Kang He went back, spent another two coins to find someone to ask around, inquiring about the matter with Zhu Ping Pharmacy.
The idle gossips didn’t know all the twists and turns, but they did know there was such a lawsuit at the County Office.
Zhu Ping Pharmacy truly hadn’t been found guilty; this was not something that could be faked.
In fact, anyone who thought about it a little would know it wasn’t the fault of Zhu Ping Pharmacy.
With the influence that Jiang Yao held in the County, if Zhu Doctor had truly made a mistake, would he have let his own family suffer a loss?
The County Magistrate judged fairly.
The Sun Family lost a daughter and, unwilling to accept it, looked for someone to take out their anger on.
Stirring up trouble like this was nothing more than trying to force Zhu Ping Pharmacy to close down.
With these thoughts in mind, Kang He returned to the village and went to the Xu Family.
“You’ve got some free time to come by? Weren’t you saying you’d be heading up the mountain once summer began?”
Xu Yang had just come back from the fields, and their family servant brought Kang He a cup of tea.
The Xu Family’s residence was one of the most spacious in the village. It wasn’t extravagant, but there were more than ten rooms, with a blue-tiled house behind the main hall.
There were separate rooms for entertaining guests and for dining; the layout was quite particular.
Since the days of Xu Ye, the family had been able to support someone to become a Xiu Cai. It showed their days were never bad even back then.
For several generations, the Xu Family had steadily accumulated wealth and standing, and now, with a house in town, a private shuxue, and wider connections, their prosperity only grew.
“I went to town to buy some things, preparing to go up the mountain soon.”
Kang He said, “Before heading up, I came to see you once.”
Xu Yang replied, “That’s just right. Stay for lunch today, and in a bit I’ll call Da Jing over too. I’ll have Jiao Granny make some braised pork and scallion tofu—those are her specialties.”
Kang He wanted to speak with him anyway, and since lunchtime wasn’t far off, he agreed.
Once the meal was set, he finally got to the main topic with Xu Yang: “Do you know there’s a pharmacy in town called Qingfang Zhu Ping Pharmacy?”
“Can’t say I’ve heard of it. What about it?”
Seeing this, Kang He told Xu Yang everything he’d seen and heard in town today.
“Truly pitiful. There are all kinds of people in the city—bullies and oppressors among them. This Zhu Doctor is an outsider, with no roots in the County, which makes it all the easier for people to push him around.”
After hearing this, Xu Yang was also quite sympathetic. He said, “Perhaps he offended the wrong people and got squeezed out. From what you say, he’s compassionate, but not all doctors are good; many just profit off their patients.”
Kang He agreed. He saw that Xu Yang was just discussing the surface of the matter, so he spoke more directly.
“These days, you’ve told me your worries—saying you don’t know where to begin in competing for Xiangzhang.
The Xu Family has prestige in the village; the folks respect you, and treat you well because you’re a Xu. If you lost that identity, if you were a Zhang or a Li, the villagers might not care about you. But you’ve already settled with your family to stand on your own, so when you compete for Xiangzhang, you can’t rely on family connections.”
Kang He continued, “If you really want to cut ties completely and run for Xiangzhang all by yourself, that’s nearly impossible. Your surname is Xu; villagers will always look at Xu Xiu Cai and Xu Tong Sheng’s faces.
Having family influence isn’t a weakness; if you use it well, it’ll be even better. When you run for Xiangzhang, people won’t just say you’re a Xu; they’ll look at what you do.”
Xu Yang nodded. He thought that’s exactly what his grandfather and father meant. If they really wanted him to rely on nothing from the family, then he shouldn’t even live in this big house.
He bore the Xu name, enjoyed the family’s benefits, but couldn’t just take advantage—he had to do things that benefited the family.
“The other day, when Zeng Sister-in-law suddenly fell ill, you took her to the city for treatment. Her whole family thanked you, and people praised your kindness outside. I imagine you were also gathering goodwill for the Xiangzhang race.
You did well, but it was a small matter, and it only helped one family. If someone else in the village had a cart, they’d have taken her too.”
Xu Yang admitted that Kang He was right. He understood these principles, and that’s what frustrated him. These little things he did—anyone could do. When it came time to compete for Xiangzhang, aside from his surname, anyone could run.
Seeing that Xu Yang was listening seriously, Kang He gladly explained further: “I think this matter with Zhu Doctor might just be an opportunity for us.”
Xu Yang suddenly understood. He said, “You mean you want me to invite this Zhu Doctor to the village?”
