Chapter 25: Breaking Bones and Tendons

The Gu family spent their own money to make the waterwheel. On the day the waterwheel was completed, Gu Wen called on the Tian family and the Zhang family for help, as well as several other families who had repaired the canal together in the spring to lend a hand. More than a dozen people, young and old, went to the town to carry the waterwheel back.

They left home early in the morning. The area was vast and sparsely populated, and everyone was busy working in their own fields, so few people noticed. When they carried the waterwheel back to the neighboring mountain village, everyone who was carrying water to irrigate the fields by the river came to watch the fun.

"Wow, such a big waterwheel, how much silver would it cost?"

"Two taels of silver, I'm afraid you'll want it."

"What are you thinking? Two taels of silver is not enough to pay the carpenter's wages."

People in the village who had never seen a waterwheel pushed forward, but were pushed back: "Don't push, don't push. You'll see it when the waterwheel stands up."

"Why are you blocking me? I'm building a handle for Mr. Gu."

"What is this wooden trough used for?"

"You don't know that? This is used with a waterwheel. The waterwheel turns and pours the water into a wooden trough, which then flows into the canal."

"My ancestors are from the north, where the land is dry and there's no place to use this stuff."

"Oh, that's great! The waterwheel can pump water up, so we don't have to use the oxen to draw water from the river like we do. It's so tiring!"

"Hey, the village head is here."

The waterwheel hadn't even been set up when the village headman, upon hearing the news, rushed over. He smiled and said, "Mr. Gu is so thoughtful! Now that we have a waterwheel, combined with the canal, it will be much easier to irrigate the fields."

Gu Wen made way and asked the village head to come closer for a look. He smiled and said, "Waterwheels are not rare. Everyone didn't think of it for a while. I think it's mainly because the neighboring mountain village doesn't lack water on weekdays."

The village head sighed as he looked at the slowly rising waterwheel. "Yes, there was no shortage of water in the past few years. But floods, droughts, and locust plagues are only common once every three to five years, and only every seven to eight years is a gift from God. If it's a bad year, there can be years of famine."

Tian Qingde continued, "Heaven and earth are not kind, and treat all things as straw dogs. When God is angry, he doesn't care about your direction. Outside the pass, all kinds of disasters are inevitable. It's better to prepare early."

"The head of the village is right. We ordinary people rely on nature for our livelihood, so we must always find some ways to make our own living."

The village head smiled as he looked at the gathered villagers. He took two steps closer to Gu Wen and said, "Since the founding of Songjiang City, all the land has been reclaimed one hoe at a time. It started with just two families, and then slowly formed a village. As the population grew, it became a town, and then a dozen towns formed a county."

"Dongyuan County, east of Songjiang City, was built the earliest. Dongyuan County has a large population, the land is well cultivated, and all the ditches and canals are well built."

"Our neighboring village is different. Apart from the earliest pioneers who came to this area to open up wasteland, most of the people in our neighboring village have only settled here in the past one or two years. Many families even live in houses owned by the government. Besides farming, they try to find work whenever they have free time to save money to build houses for their families."

"Our village is next to the Ping'an River, so it seems there's no shortage of water. Everyone was so busy that they didn't think about the canals. We were suddenly hit by a drought this year, and we were a little panicked."

The head of the village gave a long speech and the surrounding villagers nodded one after another. In addition to farming, they had to do a lot of work and really did not have the energy to dig a canal.

Seeing that everyone agreed with him, the village head smiled and said to Gu Wen, "It's okay to be short-sighted for a while. After the autumn harvest, we can dig the canal this year. What do you think?"

"Yes, that makes sense. After the autumn harvest, we'll go get some stones to build the canal."

"After the autumn harvest, my eldest and second sons didn't go to Songjiang City to work, but stayed at home to build canals."

“My family does the same.”

The land in the neighboring mountain village has not been distributed yet. The land of each family is divided according to the number of people. Families with a large population have hundreds of acres of land, and families with a small population, like the Zhang family with three people, also have nearly 30 acres of land. With so much land waiting to be watered, each family realized the importance of canals.

The village head bowed to Gu Wen and said, "Mr. Gu is a man of foresight. None of us can compare to you. I hope Mr. Gu, for the sake of our fellow villagers, could you please let us use your waterwheel and the canals you've dug?"

