The madam sized Meng Anzhi up and down, secretly feeling sorry for her... With her looks and demeanor, if she were willing to enter the brothel, she would be the envy of countless people.
With these thoughts in mind, she had already led him to the Fragrant Pavilion.
As soon as Meng Anzhi entered the room, she saw a half-naked woman lying on the bed. Her exposed skin was covered in bruises, clearly the result of being beaten. The woman was about the same age as herself, but her eyes were filled with only death.
After taking her pulse, Meng Anzhi wanted to check the woman's injuries, but she saw that the woman was clutching the corner of the blanket and refusing to let go.
The madam, growing impatient, stepped forward and yanked back Yu Jiaonu's blanket. "What are you babbling about? Do you know how much it costs me to call a doctor? That money will be deducted from your paycheck."
After saying that, he looked at Meng Anzhi and said, " Doctor Meng, you think... we should try our best to help her get better as soon as possible. I still need her to make money."
Meng Anzhi was startled by the madam's sudden movement. Before she could speak, the pimp's voice came from outside, "Mama... we have a distinguished guest..."
"Okay... I'm coming," the madam responded, turning to warn the person on the bed, "Cooperate well with the treatment..." She then closed the door behind her, and soon the sounds of the madam laughing and talking could be heard outside.
"Oh... Zither Master Wu, you've arrived quite early today..."
A deep male voice rang out, "Does Mom mean she doesn't welcome me?"
"How could that be... I wish Zither Master Wu would come over every day..." The madam's voice gradually faded away, and Meng Anzhi looked at Yu Jiaonu was covered in wounds.
From his neck to his ankles, there were bruises everywhere, not a single patch of unscathed flesh. The most serious injuries were to his chest and inner thighs. What kind of deep-seated hatred could lead someone to commit such a brutal act?
Meng Anzhi grasped Yu Jiaonu's ankle and gently comforted her, "Bear with it..." Then, with a quick movement, she put the dislocated joint back in place.
The girl didn't even flinch, which made Meng Anzhi feel uneasy. She bent down and carefully examined the girl's body, but when she saw that spot... her gaze paused.
He got up, pulled the blanket over her, and took a bottle of medicine from the medicine box, placing it on the table. "It's for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Apply it twice a day..."
Yu Jiaonu's eyelids twitched. "Miss... do you have poison?"
Meng Anzhi's hand, which was writing the prescription, hung in mid-air. She couldn't utter a single word of advice, and a drop of ink smudged onto the paper.
She quickly wrote the prescription on a new sheet of paper, put the pen and ink into her medicine box, slung the box over her shoulder, and headed out the door. Before leaving, she thought for a moment, then said, "If you need medical treatment in the future, come to the Anzhi Hall to see me... My name is Meng Anzhi, and I won't charge you."
Yu Jiaonu chuckled softly, a smile playing on her lips. The laughter grew louder the moment Meng Anzhi closed the door, the sound waves drilling into one's heart...
When the madam saw Meng Anzhi come down, she hurriedly came forward to greet her, " Doctor Meng, how is she? Is it serious?... Will she be better in three to five days?"
Meng Anzhi felt a lump in her throat, and after a long pause, she finally spoke, "She's very beautiful and young... Making money takes time; if we raise her well, she'll definitely be Zhuzi of the building in the future."
The madam's eyes lit up. "Young lady, you have a sharp eye! I'm not bragging, but this Yu Jiaonu came to the Pure Joy Pavilion at five years old; I've watched her grow up. Putting aside her looks, her pipa playing alone is unparalleled..."
She sighed as she spoke, "We're in this line of work, we have no choice. Her injuries..." The madam turned away, waving her handkerchief, and said, "Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. Where's the prescription?"
Meng Anzhi said calmly, "I'll stay in the young lady's room." Then she walked straight out.
The madam was secretly delighted to see that she didn't ask for payment, and turned to go directly to Yu Jiaonu's boudoir.
