One hundred and fifty-one

At the end of January, just after Yu County had been warm for a few days, the weather changed again. It was a dark and hazy sky with a cold wind and drizzle. The cold wind was biting and it was even colder at night.

Perhaps it was the change in the situation, or perhaps it was because she missed her son so much, that Luo fell ill.

Yu Ying prescribed some medicine for her mother-in-law. Her sister-in-law boiled the medicine while she performed moxibustion on her mother-in-law.

During the moxibustion treatment, Luo fell asleep, but his sleep was extremely restless.

Yu Ying had just finished the moxibustion treatment on her and was about to leave when Mrs. Luo suddenly grabbed her arm and woke her up from her dream.

Yu Ying quickly stroked her back and asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"

Luo said in panic, "I dreamed that Erlang was stabbed by that man..."

Yu Ying comforted him, "Dreams are always the opposite, maybe..." She paused, and suddenly thought that if it was the opposite, it would mean Fu Wei stabbing the young master of the Huo family. This didn't seem good either, as it would make enemies.

Thinking of this, he changed his mouth and said, "Maybe that person was stabbed by someone else."

Although Luo was still worried, she heaved a sigh of relief, calmed down, and asked, "Is Erlang coming back soon?"

Yu Ying pondered, "If we catch up with the Zhou family's old master's death, it will still take some time."

Yu Ying comforted her mother-in-law for a while, and then her sister-in-law prepared the medicine and brought it over.

After Luo drank the medicine, the two of them chatted with him for a while. As the medicine took effect, Luo gradually fell asleep again.

Yu Ying and Wen Xing walked out of the room lightly and closed the door gently.

After they got outside, Wen Xing lowered her voice and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you still going to the clinic today?"

Yu Ying shook her head. "After all, there aren't many people in the clinic. I'll go and see her. Sister-in-law, you can stay at home and take care of Mother."

Wen Xing sighed, "With these heavy taxes, the people can barely survive, let alone afford medical treatment."

After the New Year, the number of people seeking medical treatment on the first floor of the clinic decreased a lot. A big reason for this was that they were sick but had no money to see a doctor, so they were just enduring the pain.

Some people could not bear it any longer and had to kneel down to beg for medical treatment.

Yu Ying helped as much as she could, prescribing a few packets of cheap but useful medicine, which she would record on the account first and pay back when she had money.

Maybe she won’t be able to pay it back, but Yu Ying doesn’t really care.

There is no free medical treatment because we know that human nature is not easily satisfied. Some people who are able to pay for medical treatment choose to pretend to be poor and get it for free because the former is free, which wastes manpower and resources.

"Since they've come to our clinic for help, we'll treat them. If they're willing, we can have a few junior doctors come in and cut the consultation and medicine fees in half."

Those young apprentices have been learning for a year, and it is not certain whether they can become masters, but it is time for them to gain some experience.

Wen Xing asked, "Are you really willing to let them treat you, sister-in-law?"

Yu Ying smiled and said, "Of course I'm worried, so I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they don't make any mistakes. But minor illnesses and pains are no problem for them."

What you learn from books is ultimately superficial; only practice can bring you experience.

*

Yu Ying went to the clinic.

There were not many patients in the clinic. After seeing the patient, he went to teach medical skills to four young apprentices, including Fu An.

After the teaching, Fu An came up and asked, "Aunt, someone wants to ask if you are still accepting disciples."

Yu Ying glanced at him, but didn't say no. She just asked, "Female disciple or male disciple?"

Fu An said: "He is a male disciple."

Yu Ying smiled and said, "Who asked you to ask?"

Fu Wei said a little embarrassedly: "A few days ago, when Niu Niu and Grandpa He came to Yu County, they came to see me. He also wanted to study medicine like me."

He Jianiu Niu is about the same age as Fuan. He is ten years old now, and it is indeed time for him to start learning.

Yu Ying thought for a moment and said, "Don't tell him yet. Let me think about it. Once I'm done, I'll ask Uncle He and Aunt He and let the adults make the decision."

