Chapter 10: Who is the Toad

Ye Qingqing was very angry, pursing her lips as she quickly walked up the stone steps. Grabbing the brass knocker on the door, she knocked several times and called out loudly: "Is anyone there? Do you still want the medicinal soup? If not, I might just collapse right here at the door!"

At this point, the steward threw a string of copper coins from his hand, which clanged as they fell onto the steps. The rope broke, and the coins immediately scattered, ringing and bouncing all over the ground.

Miss Gao was crying out in bed: "No need to wait! I don't want to see him! I'm fine now. I can get out of bed and go to the toilet by myself. Just find another doctor to prescribe some medicine for a couple of days, and it will be the same, right? I'll recover quickly, I don't need that useless person to come again, and I won't take the medicine he prescribes anymore! Throw the food he sent into the toilet!"

In recent days, when delivering medicine and food, it was usually Old Master Gao himself waiting at the door, or at the very least, Steward Gao would be there to greet them. However, now they were met with a closed door, with no one present. Lu Jinping had already realized what had happened.

The steward raised his head and could no longer see Lu Jinping and the others, so he shouted at the top of his lungs: "If you have the guts, don't leave! Let's go to the magistrate's office to settle this. Don't think that just because you are a noble, you are something special. In our Gao family's eyes, you are nothing but a fart! Bah!"

In the evening, Lu Jinping brought Ye Qingqing, carrying a food box and half a jar of medicine from m.hetushucom.com, to the outside of the Gao residence.

The steward, grumbling and cursing, turned around while exclaiming in pain as he entered the courtyard, supported by two servants, and made his way to the inner residence

The second concubine glanced at the old lady and, noticing his awkward expression, interjected: "Sir, what the lady says is reasonable. If others find out that he has cured our daughter and we do not reward him, it is likely they will say that the old master is untrustworthy, and the old master's reputation will be affected"

After a moment, the courtyard gate finally opened. A servant peeked out, glanced at the two, snorted heavily through his nostrils, and said slowly, "What are you shouting about? Wait!" After saying this, he slammed the courtyard gate shut again, and the sound of the bolt being drawn could be heard, as if he feared they would rush in. This made Ye Qingqing even more displeased, her pretty face was filled with frost.

The two servants, enduring their pain, managed to get up and chase after them. The few children, quick-witted and nimble, despite receiving a few kicks to their backsides and a few knocks on their heads, still managed to snatch up all the copper coins from the ground. They even gathered the scattered white rice and delicious dishes, fleeing away as if flying.

Having said that, Lu Jinping turned and strode away. Ye Qingqing spat at the steward again and quickly hurried to catch up with Lu Jinping.

Old Master Gao turned around a few times in the room before finally standing still and said: "Since it is like this, let’s give him fifty wen. In Tongzhou, a renowned doctor charges only about ten to twenty wen for a consultation, so giving him five times the consultation fee should be fair, right? It’s settled then. Gao Steward, you must make it clear to him that he should not harbor any delusions. He should take the money and leave quickly, and he is not allowed to appear at my Gao family’s doorstep again! Do you understand?"

The steward quickly responded in agreement.

Old Master Gao glanced at his daughter and said: "My daughter's illness is almost cured; that good-for-nothing said the same. After taking medicine once more today, she should be fine. Later, we can invite Doctor Huang and his colleagues to take a look and prescribe a couple of tonics for her recovery, and that should suffice. There is no need for that good-for-nothing to come to my Gao family again, lest he tarnish the esteemed reputation of my household."

