Mrs. Qu returned from outside, and as soon as she got into the palanquin, she heard that her husband had broken his leg, which startled her. "What happened? How did this happen?" she asked anxiously. The servant replied, "This morning after the master saw you off in the palanquin, he went to the government office to handle some matters. But he looked worried all day, didn’t eat anything, and came back. Just as he walked in the door and was about to go to the toilet, I happened to pass by and saw a wet spot near the potty, not knowing who dropped a copper coin there. The master saw it, bent down to pick it up, and accidentally slipped. Getting urine on him was a minor issue, but the key was that he exclaimed 'ouch' and said his leg was broken." Mrs. Qu immediately scolded, "You lazy good-for-nothings! If money falls on the ground, why didn’t you pick it up? So, of course, he had to do it himself!" The servant explained, "I missed it; I only found out later when the master mentioned it."
Mrs. Qu asked, "What if he's hurt? Have you called a doctor?" The attendant replied, "After the old man fell, he kept groaning in pain. He's a hefty one; no way I could move him alone! It was only after I managed to call a few servants, cooks, and sedan bearers that we were able to lift him onto the bed. Luckily, Mr. Hu Er, who knew a bit of foreign lingo, was paying a call. When he heard that the old man had broken his leg, he was frantic, saying, 'For us officials, our legs are everything! We bow, we scrape, we run around – if they're gone, we're done for!' Mr. Hu Er was very concerned, and after examining the old man, he immediately went out to fetch a foreign doctor." Mrs. Qu exclaimed, "Why didn't you call an orthopedist? Can we even afford a foreign doctor?" The attendant replied, "The old man said the same thing. When he heard Mr. Hu Er suggest calling a foreign doctor, he was in a panic, saying, 'I'd have to give up all my possessions just to afford him; I'd rather limp!' But Mr. Hu Er insisted and brought the foreign doctor himself. The old man flat-out refused, but Hu Er grabbed his leg and made him look. After examining him, the foreign doctor said, 'It can be treated, but you'll limp when walking in the future.' Mr. Hu Er said, 'Fine! Fine! Fine! So long as he can get around and do his kowtows, even if he's crippled, it's all good.' The foreign doctor said, 'If he only needs to bow and greet, I guarantee I can cure him.' Then Mr. Hu Er asked for a fixed fee, thirty taels of silver." Mrs. Qu inquired, "What did the old man say?" The attendant replied, "The old man was beside himself with worry, and kept secretly signaling Hu Er not to agree to a set price. Hu Er had no choice but to mutter something in the foreign tongue and left with the doctor."
Mrs. Qu finally relaxed, walking towards the back room and asking, "Did you see the bonesetter?" The servant replied, "We hired a charlatan, asking for fifteen taels of silver for treatment, but the master thought it was too expensive. Later, we got a guy who sells charms to draw a talisman; we didn't spend a penny, but it had no effect." Mrs. Qu said, "Why didn't you send me a message earlier?" The servant replied, "I rushed to the Dai Mansion and heard that you went to the governor's office. You know you can't just waltz into the governor's office! So I came back."
As they were talking, Mrs. Qu arrived at the upstairs, went into the back room, and saw the master lying on the bed groaning. She lifted the curtain, looked at him, and asked, "What happened to your leg?" She then asked, "How bad does it hurt? That faith healer said you'd be fine, that you wouldn't be crippled, right?" The master was in pain and confused; hearing his wife's voice, he seemed to understand and said intermittently, "You're back? I could have died from that fall today!" After speaking, he groaned again. Mrs. Qu sat by the bed, sighed, and said, "We are not poor people. If you need money, just tell me; there will be a way. Why break your leg for a few coins? If it can't be cured, you won't even be able to kowtow to pay respects, then your life will be over. What am I supposed to do now?" Saying this, she started crying.
Qu Nai'an said, "Don't cry. Now that you're back, hurry and find a doctor to check on me." His wife replied, "Foreign doctors are too expensive; we can't afford them. Don't mention him. Hurry and invite Mr. Wang, the bone-setter, and ask him how much he wants. I will pay him. He must come tonight, even if I have to wake him up!" The attendant went away for a while and returned, saying, "Mr. Wang said that after ten o'clock at night, even if they had to carry him in a palanquin, he wouldn't come. Let's talk about it tomorrow." His wife exclaimed, "The nerve of that guy! Go tell him, if he doesn't come again, I will have the officials from the yamen bring him here, and we'll see if he dares not to come!" As she spoke, she was about to take a sedan chair back to the yamen. Qu Nai'an hurriedly waved his hand and said, "What time is it now? You can't go, you can't go! How much time will you waste going back and forth like this? Wait a little longer until dawn. Invite him again then; he will come eventually. Why disturb the yamen in the middle of the night? If he comes, we must pay him in full, not a penny less. I can wait a little longer." She thought about it and held back. Sure enough, not long after, it was dawn. After a while, his wife quickly sent someone to invite Mr. Wang. The family member went for a while before returning, saying, "Mr. Wang just got out of bed; he's seeing patients and has to finish before he can come." They had no choice but to wait.
