Chapter 20 Family Offerings (including notification of entry into the VIP section) Cheng Family Offerings...

She first spoke carefully with the maid who served Ma Yulan, ruling out tapeworm disease. If it was a malignant tumor, she would have to help her promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, since there must be tangible blood in the lumps. However, she could not do too much. So she first prescribed Dangxie San and Tiaozheng Tang, and also prepared Guixiang Pingwei San.

"I see that Sister Ma seems to be having difficulty swallowing now. I'll go back first to get the silver needles. Call me over when the medicine is almost ready," Miaozhen said.

As evening approached, Miaozhen arrived. She first lit incense to ward off evil spirits, then used a needle to make Ma Yulan open her mouth. When Ma Yulan saw that it was Miaozhen, she smiled.

"Sister Ma, I'll personally feed you your medicine."

Mrs. Ma's eyes were bloodshot, clearly she had been suffering here for a long time. They brought the medicine first, and after Ma Yulan took it, she had no reaction at first. Then, in the middle of the night, Miaozhen had someone brew another batch for her to take, and she immediately clutched her stomach and cried out in pain.

Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief: "Hurry up and help her relieve herself."

As dawn approached, the maid told her that she had expelled half a bucket of foul blood. She then had someone bring in the regulating soup, which was specially used to replenish qi. Once the qi was strong, the blood could circulate properly.

She said to Mrs. Ma, "This regulating soup consists of four doses. Normally, after taking it, your spleen and stomach will feel better, your qi and blood will circulate more smoothly, and your menstrual flow will be normal. Don't worry, I will come over once in the morning and once in the evening."

After staying up all night, Miaozhen was exhausted. Although Mrs. Ma was heartbroken, she still knew proper etiquette. When Miaozhen arrived home, she gave her five taels of silver, a bolt of Songjiang standard cloth from Sanlintang, and a bolt of green shuttle cloth.

Miaozhen put the money in the box, sent the two bolts of cloth to Madam Mei, and told her to wait until summer to make clothes for her. Then she fell into a deep sleep.

When the cloth was delivered to Madam Mei, Xu Erpeng came out to stretch his neck. He said, "The consultation fee is quite generous."

“That’s right. A bolt of Songjiang standard cloth costs one and a half qian, and green shuttle cloth costs four and a half qian, but it’s tiring. I stayed up all night at the Ma family’s house yesterday.” Madam Mei felt sorry for her daughter.

Xu Erpeng said, "Our daughter is at the age where she should be building her reputation, so why bring this up? At her age, we should help her find a good marriage, but I don't think the scholar Luo I originally liked is quite right."

"What's wrong?" Madam Mei asked, puzzled.

Xu Erpeng whispered, "Although this Luo Xiucai passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen, he is clueless about household affairs, and his family is poor. His mother supports his studies entirely by spinning and weaving. Last time I congratulated him on becoming a Xiucai, I specially sent him a string of meat, which almost went bad before he ate it. Besides, I heard that Luo's mother is very stubborn, and Luo Xiucai is very subservient to her. Whether a man has academic achievements or not is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that he can ensure that his wife and children do not suffer."

“When a widow has only one son, the daughter-in-law is treated like an outsider. Even if they don’t care about the dowry, the daughter-in-law still has to suffer poverty with them. Otherwise, if the mother-in-law and husband are eating chaff and wild vegetables, how can you dare to eat meat? Even if my daughter doesn’t get married, it can’t be like this.”

Madam Mei smiled and said, "My husband is very thoughtful. I think Madam Ma knows a lot of people. Wasn't it because of her that the Tong family made the marriage possible? That's perfect. If their daughter does well, I can go to more temple fairs with her and get to know more people that way."

"Hmm, that's good then." Xu Erpeng nodded.

Just as the two finished their meal, Miaoyun arrived, saying she was looking for Miaozhen. Madam Mei quickly said, "Zhenzhen was busy treating patients yesterday and is tired now. She just fell asleep. Why don't you sit here for a while?"

Upon hearing this, Miaoyun said, "I only asked her for a flower pattern. Since she's asleep, I'll head back now."

After saying this, she hurriedly prepared to leave again, but Madam Mei felt it was unsafe for a young woman like her to walk on the road, so she had someone take her back in a donkey cart. After Miaoyun left, Madam Mei began to instruct people to clear the table and start preparing birthday gifts for Scholar Mei. She also made the most of everything, using the Songjiang fabric that Miaozhen had brought back to make a long gown, and having Jinchai and Yinhuan paste the shoe uppers and sew the soles.

