The aunt looked uncomfortable. "Where would my family get silver to lend? We are neighbors; if my family had it, I would definitely lend it to you."
Shitou pointed at a man in the crowd.
"A few days ago, Uncle told someone that he made another fifteen taels of silver this time!"
"Your daughter also said that your family has already saved hundreds of taels..."
"Nonsense! Where does my family have silver?"
The aunt hurried outward in a panic.
"I was just trying to be kind and help you out, but look at you, biting the hand that feeds you and trying to put the blame on me!"
"No wonder your family is either dead or sick; you must be rotten to the core!"
Saying this, the aunt pushed through the onlookers and left in a hurry.
Shitou's Grandma looked completely in disbelief.
They had been neighbors for many years, yet she never knew her neighbor would curse their family like this!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Shitou's Grandma clutched her chest, coughing violently, even coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Shitou's Mother, who had been harboring some resentment toward her mother-in-law, was startled at the sight.
She hurriedly threw herself in front of Shitou's Grandma. "Mother, Mother, are you alright?"
Seeing the blood in her palm, Shitou's Grandma felt her heart turn to ashes.
"Why are you crying? It would be better if I died, so I wouldn't drag you down."
"Then you can just find another man to marry, and you'll have someone to rely on for the rest of your life."
Shitou's Mother looked humiliated and angry.
"Mother, what are you saying? Others say such things, and now you say it too. Aren't you forcing me to die?"
Shitou's Mother covered her mouth and sobbed.
Duoduo walked up to Shitou's Grandma and examined her complexion.
"You've been bedridden for a long time and rarely move about, right?"
Shitou's Grandma looked in confusion at the exquisitely carved, jade-like little girl in front of her.
Shitou's Mother was terrified that her mother-in-law would offend this noble person, so she kowtowed to Duoduo.
"To answer the noble lady, my mother-in-law has been sick ever since my husband passed away."
Duoduo nodded.
"Oh, so she hasn't gotten out of bed since."
"By the looks of it, it's been over a year, hasn't it?"
"As soon as you get out of bed, you feel dizzy, your heart races, you're short of breath, and your legs feel weak?"
Shitou's Grandma was very surprised. "How do you know that, little girl?"
She looked suspiciously at her daughter-in-law beside her. "Did you tell her?"
Shitou's Mother shook her head vigorously. "I did not."
"Mother, she is a divine doctor; she just cured Shitou!"
Shitou's Grandma looked at the tiny Duoduo, not believing her daughter-in-law's words at all.
If anyone was a divine doctor, that white-haired old man would fit the bill.
"Stop talking nonsense. How old is she? She probably still smells of milk, right?"
"Don't even try to lie to me! Tell me, how could our family owe so much in medical bills?"
"Did you collude with the clinic? Or did you spend the money elsewhere?"
Shitou's Mother never expected that her mother-in-law still wouldn't believe her.
She couldn't defend herself even if she had a hundred mouths.
"Mother, I didn't!" She shook her head hard.
"You didn't? Five taels of silver is enough to feed a family for a whole year!"
"My medicine costs a few hundred copper coins at most. Where is the rest of the money?"
"Did you take it to give to another man..."
Duoduo looked at Shitou's Mother, shook her head, and turned to leave.
Her father once said that a person's greatest value lies in saving themselves!
Those who only know how to cry when faced with trouble are cowardly and incompetent!
It is best to stay away from such people, because they will only drain the energy of others.
Duoduo had just walked up to Li Jin and Master Zhang, ready to suggest they leave.
Suddenly, she heard a loud crash from behind her.
"Ouch!"
"Mother!" Shitou's eyes widened, and he rushed over with a look of terror.
Duoduo didn't know what had happened, so she quickly turned around.
It turned out that Shitou's Mother, unable to defend herself and publicly humiliated by her mother-in-law, felt she had no place to hide.
Shitou's Mother took out the remaining silver from her bosom and stuffed it into her mother-in-law's hand.
Then, she scrambled up and dashed headfirst into the pillar next to the tea stall.
Fortunately, the shopkeeper, who had been watching the commotion from nearby, hurriedly reached out to block her.
Shitou's Mother did not die, but a bloody gash was knocked into her forehead.
It was obvious that she had just been determined to die.
"Foolish!"
Duoduo puffed out her cheeks.
She rushed angrily over to Shitou's Grandma.
"You want to know why the medical bills are so expensive? Just ask the assistant from the clinic, and you'll find out!"
"With your condition, you definitely need tonics like ginseng and astragalus. Of course it's expensive!"
"She is your daughter-in-law, a part of your family. Instead of wishing her well, you force her to her death?"
"She has racked her brains for this family, but what about you?"
"It's bad enough that you don't feel sorry for her, but you actually kick her while she's down. You are the bad person here!"
The shopkeeper, who had just pulled Shitou's Mother back, couldn't stand it either.
"He is the assistant from the clinic. Come over here."
"Tell us, why are Shitou's Grandma's medical bills so expensive?"
The shopkeeper pointed at a clinic assistant who was watching the scene in the crowd.
Everyone's eyes fell on the assistant.
Left with no choice, the assistant scratched his head.
"Because there is a medicine called ginseng powder in this aunt's prescription, which is why it's so expensive."
"However, the doctor specifically changed this out of consideration for your family's poor financial condition."
"Originally, whole ginseng was to be used, but your family couldn't afford it, so it was changed to the powder."
"Even with the ginseng powder, it is only used every few doses of medicine; otherwise, it would be even more expensive!"
"Every time your family gets medicine, this aunt buys it on credit, paying back a few copper coins every now and then."
"This time, you really owed too much, which is why the shopkeeper wouldn't allow any more credit."
After the assistant finished explaining, he ran off in a flash.
He had only run over out of curiosity to watch the scene; he would definitely be scolded to death by his shopkeeper when he got back.
Hearing the words "ginseng powder," the crowd suddenly understood.
"Their family is utterly destitute, yet Shitou's Mother was willing to go into debt to use ginseng for her mother-in-law!"
"If that's the case, Shitou's Mother is truly too filial."
"Whose family can afford to use ginseng? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't even treat the illness."
"No wonder their family owes so much in medical bills! If it weren't for Shitou's Mother washing clothes everywhere to subsidize them, they'd probably owe even more."
"Look at how thin Shitou and Shitou's Mother are; a gust of wind could blow them away."
"On the contrary, Shitou's Grandma, after being sick for so many years, hasn't changed much at all."
"This Shitou's Grandma really is just like that little girl said, her heart is a bit rotten!"
Hearing the crowd's words, the shopkeeper also felt the injustice done to Shitou's Mother.
"Your daughter-in-law washes clothes for people everywhere just to subsidize the family's expenses."
"Look at her hands; they are covered in wounds."
"When your son was alive, when did he ever let his wife do such heavy work?"
Shitou's Mother, having been saved, just sat there blankly on the side.
Master Zhang, with the benevolent heart of a healer, took out medicinal powder to stop her bleeding and wrapped her in gauze.
Shitou's Grandma had never expected that just by saying a few harsh words, her daughter-in-law would attempt suicide.
She had been stunned with fright at the time as well.
Now, hearing what Duoduo and the shopkeeper said, a wave of unease surged in her heart.
