The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 369 No Money

Maybe he was too sleepy, or maybe the bed was comfortable, Jia Huan fell asleep quickly. Xue Baochai had left the room, but came back a quarter of an hour later to check on him. She found Jia Huan was fast asleep, so she tiptoed away with peace of mind and took her maid Ying'er to the courtyard where Xue Pan lived.

"Is Brother Huan asleep?" Little Sister Xue was there too, and asked when she saw Baochai coming.

Xue Baochai's face felt slightly hot, and she nodded, "He fell asleep as soon as he lay down. It's really hard for him. It's obvious that he is really exhausted."

Xue Baoqin said with a smile: "Second brother was so tired after participating in the county exam that he had to sleep for two days before he recovered, let alone the provincial exam. But Brother Huan is really amazing. Lei Zhenfu couldn't even deal with Jia Yucun, but he had nothing in his hands, but he made the other party release him obediently with just his mouth. It shows that I was right to ask you, sister, to ask him for help."

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "It is indeed a bit unexpected that Brother Huan rescued my elder brother so easily. Perhaps this is because the young are to be feared. As the saying goes, it is better to bully an old man than a poor young man. Although the man surnamed Lei is hateful, he has good eyesight. I guess he can see that Brother Huan is not an ordinary person, so he naturally dare not offend him."

As Chai and Qin were chatting, a maid walked into the courtyard and said, "The doctor that the Second Master invited has arrived and has entered the second gate. Ladies, please step aside."

Baochai, Baoqin and a group of maids hurried into an empty room for shelter. After a while, Xue Ke came in with a doctor.

The doctor's hair is all grey, and he is considered a well-known doctor in this stone city. He is good at treating all kinds of rare and difficult diseases, especially problems with the lower body. In professional terms, he is an expert in anorectal and gynecology. Many girls in brothels go to him for treatment, but the consultation fee he charges is not low, so most people cannot afford it.

Without further ado, let's say Xue Ke led the old Chinese doctor to Xue Pan's bedside. The latter was hesitant and refused to take off his pants for the doctor to check. Aunt Xue tried to persuade him through the curtain, and when she got angry, Xue Pan finally reluctantly untied his belt, revealing his August 15th.

The old Chinese doctor put on his reading glasses and took a look. Even though he was experienced, he couldn't help but gasp. He thought this gentleman was too cruel. Could he have a tendency to self-harm? He had been practicing medicine for decades and had never seen such injuries. Moreover, although those rich boys loved men, they were all in the dominant position. It was the first time he had seen a man like this, Mr. Xue, who was willing to be submissive and injured. Wow, the young are really to be feared!
"Doctor, how is the patient's injury?" Aunt Xue asked awkwardly through the curtain.

The old Chinese doctor coughed lightly and said, "The injury is a bit serious, but it's not a big deal. Clean the wound first. I will prescribe an ointment and a decoction. Apply the ointment externally and take the decoction internally. If there is improvement within three to five days, stop using the ointment and take the decoction in a reduced dosage. You will be healed within another three to five days."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue was overwhelmed with gratitude and thanked the doctor repeatedly, asking him to prescribe medicine and even to find thousand-year-old ginseng.

The doctor knew that the Xue family was rich, so he was not polite. He wrote a prescription with a flourish and handed it to Xue Ke, saying, "Please go to my clinic and get the medicine according to the prescription. The ointment is ready-made. It is specially prepared by me and is not available anywhere else."

Xue Ke thanked him and took the prescription and stepped aside. The next step was to clean the wound. Although the old doctor was wearing reading glasses, he was very familiar with this job and quickly finished cleaning Xue Pan. However, the process still made Uncle Xue grit his teeth and grit his teeth, and he was in excruciating pain.

After everything was done, the doctor washed his hands and warned: "During this period, it is not advisable to eat spicy and indigestible food. It is best to drink only porridge and try to reduce excretion to avoid frequent rupture of the wound."

Aunt Xue quickly agreed and asked Xue Ke to send the doctor out and go to the clinic to get some medicine.

"What a shame and humiliation! If I don't take revenge, I'm not the stupid bully Xue Pan!"

After the doctor left, Xue Pan couldn't help but lie on the bed and rage, cursing and gritting his teeth.

Aunt Xue felt sorry for her son, but was also very disappointed with him. She scolded him, "You evil creature, just be quiet. If you had stopped causing trouble, you wouldn't have ended up like this. It's obvious that you asked for it. You picked on those devils instead of anyone else."

Xue Pan said innocently: "I just sold a batch of old ships. How could I have offended Lei? That bastard just coveted the money of our Xue family, so he found an excuse to mess with me."

Aunt Xue scolded, "As the saying goes, flies don't bite cracked eggs. If you do well, people won't be able to find a reason to punish you. Look at Huan, he is a clean man, he never goes to such dirty places, and he never does such dirty things. Who can punish him? Besides, the reason why Lei treated you so badly must be related to that male concubine."

Xue Pan was both ashamed and angry, and said angrily: "Call Huan Ge'er, keep calling Huan Ge'er, he is so good, mother should just recognize Huan Lao San as your godson, or take him in as your son-in-law, and let Huan Lao San take care of you in your old age, anyway, children are superfluous, you should just pretend that you never gave birth to me."

