RPAGF Chapter 174 Each with their own difficulties
Chapter 174 Each with their own difficulties
Chen Shuyi snorted coldly in front of Xiangzi, then opened the medicine bottle and smelled it.
Xiangzi immediately panicked, "Uncle Chen, what are you doing? Give me back this medicine bottle! Hey, don't open it! Otherwise, the medicine will be useless, and you'll have wasted your money. Don't smell it, Uncle Chen!"
Before Xiangzi could finish speaking, Chen Shuyi interrupted him, "Hmph, stop pretending! I've been a doctor for decades, how could I not recognize this medicine? This isn't medicine for a cold, it's clearly a laxative! What are you doing bringing this bottle to my clinic? Don't tell me it was a mistake, I don't believe you. Your head is full of crooked thoughts. You're not thinking that if I don't agree to help you put on this act, you'll use this laxative to threaten me, are you? Let me think about how you're going to threaten me. You're not planning to accuse me of prescribing the wrong medicine, then you'll take it, run out of my clinic, and shout to the villagers that I, Chen Shuyi, prescribed the wrong medicine, causing Xiangzi to have diarrhea, and then let the villagers point fingers at me. That's not what you're planning, is it?"
Xiangzi felt a chill run down his spine, and he didn't even dare to look Chen Shuyi in the eye. He cried out, "Uncle Chen, how could you think of me like that? It's a misunderstanding, a real misunderstanding! I don't know why this medicine bottle contained the wrong medicine. It must have been the wrong doctor in the city who prescribed the wrong medicine. He put laxatives in my cold medicine instead of the one I was supposed to use. I'm going to go back and settle accounts with that quack doctor in the city. Did he put laxatives in it to give me diarrhea? And you, Uncle Chen, have misunderstood! Oh, Uncle Chen, how could I use this medicine bottle to harm you? Would I be that kind of person? I, Xiangzi, am upright and honest, and I take responsibility for my actions!"
Xiangzi said these words without batting an eye, and he secretly thought to himself, "I haven't even done it yet, so why should I be guilty?"
Chen Shuyi couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw this. He said, "Fine, whatever you say is right. Go find that quack doctor in the city and settle the score with him. See why he prescribed this kind of laxative that makes you have diarrhea. Didn't you say you had a cold? Well, I'll empty this bottle of laxative right now and replace it with cold medicine powder. Don't worry, just call me Uncle Chen, and I won't charge you this time."
As Chen Shuyi spoke, he did just that. When Xiangzi saw Chen Shuyi trying to throw away the medicine, he panicked and rushed forward to grab the bottle, but Chen Shuyi was faster, dumping the laxative powder into the trash can. Xiangzi couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh dear!" He said, "Uncle Chen, what are you doing? Why did you throw it away? I was planning to take this bottle to the city to settle accounts with that quack doctor, and now you've thrown it away! Without evidence, how am I supposed to settle accounts with that quack doctor? Oh! Uncle Chen, you're so foolish!"
Xiangzi sighed repeatedly in anger, feeling like crying but having no tears left. He felt sorry for his aunt, having messed things up so badly. He was so stupid to have messed up such a simple thing!
Chen Shuyi looked at Xiangzi with a half-smile, "How about I get some more laxative powder from my side for you to take back?"
Upon hearing this, Xiangzi's eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted, "Okay, Uncle Chen! Now help me pour the laxative powder back!"
As soon as Chen Shuyi pours in the laxative powder, Xiangzi can immediately take the bottle and go out to shout to the villagers that Chen Shuyi has put in the wrong medicine. Oh no, he should first snatch the bottle and then threaten Chen Shuyi to force him to act for him.
Xiangzi was delighted with his thoughts, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
Seeing this, Chen Shuyi guessed Xiangzi's little thoughts and shook his head. Then he turned around to prepare medicine for Xiangzi. He took out a medicine jar and filled it with powder.
Seeing Chen Shuyi busy at work, Xiangzi couldn't help but grumble, "Uncle Chen, are you really not going to consider helping me with this play? This is a good thing to help the villagers. You're from this village, can you really bear to see so many people spending so much money on treatment for chicken plague?"
