Apricot Grove Physician
"Miss, were you sincere when you spoke to His Highness the Crown Prince?" Lin asked, walking briskly with a book in her hand, Xueya trailing behind her two steps.
Xueya always loved to cling to her, and ever since she fell at the entrance of the clinic, she has been taking care of her so closely that she has to stay by her side even when she goes to the toilet.
"nature. "
"Then why not tell the son-in-law? He'd be so happy to know you've given up on His Highness the Crown Prince."
Would Xie Chengnan be happy? He'd be lucky if he didn't kick her out. Lin Yi's expression was indifferent: "He'll find out later."
Actually, she had considered telling Xie Chengnan what happened that day. Since they were in a cooperative relationship, they should be honest with each other. Besides, she believed that even if she didn't tell him, Xie Chengnan could easily find out if he wanted to.
However, she still remembered that Xie Chengnan agreed to the marriage only so that he could join forces with Qiu Qingye to cause trouble for the Crown Prince.
They had no connection whatsoever; their only similarity was their mutual hatred for the Crown Prince. One harbored unrequited love, turning it into hatred, while the other, unaware of the reason, took it for granted—Lin Yi interpreted this as a normal mutual dislike between a powerful cannon fodder male supporting character and the male lead, essentially a battle of titans.
If Xie Chengnan knew that she had no ulterior motives towards the Crown Prince, and was actually happy to help him and Zhan Xian get together, then her claim of wanting revenge against the Crown Prince would be untenable. And her recently restored alliance with Xie Chengnan would become unstable.
She still needs the identity of the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion to shield herself from Qiu Qingye's admirers and the male and female protagonists' apprehension, so she cannot untie herself from Xie Chengnan for the time being.
Lin Yi stuffed the unfinished copy of "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber" into the package, then used his ten fingers to twist the two corners together and tie a knot.
Xueya stood on tiptoe behind her, peering out: "Miss, where are we going?"
"I'm going to become your apprentice." Lin paused, "I'll go myself; you don't need to come with me today."
"Become an apprentice?"
---
At the height of the sun, Lin Yi went alone to Xinglin Garden outside the neighborhood.
Unlike the self-proclaimed miracle doctor surnamed Cui, the people living in Xinglin Garden lived a very poor life. They were genuinely skilled in medicine, but never considered themselves doctors. They simply called themselves idle country folk with some medical knowledge.
In the original book, Zhan Xian's health was damaged during her years of exile, and it was the renowned physician at Xinglin Garden who saved her and completely cured her. However, there are still several plot points before Zhan Xian finds this place.
It was a simple little courtyard in a very remote part of Mingzhou City, called Xinglin Garden, probably just because of the crooked apricot tree in the courtyard.
The courtyard was several dozen feet wide. Apart from the crooked apricot tree, there was only a small, dilapidated house that had been neglected for many years. Its state of disrepair was comparable to that of the backyard of the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion.
The doors and windows of the hut appeared to be later additions; the bamboo material clashed terribly with the brick walls. Although the hut was small and dilapidated, the items were neatly arranged, and the courtyard was filled with the aroma of herbs. Outside the hut were several patients who appeared to be equally impoverished.
Mingzhou is the capital of Anguo, yet unexpectedly, there are still so many impoverished people under the emperor's nose. They cannot afford the consultation fees of the well-known clinics in the city, and they usually just endure minor illnesses and ailments. Those who cannot endure them come to Xinglin Garden to find the idle people there to prescribe some medicine.
The courtyard was bustling with people, but Lin Yi had no intention of disturbing them. He only wanted to wait until the owner of Xinglin was not busy so he could discuss a few words with him.
Among the crowded patients, an elderly woman squeezed through the throng, cradling a child of no more than six or seven years old in her arms. "Doctor—doctor, please take a look at my son!" she cried, her voice trembling with urgency, her breathing heavy and labored. "Please come quickly, what's wrong with him!"
The woman's face was filled with urgency and panic, and her voice was already trembling with tears. The crowd spontaneously made way for her.
Wang Chunsheng, a casual physician in Xinglin Garden, came out of his medicine hut upon hearing the commotion. He glanced at the scene and was immediately alarmed: "Bring the person in quickly! Everyone else, go back. We're not seeing any patients today!"
Lin Yi stood nearby and didn't miss the dense red spots on the boy's forehead and the back of his hands.
A boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes followed behind the doctor. Upon hearing his words, he deftly helped to disperse the crowd. Wang Chunsheng then took the child from the woman's arms and settled him on the examination bed.
"Bang!" The door of the medicine shop slammed shut and locked in front of those who were still lingering.
The incident happened so suddenly that many people were confused.
"What's wrong with Dr. Wang? He promised to make house calls at 1-3 PM, how could he go back on his word?" A thin man in a tattered, patched long gown squeezed through the crowd and stood in front of the door, looking around.
"The child must be seriously ill. Doctor Wang is not one to go back on his word. Let's come back another day."
"How can that be? My eye pain has lasted for half a month, and now it's so painful and itchy that I can't even see the words clearly. I can't delay any longer." With that, the man took a few quick steps forward and raised his hand to knock on the door.
But a child grabbed his hem. "Uncle, my mom said that doctors shouldn't be disturbed during consultations."
The girl clutching his sleeve was thin and looked a few years younger than the boy who had fallen seriously ill; it was unclear what illness she had. "Everyone suffers a thousand kinds of hardship, but the poor face even greater difficulties," the man sighed heavily, and finally turned and left.