Kang He saw he’d caught on and smiled. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
Xu Yang pondered for a while, then suddenly clapped his hands. “There’s no doctor in the village. If someone falls ill, they have to go to town. For minor sickness it’s fine, but if it’s urgent—like with Zeng Sister-in-law—they might not make it in time.
If our village had a doctor, there’d be no more worries about medical care. Then it wouldn’t just benefit one family, but the whole village!”
He thought of Yuan Ge’er’s father, who suffered from illness, and Yuan Ge’er himself. If there’d been a doctor in the village back then, maybe things would have been different, and he wouldn’t have spent every day in fear.
Naturally,
“You’re right. If this can be done, it’s something only you, Xu Yang, could accomplish—not just anyone. When villagers go to see the doctor, they’ll all remember your kindness.”
Xu Yang was overjoyed, unable to hide his excitement. He grabbed Kang He’s hand and said, “My good brother, I really have to thank you for thinking this through with me. Aside from my family, who else would talk to me about these things?”
He had not chosen the wrong person as a friend.
Kang He, on the other hand, was calmer. He said to Xu Yang, “Don’t get too happy yet. Don’t toast with wine before it’s done; the important thing is to get it done first.”
“Alright, I won’t let you be happy for nothing.”
At noon, after eating lunch there, Kang He went off with Fan Jing, and Xu Yang got ready to go to town.
Kang He didn’t follow along to take care of the matter. First, he was just a poor live-in son-in-law, and didn’t get along with the village head; there was really no reason for him to go invite someone to the village.
Second, he wanted to see whether Xu Yang was truly capable. If he couldn’t even handle this, then there was no point in running for Xiangzhang—if he ever got that position, it might not be a good thing anyway.
For two or three days, Xu Yang didn’t return to the village. Kang He wasn’t in a hurry for results; he focused on his own affairs and went up the mountain with Fan Jing.
If things worked out, by the time they came down, there’d be a doctor in the village. If not, things would go on as usual.
When they came down from the mountain again, half a month had passed. Kang He and Fan Jing went to town to sell mountain goods, then returned home.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yang had really pulled it off.
After learning about Zhu Doctor’s situation from Kang He, Xu Yang didn’t rush to invite him right away.
First, he went to town and inquired about Zhu Ping Pharmacy, being careful. If Zhu Doctor had truly killed someone, of course he wouldn’t invite him to the village.
With the Xu Family’s connections in town, the information he got was naturally more accurate and thorough than Kang He’s.
Once he was sure Zhu Doctor wasn’t at fault, he used his grandfather’s name to send an invitation, and invited him over for tea.
He took the opportunity to get to know Zhu Doctor, and found him to be a decent person. His grandfather and father had no objections, so he prepared a gift and visited Zhu Doctor again to explain his intentions.
Zhu Doctor had already found it hard to settle in town. If he went to another place to make a living, at his age, he really couldn’t stand the ordeal.
If he could stay nearby, that would be best. He didn’t care if it was the countryside or the city—so long as he could continue practicing medicine, he was content.
Moreover, being treated well by Xu Yang, with the Xu Family being a gentry household, gave him a reliable backer.
There was no reason for Zhu Doctor to refuse.
Both sides agreed, so the doctor could be brought to the village. However, since the Xu Family and Chen Yushun still had dealings, they had to speak to him as well.
But in case he refused, Xu Yang had already spread the word that he was inviting a doctor to the village, making the villagers all delighted. Only then did he go to talk to Chen Yushun.
Everyone in the village was eagerly waiting. If Chen Yushun didn’t agree, it would look like he didn’t want the villagers to benefit, and he’d offend everyone. Plus, since Xu Yang had already said he’d invite a doctor, he wasn’t worried about anyone else taking the credit.
In the end, Chen Yushun agreed. Though he’d been maneuvered by Xu Yang and hadn’t gained any benefit, he didn’t dwell on it.
He’d half watched Xu Yang grow up and thought the boy was impulsive, short-sighted, and only cared about his own happiness.
He’d refused the good marriage his family arranged, made Xu Ye angry for days over Yuan Ge’er’s father, and with such a temperament, what ambition could he have? He was just living out his fate in a good family.
Once everything was settled, Xu Yang brought Zhu Doctor and his apprentice to the village. They had no place to stay, so he cleaned out three rooms in his house for them to live in and see patients.
Zhu Doctor felt uneasy about this and wanted to pay rent, but Xu Yang refused, telling them to stay with peace of mind. With few people in the family, empty rooms were just going to waste. Once they’d saved enough, he’d help them build a new house.
