Chapter 33: Father-in-law and Son-in-law

Shao Diandian went to the outer courtyard to find Shen Chuan, handed him the medicine the patient needed, and carefully instructed him on the dosage and administration.

"I don't trust anyone else, so I have to rely on you. Also, this is a secret ancestral recipe, so please remember to keep it confidential for me."

"Don't worry, I will." Shen Chuan put away the peculiar-looking medicine.

"As a reward, these cakes are for you." Shao Diandian took fifty wife cakes, wrapped in bamboo leaves, out of her basket.

"This... this many?" Shen Chuan was stunned. "I can't finish these!"

Shao Diandian smiled. "If you can't finish them, you can give them to your classmates to try. Building good relationships with your peers is very necessary, after all."

In truth, she had intended for the academy students to taste them anyway, but since this was such a perfect opportunity to win favor, why not go with the flow? In her past life, she had always looked down on her mother’s overly slick, merchant-like ways. However, after transforming from a wealthy young lady into a starving village girl, she realized that being a person who refuses to fawn over others... requires capital.

Shao Diandian said, "The academy is too far; I might not come to set up a stall here in the future."

"Ah..." Shen Chuan looked disappointed.

Shao Diandian smiled. "However, if anyone wants to eat them, they can place an order in advance. As long as the order is for ten or more, I will deliver them for free."

"Also, since we are friends now, for your sake, I will charge only nine wen each for any orders from the academy."

Wow, not having to leave the academy to get snacks, plus saving a copper coin—it was such a good deal!

Shen Chuan agreed immediately. "I'll go tell them right now!"

"Don't forget the wife cakes!" Shao Diandian reminded him.

"Oh, right, right!" Shen Chuan chuckled, ran back to grab the pile of cakes, and scurried off with lightning speed.

Shao Diandian walked to the front gate of the academy. The attendant who had previously blocked her path stared in disbelief as he saw her emerge from inside.

"Sister!" Shao Erdan trotted over. "Did you see Shen Chuan?"

Shao Diandian nodded. "I saw him, and I gave him the cakes."

"Then we can go back now," Shao Erdan said.

Shao Diandian shook her head. "Not yet, we need to go somewhere first."

The three-day deadline she had agreed upon with the physician had arrived, and she needed to go to his home to collect the ordered silver needles and medicinal herbs.

"Do you know Chunliu Lane?" she asked Shao Erdan.

"I do. It's not far from the market. From here to Chunliu Lane is probably... three or four miles?" Shao Erdan was not sensitive to numbers; "seven or eight miles" was just a random guess he made. In reality, they walked more than six miles.

Shao Diandian trudged along with her plump little body, drenched in sweat. She had certainly had enough exercise for one day.

Chunliu Lane was an old alleyway. The bluestone pavement was cracked in many places, with green moss growing in the fissures. The two walked cautiously until they finally reached a doorway with a wooden sign bearing the surname "Fu."

"Knock on the door," Shao Diandian said.

"Got it!" Shao Erdan was happy to be at his plump sister's beck and call; he raised his hand and rapped on the door. "Is anyone there?" he shouted.

After a long while, the door was slowly pulled open from the inside. "Who is it?" an elderly voice asked impatiently.

"Oh?" Shao Diandian blinked, looking at her in surprise. The woman saw Shao Diandian too, and her brow twitched. "There’s no dried mustard greens today!"

Indeed, the old woman who opened the door was the same one who sold dried goods at the market. Shao Diandian couldn't help but sigh; the town was truly small—meeting two "acquaintances" in a single day.

"Wait, how do you know where I live?" the old woman asked, frowning.

Shao Diandian looked up at the house number on the wall; it was indeed the Fu residence. "Excuse me, is Physician Fu in?" she asked.

The old woman huffed irritably, "Why are you looking for my son?"

"Mother! Is someone here for a consultation?" Physician Fu hurried over, holding a mortar; he had been grinding medicine in the backyard.

"Physician Fu," Shao Diandian greeted him.

"Ah, Miss Shao." Physician Fu's eyes flickered. He said to his mother, "Mother, it’s drafty outside; you go inside and rest. I’ll handle this."

The old woman pointed at Shao Diandian and told her son, "If she’s looking for you to treat an illness, you must charge her double the fee!"

Physician Fu: "..."

Shao Diandian: "..."

After the old woman went inside, Physician Fu led Shao Diandian to the side. "My mother doesn't know I spent money to buy your golden sore ointment, so please don't let it slip. I've prepared the silver needles and the herbs. Wait a moment, and I'll bring them to you."

While waiting for the medicine, Shao Diandian browsed the Fu family's medicine cabinet. The herbs inside might not have been extremely rare, but there wasn't a single substandard piece, which showed that Physician Fu was very strict about the quality of his medicinal materials. He would never pass off inferior goods as quality ones.

...The dried mustard greens the old woman sold her were also of excellent quality.

"Miss Shao, sorry to keep you waiting." Physician Fu handed a bundle to Shao Diandian. "Please check it."

Shao Diandian tallied the herbs; not a single one was missing. She paused, then suddenly said, "I have a few prescriptions for treating difficult and miscellaneous diseases. Would you like to learn them?"

Physician Fu's eyes brightened. Thinking of something, he said with a serious expression, "Do I still have to buy golden sore ointment?"

Shao Diandian smiled. "No need, I'll give them to you directly."

Physician Fu: *Why do I get the feeling you’re up to no good?*

Soon, Physician Fu understood that there were no free prescriptions in the world; there was a price to pay.

In Apricot Blossom Village, in Old Li's vegetable patch, Qian Shi was teaching someone how to farm. The person she was teaching was none other than the village bully, Shao Kang.

Qian Shi told herself she definitely wasn't doing it because she had accepted a favor. She had sworn to herself that she would never teach "Fatty Shao" how to farm. But since it was Shao Kang who came, and not "Fatty Shao," it was acceptable to teach him. *Cough*, she was absolutely not doing this because she had taken something from them.

"This is a green onion, this is a scallion, this is a chive, and this is what you usually eat—garlic sprouts. The leaves of garlic sprouts are flat, while green onions are round."

Shao Kang stared at the sea of green, looking completely bewildered. *What’s the difference? Aren’t they all green?*

"Pick some scallions for me," Qian Shi said.

Shao Kang decisively pulled up a handful of chives.

Qian Shi: "..."

The villagers watching the spectacle on the ridge were laughing until they could barely breathe. Shao Kang was the local bully who usually threw his weight around; when had he ever made such a fool of himself?

Shao Kang was miserably depressed, but he couldn't lash out—his big, plump daughter had told him to learn, so he had to learn well. Of course, he didn't come to make a fool of himself alone; he had dragged someone else down with him.

"Son-in-law, you come too!" he said to Wei Ting, who was sitting on the ridge.

Wei Ting pointed to his injured leg with a crutch. "Father, my leg is inconvenienced."

For once, Shao Kang did not save face for his son-in-law. "Actually, you just don't know how, right?"

Wei Ting: "..."

The cost of calling him "Father" was proving to be quite high.

The crowd of onlookers grew larger. Some were there to watch the father-in-law and son-in-law make fools of themselves, while others were there simply to admire Wei Ting's looks. A young gentleman this handsome couldn't be found anywhere within ten miles.

In the Shao family's vegetable patch, someone also noticed Wei Ting.

"Mother, who is that man?" Shao Jinniang asked.

Fang Shi glanced over and told her daughter, "That's the live-in son-in-law of the little Shao family!"

Shao Jinniang lowered her eyes and whispered, "He looks... really handsome."