A wave of pure, unadulterated relief washed through Heena's chest, far more effective than the poppy-husk decoction. Her fifty-two coppers were safe. Her startup capital hadn't evaporated into thin air.
"She even threw in three blocks of fresh pressed tofu as an apology for being late," Old Lady Lin added, shaking her head in disgust as if she couldn't fathom what kind of demonic extortion Heena had been running before noon. "We ate two of the blocks for dinner last night. Consider it the board fee for taking up my examination table."
"Keep... the third block too," Heena whispered magnanimously, her miserly heart finally settling back into a regular rhythm. "Touch the vials... or the rice... and we will have problems."
"Bah! As if my clinic is so poor I need to steal a handful of grain from a half-dead cripple!" Old Lady Lin barked, pulling the curtain back and marching out into the front room before she lost her temper again.