Zhu Doctor knew how to show gratitude. After staying two days, he gave free consultations to the villagers for three days.
Every day, people came and went from the Xu house, all thanking Zhu Doctor for his kindness and praising Xu Yang’s virtue, saying the Xu Family was generous.
When Kang He and Fan Jing returned from the mountain, Xu Yang happily came looking for them: “My grandfather and father both praised me for getting this done. All these years, this is the first time they’ve truly acknowledged something I’ve accomplished.”
Upon hearing this, Kang He also felt that Xu Yang had handled things carefully and thoroughly. He said, “You used your family’s influence to bring honor to the Xu Family and set up a reputation for yourself. How could your family not be satisfied? A family’s prosperity depends on talents like you.”
Xu Yang said, “Isn’t that thanks to you, for giving me good advice?”
Kang He didn’t take the credit. He said, “I only talked; you did the actual work. The fact that it worked out means you’re capable.”
Xu Yang laughed. “I often feel like you have two mouths. Did Fan Jing’s mouth grow on you too?”
“If his mouth grew on me, you wouldn’t hear him talk at all.”
The two of them laughed for a while.
Xu Yang then remembered something and said to Kang He, in a mysterious tone, “Do you know why Sun Wealthy Master stirred up trouble?”
“His daughter died. Wasn’t he just looking to vent?”
Xu Yang snorted softly. “That’s not the whole story. He was deliberately trying to drive Zhu Doctor away.”
“How so?”
The Sun Young Lady had been raised in luxury since childhood. Once, when she went out, she caught the eye of a poor scholar.
This scholar was good-looking but unmotivated, always scheming to climb up the social ladder. When he learned about the Sun Young Lady, he set out to seduce her.
After several engineered encounters, the Sun Young Lady, innocent and frail, rarely met people. She was moved by a few sappy poems and fell for the scholar.
With deep affection, the Sun Young Lady was coaxed into crossing the line and became pregnant. The matter couldn’t be hidden any longer, and the scholar used it to threaten the Sun Family.
How could the Sun Family endure such humiliation? They took care of the scholar.
The Sun Young Lady, having lost her beloved, was heartbroken and felt she’d disgraced her family. She couldn’t bear it and took her own life with a fatal medicine.
“The Sun Family knew very well this had nothing to do with Zhu Doctor. They just wanted someone to blame. And since Zhu Doctor was the one taking care of the Sun Young Lady’s health, he naturally knew about her pregnancy. The Sun Family was afraid the news would spread, so they wanted to drive him out of town.”
After hearing the whole story, Kang He frowned. He said, “If that’s the case, weren’t they afraid the truth would come out in court?”
Xu Yang shook his head with a smile. “You don’t know the twists and turns in the government. The Sun Family has a lot of property and has certainly given many gifts to the County Office. The County Magistrate was fair and didn’t let Zhu Doctor take the blame, but he also saved face for the Sun Family.”
Kang He sighed a little. He’d long known the world was like this.
Afterwards, he couldn’t help but worry, “Now that you’ve brought Zhu Doctor here, won’t you earn the Sun Family’s hatred? Don’t let your family get dragged into trouble.”
Xu Yang shook his head. “The Sun Family may be rich, but they’re not noble. In the end, they’re just merchants. Our Xu Family isn’t afraid of them.
But my grandfather is thorough; he mediated between them. Sun Wealthy Master and Zhu Doctor had a talk, and that was the end of it. It’s only because you’re my friend that I’m telling you the whole story.”
Kang He let out a breath. He had no connection to the Sun Family and wouldn’t talk about their affairs, so he wouldn’t spread it around.
He sighed, “Zhu Doctor doesn’t seem the type to gossip, either. If they’d just spoken openly at the start, none of this would have happened.”
Xu Yang said, “Exactly. But I suppose it’s because Zhu Doctor isn’t skilled at navigating city affairs that the Sun Family was willing to let it go.”
Kang He agreed, then added, “But there really was a lawsuit before. You should take this opportunity to clear Zhu Doctor’s name. Otherwise, if villagers only hear half the story, they’ll panic. By then, the good thing you did in bringing Zhu Doctor here could be turned into a bad thing.”
Xu Yang replied, “You’re right. I was so happy about bringing him here that I forgot to explain to everyone. I’ll remember—find a day to make it clear, so there’s no trouble later on.”
Kang He nodded.
After this, Kang He and Xu Yang both saw each other’s abilities more clearly, and having accomplished a major thing together, their relationship grew even closer.