Gu Wen smiled and said, "The waterwheel belongs to my family. I made the decision to let everyone use it. However, the canal was built by several families together, so the village head still needs to discuss it with each family."

Several families who had been digging the canal together were present. After Gu Wen spoke, Tian Qingde, who had guessed the reason for the village head's long speech, immediately said, "Of course my family agrees."

"My family agrees."

"My family also agreed."

The village head was immediately delighted: "Great, with the waterwheel and the canal, the families in our neighboring mountain villages can help each other. Even if the harvest this year is reduced, it will definitely not be a total loss."

The waterwheel pumps water into the canal, which then flows to the fields. Each family can draw water from the nearby canal to irrigate the fields, saving everyone a lot of trouble and increasing efficiency by at least two or three times.

Some smart ones had already thought of it, and now they hurriedly bowed to express their gratitude to Gu Wen and his family.

"We are all from the same village, so I won't mention anything else. When the autumn harvest comes, I will send a bag of grain to each family."

"It's the same in my family."

"Thank you, Mr. Gu, for waiting for me."

The village head patted Gu Wen on the shoulder and said, "I know you visited all the neighboring villages at the beginning of this spring and drew a map of the canals connecting them. After the autumn harvest, I'll ask you to be the general manager and have everyone build the canals according to your drawings. When the work is done, I'll report it to you, and you'll definitely get a lot of benefits."

These words were blunt, but they were exactly what Gu Wen wanted. Although Gu Wen was surprised that the village head did not share some of the credit, he still said gratefully, "Thank you for your help."

The village head laughed and said, "Except for our neighboring mountain village, all the nearby villages have been affected by the disaster. If we repair the canal here, they will definitely not be able to sit still. They will need Mr. Gu's help many times."

Everything that needed to be said was said, the waterwheel was set up over there, and the water trough was built.

Everyone watched as buckets of river water carried by the waterwheel flowed down the trough into the canal. Although the sun above their heads was so strong that it was about to crack their scalps, they felt a sense of coolness flowing through their hearts.

The village head instructed each household: "Don't just sit there, go fetch water and water the fields."

The village head also had to go home to fetch water to irrigate the fields, and the people who were watching by the waterwheel all dispersed.

Tian Qingde said, "This man is very insightful. He sees your plan clearly, yet he is willing to help you and stay in the neighboring mountain village?"

When Tian Qingde and Gu Wen were planning this earlier, they had considered the role of the village head. In order to win the support of the village head, they had to give him some credit, but they didn't expect that the village head didn't want it.

Gu Wen didn’t understand what the headman was thinking. After all, everyone had their own plans.

Gu Wen said to Tian Qingde, "I'm going to go to town again and ask the carpenter to make another waterwheel."

There is only one canal, and every household living near the canal has to draw water from the canal to irrigate their fields. The water pumped by one waterwheel is definitely not enough for each household, so at least two waterwheels are needed.

"Then go ahead. I'll go check out my fields."

The two of them went about their own business.

Gu Youan practiced archery in the morning and was now watering the vegetables in the vegetable garden. He was sweating when he finished. He hadn't washed his hair for several days. When Gu Youan was about to go to the space to wash up, Guo Su came back.

"Hahaha, the riverside was so lively just now. Mr. Gu has agreed with the head of the village to lend the waterwheel and canal to the villagers. The people in your village are quite conscientious. They all said that after the autumn harvest, they will send food to your family to thank you."

Guo Su said excitedly: "It's a pity that you were not there at that time."

Gu Youan wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter whether I'm here or not, just listening to you is enough. Is my father still by the river?"

"No, Mr. Gu said he needs to go to town and build another waterwheel."

Gu Youan looked up at the sun and said, "If we go to town now, my dad probably won't be home for lunch."

Master Guo took Gu Wenqing and Tian Erlang to the mountains to practice their legs and feet, and they will not be back at noon.

There were only five women, big and small, at home. People had no appetite in the hot weather, so Mrs. Du prepared to cook a pot of porridge mixed with pickled vegetables. Gu Wen came back just as lunch was ready.

Gu Youan served her father a bowl of porridge and left it on the table to cool.

Gu Wen washed his hands and sat down, then he said with a smile, "We've been eating porridge every day lately. When are we going to have noodles?"

Mrs. Du: "You want to eat noodles? Let's eat it tonight. I'll knead the dough this afternoon."

