Chapter 102: three little pigs

Chapter 102: three little pigs

Chapter 102 The Three Little Pigs

After hanging up the tapestry sent by Pei Yunying, whether it was an illusion or not, more people came to Renxin Medical Center to get medicine and see a doctor.

Not all of them come here to get medicine. Most of the new patients come here mainly to see the blanket.

Shopkeepers from all over West Street came here because of the reputation. Yang Du Changqing agreed that everyone would come and touch the gold characters on the blanket to feel happy. After some calculations at the door, Blind He said that this place already had excellent feng shui, and the plum tree at the door was growing auspiciously. Now that this blanket was added, the fortune would increase like a bamboo breaking through the ground.

The shopkeeper of Xinglin Hall, Bai Shouyi, had a few big bubbles overnight.

The neighbors were envious and envious, and the Renxin Medical Center was in a happy mood. Only Du Changqing had a long face all day long, thinking that the glittering golden tapestry hanging on the wall looked like a grasshopper's chest and a wasp's waist - nondescript.

Yin Zheng and Acheng gathered around the small table to peel oranges for making orange lanterns. Lu Zhu just saw off another neighbor who came to "joy the occasion". When he turned around, he met Du Changqing's resentful eyes.

Lu Zhen walked around him and walked to the medicine cabinet to distribute the medicine.

Du Changqing followed her with a look of displeasure on his face, "Doctor Lu, look, we are a medical clinic, not a Taoist temple. Everyone comes to worship this old rug, so why don't we get down to business?" He looked tentatively. Xiang Lu Chen said, "Why don't you make a new medicine and remind everyone?"

The season is getting colder and colder, and it is almost winter. People are wearing layers of clothes, and even a few inches of their waists cannot be seen. There are many fewer people coming to buy "slim".

 On weekdays, most of the neighbors who come to see a doctor on West Street are ordinary people, and the medical fees are very low. The income of Renxin Medical Center is not as good as before. Du Changqing was thinking about asking Lu Yan to make another patent medicine like "Xianxian" or "Chunshuisheng" to subsidize the medicine.

Lu Xu said: "I didn't expect Fang Zi."

"You must be fooling me," Du Changqing suspected. "You lied to me when you recruited you to sit in the restaurant. Didn't you say, 'I can make herbal tea for nasal congestion, but can't I make other herbal teas?' Why is it that Jiang Lang is exhausted now?" "

Acheng really couldn't listen, so he tried to persuade her: "Master, making new medicines doesn't mean going to the hut and squatting in, so you need to think about it."

"Vulgar!" Du Changqing pointed at him, then looked at the woven rug on the wall and sighed, "I think if you put a basin under this rug and write the sentence 'Ten cents a touch', I might be able to make more money than if we opened a medical clinic. many."

Lu Zhu nodded at the burdock seeds in his hand and asked, "Shopkeeper Du, if I want to become famous enough that high-ranking officials and big families will ask me to come and provide medical treatment, what needs to be achieved?"

Du Changqing was stunned for a moment, and then sneered: "Aren't you already famous? There are not enough high-ranking officials like the Taifu Temple Minister and the County Prince's Mansion?"

 “Not enough.”

Du Changqing: “…”

He said angrily: "Then what kind of high-ranking official can catch your eye, Dr. Lu?"

Lu Zhen thought for a while: "Now the most powerful person in Shengjing is the Taishi Mansion. What if it is a family like the Taishi Mansion?"

Du Changqing "tsk tsk tsk" a few times and looked at her with admiration, "I didn't expect you to have such ambition." The next moment, he put on a look of despair, "But don't think about it, it's impossible. The people in the Grand Master's Mansion have headaches and fever, so the envoys of the Imperial Medical College personally diagnose them. Let alone a wild medical clinic like ours, even the medical officers of the Imperial Medical College are not qualified to treat everyone. —”

Seeing that Lu Chen was silent, he glanced at Lu Chen and continued to explain to her, "These high-ranking officials and aristocratic families cherish life as much as gold, and they will not let outsiders know about any illness. People with our status can only be seen by their servants. Just a consultation. No, we are not qualified to enter their house. Their servants are probably looking for doctors from big medical clinics that they are familiar with."

 Lu Zong's heart sank slightly.

 What Du Changqing said was exactly the same as what she heard.

Taishi Qi is located to the east of Yujie. There are guards guarding the front and back of the palace, making it difficult for ordinary people to enter. If a family member of the family is ill, please ask the Imperial Medical College to come to the house for treatment. Grand Master Qi has a son and a daughter. The younger daughter has not yet left the cabinet at the age of 18 this year. As for the only legitimate son Qi Yutai, he now has an empty post in the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Finance to save trouble.

These three people are difficult to get close to. Leaving aside Qi Qing, Miss Qi and Master Qi are always followed by a large number of guards when they travel, and it is difficult for people around them to disturb them.

