Chapter 77.1 – East Market Endgame

Ran Yan took her veiled hat off, and then used cotton moistened with alcohol to wipe a small part of the skin on Zi Xu’s forearm. She restrained Zi Xu’s wrist with her hand and looked at the fairly thick syringe needle. She internally sighed, she had to use this for the skin test… It was really troublesome!

All the needles used for skin tests are very thin so that it can be inserted in the skin, and so that it does not injure the flesh nor the blood vessel. The thicker the needle, the bigger the probability of failing.

Hong Xing’s and Zi Xu’s gazes were completely drawn towards Ran Yan’s appearance. So this was the most notorious person in all Suzhou recently! Even though it wasn’t a reputation for anything good.

Zi Xu was enthralled, and her consciousness only came back when she felt her arm hurt. As if expecting her movement, Ran Yan firmly grasped her wrist and waited for the penicillin inside the syringe to be fully injected into her arm before pulling the needle out.

“Do not touch it, just wait still.” Ran Yan put down the needle and took a new syringe and a new needle. She then raised her head to look at Hong Xing, “Stretch your arm.”

Because the medicine Ran Yan gave brought their illness under control, they trusted her wholeheartedly.

Hong Xing saw Zi Xu’s twisted eyebrows and timidly rolled her sleeve up, revealing her snow-white arm. She softly asked: “It hurts?”

Zi Xu simply squeezed her brows and did not speak for a good while.

Skin tests hurt a lot more than an injection, and this pain will persist for a very long time. The people from the ancient times who weren’t accustomed to taking injection would certainly feel that it was awfully painful.

At this time, Madam Yan had already rushed into the room, feeling that the atmosphere inside wasn’t quite right. Zi Xu was twisting her brows with her eyes hanging down, not saying a word. Hong Xing pursed her lips tightly, her face somewhat pale.

Madam Yan couldn’t help frowning. As prostitutes, how could they behave so mannerlessly towards the guest? It doesn’t matter if the visitor is a man or a woman, old or young, they must be flexible to cleverly grasp the control of the atmosphere.

“Doctor Ran has come but this Madam Yan did not go welcome you. Please excuse my lack of manners.” When Madam Yan entered the room, she could already gather the mood inside. She displayed a smile while apologizing to Ran Yan.

“Madam Yan is too polite. I have never bothered about these formalities. Please have a seat.” Ran Yan was wiping Hong Xing’s forearm with alcohol, “The remedy I used may not be effective in some people, so we need to test it out first. This test doesn’t bring any risk, it just hurts a little.”

Madam Yan nodded and said, “Those so-called doctors should all learn from doctor Ran’s meticulous treatment.”

As she talked, her gaze fell on Ran Yan’s face, and a flash of surprise passed through her calm gaze. But as rapidly as it came, it also rapidly fell through when Ran Yan pricked the needle in Hong Xing’s skin with and undisturbed face.

Ran Yan silently injected the skin test of the three people one by one. Madam Yan kept on talking to Ran Yan. She usually saw all sorts of people and is always examining their manners and expressions. She couldn’t restrain herself anymore when she looked at Ran Yan and proceed to speak, “I heard a rumor in the city. Are you (polite) still performing autopsies?”

When she said this, Madam Yan sized her up carefully.

Ran Yan had an indifferent expression while answering, “One autopsy is one hundred taels, it’s a fixed price. If someone needs it, feel free to come to me.”
Madam Yan secretly sighed. Ran Yan speaking the words “feel free” made her look like a crafty merchant, yet not a particularly rude one. Still, her open-minded attitude when facing rumors and slanders was envious.

“Doctor Ran’s magnanimity is admirable, but I have to remind you of something.” Madam Yan saw her brows form a slight frown, appearing to be attentively listening. She then continued, “There are some rumors that if you ignore them, they will look ridiculous, and will fade out with time, gradually disappearing. However, some rumors will be like an invisible sharp knife, and once they stab you, you may never be able to free yourself from it.”