Chapter 8 Treating the Symptoms

Yuan Yi did not delve into what Yu Mingshu and He Zheng were discussing, but asked the three why they were in Zhishan Hall, and then kicked them out.

Back at the Yu family home from the academy, Yu Mingshu was somewhat absent-minded. She had already understood what Yang Gong meant. As the saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Given the precedent of Princess Huailing, it was understandable that he was unwilling to accept any more female disciples.

As soon as I entered the house, I heard a violent cough coming from the inner room. Wu Qiuniang had caught a chill last night and had fallen ill again.

Yu Mingshu quickly went to the bedside, patted Qingque on the shoulder, and instructed, "Go and fetch the doctor quickly."

Qingque responded and ran outside. Wu Qiuniang hurriedly reached out to grab her, but missed. Instead, she grasped Yu Mingshu's hand and said, "This is an old ailment of mine. Just get some more medicine according to the prescription. Why bother the doctor to make the trip?"

"If the old prescriptions were effective, how could your illness have been so difficult to cure for so many years?" In Yu Mingshu's memory, she hadn't seen a doctor for a month. Wu Qiuniang was just drinking medicine like water, without knowing how to treat the symptoms. How could her illness possibly be cured?

Wu Qiuniang couldn't refuse her, or perhaps she was coughing so badly she couldn't speak, so she half-heartedly leaned back on the soft pillow and waited for Qingque to bring the doctor back.

The Yu family lived not far from the clinic. Qingque went to fetch the doctor, but the family waited for more than half an hour. It was almost evening when the doctor surnamed Zhou hurriedly entered the house.

Zhou Changchun carried a medicine box in his left hand and kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with his right hand. He had an ordinary appearance and a kind face. However, upon closer inspection, he was met with a strong smell of blood, which made the three people in the room, including the master and servant, frown.

Zhou Changchun said apologetically, "I'm so sorry. I was just helping a woman give birth on the street when I heard that Madam Wu was seriously ill. I didn't even have time to bathe before I grabbed my medicine kit and rushed to the Yu family's house..."

Yu Mingshu asked kindly, "How is the new mother?"

Zhou Changchun nodded: "Mother and child are safe."

"That's good." Yu Mingshu got up and made room for Luo Yan by the bed, gesturing for her to bring a stool. "I'll trouble you to treat my mother, sir."

Zhou Changchun sat down, opened his medicine box, took out a pulse pillow, his gaze swept over the low table by the bedside, then suddenly stopped and asked, "What kind of medicine is this?"

Wu Qiuniang said, "It's the prescription you gave me before, and I've been taking it consistently."

"Previously?" Zhou Changchun frowned.

Qingque interrupted, "It was half a year ago, in the evening, when it was raining. I rushed to the clinic to invite you here."

Zhou Changchun's expression became much more serious: "At that time, the illness struck like a landslide, and this prescription was too strong. How could it be taken for a long time? Miss, take it away and throw it away. From now on, you must strictly follow the doctor's advice when taking medicine!"

Luo Yan and Qing Que exchanged a glance and quickly agreed.

Zhou Changchun followed the diagnostic procedures of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation, and talked with Wu Qiuniang for more than a quarter of an hour. After coming out, he wrote a new prescription, looked around, and handed it to Yu Mingshu.

“Miss Yu, get the medicine according to this prescription. Use it for three days. On the morning of the fourth day, write down the patient’s symptoms and come to my clinic to see me. Then we will consider whether to change or stop the medicine.”

Qingque then asked, "What if it doesn't work?"

“Then I’ll make another trip,” Zhou Changchun replied. After saying that, he picked up his medicine box and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he added with concern, “In short, do not take any medicine without authorization.”

Yu Mingshu carefully put away the prescription and thanked the doctor with a polite smile: "Understood, I will be careful. Thank you, sir."

…

After using the new prescription, Wu Qiuniang slept much better that night and didn't cough at all. When Yu Mingshu went to check on her the next morning, he noticed that her complexion was not as pale as it had been the day before. Two days later, she even had the energy to tidy up the old books in her study with her maid.

Indeed, medication must be prescribed according to the symptoms.

Yu Dan went to the school, and Yu Mingshu had nowhere to go, so he went to the outside of the study to lend a hand.

Today's weather is fine, sunny and dry, perfect for taking out books that have been stored away in boxes for years and preventing them from getting moldy and infested with insects.

"Be careful, these are all the things the young master cherished in his lifetime, many of them are unique copies, so be careful not to get them dirty."

Wu Qiuniang carefully laid out straw mats in the courtyard and instructed Qingque to tie hemp ropes between two trees, so that the scrolls that couldn't be laid out on the ground could be hung on the ropes. When Yu Mingshu entered and saw this scene, he inexplicably felt that it looked like quilts being aired.

As soon as she turned around, she bumped into her daughter entering the courtyard. Wu Qiuniang asked in surprise, "Why haven't you been to the academy these past two days?"

Yu Mingshu helped carry the books out and replied, "After all, I am not a student of the academy, and it would be impolite for me to keep bothering you."

Wu Qiuniang remained noncommittal, sat on a stool, and pulled a letter from her sleeve. “Master Zhu’s eldest son passed the imperial examination this year and will be hosting a banquet at his mansion. He sent us an invitation. A few days ago, I thought I was too weak to go, but after taking the new medicine for three days, I have improved quite a bit… If you are free at the time, please come with me.”

Yu Mingshu stopped and asked, "Which Master Zhu?"

“He was in the same class as your father, but ranked two places lower. Unexpectedly, he was a lucky man with a smooth career and many descendants.”