Around four in the afternoon, Mr. Wang finally arrived. After entering the room, he first asked Qu Nai'an, "How did you fall?" Qu Nai'an quickly stretched out his injured leg for him to see. Mr. Wang, with only one eye, tilted his head and squinted to look carefully, saying, "The bone is dislocated; as long as I pop it back into place, it will be fine, nothing serious." In the inner room, Qu's wife said, "Since that's the case, please help set it back."
Mr. Wang said, "If it were someone else's house, it would cost at least fifty dollars. As a favor, let's make it a 10% discount." Mrs. Qu immediately became anxious, "This is too expensive! Even more than a Western doctor!" Mr. Wang didn't say anything, and Mrs. Qu continued to haggle with him for a long time. Mr. Wang said, "If you want me to treat him, it will be at this price. If you don't want to spend money, then don't invite me. You should know that your master's leg is valuable, not just any old leg. I can guarantee that he will be able to walk in three to five days. I use high-quality herbs and ingredients, all worth forty dollars. Even if I just set the bone without using medicine, it will still take me half an hour, and I will have to charge at least five dollars." Mrs. Qu asked, "If you just set the bone without using medicine, would that work?" Mr. Wang said, "It's not that it won't work, it's just that the recovery will be slower. Although the bones are broken, the surrounding flesh is dying from lack of blood flow. It will slowly decay in the future and will need medication to heal. In the end, you will end up spending more money than me, and it will take even longer. You can consider it yourselves; I don't mind." Mrs. Qu thought that forty-five dollars was still too much, and she calculated in her mind, "Let him set the bone first; I can find a way with the medicine. I saw various trauma medicines and healing salves in my grandmother's glass cabinet yesterday. I just need to ask for some; maybe they are even better than his." With a decision made, she said, "We have good medicine ourselves; we can just ask the magistrate's office for some. Right now, all we need is for you to set the bone." When Mr. Wang realized that he was losing business, he felt unhappy, and losing his patience, he grabbed Qu Naian's leg and forcefully set it. A cry of pain erupted from the bed, and Qu Naian passed out.
Mrs. Qu heard the sound in the inner room and felt that something was wrong. She quickly ran out and asked, "What happened?" Mr. Wang ignored her. Mrs. Qu lifted the curtain and saw the master rolling his eyes, breathless, and sweat pouring down his face, beading like peas. Seeing this situation, Mrs. Qu knew that Mr. Wang had nearly killed the old man. Mr. Wang rolled up his sleeves, tucked the leg under his arm, and tried to use brute force to reset it. Mrs. Qu was anxious, "Hey, stop it! If you keep this up, the master's leg, which wasn't broken before, might actually break! He might be a goner!" While speaking, she pressed on the master's pressure point. Fortunately, after a while, Master Qu slowly regained consciousness, moaning and groaning in pain. Seeing the master coming back to life, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew, we almost lost him!"
Mr. Wang was scolded by Mrs. Qu and had to let go, standing aside with a blank stare. When Master Qu recovered, he wanted to try again. Mrs. Qu quickly waved her hand, "Don't come near him again! If you do, my master might really die at your hands! Get the gatekeeper to pay this quack and send him packing!" Mr. Wang had no choice but to follow the servant to the gatekeeper's lodge to demand five silver dollars for his fare. Mr. Wang disagreed and insisted, "I was hired by you, your wife agreed to pay me five dollars, medicine or no medicine. You don't want me to treat him now, that's your problem! You're not paying me less!" The gatekeeper said, "Your skills are rubbish, that's why we stopped you! Honestly, you're not worth a cent! Four hundred cash is already more than you deserve, get lost!"
