acupuncture to save you, pricking all the acupuncture points on your wrist."

So now you’re asking me to look at needle marks, are you looking for trouble on purpose?

Doctor Liu couldn’t be bothered to waste words with the Tian family, saying, "I give you two choices: either pay up quickly and leave, or continue to default, and I’ll take you to the authorities to work off your debt in prison!"

"No authorities, no authorities, please." The Tian family was still very afraid of the government, having just secured their freedom, and feared that being taken to the government office would mean a beating.

Tian Hui’er also feared going to court. As an unmarried girl, being taken to court was akin to being sold into a brothel, a big blow to her reputation.

Thus, Tian Hui’er thought for a moment, "Doctor, we didn’t bring that much silver with us, please send an attendant to the Gu Family..."

Tian Hui’er paused, unsure if it was a good idea to ask the clinic staff to go to the Gu Family for money.

Tian Xiwang’s wife, hearing this, laughed and said, "Doctor Liu, the Gu family boy is my future son-in-law. We were guests at their home yesterday. If you send someone to the Gu Family and tell them Hui’er is sick, they’ll surely send silver."

"Gu Family? First Place Gu’s family?" Doctor Liu frowned, very skeptical of their claim: "Are you out of your mind? How could First Place Gu possibly be your son-in-law?"

No matter how blind Gu Jin’an is, he couldn’t blind himself to this extent, right? The Tian family looks like bloodsuckers, and if Gu Family marries into them, even a mountain of gold and silver wouldn’t be enough.

Tian Xiwang’s wife said, "How could he not be my son-in-law? My Hui’er is so beautiful, why wouldn’t she be suitable for the Gu family boy?"

Doctor Liu snorted, "Not suitable anywhere."

Tian Hui’er heard this, her face turned sour, but after a moment of silence and suppressing her anger, she said to Doctor Liu, "Doctor, we really can’t come up with that much medical money. We only know the Gu family in the prefecture... Please send an attendant and say our family is borrowing silver to save a life from theirs."

Tian Hui’er changed it to borrowing money instead, which yielded her two advantages.

Firstly, by having the Liu Family Clinic approach the Gu Family, it suggested to the entire city that she had an unusual relationship with Gu Jin’an, misleading the townsfolk into thinking they were engaged.

Secondly, borrowing money sounded more respectable and wouldn’t offend the Gu Family. Both Gu Dashan and Mrs. Cui were reasonable people who would surely lend money if they heard she was borrowing it to save a life. Her family could also use repaying the debt as a reason to stay connected with the Gu Family, preventing their relationship from ending when the Gu Family left the prefecture.