173: Chapter 173: Taken Away 173: Chapter 173: Taken Away Song Chongjin, however, never would!

He’d rather go up the mountain to pick wild fruits or vegetables to eat, never once venturing into someone else’s vegetable garden to pluck their crops.

Thinking this, Wang Yongzhu felt that Song Chongjin was truly pitiable.

With the same frail constitution, the original had been spoiled without principle by her biological mother, while Song Chongjin had to support a family at such a young age, tsk tsk…

Song Chongjin was stunned for a moment, staring at the tomato in Wang Yongzhu’s hand for quite a while before hesitantly reaching out to take it, “Thank you—”

When he took the tomato, he accidentally touched Wang Yongzhu’s fingers, feeling that unlike men’s rough hands, hers were delicate and soft, making his heartbeat skip.

He quickly tightened his grip on the tomato and withdrew his hand, feeling that the area where he had touched Wang Yongzhu’s hand was warm.

Wang Yongzhu didn’t feel a thing; in her time and space, such accidental contact was so common, she didn’t think twice about it.

Withdrawing her hand, she shared a tomato with Wang Yongping, and the three of them nibbled on the tomatoes as they walked.

Wang Yongping suggested, “Shall we take the shortcut?

It’s getting late; if we take the main road to town and back, it will be dark by the time we return.”

Song Chongjin had no objection, as he often took shortcuts over the mountains to the town to save time, but what about Wang Yongzhu?

Now, with the Power Pill’s help, what was there to fear?

Even climbing five mountains would leave her neither red-faced nor out of breath, right?

She nodded in agreement.

Taking a different direction, the three of them turned onto a less traveled path, secluded and steep, one only the bravest men in a hurry would take.

But indeed, it was a time-saver, for with Wang Yongzhu’s current constitution, she was fully capable of keeping up, not dragging the pace in the slightest.

By the time they reached the town, it was just past midday.

The weather was hot, and the three of them first went to a chilled tea stall in town and drank two bowls of chilled tea in one go, finally feeling revived.

They all had the same destination in mind: the medical clinic.

Song Chongjin went to find Doctor Ma for medicine, while Wang Yongping and Wang Yongzhu went to check on Wang Yongfu.

But upon arriving at the clinic, before Wang Yongzhu and Wang Yongping could say anything, Doctor Ma, surprised, exclaimed, “Didn’t someone from your family come and take your elder brother away?

Why are you back again?

Did you leave something behind at our clinic?”

“What?

Taken away?

Who took him?” Wang Yongzhu and Wang Yongping were dumbfounded.

Wang Yongping, who was skeptical, ran to the back room to check, and indeed, there was no one to be found.

Back in the main hall, Doctor Ma was explaining, “It was Scholar Wang who took him away, saying he had found an Imperial Physician from the Capital City for your elder brother.

The physician had offended someone and was demoted back to the countryside, passing through our county, and was specially invited by Scholar Wang to treat your elder brother’s injuries.

Didn’t you know?

They took your elder brother away in a carriage early this morning.”

Wang Yongping and Wang Yongzhu looked at each other, perplexed.

Wang Yongping, impulsive by nature and not given to overthinking, showed a face full of joy, “If it was my second elder brother who found the Imperial Physician to tend our eldest brother’s injuries, then that’s wonderful!

But was our elder brother taken to the county town or back to the village by our second elder brother?”

Wang Yongzhu thought more deeply, but at that moment, her thoughts could not be voiced.

Instead, she wore a contemplative expression.

Song Chongjin looked at Wang Yongzhu for a while before asking, “Did Scholar Wang say where he was taking Brother Wang?”

“The husband seemed to have vaguely heard that he was going back to the village.

That Imperial Physician didn’t seem to mind at all; he didn’t put on any airs and followed along.

I originally thought it would be best for the patient to rest a few more days, to let the bones set a bit firmer before leaving, but I saw the doctor had some kind of method.

I don’t know what medicine he gave the patient, but I saw his spirit improve quite a bit right away.

Truly, an Imperial Physician from the Capital City is different.

It’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to ask for his advice…”

When Doctor Ma started talking about medical techniques, he just couldn’t stop.

Wang Yongzhu had no interest in listening to Doctor Ma’s ramblings, only felt a bit relieved upon hearing they had returned to the village.

It seemed that though Wang Yongan somewhat looked down on his family, given he went to great lengths to bring an Imperial Physician for his elder brother, could it be that he was scared by Old Granny Zhang’s threat that if elder brother didn’t recover, she would hold him responsible?

Was that why he was so diligent in finding a doctor for his elder brother?

Since Wang Yongan was taken back, and Song Chongjin’s medicine was also ready, they were just about to take their leave.

Doctor Ma then stopped the two of them, “Don’t leave yet.

Wait a moment, I will calculate the cost of the medicine.

The fee you paid last time is not yet exhausted, and there’s also the cost for the food accompaniment.

Let me work it out and give you a refund.

I don’t know what Scholar Wang and the others were in such a hurry for; they rushed in like a whirlwind and swept the patient away just as quickly.

I couldn’t even stop them!”

As he spoke, the abacus beads clattered for a while before he came to a conclusion, “I still owe you three taels of silver and ten large coins.”

He then fished out a small, partially broken silver ingot from under the counter and counted out ten large coins, handing them over to Wang Yongping.

Wang Yongping, quite astute, took the money and handed it obediently over to Wang Yongzhu.

After all, in their household, wasn’t it the mother who managed the money?

Mother had said that the women should manage the money and the men should just work and earn it.

Wang Yongzhu thanked Doctor Ma and couldn’t help feeling impressed by Doctor Ma’s character, but she found it odd that her second brother and the others had left in such a hurry that they didn’t even ask about the excess medicine money?

She took the silver and tucked it into her purse, and as she looked at the sky, she thought since she was already here and a trip to the town was not easy, she might as well finish all her shopping.

After asking Song Chongjin and Wang Yongping for their opinions, neither of them wanted to go to the cloth store; Song Chongjin said he also had to run some errands and left on his own.

Wang Yongping arranged to meet them at the iced tea stand and reminded Wang Yongzhu several times before they parted ways.

By the time Wang Yongzhu got to the Cloth Store, it was already the latter part of the afternoon, and people had started to move about on the streets,

Today, the Cloth Store had a customer, with only the proprietress there.

She remembered Wang Yongzhu, for such a rich-looking young lady was rare.

She nodded at Wang Yongzhu, indicating for her to look around as she pleased.

Wang Yongzhu smiled and walked over to the side, browsing casually.

This Cloth Store was the largest in town, but the variety wasn’t vast.

It mainly carried cotton fabrics, with not many silk types, after all.

Not many people in town could afford silk.

The colors of the cotton fabrics were also limited, mostly blue or brown and such.

There were occasional pieces with brighter colors like red, yellow, or green, but the shades were not quite right.

The red was too pinkish, the yellow too grayish, and the green too bluish.

None of them had the pure colors Wang Yongzhu remembered them to be.

While Wang Yongzhu was looking at the fabrics, the customer on the other side seemed to have looked around and found nothing to their liking, showing some dissatisfaction, “Madam, is this all the fabric your store has to offer?”

The proprietress smiled obligingly, “My lady, all the new fabrics and patterns we have are right here.

Didn’t you find anything you like?”

The customer appeared to be in her twenties and dressed in a way that stood out from those around her, with finer quality clothing that revealed she came from a wealthy family.

Dismissing the fabrics she had been perusing, she said, “Never mind!

I must have been mistaken to think such fabrics could be found in this little place.”