Chapter 66: The Old Physician’s Speculation
Qingyan’s illness dragged on for a while, and by the time he fully recovered, it was already past the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
On the fifth day, the couple stayed at home and made dumplings. Qingyan, still weak from his illness, only ate vegetarian dumplings. He didn’t dare to eat much, stopping after just five or six dumplings.
Qiu Henian also put down his chopsticks and went to serve Qingyan dumpling soup.
He added a spoonful of soy sauce, a spoonful of vinegar, and a little less garlic paste for flavor. He encouraged Qingyan to sip the warm soup in small mouthfuls before picking up his chopsticks to continue eating.
After finishing the meal, Qiu Henian asked Qingyan to rest in the room while he cleaned up.
The illness had taken a toll on Qingyan’s body. Although Qiu Henian had been trying various ways to cook for him these past few days, it wasn’t easy to restore his strength.
On the sixth day, Qiu Henian opened his shop for business. He came back at noon to cook lunch and returned earlier than usual in the evening. Fortunately, it was just after the New Year, so there wasn’t too much work to do.
Qingyan felt sorry for Qiu Henian running around so much. After the tenth day, he insisted on not letting him do so anymore.
After these days, Qingyan also realized that having a child was not something to rush. It would happen when the time was right. However, seeing Chen Yu next door deliberately showing off her already pregnant belly made him feel somewhat strange.
On the fifteenth day, during the Lantern Festival, Qingyan and Qiu Henian went out to set up their stall again. Qiu Henian was initially worried about Qingyan’s health, but seeing him muster up some spirit, he didn’t want Qingyan to be unhappy and ended up helping more.
Qiu Henian wasn’t good with words, but to prevent Qingyan from getting too tired, he tried to help with selling items. However, the work was not as easy as it seemed, and after a few attempts, he started sweating.
When there were no more customers, Qingyan quietly held Qiu Henian’s hand under his sleeve and gently shook it to comfort him. Qiu Henian turned to look at him. Under the colorful lantern lights, Qingyan blinked at him and smiled brightly.
…
Making money was satisfying. This time at the Lantern Festival stall, their scale was much larger than before, and they earned much more.
The next day, when they were sorting out their income, Qingyan finally confirmed an idea he had been thinking about for a long time: this year, he wanted to open a shop in town specializing in women’s and children’s jewelry, perfumes, and clothing.
This idea had emerged when he saw Aunt Li’s perfume. However, the conditions were far from sufficient to achieve this goal.
Now, Aunt Li’s perfumes, cosmetics, and masks had gained some popularity. Qingyan and Qiuniang accurately targeted their customer base, and their reputation for the goods they brought in was good. Their stall was frequented by many regular customers. Now might be the best time to prepare for a store.
The rent for shops in town was not as expensive as in the county, but there were many customers. Besides town residents, villagers from several nearby villages also liked to visit the town.
Qingyan thought that his shop would focus on small profits but quick turnover, and positioning in town might be more suitable than in the county with higher rent, fierce competition, and higher consumption levels.
The silver at home was enough to pay for a year’s rent and stock, but Qingyan didn’t plan to use the hard-earned money Qiu Henian had earned. Doing business was risky. Unlike the stable income of a blacksmith’s shop, perhaps a miscalculation in purchasing stock would lead to a complete loss in the warehouse.
The money earned from selling at the stall was definitely not enough. This year, he planned to increase the frequency of the stalls to save more money. Also, he wanted to discuss with Aunt Li and Qiuniang whether they had any thoughts about partnering to open a shop.
But he wasn’t very sure about this in his heart, so he went to discuss it with Qiu Henian.
After hearing his thoughts, Qiu Henian pondered and said, “Partnership is possible, as long as the investment and profit-sharing ratios are clearly defined. Aunt Li and the Third Sister-in-law, Qiuniang, are both honest people. You’ve been setting up stalls together for so long, and you’ve already established some tacit understanding. There shouldn’t be any problems.”
“However, doing business inevitably involves profit and loss. Qiuniang doesn’t have a strong financial background. She still needs to go to a private school. She and the Third Sister-in-law might not be able to afford this money.”
Qingyan thought for a moment and said, “I’ll discuss it with them first. If there really is a loss later on, I can figure out a way to buy back their share at least, to prevent them from losing money.”
Qiu Henian nodded and said, “If Aunt Li and Qiuniang are unwilling, there’s no need to force it. You can use the savings at home. The blacksmith’s shop only needs enough money for materials. We’ll save more in our daily lives, and in another year, we’ll accumulate enough again.”
“Besides, perhaps it won’t even take a year. In just a few months, your shop might earn back everything on its own.”
After discussing with Qiu Henian, Qingyan found Aunt Li and Qiuniang. The three of them discussed the matter together. Aunt Li was very happy to hear about it and agreed on the spot. She mentioned that Mr. Qin Lan’s family ran a pharmacy, so if they had any questions, they could ask Mr. Qin Lan.
Qiuniang hesitated a bit. Qingyan understood her concerns and asked her to wait for the Third Sister-in-law to come back before discussing it slowly. There was no rush; it couldn’t be rushed.
…
During the days when Qingyan was ill, he didn’t go out much. After the New Year, he was busy with the stall, so he hadn’t been to Old Liu’s house for a while. No matter how good the relationship was, they had to visit each other more often. So, these days, when he had time, he went to the tofu shop.