Mr. Wang was scolded by the gatehouse keeper, but he refused to leave. He stayed at the gate and said, "You're trying to ruin my name, I'll fight ya!" The gatehouse keeper said, "If this bum doesn't leave, I will have to use force!" Then he decked Mr. Wang twice. Mr. Wang was furious, lying on the ground shouting for help. The ruckus woke the whole house up. Qu Nai'an, lying on the bed, said, "Why argue with the guy? Just give him some money and get rid of him." Mrs. Qu said, "If you have money, you give it to him! I don't have that much. If he leaves, fine. If not, I'll go to the cops and have them haul him away!" Then she went outside and had someone drive him away.
As the argument continued, Mr. Hu came to visit Qu Nai'an. Mrs. Qu hurried back inside. Mr. Hu asked, "What's all the noise about?" The gatehouse keeper explained the situation. Mr. Hu, still considering the overall situation, sweet-talked Mr. Wang and eventually took out a big stack of cash from his own pocket. Only then did Mr. Wang agree to leave. As he left, he said, "If it wasn't for Hu, I woulda beat the crap outta him!" Then he dusted himself off and split.
Old Man Hu followed a servant of the Qu family into the inner room, while Mrs. Qu hid behind the bed. Old Man Hu immediately asked, "How's big brother's leg? Is it getting better?" Qu Nai'an couldn't speak; he just shook his head. Old Man Hu, who was sworn brothers with Mr. Qu, was particularly anxious and said to the servant, "We've tried Chinese doctors, but they haven't helped, so we need to try something else. We can't just wait like this. When will he get better? I know your master's situation; we have a good relationship. I can cover twenty or thirty bucks for him." When he said this, Mrs. Qu heard that he was willing to pay, so she spoke from behind the bed, "Old Man Hu, you are so caring about us, over and over. As long as the foreign doctor is reliable, please help us invite him!" Old Man Hu replied, "This foreign doctor graduated from a foreign medical school; he's well-known. If even he can't cure him, what kind of doctor can? Besides, thirty bucks isn't much." Mrs. Qu said, "That's great, I'll leave it to you!" Not long after, Old Man Hu really brought the foreign doctor, charging thirty bucks for treatment, with a written agreement. The foreign doctor worked on Qu Nai'an's leg for a while, without prescribing any medicine. Surprisingly, the foreign doctor was really skilled, and he felt much better that day. After three visits, he could walk again and wasn't limping anymore. They were so happy!
Mrs. Qu has been going to see Miss Bao every day since she recognized her as her child's godmother, except for the two days when Mr. Qu was ill. She also went to the Governor's yamen with Miss Bao twice, and the Ninth Madam has also invited her. Although they are not particularly close, in the eyes of others, it is already something to brag about. Mrs. Qu took the opportunity to ask Miss Bao to help her husband find a good job, saying, "I won't hide it from you, ever since my husband took this position, he has racked up a mountain of debt. Although he has had a few jobs, the expenses in the city are high, and his salary is not enough. These days, having a job, big or small, just means everyone wants favors. It's better to have nothing to do. Now my husband is suffering from these tasks, so the more he owes, the more he will owe. Don't laugh at us, at this rate, in another two years, we will go broke. So please, help us out. We're desperate!"
Miss Bao listened to this and felt quite sympathetic towards them, so she deliberately went to the prefect's office to tell Ninth Madam about it. Ninth Madam said, "Just tell your godfather about this." Miss Bao replied, "I'm sure my godfather will agree. But I still need to ask my godmother to help persuade him to make it quicker." Ninth Madam agreed. Miss Bao immediately ran to the private office and begged the prefect to get Qu Nai'an a good job. At first, the prefect disagreed, saying, "He already has a job and can manage. There are people in the provincial capital waiting for a good position for over ten years, and they still can't get one. Tell him not to be ungrateful." When Miss Bao saw that the prefect disagreed, she started to throw a tantrum. Since there was no one in the office, she sat on the prefect's lap, pulled his ear with one hand, and said, "Godfather! I've promised someone about this. If you don't agree, how can I face them?" With that, she took out a handkerchief and started crying. The prefect, worn down by her, finally agreed. Miss Bao waited until he agreed, wiped her tears, and sat aside. At that moment, Ninth Madam also came in and put in a good word. Naturally, the prefect could not refuse anymore, so he agreed on the spot, saying that he would secure a decent position for Qu Nai'an when he met the prefect the next day. Then Miss Bao left. Turns out, Qu Nai'an and his wife, both in their late forties, were desperate for a son.