Then Feng Niang, who couldn't stay still, came over and chimed in, saying, "It's really a strange thing. This morning, I went to Fengqiao to buy rice and saw Miss Miaolian. She was crying and looked very sad. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that her master, Liu the midwife, had her house demolished."

Madam Mei clicked her tongue in astonishment and then called her servant to ask. The servant, who usually ran errands, went out to inquire and returned to report. Just then, Miaozhen woke up and came to her mother's place. She heard Laiwang say, "This midwife Liu was originally a midwife, but somehow she learned acupuncture. The wife of the Right Commander asked her to take a look, but the old woman did it haphazardly and caused a perfectly healthy baby to miscarry. When the people from the Commander's Office asked her about medical principles, she couldn't explain it. Later, after being interrogated, she said that she bought the pills from a retired imperial physician in this prefecture, so they demolished her house."

“Actually, there’s still some leeway for someone like Liu the Midwife. When I was in Wuxi, I heard about a quack doctor who killed someone and was beheaded,” Miaozhen said.

Madam Mei was timid. Looking at her daughter, she said, "Why don't you stay home? Your parents will take care of you."

"Mother, I'm not a quack doctor. Oh, I still need to go to the Ma family to take a look." After she finished speaking, she went to the Ma family's place.

Ma Yulan had already taken the medicine twice, and her stomach had flattened considerably, but she was still very weak. Knowing that Mrs. Ma was suffering a lot, she couldn't help but sit down and comfort her a bit more.

"I'm just enduring this, waiting for her to get better." Mrs. Ma has lost count of how many days and nights she hasn't had a rest.

Miaozhen said, "If it gets better in just a few days, that's great. If not, we still need to see a doctor. We can't avoid seeking medical help because of our illness."

Mrs. Ma held Miaozhen's hand and said, "Good child, I only trust you, and I trust the prescription you gave me."

After enduring six or seven difficult days, before dawn, Mrs. Ma saw that her daughter's complexion was no longer fluctuating between red and white, and her period had started. Overjoyed, she came over and called Miaozhen over. Upon seeing this, Miaozhen couldn't help but smile and say, "That's good, Mrs. Ma. Just pay more attention to your diet from now on. Now that Sister Ma is recovering, you should also take care of yourself."

Mrs. Ma laughed and said, "I don't know how to thank you enough. Your medical skills are even better than your master's."

"Please don't say that. If you really don't know how to thank me, just introduce me to someone, and I'll be eternally grateful," Miaozhen said with a smile.

Mrs. Ma was overjoyed when her daughter recovered. The family had been worried about gossip because of her daughter's illness, but now that she was back to normal, how could she not be happy?

After this incident, Ma Yulan treated Miaozhen like a younger sister, and Madam Ma spared no effort in recommending Miaozhen. In addition, Xu Erpeng spread the word that his daughter was the apprentice of Tan Yunxian, a female doctor in Suzhou. For a time, Miaozhen earned two taels and seven qian of silver a month and gained some fame.

When Madam Ru heard about this, she called her over to inquire, "I heard you cured the girl from the Ma family?"

Miaozhen said, "It was just luck. I saw a prescription before and tried it. It was really a coincidence." Her master couldn't cure the patient, but she cured him. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if word got out? So she was very careful with her words.

“I’m so happy to hear that you’ve completed your apprenticeship,” Ru said with a smile.

Miaozhen became even more respectful and said, "I stumbled upon this by accident. If it weren't for your guidance, I wouldn't have been able to enter this field."

Although Ru had some subtle thoughts, she couldn't find fault with them, but she maintained a facade of politeness.

After returning, he saw his third uncle complaining that his eldest uncle had borrowed money from him to make ends meet and was now working as a teacher at a village school. He didn't know when he would be able to repay the money.

Miaozhen went around to talk to Mei.

"Right now, Master Ru is teaching two girls surnamed Zhang. I heard they are the daughters of the owner of the pharmacy. Master Ru is complaining that the two young ladies are only diligent and don't even know the 'Nan Jing' after all this time. I think I'll just listen to what they say and not interrupt to criticize them."

"How many people are as diligent and talented as you? Take Xi Niang from the Ru family for example, she still can't prescribe medicine on her own," Madam Mei praised her daughter.

Miaozhen quickly waved her hand.

