Chapter 16 Shield
The next day, Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan got up very early. First, they put the boiled and cooled water into a bamboo tube, wrapped the steamed buns in a cloth, and put them together with a bag of dried fish into the basket that was used to hold food and water. Then they took out a raincoat and a straw hat to protect themselves from the rain.
After doing all this, they had a simple breakfast of egg and vegetable noodle soup, and then locked the doors and gates of their house and yard before sunrise, and set off over mountains to the northwest to a mountain with denser forests and steeper slopes.
To get there, you first have to cross the mountain closest to the village, the one where Xie Wanniang used to gather herbs.
As the two climbed the mountain, Jiang Yuan pointed to their destination, which was only a mountain peak peeking out from the horizon, and said to Xie Wanniang:
"There are wild boars on that mountain and several nearby mountains, but not many. There are also foxes, leopard cats, badgers and the like, but they are hard to find."
"Only after crossing these mountains and going further in will you find herds of wild boars, deer, wild sheep and deer. If you're unlucky, you might even encounter lynxes, jackals, leopards, tigers and bears."
Xie Wanniang seemed to be thinking, "Where did you hunt most often before?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "Those mountains that are closer to here."
He was, after all, just a teenager. Hao Yu, who had taken him into the mountains, had injured his hand and was far less powerful than in his prime. For safety's sake, they never ventured into the deep mountains where large beasts frequently appeared unless accompanied by others.
Hearing him say that, Xie Wanniang was finally no longer worried about continuing to hold him back. She said, "Then shall we still go to those mountains often in the future?"
Jiang Yuan nodded, "As long as you don't mind the hard work."
Although wandering around the hills near the village only yields small animals like pheasants and rabbits, and common herbs like mugwort and plantain, it allows one to make two trips a day home.
While venturing further afield might yield more valuable prey and herbs, it also meant spending more time traveling. To avoid delaying their business, they could only eat dry rations with cool boiled water in the mountains at noon.
Jiang Yuan himself was already used to it and didn't think much of it, but Xie Wanniang had never suffered like this before. Jiang Yuan was worried that she wouldn't be able to bear the cold and simple food while being busy and tired.
He guessed right. Xie Wanniang really couldn't stand working herself to the bone to earn money while not eating well. But she didn't give up going into the mountains because of this. Instead, she chose to improve the food as much as possible within her means.
For example, today she brought dried fish to share with Jiang Yuan in advance.
For example, tonight she will turn all the fish in the house into small, crispy dried fish pieces, and also pickle a batch of cucumbers and dried white radishes.
Although it used up a lot of firewood and seasonings, the aroma was so enticing it made your eyebrows fall off.
Of course, most importantly, when they go into the mountains again, they won't just have to eat dry steamed buns, flatbreads, or cornbread.
Jiang Yuan was quite satisfied with this.
The two spent about half a day in the mountains. Jiang Yuan hunted a wild boar, five pheasants, and two rabbits, while Xie Wanniang harvested two full baskets and a basket full of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Pinellia ternata, Polygonum cuspidatum, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Lonicera japonica.
Returning home with his back to the setting sun, Jiang Yuan first went to town to sell his game and buy provisions for tomorrow. Then, he took dried mugwort, honeysuckle, plantain, and other herbs and went to Doctor Chen's house for Xie Wanniang.
He had two things to do: one was to ask Doctor Chen if he would accept herbs, and the other was to ask Doctor Chen to examine Xie Wanniang again.
Dr. Chen himself is old, and his eldest grandson, who is learning medicine from him, is too young to be taken care of. The old man is really worried about letting the child go to the mountains on his own, so the less common medicinal herbs he usually uses are all purchased by him from the county pharmacy.
Now Xie Wanniang has given him another option. After examining the quality of the medicinal materials prepared by Xie Wanniang, Doctor Chen estimated and quoted a compromise price that neither he nor Xie Wanniang would lose out.
When Jiang Yuan heard that the price he quoted was much higher than the bottom price Xie Wanniang had given, he sold all the medicinal herbs he had brought to him without saying a word.
Then, he invited Doctor Chen to his home to treat Xie Wanniang's "amnesia".
Dr. Chen wasn't sure if Xie Wan Niang had lost her memory, but he knew perfectly well whether she had hit her head in the river. When Jiang Yuan said that she "probably hit her head in the river," Dr. Chen knew that there was probably something fishy going on.
As for the specifics of what's going on, he'll have to examine Xie Wanniang's pulse again before he can have a clear understanding.
"You have amnesia?" After taking Xie Wanniang's pulse twice with his left and right hands, Doctor Chen stared at Xie Wanniang with a suspicious look and asked.
Xie Wanniang smiled and shook her head, "Yes, I have amnesia."
Dr. Chen: ......
Doctor Chen shook his head helplessly, "Alright, I understand."
She was just faking illness to get him to cover up her lie. Since Jiang Yuan, the person who took her in, knew about it and didn't mind, he might as well pretend not to know.
"There's one more thing," Xie Wanniang said with a smile to Doctor Chen. "This junior would like to learn medicine from you, sir."
Without even thinking, Dr. Chen waved his hand and refused, saying, "I don't teach little girls."
He earnestly advised Xie Wanniang, "Being a doctor is very hard work. Not to mention the ten years of apprenticeship, after you graduate, you will encounter all kinds of patients and their families."
“Boys, when they are out in the world, at most they will suffer some humiliation and occasionally get a beating, but it’s different for girls. Some girls will even risk everything.”
Polite words and physical advances are the least of it; some people even go so far as to force a sexual encounter.
Dr. Chen has been in this profession for half his life, and he has seen far too many dirty tricks along the way.
Even among the few female doctors and herbalists he knew, even though they were past their prime and had always treated only women, the dangers they faced because of their gender were no less than those faced by men.
Xie Wanniang appreciated the old man's good intentions and explained, "I don't intend to become a doctor like you."
She poured the old man a glass of mint water. "You should have noticed that I actually know a little about pharmacology. I need to give a reasonable explanation for this, just like why I chose to stay in Mingfu Village instead of going home."
Dr. Chen: I get it, you just want me to be a shield.
He took a sip of the mint water, which tasted somewhat strange to him. "Your family doesn't know you understand pharmacology?"
Otherwise, Xie Wanniang could have easily claimed that she learned these things from someone at home.
Xie Wanniang nodded, "My mother thought I shouldn't study medicine and wouldn't allow my father to find me a teacher specializing in medicine, so I could only study secretly behind her back."
Dr. Chen objectively stated, "Your technique for handling medicinal herbs is skillful; it doesn't seem like you learned it secretly on your own."
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