A Western Doctor’s Happy Farming Life[1] 114

It was Little Shitou’s hundredth day banquet, after all, they shouldn’t just make it an uninteresting one. So with that consideration, Wu Dahu wrote everyone’s name which popped up right in his mind down on the invitation paper. Well, he believed that these people would definitely show respect to him.

After preparing the invitation card, the two of them started to prepare some other stuff which would be prepared to be as return presents like happiness noodles and happiness snacks. And all these stuffs should be prepared by their own, and it would be a rather tough work since they had to prepare for so many guests.

They were as busy as bees, and finally got a warm bath and then got into bed till midnight.

The next morning, when Song Qinghan woke up, he found that Yuan Wenxuan had already been energetic and busy in the kitchen, he raised his head trying to check the height of the sun, and then he turned to Yuan Wenxuan again, frowning and saying, “Wenxuan, shouldn’t you be in Huichun Shop now?”

Yuan Wenxuan hesitated for a moment, but he still said truthfully, “Master, I know you and Uncle Wu still need labor for the banquet, I just decided to stay at home for a period helping you out…”

Song Qinghan was stunned, he turned around staring at the yard which was messy and then sighed with resignation.

Everything would have just gone as usual if they never got a servant at home days ago. As they had been served by a competent servant, it was quite a struggle for him to get used to the life of self-sufficiency again.

He pondered for a moment, got straight, and said to Yuan Wenxuan who got his own eye open wide as if waiting for an order, “I will go out and purchase a servant today, I don’t need you here to help us, just go back to Huichun Shop to lend a hand and learn something, alright? We can handle everything at home, don’t worry about us.”

Yuan Wenxuan nodded obediently, he made a bow to Song Qinghan and then walked outwards.

“Hey, why are you here?” Yuan Wenxuan’s voice sounded as soon as he reached the gate.

Hearing that, Song Qinghan rushed over quickly to the gate. Just as he saw someone was kneeing right in front of him, he asked out of his surprise, “Hualian? Why are you here?”

Seeing that he couldn’t help much, Yuan Wenxuan turned and left without hesitation, but he had a feeling in his mind: Probably Master won’t be bothered to purchase any servant now.

It could be seen that Hualian still looked so lowly kneeing and lowering his head there just like a dust floating in the air aimlessly. His lips were pursed into lines and then he said slowly, “Young Mas… Childe Song, no words could express how I am grateful now. You didn’t punish me as I almost killed you by drugging you, and on the contrary, you saved my family! I don’t know how I can repay you, but if you don’t frown upon me, I am all willingness to devote myself toiling like beasts of burden for you!”

As soon as he finished the last bit of his words, he kowtowed heavily on the ground and kept his head stationary on the ground, he was so decisive that if Song Qinghan wouldn’t accept him, he would never raise his head again.

Song Qinghan couldn’t bear to see Hualian being like this, but he still couldn’t make a promise since he got bunch of worries in his mind, so he just responded, “Get up first! How come you frown upon yourself since we chose to forgive you? Go back and get a life with your family, but learn from this lesson in recent days, DON’T TRUST ANY STRANGER AND GET TRAPPED AGAIN!”

But beyond Song Qinghan’s expectation, Hualian answered in a jubilant tune as if he had opened his mind, “My parents had already sold out our house, and they had left this place. Childe Song, you don’t have to worry that I will be threatened again and do something evil to you.”

Song Qinghan looked at him in shock and couldn’t help asking, “What? Why? Where are they going? And why didn’t you follow?”

Hualian raised his head slightly, and then answered calmly, “It was my idea to let them leave, and also, they are afraid that some aftermaths might happen either. So they weren’t hesitant to sell the house in one night and got on a freight carriage and left. As for where they went, I have no idea. Well, the mountain is high and the river is long，so we think that we will meet again.”

Song Qinghan would never figure out that Hualian was now driven into a corner if he did not pay attention to what Hualian said, he couldn’t help but look back to take a glance at Wu Dahu, whispering, “What now?”

Wu Dahu could sensed the dither in Song Qinghan’s mind, he pondered for a moment, and then suggested, “Maybe he can help you manage the shop? So we can focus on the event of Little Shitou’s hundredth day banquet. But as for the accommodation…”

“I can live in the shop!”

Hualian broke in, as if he was afraid to bother their normal life.

He could definitely understand the concerns of Wu Dahu and Song Qinghan. He of course knew the fact that “Being bitten by a snake causes a fright of a well rope for three years”, so it was already a good news for him that Song Qinghan accepted him.

Wu Dahu sized up Hualian from head to toe and then turned to Song Qinghan, saying slowly, “Alright then, we will prepare the rest matters days later.”

Song Qinghan frowned. Though he thought it was not a wise idea to throw Hualian alone in the shop, he failed to think of another idea which were good for both sides. So he could just sighed and nodded, saying, “Fine, remember, come back here for meal when it’s time for lunch or dinner. I will pay you monthly for the salary, but it can’t be that much, how about one silver coin?”

Hualian raised his head vigorously as his face was full of excitement, and then he said happily, “Thank you so much, Young Master, Young Mistress. I don’t need any coin as long as I can get something to eat!”

Song Qinghan approached to pull Hualian up and then pointed at the direction of kitchen, saying, “Go and boiled some water for you to have a warm bath, get my cloth temporarily. You can get yourself a new one in the fabric shop as long as you get the salary. By the way, the food is still warm in the pot, go and get them.”

Hualian subconsciously intended to refuse, but then he recalled the fact that Song Qinghan didn’t like someone who wasn’t obedient, so he responded respectfully, “Yes, Young Mistress.”

Song Qinghan stared at the back of Hualian who was staggering on his feet towards the kitchen with an extremely skinny body shape, he whispered in a commiserative tone, “He is a real poor boy. Should we purchase a servant back home?”