When he entered the gate of the tofu shop, Qingyan saw Qi Yanlan walking in the courtyard holding a child. She was occasionally bending down to amuse the baby in the swaddle.
Seeing Qingyan coming, Qi Yanlan hurried forward and said, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Brother Qingyan. Sister-in-law and I were talking about visiting your house yesterday.”
Qingyan clicked his tongue and teased the child. When the baby giggled, his eyes softened even more.
After watching for a while, he withdrew his gaze and looked at Qi Yanlan, saying, “I was at home all day yesterday. Why didn’t you come?”
Qi Yanlan glanced at the house door, lowered her voice, and said, “Sister-in-law fell ill.”
“How did she suddenly fall ill?” Qingyan asked in surprise.
Qi Yanlan sighed and said, “She was upset.”
Qingyan also lowered his voice and asked, “What happened?”
Qi Yanlan invited him into his room and laid the baby on the kang under the bedding. The child lay comfortably, spread out with hands and feet, alternately gazing at the two adults.
They sat along the edge of the kang, closed the door tightly, and then Qi Yanlan spoke, “It’s still because of that family, the trouble caused by Liu Xiang.”
“What did he do?” Qingyan asked.
Qi Yanlan clicked his tongue and said, “Before the New Year, Liu Xiang kept going to town, we all knew that, but didn’t think much of it. With parents to discipline him, we didn’t need to meddle. But yesterday, his older brother Liu Yong accidentally let slip that Liu Xiang hasn’t been home for more than a few days after the New Year!”
Qingyan was surprised and remained silent for a while. Finally, he said, “As far as I know, the Liu family doesn’t have relatives in town.”
Qi Yanlan nodded, “Exactly. Liu Xiang and his brother coordinated this. He pretended to be at home but slipped out in the evening. Yesterday, my sister-in-law went to ask his parents. Zhang Ju not only didn’t care but also said there are wealthy people in town, Liu Xiang is smart, and in a few days, he might have a wealthy family coming to propose.”
As Qi Yanlan spoke, she was visibly angry. “Brother Qingyan, how can someone behave like this? Doesn’t she think about the consequences? If this spreads, it will not only disgrace their family but also our entire extended family. How can we stay in the village after that? We’d drown in gossip.”
Qingyan furrowed his brow, “What are we going to do about this now?”
Qi Yanlan said, “Yesterday, my family’s Liu Cai and my elder brother went quietly to town to find him. They found him, but he wouldn’t say anything. They had to send him back first. However, shortly after he returned, I don’t know how he explained it to his parents. Zhang Ju came looking for trouble, pointing fingers at my elder brother, blaming him for ruining Liu Xiang’s good fortune. She scolded him harshly, I couldn’t even keep up with her. My sister-in-law couldn’t take it, and they ended up arguing.”
Listening, Qingyan couldn’t help but sigh.
After chatting with Qi Yanlan, Qingyan went to the next room to talk with Liu’s daughter-in-law. He didn’t mention this embarrassing and distressing matter but instead talked about daily life. When he saw she looked tired, he bid farewell and left.
With Liu Xiang no longer harassing him and Qiu Henian, he had switched targets. However, repeatedly staying out overnight before marriage was indeed unacceptable.
They didn’t know what kind of person the other was. But someone who could make his brother do such things was probably not a good person either.
The Liu family was now involved in this relative matter, and it was likely that things wouldn’t calm down in the future.
…
Returning from the tofu shop, Qingyan made himself lunch and rested for a while after eating.
There wasn’t much to do in the afternoon, so he thought for a moment, put on his outer robe, took some silver, and walked to the neighboring village.
There weren’t many patients at the old physician’s place today. His apprentice was busy in the pharmacy preparing medicine, while he leisurely drank tea and played with a snuff bottle in his hand.
Seeing Qingyan arrive, the old physician set down what he was holding and assessed him, “You’re looking fine now. The illness has almost cleared up. Pay attention to your diet these days and don’t overindulge in cold things.”
Qingyan nodded and thanked the old physician. He sat down opposite the old man, hesitated, and said, “Doctor, I heard from someone that during the fertile period, there’s a high chance of pregnancy?”
The old physician confirmed, “Indeed.”
Qingyan found it difficult to continue, “But I…”
The old physician, seeing many patients, didn’t need him to finish.
He waved his hand, “Let me feel your pulse. Your body is perfectly normal, no issues.”
He then asked, “How long have you and Little Brother Qiu been married?”
Qingyan said, “Just over a year.”
The old physician suddenly frowned, remaining silent for a while as if pondering something.
Just when Qingyan couldn’t resist asking him, the old physician stood up abruptly, muttering, “Hysteria, scars on the face, often unable to control during intercourse…”
He paused, then hesitated, “And… infertility?”
“What?”
Qingyan didn’t catch that clearly, standing up to ask.
The physician frowned and turned to look at him, saying, “In another half a month, my senior brother will pass through here. I’ll meet him then. His medical skills are even better than mine. When the time comes, both of you should come over, let him take a look.”
Worry crossed Qingyan’s face.
The old physician added, “I’m just speculating, but Little Brother Qiu’s hysteria is probably not simple. I overlooked it before, but now, there’s a possibility it could be due to poisoning!”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
After another short while, Qingyan cried and begged for mercy, “I’m afraid, I’m afraid it won’t work yet!”