Chen Shuyi smiled bitterly, “Xiangzi, you’ll understand how I feel right now when you get married and have children. But I hope you never will. This feeling of being short of money is really unbearable. If I had other choices, if I didn’t have to bear so much burden, I would definitely choose to help you without hesitation. But now, as a father, I need to shoulder my responsibilities. My daughter is going to university, which requires tuition fees of several thousand yuan. She has already been enrolled for a semester, but the tuition fees have not been paid. The school said that if the tuition fees are not paid in full within a month, my daughter will be expelled. For the past six months since my daughter was admitted to university, I have been looking for work all the time. I have tried carrying bricks on construction sites and the like. I just eat two simple steamed buns every day.”
"I dare not spend a single extra penny, for fear of not being able to raise enough money. I also considered borrowing from my fellow villagers, but it's several thousand yuan. There's been a famine recently, the harvest wasn't good, and everyone is struggling to make ends meet. I borrowed from here and there, and then desperately went up the mountain to collect herbs, hoping to find some old ginseng to sell. But I searched several mountains nearby and couldn't find any valuable herbs. As for the more distant mountains, I couldn't reach them with my physical condition. In the end, I only managed to raise three thousand yuan. I had already spent a lot of money on my mother's medical treatment and borrowed a lot from others. If I went to borrow more, no one would be willing to lend me any more. But three thousand yuan is far from enough." "I still need two thousand yuan. To scrape together two thousand yuan in one or two months is an insurmountable challenge for an ordinary person like me. I have no other way to earn money. Xiangzi, you have no idea how I've been these past few days. Several times I didn't dare face my daughter. When she asked me about tuition, I could only lower my head and humbly apologize, saying it was my fault for being useless and unable to afford the money. Every time I saw that disappointed look on my daughter's face, do you know how much it hurt me? I'm sorry to my daughter, I'm useless, I can't give her a good life. In the end, my daughter just smiled helplessly and comforted me, saying it's okay if we can't raise the tuition; she might as well not go to school."
“I told her, ‘What nonsense are you talking about? With Dad here, I’ll definitely make sure you can afford to go to school. I’ve tried so many ways to make money, but they’re all too slow. I’m so useless; I can’t even afford to give my daughter money.’” Chen Shuyi said with self-mockery.
Xiangzi felt conflicted as he listened, and suddenly he stopped blaming Uncle Chen, after all, Uncle Chen had also had a hard life.
"Uncle Chen, don't think like that. It's already amazing that you were able to scrape together three thousand yuan in six months," Xiangzi comforted him.
An ordinary rural person's monthly salary is about two or three hundred yuan, or even less, and only two or three thousand yuan a year. But Chen Shuyi was able to save up three thousand yuan in half a year, which shows how hard he worked during those six months.
Chen Shuyi shook his head with a wry smile. "But Xiangzi, three thousand yuan is far from enough. My daughter's university tuition is five thousand yuan a year, which is another considerable expense. Besides, everything costs money in a big city. My daughter's accommodation, food, and every aspect of her life all cost money, which is another significant expense. All in all, just for this university, it will cost about seven thousand yuan a year. My daughter also found a part-time job in the city, which can earn her a few hundred yuan more a month, but she only does it after class, so she can't earn much more. I know she's already trying her best to ease the burden on me as her father." "I'm so sorry, I've let her down. Other girls can easily go to university, but she has to work part-time day and night to support herself. I often blame myself, thinking I'm useless and can't give her a good life. But do you know what my daughter said? She said she doesn't blame me, that I gave her life, that I'm the best father in the world, and that I've given her enough. When I heard those words, I completely broke down. I'm not as good as she says, I'm completely useless, and when she needs me, I can't even give her a penny. I really hate myself, hate how useless I am."
Chen Shuyi wiped his reddened eyes, and upon closer inspection, there were a few tears in his eyes.
He closed the medicine jar and put it back, then continued, "When my mother was sick, I couldn't afford to pay for her treatment. I regretted it constantly. If I had chosen to work in the city, I could have earned more money and taken her to a better hospital with better medical equipment. Would she still be alive today? Do you know what the biggest regret in this world is? I'm a doctor, but I was helpless with my mother's illness. I could only watch helplessly as she closed her eyes and left me. I often hate myself for not trying harder, but the past can't be undone. What I need to do now is take good care of my daughter and make sure she gets a good education until she graduates."
