"So much?" Aunt Lan Hua exclaid in surprise upon hearing two taels of silver.
She hadn’t expected that treating the little girl would cost two taels of silver. Two taels of silver is not a small amount.
Yang Xiaocui, who was lying on the bed, was also shocked. She didn’t expect a dical treatnt to be so expensive.
"Well, who’s going to pay? I need to hurry back," the old doctor asked, but he only looked at Aunt Lan Hua. He could tell she was the mother of the sick little girl. When the girl falls ill, naturally it’s the mother who pays.
At this ti, Yang Xiaocui’s third sister-in-law, who had been silent, spoke up, "Doctor, what kind of dicine is this, so expensive? You might be a swindler, saying my little sister-in-law is sick just to trick us out of silver. I suggest you save it. People like us are poorer than church mice, we can’t afford that silver."
That’s two taels of silver! Where could the family find that much silver? Even if they had it, they wouldn’t spend it on so little girl. If she eats more later, she won’t starve. That’s enough.
Upon hearing this, the old doctor’s expression changed drastically. He was invited to be the doctor and here he was, accused of being a swindler.
He had been reluctant to co to the countryside in the first place, worried about running into stingy people who couldn’t afford the silver. Just his luck, he had co across exactly such people. He replied angrily, "What nonsense are you talking? I am the resident doctor at the town’s pharmacy. Would I cheat you out of such a small amount of silver?"
"Who knows if you’re cheating or not? Treating a disease with just a few broken dicines costs so much?" Xiaocui’s third sister-in-law continued with her sarcastic comnts, insisting there was no way to pay the silver, and they had no money to pay.
The old doctor nearly coughed up blood in frustration, "I won’t argue with you."
Turning to Aunt Lan Hua, he said, "You’re the child’s mother, right? Hurry up and pay the silver. I need to get back."
At this ti, Aunt Lan Hua was also calculating. Could a disease treatnt really be this expensive?
If her daughter’s illness is not treated, it’s probably no good. If it’s not treated, can the Yang Family still marry her off?
If spending the silver really hurt, but if it’s just hunger, then feeding her well in the future should be sufficient, right? It doesn’t seem worth spending the two taels of silver.
Just when she was having second thoughts, Xiaocui spoke up from the bed, "Doctor, for the consultation and the dicine you just brewed for , can you count how much silver it is? Take the other dicines back; I won’t take them."
"This..." The old doctor was now in a difficult position. The little girl is malnourished and yet decides against taking dicine because of the silver issue.
Upon hearing her daughter’s words, Aunt Lan Hua blushed with embarrassnt, "Daughter..."
"Mom, it’s not a big illness. The doctor said I’m just hungry. I should be fine once I eat my fill. Mom, you should give more food in the future."
Aunt Lan Hua had been thinking the sa. Now, hearing her daughter say this, she spoke up, "Doctor, please calculate the consultation fee and dicine cost."
Hearing this, the old doctor sighed, "Oh, you really, really... This child has been hungry for so many years; it’s absolutely necessary to adjust her condition."
Yang Dong, standing outside, couldn’t believe Xiaocui decided against taking the dicine because of two taels of silver. What surprised him more was that everyone in Aunt Lan Hua’s family thought this was okay. Weren’t they playing with Xiaocui’s health?
Without thinking, he shouted into the house, "Doctor, please co out. I’ll pay the two taels of silver."
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