The Formidable Lady of the Poor Scholar’s Household

Chapter 2: Additional Debt

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Shi Jinhua pulled the cart, looking back at the woman in the cart from time to time to see if he had lost her. After all, he had spent five copper coins to buy her. He could not afford to lose her!

When night fell, they finally arrived at the entrance of Shandong Village. Although it was already May, the temperature was still a little cold. There were no pedestrians in the village. The only thing the scholar could be thankful for was that there was no wind today.

He finally came to a stop when he reached the west end of the village. He fished out his key and opened the door. The house was made of mud walls, which were bare. It looked especially small among the vast landscape.

Actually, there was no need to open the door. After all, any full-grown adult could simply climb over the courtyard wall However, he remembered that rituals were very important, especially since this was the first day he was bringing his wife home. He had to go through the main door!

The scholar may have been poor, but he was particular about his manners! Being poor was one thing, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any etiquette. It took him great effort to move his newly-wed wife onto the bed, so much so that he didn’t even have the time to check if she was dead or alive.

Then, he started to heat up the bed. His heart ached when he thought about it. It was already May. He could just sleep through the cold nights, covering himself with a blanket if necessary. Yet, here he was spending needlessly on this woman who could die at any moment!

Only when the bed was heated did he start a fire and boil water. He stole a glance at the woman lying on the bed, not moving in the slightest. He sighed. Forget it, I’ll find Doctor Wang to have a look at her. Sigh… I’m spending money on her yet again!

Not long after, a kind-looking auntie entered the room. When she saw the woman lying on the bed, she quickly fetched water to help the woman wash up and chang her clothes.

“Miss, I hope you don’t mind. I used to wear this dress when I was younger. I don’t have any daughters since I gave birth to a bunch of boys, so this dress has been left untouched.”

She had not intended on saying anything about the dress. After all, the woman was most likely dead!

Despite that, the woman’s skin was as white as tofu! Although she was skin and bones, it could not conceal the woman’s elegance and beauty!

The more she cleaned the woman up, the more shocked the old auntie became. It was like opening a treasure chest. The young woman was a true beauty. Her face was small and exquisite, with no wasted space. Her eyelashes were softly lifted, though her eyes could not be seen. Her nose was cute, and her hair beautiful and lusciously black. There were many superficial wounds on her body, but the auntie couldn’t help but stare in awe of the young woman’s beauty.

Only when she was done washing the young lady up were Shi Jinhua and Doctor Wang let in.

Shi Jinhua looked at his wife, who had been washed clean. She was lying motionless, as white as the steamed buns in the pot. He thought that she was dead!

Shi Jinhua wondered to himself: Is this woman dead?

Even Doctor Wang couldn’t help but think: There’s probably no hope for her!

Even so, they had to confirm whether she was dead. Shi Jinhua quickly moved a stool over for Doctor Wang.

Doctor Wang opened the woman’s eyes and took her pulse. After a while, he let go. After thinking for a while, he frowned and took her pulse again. Then, he fell into deep thought, scaring Shi Jinhua and the kind auntie beside him!

The kind-looking auntie wondered too: Is she going to die?

Was Shi Jinhua going to become a widower on the day of his marriage?

Doctor Wang couldn’t tell for a moment what this woman’s background was.

“There’s nothing wrong with her body.” He wanted to continue, but…

“Then why hasn’t she woken up?” The auntie asked hurriedly.

The physician almost choked to death as he was interrupted.

“She was poisoned!” This poison was really quite strange.

“Poisoned? Who would poison a woman for no reason?” The auntie asked in surprise.

Doctor Wang thought to himself: I’d like to refrain from speaking if possible!

Shi Jinhua glanced anxiously at the doctor. “Is there a way to detoxify the poison?”

As he said so, he couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. What a loss! Five copper coins and I still have to spend even more money!

“Others might not be able cure it, but I can. But you two can’t tell anyone. Who knows what this poison is?” Doctor Wang replied while looking at the two of them.

“I swear I won’t say a word once I leave this house,” the aunt said quickly.

“Me too!” At least the woman would live!

“Come with me to get the medicine!” As soon as he finished his sentence, the doctor stood up and left.

Shi Jinhua quickly followed him. “Auntie Wan, please help me keep an eye on her. I’ll come back with the medicine.”

Auntie Wan sat on the bed and replied, “Alright, alright. Go and come back quickly. You can rest assured with me watching over her.”

As Shi Jinhua walked, he thought about how to tell Doctor Wang about his situation.

Only after Doctor Wang wrapped the medicine and handed it to him did Shi Jinhua broach the topic shyly, “Doctor Wang, I’ll give you the money next time. Don’t worry, I’ll copy more books and return you the money as soon as possible!”

“Alright, that will be total of two taels of silver!” Doctor Wang closed the door the moment he said his piece.

“Two taels of silver?” He had really made things difficult for himself today!

Looking at the medicine in his hand, his heart ached.

After Shi Jinhua brewed the medicine and fed it to the woman and Auntie Wan left, Shi Jinhua stroked his stomach. He were starving!

He nibbled on some corn and quickly washed up before going to bed.

The bed was large enough for six or seven adults, resulting in Shi Jinhua and his wife sleeping on opposite ends of the bed.

When Shi Jinhua woke up in the middle of the night, he glanced at the woman on the bed and stroked his forehead. “I’m not trying to do anything to you! I’m just trying to see if you’re running a fever. Sorry if you’re offended!”

Seeing that the woman was not running a fever, he heaved a sigh of relief! He quickly ran to the end of the bed and calmed his pounding heart.

He recited mantras countless times in his heart before he could finally fall asleep.

The next day, the sun shone into the room through the window, its rays falling on the woman’s face.

Shi Jinhua was awoken by the urge to pee. He opened his eyes and quickly looked at the other end of the bed before startling himself with a snore.

He had thought that the previous day had been nothing but a dream. Yet, there really was another person in his house! And it was a woman—his legal wife! It felt surreal!

Seeing that the woman on the bed looked better than yesterday, he heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. Two taels of silver! How many books did he have to copy? Just thinking about it made his hands ache.

“Sigh…”

Forget it, he would cross that bridge when he got there. Shi Jinhua then entered the kitchen and resigned himself to his fate. He brewed medicine for the woman and cooked a pot of porridge for himself.

In the past, he only had to worry about feeding himself. Now that there was one more person in the family, his pockets were a little tight!

After informing Auntie Wan, he set off for the town early to see if there were any books that needed to be copied. He had to support his family after all!

From time to time, Auntie Wan would come to take a look at the woman on the bed. Every time she came, she would think that the young lady was about to wake up or that she had already woken up! Unfortunately, she was always disappointed.

Auntie Wan’s heart ached for the young scholar. She sat on the kang bed with a basket and looked at the unconscious woman. “Miss, wake up quickly. Hua doesn’t have time to take care of you alone. Now, he owes Doctor Wang two taels of silver. He won’t be at ease leaving you alone at home. I don’t have time to watch over you every day.” After thinking for a while, she said, “Hua is also a pitiful one. You’re almost the same. In the future, live well with Hua.” These days, people lived by the day. They were literally counting their days till death.

The unconscious woman frowned slightly, and moved her fingers before calming down.

Auntie Wan had her head lowered, focused on sewing her clothes. She had not noticed the change in the woman on the bed.