CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 324: NEGOTIATING TERMS (8)

"Oh dear, it’s making me anxious. Can’t you stop crying for a moment?"

"Da Nuan, stop crying and tell us about your mother first!"

The girl sobbed a few times, caught her breath, and said, "The family dog chased a wild cat and ran wildly in the house, knocking mother down." The girl cried, "Mother says her belly hurts a lot, Dad, you should go see her! Grandma is also crying, there’s so much blood."

Eldest Chen stamped his foot anxiously, "Did your grandma find a midwife?"

"The midwife from our village is sick herself, lying in bed and can’t get up, so she can’t help mother. Second Aunt went to another village by mule cart to find someone, but she hadn’t returned by the time I left. Grandma asked me to find Dad to discuss what to do."

Lady Tian, unfazed by now, hummed lightly in high spirits, "It’s truly karma, making money off the dead is unlucky, nearly cutting off the family’s lineage. The wife miscarried five times for no apparent reason, now a sixth time..."

"Shut your mouth!" Eldest Chen’s eyes blazed as he rushed toward Lady Tian with clenched fists.

Lady Tian jumped in surprise and ran into the house.

"Eldest son, leave that woman for now; it’s more important to go see your wife," Old Chen stopped his eldest son.

Eldest Chen glared hatefully in the direction of Lady Tian before walking toward his father.

Old Chen waved to his sons, "Second, Third, go to the market and find a midwife and a doctor. Eldest and I will go home first to check."

Chen the Second and Chen the Third responded and left with big strides.

Old Chen didn’t leave immediately but looked at the Tian Family, "Tian, I’ll let you go for now, but I’ll be back tomorrow!"

Li Yuzhu’s eyes flickered, and she whispered a few words to Tian Dawang.

Tian Dawang looked at her in surprise.

Li Yuzhu nodded, "Helping you is also helping my family."

Tian Dawang thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright."

He pressed his lips tightly and walked toward the Chen family’s father and son.

Li Xing’an squinted slightly and whispered to Li Yuzhu, "Third Sister, what did you say to Brother Tian?"

"I told him to negotiate with the Chen Family," Li Yuzhu said.

Li Xing’an blinked, "Negotiate what? What conditions does the Tian Family have to offer?" Anything they have is just a few walls left.

The only offer would be Tian Family’s daughter, but as parents, no one wants to give up their daughter to pay a debt, and it seems even Lady Tian isn’t willing.

"Me." Li Yuzhu pointed to herself.

Li Xing’an gasped, "Third Sister, are you crazy?"

Mu Yuanxiu looked at her with deep eyes, "Yuzhu?"

Li Yuzhu glanced at the Chen family, and whispered, "The Chen family is in trouble, so I’m going to help them solve it. This way, I get a consultation fee, and the Tian Family’s troubles are solved too. Isn’t it a win-win?"

If she didn’t take the initiative, it was because she was an outsider.

With Tian Dawang talking to the Chen family, the Chen family would refrain from bothering the Tian Family temporarily for sending a doctor.

Li Xing’an suddenly understood, "So you’re going to help treat the illness, I thought you were offering yourself to the Chen family..."

Mu Yuanxiu also breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Yuzhu was speechless, "Am I that foolish? Honestly, what is going on in Li Xing’an’s head?"

Tian Dawang was already negotiating with the Chen family.

Old Chen furrowed his brows, looking at Li Yuzhu standing in front, and asked Tian Dawang, "Can your guest really treat illnesses?" She’s so young?

"Do you know Miss Chai? Her illness was cured by our guest. She’s also Miss Chai’s sister-in-law," Tian Dawang said.

The Chai Family was a wealthy household in the village, wealthier than the Old Chen Family.

Old Chen, of course, had heard of the Chai Family, and he listened to Tian Dawang’s suggestion, frowning in thought.

But Eldest Chen disagreed, anxiously saying, "Dad, Miss Chai’s illness is different from Da Nuan’s mother’s situation, Miss Chai had a minor illness, Da Nuan’s mother is about to give birth!"

Eldest Chen’s daughter urged anxiously at this point, "Grandpa, Dad, mother is still waiting, if it’s too late, the brother in her belly could be in danger. Dad, let the Tian Family’s guest take a look, maybe she can save mom?"

Old Chen thought for a moment and said, "Fine, Tian Dawang, if your guest can treat her, then we will put off our issue. If she can’t, humph! We’ll let the government office decide!"

Yet Eldest Chen still disagreed, anxiously saying, "Dad, the guest from Tian’s family is just a young girl, she hasn’t even had kids herself, how can she deliver a baby? That was a minor illness for Miss Chai, but Da Nuan’s mother is having a baby, that’s a big deal!"

