"Is Third Sister from the South?"

After taking their seats in the teahouse, Xiao Qingyin asked Qiu Sanniang a question.

Her Mandarin was spoken in a particularly soft and gentle tone, like a southern accent.

"You people from the capital really can tell right away."

Qiu San Niang said with a smile.

“I am from the South Vietnam. My parents were fishermen, and I grew up on a boat.”

Nam Viet was the southernmost district of Dai He.

It is also the most chaotic county.

The environment was harsh, pirates roamed freely, and the people suffered greatly.

It has always been a place of exile for officials of the Great Xi Dynasty.

"Did you come by boat?"

"That's right, it took us more than half a month to get here by boat."

After Qiu San Niang chatted for a while about what she had seen and heard on the road, Xiao Qingyin poured her a cup of tea. She thanked her but did not drink it.

"I can't eat hot food."

She explained.

"You also shouldn't touch hot things."

Xiao Qingyin raised an eyebrow.

Is this why you've come all this way?

Qiu San Niang nodded.

"I came here specifically to seek medical treatment, hoping to cure this chronic ailment."

She described her symptoms to Xiao Qingyin in detail.

"I've never been able to stand the heat since I was little. If the temperature is even slightly high, I get red rashes all over my body and it's so itchy."

Sweating a little or taking a hot shower can cause my whole body to swell, and I feel itchy and painful.

It would be even worse if you ran vigorously or got emotionally agitated.

Mild symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; severe symptoms include fainting.

There are always several near-death experiences throughout the year.

"At what age did you start?"

Xiao Qingyin asked.

"Maybe five or six years old."

Qiu San Niang replied.

Xiao Qingyin's face immediately filled with sympathy.

It's hard to imagine how someone with this disease, living in the hot climate of southern Vietnam, has managed to survive all these years.

She took Qiu San Niang's pulse, asked her a few questions, and confirmed, "You have cholinergic urticaria."

"What kind of hives?"

"Cholinergic urticaria."

Xiao Qingyin explained the illness to her.

"...It will flare up whenever you are exposed to heat, emotionally agitated, stressed, do strenuous exercise, or eat spicy food."

Can it be cured?

Qiu San Niang only cared about this one question.

"I get nauseous and dizzy even when I'm aroused. I've been married for two years, but I still have to sleep alone."

My husband couldn't take it anymore, so he had me sent to the capital for medical treatment.

Xiao Qingyin: "..."

Sigh, this illness really does greatly affect a couple's life.

It's even more frustrating than being allergic to that thing.

"It can be treated, but the treatment course may be a bit long, requiring one or two months."

"It's good that it can be cured."

Qiu San Niang smiled charmingly, and her smile brought a touch of spring to the tea room in the dead of autumn.

“It doesn’t matter if I get treatment for a year or two. The weather in Beijing is so comfortable. I wish I could live here forever.”

Xiao Qingyin smiled.

"Your condition is indeed much better off living in the capital than in southern Vietnam."

"You are much more knowledgeable."

Qiu Sanniang praised.

"I've been in the capital for several days now, and I've visited all the major medical clinics, even consulting several imperial physicians."

These doctors either treated it as ordinary urticaria or as some other disease; none of them dared to make a definitive diagnosis.

I thought I'd have to go all the way to Southeast Asia to see other countries.

Xiao Qingyin's heart stirred.

He asked, "Were there many people from the Southern Vietnam who went to Southeast Asia?"

"There are plenty of them. As long as you join a pirate gang, you can go to sea anytime."

Qiu San Niang laughed heartily.

"It's not certain they'll come back."

Xiao Qingyin: "..."

Were they all just going to get themselves killed?

Seeing that Qiu San Niang seemed to know quite a bit about the island gangs, Xiao Qingyin asked a few more questions.

Qiu San Niang spoke frankly and without reservation.

Xiao Qingyin was also very knowledgeable and had a good memory; she could understand what she was told as soon as she heard it.

The two chatted happily, so much so that Xiao Qingyin almost forgot about her illness.

Fortunately, I remembered in the end.

"I'll do some acupuncture for you first. You can take the medicine according to my prescription. We'll have a follow-up appointment every three days."

"Is the follow-up appointment still here?"

Qiu San Niang pointed to the private room and asked.

"Yes, it's still here."

Xiao Qingyin replied.

Qiu San Niang's guards were bandits, and she herself knew the island gangs inside and out.

Xiao Qingyin suspected that she might be the wife of a gang leader.

She dared not visit her home to treat the illness, nor could she invite the person to her house.

It's best to stay outside.

After agreeing on a time for their next follow-up appointment, the two left the teahouse separately.

Xiao Qingyin returned to the Yun residence and received a notice from the palace regarding the autumn hunt.

The autumn hunt is scheduled for five days from now, at the Beiyuan Hunting Ground.

The trip lasted three days and two nights.

The campsite only provides tents; you need to bring your own cooking utensils and food.

It's not much different from modern camping.

Ji Yunhua saw this and insisted on going too.

"How could you not invite me to something so fun?"

Xiao Qingyin glared at her.

"They didn't invite you."

"I can be your maid."

Ji Yunhua smiled.

"You can bring your maid with you, right?"

I can bring it, but I'm afraid...

Xiao Qingyin laid down three rules for this person: "If you want to come along, you have to act like a maid and not cause me any trouble, understand?"

"no problem."

Ji Yunhua readily agreed.

Over the next few days, Xiao Qingyin and Zuo Miaomiao ordered riding gear, acquired various camping supplies, and purchased dry food.

Just as they were about to buy a horse, Yun Wanyin and Fu Junshi brought over a brown mare.

"This is a horse that your Uncle Fu had someone find; it's very docile."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!