My third uncle stayed for lunch at home. We had a pan-fried whitebait, a plate of juicy shredded radish stir-fried with cured pork, a plate of scrambled eggs, and a small pot of soup made with water chestnuts, lotus root, water celery, and water caltrop.

After finishing his meal, Xu Erpeng had just left when his third uncle was about to take a nap. However, a waiter came up to him, saying that a young master had come looking for him and seemed to be of extraordinary status.

Xu Erpeng went out and saw a young man, tall and imposing, dressed like a son of an official. He quickly bowed and asked, "May I ask what business you have with me, sir?"

But then another person appeared behind the young master. Xu Erpeng recognized him; it was a member of the Tan family, whom he had met before. Tan Dalang said, "Scholar Xu, this is the grandson of the former Grand Secretary Cheng, and the eldest son of the Left Councilor of the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commission."

Xu Erpeng was startled, but forced himself to remain calm and said, "Cheng Dashe, Tan Dalang, I was blind to your greatness. Please come in and have some tea."

When Miaozhen and Mei heard this, they wondered what the visitor's intentions were. Miaozhen had specially studied tea ceremony with Lady Qiu, so she picked out some Songluo tea from the tea caddy produced during the Awakening of Insects. Mei picked out three dishes of mixed fruits and had someone buy a qian of rose-filled shortbread from the alley entrance. Miaozhen then took a teaspoon of rose jam and poured it on top.

Cheng Junxian would never eat the snacks outside. He only took a sip of tea and found it quite delicious, with a bright green color and a delicate aroma.

He said, “My father is currently serving in Jiangxi, and my mother has been feeling unwell lately. I’ve heard that there are many female doctors in the Wu region, so I would like to find one to come to our home to treat my mother, as a way to show my filial piety. Originally, I wanted to go to Wuxi to invite Madam Yang, but she is no longer able to travel such a long distance. Instead, she recommended your daughter to me.”

Xu Erpeng was delighted to hear that his daughter had been recommended to work as a servant in an official's household, but he also thought that his daughter was already thirteen and a half years old. Moreover, people say that once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea. Their daughter, from a small family, had never suffered any hardship.

Therefore, he hesitated for a moment and said, "My daughter does know some medical skills, but I am currently unable to spare the time to let her go to Jinling alone."

"That's alright, she can just come with me on my ship. I also need to go to the Cheng family in Anhui to invite the female doctor from Xiaofangmai to help my niece with her daily breathing exercises," Cheng Junxian said.

Xu Erpeng thought to himself that the rules of wealthy families were indeed strict, and there was a real distinction between men and women. He simply said, "To be honest, the affairs of the daughters in the family are mostly decided by the servants. Let me discuss it with them and then get back to you. Is that alright?"

Cheng Junxian is a young master from a prominent family, and Tan Dalang was afraid of upsetting him. However, he admired Xu Erpeng for being a man of principle, unlike others who would fawn over such matters. Therefore, Tan Dalang tried to smooth things over: "In my opinion, this is acceptable. A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles. You should discuss this with your son-in-law."

Xu Erpeng quickly agreed and personally saw Cheng Junxian out. Cheng Junxian then told him to send someone to find him three days later.

This news was certainly a good opportunity for Miaozhen. If she had the Cheng family's connections, and they recommended her to the palace as a female physician in the future, her value would increase dramatically.

However, ancient times were not like modern times. In powerful families, once someone entered, even the slightest offense could lead to their demise without them even knowing how. In families without power, it was difficult to achieve fairness.

Therefore, she said to Xu Erpeng, "Taking the Cheng family's shortcut is indeed a good idea, but I want to accumulate experience and make a breakthrough gradually. I can take it slowly in Suzhou Prefecture and there is no need to rush."

“That’s what I think too. The Cheng family is of high social standing, and Cheng Dashe is a reasonable person. We might as well refuse first and just say that you want to get married.” Xu Erpeng wasn’t afraid of offending anyone. He wasn’t a servant of the Cheng family, and besides, he had a degree in the imperial examinations.

As the saying goes, "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage." It's better to have someone mediate between the two parties when the time comes.

The next morning, the family went to the Mei family to celebrate Mei's birthday.

The scholar Mei has been in good spirits these past two years. When he saw the congratulatory gifts from the Mei family—two boxes of longevity peaches, two boxes of silver thread noodles, a basket of lucky oranges, two long gowns, and two pairs of shoes—he stroked his beard and smiled.

In previous years, Mei had married the worst among her sisters, but now that Xu Erpeng has some wealth, no one dares to look down on her.