Aunt Xue was angry and heartbroken, shedding tears as she said, "You evil creature with a maggot heart, your mother has been so worried about you since you were little. It's all your fault that I spoiled you so much that you turned out to be such an unpleasant kid. This is retribution, it's all my own fault."

Xue Pan remained silent when he heard this. At this time, Xue Baochai and Xue Baoqin came in. Seeing this, they hurriedly tried to persuade and comfort Aunt Xue. Only then did Aunt Xue slowly calm down.

Xue Baoqin couldn't help but said angrily, "Brother, there are some things I shouldn't say, but now I have to say them. Do you know how much trouble you have caused this time? In order to save you, the family emptied the treasury, and now we can't even pay you the monthly salary. If it weren't for Brother Huan's help, I'm afraid you would still be in Jinyiwei's prison, and I don't know when you can get out.

Lei Zhengfa has seized all the properties under our family's name. Who knows, he might even convict you in the end and take the opportunity to raid our house. Then our Xue family will be destroyed. The men will be sent into exile, and the women will be confined to the slave class and become prostitutes and slaves. How terrible would that be?
These days, my aunt and sister have tried everything to save you. They have been unable to sleep at night and have been unable to eat. Now that you have returned safely, it is fine if you do not appreciate their kindness, but you also want to make my aunt angry. If you have any conscience, apologize to my aunt now. Otherwise, I will not acknowledge you as my elder brother anymore and we will sever our relationship from now on."

After Xue Baoqin finished speaking, she glared at Xue Pan angrily. The latter felt ashamed and embarrassed. He stiffened his neck for a long time, and finally said awkwardly: "Mother, sister, I was wrong. I will change in the future." Aunt Xue wiped her tears and said: "You should have changed long ago."

Baochai sighed and said, "Brother always says he will change, but when has he really changed? Now I will just listen for the time being. It would be great if he really changes."

Aunt Xue had already softened her temper, but she immediately became fierce again after hearing this: "If you don't change, I'll break your legs first. It's better than going out and hurting others."

"I will definitely change it this time. If you don't believe me... mother will let Huan Lao San supervise me!" Xue Pan said anxiously.

Aunt Xue spat, "How dare you let Huan Ge'er supervise you? He is a big shot, so he doesn't have time to keep an eye on you. Besides, I can't bring myself to ask him for help."

Xue Baochai's heart was moved, and she asked seriously, "Brother, are you really going to change?"

Xue Pan nodded reluctantly. Baochai said softly, "As the saying goes, a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold. Since elder brother has truly changed, that's a good thing. Mother can't bring herself to do this, so I have to shamelessly ask Brother Huan for help. I hope elder brother won't let my sister down for her hard work."

Xue Pan said ashamedly: "Don't worry, sister, big brother will definitely change this time, otherwise you can ask Huan Lao San to beat me. Anyway, he is so powerful that even Lei Lao Hu is afraid of him. How dare I disobey him?"

Aunt Xue said happily, "Thank God, there is finally someone who can control a stubborn person like you."

Xue Baochai was also amused and said, "It's all thanks to Brother Huan this time, otherwise my eldest brother would still be suffering in prison. Why do you keep calling me Huan the Third Brother? It's disrespectful to hear that."

Xue Pan muttered, "I would like to call him Brother Huan, but he looks down on me."

Aunt Xue was both angry and amused: "Now you know that others look down on you. If you work harder, how can others look down on you?"

"Mother, please say less. My eldest brother is injured, so let him have a good rest." Xue Baochai said lightly.

Aunt Xue also knew her son's temper. He was overbearing and rude and never listened to advice. It was not easy for him to bow his head and speak softly now. It would not be appropriate to stimulate him too much, so she said no more. She just told Xue Pan to take good care of him and left with Chaiqin and others.

Baochai left Xue Pan's residence, and was worried about whether Jia Huan slept well, so she went to the guest room to check.

Xiangling had been watching outside the guest room while doing needlework. When she saw Baochai approaching, she stood up and bowed, "Miss!"

Baochai nodded and asked in a low voice, "Did Master Huan sleep well?"

Xiangling smiled and said, "It's safe. I just went in to check."

Baochai tiptoed into the room, walked to the bed and lifted the curtain. Seeing that Jia Huan was indeed sleeping soundly, she felt relieved. However, as she looked at Jia Huan sleeping soundly, a strange feeling surged in her heart. She could not take her eyes off him for a moment, and stared at him silently for a long time. Then she reluctantly let go of the curtain and silently left the room.

However, just as Xue Baochai walked out of the house, she saw Xue Ke standing there waiting with an awkward look on his face. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother Ke, did you get the medicine back?"

Xue Ke glanced at Xiang Ling, who tactfully made an excuse to leave.

Xue Ke then said in embarrassment: "Big sister, our family is out of money, and we haven't paid the doctor's fee yet."

Xue Baochai then remembered that all the silver in the treasury had been emptied to redeem her elder brother Xue Pan, and all her properties had been seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Now she could not even take out a single extra silver. With dozens of people in her family, even food had become a problem.

Xue Baochai bit her teeth secretly, took off the gold locket with inscriptions on it from her neck, handed it to Xue Pan and said, "Brother Ke, take this as an emergency measure."

(End of this chapter)