Seeing that Wu Dahu didn’t say anything, he followed Wu Dahu’s gaze and looked out. When he saw the figure at the door, he withdrew the expression on his face immediately.

“Oh well, don’t you think you’re shameless to come here again?”

Wu Dahu frowned and clenched his fists tightly.

Zhai Su stood there quietly, and then reached out to take off the scarf on his head, exposing his face with full of scratching marks of redness.

“You’re right. It’s precisely because I’m too shameless that I came.”

Song Qinghan clearly saw that there were no traces of red pimples or red groups on Zhai Su’s face, which meant that the scratches on his face were scratched influenced by his psychological effect, and it had nothing to do with illness.

He didn’t want Zhai Su to be so annoying bothering them, so he said in a flat tone, “The drug stuff is a trick, you didn’t get poisoned by that, that’s why doctors can’t make any diagnosis.”

Zhai Su sneered, and then reached out to touch his face, and then answered slowly, “Do you think that I am here for the antidote? Or I come here to trouble you again?”

“You’re wrong. I’m here to bid farewell to you.”

After saying that, he took a deep look at Wu Dahu. Seeing that Wu Dahu didn’t say anything, he shook his head self- mockingly, put down the scarf and turned to walk away.

Through the gap between the courtyard doors, Wu Dahu saw Zhai Su walk into a wide carriage with the help of a man, and then he squinted, saying ironically, “That’s the jerk Zhai Su had eye on!”

As the carriage left further and further away, finally Song Qinghan heaved a sigh of relief, and then he murmured to himself, “Where will he go, I wonder if he will come back or not…”

Wu Dahu approached and held Song Qinghan’s hand and said softly, “Don’t think of him now, he won’t dare to do anything evil again since he had been punished like that.”

Song Qinghan nodded and asked Wu Dahu to dispense the invitation cards. He went back to make happiness noodles.

Hualian came out from the bathroom and exchanged his cloth,he came up to Song Qinghan and asked, “Young Mistress? May I help? I have handled… I have handled all these stuffs before in my family.”

Suddenly, Song Qinghan recalled the fact that Hualian had told him before that he was the oldest son in his family. But even he was the oldest one, how was it possible for him to prepare the hundredth day banquet for his younger brothers? Alas, probably it was a truth to say that “The poor children manage household affairs early”.

And then he moved a bit on the long wooden bench, and spoke to Hualian, “Come one, we have a lot of things that requires us to figure out. And we might need your guidance.”

Hualian nodded obediently, approached and sat at the edge of the bench. In a nimble movement, he quickly wrapped the stuffs in the kraft paper.

With the help of Hualian, the process was faster than the previous one. By the time Wu Dahu came back, they had already prepared almost half of the happiness stuffs.

After lunch, Song Qinghan led Hualian to the shop and then modified the business time on the wooden board and introduced every goods inside the shop one by one to Hualian. And after that, just as he was about to set a live operation for Hualian to practice, all manners of customers had already come over and and peered in as keen as mustard, waiting for the “Real Service” from Hualian.

Song Qinghan just stood aside watching like a tutor. Although it still could be seen from Hualian’s expression that he was rather flurried, luckily, he still got a silver tongue and did not make some obvious error.

After all the customers left, Song Qinghan informed Hualian the other notes which might required his attention and then he went back alone. Since the shop wasn’t that far away, he shouldn’t worry so much about everything.

In the blink of an eye, four days passed and it was finally the day of Little Shitou’s hundredth day banquet.

To Wu Dahu’s surprise, not only did the people he invited come, some of the people he didn’t invite also “come uninvited”.

Old Zhu stood at the gate while staring at Wu Dahu and Song Qinghan with guilt, but in the end he still took out the present hidden at his back and put it on the table, saying guiltily, “I know I am kind of a bad old man incurring so many bad things to both of you, I don’t beg for your forgiveness, but I do hope that you will receive the present I bring. Well, it’s not only my thought to deliver this to you, but also Zhu Ying, my grandson, remember? He is able to walk by himself now, you know what? He got in a fight with that kiddo from Gao Mansion! Though he lost the game, he was still honored by that. We should thank you from the deepest side of our heart, Doctor Song!”

Song Qinghan smiled faintly, he did not reject the present at all, and returned one of the happiness stuff to him, and then answered slowly, “Thank you so much, Lord Zhu. You can reduce his intake of the lemon tea gradually. More isn’t always better.”

Actually, Old Zhu didn’t come here just for delivering the present and bringing his blessing, he did intend to come for his grandson. Seeing that Song Qinghan taking the initiative, he got much moved and then nodded vigorously, answering, “Alright, Doctor Song, you’re the real man of kindness. I respect that!”

Although Old Man Gao already knew that he didn’t need to compete with Old Zhu for Song Qinghan’s house now, he still rushed over hurriedly panting as if he had still nursed a grudge over the matter Old Zhu came before him. However, he did not show much hospitality towards Song Qinghan and Wu Dahu but just placed the present he brought on the table and left with Old Zhu while these two old man commenced arguing with each other like two naughty children again.

Song Qinghan looked at their backs and smiled. “Look at them! They seem to be the most discordant existence together, but I think they will be so unaccustomed if they get apart!”

Wu Dahu nodded in agreement. In fact, he didn’t think that the two of these old men really had a grudge from the beginning. If there was really a grudge between them, how would they have spent a lot of time on each other? He wanted to use one word to describe their relationship, but the deficient vocabulary failed him to say something appropriately. It was not until Song Qinghan mentioned something about “Love-hate Relationship” did he figure it out, and then he mumbled to himself, “INDEED, it is a real LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP!”