Gu Youan could tell Gu Wen was in a good mood without even asking. She took a bite of pickled vegetables and asked, "Dad, have we finished watering the fields?"

"After the first watering, water it again in a few days."

The water level of Ping'an River had not dropped when the fields were irrigated for the first time. A few days ago, the water level of Ping'an River dropped and the water in the canal was cut off.

A waterwheel was set up today and there is water in the canal again. After all the families in the village have watered their fields, they will water their fields a second time.

Gu Wen was not very proficient in farming, but based on his superficial understanding and after asking the Luo family who were good at farming, he learned that their land would be able to last until the autumn harvest if it was watered one or two more times.

Seeing that things were going smoothly with her father, Gu Youan didn't ask any more questions. After resting for half an hour in the afternoon, Gu Youan headed for Zhang's house.

The weather was hot, and the Zhang family's fields had been watered long ago. There was nothing to do in the fields, so the three members of the Zhang family stayed at home to avoid the heat.

When Gu Youan arrived, Zhang Shinan was teaching his son to read a medical book. Gu Youan sat over and took notes while listening in his homemade notebook.

After reading a few pages, Zhang Shinan said helplessly, "How can you learn medicine the way you do? Every time you come back, you just memorize whatever you hear. There's no method at all. How can you become proficient in it?"

Gu Youan put down his brush and said with a smile, "I don't think I'm proficient in medical knowledge. I'm only interested in medicinal herbs."

The notes she took down were all about the knowledge related to the various medicinal materials mentioned by Zhang Shinan. She just glanced over what he said about the main and auxiliary medicinal combinations.

Zhang Shinan couldn't do anything with her, and couldn't stand her scattershot approach, so he said, "I can't control you anymore. If you're really interested in medicinal herbs, then you can ask Yinshan for advice and start by learning about the common medicinal herbs in Songjiang City."

This was exactly what Gu Youan wanted. He bowed to Zhang Yinshan and said, "Please give me more advice, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Yinshan hurriedly said he dared not: "I have only learned the basics, I am not worthy of being your teacher."

Gu Youan ignored this and just said, "Mr. Zhang, are you free tomorrow? I want to go to the mountain to dig some medicinal herbs."

Zhang Yinshan turned to look at his father. Zhang Shinan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. Go dig up some herbs to relieve the summer heat. Many people in the village have come to me in the past half month to ask for herbs to relieve the summer heat. There aren't many left at home."

Zhang Yinshan nodded and agreed: "Let's go up the mountain early tomorrow."

Gu Youan wasn't a talkative person, but when it came time to speak up, her words were pleasant. She smiled and said, "I'll follow Mr. Zhang's instructions."

Zhang Yinshan felt sorry.

Gu Youan was going to the mountain, so Guo Su naturally had to follow him. Axuan felt it was too hot at home and insisted on going to the mountain with her sister. Guo Su threw her into the backpack on her back and told Axuan to hold on tight.

Ah Xuan laughed and stood in the backpack, holding Guo Su's shoulders and looking up: "Oh, Sister Guo, you are so tall!"

A Xuan became more and more happy. She swayed in the backpack, humming a random tune and chirping like a little sparrow.

Gu Youan: "If you want to go to the mountain with us, you must be obedient. Just sit still in the backpack and don't mess around."

"Oh, sister, I'm a good boy."

A Xuan lay obediently on Guo Su's shoulder, asking her to save some energy.

A Xuan was well-behaved for a while, and then when they reached the mountain, she got out of the backpack, picked up a small wooden stick on the ground, and poked a mushroom on the ground.

After playing with the mushrooms, she lost interest again. She didn't know how she set her eyes on Zhang Yinshan, ran up to him, and started talking to him with her little mouth.

"Brother Zhang, do you have a sister?"

"Do you want a sister?"

"Just say you want it, just say you want a sister too."

"I love my sister so much."

"My sister is the best."

Gu Youan was digging a plant of Atractylodes macrocephala and was annoyed by her noise. He pointed ahead and said, "I just saw a rabbit over there and was about to catch it, but now you've scared it away."

"Where? Where are the rabbits?" A Xuan jumped on her legs and stretched her neck to look over there.

"It's right there. You scared the rabbit away when you spoke just now."

"Then I...then I won't say anything." A Xuan said aggrievedly.

Zhang Yinshan and Guo Su suppressed their laughter and lowered their heads.

