Zhang Fang gazed intently at the elderly Zhang and slowly said, “Mother, think about it. If I don’t treat your eyes, what will others say about me?”
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately exercised his authority as the head of the family and told the elderly Zhang, “Exactly! That shopkeeper Wu even sent someone to fetch a doctor for you. Now that we are leaving, how will others discuss Si Lang? You must consider Si Lang!”
With her lips pressed awkwardly, the elderly Zhang could only listen to the father and son and continue to stay in the teahouse.
A waiter brought three doctors to the teahouse, leading them upstairs to meet Zhang Fang and the others.
The three doctors exchanged polite greetings, and the eldest among them began by examining the elderly Zhang’s blind eye.
After the examination, the old doctor shook his head and said directly, “This eye is already dead. If you had come for treatment when it was injured, it might have been saved. What a pity.”
The other two doctors observed quietly beside him, agreeing in their hearts. After the old doctor had spoken, they nodded silently.
The elderly Zhang rubbed her hands together and pulled at the corners of her mouth, her expression becoming unnatural as she said, “Si Lang, it can’t be treated.”
When the doctors arrived, the elderly Zhang felt a glimmer of hope. But upon hearing the result, she felt a pang of disappointment. However, she quickly accepted this reality, as she had already been accustomed to living with one eye for many years.
“I appreciate the three doctors for examining my parents.” Although her eyes could not be healed, it was still possible to check their overall health.
Thus, the three doctors took turns feeling the pulse and asking about their conditions. They concluded that the two elderly individuals had been feeling depressed lately and exhibited signs of heart weakness and frailty.
Zhang Fang asked them to prescribe some medicine to help improve their health.
Logically, as the son spending the money, the old man should have hesitated. Yet, throughout the process, neither the elderly Zhang nor the old man spoke up. To the old man, Zhang Fang was a cultured person, and a scholar’s reputation was important. Therefore, in front of others, he would give Zhang Fang enough face.
The three doctors discussed and wrote out two prescriptions. Just then, the old man felt it was time to speak and asked, “What is the consultation fee?”
The three doctors shook their heads and turned to leave.
The old man looked at Zhang Fang in confusion and asked, “Don’t they charge for home consultations?”
“It must be that shopkeeper Wu has given instructions,” Zhang Fang replied, accepting it without concern. He tucked the prescriptions away, planning to visit the medicine shop before going home.
With no outsiders around, the elderly Zhang couldn’t help but softly persuade Zhang Fang, “Si Lang, Mother knows you are filial. But Mother and Father are quite well and don’t need to take those supplements!”
“Father, Mother, in the past I had no abilities. Now that I have some, I should properly care for you both. You must take good care of your health and watch me succeed in the examination,” Zhang Fang said. At that moment, he could feel the heart of this body tightening, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to cry. Zhang Fang realized that this was the original character’s emotion. It seemed that the original character truly cared for his parents.
Due to the poverty of their economic knowledge, his parents were dressed poorly, had limited experiences, and lacked refinement. This immature pride would cause him to resent his parents for embarrassing him. While he resented them, he also felt pity for them. The feelings a child has for their parents are complex like that. They resent life for being harsh, which shaped their parents into who they were, and they also blame themselves for being incapable of changing their parents’ lives. Under the influence of such chaotic emotions, many people enter a state of confusion, not knowing how to face their parents, and choose to avoid interactions altogether.
The old man looked deeply at Zhang Fang; Si Lang was truly becoming better!
The elderly Zhang lowered her head and secretly wiped her tears. This youngest son had not been a mistake!
After shopkeeper Wu sent people to spread the word, more people gradually arrived at the teahouse.
Upon seeing that the teahouse’s layout had changed, they were shocked to find they even had to pay to enter and had no place to sit. Some people began to complain loudly.
Shopkeeper Wu’s attitude was firm as he told them, “Ten wen is not enough to even buy this book! I see you are also a scholar. You should understand what a good deal it is to hear an exciting story for only ten wen!”
Today was a day off from the academy, and Hao Zhuang was about to head home when he heard people announcing that the story of Ordinary People Cultivating Immortality had been updated! He rushed to the teahouse to hear the continuation. Little did he know he had to pay ten wen and had no seat available!
Fuming at shopkeeper Wu’s sarcastic remarks, Hao Zhuang’s face flushed with anger as he gritted his teeth and said, “If this story gets published, I will be sure to buy a book!”
The teahouse was filled with people from all walks of life. It was unclear why the author chose not to submit it for publication but instead to present it in a teahouse for everyone to enjoy! In Hao Zhuang’s opinion, the author was a bit foolish! They had directly lowered the story’s quality!
The old man heard the familiar voice and leaned over to take a look downstairs. He recognized the young man as Zhang Fang’s classmate and pointed him out, saying, “Si Lang, isn’t that your classmate?”
Zhang Fang glanced down but had no intention of inviting him up. This Hao Zhuang had little goodwill towards Zhang Si Lang. Even though he was also a poor scholar, he was extremely concerned about appearances. From the very beginning, he had been inquiring about Zhang Si Lang’s family background.
Once, when the old man brought money to the academy for Zhang Si Lang, Hao Zhuang had seen it and mockingly asked, “That old farmer can’t possibly be your father, right? He looks so shabby! Wearing straw sandals! Hahaha! I never thought you were just a peasant!”
Even though they were both poor scholars, Hao Zhuang insisted on making things difficult for others, trying to elevate his own sense of superiority and find confidence by belittling those whose circumstances were worse than his own.
At that time, Zhang Si Lang had felt unbearably ashamed and angry. As a young man, his pride was particularly strong. To avoid being laughed at by his classmates, Zhang Si Lang boasted that his father was a gentleman with dozens of acres of land! The old man was just a tenant farmer, sent by the gentleman to deliver things to him.
Hao Zhuang promptly ceased his laughter and thereafter treated Zhang Si Lang with a bit more courtesy. However, their relationship could not be described as good. Hao Zhuang often doubted Zhang Si Lang’s honesty, looking for opportunities to test him and attempting to expose his lies. Zhang Si Lang found himself increasingly vain, having to trick his family into giving him more money so he could maintain a respectable appearance.
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