Xinglin Garden doesn't charge consultation fees, only the cost of basic herbal medicine, which is all at cost price. They're essentially operating at a loss, and most patients are aware of this. Since they're already receiving preferential treatment, they don't make unreasonable demands. Everyone has urgent matters to attend to, and most are understanding, but not everyone is so considerate.
An elderly man with gray hair, leaning on a bamboo cane, walked slowly to the bamboo gate. He struck the gate heavily with his cane three times.
He muttered under his breath, "Don't you know what first come, first served? Are you going to die before tomorrow? It's my turn, show me first!"
The old man cursed a few times, then suddenly stopped.
The door swung open with a bang, and the big-eyed boy stood angrily in the doorway. He was probably not good with words; his eyes were wide, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time. It was Wang Chunsheng who, in the midst of his busy work, said something without turning his head, which sent everyone scrambling away in a panic.
"This disease is highly contagious. If you're not afraid, don't leave. Get closer and try to get rid of the disease. Maybe the child will recover faster."
The crowd, who had been reluctant to leave, soon dispersed and disappeared. Seeing this, the old man also stormed off, muttering something under his breath.
Measles. The word popped into Lin Yi's mind.
This disease is highly contagious, and it mostly affects children with weakened immune systems. When it manifests, red, patchy papules appear all over the body. In modern times, with its advanced medical technology, this disease is not a serious concern. However, in ancient times, it had an extremely high mortality rate.
Lin Yi's understanding of this disease was limited to a brief introduction in a medical lecture, but just now on the carriage, she had been reading the *Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber*, which happened to mention a few treatment methods. Perhaps, she could be of some help.
She wanted to help, so she didn't leave with the crowd, but looked through the gap in the raised bamboo window.
A flash of silver light streaked across the sunlight as Wang Chunsheng laid out his medical bag, revealing dozens of silver needles of varying thicknesses and sizes. He picked one up, inserted it into the flesh with remarkable steadiness.
One after another, slender silver needles were slowly and gently inserted into the boy's acupoints. Whether it was Lin Yi's imagination or not, the boy's originally flushed face seemed to have eased up quite a bit.
"A handkerchief to cool you down," Wang Chunsheng instructed.
The big-eyed boy acted quickly; almost as soon as he finished speaking, he handed Wang Chunsheng a damp handkerchief that he had wrung out.
The two worked together seamlessly, as if they had rehearsed countless times.
As more and more acupuncture needles were inserted into his body, the boy on the sickbed's face flushed slightly, but only for a moment before his breathing suddenly became rapid again. He gasped for breath, but it was as if he couldn't get the air into his lungs, and his lips moved like a dying fish.
The woman covered her mouth tightly, but sobs still escaped through her fingers.
Outside the window, Lin Yi's heart clenched. She had always been healthy and rarely sick. Even in her medical studies, she mostly dealt with models and corpses. This was the first time she had witnessed a vibrant life on the verge of death. She couldn't help but grip the wooden window frame, making a soft, creaking sound.
The dark-skinned, big-eyed boy suddenly turned around, catching Lin Yi off guard.
The big-eyed boy opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Wang Chunsheng ordered, "The situation is bad. Go and prepare Jinshui."
Lin Yi was too far away, and his view was obstructed, so he couldn't see what the big-eyed boy took out of the cabinet. He only saw that after the boy put the bowl of golden water into his mouth, his breathing gradually became steady.
Wang Chunsheng's expression remained unchanged as he asked in a deep voice, "Have you taken a note of everyone who came for treatment today?"
The boy nodded.
Wang Chunsheng focused on his subordinates, not looking at him, but as if he knew his answer, he continued: "According to this prescription, each person who came here today will receive three doses, delivered to each household, and we will supervise them as they eat."
This time, the big-eyed boy didn't nod immediately. After taking the prescription, he hesitated and said, "...I'm out of money."
This was the first time Lin Yi had heard him speak; she had originally thought the big-eyed boy was a mute.
Wang Chun was so angry that his beard trembled. He glared at him resentfully, but he knew that what he said was true.
They don't charge consultation fees. Life is already difficult enough, and they often reduce or waive the cost of medicine for the poor, so they live a very frugal life.
Measles is different from other diseases; it is not easy to treat, and you also need to protect yourself from other potential infected individuals. One dose of medicine costs eighty coins.
There were at least twenty or thirty patients who came for treatment today, but they simply couldn't afford that much money to buy the medicine.
Wang Chunsheng's shoulders suddenly slumped, and he felt somewhat powerless. "Let's see how much of those medicinal herbs I've been hoarding are left, and then we'll take them out and distribute them to everyone."
The boy stood still.
Wang Chunsheng kicked him, yelling, "Stop dawdling! Get going!"
After the boy in the hospital bed drank the so-called golden water, his condition seemed to stabilize. Lin Yi glanced at him through the crack in the window again, then turned and followed the big-eyed boy who went to get the medicine.
The boy went straight to the pharmacy, ignoring the person following behind him. He knew that he hadn't told her to leave earlier, and now it might be too late.
Although it's called a pharmacy, there's actually only one room in the courtyard, which is just a small side room partitioned off from the side.
The side chamber was crammed full, with various medicinal herbs neatly categorized and stored in floor-to-ceiling wooden cabinets. Other herbs, not yet fully dried, lay on wooden shelves and tables awaiting natural air drying. Aside from these, the remaining space was barely enough for two or three adults to turn around in.
Lin Yi suppressed her curiosity and came to her senses when she saw the big-eyed boy had already selected the medicinal herbs and was holding a hastily packaged medicine packet in front of her.
Lin Yi was somewhat surprised: "For me?"
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