Chapter 23: No Debts Carried into the New Year

Zuo Gui looked at the purse in his wife’s hand and said nothing. Its size alone told him there could not be enough to pay all the rent.

Huixiang hurried out of the kitchen.

“You’re back! Let me see.”

She weighed it and blinked.

“Two or three thousand wen?”

“Exactly two thousand seven hundred!”

Madam Liang beamed.

“I tried several pawnshops and offered to give up the right to redeem it. The best would pay only two thousand five hundred. Then I met Master Yu from the jade shop beside the yamen. He offered two thousand seven hundred! What luck!”

That was equivalent to thirteen thousand five hundred yuan—a considerable sum in the early Tang. It was still far short of the nine thousand wen they owed, but perhaps paying this much would earn them more time.

Everyone brightened.

“Why not pay it now?” Huixiang said. “If Auntie Zhao agrees to wait for the rest, we can enjoy New Year.”

“That’s an idea,” her mother agreed. “But we shouldn’t give her everything. We need something for the holiday. It won’t cover the whole debt anyway. What do you think?”

Zuo Gui smiled.

“Take Madam Zhao two thousand six hundred. Keep a hundred for New Year.”

“Yes! And our quilts are so thin. Zhong caught cold last night. If we give him ours, you have nothing. Could we buy him another quilt to keep him warm this winter?”

Zuo Gui nodded.

“A kudzu-and-hemp quilt costs only ten wen. Yes. Spend the rest as you think best.”

She took one string of coins from the purse and tucked it into her clothes.

“It’s dark, Mother,” Zuo Shaoyang said as she headed out. “I’ll go with you.”

She nodded happily. He took the purse and followed.

A sturdy little boy answered Madam Zhao’s door. Once they explained their errand, he ran to fetch her. She soon came out and welcomed them inside.

Her house was a small courtyard property with two successive sections. The furnishings were not luxurious. She evidently lived frugally.

In the reception room, Madam Liang put the purse on the table.

“A patient came today—a woman whose baby had been dead inside her for days. It wouldn’t come, and she was nearly dying too. Doctor Ni at Huimin Hall couldn’t help. They passed our shop crying on the way home and came in to beg for treatment. My husband took pity and prescribed something. And would you believe it, the baby was delivered!”

“Really?” Madam Zhao’s eyes widened. “Doctor Zuo can do that?”

“He certainly can!”

Madam Liang radiated happiness.

“They were so grateful! They bowed and thanked him and gave him a bracelet as his fee. It brought two thousand six hundred wen. My husband said we mustn’t keep a coin: it was all to go to you.

“We know things aren’t easy for you either. You’ve looked after us all these years. Anyone else would have thrown us out long ago. Now we have some money, however hard it leaves us, the rent must come first. So here it is. Count it: two thousand six hundred. Every last coin!”

Madam Zhao’s eyes gleamed. She drew the purse towards her, opened it and took out the strings of coins. The count was exact.

Her face broke into a smile.

“I always said you were fortunate people. Whatever hardship comes, someone will help. Look at Doctor Zuo! Saved a life. Such virtue will surely bring blessings!”

“Yes!”

Madam Liang leaned closer, smiling more warmly.

“A few more patients like that and your rent will be paid. But New Year’s Eve is almost here. Even with three heads and six arms, my husband couldn’t do much in two days.

“Besides, if we leave, you won’t find another tenant straight away. Rather than let it stand empty, let us stay a little longer. We’ll make up everything we owe…”

Receiving the money had pleased Madam Zhao. This request cooled her smile. She glanced at Zuo Shaoyang.

“Doctor Zuo is capable. I know that. I took the medicine he prescribed yesterday, and my stomach feels much better today. I said then that he was a good physician who simply hadn’t been appreciated.

“But every family has its troubles. And don’t tell me there’s no one to rent my property. Old Li from Sweet Jujube Lane has long wanted it for an oil-and-salt shop. He’ll pay a year in advance. I haven’t agreed because a shop like that is dirty, whereas a medicine shop does good and earns merit.”

“Of course,” Madam Liang said with an apologetic smile. “Everyone round here knows how kind you are.”

“Indeed they do.”

Madam Zhao pursed her lips without modesty. A little pressure had produced a first payment, she reflected. Clearly she must not soften. Pressure was what worked.

She straightened her face.

“There’s no need to say more. I’ve given my word: payment on New Year’s Eve. Pay, and you keep the premises. Fail, and you leave the medicines and go. You’re asking me to take back what I’ve already said. That’s difficult.”

Madam Liang sensed room for persuasion and poured out more flattery and pleas.

At last Madam Zhao slapped her thigh.

“Very well. You’ve come begging in this bitter cold. It would be unreasonable not to allow something. But debts mustn’t cross into the new year.

“Pay the greater part by noon on New Year’s Eve, and I’ll leave the smaller part until the fifteenth of the first month. New Year isn’t properly over until then. Collecting during the festivities can just about be justified. Will that do?”

“How much is the greater part?” Zuo Shaoyang asked.

She calculated on her fingers.

“Call it six thousand. You’ve paid two thousand five hundred, so there’s three thousand five hundred to come. I’ll collect it at noon on New Year’s Eve. If it’s ready, the rest can wait until the fifteenth.

“But let’s be clear: if you can’t pay, leave of your own accord. Don’t make things ugly. Since you’ll have paid part, I’ll have the medicines valued. If they don’t cover the balance, you’ll still owe me, and I’ll have people pursue it. If there’s anything over, I’ll return it. I’m not one to take advantage, but I’m no pushover either!”

Madam Liang begged for more time. Madam Zhao remained immovable. They could only take their leave.

Outside in the cold, snow began falling again, each flake flickering in the light. Zuo Shaoyang had no heart for its beauty now. Both were dejected.

His mother forced a smile.

“Come, Zhong. Let’s buy your quilt.”

“No. Don’t buy it. She’s fixed the terms now. Keep the hundred wen for the rent. What if we fall short by just that much and have nowhere to find it?”

“A hundred won’t make the difference.”

She struggled to keep smiling in the wind.

“You’re delicate. One quilt isn’t enough. You mustn’t fall ill again. And you can’t have ours tonight. Your father is old. Another night like that could make him ill. If he collapses, we’re finished.”

Zuo Shaoyang felt ashamed.

“I didn’t know you were giving me your own quilt. I thought it was spare. I’d never have taken it if I’d known. Don’t worry, Mother. I’m not so frail. Last night I wandered about in the snowy alley, then undressed to sleep. That’s why I caught cold. Tonight I’ll stay inside and keep my clothes on. I won’t get chilled again.”

---

**Enjoyed this story?**
Discover more chapters of **The Young Physician of the Tang Dynasty** at [**NovelPotato.asia**](https://novelpotato.asia/the-young-physician-of-the-tang-dynasty/).