"But the ridiculous thing is that I can't even afford the tuition. But it doesn't matter, this chicken plague has given me hope." As he said this, Chen Shuyi's eyes were full of determination.
“As long as this chicken plague spreads... many people get sick and come to me for treatment and medicine, I can quickly raise the remaining two thousand yuan. This is the only way I can make money quickly in a short time. Xiangzi, I will not give up this opportunity. Of course, I will not stop you from notifying the other villagers.”
Chen Shuyi's feelings were actually complicated. Of course, he also hoped that the villagers could be well, but he also hoped that he could raise the money to send his daughter to university. If he had to choose between the two, Chen Shuyi would choose to be a good father, even if he was a bad person in front of outsiders.
This was the first time Xiangzi had seen Chen Shuyi like this. He was filled with mixed emotions and began to doubt himself. Was he really doing the right thing? Should he still try to stop Chen Shuyi from helping him with his act? For the first time, he felt selfish. If Chen Shuyi really helped him, how would he raise the money for his daughter's tuition?
Chen Shuyi handed the bottle containing the medicine powder to Xiangzi, saying, "Xiangzi, take this."
Xiangzi took the medicine bottle, his mind filled with complex emotions. He wondered whether he should use the bottle containing the laxative to threaten Chen Shuyi right now.
Is this really good?
But Uncle Chen also had a tough time...
Seeing Xiangzi's troubled expression with a frown, Chen Shuyi chuckled and said, "What's wrong with you? You look so worried."
Looking at the smile on Chen Shuyi's face, Xiangzi asked in confusion, "Uncle Chen, you're just giving me back this bottle of laxatives like that? Aren't you afraid I'll use it to threaten you? Threaten you to help me put on a show, or I'll go outside and falsely accuse you of giving me the wrong medicine, and then let the villagers gossip about you. Aren't you afraid?"
Chen Shuyi shook his head and laughed, "Of course I'm not afraid. You could even take this medicine bottle outside and shout that I, Chen Shuyi, prescribed the wrong medicine, and it wouldn't matter."
Xiangzi's eyes widened, never expecting this answer. "Why, Uncle Chen? Aren't you afraid? What if I really do it?"
Chen Shuyi glanced at the medicine bottle in Xiangzi's hand with a smile. "Do you think I'm as stupid as you? You actually believed me when I said I'd given you laxatives. What I've put in here is real cold medicine powder. Even if you take it, you won't get diarrhea. Then you can't accuse me of prescribing the wrong medicine. After all, this time I've prescribed real medicine. Isn't that right, Xiangzi?"
Xiangzi nearly spat out his water. He shouted, "Uncle Chen, how could you be so cunning! I didn't expect you to be on guard against me. No... you just tricked me like that? Didn't you promise to give me back the original laxative? Otherwise, how am I supposed to go to the city to settle accounts with that quack doctor?"
Xiangzi wanted to argue one more time and asked Chen Shuyi to refill his laxative.
But Chen Shuyi snorted coldly, "I'm not stupid. Why would I listen to you and actually make you a laxative? All you can think about is how to drag me down with you and how to get me to help you put on an act. How could I possibly do what you want?"
Xiangzi scratched his head guiltily. He had been caught red-handed. Although he was a little embarrassed, he still brazenly said, "Uncle Chen, you think too badly of me. How could I do such a thing? You've had it tough too. If you don't want to help me, I can't force you. See, that's not right."
Chen Shuyi couldn't help but say, "Stop making excuses, Xiangzi. Your little schemes are written all over your face. I've wanted to expose you several times. You can't even fake a stomachache properly. You're trying to make up an excuse that you were given laxatives by a quack doctor in the city. Do you think I'll believe that?"
Chen Shuyi sighed, a struggle churning within him. Xiangzi was still young; he couldn't hide his feelings, and everything was written on his face. Not only would people not believe him if he went out to deceive them looking like this, but he might even implicate others.
How many people in the village are so easily fooled? They're all seasoned veterans. Getting them to work is fine, but getting them to behave is a real challenge. And… Chen Shuyi sometimes feels that some people are truly wicked. If someone gets sick from eating chicken plague meat, they might go door-to-door, spreading the disease to everyone else…
The human heart is, in fact, the most vulnerable to test.