Chapter 55: 6 Liang of Silver
Doctor Lu also found it strange. Why had Old Mrs. Bai suddenly changed her tune? Though suspicious, he didn’t say anything. He simply picked up his medical kit and went to Bai Dazhu’s side. He set the bones and applied the bandages, and with every movement of his hands, Bai Dazhu let out several agonizing howls. The courtyard was filled with his piercing screams, which seemed to never end.
’Even if he died from the pain, Bai Zhi had no intention of using anesthetic acupuncture on him. He deserved this suffering; it was karma. He had broken Uncle Hu’s hand and made Zhao Lan’s arm injury even worse. Breaking both his legs wouldn’t have been going too far.’
Once the bandaging was done, Bai Dazhu’s agonizing howls gradually subsided. His face was as pale as paper. The pain had been so intense that he’d bitten through his lip, and it was now trickling with fresh blood.
Doctor Lu ignored him. After packing up his medical kit, he turned to Old Mrs. Bai to ask for the silver.
Old Mrs. Bai started feigning a headache and chest pains again. In short, there wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t ache.
"Old lady, you agreed to the six taels of silver just now. Are you planning to renege on the debt right in front of the village chief?" Doctor Lu arched an eyebrow, his expression cold as he watched her put on a show.
With an expression like she was on death’s door, Old Mrs. Bai said in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, "Who... who said we’re reneging on the debt? It’s just that money is tight right now, and we can’t come up with the silver."
"Isn’t that the same as reneging on the debt? ’Money is tight, and we can’t come up with the silver.’ Why didn’t you say that before? You just had to wait until I finished treating Dazhu. What gives? Do you think I, Lu Changchun, am a pushover? Or do I just look like an easy mark to you?"
Seeing the village chief’s expression change, Old Mrs. Bai quickly plastered a smile onto her unpleasant, aged face. "Now, now, Doctor Lu. We’re all neighbors in this village. The Bai Family has lived here for a long time; how could we possibly renege on our debt to you?"
Doctor Lu held out his hand. "Since you’re not reneging on the debt, then hand it over. Six taels of silver, not a single mace less."
Old Mrs. Bai let out a dry laugh. "To tell you the truth, those two taels of silver I gave you yesterday were the last of our family’s savings. We really can’t come up with any more money. How about this? We’ll put it on credit for now. In a couple of months, when we have more money, we’ll pay you back in full, with interest. How does that sound?"
On credit? Heh...
Doctor Lu said with a humorless smile, "Old lady, do you happen to remember three years ago? Your Xiao Feng caught a cold, and I prescribed some medicine for him. You said you’d put it on credit then, too. It was a total of seven mace of silver. Have you paid it back yet?"
’She had the nerve to not pay a seven-mace debt for three years, all while acting as if it never even happened. For a debt of six taels of silver, it would be a miracle if she ever paid.’
Old Mrs. Bai tapped her forehead. "Oh, this memory of mine. I really thought I had already paid you back. I completely forgot about that. Why didn’t you ever remind me?"
’Just great. She was actually trying to turn the tables and blame him.’
"I’m not here today to settle old debts. Let’s drop it. For now, just hand over the six taels of silver."
Old Mrs. Bai turned to the village chief. "Village Chief, just look at this mess. I wasn’t the one who called for Doctor Lu. Now he’s demanding six taels of silver from me, which is no small sum. Where am I supposed to come up with that much money at a moment’s notice?"
The village chief couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth or not, but it was clear that the old woman had no intention of paying up willingly.
The village chief considered for a moment before an idea came to him. "All right, how about this," he said. "Since you can’t come up with the money right now, let’s have you write up an IOU. You can set a firm date for repayment. How does that sound?"