Meng Anzhi put down her medicine box and smiled, " Young Master Liu sit down..." She took out a pulse pillow and placed it on the table, gesturing for Liu Kangjian to place his hand on it, and then raised her hand to take his pulse.
Old Madam Liu stood to the side, too nervous to even breathe. Ever since her husband went to jail, her son hadn't been able to sleep for nights on end, and his health had deteriorated.
After a moment, Meng Anzhi withdrew her hand. " Young Master Liu's weak constitution is due to his birth, and the recent worry has exacerbated his condition. So... I'll prescribe some medicine for you to take for a month, and I'll come back for a follow-up appointment next month to adjust the prescription as needed."
Upon hearing that Meng Anzhi would be coming, Old Madam Liu's hands trembled with excitement. "Thank you, Doctor Meng! Thank you, Doctor Meng! May I ask about this medicine?"
Meng Anzhi also noticed that although the Liu Household was clean and tidy, there wasn't a single decent piece of furniture; even the table legs were propped up with a piece of wood.
She thought for a moment, " Anzhi Hall has inexpensive medicines, you can go and get them. If you still think it's too expensive... we have some leftover scraps that we can give you for free, but the effects are a bit slow."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Liu choked up instantly, staring at Meng Anzhi for a long time without being able to utter a single word. Even after Meng Anzhi left the Liu Household, she still hadn't revealed the truth.
Old Madam Liu suddenly felt incredibly selfish; how could she have ended up like this?
When Meng Anzhi came out of the Liu Household, she saw Shi Chong standing not far away with an umbrella. The umbrella was covered with a thin layer of snow, indicating that he had been waiting for a long time.
"What Lord Shi here?" Meng Anzhi hadn't seen him since the palace banquet, so this was truly an unexpected surprise.
Shi Chong forward and sheltered her completely under the umbrella, his voice gentle, "I heard you were out providing free medical services, so I came to pick you up."
Ever since Jin Shanyao warned him at the palace banquet, Shi Chong had been pondering this for a long time. He had clearly confirmed that no one was around before discarding the string of sweet candied hawthorns; how did she know?
After this incident, he had to become even more cautious in his actions.
Shi Chong reached out to take the medicine box, but Meng Anzhi dodged him.
She disliked Shi Chong's almost ambiguous tone, and her voice turned colder, "How did Lord Shi know I was here? Did you investigate my whereabouts? Or am I a spy who caught your attention?"
Shi Chong's hand froze in mid-air. His gaze deepened as he stared at her, his tone stubborn, " Anzhi, do you have to talk like that? Can't it be me who cares about you? Who's afraid you'll walk alone at night?"
Meng Anzhi asked directly, " Lord Shi... do you intend to repay this life-saving debt with your body?"
Shi Chong chuckled softly upon hearing this, but the laughter was devoid of warmth. "What are you thinking? If that were true, wouldn't I have been torn apart and devoured long ago? Anzhi, I like you, regardless of the fact that you saved me."
Meng Anzhi smiled and met Shi Chong's gaze directly. "So, you're repaying kindness with enmity?"
Shi Chong was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter, his gaze fixed firmly on Meng Anzhi's face, refusing to yield an inch.
" Anzhi... please give me a chance."
" Lord Shi, I don't like you. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." After saying this, Meng Anzhi walked straight past him and headed forward.
The smile on Shi Chong's face vanished instantly, and his smiling eyes suddenly turned sinister. He didn't speak again, but followed Meng Anzhi like a shadow, neither too close nor too far.
Only when she entered Anzhi Hall did Shi Chong stop, holding up his umbrella. He stood in the wind and snow, his eyes fixed on the door with a gloomy expression, as if trying to see through it.
Zhou Xiaosi peeked through the crack in the door and muttered, "Master... Lord Shi hasn't left yet. He wouldn't want to freeze to death out there, would he?"
Meng Anzhi smiled faintly, "Instead of worrying about others, you should go and clean up my tools for today."
"Okay, I'll go right now." Zhou Xiaosi hurriedly bolted the door and bent down to pack his medicine box.
