Chapter 181: Care About the Ninth Prince?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“It’s up to you whether you want to stay or not. If you stayed here, the clinic was responsible for your food, clothing, accommodation, transportation, and even for your recovery. Do you think I opened this clinic to run at a loss?” Su Yingxue coldly admonished.
She didn’t believe Wu Ruofei could produce ten thousand taels to stay in her ward!
However, Wu Ruofei, going against her usual demeanor, insisted, “Ten thousand taels it is! I’ll have Feng He return to the residence to fetch the money. You… Please arrange a room for me first. I want a single room, the best available!”
Su Yingxue raised an eyebrow, stating, “For the best single room, it’s twenty thousand taels.”
“Su Yingxue, you’re raising the price on the spot!” Wu Ruofei gritted her teeth in frustration. Twenty thousand taels! Her father’s annual salary wasn’t even close to that!
Su Yingxue’s expression remained icy. She reiterated, “Do you want to stay or not?”
“I’m staying!” Wu Ruofei clenched her teeth. For the sake of challenging Su Yingxue and for her beloved Brother Hao, she was prepared to go bankrupt if necessary.
In the afternoon, the Minister’s Estate delivered twenty thousand taels of silver. Su Yingxue instructed Manager Qi to arrange a ward for Wu Ruofei and placed her in the innermost room on the third floor to prevent her from causing any problems.
Manager Qi carried out the orders.
In the evening, Wu Jinyan came back from work. She was temporarily staying at the clinic and heard about this from Manager Qi.
Since Su Yingxue was also residing there and rarely visited the Marquis’s Manor, they had more opportunities to converse.
Observing that Su Yingxue had barely eaten, Wu Jinyan asked, “Is this all because of my sister?”
Su Yingxue used her chopsticks to poke at the rice in her bowl. Abruptly, she dropped her chopsticks and replied in a subdued voice, “Mmm.”
“If you don’t want to, you could return the silver to her, and she could return to the residence. However, 1’11 make sure to help you earn back those twenty thousand taels through Thousand-Jiao Pavilion!” Wu Jinyan comforted her by patting her hand.
She knew that Su Yingxue had invested a significant amount of silver to establish the Thousand-Jiao Pavilion for her. If it weren’t for the fact that both the clinic and Thousand-Jiao Pavilion needed to run smoothly, Su Yingxue probably wouldn’t have accommodated Wu Ruofei.
Su Yingxue shook her head and confessed in a somber tone, “It’s not just about the money. Wu Ruofei came prepared, but there was someone behind her pulling the strings in the shadows. If I don’t accept her and she spreads damaging rumors about the clinic’s branch, we might face endless troubles here. It’s better to take her in and see what tricks she might attempt!”
Wu Jinyan initially worried that Su Yingxue might not see through the situation. However, after hearing her words, she felt more assured and less concerned.
Still, seeing Su Yingxue’s persistent furrowed brows, Wu Jinyan tentatively asked, “Do you have something else on your mind?”
Su Yingxue quickly relaxed her brow, diverting her attention to eating a few mouthfuls of rice. “No.”
“Really? Aren’t you concerned about Zi Wei’s injuries?”
Su Yingxue innocently shook her head. “1 administered medicine to him. He’ll recover.”
“Then, is it about the Seventh Prince?” Wu Jinyan continued to probe.
Su Yingxue let out a light snort. “What’s there to ponder about him?”
“Then… is it the Ninth Prince?”
When Wu Jinyan asked this question, even the air fell silent for a long time.
The food in Su Yingxue’s mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
She chewed and swallowed it, but it felt like a lump was stuck in her throat, as uncomfortable as a stone wedged there. As she choked, her eyes welled up with tears.
Wu Jinyan hastily patted her back to help her breathe.
Su Yingxue drank a large gulp of water before managing to swallow the food that had caused her to choke.
Seeing her in this state, Wu Jinyan sighed. “Since you care so much, why make things difficult for yourself?”
“I didn’t!” Su Yingxue’s eyes were still red, filled with determination..