Chapter 64 Scholar Tang

Chapter 64: Scholar Tang

Song Tingzhou quickly rescued the man and dragged him home, only to find that he was barely alive. He was about to go out to find a doctor.

Meng Wan stopped him: "Don't go. I'll call Sister Chunfang, and we'll both go."

Meng Wan tiptoed into the east room and gently pushed Lu Chunfang. "Sister Chunfang, get up."

"Wan Geer? What's wrong?" Lu Chunfang said drowsily.

Meng Wan whispered, "Come out with me for a while. Keep your voice down, don't wake my mother."

Lu Chunfang didn't ask further, got up and dressed, while Meng Wan waited at the door.

"Wan Geer, where are we going in the middle of the night?"

"To the Benevolent Hall on the main street." Meng Wan replied to Lu Chunfang, looking back to see Song Tingzhou watching him from the alley entrance.

The Benevolent Hall was on the main street. On the way, Meng Wan briefly told Lu Chunfang that Song Tingzhou had rescued someone who looked like he had been badly beaten. It was a matter of life and death, so they rushed to fetch the doctor at night.

Lu Chunfang was kind-hearted and became anxious upon hearing this. They walked quickly and soon arrived at the Benevolent Hall.

However, the shop was in front and the residence behind, so no doctor was on call at night. Meng Wan went directly around to the back door and knocked.

The knocking sound stood out in the silent alley.

Someone inside asked, "Who is it?"

Meng Wan said solemnly, "I'm from the Song family, the first house on Liuti Alley. Someone at home fell and got injured tonight. Please bring some medicine for injuries and come take a look."

"It's late. If it's just a fall, come back tomorrow." It was the voice of the old doctor.

Meng Wan's voice grew more urgent, "Doctor, please come anyway. He also vomited blood. I'm afraid there might be internal injuries."

"Wait."

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the courtyard door opened. The old doctor, dressed and carrying his medicine box, grumbled as he walked, "How did he fall and vomit blood? Did he fall from a height? What was he doing climbing high in the middle of the night?"

Lu Chunfang glanced at Meng Wan, and seeing that he didn't speak, she also remained silent.

Song Tingzhou was waiting at the alley entrance. He first bowed to the doctor, "Thank you for your trouble."

Then he took Meng Wan by the hand and led the way. The moonlight was bright tonight, so everyone could see their footing clearly.

They entered the west room. On the cabinet was an oil lamp, and on the floor was an old mattress. The man had been placed on it by Song Tingzhou, his face swollen and bruised beyond recognition, his body covered in bloodstains, clearly with more breath going out than coming in.

The old doctor immediately began treatment, exclaiming, "This is what you call a fall? You, young man, really... really!"

In the east room, Chang Jinhua also heard the noise. Meng Wan, afraid of frightening her, left Song Tingzhou there and went with Lu Chunfang to the east room.

"Mother, why are you up?" When they reached the east room, Chang Jinhua was indeed getting dressed to get off the kang.

"Is there a stranger in the house? I heard unfamiliar voices."

Meng Wan used the same excuse, "My husband rescued someone who was in bad shape. Since we saw him, we couldn't just let him die, so we went out to fetch a doctor to take a look."

Chang Jinhua hadn't expected this. Still worried, she said, "Let me go take a look."

The man was covered in blood and might not survive. What if he scared Chang Jinhua?

Meng Wan quickly stopped her, "My husband is watching over him in that room. We have me and Sister Chunfang to help with whatever he needs. You don't need to get involved. You've just recovered from your illness. Please rest well, or you can take another day off tomorrow."

If he made Chang Jinhua lie in bed while others worked, she would be miserable. So she lay back down on the kang and said sulkily, "Fine, I won't go. You all have your own ideas now and don't need me anymore. Saves me the trouble of getting up."

Still sleepy, and having walked quite a bit going to the pleasure house during the day, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Meng Wan let Lu Chunfang also go to sleep on the kang. After a while, he returned to the west room door and asked Song Tingzhou through the curtain, "How is he?"

Song Tingzhou was helping the doctor wipe the man's body with medicinal wine. He replied, "He can be saved. You sleep in mother's room tonight. We'll talk in the morning."

"What about the medicine? Do you want me to help prepare it first? You still need to get up early tomorrow." Meng Wan was afraid Song Tingzhou would do everything himself and not include him.

The old doctor was annoyed by their lingering, "Prepare what medicine? In his current state, even forcing it down won't work. I'll go back to the Benevolent Hall, prepare the prescription, and have the apothecary's assistant prepare it for you. Then try to force-feed him two doses first."

Having received the confirmation, Meng Wan no longer insisted. He returned to the east room and dozed off lightly. By the time dawn broke, the doctor was sent off by Song Tingzhou.

