Chapter 70 - Being Hired

"I will educate them properly, I promise I won't disappoint you," Yu Lian declared sincerely.

With the intervention of the neighbors, the one-sided beating finally came to an end.

Pointing at the box in her hand, Yu Lian explained, "The doctor refused to prepare the medicine at Hua Tianqu's place or give it to him, which led to this dispute."

Although Yu Lian put it simply, everyone present was no fool.

Red Huyu flowers were highly valuable and could fetch a price of over a hundred taels of silver if sold. It was understandable that the doctor would be tempted, not to mention how painful it was for the villagers to know that the widow Zhao intended to consume such a precious flower.

Given its worth, it was reasonable for the doctor to want to process the herb at Hua Tianqu's residence. Why would he insist on taking it away without giving it to the rightful owner unless he was greedy for the medicine?

Upon this realization, the elderly neighbor's eyes widened in anger. He picked up a stick by his side, ready to strike. "How could you be so wicked? All these years, you've been treating illnesses in our village, and we've treated you well, haven't we? We've respected and accommodated you in every way possible. Yet, you choose to bully our village children like this?"

"The village chief once said that you wandered here to practice medicine after being a veterinarian for a wealthy family. You did something immoral, causing the death of a whole stable of horses, which led to your expulsion. With nowhere else to go, we convinced the chief to take you in. Over the years, we've genuinely treated you as one of us, as a real doctor. How could you commit such an immoral act?"

"Yes, Widow Zhao is already gone. Hua Tianqu risked his life to gather those herbs. How could you be so heartless to take them?"

The barefoot doctor, battered and in pain from the children's beating, was too exhausted to speak. He was surrounded by a crowd of critics.

He retorted, "They don't understand. If I leave the herbs here, they might be ruined. Besides, I have the necessary tools at my place, not here. It would be troublesome to keep going back and forth. I'm a doctor, I'm here to heal and save lives. Why can't you trust me?"

"Are you saying you won't treat us in the future?"

The villagers had plenty of rebuttals for the first part of his statement, but they fell silent when he mentioned the second part.

Even the most agitated elder was at a loss for words.

What could they say? If someone fell ill and couldn't find a doctor, what would they do? The medical clinic in town was expensive, with consultation fees alone being a significant expense, not to mention the cost of herbs. How could they afford such expenses?

Their voices softened. "That boy has had it tough. His mother is on her deathbed. Show some compassion and leave the medicine at their house. If you need any tools, just tell us, and we'll bring them over for you. You can stay and eat at their place for the next few days!"

Upon finishing, the neighbor looked around Widow Zhao's house and fell silent.

Ever since Widow Zhao fell ill, her rice storage had been dwindling, and there were no signs of cooking on the hearth in the main room. Hua Tianqu was struggling to feed himself; how could he afford to provide for a doctor?

The old man's lips twitched. "Come to my place for meals these few days." He let his wife pinch his arm. Most of his kids had already drained him dry, and now they wanted to eat at his house? With a doctor in tow? They didn't need food, did they?

Hua Tianqu bowed to the elderly neighbor and softly declined. He clutched the box he had received from Yu Lian tightly.

"I'll figure something out myself," he said. Since he was intelligent and perceptive from a young age, he could tell that the barefoot doctor wasn't someone trustworthy. Even if the man had medical skills and was willing to prepare medicine at their home, how could Hua Tianqu entrust his mother's life to such a person?

After saying this, he entered the house, followed closely by Yu Lian. She glanced at the unconscious Zhao widow.

Hua Tianqu poured a cup of water and moistened his mother's chapped lips with it.

Yu Lian suggested, "I'll ask the villagers to take your mother to the clinic in town on a carriage. There's a skilled physician there. With the Red Yin Flower you have, her condition should be treatable."