"Who says you can’t deliver a baby if you haven’t had one? The imperial physicians in the palace, they’re all men. They treat the nobility and deliver babies for the concubines. Have they had babies themselves?" Li Yuzhu sneered.

This question stumped Eldest Chen.

They commoners didn’t understand the palace’s situation.

But it seemed that’s what the operas said.

Supposedly, all doctors in the palace were male imperial physicians, no female ones.

Eldest Chen turned to look at his father, "Dad? Just let her go?"

Old Chen frowned and said, "Just let her take a look. If she’s not capable and ruins our affairs, the debt will double!"

Tian Dawang gritted his teeth, "Fine, it’s a deal!"

Uncle Tian, however, felt worried, bowing to Li Yuzhu and said, "Miss Li, everything depends on you."

Li Yuzhu smiled, "I told you, helping your family is actually helping ours."

Eldest Chen looked at her with a cold smile, "If you can’t treat her, the debt will double, and you’ll pay with Tian Dawang’s daughter as compensation!"

Inside, Tian Axiang panicked.

She anxiously looked towards her mother.

Her mother, Lady Tian, was also helpless, only knowing how to worry.

Li Xing’an and Mu Yuanxiu were both worried about Li Yuzhu.

"Third Sister, are you sure?" Li Xing’an asked worriedly.

"Yes, I am," Li Yuzhu replied. Not wanting Li Xing’an to worry, she smiled and said, "I learned from Lady Doctor Ji and Nanny Sun, and I’ve also helped them deliver babies."

Li Xing’an scratched his head, "How come I didn’t know you could deliver babies?"

"Back then, all you did was play, you even forgot mother’s birthday once, what do you remember?" Li Yuzhu was speechless.

Li Xing’an said, embarrassed, "Let’s not bring up the past."

Li Yuzhu turned to the Chen family again, "Although I agreed to go, I still need to be paid. I won’t ask for more, just the usual rate, but medicine costs are extra."

Old Chen was a bit anxious, "Go take a look first, our family doesn’t lack money."

"Okay, then let’s not delay any longer, let’s go." Li Yuzhu said.

The Chen family got into their mule cart.

Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an got into their carriage, with Mu Yuanxiu driving. Tian Dawang also wanted to go and see, as Li Yuzhu and they were merely helping out.

He dragged Lady Tian along as well, "Come with us, this mess is your fault, trying to hide, are you?"

Lady Tian shrank back and didn’t want to go, fearing the Chen family might hit her.

Tian Dawang got angry, "If you don’t go, I’ll use you to pay the debt!"

With that, Lady Tian got scared and reluctantly got into the carriage with Li Xing’an and Li Yuzhu.

Mu Yuanxiu was still driving.

The road to Lady Tian’s mother’s village was about three miles long.

Along the way, Tian Dawang kept scolding Lady Tian.

"Why did you provoke that family? Are you trying to ruin us?" Tian Dawang said angrily.

Lady Tian hung her head and said nothing.

Li Yuzhu said, "Alright, Brother Tian, it’s already happened, scolding her won’t help. Now think about how to ease relations with the Chen family. The promissory note is black and white, and the debt must be repaid. Although two hundred taels of silver is no small amount, they haven’t charged interest, so if you grit your teeth, you can pay it off."

Tian Dawang glared at Lady Tian, "I can’t pay it off! I still have kids to raise. You borrowed the money, you pay it back yourself! If you can’t, sell your family’s land and house, send a few nephews away, you can definitely pay it back."

Lady Tian pressed her lips together, looked up, and said, "I never asked you to pay, I haven’t asked for money to repay the debt in three years."

"You borrowed fifty taels from villagers secretly and repaid it secretly. Not a single coin went to our home in three years, and you have the nerve to bring it up?" Tian Dawang got even angrier, "I was wondering why you kept running to your mother’s house these three years, marrying a wife was like not marrying at all, I had to farm, cook, do laundry, feed pigs and chickens! Turns out you were helping out at your mother’s house paying off debts!"

As Tian Dawang got more and more annoyed, they were about to fight.

Li Xing’an held Tian Dawang’s arm, "Brother Da Wang, every family has their difficulties; talk it over calmly, don’t resort to violence."

"Life is unbearable, I want to divorce this woman!" Tian Dawang said angrily.

"Go ahead and divorce me, I don’t want to live anymore." Lady Tian covered her face and started to cry.

"What are you crying for? You still have the nerve to cry?" Tian Dawang scolded.