Things appear to be at an impasse.

As for the Happy Building, it involves the Taishi Mansion. The shrewd Mr. Cao will definitely not be willing to take risks for a little money, and he might notice something, which will arouse suspicion.

 This road is blocked.

Du Changqing continued to complain: "Isn't it just because Qi Yutai has a grand master that his eyes can reach the sky? I don't know how big a pomp will be in Yuxian Tower for his birthday this year. Who cares to see it?"

Lu Zhen's eyes moved and he grasped the key point of his words: "Birthday?"

"It's only the first day of October. It's only a few days away." He remembered Qi Yutai's birthday very clearly. "The prodigal son celebrates his birthday every year at Yuxian Tower. Just the tea sets cost thousands of taels of silver."

Yin Zheng couldn't help but ask: "With his extravagance, isn't he afraid that the big tree will attract the wind and cause people to be dissatisfied with the Taishi Mansion?"

"Qi Yutai's maternal ancestor was an imperial merchant in his early years. He said he accumulated wealth in his family. Who knows?" Du Changqing snorted, "No one can say anything without evidence."

 At the end of the sentence, the sourness of the words was palpable.

 Lu Zong remained silent.

Du Changqing sighed and reasoned with her sincerely, "So Dr. Lu, you should be more down-to-earth and don't think about reaching the sky from the beginning. What's good about the Grand Master's Palace? Apart from more money, higher status, and more power, I It doesn’t look as comfortable as our small medical clinic.”

"dont you agree?"

"yes."

Du Changqing was stunned.

"you are right."

Lu Zhen raised his head with a strange expression: "People should be more practical and don't think about reaching the sky in one step from the beginning."

 …

 In the Grand Master's Mansion, Grand Master Qi Qing was having a meal.

 Taishi Qi likes to maintain good health. He is over 60 years old and eats little but is fine. He likes to eat fish, among which "Jinyu Yuxi" is his favorite dish.

The so-called "Jin Yu Yu" is a seasoning made from garlic, ginger, salt, white plums, orange peels, cooked chestnut meat and stem rice. Fresh and plump seabass is deboned, peeled, drained, sliced ​​into thin slices, and dipped in " "Golden" to enjoy.

Grand Master Qi ate quietly, slowly putting a piece of fish meat soaked in dipping sauce into his mouth and chewing it carefully. While the butler poured him some light tea, he said, "Master, it will be the young master's birthday in a few days."

Qi Yutai was also fined and couldn't go out. However, the month of January was almost exhausted, and it would be the first day of October in a few days. Qi Yutai couldn't hold it anymore, and wanted to take this opportunity to go out and relax, and beg the housekeeper.

"Continue to be banned." Qi Qing drank tea with his sleeves raised. He was wearing a wide black gauze robe and was alone with his bones. He was sitting under the window drinking and drinking, like an old Taoist immortal.

　　The housekeeper lowered his head and said, "Yes." Then he mentioned another matter: "By the way, sir, we have some clues about the good woman you asked to investigate before."

Qi Qingti said: "Say."

“The good wife’s family name is Ke, and she is engaged in the porcelain kiln business in Shengjing. Because of her relationship with the eldest young master, all the cups and cups used by the old lady in the mansion to celebrate her birthday were supplied by the Ke family.”

“However, the Ke family is gone.”

Qi Qing stopped chewing and said, "Is it gone?"

"Yes." The housekeeper bowed his head and said: "On the first day of April this year, Ke Chengxing, the eldest son of the Ke family and a good husband, was found drowned in the release pond of Wan'en Temple. He concluded that he was drunk and slipped and drowned. Because he was found dead At that time, there was an act of worshiping the statues of the previous dynasty, but there was no follow-up to this matter."

“After Ke Chengxing died, his wife returned to her natal family. His mother died of illness, and the Ke family had no descendants.”

 Qi Qing put down his bamboo chopsticks and remained speechless.

The steward said: "Sir, this is not right. I'm afraid someone is behind it."

 Qi Yutai had no intention of causing the death of a good woman, but it was just a small matter. But now it seems that something happened to Fan Zhenglian, who was helping to deal with the follow-up, something happened to the Ke family, and Fan Zhenglian even brought up rumors about the Qi family before he died.

The rumor came out suddenly and spread everywhere overnight. The Qi family dealt with Fan Zhenglian in prison, and no one speculated that the Taishi Mansion killed someone and silenced him. When Qi Taishi went to court, he dragged a handful of old bones and made a tearful confession. He said that this was not a deception, and there was really no evidence. The emperor was skeptical and did not continue to pursue the case.

 But this does not mean that the matter has been revealed.

There must be someone behind the scenes targeting the Taishi Mansion, but there is still no clue as to who this person is or what the power behind it is.