Yu Mingshu sighed, "So many years have passed, yet the Zhu family still remembers us when they hold a banquet."

Wu Qiuniang lowered her eyes, recalling many old stories.

Zhu Yuanwai came from a poor family; his ancestors had been farmers for five generations. He was lucky, though. When he was young, he went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and happened to save the county magistrate who was being swept into a river by a torrential rain. This gave him the opportunity to study at the county school.

Unfortunately, the county magistrate only stayed in his hometown for three years before being promoted to another place. Master Zhu was able to pass the imperial examinations and enter Chang'an entirely through his own diligent study.

Yu Zhui met Zhu Yuanwai when they went to the capital to study. At that time, Zhu Yuanwai was dressed in tattered clothes, and his feet were blistered from wearing straw sandals. He stood in front of a pancake stall without moving an inch, and hesitated to say that he wanted to buy any.

Seeing this, Yu Zhui guessed that he must be short of money, so he had his attendant come forward to talk to him and asked him to write a birthday greeting for twenty coins.

Later, both of them passed the imperial examinations, and naturally, Master Zhu found out about the affair. Yu Zhui didn't mention it, and he didn't expose it either. However, after Yu Zhui passed away, he often asked his wife to take care of the Yu family. It was easy to see that he was thinking of past favors.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Wu Qiuniang didn't explain to Yu Mingshu, but turned to Qingque and asked, "Should I take my medicine at this hour?"

Yu Mingshu gave Qingque a look, signaling her to retreat. Then she explained to her mother, "Doctor Zhou specifically instructed that this medicine can only be taken for three days. I'll go to the clinic now and ask if a new prescription needs to be written."

“Old Liu’s house at the east end has been sold. The buyer is moving in today, and there are three or five carriages blocking the alley entrance right now. You’ll probably have to take a long detour, Miss.” Luo Yan put down the book in her hand and wiped her clothes a couple of times. “I’ll accompany you on this trip, Miss.”

…

Zhou Changchun's clinic was called Chunhuitang, and it had an excellent reputation in the western part of the city. This was because Zhou Changchun and his apprentices were all highly skilled in medicine, and because he was kind and benevolent, treating all patients equally and taking responsibility for them, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, commoners or officials.

This resulted in Chunhuitang being crowded with patients all year round, all wanting to see Dr. Zhou in person. Sometimes the queue stretched out onto the street outside the door.

When Yu Mingshu and her servant arrived outside the clinic, they saw a large group of people gathered together arguing. She squeezed through the crowd and entered the clinic, pulling a young apprentice aside to ask, "Is Doctor Zhou here?"

The apprentice clutched the cloth bag in his arms and walked towards the medicine cabinet, saying impatiently, "Here we go again, looking for Master. I've already told him he's not here these past two days!"

Yu Mingshu followed closely behind and asked, "Where did he go?"

The young apprentice looked her up and down. Seeing that she was a young girl, he patiently explained a few more words: "My master's wife went out of the city to Cheng'an Temple to offer incense a couple of days ago and has not returned yet. My master was worried that something might have happened to her, so he went out of the city to look for her."

"When will he be back?"

The apprentice waved his hand and said, "I can't say for sure. We have several doctors in our clinic, so it's the same to get a diagnosis from them."

Yu Mingshu said urgently, "Sir, you may not know this, but three days ago my mother fell seriously ill, and Physician Zhou specifically instructed me to come back in three days to ask him to revise the prescription!"

The apprentice stopped what he was doing, slapped his forehead, as if suddenly realizing something: "Your mother is Madam Wu from the Yu family, isn't she?"

Yu Mingshu nodded vigorously: "Exactly."

"Master left a prescription before he left, and told us to give it to you." After saying that, the young apprentice lifted the curtain and ran into the inner room, took out an envelope, and handed it to Yu Mingshu.

"If the patient's condition improves after taking the medicine and the cough basically subsides, then use this mild and nourishing medicinal diet recipe. Under no circumstances should the medicine be used again. If the patient's symptoms persist and are difficult to cure, then reduce the dosage of the previous prescription by 30%. When Master returns, he will definitely come to visit in person."

"Zhou Jiyi has so many patients, but I never expected him to care so much about my mother's condition, even remembering the date and leaving instructions..." Yu Mingshu sighed, put away the envelope, and thanked the young apprentice, "Please thank your master for me. My mother's condition has improved a lot, all thanks to Zhou Jiyi's excellent medical skills."

…

After leaving Chunhuitang, Yu Mingshu went with Luoyan to the poultry stall and bought a black-boned chicken.

When the two returned to Yong'an Lane, the carriages in front of their neighbor's house had already left. In the distance, a young and beautiful woman was standing on the steps, directing her servants to carry box after box of things into the house.

The black-boned chicken under Luo Yan's care was not well-behaved. Even with its feet and wings tightly bound, it still struggled and squawked, attracting the attention of the new neighbors.

The woman turned her head and looked over. When she saw the sharp-beaked thing in Luo Yan's hand, her face suddenly turned pale. She cried out in alarm and took three steps into the threshold.

"Who gave you permission to bring this beast to my doorstep! Get out of here at once!"

Luo Yan lost her temper, took two steps forward, and retorted, "You're really something else. It's true you bought the house, but did you own this road too? What business is it of yours how we pass by carrying something?"

Yu Mingshu subtly tugged at Luo Yan's sleeve from behind, his gaze fixed on the woman's waist, and whispered a reminder: "Look at her belly, it's best not to mess with her."