"Oh dear... you're so badly injured, don't get up," the madam said. Before she could finish speaking, Yu Jiaonu grabbed a medicine bottle from the table, smashed it to pieces on the ground with a loud crack.
The madam exclaimed, " Yu Jiaonu, are you crazy...? You think you can stop serving customers just because you fell and hurt yourself? I advise you to think more positively, or you'll only suffer more if you put new wounds on top of old ones."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the broken porcelain shards, and she frowned with heartache, groaning repeatedly. When she saw that there was still some ointment at the bottom of the porcelain bottle, she quickly squatted down and picked it out with her hands.
He strode to the bedside and smeared the ink on Yu Jiaonu's body. "In this building, Mother loves you the most. Have I ever let you suffer since you were little? But that Zither Master Wu is a pervert who likes to torture people..."
"Be good, just bear with it a little longer. Once he gets tired of you, your good days will come," she said, walking over to the broken porcelain shards and smearing ointment on Yu Jiaonu's body.
"This is Anzhi Hall's medicine. Don't let the shop's appearance fool you; this medicine is famously good... It's a shame not to use it," she said, applying the last bit to Yu Jiaonu's arm.
He stood up, glanced at Yu Jiaonu looked like a dead woman, sighed... and turned to leave without saying a word.
Meng Anzhi remained quiet after returning to the Anzhi Hall.
Jin Shanyao curiously, "What's wrong...? Did a girl tease you?"
In Qingzhou Prefecture, Anzhi Hall had an excellent reputation, and Meng Anzhi treated everyone equally by providing free medical consultations. From officials and gentry to ordinary people, everyone respected her greatly.
The women in brothels, in particular, were always unrestrained in their speech. Whenever they saw her, they would surround her and ask her all sorts of questions, which would always make Meng Anzhi blush deeply.
Meng Anzhi shook her head, "The girl today only said one sentence from beginning to end."
"Huh?" Jin Shanyao sat down next to her curiously.
Meng Anzhi lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, saying, "I want to buy poison."
Jin Shanyao sighed and patted her shoulder, " Anzhi... everyone has their own destiny, don't think too much about it."
Meng Anzhi forced a smile, "Auntie... I just suddenly remembered that I was only six years old when Meng Hongde tried to sell me."
Jin Shanyao was surprised that she still remembered this incident, and felt a pang of regret. If she hadn't been so careless at the time, it wouldn't have caused her psychological trauma.
After a moment of silence, she looked at Meng Anzhi and suggested, "How about... we sell it to him too?"
"Pfft..." Meng Anzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Auntie... I just suddenly remembered, and besides, Little River Village has completely cut ties with us, don't worry, I'm fine."
Seeing that she wasn't joking, Jin Shanyao felt relieved.
More than a month passed in the blink of an eye, Meng Anci received his first salary.
After the evening court session, he invited his aunt and her two sisters to stroll and eat along Vermilion Bird Street. Since arriving in the capital, they had never properly explored this street.
Jin Shanyao held a crispy mountain in her hands, standing in front of the clay figurine stall, watching the stall owner's fingers move quickly, and in no time a ginkgo tree was sculpted.
The old man held it up in the air for a moment, then added some leaves to the canopy before handing it to Jin Shanyao, "Young lady, take a look. Is this the tree you've been dreaming of?"
Jin Shanyao carefully rotated the bamboo skewer. "Make the grain of the tree trunk even finer... This is an ancient tree that's over a thousand years old."
The old man's lips twitched. He was really getting old; he could take any kind of order. Following Jin Shanyao's instructions, he drew several fine lines on the tree trunk and handed it to her.
Jin Shanyao paid the money with satisfaction, then turned around and saw the siblings staring blankly at the Pure Joy Pavilion. Following their gaze, she saw two men sitting on the second floor of the Pure Joy Pavilion.
They played the zither together... The melodious and graceful music attracted many people to stop and listen.