Chapter 149 Opening a Medical Clinic

Lin Langluan was tall, fair, and possessed handsome features. He wore fine silk robes and spoke in a grand, confident manner.

With a smile on his face, Lin Langluan turned to the villagers and continued, "I would like to apologize to everyone for what happened with my sister last time. I was too anxious back then and didn't pay attention to how I spoke."

"Therefore, I sincerely want to say I am sorry. We will need to continue working together in the future, and I truly hope there won't be any lingering resentment between us."

"After I said those things last time, my sister scolded me when I got home. What I did was wrong, so I am sorry."

As he spoke, Lin Langluan bowed deeply to the villagers.

Hearing these words, the village chief quickly waved his hands and said to Lin Langluan, "Oh, such a small matter! How could we possibly hold on to it?"

In the village chief's impression, government officials were always arrogant and never looked upon commoners as human beings. Today, seeing Lin Langluan apologize, the chief could faintly see Lin Miaomiao's demeanor in him.

Lin Langluan was unaware of why the village chief kept looking him up and down. When the crowd finally dispersed, the chief walked over to Lin Langluan and softly said, "Thank you."

Not knowing what this "thank you" signified and without overthinking it, Lin Langluan turned and left the sugar mill.

The wedding of Lin Jiwang and Ruoyu was soon finalized. The bricks used for their new home were all produced by their family's own brickyard.

When Ruoyu set eyes upon her spacious courtyard with gray-brick walls and tiled roof, tears streamed down her face.

Since Ruoyu had no paternal family to speak of, her wedding procession departed from Lin Miaomiao's residence. Lanzhi and Cuiliu thus acted as her surrogate family.

The sedan chair was carried out through the main gate of Lin Miaomiao's house, making a full tour around the entire county town amidst the lively sounds of gongs and drums.

Hand in hand, Lin Miaomiao and Li Yanhe arrived at Lin Jiwang's home to attend the wedding banquet of the newlyweds.

Nanny Zhao looked at Ruoyu and Lin Jiwang, feeling deeply emotional to see them united in happiness.

Noticing Nanny Zhao gazing at her intently, Lin Miaomiao raised her head in mild confusion and asked, "What is the matter, Nanny Zhao?"

Hearing this, Nanny Zhao used her handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes and said softly to Lin Miaomiao, "Now that I am getting old, seeing these young people lead better and better lives brings joy to my own heart."

Hearing her words and glancing toward the direction where Ruoyu and Lin Jiwang were celebrating their union, Lin Miaomiao smiled and nodded.

She then cast a look at Li Yanhe. As if sensing her gaze, Li Yanhe lifted his head and offered her a warm, gentle smile.

At that moment, Yuan Lin appeared from somewhere holding a handful of wedding candies and walked over to Lin Miaomiao and Li Yanhe. As she handed over the sweets, she glanced at Lin Miaomiao's abdomen and blurted out uninhibitedly, "Sister-in-law, when are you going to give birth to a nephew to liven up this household?"

Unsurprisingly, no sooner had Yuan Lin spoken than she received a fierce glare from Yuan Sihan standing beside her. Yuan Lin blinked back at him with a completely bewildered expression.

A blissful smile bloomed on Lin Miaomiao's face as she turned to Li Yanhe and joked, "Look at you, always clamoring for a child, yet the baby still hasn't arrived. In a few days, I suppose we'll just have to go to the Guanyin Temple and pray."

Her words were mostly teasing. Li Yanhe merely smiled faintly at her side without a word.

After three rounds of drinks, Yuan Sihan patted Li Yanhe on the shoulder and said to him, "Seeing you living such a happy life now brings peace of mind to me as your uncle, and your mother can rest in peace as well."

Hearing this, Li Yanhe let out a heavy sigh and replied to Yuan Sihan, "My mother has already passed away. Even if she couldn't rest in peace, she is already gone from this world, isn't she?"

Yuan Sihan burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this, completely unbothered by Li Yanhe's tone.

"When your mother was carrying you, she was herself still a child. She didn't know how to be a mother, but she knew how to fight for her son's rights."

"I know you resent her, but if it weren't for her, you would right now be standing in the Crown Prince's position, or the Third Prince's position, struggling in the whirlpool of the capital."

"Sometimes, struggling in that whirlpool isn't nearly as gratifying as fighting in the borderlands. The wars and perils of the frontier are at least out in the open."

"The only reason you were able to live safely and securely in the capital for those two years was simply because everyone saw that you possessed a fief."

"They knew that among all the imperial princes, you alone had no qualification to contend for the throne."

Having said this, Yuan Sihan let out a heavy sigh. He glanced in the direction of the capital and continued speaking to Li Yanhe, "You children who have yet to become parents will never truly understand the feelings of parents."

"Even if she was an unqualified mother, she spent her entire life struggling bitterly in that palace for your sake."

Yuan Sihan lowered his gaze. After a long silence, he raised his head, looked at Li Yanhe, and said slowly, "Yuan Lin resembles your mother's temperament in her youth."

"Yet, a boisterous child like her has turned into someone well-read and courteous, whose words and actions give people no room for criticism."