Fu An saw that this was a possibility and responded happily.

He is a boy, but his medical classmates are all girls. He used to want them, but now that they are older, he always feels embarrassed. If he has more friends who are also boys, then he will have company!

After asking Fu An to collect the herbs, Yu Ying also began to think seriously.

Once Yu Ying had an idea, she immediately made a plan.

After thinking for a few days, she went to find Huo Yacha, who had been promoted to shop manager.

When he was off duty at noon, Captain Huo heard that Madam Yu was looking for him, so he was no longer in a hurry to eat lunch.

When he came out of the yamen, he saw Madam Yu waiting outside and strode over.

"Madam Yu, is there anything you need to see me about?"

Because the position of chief constable was promoted by Fu Wei, and he had helped him a lot before, Chief Constable Huo remembered Fu Wei's kindness, so after Fu Wei left, he also took good care of Fu Zhen and Yongxi Hall.

During routine patrols, people would be sent to patrol the area in front of Yongxi Hall several times to prevent anyone from causing trouble.

Yu Ying smiled faintly and said, "I really do have something to ask Captain Huo."

"Madam Yu, if you have anything to say, please tell me. I will be happy to help you in any way I can."

Yu Ying said, "I don't plan to go to the county government after February. The clinic is not busy, and the other female disciples can treat some minor illnesses. I will have a lot of free time. I want to teach more disciples in this free time so that I can help more people in the future."

This is not only a statement, but also what Yu Ying thinks in her heart.

Upon hearing this, Captain Huo couldn't help but admire Madam Yu's broad-mindedness.

Others who know medical books would like to keep them hidden and not pass them on to others, but Madam Yu is open-minded and kind-hearted, and she wants to promote medical skills.

"Madam Yu, this is a noble idea, but I wonder how I can help?"

Yu Ying: "If I were to go around the village alone to announce that I'm recruiting disciples, I'm afraid it would be difficult to convince the people. So I thought of having the yamen runners spread the news when they go to the villages on their errands."

Captain Huo smiled and said, "That's easy to do. We just happen to be going to each village to verify the household registration soon. We can use this opportunity to have the village head and the head of the village inform the villagers about this."

At the end of the conversation, I asked, “Are there any time limits and requirements?”

Yu Ying said, "Ten days is the limit."

If we do it for a long time, we will have to teach every new student from the beginning, which is too energy-consuming and time-consuming.

"Women between the ages of eleven and thirteen, and men between the ages of twelve and fifteen, must become my disciples. They are forbidden from establishing their own household or marrying within five years. During these five years, they must obey the clinic's arrangements, with food, drink, and lodging provided. There will be no wages for the first six months, but after that, a monthly stipend will be provided. Those interested can come to Yongxi Hall to sign up."

Those who are too young are difficult to manage, and those who are too old have already established their tempers and are difficult to discipline.

Whether she can write or not is another matter for now, as she still needs to choose one.

Those who are illiterate but have good comprehension are accepted, but those who are literate but have poor comprehension are not accepted.

Don’t accept people with bad intentions, a playful nature, or who are timid.

She needs to select about twenty people.

The current situation is serious. We must first teach them how to identify the symptoms of typhoid fever and the herbal medicines that treat it, as well as the herbal medicines and prescriptions for treating injuries and stopping bleeding, as well as skills such as removing caries, suturing, and bandaging.

After asking Captain Huo to pass on the news of recruiting disciples, Yu Ying rented a yard near the clinic to use for classes and as a place for male disciples to stay.

As for the female apprentices, they were arranged in the small backyard of the clinic.

There are two rooms for storing miscellaneous items in the backyard of the clinic, which can be cleaned up when the time comes.

The two female apprentices Mei Zi and Dong Qing who were accepted earlier also live in the clinic. In their spare time, they can look after these new female apprentices and consolidate their knowledge.

*

Yu Ying started to get busy with recruiting students and teaching them, while Fu Wei, who was far away in Yuzhang, was busy plotting against Huo Shanrong.