When Aunt Qiao came in, Miao Zhen was a little confused. Usually, this aunt was dressed up in her finest clothes, but now she was wearing a dark green long gown with a royal blue skirt, which made her feel very dull.

Mei whispered to Miaozhen, "Your Uncle Qiao brought a prostitute home and stirred up trouble in the household. He even forgot about her, his legal wife. Last year, she didn't send anything over for the New Year. Your Uncle Qiao just lived with his two wives."

Miaozhen was taken aback. When she looked up, she saw Aunt Qiao staring intently at her. She thought she was seeing things, but in the blink of an eye, Aunt Qiao had already stood up.

Aunt Qiao fell out of favor after Fifth Concubine gave birth to a son. Last year, she heard Fifth Concubine deliberately mocking her for not recognizing a great man, and only then did she realize that it was Miaozhen, that little girl, who was behind it all. She was filled with resentment.

Moreover, her husband was seduced by prostitutes outside the home, and the women he brought home were also sharp-tongued and constantly nagging, leaving her with nowhere to stand.

She couldn't hate her husband, nor could she win against those concubines, and she hated Miaozhen instead.

She was furious that someone had ruined her marriage, so she decided to seek revenge. She then picked a seemingly perfect but ultimately rotten marriage and whispered to her mother about it. Her mother then told Scholar Mei, who, not wanting the women in the inner quarters to cause trouble, told Xu Erpeng.

Xu Erpeng was a plump man, but he was an extremely opinionated person. He knew that if his daughter married poorly, she would suffer for the rest of her life. Therefore, even though he heard that it was the county magistrate's family, he did not agree and said, "Father-in-law, you don't know that my family has become so close to the Prime Minister's family that they even invited her to be their servant because she studied under Madam Yang from Wuxi. Let's not talk about this now."

After listening to the question, Mei and the others asked more detailed questions and said, "This is a blessing for your family. As the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official can only be a minor official in front of a prime minister's door. Perhaps you can also buy an official position."

"I'm like dog meat that shouldn't be served on a high plate, so please don't tease me." Xu Erpeng knew he wasn't cut out to be an official.

Uncle Qiao had already closed his money exchange and was worried about not having any connections. When he heard Xu Erpeng say this, he came over very enthusiastically to toast him. Xu Erpeng only took a few sips of wine. After the banquet, he had to go back to write his book, and no one could stop him.

Miaozhen and Madam Mei also went back together, unaware of Aunt Qiao's scheme. Aunt Qiao was still hoping for it, but unexpectedly, Madam Mei inquired and said to her, "I'm afraid it won't work. I heard that the former Grand Secretary's family invited her to be a retainer."

"What? That girl has only studied medicine for a few years? And she can already treat people? I think my brother-in-law is just making this up. He loves writing books, and he often can't distinguish between the things in his books and reality." Aunt Qiao actually knew that Xu Erpeng was a man of his word, but she just thought that her sister was just unlucky. How could she have such good luck?

Mrs. Mei, on the contrary, advised: "As the saying goes, one must be able to bend and stretch. Your son-in-law is currently looking for a powerful backer, and he was trying to curry favor with your brother-in-law at the dinner table. Since that's the case, why don't you also pretend to be on good terms with them? Once you regain favor and have more people to rely on, it won't be too late to deal with her."

After hearing her mother's words, Aunt Qiao suddenly understood.

Meanwhile, just as the Mei family's banquet ended, Xu Dalang's family was in a similar situation. Recently, he had been teaching at the village school and exchanging poems with a local scholar, which had relieved much of his depression, frustration, and anxieties.

He truly considered the man a close friend, unaware that the man was at ease knowing that although he was a poor man, his two younger brothers, one running a bookstore in Jinchang and the other a tea and snack shop, were always busy with customers.

...

It is said that after Miaozhen returned home, she saw that Ma Yulan had brought a box of mixed fruits and couldn't help but say, "Why are we being so polite? By the way, stretch out your hand, I want to take your pulse properly."

Ma Yulan quickly extended her hand, and Miaozhen took her pulse and said, "It's alright, but your qi and blood are a bit weak. You can't move around too much, so you should take good care of yourself."

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say, alright?" Ma Yulan trusted Miaozhen even more because she had been saved from her illness.

Miaozhen joked with her a few more times and gave her a sachet to wear for protection against evil spirits.

After Ma Yulan left, Miaozhen was called to the front hall for dinner. Because she had eaten a lot of meat and fish at noon, she only ate some thin porridge and two side dishes.