Axuan is young, and it is impossible to ask her to behave herself and keep quiet. After only a quarter of an hour of silence, she started rubbing her skin and itching again.

Zhang Yinshan took a medicinal herb and taught Gu Youan the medicinal effects of its leaves and rhizomes. Gu Youan listened carefully. Axuan wanted to run over to find her sister, but Guo Su picked her up and took her away, saying that she would take her to find rabbits.

Gu Youan originally had some knowledge of Chinese medicine. With Zhang Yinshan's hands-on teaching, Gu Youan studied with reference to the "Practical Illustrated Guide to Chinese Herbal Medicine" left by his grandmother. He became familiar with several common medicinal herbs on the back mountain of the neighboring village. Gu Youan was very satisfied with this young teacher Zhang Yinshan.

Gu Youan planned that after the autumn harvest in two months, she would ask Zhang Yinshan to take her to the mountains to see more medicinal herbs.

Zhang Yinshan also agreed: "After the autumn harvest, my father will probably go into the mountains to collect herbs. You can come with us then."

"Okay, then, it's a deal."

After wandering around the mountain until mid-afternoon, they returned with many herbs for relieving summer heat in Zhang Yinshan's backpack, and Gu Youan also had some in his backpack, which they were going to dry, prepare, and boil in water for their family to drink.

After going crazy on the mountain for almost a whole day, Axuan fell asleep in Guo Su's backpack on the way down the mountain. Her little face was red, the strands of hair on her forehead stuck to her sweaty cheeks, her little mouth was slightly open, and she was sleeping soundly.

"Zhang Yinshan, do you want to stay in Linshan Village and farm in the future? You're also studying medicine, right? Don't you think it's a pity?"

Gu Youan turned his head to look at him, and Zhang Yinshan remained silent.

Guo Su said, "Since you're studying medicine, you naturally want to be a doctor. If you don't want to be a doctor, what's the point of memorizing books and identifying medicinal herbs?"

Zhang Yinshan sighed. He actually didn’t understand what his father was thinking.

If they didn't want him to practice medicine, why did they teach him so carefully? If they wanted him to practice medicine, why didn't he respond when the villagers called him Doctor Zhang? He also refused to prescribe medicine.

Gu Youan probably guessed the Zhang family's dilemma and said, "If you fall, get up. No matter what, your family's medical skills must be passed down."

Zhang Yinshan said in a muffled voice, "The Zhang family is a big family in Shandong. Even if our family is gone, there are still many other Zhang family members who practice medicine."

"Are they all as powerful as your father? I heard from my mother that since your family was exiled, no one in the Zhang family has been able to enter the Imperial Hospital."

There are at least dozens of famous doctors in Luoyang. It is completely different whether there are people working in the Imperial Medical Service or not.

It is not only a matter of reputation, it will also affect people's trust in this doctor.

After Zhang Shinan, no one from the Zhang family could enter the Imperial Medical Service. Nothing would be seen in three to five years, but wait ten to eight years and you will see that the Zhang family will fall from a first-rate medical family to a third-rate one. It is only a matter of time.

"Your family has been exiled to Songjiang City for six or seven years, right? I heard from your mother that no one from Shandong has ever come to see you. Your family is unkind and unjust, and you don't have to worry about them. But you are not young anymore. What will happen to your children and grandchildren after you get married?"

Zhang Yinshan knew it very well, but he was just a son. Without his father's permission, his family could only make a living by farming in the neighboring mountain village.

Slowly walking to the foot of the mountain, a gust of wind blew, and large pieces of corn leaves rustled. Gu Youan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Zhang Yinshan, if you don't want to practice medicine, why not follow me and start the medicinal materials business?"

Doing medicinal materials business? Zhang Yinshan had never thought about it.

Gu Youan: "You don't need to pay, just work hard. When I can prescribe medicine, you can help me find the herbs. I will make money, and you will naturally benefit. I can't guarantee anything else, but I will definitely ask your family to wear silk and eat white rice, and have someone to serve you when you go out."

Zhang Yinshan laughed immediately: "You are so determined. My father refused to help you with the medicinal materials business, so you set your sights on me?"

"Your father is old and can't adapt to the new situation. Don't learn from him. Once you learn a skill, use it to make your family live a good life. That's what a man should do."

Zhang Yinshan sighed, then cheered up again. Gu Youan was right.

Gu Youan smiled. She knew that Zhang Yinshan was much easier to convince than his father.

