The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Under normal circumstances, the medical clinic would only pay ten taels of silver to invite a doctor to see a patient, but the female shopkeeper knew very well that Chen Xi had earned thirty taels from selling medicine this time. If she only offered ten taels, it would probably be difficult to impress him.

So she offered double the salary.

However, the female shopkeeper seemed to overlook the special meaning of the word "free clinic" and mistakenly thought that Chen Xi chose to practice medicine for money.

Chen Xi looked at the antique furnishings in the clinic. The air was filled with a faint herbal aroma. The environment was quiet and comfortable, which was exactly her ideal place to practice medicine.

So she nodded and agreed: "I can come here to see patients every other day, but the specific time may not be fixed. As for the salary, you can give it as you see fit. I don't mind."

After hearing this, the female shopkeeper did not ask any more questions. She just nodded and smiled, watching Chen Xi leave with the basket that had been filled with herbs.

She looked at his back, secretly looking forward to his arrival tomorrow.

After Chen Xi's figure disappeared in the streets and alleys, the little pharmacist in the clinic couldn't help but approach the female shopkeeper and asked in confusion: "You haven't seen her medical skills yet, why did you let her come to see patients? What if she is just a charlatan with nothing but appearance?"

Hearing this, the female shopkeeper smiled slightly, with a gleam of wisdom in her eyes. She patted the little medicine boy on the shoulder and said earnestly: "Sometimes, a person's character is more important than medical skills. I believe that a person who is willing to practice medicine for free must have a benevolent heart."

She gently stroked the smooth abacus beads in her hand: "When she sees patients tomorrow, all the mysteries will be revealed. Her medical skills and character will be judged by the public."

……

Chen Xi thought about the empty rice jar at home, so he decided to use the small change from selling herbs to go to the market to buy some food for daily needs.

There are stalls on both sides of the street, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining can be heard one after another.

As she was strolling through the bustling market, her eyes accidentally fell on a pork stall.

On the stall, a piece of pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat and clear textures caught her eye, as if waving to her.

She walked forward without hesitation, tapped her finger lightly, and said decisively: "Boss, how much is this piece of pork belly? I want it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the stall owner's eyes suddenly lit up.

Suddenly, Chen Xi was attracted by a string of pig intestines hanging beside the stall.

With burning eyes, she pointed at the string of pig intestines again and asked the stall owner, "Boss, how much is this pig intestine?"

Hearing the voice, the stall owner glanced sideways at the string of pig intestines, and a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment flashed in his eyes.

But soon his expression was replaced by a smile, and he replied with a smile: "Hey, girl, if you want this pig intestine, I'll give it to you. Originally, Mr. Hu bought it to feed his dog, but today he suddenly changed his mind and said he didn't want it. You see, this pig intestine is just leftovers in the eyes of these rich people. If you want it, I have some bones with little meat on them, which I'll put on for you so that they don't take up space."

After hearing this, Chen Xi was secretly delighted. Although these pig intestines and spareribs were considered discarded by the rich, they were rare and nutritious delicacies for ordinary people.

She responded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes! Yes! These intestines and bones are good things. Take them home and make soup. It will be just right for the children to nourish their bodies. How wonderful!"

Seeing this, the stall owner smiled even more, and watched the female shopkeeper leave with joy, and did not forget to warmly invite her: "Girl, come again next time, I will give you something good!"

With the joy of returning home with a full load, Chen Xi walked straight to the stall selling poultry, thinking about buying a few chickens and ducks to take back, which would not only enrich the dining table, but also give the children a pet to keep them company.

She walked to the stall and said to the busy stall owner, "Boss, pick out five lively and strong chickens and five ducklings for me."

Afterwards, she picked some fresh vegetables from a nearby fruit and vegetable stall, and prepared to take the ox cart back home after paying the bill.

She noticed that the pork belly in the basket was too conspicuous and fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble, she made a prompt decision to hide it in the space and take it out after returning home.

After all the shopping, the pork belly cost 40 wen, the poultry together cost 30 wen, plus some miscellaneous vegetables, she silently calculated the expenses for the day in her mind.

Finally arriving in front of the ox cart, Chen Xi saw the familiar faces on the cart at a glance. They were the gossipy women who had been talking in front of the clinic that morning.

It's so unlucky that I run into them again.

Forget it, don’t bother with them, the important thing is to go home early.

Although he was unhappy, Chen Xi remained calm and got on the ox cart.

Inside the carriage, several people focused their eyes on her, with envy and even a hint of hatred in their eyes. They couldn't wait to rush forward and divide up all the items in her hands.

Zhang Guifen, the woman who usually sows discord, spoke in a veiled tone: "Hey, Chen Xi, you are so well-dressed, could it be that you have done something shameful to make so much money that you can afford so many good things?"

Fortunately, Chen Xi cleverly hid the piece of pork belly. Otherwise, with the mean faces of Zhang Guifen and others, who knows what embarrassing words they would say.

The ox cart slowly drove into the village, and Chen Xi ignored the strange looks from those around him, some obvious and some hidden.

The neighbors who rode the ox cart back to the village with Chen Xi all chose a special route after getting off the cart - deliberately taking a detour past the Chen family's door.

At this time, Zhou Xuemei was sitting at the door of her house, picking vegetables in her hands.

She keenly caught the attention of those furtive figures, who seemed to be lingering and looking around at the door of Chen's house.

Zhou Xuemei couldn't help but frowned and said in a cold voice: "Did you make an appointment? You deliberately walked from the beginning to the end of the village and even lingered in front of my house. You must be up to something bad."

One of them lowered his voice impatiently, "Xuemei, you don't know, that little girl Chen Xi went to the town today to buy a lot of chickens, ducks, fish and meat, everything, she was so generous. I remember that when the Chen family broke off relations with him, they didn't give him a penny, where do you think he got all this money from?"

Zhou Xuemei's face instantly became as dark as a cloud covering the sun, so gloomy that water could almost be squeezed out of it.

At the same time, the old lady of the Chen family heard the conversation outside in the house.

She walked out the door slowly, expressionless on her face, but her heart was in turmoil.

"No, I have to find out where the money in Chen Xi's hands comes from. Even if I can't find out, I have to make him give me something as a gift. If it weren't for me, she would have starved to death on the street, and she wouldn't be able to live the prosperous life she has now."

Old Mrs. Chen seemed to have forgotten the fact that she had severed ties with Chen Xi, and now she acted like a benefactor.

All this was seen by the surrounding villagers.