After a long time, Qi Qing suddenly said: "What is the name of a dead good woman?"

“Master Hui, my surname is Lu. She is a married woman from Changwu County.”

That good woman has been dead for a long time. She was the wife of a merchant. Her status was so low that even after she died, she was not worthy of being remembered by anyone.

Qi Qing said: "Go and check the good woman's family." He then added: "The number of people in the family before leaving the palace, what is the current situation now, how many people are left in the natal family."

 “Sir, this is doubtful...” The butler’s eyes moved.

“If you manage your boudoir with good etiquette, you will be kind to all your relatives and friends, you will be harmonious both internally and externally, and your family will be well established.”

 The old master picked up the dumplings again and said calmly: "As a family, it is inevitable to help each other."

 …

 In the middle of September, the air is solemn and condensed, and the dew is condensed with frost.

 The grass under the window in the courtyard was covered with a thin layer of snow-white frost at night. Yin Zheng gathered the half-finished orange lantern in a basket and put it back into the house.

Lu Zong was sitting at the table, combing his unbraided hair. He only wore a thin middle coat. The middle coat was made too wide, making him look even thinner. Yin Zheng looked distressed and said: "Why do you think the girl has lost weight recently? She must be too busy and tired these days. She was already thin, but now she looks like she could be blown away by a gust of wind." Then she said to herself, "Tomorrow Ask Dai Sanlang to choose some meaty bones and stew them for dinner."

She always paid attention to Lu Zhen's food, clothing and daily life. Lu Zhen raised his eyes and looked at the person in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror has a slender neck, her black hair hangs down behind her shoulders like a waterfall, her entire face is no bigger than a palm, and she is too delicate. A pair of cold eyes stares at her quietly.

Perhaps she rarely looked in the mirror during those years in Luomei Peak. Now when she looked at the person in the mirror, staring at that familiar face, she actually felt a little strange.

Yin Zheng was still worried about her thinness, and said from behind: "We eat the same as us on weekdays... Did the girl not like eating when she was a child, and she doesn't even want to grow now?"

 Didn’t you like to eat when you were a child?

 Lu Zhen shook his head, "No, I always ate a lot when I was a kid."

Yin Zheng looked suspicious: "Really?"

"real."

The lady looked at her in the mirror. Her beautiful face was blurred by the light, and gradually blurred into another round face that was white, tender, plump, and full of childishness.

　　is the face of a little girl.

The little girl wears double buns with a black golden butterfly on each side, making her look as cute as a white dumpling. Lu Chen smiled, and the little girl in the mirror smiled at her, with a hint of sly pride.

Lu Zhuo’s eyes gradually drifted away.

 She didn’t lie.

 When I was young, I was greedy and always ate a lot. Before leaving Changwu County, Lu Yan was a fat girl.

There are three children in the family, Lu Rou is slim and beautiful, and Lu Qian is handsome and intelligent. Perhaps God gave the first two children of the Lu family preferential treatment in terms of their appearance, but when it was Lu Qian's turn, they looked much more careless.

She is a glutton, and when she buys some fruit candies at home, she always catches the most, and she gets hungry quickly. She often complains that she is hungry before the meal is ready. Everyone in the neighborhood in Changwu County knows her. When she was a child, she was round and cute. The neighbors often gave her preserved peanuts. Gradually, her face became fuller and fuller, like a white glutinous rice ball.

Dumplings are certainly a blessing, but when you are a child, you are a blessing, but when you grow up, you don't look so smart. Especially with the most beautiful sister in Changwu County.

 Liu Kun's sons Liu Zide and Liu Zixian laughed at her behind her back: "Fat pig, be careful that you won't get married in the future!"

She learned this from others and cried all the way home. She was bumped into by Lu Qian who was returning home from school. After asking about the whole story, she went to fight with the Liu brothers.

The fight was fierce. His father who returned home asked Lu Qian to go to the Liu family to bear a thorn to plead guilty. He also punished Lu Rou and Lu Zhu to copy copybooks together. The tradition of the Lu family has always been that if one person makes a mistake, three people will be punished.

Lu Zhen was already aggrieved, but now he felt even more aggrieved. While scolding the Liu brothers and copying books, he also swore that he would become as slim and slim as his sister within six months, and that from today onwards, his daily food intake would be halved.

 As a result, I was hungry within half a day.

At night, I was so hungry that my eyes were filled with stars. After my parents were fast asleep, I couldn't help but secretly get up from the bed and go to the kitchen to look for leftovers. I searched around but couldn't find it. Lu Rou and Lu Qian came in from outside.

Lu Zhen cried and said: "Why is there no leftover food?"

“Who told you not to eat anything during the day? Dad would eat it for me.” Lu Qian deliberately made her angry.

"you!"

 “Shh, keep your voice down.” Lu Rou patted Lu Qian, “Stop teasing her.”