The steward took out his hands from behind his back, holding a string of fifty cash coins in his palm, weighing them in his hand: "However, you saved our young lady, which counts as some merit. Our old master is clear about rewards and grievances; promises made must be fulfilled. Here, this is your reward. I hope you will not use the money given by the master to bribe or buy an official position, lest you bring shame to our old master"

The steward hurriedly agreed, handing the food box from https://m.hetushu.com to a servant, instructing him to throw it into the latrine. The third concubine quickly returned to comfort her daughter

Upon seeing that the gates of the Gao residence were unexpectedly closed, with not a single person in sight, Lu Jinping revealed a faint cold smile at the corner of her mouth

After a considerable amount of time, the courtyard gate finally creaked open. Steward Gao appeared at the entrance with two servants. He rolled his eyes and looked down his nose at Lu Jinping, saying: "You are Lord Lu, right? You have truly made us suffer! So you are the good-for-nothing who sold off his ancestral property to bribe his way into an official position? To be frank, our master despises people like you the most, those who seek to gain an advantage through underhanded means. Our master has already stated that if you wish to become a son-in-law of the Gao family, that is akin to a toad wishing to eat swan meat; do not even think about it! The Gao family does not welcome people like you. Our young lady has said that she no longer wishes for you to treat her, and the old master has also declared that from now on, you are not allowed to set foot in the Gao family even half a step, nor should you appear at our doorstep! Do you understand clearly?"

"Give him a reward?" Old Master Gao chuckled coldly, "Their family's fortune has all been squandered by him. He borrowed money at high interest to bribe his way into office. If I give him money and he uses it to bribe again, if others find out, wouldn't they say that I encouraged him to bribe? Absolutely not!"

The old lady pondered for a moment and said, "The notice that the master previously posted mentioned that if he cured the illness of me and the daughter of the librarian, he would either be invited to become a son-in-law or be generously rewarded. Since we are not inviting him to be a son-in-law, should we not give him a sum of money as a reward? This would also silence outsiders and prevent them from saying that we are burning bridges after crossing them."

Lu Jinping took two steps forward and said to the steward, "Go back and tell your master, do not think that his daughter's illness has been cured—within five days, his daughter will undoubtedly die! My maid was not wrong just now; when the mountain does not move, the water will flow. If my prediction comes true, remember, do not come looking for me, or you will bring humiliation upon yourself. As for this fifty wen, take it to buy some joss paper, and when the time comes, burn it for your Miss Gao, lest she arrives in the underworld without money to bribe the little ghosts and judges and be bullied by the spirits!"

The executive quickly agreed, and upon hearing her father's decision, Miss Gao on the bed finally ceased her crying

Among the crowd gathered at the entrance, there were several homeless children who, upon seeing the numerous coins and rice dishes on the steps, noticed that two servants were lying on the ground, unable to get up while groaning. It was the perfect opportunity, and they immediately rushed forward to snatch the coins from the ground

Having said that, Ye Qingqing suddenly pushed forward with her hand, causing the steward to stagger backward several steps, just in time to trip over the high threshold, crashing into the door with a loud bang. With a cry of distress, he struggled to get up but hid behind the high threshold, too afraid to stand, revealing only half of his face as he looked at the two with terror.

Two servants rushed forward, and as they were about to take their stance, Ye Qingqing kicked them down the steps with two swift kicks, leaving them to crawl back up in agony

Ye Qingqing was furious and was about to explode in anger, but Lu Jinping waved her hand, signaling her to refrain from doing so

The two servants, grumbling and cursing, did not pursue further but hurried into the courtyard, helping the steward who had been hiding behind the threshold to his feet

As the steward was about to turn and enter the courtyard, he suddenly heard a sharp "bang" beside him, startling him. He turned around to see Ye Qingqing violently throwing the medicine jar and food box onto the steps beside him, causing the soup and food to scatter all over the ground. Frightened, the steward quickly stepped back, pointing at Ye Qingqing and exclaimed, "You! What do you intend to do? — Someone, come here!"

The third concubine hesitated for a moment, then rose and walked to the old master’s side, whispering: "Old master, however, the daughter’s health has not yet fully recovered. Should we wait until she has completely healed before discussing this?"

Ye Qingqing pointed at the steward and said, "You ungrateful bastards who burn bridges after crossing them! Don't think that just because your family has power and influence, you are something special. In what way are we, the nobles, inferior to you? You even want our noble lord to become your family's son-in-law? Dream on! You should take a good look at yourself. Your ugly daughter thinks she is worthy of our noble lord? She is just a toad wishing to eat swan meat! Bah! The mountains may not move, but the waters will flow; one day you will come begging to our noble lord, and then we will see how you cry!"