After eating, I went back to sleep.

Unexpectedly, Xu Dalang arrived at the door with a mournful face in the dead of night. At that time, only Xu Erpeng was writing furiously. When he heard that Xu Dalang had come at this time, his eyelids twitched.

"Brother, what brings you here at this hour?"

"Erpeng, you have to save your brother! Someone has framed me for something wrong. If we don't give you five hundred taels, my life will be in danger!" Xu Dalang never expected that he would reveal the truth about the fake imperial examination in his drunken state.

Xu Erpeng frowned: "Brother, tell me first, what leverage they've given you?"

At this point, Xu Dalang still wouldn't tell the truth, only saying, "Just tell me, will you save your elder brother's life or not?"

“It can’t be saved.” Xu Erpeng was not one to be threatened, and he immediately replied.

Xu Dalang was furious: "Are you really going to watch me die?"

"So, what exactly did you do? If you don't tell me, I can't do anything about it."

Xu Dalang was furious. He had almost committed suicide by cutting his wrists when he was threatened, but the knife hurt too much for him to do it. He thought about drowning, but the water was too cold. He finally managed to put on a brave face and come to borrow money, but his second brother refused. He covered his face and sobbed.

Seeing his elder brother like this, Xu Erpeng felt a little sorry for him, but then he remembered that he still had a part of the story that wasn't written smoothly, so he crossed it out and polished it again.

Seeing that Xu Erpeng still ignored him, Xu Dalang said again, "Let me tell you, if this happens, it won't just be me, but all of you will suffer too. If you don't believe me, then forget it."

Xu Erpeng waved his hand: "Whatever."

Seeing that his elder brother didn't give a reason, Xu Erpeng stopped talking. He knew Xu Yiming well; he was all bark and no bite, pretending to be aloof and liked to offend people, but he was actually very timid and generally wouldn't dare to do anything serious.

Xu Yiming stormed off, only to be immediately subdued by several servants. For a moment, Xu Dalang felt a pang of despair, yet also a glimmer of hope. His younger brother was unwilling to squander the family fortune to save him, but now that it was his turn, wouldn't he be willing to spend money to ensure his safety? With this thought, he felt at peace.

The next morning, someone came to the door. When Miaozhen arrived at the front hall, she saw that her parents looked very serious.

Her father looked at her and said, “Zhenzhen, we have all been harmed by your uncle. He actually impersonated a student of the Imperial Academy and a scholar, but he is nothing at all. Someone is going to report him. If he really gets into trouble, we will be implicated as well.”

"What? My uncle was a fake after all?" Miaozhen exclaimed in astonishment.

Then Xu Erpeng said, "Yes, they've already gotten their hands on his fake prison certificate. Now there's only one way: either spend money to pay a donation for your uncle and find someone to make him a student in the Imperial Academy, but I just can't swallow this insult. Why should I clean up his mess?"

Thinking of this, he looked at his daughter and said, "I'll talk to Cheng Dashe later. Don't panic. Once we get to the Cheng family, we'll at least have a way out. In July of the fourteenth year of Chenghua, Yang Fu, who impersonated Wang Zhi, was executed. Your uncle won't suffer the same fate, but I'm afraid we'll be implicated and exiled. I'll write a letter of divorce to your mother. Remember, when you're successful, take your mother and your brothers away."

Miaozhen knew her father was preparing for the worst, but she remained calm: "Don't think like that. These days, you can even get a reduced sentence by spending money, and besides, it wasn't you who committed the crime. I have a way to have the best of both worlds. Later, you can get some spices and send them to Cheng Dashe as a gift. Casually tell him that I'm willing to work as a retainer at the Cheng family's residence, and then ask him for a letter of invitation, saying that you'll come to pick me up in the future, and that he might not recognize you. Once you give this gift, no one will refuse a smiling face. With a letter from the Cheng family, the people of Suzhou Prefecture won't dare to do anything. In this way, I'll have a bright future, and you'll avoid this trouble."

Xu Erpeng clapped his hands and laughed: "It really is a win-win idea."

Seeing that her father agreed, Miao Zhen felt relieved and even breathed a sigh of relief. She then gave her father some more detailed instructions.

Xu Erpeng listened attentively, and then said with a hint of fierceness, "Now I only care about my family. I don't care about the lives of others. It's one thing for your uncle to be vain, but when he came to my house, he refused to tell me the truth and tried to drag me down with him. Such a person deserves to be beaten or exiled."