Shi Chong stood outside the door for a long time, until a small pile of snow accumulated at his feet, before finally turning around and disappearing into the snowstorm.
Jin Shanyao, through the necklace around Meng Anzhi's neck, saw everything. She had long suspected that Shi Chong had something wrong with his head; he was like a snake stealing eggs, slowly and silently approaching.
And Meng Anzhi is that egg, how despicable... She finally raised the cub to adulthood, and he comes to reap the rewards!!! Jin Shanyao wants to teach him a lesson, to let him know who he can touch and who he can't.
But thinking about how the children are growing up and need to face the challenges on their own, she forced herself to suppress her impulse and wanted to see how Meng Anzhi would handle this problem.
Shi Chong returned to his residence and summoned a servant, "Clean up that house in the suburbs; I need it."
Just as the servant was about to leave, Shi Chong called him back, "Go to the blacksmith and order a cage, as big as a bed, to put in the master bedroom of the house. While you're at it, reinforce the walls of the house, block up all the side gates, and leave only the main gate open for entry and exit."
The servant responded softly, lowered his head, and quickly walked out.
Shi Chong sat in a chair, looking at the snow outside the window, his face expressionless.
Female doctors were scarce in the city, and when they learned that there was a female doctor at the Anzhi Hall, many women came specifically to seek her treatment.
That day, Meng Anzhi was taking the woman's pulse when three people walked in. They were dressed as waiters at Top Scholar Tower, carrying food boxes, and went straight to her.
" Miss Meng, Lord Shi knows you enjoy seafood, so he specially prepared some at Top Scholar Tower and sent us to deliver it." After saying this, he put down the food box and turned to leave.
Caught off guard, Meng Anzhi didn't even have time to utter a word of refusal. The attending physicians all looked over, but seeing the young mistress's displeasure, they silently looked away, pretending to be very busy.
Meng Anzhi called Zhou Xiaosi, "Go and harness the oxcart, and take these things to the Shi Residence."
Zhou Xiaosi responded, carried the food box to the backyard, and had Qing He pack the seafood inside into her own food box before hitching up the oxcart and leaving.
Zhou Xiaosi parked the oxcart outside the Shi Residence.
The servants of the Shi Residence had been notified long ago that the items returned by the Anzhi Hall must not be accepted.
Before the servant could refuse, Zhou Xiaosi spoke first, beaming, "Young man, my young lady really liked the seafood that Lord Shi sent to the Anzhi Hall, and asked me to prepare some as a return gift."
The servant asked in confusion, "A return gift??"
"Yes, that's not it... Miss specially asked the cook at home to cook some of Mr. Shi's favorite meals to express her gratitude..." Zhou Xiaosi pointed to the food box on the bullock cart and smiled honestly.
"Isn't it about reciprocity?"
The servant, seeing his wink, immediately understood... He'd recently heard that the Third Young Master had taken a liking to a female physician, and had even prepared his residence.
It seemed his wish had come true. Just as the servant was about to open the food box to check, Zhou Xiaosi grabbed him and stopped him.
"You'll only find a surprise if you open it yourself, Lord Shi."
The servant, wanting a chance to show off, laughed and said, "Alright... then I won't watch," and ordered someone to carry the food box into Shi Chong's courtyard.
Time flew by and evening arrived. Just as Shi Chong entered the manor, the servant rushed in excitedly to report, "Third Young Master, the one from the Anzhi Hall has returned the favor."
Shi Chong paused, surprised, and asked, "A return gift?"
"Yes... her servants specially delivered it, saying they made all your favorite dishes."
Upon hearing this, Shi Chong's expression instantly changed. He kicked the servant in the stomach, "Useless thing... So stupid you don't even realize you've been tricked."
The servant didn't receive the reward he expected; instead, he was kicked to the ground. He was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely, but he dared not clutch his stomach. Terrified, he knelt on the ground and kept begging for mercy.
"Young Master, please calm down, Young Master, please calm down..."
Shi Chong took a deep breath. "Remember, from today onwards, you are not allowed to accept anything from the Anzhi Hall."
The servant responded repeatedly.