Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Astronomically Priced Ointment_1

“Miss, don’t worry, the old lady from Stone Village will be here bright and early tomorrow, and you will soon have the healing ointment you’ve been asking about for half a month. I’m sure everything will go as you wish.” Cuihe said.

Hearing these words, Wei Qingwan’s spirits lifted slightly; finally, there was some bit of good news.

The old woman Cuihe spoke of had a grandson who previously fell and cut himself deeply on rocks, nearly disfiguring his face. However, after using the ointment, his skin healed without any trace of a scar.

This ointment was exactly what Wei Qingwan had been persistently inquiring about recently.

Now that she had some information, she was resolved to find out more.

Wei Qingwan nodded.

###

Early the next morning, Wei Qingwan sent Cuihe to wait at the back door for the old woman. The old woman from Stone Village arrived half an hour late.

She had white hair and rows of wrinkles on her face. Her clothes were ragged but clean.

Cuihe complained a bit: an invitation to the General Residence was an incredible honor for such a country woman, yet she had the audacity to make them wait!

But considering that the information from this old woman concerned her mistress’s future, Cuihe endured her frustration and led the elderly woman to Wangmei Garden.

Once inside, Cuihe introduced the old woman to Wei Qingwan, “This is my mistress. Please tell her everything you can about the ointment that healed your grandson’s face.”

The old woman cast a glance at Wei Qingwan and then answered, “The ointment was gifted by a Divine Doctor. My great-grandson used three boxes and his face recovered completely without a single scar.”

“We’ve heard all of that. My mistress wants to know who this Divine Doctor is, where he is currently, and how we can get this ointment.” said Cuihe impatiently.

“I don’t know much about the Divine Doctor, but I can tell you how to get the ointment,” replied the old woman.

“Well, speak up quickly then!” demanded Cuihe.

Wei Qingwan was also looking at the old woman intently.

“His medicine is sold in Tongde Hall in the provincial city. Normally, people can’t ask for it but once you mention inquiring about the Divine Doctor’s healing ointment, the shop assistant will lead you upstairs,” answered the old woman.

“Is this true?” Wei Qingwan’s eyes had noticeably brightened.

“I absolutely wouldn’t dare deceive you, young miss. You belong to a wealthy family and will be a queen in the future. Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn’t dare lie to you!” the old woman replied.

“So we just need to do as you said?” Wei Qingwan confirmed once more.

“Yes, and then you can buy it,” the old woman replied.

“Excellent.” Wei Qingwan’s mood noticeably lifted, and she couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Miss, I’ll ask my parents to visit the provincial city tomorrow!” Cuihe said.

Wei Qingwan nodded.

Then another question occurred to her, and she asked the old woman, “How much does a box of this ointment cost at Tongde Hall?”

“One hundred taels of silver per box.”

The astronomical price from the old woman made Wei Qingwan question whether she was hearing correctly.

“What? One hundred taels of silver per box?” Cuihe exclaimed.

“That’s correct.” the old woman affirmed.

“You must be joking! How could you afford such expensive medicine? You are just an old woman who doesn’t even have a few coins to her name!” asked Cuihe.

“Of course, I can’t afford it. Even if I sold myself, I couldn’t afford it! Didn’t I tell you before? The ointment was a gift from the Divine Doctor. He didn’t charge us a penny!” the old woman explained.

Cuihe turned to Wei Qingwan and, frowning slightly, carefully asked, “What should we do now, Miss?”

Wei Qingwan looked at the old woman and asked, “So you’re saying your grandson used three boxes of the ointment and there was not a trace of a scar left, is that correct?”

“Yes, there is no sign of a scar, just like he was never injured,” the old woman confirmed.

“So this expensive ointment isn’t enough to use for just one box?” Cuihe asked in shock and frustration. This was her several months’ salary!

“Of course not. After using two boxes there was still a trace remaining. Only after the third box was used did the scars completely disappear.”

In other words, Wei Qingwan too would need at least three boxes, costing three hundred taels of silver!

The delight in Wei Qingwan’s face was replaced by deep concern.

Right now, all she had was her own jewelry, which was worth some money, but she certainly couldn’t sell her only decent ornaments, and even if she did, they wouldn’t fetch such a high price.

However, she desperately needed this ointment. According to her sources, the ointment worked best the sooner it was applied, ideally directly after the scabs fell off.

If she waited for a year or two, even if she used the ointment, scars would still remain.

She had already delayed for some time and if she didn’t use the ointment soon, she feared she would lose the opportunity to heal completely.

What should she do? What was the right course of action?

Wei Qingwan stayed silent for a long while, not uttering a single word.

Seeing her not speaking, the old woman cautiously asked, “Is there anything else that this old woman can help you with, Miss?”

Cuihe gave the old woman a cold look. Did she really think she could help her mistress? Did she even know her place?

Wei Qingwan asked sombrely, “Did you do anything to merit the Divine Doctor’s kindness, or why did he give you the ointment?”

“There wasn’t any particular reason. It was a chance encounter. The Divine Doctor took pity on my great-grandson and treated his wounds. Before leaving, he gave me three boxes of the ointment and told me to apply it to my great-grandson every morning and evening,” the old woman answered.

“Then where can we find this Divine Doctor?” Cuihe asked anxiously.

“I, this old woman, do not know!” the old woman said, shrugging.

“If you don’t know how to find the Divine Doctor, how do you know that you can buy the medicine at Tongde Hall?” Wei Qingwan continued questioning.

“That’s because the Divine Doctor told me before he left that if I ran out, I could go to Tongde Hall and do as I just explained. He also said that he would inform the shop assistant, so I wouldn’t have to pay,” the old woman explained all the details, but her account wasn’t of much help to Wei Qingwan.

Wei Qingwan looked at the old woman and realized there was no point in questioning her further. “Alright, you may go now.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the old woman nodded repeatedly.

A reluctant Cuihe escorted the old woman to the back gate and immediately turned to leave, not even bothering to say a courteous word to her.

After Cuihe left, the old woman grumbled in the direction of the residence, “They called me all this way, asked all those questions, and didn’t even offer me a cup of tea! They didn’t even say ‘thank you’. How rude!”

Immediately after, she chuckled to herself, “Well, I was just here to do what the young master asked of me. I don’t care about your attitudes!”

Elsewhere, after sending off the old woman, Wei Qingwan pondered for a long while and decided to have nursemaid Li verify the old woman’s story by visiting Tongde Hall in the provincial city.