Volume 6, Chapter 2: Exam Requirements (2/2)

“Kokuyou.”

A man she knew from before at the harbour. There were smallpox scars on half his face, covered by the cloth. He worked as a doctor, but he was an unfortunate person who was unable to find decent work due to his face – though it really didn’t seem unfortunate with his idiotic personality.

“Ah, Maomao. Long time no seeee. Listennn, why isn’t this uncle letting me take the exam?” He fluttered the lashes of his uncovered eye as if to cajole her into joining the conversation. Stop that, it’s gross.

(Even if you tell me to join in.)

“The exam’s already ended,” she said.

“Ehhh, no wayyy.” He covered his cheeks with both hands. It’s troubling even if he had spoken in a falsetto.

“Come on, you’ll trouble the uncle.” Maomao tugged Kokuyou’s sleeves and took him away from the examination site.

The flow of things is a scary thing, so Maomao was now eating lunch with a pervert in women’s clothes. It would have been better if he changed out of it, but unfortunately, he hadn’t brought a change of clothes with him. By the way, it seemed he had borrowed the clothes from the wife of the village head.

“And here I thought I found a place to work. The next examination is in two months, huhhh,” Kokuyou said.

“The exam requirements made it impossible for you to take the exam from the start,” Maomao said.

He may be a beauty who can pass as a woman, but it was most bizarre with his deep voice on top of his half-covered face. Does this guy think that he could work in the imperial court normally if he took the exam? It was really fortunate of him that he didn’t even get booted out.

“Work, you say. What happened to grandpa’s place?” If she remembered properly, the man was assisting the eccentric old doctor who lived next to the village. They seemed to be getting along just fine, though.

“Grandpa, you see. He hasn’t been well lately. He’s going to retire soon so he told me to go look for work now.”

“…” Maomao made a slightly complicated expression. She pretty much remembered the reason the old doctor was weak-spirited.

“It was just the perfect timing that I heard that you can get qualifications to become a court physician’s assistant.”

(Check your gender first.)

Or rather, she wanted him to do something about his women’s clothes. Moreover, the problem was that he looked quite pretty – the men around them were glancing their way. He seemed to look mysterious with half his face covered. Even though they would be flaccid at a breath when they hear his voice.

Maomao ate her light meal, a steamed bun, and Kokuyou, his boiled gyoza.

“There are a lot of medicinal herbs in the village. Grandpa said that for as long as I live there, he would give me the house—” he said.

“Wouldn’t it fine if you take over after grandpa?” she asked.

“That won’t go well—. Grandpa used to be a court physician, right—? It’s because he has that title that people come from far away to see him. If a guy who comes from who-knows-where were to take over, it’ll be weird, I don’t think they would want him to see them–.”

That was most definitely true. He might have earned some degree of trust in the village, but it would difficult for him to earn a living in that small place. Was he meaning to scrape by selling herbs and doing a number of side jobs?

Maomao’s index finger shot up.

Last time, she had thought of getting more people for the pharmacy, but then she decided that it would be better to leave it since there was Sazen around. But the situation was different now, right? “Hey, from the village to the pleasure district, how many times in a month can you make the trip?”

“It’s fine if I have travel expenses—- Also, I’ll be happy if meals are also included,” he answered.

“We have a surplus for rice, so it’s not a problem.” As there was rice attained from connections from the quack doctor’s village, there was also sweet potato. “I want you to teach the apprentice doctor knowledge about medicinal herbs and to maintain the sales of the herbs. And while you’re at it, I want you to compound whatever medicine the apprentice doctor can’t manage. On that occasion, I want you to let the apprentice and the madam, who is the landlady of the pharmacy, to check the medicine.”

Since he’s a person with a sketchy background, she decided to take such measures.

“Also, the shop tending is originally left to the apprentice doctor, so you don’t have to serve customers.”

“Ehh–, I have confidence in serving customers—” He wiggled his body. She decided to ignore that since this was the words of someone who was unable to find work due to his personality, unfortunately.

“How about this much for your wage?” Maomao lifted a finger. It was a sum that, even with village work included, was survivable. It’s somewhat low for the wage of a doctor, though.

“Should be more like this, perhaps.” Kokuyou prised up two more of Maomao’s fingers.

““Huhihihihihihi””

As they laughed together, Maomao scowled.

In proportion to his stupid actions, he understood the value of things.

From raising several fingers to making detailed calculations, Maomao had no choice but to discuss with him as she ate her steamed bun.