Lu Qian took out some sweet potatoes from behind his back and said, "It's too late. Let's bake some sweet potatoes and eat them, so as not to wake up your parents and make you copy books for a few more days."

Lu Zhuo felt dizzy when he thought of copying the book, and said hurriedly: "Okay, okay, just sweet potatoes."

It was troublesome to light a fire on the stove in the kitchen, so Lu Qian found a charcoal basin for heating, placed it at the door to burn, and buried a few sweet potatoes in the ash.

 The aroma of sweet potatoes gradually filled the kitchen.

 Lu Qian pulled the iron tongs out of the fire, Lu Rou peeled the skin and handed it to Lu Huo. Lu Huo sat on the ground leaning against the wall, took a bite of the hot sweet potato, and felt his whole body covered with iron.

Lu Judao: "Eat slowly and be careful not to burn it."

Lu Qian picked out a few others and let her dry them.

When he finished eating the whole meal and was about to get the second one, Lu Qian glanced at Lu Qian's face with a bruised nose and swollen eyes. He suddenly paused and became inexplicably depressed.

Lu Qian saw that she stopped eating after looking at him, and he was confused: "What?"

 “Your face is so ugly…”

 The young man was furious: "Lu San, you don't even know who I am doing this for!"

Lu Zhu said wiltedly: "I was thinking, if I don't eat even one meal, I will be very hungry. Am I destined to be a fat pig for the rest of my life?"

Lu Rou frowned: "Zhuo, you are growing tall now. How can you do without eating? Don't listen to Liu Zide and Liu Zixian's nonsense."

“But they said I can’t get married in the future…”

"Who wants them to worry about it?" Lu Qian said angrily, "I haven't eaten his rice, so I don't care what he says."

　　 Lu Bei came from this: "But none of you are like me... Could it be that I am not my parents' biological child?"

Lu Qian: "...You want dad to beat you, right?"

Lu Rou sighed and reached out to pick up a sweet potato: "Then let's eat it with you and become piglets together, okay?"

Lu Qian was happy: "Then the Lu family has three little pigs? Okay, I'll eat one too...it tastes so good!"

The brothers and sisters sat on either side of him. The hot sweet potatoes drove away the coldness of winter. In the sweet fragrance that filled the kitchen, Lu Tong wiped his tears. For some reason, he didn't feel so sad anymore.

The next day, my mother got up in the morning and went to the kitchen. She found the burnt charcoal ashes and the sweet potato peels in the corner. She couldn't laugh or cry, so she tapped Lu Zhuo's forehead and taught him: "You don't think too much, just eat your food well. Don't worry, our Lu family is all here." She is a beauty, not ugly.”

 “In the future, you will also be as beautiful as your sister!”

At that time, Lu Zhen always felt that it was her mother's words of comfort to her.

 Later…

Later, she was taken to Luomeifeng by Yun Niang, and they collected and tested herbs all over the mountains and plains. Maybe she was tired, hungry, or it was already time to draw strips. I don’t know how long it had passed, but one day she was washing clothes by the stream. , through the stream, I saw the face of a strange girl reflected in the stream.

She has peach cheeks and apricot face, and a beautiful face and elegant appearance, which is completely different from that fat girl who is round and waxy.

 She lay by the stream and looked at it for a long time.

It turns out what my mother said was true. She was as slim and slender as her sister, and she was a beautiful girl.

　　It turns out...unknowingly, she has grown up.

There was a soft sound, and the sound of Yin Zheng closing the window interrupted Lu Chen's thoughts. The autumn night was desolate and silent. The little girl with crooked eyes in the mirror gradually faded away, turning into another woman with thin makeup, looking at her indifferently. .

 Lu Yan’s eyebrows moved slightly.

She has grown up, from an innocent little girl to a graceful and graceful lady. Unfortunately, no one in the Lu family has seen her parents, brothers and sisters.

 They didn't get to see her grow up.

The hugs and tears, the joy and the admonitions after the reunion in the dream that had been imagined countless times ended abruptly, just like the charcoal fire in the small kitchen many years ago, forever extinguished in the cold winter night.

  No more vitality.

 But the fire in her heart was igniting and getting stronger and stronger.

 The window was closed, and the late autumn night was very cold.

 “I want to go to Yuxian Tower.” In the silence, Lu Zhuo suddenly spoke.

Yin Zheng, who was walking to the door, was stunned for a moment, turned around subconsciously, and looked at Lu Zhuo in astonishment.

Lu Zhen stretched out his fingers and lightly traced the eyebrows of the person in the mirror.

The gaze of the person in the mirror is as plain as still water, but in the still water, there are invisible undercurrents.

 She took her hand back.

“On the first day of October, the day of Qi Yutai’s birthday…”

“I’m going to Yuxian Tower,” she said.