Doctor Li, already old and frail, couldn’t resist the insistence of the young lad, and before he knew it, his grandson Xu Sunzi had dragged him to Song Wei’s family.
Initially, he thought he could find a chance to slip away, but as soon as he stepped off the carriage, he ca face to face with Song Wei.
Doctor Li glared at Xu Shu, "Well, this ti you’ve really tricked , you little rabbit."
Xu Shu eagerly stepped forward to help him, "As long as you can cure the person, I’ll find whatever good wine you want for you, Grandpa."
Doctor Li snorted, "I’m this old, how much more can I drink? Are you in a hurry for to hit the coffin early, you rascal?"
"Listen, it’s a misunderstanding, isn’t it? Grandson simply wants to curry favor with you, to please you, with no other intentions."
"You little rascal, keep acting up, talking big without thinking. If I can’t cure the person, then you and I will beco the laughing stock like a donkey going round in circles. I’ll ruin my reputation, and when I tell Xu Guangfu about it, you’ll be in trouble!"
Xu Guangfu is Xu Shu’s father, the Great General.
Xu Shu, being thick-skinned as always, wasn’t fazed by the threat, "Look at what you’re saying. Whether it can be cured or not, shouldn’t we et the person first? Can you really diagnose soone just by your words? There’s no such practice in this field, right?"
"That’s my practice!"
"Alright then, once you et the person, you can lay out all your practices, and we’ll follow them, isn’t that enough?"
Song Wei stood by listening to their argunt for a long ti, and as soon as it quieted down, he quickly stepped forward to bow respectfully, "Junior Song Wei, nice to et you, sir."
Xu Shu introduced, "Doctor Li is of the sa generation as our family’s elder; I must call him Grandpa when I see him. You’re my classmate, so you can call him the sa."
Doctor Li glared at him, "And what’s he to you to let him call according to you? Why do you always take advantage, you rascal?"
Xu Shu rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "If he really calls you Grandpa, who knows who’d be taking advantage!"
Song Wei smiled at the two, "Please co inside, both of you!"
Song Fang had already heard that there were guests arriving and had prepared tea in advance.
Knowing the guest today was a highly skilled doctor specially invited by her third brother to treat her sister-in-law’s voice, she wisely didn’t fuss with Xu Shu and treated him like a guest by pouring him a cup of tea.
Doctor Li glanced around the room and saw only Song Fang as the female relative, then asked Song Wei, "Who is the patient?"
Song Wei replied, "My wife is currently preparing so snacks for the elder and will be here shortly."
Doctor Li stroked his beard with satisfaction as he looked at Song Wei, "Quite well-mannered, are you?"
Song Wei appeared apologetic, "Indeed, as a junior, I should have personally co to invite the elder. But unexpectedly..."
As he spoke, he glanced aningfully at Xu Shu.
"Unexpectedly, this little brat Xu Shu hijacked the elder halfway here, right?" Doctor Li continued with a smile, "He’s been so unruly since he was a child, if he doesn’t get a beating every few days, he’d tear the roof off. I’m quite surprised he has such a well-mannered friend like you."
In the anti, Wen Wan drew back the curtain and entered.
She prepared a pot of hot wine, a plate of crispy fried peanuts, and half a pound of cooked beef for Doctor Li.
Having lived most of his life, Doctor Li was fond of these treats, and seeing Miss Song’s arrangents, his face broke into a smile.
As Wen Wan handed over the chopsticks, Doctor Li intentionally gave her a kind look, "Dear girl, it’s been over ten years since you spoke last, hasn’t it?"
Wen Wan timidly nodded.
But Xu Shu didn’t like hearing that, "You call her ’dear girl’, where does that leave your grandson?"
Doctor Li glanced at him, "Everyone addresses differently, when old folks speak, rascals like you keep quiet, or do you want to smack you?"
Xu Shu pretended to smack himself on the face, "I’ll do it for you, keep talking, I’ll go out and stretch my legs."
With Xu Shu gone, the main hall quieted down.
Song Wei didn’t imdiately ask Doctor Li whether there was hope for Wen Wan’s voice to be cured. Instead, he added a wine cup and personally filled it for Doctor Li, then poured one for himself, raising it, "I’ll drink first as a sign of respect."
Doctor Li blocked with his hand, "No rush for the toast, I must first see if I have the skills to deserve your respect."
Then he turned to Wen Wan again, "Dear girl, open your mouth and let hear you shout."
Wen Wan hesitantly looked at Song Wei.
Song Wei smiled and nodded at her.
In front of outsiders, Wen Wan felt shy, hesitated a little before slowly opening her mouth to let out a difficult "ah——".
A person who hasn’t spoken for years sounded like being choked when the voice ca out, already distorted.
Doctor Li listened, his expression gradually turning serious.
Song Wei took a deep breath, "Please speak frankly, sir, I can handle it as a junior."
Healing Wanwan’s voice was for restoring her to a full life, allowing her to live more freely. If it’s truly impossible, there won’t be too much disappointnt.
After all, he had never despised Wanwan for her inability to speak.
Doctor Li shook his head, "If treatnt had been administered promptly when it happened, there might have been a chance for recovery, but with so many years passed, there’s basically no hope now."
Wen Wan slightly pursed her lips, her gaze secretly flickering to observe Song Wei’s expression.
More than the blow of not being able to regain her voice, she cared about her husband’s attitude, whether he might gradually distance himself or even abandon her because she could never speak again.
Song Wei feared Wen Wan might misunderstand, so he straightforwardly addressed it in front of everyone, "Across from the Imperial College is a girls’ official school called the Hongwen Academy. I originally planned to send Wanwan there once she recovers. Now that the diagnosis is made, it’s fine even if she can’t recover; it doesn’t affect anything else."
This was a way to reassure Wen Wan not to overthink.
Wen Wan listened, and only then did her heart slowly settle.
Doctor Li felt it was a pity for such a lively young girl not to be able to speak, so he contemplated, "Let’s do this, I’ll first prescribe a treatnt. You get the dicine, take it on ti, and in half a month, I’ll return to listen. As long as there’s any change, I can start treating her."
Song Wei beca even more respectful, "Thank you very much, sir."
Doctor Li wrote the prescription, then had a couple more drinks and nibbled on so peanuts before being escorted back by Xu Shu.
Song Fang bent down to clean the table and took the opportunity while Wen Wan wasn’t present to quietly ask Song Wei, "Third Brother, can Sister-in-law really recover?"
"Let’s hope so!" Song Wei replied, "It would be best if she could recover, but even if she can’t, she is still your sister-in-law."
"I understand that." Song Fang said, "Don’t worry, I’m not that sort of person."
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