Lu Chunfang had already gotten up. Carrying a bucket of soybeans, she said to the two, "I'll go grind the beans today. You two rest a bit more."

Song Tingzhou didn't insist. He went back to the room and dozed off. The injured man, after being cleaned and treated by Song Tingzhou the night before, had been moved to the kang and was still unconscious, but his breathing had become more steady.

When the fragrance of beans wafted out, Meng Wan gently woke Song Tingzhou, "Zhou Lang, time to get up."

Song Tingzhou closed his eyes and pulled Meng Wan into his arms. They cuddled on the kang for a while. Meng Wan, feeling sorry for him for being up all night, suggested, "Why don't you take the day off and rest at home?"

Song Tingzhou got up and changed into a fresh robe, putting the wrinkled one aside. "It's troublesome to ask for leave from the prefectural school. I'll go. If I can't hold on, I'll come back early in the afternoon."

"Alright."

While Song Tingzhou was washing up, Meng Wan went to the street to buy some steamed buns. Their family had been having tofu pudding and fried dough for breakfast every day, and even the most delicious food gets boring. Today, they had vegetable steamed buns, and everyone enjoyed them.

Song Tingzhou took his horse and went to school. Li Yaqin came to work, and the family started their busy day again.

Just before they were about to close the stall, Meng Wan suddenly remembered the man still lying in the west room. He hurried to Huichun Hall to get medicine. The day before, when Chang Jinhua had heatstroke, they had bought a medicine stove at home, so they didn't need to buy another one. After boiling the medicine, Meng Wan went into the small room to check on the man.

The man's face was dark and bruised, making it impossible to tell his appearance or age. But except for some exceptional cases, Meng Wan could now tell that a xiao'ge (young male) had a smaller build than a full-grown man.

Although the man lying on their kang was not tall, there was no doubt he was a man. Otherwise, Song Tingzhou wouldn't have stayed with him last night and told Meng Wan to stay away.

Most importantly, since they rescued him last night, Meng Wan felt he looked like the man who had been surrounded and beaten by thugs at Pingqiao Pleasure House. He couldn't make out his face, but the clothes were exactly the same color.

If it really was that man, then it would be fate.

Chang Jinhua closed the stall and also came in to see him. "How did he get beaten like this?"

"Where did Da Lang rescue him in the middle of the night?"

"He isn't some thief caught and beaten like this, is he?"

Meng Wan explained, "He probably isn't a thief." Compared to him, the man who was dumping a body last night seemed even less like a good person.

When the medicine was almost done, they called Lu Chunfang, who had the strongest grip, to pry open the man's mouth and force-feed him a bowl of medicine.

Half the medicine was spilled. Meng Wan, afraid it wasn't enough, fed him another bowl, and again a lot spilled out.

The medicinal herbs were expensive, and Chang Jinhua was a bit upset. "Don't throw away the dregs. Add more water and boil them again. Even if it's just water, feed it to him. Don't waste it."

Meng Wan suppressed a smile. "Mother is right. I'll go add some more water."

Later in the evening, when Song Tingzhou returned from school, they fed the man medicine again after dinner. Although his eyes were closed, he was able to swallow on his own.

There was no other room to sleep in the house, so Meng Wan had to squeeze in with Chang Jinhua and the others for the next few days, while Song Tingzhou stayed in the same room with that man by himself.

After two more days of feeding him medicine, the man regained consciousness but still couldn't get off the kang (heated brick bed). Meng Wan asked him if he was from the theater troupe at Pingqiao Goulan, and he admitted it. When asked if he wanted to go back, he just shook his head, tears streaming down his face.

The family discussed it. An actor belonged to a low social class, and leaving the troupe left him nowhere good to go. With Li Yaqin about to leave their shop, perhaps they could ask this actor if he wanted to stay and work.

Meng Wan brought him a bowl of thin porridge and relayed the offer.

"What do you think?"

Unable to rise, the actor lay on the kang and said in a hoarse voice, "I thank you two benefactors for saving me. I can never repay this lifesaving grace. I would work like a beast of burden for you two."

Meng Wan had also come from a humble background, so he could somewhat empathize with the man's feelings.

"Don't be afraid. Our household is simple, and we're not the type to mistreat people. Your household registration may still be with the troupe, so let it be for now. But we've spent a lot on your treatment. After you recover, you'll work for me. I'll pay you eight hundred copper coins a month. At least pay back the cost of my medicine first, and then we'll talk about the rest."

If he had made grand promises, the man might have been even more fearful. Instead, saying he could stay and repay the debt was a straightforward, honest statement.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the wariness in the man's eyes faded, and he thanked Meng Wan haltingly.

Having found a replacement for Li Yaqin, Meng Wan still needed to let him recuperate, and he also wanted to give Li Yaqin a full month's wages, so he kept her on for a few more days.