Qu Nai'an desperately wanted a son. Whenever the lack of a son was mentioned, he would sigh. He longed to take a concubine but was afraid of his wife and didn't dare to bring it up. His wife also understood his intentions. She was barren, and despite being generally accommodating, she never agreed to him taking a concubine. Whenever she saw her husband anxiously longing for a son, she would comfort him by saying, "It'll happen eventually. It's just a matter of time. There are women who have babies in their fifties. We're not that old yet, so why rush?" His wife shot him down a few times, and although he didn't say anything on the surface, the idea still lingered. His friends all knew he was henpecked and would tease him about it. At first, he denied it, but eventually, he confessed.
One day, a friend invited him to dinner, and everyone who joined them were people who loved going to brothels. Two of them suggested that after dinner, they should go to Hankou to drink flower wine and party until dawn before returning. Everyone agreed, except for Mr. Qu, who remained silent. They began to tease him, saying he was afraid of his wife and scared to go home to kneel and scrub the washboard. At that moment, Mr. Qu had already had a few drinks, his face flushed with alcohol, and suddenly he felt bold enough to say, "I'm going too!" They all asked him, "Are you serious?" Mr. Qu replied, "Of course I'm serious! I need to relax too. If I'm really afraid of her, can I still consider myself a man?" Everyone found his behavior surprising. That night, they indeed went to Hankou and partied all night. The next day, once they sobered up, they regretted it, fearing their wives would be angry. When they returned home, they concocted a lie, claiming there was official business at the office and that a gang of bandits had been brought in from out of town. Because he was experienced, they said, he had been specially assigned to interrogate them, which was why he didn't come back. His wife believed it, thinking it was an honorable task for him to handle, and not only did she not blame him, but she also said, "Since there's official business, why didn't you send someone to deliver a message back home instead of making us wait? And it's cold at night; someone should have sent you some clothes." Mr. Qu was touched by his wife's thoughtfulness and thanked her profusely. After ten days or half a month, his friends noticed that he was fine after drinking flower wine, so they began inviting him often. At first, he declined a few times, but later, realizing that his wife had been deceived, he grew bolder and started going out with his friends more frequently. Although he had a family, he had long been oppressed by his wife, feeling only fear and no joy. Then one day, he visited a brothel, flirted with a girl, and felt an overwhelming sense of relaxation, as if he were experiencing being a man for the first time—a joy that was indescribable.
In Hankou, there was a prostitute named Aizhu, who wasn't much to look at and business was slow. Once, Qu Nai'an went to a place with girls with a friend, but since they didn't have an introduction, the friend introduced him to Aizhu. Aizhu had few customers, so when one finally came, she went out of her way to please him. After drinking that night, it was already late, and Aizhu wanted Qu Nai'an to stay. He was worried about what people would think and what his wife would say, but he ended up staying the night, with Aizhu accompanying him. The next day, he crossed the river back home and fed his wife a line. This was his first slip-up, and although he didn't spend the night, he was touched by Aizhu's warmth and felt she was different from others.
Later on, Qu Nai'an often went across the river to party with his mates. Aizhu would usually show up, and his friends would ask him to treat them. He couldn't get out of it. One day, his wife went to visit Mrs. Dai and wasn't coming home that night. Qu Nai'an was thrilled; he knew she would be at Dai's or the governor's mansion all night. He quickly changed into new clothes, took his salary and 20 yuan, and went across the river to find Aizhu. His Hankou friends soon arrived, and Qu Nai'an unexpectedly became the main man, with Aizhu sitting beside him, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, making him feel like a king, happier than ever, on cloud nine.
That day, Aizhu wanted to stay with him again. Knowing that his wife wouldn’t be back, he agreed. Let's just say things got intimate. Aizhu cried on his shoulder and said, "I was originally from a good family, but they sold me here because we had no money. This place is driving me crazy, and the madam is too difficult to serve. I can't take it anymore. Master, if you truly want to save me, then please save me completely. Let me leave here; even if I have to be a servant, I’m willing." She cried non-stop as she spoke. Qu's heart ached, and he started to cry too. Aizhu asked him again, "Master, what do you really mean?" Qu Nai'an couldn't answer for a moment. He both pitied and sympathized with her, wanting to help, but his wife was a real firecracker, so this plan would definitely not work. If he did it behind her back, there would surely be trouble in the future. So he hesitated. Aizhu hugged his neck and cried, saying, "Master Qu, you are too heartless! I am begging you like this, and you still don't pity me. Don't worry, I only sold myself for two hundred and fifty yuan initially; if you add half, five hundred yuan would be enough!" Qu Nai'an was shocked to hear five hundred yuan, thinking to himself, "Where am I going to get five hundred yuan?" He was stunned but couldn't bring himself to refuse her, so he said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow." He let her have her way, for now.