She wanted to do the medicinal materials business, not open a drugstore, so it didn't matter if she didn't have the help of Zhang Shinan, the former imperial physician.

Even if something happens in the future, with Zhang Yinshan as her son as leverage, she doesn't believe that Zhang Shinan will not help her.

Zhang Yinshan first sent Gu Youan and Guo Su home. When they arrived at Gu's house, Zhang Yinshan saw her mother there and hurriedly called her mother.

When Liu saw her son, she hurriedly pulled him aside and said, "Someone from the Zhang family is here looking for your father. Your father is very angry and has driven everyone in the Zhang family away. When you go back later, don't irritate your father and don't say anything, okay?"

Zhang family? Shandong Zhang family?

Gu Youan raised his eyebrows slightly, tsk, what he said is really coming true.

Zhang Yinshan frowned: "You haven't come to see us in so many years, why are you here suddenly?"

Mrs. Liu sighed, "It's all about the prescription. They know your father has several secret recipes for maintaining health. They want to send them to the Liu family to smooth things over and get a member of the Zhang family admitted to the Imperial Hospital."

After Zhang Shinan was exiled, the Zhang family retreated back to Shandong, and now their situation is getting worse every year.

The head of the Zhang family thought that the late emperor had passed away and a new ruler had already taken the throne. After so many years, it was time for the Zhang family to find an opportunity to rise.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, the Zhang family sent many of their sons to take the imperial medical examination, but none of them passed. After much deliberation, they thought of the Liu family.

Concubine Liu is the most favored concubine in the palace. After giving birth to the prince, Concubine Liu's appearance is not as good as that of the younger concubines. The Liu family has been secretly looking for a maintenance prescription for Concubine Liu. Many people in Luoyang City who have access to information know about it.

"Your father scolded them for not striving for progress. They are doctors who have lost their medical skills and have resorted to crooked practices, bringing shame to the Zhang family."

Gu Youan thought about it. Zhang Shinan's statement of bringing shame to the Zhang family was only on the surface. Secretly, Zhang Shinan was afraid that the Zhang family would get involved in the palace and accidentally lose the lives of the entire Zhang family.

"We've all been expelled from our clan, how dare they come and ask us for the recipe?" Zhang Yinshan was furious. "Scolding them isn't enough. If it were me, I'd smash their heads with my medicinal hoe until they bleed."

"Look at you, kid. I told you to go back and persuade your father, but you got angry."

Zhang Yinshan pulled his mother and said, "Let's go home first. We'll talk about it when we get home."

After the Zhang family mother and son left, Gu Youan affirmed, "The Zhang family went through so much trouble to come all the way to Songjiang City to ask for the prescription. They must have secretly received a promise from the Liu family, otherwise they wouldn't have made such a trip."

Du exclaimed: "Oh, what should I do?"

"What can we do? Uncle Zhang's family is in Songjiang City. No matter how powerful the Liu family is in Luoyang, they can't come here."

If the Zhang family comes to the neighboring mountain village to make trouble, given Zhang Shinan's temper, he will definitely not give the prescription and will definitely give up the idea of ​​returning to the interior.

Gu Youan smiled and said to her mother, "My herbal medicine business has a better chance of success."

"Where does this come from?" Mrs. Du was puzzled.

Gu Youan didn't explain to her mother, but just smiled and said, "You'll know when the time comes."

In the evening, Gu Wen returned home and heard that something had happened at the Zhang family. After having dinner, he washed up, changed into clean clothes, and went to the Zhang family to inquire about the situation.

Gu Youan had been waiting for a long time. Since her father was going to Zhang's house, she followed him immediately.

The moonlight was cool, and the chirping of insects in the fields by the roadside made the night exceptionally quiet. The moonlight cast a long and short shadow of the father and daughter on the ground.

Gu Wen: "We have a small family. You used to... your family wasn't large either. Large families like the Zhang family, with one or two thousand people, are different from us. They're like broken bones and connected tendons, and it's hard to cut them off and sort them out. Although you want the Zhang family to help you, don't encourage them when you go there later, otherwise when they come to their senses, you'll be in trouble both inside and outside."

"Dad, I understand."

Gu Wen nodded, then said: "It doesn't matter if there are no Zhang family members. Once our family is established, it won't be difficult for you to find people who know the business."

All Gu Youan knew was that the Zhang family was very useful, and she was just trying to win them over.