"Do you think she has suffered few hardships? In truth, only she understands the hardships she has endured. Over all these years, she could have left with Li Zheng."

With that, Yuan Sihan patted Li Yanhe's shoulder and said, "Your uncle hopes you can forgive your mother, even though she has already passed away."

With those words, Yuan Sihan strode away. Li Yanhe drank a great deal of alcohol that day, and it was the first time Lin Miaomiao ever saw him completely drunk.

Lin Miaomiao embraced the man who was weeping like a child, whispering, "Everything will pass. From now on, I am your family."

"We will have children in the future, and our children will have children. Our life must go on."

Hearing her words, Li Yanhe suddenly chuckled, shook his head, and murmured, "That's right! We are going to have a child."

Standing nearby, Nanny Zhao had heard every single word clearly. She had served the Imperial Noble Consort Xianrou, Yuan Chuxia, for many years.

She had witnessed everything: what Yuan Chuxia was like beforehand, what she was like as a noble consort, and how she had endured year after year for Li Yanhe's sake.

Yet, she was ultimately a servant. Some things her master did not wish to ask, and did not wish to hear. How could a servant like her court her master's displeasure by uttering words of disgust?

Lin Miaomiao and Li Yanhe decided to have a child, yet the baby was slow to arrive.

Summer soon arrived, and the May weather made the entire sky stiflingly hot.

The printing artisans whom Li Yanhe had summoned from the capital finally arrived. Lin Miaomiao outlined her ideas and concepts to them roughly.

Upon hearing her explanations, the artisans' eyes instantly lit up.

In truth, Lin Miaomiao had no idea that her brief words had provided these printing researchers with a tremendous burst of inspiration.

Shortly after, Lin Miaomiao also met with the papermaking artisans. When they first saw her, those craftsmen assumed she was merely a wealthy young lady seeking amusement.

Lin Miaomiao shared the papermaking techniques she had seen in the past with this group as well. Upon hearing her suggestions, their eyes instantly brightened.

Lin Miaomiao rented a courtyard from the government, and the next day she had Lin Langluan hang a wooden plaque above the entrance. On the plaque were inscribed the words: "Research Institute."

The plaque was understated, yet government guards were stationed there every day, and many townspeople frequently stood not far from the research institute, gazing over curiously.

Once the research institute was established, Lin Miaomiao never went there to disturb the artisans who were hard at work researching, knowing she couldn't offer much help anyway.

The sugar mill in Li Village was thriving, driving neighboring villages to begin selling sugar and even transporting it to all corners of the Dayong Dynasty.

Soon, every region of the Dayong Dynasty learned that Mobei possessed a sugar refinery producing exceptionally fine sugar at affordable prices.

The sugar business prospered rapidly. The local authorities began purchasing sugar beets in large quantities from the villagers, and the locals were successively hired to work in the sugar mill.

Cuihua and Erni had already become managers, guiding the women of the village in packaging and sealing the sugar.

After working there for a time, Xiahua suddenly realized that life could actually be lived with such splendor.

Xiahua became a supervisor there, ensuring that the sugar packages were not short-weighted, free of any impurities, and properly sealed.

Seeing the sugar mill grow increasingly successful, Li Yanhe established a Ministry of Economy right next to the government offices, specifically for local officials to manage economic affairs.

After setting up this Ministry of Economy, Li Yanhe appointed Lin Langluan as an instructor there to teach a cohort of young students.

When Lin Miaomiao learned of this, she asked Li Yanhe with some surprise, "Why didn't you let me teach?"

Hearing this, Li Yanhe slowly replied, "We should give the youth more opportunities."

Hearing his response and glancing at Lin Langluan, Lin Miaomiao shook her head and remarked to Li Yanhe, "He has grown up."

There was a profound sense of emotional reflection in her tone as she said this.

Lin Langzang's medical skills were also improving steadily. Following Jiang Luohan, he traveled far and wide practicing medicine year-round.

Later on, Lin Miaomiao smiled and asked Lin Langzang, "Have you ever thought about establishing a charitable institution so that poor patients can receive medical treatment for free?"

Upon hearing her suggestion, both Lin Langzang and Jiang Luohan lit up with excitement.

Lin Miaomiao continued, "A charitable institution like this also requires funds to operate. You can collect medical fees from those who can afford to pay."

"As for those who truly cannot afford it, if you treat them entirely for free, they might come to feel entitled to something for nothing."

"If you do that, you aren't helping them; you are harming them."

When she finished, Jiang Luohan looked at her impatiently and pressed, "Just tell us straight what we need to do."

Lin Miaomiao smiled at the two of them and said, "You can have the family members of these patients do some simple tasks for you."

"For instance, boiling water, doing odd jobs or routine labor while their relatives are receiving treatment, or handling heavy lifting and hauling work."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of Lin Langzang and Jiang Luohan lit up once more.

Everyone in the neighboring villages knew that a medical clinic had opened in town called the "Lin Family Clinic."

The clinic had only two physicians, and not a single errand boy or odd-job worker inside.

Yet everyone who had ever sought treatment there knew that the doctors possessed extraordinary medical skills, and their fees were fair and reasonable.