Doctor Shi quickly calmed down. He was not afraid of those nonsense about retribution. He had been honest in the first half of his life. He never dared to make mistakes and was cautious in everything he did. But what was the use? He didn't live a good life just because he was honest.
After struggling hard, he finally entered the Imperial Medical Service. He thought his days were over and that a life of luxury would follow. However, he ended up with nothing. The Imperial Medical Service was a place of power. The other experienced and steady priests were favored by other masters. A young man like him could do nothing when he entered there. He was not even qualified to prescribe medicine on his own.
Occasionally, when the old priests were not around, he went to treat the masters, but the masters never even looked at him, let alone asked him to diagnose their illnesses, and immediately sent someone to call for the old priests.
Having been an imperial physician for such a long time, his life had not improved at all. He suffered from bullying in the Imperial Hospital and from his wife outside. Even his mother was implicated by his incompetent son and she never got a good look from his wife.
And those family members were even more arrogant, mocking him for being just a poor doctor in the Imperial Hospital. Even when he went out to visit friends, no one paid any attention to him. He could only watch his cousins sitting at the main seats or at the head of the table, while he himself was always alone in the corner. Even the people at the same table did not take him seriously. The host would bypass him when toasting him, or just smile coldly and say a polite word.
The life he imagined was not like this, and the wife he wanted to marry was not like this either. She should not be a butcher's daughter, whose heart and eyes were full of money and who only cared about silver, rice, oil and salt.
But life has tortured him into this state. He has nothing but a belly full of anger, hatred and rage.
But why?! Those nobles were born with countless things, with a naturally respectable and enviable status, full of glory. When they passed by, he could only kneel down and kowtow. Even if those people didn't even open their eyes to look at him, his attitude still had to be particularly respectful...
As he thought of this, his hands slowly clenched into fists.
Although his life was better now, and although he had gradually made his way through the Imperial Hospital and always had the opportunity to go outside the palace to treat nobles, there was certainly no greater sense of security than the piles of silver. Only when he held the silver in his hands did he feel like a human being. He never wanted to experience those contemptuous looks and indifference again.
So even though this was something that could potentially cost him his head, he still did it without hesitation. After all, if he kept living a cowardly life, life would be worse than death, so it would be a good thing to die gloriously.
Even if he couldn't spend the money, he could take it with him when he was buried and save it for his next life.
As soon as he left the house, Mrs. Shi came up to him and said with a smile, "The food is ready. I even made some plum wine. Shall we go eat first?"
Mrs. Shi also propped herself up on the bamboo chair and sat up. She walked over to him with a smile and tremblingly took out a sweet potato from her bosom: "It's still hot. Eat it, eat it."
Doctor Shi felt like vomiting when he saw sweet potatoes. He had eaten enough of them and moldy tofu when he was young. When he grew up, he didn't want to see them anymore. But Shi's mother didn't understand. She always regarded these as good things and thought that as long as they could fill her stomach, it was fine.
Mrs. Shi saw that he looked unhappy, and she understood something in her heart, so she quickly reached out to snatch the sweet potato away: "There is steamed rice here, and there are also fat ducks and fat chickens. Why are you eating this?! Mother, you are really something. Your son has made it big now, and he is different from before. You should also show some generosity and stop hiding things. You even hold a roasted sweet potato in your arms. Is there anyone who can snatch it from you?!"
Doctor Shi rarely felt that Mrs. Shi's words were unpleasant to hear. He agreed gently, hoping that Mrs. Shi would stop being frugal in everything in the future. Seeing that Mrs. Shi's thin lips were tightly pursed, obviously she was angry, he patiently explained: "Mother, she is right. Now it is different from the past. Your son and I have plenty of money and silver. You can eat and spend it with confidence. Don't be reluctant to spend this little silver! And don't hide these foods like before. If this gets out, others will think we are so poor that we can't even afford to eat. Your son is also a doctor now, specializing in treating the rich and powerful. If others tell others, they will laugh at us."
Mrs. Shi had suffered for decades, and she could not get over it. She said sarcastically, "Silver, silver, no matter how much silver you have, how long will it last? If you don't save it, you will still be poor!"
As she spoke, she walked away angrily, "I won't eat it! That big white rice is not for people like us to eat. It makes me feel uncomfortable when I eat it!"
Mrs. Shi curled her lips, feeling very uncomfortable, and secretly cursed the old witch.
Doctor Shi was also very unhappy to hear this. He thought what the old lady said was unlucky, so he stood there silently for a while before saying, "What do you know?! You can't spend all the money I earn in ten lifetimes! You can't afford to eat the white rice and fat chickens and ducks. You can use them to feed chickens and pigs in the future!"
Mrs. Shi smiled again: "That's right, that's right, my mother is an old lady, her thinking is too old-fashioned, she still thinks like before, she never had anything to eat all day long, now of course we can afford to eat everything!"
Doctor Shi glanced at her, turned around and went to the kitchen, and said to Mrs. Shi, "I have to go to Prince Zheng's mansion this afternoon. You stay home and have a good talk with mother. Tell her not to act like she used to and not to interrogate guests. They are all honored guests, how could they steal things? How could she think of that!"
Today Dong Chengqi said that Shi Lao Niang still thought he was a thief and kept asking him what he did and where he came from. He felt really embarrassed and awkward hearing that.
Mrs. Shi rarely heard Doctor Shi complain about her mother, and she found it very pleasing to her ears. She laughed quickly, "Yes, yes, I know. Don't worry, I will explain it to my mother. She is the same. When people get old, they should accept their age. But she insists on being the same as before and insists that we listen to her in everything. She wants to tie you to her belt. How can this be possible?"
After Doctor Shi finished his lunch, he said goodbye to Old Lady Shi and headed for Prince Zheng's mansion.
Mrs. Shi was still very angry. She felt that her son was biased towards his wife, so she snorted and turned her head away.
Doctor Shi shook his head and walked away. (To be continued)