The next day, his wife was likely still out, so a friend invited him to go out drinking and gambling, and he didn't go home again. Aizhu kept asking him. Qu Nai'an also wanted to help her, but his wife disagreed, and there wasn't enough money, so he couldn't promise anything for the time being. As luck would have it, the friend who invited him to drink was Da Xuandong, a famous wealthy man from Hubei. He'd made his fortune as a military officer. His father had been dead for several years, and he was supposedly still in mourning, yet he spent his days eating, drinking, womanizing, and gambling, making friends with everyone and drinking together. But he had a strange temperament: when a friend urgently needed money, he wouldn't lend a penny; but if a prostitute needed to redeem herself, or if he lost money gambling, he would be willing to lend hundreds or thousands, and never backed down. Therefore, Hubei officials, bureaucrats, and gamblers all liked to associate with him. He also used his influence to bully the brothel owners. Qu Nai'an knew his temperament, and since it was his treat, a plan formed in his mind.
He first went to the house that Da Xuandong often visited and asked, "Has Lord Da arrived?" The woman in charge said, "He just woke up and is smoking in the room." Qu Nai'an went in, and Da Xuandong got up to greet him, immediately asking, "Are you free tonight?" Qu Nai'an replied, "I'll definitely join you." The two chatted for a while. Qu Nai'an wanted to speak but hesitated several times before finally leaning in to Da Xuandong's ear and saying, "I want to discuss something with you." Da Xuandong had already put down his opium pipe and was waiting, asking, "What is it?" Qu Nai'an hesitated, his face turning red, and said, "It's about Aizhu." Da Xuandong asked, "Do you want to marry her?" Qu Nai'an responded, "Wow, you got it!" He then explained the situation regarding the money to buy her freedom in detail, saying, "Everything else is fine, but the five hundred yuan for her freedom is too difficult, so I came to discuss it with you." Da Xuandong said, "The money for her freedom is a small matter. You know my temper; I don't lend money to friends or relatives in need, but I’m willing to help with redeeming someone or if someone loses money gambling. However, does your wife agree? Don't make everyone uncomfortable later." Qu Nai'an blushed and said, "Um...". Da Xuandong asked, "Um... what do you think?" Qu Nai'an replied, "...I'll think about it." Da Xuandong said, "Let me know when you've made up your mind. I've got the cash."
Qu Nai'an went back to Aizhu's room, just stared at her, speechless, like a lemon for ages. Aizhu asked him again, "So, how'd it go?" After a while, he couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Whatever you say." Aizhu urged him to quickly call the madam to discuss. The madam showed up, and Qu Nai'an stammered, his face turning red as a beet, couldn't get a word out. Luckily, Aizhu just laid it all out. The madam first asked for eight hundred, but after some negotiation, they settled on five hundred and fifty. Aizhu asked Qu Nai'an, "What do you think?" Qu Nai'an said, "I do have five hundred, any more and I have nowhere else to borrow from." The madam said, "Mr. Qu, you're loaded, fifty bucks is nothing to you, right?" Aizhu also got angry and said, "Mr. Qu! Fifty bucks is all it takes, and you won't help me?!" She started to cry. Qu Nai'an had no choice but to seek help from Da Xuandong. Da Xuandong was all over it, said he'd lend the five fifty, and then added, "Once you're married, you'll need a new place. I've got a spare place on the west end of Yang Street you can use." He continued, "Rent's not gonna cover it, you'll have other expenses too. I've handled this a million times, I know the drill. I'll cover everything, consider the five fifty a loan, and here's two hundred for a wedding gift. That's it." Qu Nai'an was stoked, and that day he checked out the place and started buying furniture.
Sorted. Qu Nai'an went to the brothel to straighten things out with the madam, and that same evening, he used a sedan chair to bring Aizhu out. On that day, Qu Nai'an only had his new missus in his heart, and his courage had grown. He'd completely forgotten his wife. That evening, he did not go home. The next evening, he laid on a couple of tables of food and invited friends to dinner, with Da Xuandong naturally sitting at the head table. During the meal, everyone started playing a drinking game, enjoying themselves. After the dinner, it was half past midnight. Qu Nai'an had not returned home for three days running. His wife and Miss Bao were staying in the Yamen during these three days.