The teenager looked up at her, wanting to nod in agreement, but he hesitated when he thought about his financial situation. His mother had spent all her money on his education, even if it meant buying the cheapest stationery. Ever since the village school was destroyed, his mother had searched high and low for tutors, spending more money. Over the years, she had depleted their savings. After his mother fell ill, he found over three hundred copper coins in a jar, but he dared not spend a single coin, fearing that he wouldn't have enough to pay for her treatment. Thus, even if they ran out of food, he wouldn't dare to use the money.

This amount was barely enough to cover the fees for the village's barefoot doctor. Going to a proper clinic in town would likely exceed their budget, not even accounting for the consultation fee.

Yu Lian observed the young man and asked, "I heard from the villagers that you're an educated person. What books have you studied?"

Hua Tianqu bowed her head and counted, "I began my education at the age of five and have been studying for six years. Yet, I've only learned the Four Books; I've only heard a little about classics and historical texts. With no books at home, I rely on my memory of what my former teachers taught, copying them down by hand." However, this consumed a great deal of ink and paper. Eventually, she had to pause her writing and resort to reciting the texts silently every day.

Yu Lian asked, "Did you study the basics like the Three-Character Classic, Hundred Surnames, and Thousand Characters for your initial education?"

The young man's eyes shimmered slightly as he mentioned studying, and he nodded, "I've learned them all, I can recite them backward."

Yu Lian nodded and said, "In that case, why don't you take up a position in my household and act as a tutor to educate my three children? How does that sound?"

The twins, crouching at the entrance, were about to explode upon hearing this. "If Big Sister doesn't study, then we won't either! Father said we'll farm in the future!"

Their eyes met, and they chuckled secretly. They had told their father they didn't want to farm and their sister-in-law that they didn't want to study. Together, it meant they didn't want either, and they were quite clever indeed!

Yu Lian smiled gently. "Father said that I'm in charge of our family, so you two also have to listen to me."

"The house is built, the fields are plowed. Apart from feeding the little pigs and chickens at home, there's nothing else for you to worry about. Just behave and study diligently for me."

She had observed that her father-in-law was not skilled in teaching children. He might be able to teach martial arts, but definitely not the basics. Perhaps he was more suited to teaching military tactics?

By having this young man assist in teaching the children, it would solve her dilemma and serve two purposes at once.

Hua Tianqu's dark eyes shimmered with astonishment as he repeated his question to the benefactor's benefactor, "You truly wish to hire me as a tutor?"

Yu Lian nodded, "When I took your mother to the town for treatment, it wasn't free. The cost of transportation, medicine, and consultation will be deducted from your monthly stipend. You'll receive three hundred copper coins a month, with meals provided, and gifts given during festive seasons for teachers. How do you find this arrangement?"

How could he not be satisfied? He had never imagined that he could earn money by tutoring others. The young man nodded and looked at the trio crouching nearby. He pledged solemnly, "I will teach them well. I assure you, I won't shirk my duties."

With expectant eyes, Little Guo'er clung to her sister-in-law's arm. She had never dreamed of studying alongside her twin brothers. Even back in the capital, her aunt had only mentioned teaching her basic sewing skills, with no mention of learning to read. Her aunt said that when she grew up a bit more, she could recognize a few characters to manage household accounts when she became the main wife of a modest family.

But before she could learn to read, tragedy struck their family.

With the matter settled, neither the young man nor Yu Lian were ones to dawdle. Yu Lian suggested hiring someone to drive, but he declined, "I can do it myself, no need to spend extra silver."

Following that, Hua Tianqu accompanied Yu Lian back home.

News traveled fast in the village, and by the time they arrived, the elder matriarch and Mrs. Chen had already heard about their scuffle. They asked, "Lian'er, did you take those three children to fight? I heard there was an altercation with a barefoot doctor?"

The twins and Little Guo'er blushed with excitement at the mention of the fight, animatedly recounting how the greedy healer had been reprimanded. They declared confidently, "We were fighting villains. He was a villain, so we were right to fight him!"