The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Chapter 952 Hibiscus Ointment

Although Xiaoyuer doesn't understand medical principles and isn't as clear about the dangers of Furong Ointment as the old doctor, he is a very rational person and can look at problems rationally.

When this thing suddenly appeared before the exam, his first reaction was not surprise, but vigilance. There must be something fishy about this unusual thing, and it was obviously a trap.

When this stuff first started circulating, he warned Pengpeng not to touch it and to avoid gatherings with others before the exam.

The people who harm you are often those you know well; I've seen far too many examples of this.

Who would have thought that under these circumstances, Pengpeng would still have the mind and the courage to go out and buy this thing to eat secretly.

"You're hopeless! You can explain this to my father yourself tonight," Xiaoyuer said coldly, then ignored the matter and went straight back to her study to continue studying.

He knew his father's temperament; he had zero tolerance for such things. Besides, his own future was the most important thing right now. He didn't have the patience to accompany a stupid cousin who only dragged him down.

Seeing that Xiaoyuer was quite angry and stormed off, and considering what the old doctor had just said, Zhang Lao Er realized that this matter might be far more serious than he had imagined.

At the same time, I was also somewhat relieved that my grandson hadn't been infected.

Madam Xu was furious at his lack of self-respect. "Pengpeng, you're so foolish! The family has given you such good conditions, but you don't cherish them and don't study hard. Now that this has happened, how are we supposed to explain this to your parents? How can you live up to their expectations in Lin'an? When you took a concubine, I told your mother that we couldn't spoil you like this and ruin the family's reputation. But your parents didn't listen, and sure enough, you've gone further and further astray. Sigh!"

Zhang Lao Er secretly tugged at Xu Shi's sleeve, signaling her to be mindful of her words. No matter how bad things were, the child wasn't her own, didn't bear the Zhang surname, and was from a different generation. If she said anything too harsh, she would only offend everyone.

“Pengpeng, don’t blame your grandmother for speaking bluntly. Everyone in the family is genuinely happy for you for passing the imperial examination. After you arrived in the capital, the family hired famous teachers for you and took care of you in every way. You should take advantage of your youth and continue to take the imperial examination to have a bright future. Now, even though your uncle is capable, he is in a bit of a predicament.”

After listening to this lecture, Pengpeng looked dejected and didn't talk back, but he still didn't quite agree with it and felt that the situation with the hibiscus cream had been exaggerated.

Having lived this long, what couldn't Zhang Lao Er understand? After the maid brought the medicine, Peng Peng drank it and her complexion improved. Zhang Lao Er helped tuck her in and gently instructed, "Alright, we won't say anything more. You're all grown up now, so rest well. We'll see how to handle it when your uncle comes back tonight."

At this moment, Pengpeng panicked a little and grabbed Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi's sleeves, pleading, "Grandfather and Grandmother, I was wrong about this. Please don't tell my uncle, okay? I don't want to disappoint him. This hibiscus ointment is really not as serious as you say. Many of my classmates take it and say it works very well. I only use it occasionally to refresh myself. I'm not addicted."

Madam Xu was straightforward and spoke rather bluntly: "Your maternal grandfather and I are illiterate and don't know anything, but Doctor Yan is a famous doctor in the capital. His family has produced imperial physicians for generations. Even he said this stuff is bad, and you're still being stubborn. Your maternal grandfather and I won't argue with you. We'll wait until your uncle comes back tonight and hear what he has to say. He's very knowledgeable, so what he says can't be wrong, right?!"

Pengpeng knew immediately that it was hopeless, so he lay back down, looking rather listless: "Alright then!"

At that moment, he truly did not realize the seriousness of the problem.

Whether it's the Zhang family or the Liu family, apart from Zhang Ping'an's generation, no one in their ancestors going back three generations was able to study and pass the imperial examinations.

So after Pengpeng passed the imperial examinations and became a Xiucai and Juren, he was actually quite proud. He believed that he was more knowledgeable, knew more, and was more capable of accepting new things than his parents' generation.

He genuinely didn't believe this thing could control a person's mind; he was just instinctively trying not to let his uncle know about his bad deeds.

The old doctor shook his head inwardly, but said nothing more.

Some people don't listen to advice.

When Zhang Ping'an returned that evening, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi immediately told him about it. After all, it was their responsibility to help Pengpeng prepare for the exam at their house.

When Zhang Ping'an first heard that Pengpeng was vomiting and had diarrhea, he was very worried that it would affect his exam. But after hearing what happened next, his face turned frosty.

When she saw the full appearance of the hibiscus cream presented by the servant, which confirmed her suspicions, she could no longer hold back and ordered the servant, "Summon the young master and the cousin young master here!"

In the past two years, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi had rarely seen their son lose his temper like this. Seeing him like this now, they knew that things were not so simple.

“It seems that Dr. Yan is very knowledgeable. He could tell at a glance that this thing is not a good thing,” Zhang Lao Er sighed. “It’s also our fault for being negligent these past few days. We didn’t even know when Pengpeng had someone buy this thing.”

Madam Xu also advised, "A lesson is a lesson, but this has nothing to do with Xiaoyuer. Don't scare the two children later; they still have exams to take!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Little Fish and Pengpeng walked in.

After a day of rest, Pengpeng is now much better and in good spirits.

Zhang Ping'an looked over sharply and said angrily, "If you really get infected with this stuff, even if you become the top scholar in the imperial examination, it won't matter. Your family will be ruined sooner or later!"

After saying that, he coldly sneered, "Liu Xiangpeng, kneel down before me!"

The fact that he called out her full name shows how angry he was.

Pengpeng rarely saw Zhang Ping'an like this. With such a powerful aura, his legs immediately went weak. Without thinking twice, he immediately admitted his mistake: "I was wrong, Uncle!"

"Where did you go wrong?"

Pengpeng quickly replied, "I shouldn't have bought the hibiscus paste to eat."

"Now, you'd better tell me everything clearly: when exactly did this Hibiscus Cream start being sold on the market? Who introduced it to you? From whom did you buy it? And who is currently consuming it?" Zhang Ping'an asked coldly.

Pengpeng was stumped by the question and hesitated for a long time before replying uncertainly, "It seems to have only appeared on the market at the beginning of this month. It was introduced to me by the young master of the Ministry of Revenue. If you want to buy it, you can just ask any waiter in the teahouse to go to the clinic or pharmacy."

At this point, Pengpeng sounded quite aggrieved: "Everyone is eating, it's not just me."

Xiaoyuer scoffed, "I've been burying myself in my studies lately. I don't know about others, but my cousins ​​in the Qian family definitely haven't touched these things, and I haven't eaten them either. I remember I even told you, cousin, not to eat them either. What, you've forgotten so quickly?"