After three days of memorial service, the old man of the Zhou family was buried.

Huo Minzhi and his father are still in Yuzhang.

Huo Shanrong planned to wait until the seventh day after Old Master Zhou's death before formally visiting the head of the Zhou family.

Before that, he called his good-for-nothing son over and told him expressionlessly, "Stay in Yuzhang for the next few days and don't cause any trouble."

Huo Minzhi stood in the room, seeing his father's expressionless face. He clenched his hands in his sleeves, but still forced a smile: "Don't worry, father. I know what's going on."

Huo Shanrong sneered: "If you knew what was going on, would you have put me in so much trouble?"

His brows furrowed, and he continued, "I don't ask you to be as good as Jinzhi, nor do I ask for half of it. I can only feel at ease if you can achieve 10% out of 100, but you don't even have a single point."

Huo Minzhi's expression froze for a moment, and he felt indignant. He couldn't help but argue, "Father, I am your biological child. Fu Wei is just the descendant of a traitor. Father, don't you hate disloyalty and wickedness the most? Why are you speaking up for him?"

Huo Shanrong picked up the teacup and glanced at him while sipping the tea.

That contemptuous look made the son, who wanted to be recognized, feel extremely heartbroken.

Putting down the teacup, he sighed, "Forget it. You were raised in the mountains for the first twenty years. It's not your fault that you're stupid and untalented. Why should I tell you so much?"

"Go back and think carefully about why I'm so dissatisfied with you. It's not just because you're untalented and vulgar, but also because of the way you do things... Never mind. I brought you here this time to broaden your horizons. Just don't embarrass me."

"Father……"

"I'm tired, you go back and rest."

He waved his hand and looked completely impatient, as if he didn't want to hear any more.

Huo Minzhi's breath caught in his throat. After a moment's rest, he stiffened his neck and bowed, "Then the child will go back first."

When he turned to leave, his father suddenly called out to him, "Wait."

His expression suddenly relaxed a little, thinking it was a comforting word, but just as he turned around, he heard his father say, "Call Captain Chen in."

…

"yes."

The voice was noticeably strained.

He turned around and walked out, completely unaware that his biological father's last look at him was full of calculation.

He walked out of the house and called Captain Chen who was guarding outside to come in.

After the people went in, when Huo Minzhi closed the door, he heard his father's voice from inside the room. When he heard the word "Jinzhi", he stopped in his tracks as he was about to leave.

"Send the clothes and things I brought for Jinzhi earlier to him. They are all old things he used to use. The environment in Lingnan is poor, and these things will make his life better. Also send him ten gold ingots."

Upon hearing this, Huo Minzhi's expression became ferocious, and the nails of his left hand unconsciously scratched the wrist of his right hand. On the wrist of his right hand, which was covered by his sleeve, there were mottled scratches of varying depths, with a faint blood color.

Captain Chen said, "I'm afraid Master Jinzhi won't accept it."

"If he refuses to accept it, send it to County Magistrate Zhou, and have him tell him after he returns to Yu County."

Be careful!

Danger!

Huo Minzhi recalled the time when his father met Fu Wei in private at Zhou's house, and the contemptuous look in Fu Wei's eyes when he looked at him.

In an instant, the dissatisfaction and hatred towards Fu Wei reached an unprecedented level.

Huo Minzhi gritted his teeth and thought -

He no longer wanted Fu Wei to break his legs, nor did he want him to live a miserable life anymore. He just wanted him to die!

Anger clouded his reason, and he turned around and left in a hurry.

Huo Shanrong watched the shadow outside the door leave, his lips curled coldly, and then said: "Keep an eye on him. If he can't find the right person, help him."

After saying that, he picked up the tea, blew away the hot steam, and took a sip of the tea as if nothing had happened.

Jinzhi hadn't listened to him and actually dared to leave Cangwu. He'd grown too powerful. If this continued, he'd eventually have a knife to his neck. Before that, he couldn't show any mercy.

Be careful, you can't keep it.