For the first few days, he noticed that the silver hairpin Li Yaqin had always worn was replaced by a hairband, but he didn't pay it any mind.

Then, a few days later, he saw that her silver bracelet, which she never took off even when washing dishes, was also gone.

Not only did he notice, but Lu Chunfang also noticed. "Qin Niang, where are your hairpin and bracelet?"

Li Yaqin smoothed her hair awkwardly. "I just don't feel like wearing them lately."

When her shift ended, she approached Meng Wan, hesitating several times to speak, and finally went home in silence.

Meng Wan thought something was off but didn't dare ask her directly. Instead, he found a chance to inquire with Aunt Zhou. The more someone clashed with her, the more attention she paid to their life.

Sure enough, Aunt Zhou rolled her eyes at the Li family's doorstep and said, "She's aiming too high. First, she was introduced to a butcher from the meat stall. The young man was honest, steady, and from a decent family. But no, she turned him down. She found a private matchmaker on her own and supposedly landed a Xiucai scholar."

Aunt Zhou snorted coldly. "Now she'll be strutting around like a peacock."

Meng Wan muttered, "A Xiucai? From which family? Since we're both in Changping Prefecture, maybe my husband knows him?"

Aunt Zhou had already forgotten, so she called over her daughter-in-law. "Juan Niang, what was the name of that scholar that the Li family's elder unmarried daughter found?"

Juan Niang came out fanning herself and thought for a moment. "My husband said he ran into him at a tavern a few times. Others called him Master Tang."

So it was indeed a Xiucai from Changping Prefecture. Meng Wan would have to ask Song Tingzhou if he knew him.

"Surname Tang? That shouldn't be too common. I'll ask around among my classmates during the day." In the time since Song Tingzhou arrived in the city, he had made a few acquaintances. Though not overly close, they could at least make inquiries about someone.

Two days later, Li Yaqin had completed a full month working at the Song family shop. Meng Wan took out the money box to settle her wages.

"Qin Niang, originally we agreed on six hundred coppers a month. But since we didn't provide you with meals or lodging, and your work has been meticulous, I'll add eighty coppers as a meal allowance."

Meng Wan counted the money for her. "Check if the amount is right."

Li Yaqin took the money and said, "Thank you," to Meng Wan.

She also thanked Chang Jinhua and Lu Chunfang. The two were surprised, but both were generous and didn't hold her previous attitude against her. They exchanged polite pleasantries.

As an elder, Chang Jinhua spoke up. "I heard your fiancé is also a Xiucai. Is he from a village near the city?"

Li Yaqin said shyly, "He's from the Tang family in Daguan Village, north of the city."

Meng Wan said, "What a coincidence. The woodcutter who delivers firewood to us is also from Daguan Village. So where is he studying now?"

Actually, this question was a bit forward, but Li Yaqin was too immersed in the joy of finding a good match to notice.

"He didn't do as well as Master Song in the exams. He barely passed, so he didn't continue his studies. He's now hoping to find a position as a Scribe or Archivist in a nearby county." Li Yaqin's tone was hopeful.

Meng Wan added, "That sounds like an ambitious man. But minor positions in the county office aren't easy to get. Did his family spend money to pull strings?"

Li Yaqin glanced at Meng Wan and bit her lower lip nervously. "His family isn't well-off. His parents work the fields to get by." Though she didn't say it directly, everyone guessed she had been secretly subsidizing that Master Tang.

Chang Jinhua chimed in, "It's already not easy to raise a Xiucai scholar. Poverty now isn't so bad. Once he secures a proper job in the yamen, the money won't have been spent in vain." She then shot Meng Wan a glare—why pry so much? He had made Qin Niang feel uncomfortable.

Li Yaqin smiled and agreed. "That's right."

As he saw Li Yaqin out the door, Meng Wan suddenly said, "Qin Niang, you're no fool. If something feels wrong, make sure to leave yourself an escape route."

If the Xiucai truly intended to build a life with Yaqin in earnest and had really spent the money on bribes, then Meng Wan had just offended them both for nothing.

Li Yaqin retorted, "How come you can find a Xiucai, but when someone else does, it's for ulterior motives?"

Hearing this, Li Yaqin's face darkened, and she stormed off. Halfway down the road, she regretted it a little and stole a glance back, but the Song family's door was already empty.

In the end, outsiders could only advise. They weren't the ones involved. For Li Yaqin, this was a huge gamble. If she married well, her parents would be at ease, and she could hold her head high in front of her second sister-in-law and the neighbors.

If she married poorly and Master Tang didn't amount to anything, he still had the Xiucai degree. That much he couldn't fake. Even if life after marriage wasn't easy, at least she'd be married off and ease her parents' worries. Being a Xiucai's wife still sounded better than being a butcher's wife.