Chapter 82

: Lighting the lantern, Xu Yi seemed to have something to worry about in his heart. He muttered a few words silently in his heart. When he opened his eyes, the vision in front of him became clearer.

He bowed to the little novice monk next to him with his hands clasped together, and came out of the hall full of lights.

Outside, the novice novices in the temple swept the snow piles on both sides, but no one shook off the snow on the branches of the trees. The branches drooped under the weight, and occasionally there was a muffled "plop" sound to notify people passing by. People, some branches were broken by the heavy snow.

Xu Yi stood under the eaves and watched for a while. There were footsteps coming from behind. He looked sideways and saw that it was Xing Yuesen who came out.

"It's cold outside, brother Yi, why don't you stay inside for a while?" Xing Yuesen asked.

There are hundreds of ever-burning lamps in the temple, which makes it much warmer than the cold wind blowing outside.

After standing outside for a while, his exposed face made his nose feel cold just by breathing, not to mention that Xu Yi didn't have a heater in his hand.

Xing Yuesen frowned: "I'll get you a heater."

"No need." Xu Yi shook his head at him, "I'm not cold."

Xing Yuesen sighed and asked him: "Are you worried about the people affected by the disaster in Xichong County? "

Xu Yi's eyes fell on a branch that was about to break under the weight of snow, and he said: "The world is difficult. There are countless natural and man-made disasters. It is not easy for people who suffer hardship to live, but there is a limit to what a person can do. I can't do it. It's just emotion."

Xing Yuesen narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to pat his shoulder: "This kind of disaster is really sad." He said to Xu Yi, "At this time of year, there are many in the city. People are giving out porridge, and this year is coming soon."

There are many merchants in Yanting County, and the Xing family is among them. They set up a tent to give out porridge every year, and this year is no exception.

His family has been preparing for this since the beginning of the month, and it just so happens that this year it is the turn of the Xing family's third room to handle it. Xing Yuesen, as the third son-in-law and the most promising direct descendant in the family, was in charge of preparing the porridge this time.

"Giving porridge?" Xu Yi's eyes lit up slightly.

Seeing his uninformed look, Xing Yuesen said to him: "Every midwinter and midwinter, several families in the city serve porridge outside the City God's Temple and outside the city. This year, it is our Xing family's turn to take the lead and set up tents at the City God's Temple. , that is, in the second half of the year. "

This kind of philanthropic scene started to appear eight years ago. The newly appointed county magistrate wanted to achieve results, so he invited more than a dozen large households in the city to go to the government office to discuss disaster relief. Later, the result of their discussions was to give out porridge to charity.

On the one hand, it can help the poor and hungry people, sow a wide field of good roots, and accumulate good deeds.

Secondly, it only takes a few stones or a dozen stones of food to win favor with the county magistrate and receive praise from the government.

This win-win situation is something everyone is happy to see.

Why did it continue later? Some people are willing to give charity and often give to the poor in winter. Some people just can’t live up to their dignity. Others are still giving porridge, so why don’t you stop giving?

Moreover, each family only needs to take turns to provide porridge for two days, and the food used in one day is not too much.

Xu Yi clicked his tongue when he heard this: "..."

Xing Yuesen laughed and said to Xu Yi: "This time, my family will not only give out porridge, but also invite a doctor to provide free medical treatment. I have agreed with my father that I would like to invite a doctor from the Miaoshou Pavilion. The other one is here for the consultation..."

He looked at Xu Yi seriously and asked him, "Brother Yi, are you willing to come?"

"You want me to go?" Xu Yi was a little surprised.

Xing Yuesen concluded: "I want to!"

"Among the doctors in the county, the ones I trust most are Brother Yi and Doctor Chen. Doctor Chen is old and not suitable for such a free clinic. I want to invite Brother Yi because of my love. , but also for the suffering people outside the city. With you taking action, I feel more at ease than anyone else.

This is for my own selfish reasons. If Brother Yi feels that I have offended you, then offend me. As a friend, if I offend you, you will do it. Just scold me a few times and I will accept it one by one."

Xing Yuesen finished speaking seriously and crossed his arms to Xu Yi.

Xu Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of smile in his eyes.

He whispered: "Why not."

Xing Yuesen suddenly raised his head to look at him, their eyes met, and then they both laughed sincerely.

The next moment, the laughter stopped suddenly, and Xu Yi and Xing Yuesen turned to look at the steps at the same time.

A young man wearing a blue-gray short robe quickly walked up the steps with his hands in his arms.

He hurriedly came to Xing Yuesen Road, bowed and shouted: "Sen Lang Junan

.

" Mr. Chai

asked Mr. Lang to go back, saying that he had something important to discuss.

With you." Xu Yi said.

The day was gray and it looked like it was going to snow. The snowy road would be difficult to travel on, so it would be best to go home early.

They went to the front hall to look for Xin Shengyuan and Tao Qinghao. When they learned that they were going back, they also followed them.

A group of people went down the mountain. As soon as the mule cart reached the halfway point, snow began to fall from the sky.

"It's snowing." Xu Yi called softly.

The snow was falling like flakes, helplessly, and the mule cart slowed down.

Xing Yuesen was afraid of being delayed on the road, so he asked the boy who was following him to go ahead. There were many people in their vehicle, so he could only follow behind.

Driving slowly, they looked at the falling snow outside and talked about how each family was preparing to give out porridge.

This year the Xing family takes the lead, followed by the Tao family and the Xin family.

Tao Qinghao and Xin Shengyuan were still young, and it was not their turn to take responsibility for things like giving porridge that were related to the family's good reputation.

Tao Qinghao twitched his lips: "Don't mention it, the housekeeper is in charge this year. A few days ago, I heard my mother say that she spent sixty guan on this porridge, but she came to report that it was not enough and that the price of food had increased a lot. "

Sixty-eight guan of silver is a lot just to buy grain, cloth sheds, coarse linen and linen clothes, etc."

For example, in previous years when their family gave out porridge, they spent fifty to sixty guan. This was the first time that they had exceeded this amount.

Xu Yi was confused and asked him: "Does your family care about your own people?"

"The housekeeper at home is responsible for all purchases. My mother only looks after the accounts." Tao Qinghao's face darkened. He felt that this was not a good thing, but there was nothing he could do about the housekeeper.

He gritted his teeth. When he took charge of the family, the first person to be investigated would be Butler Tao.

Don't think that just by bearing his family name, you can do whatever you want. If you know that he has been personally enriched in these important matters, such a person cannot be retained.

Xin Shengyuan, who was sitting next to him, didn't have such worries.

He can't control it, but his mother is in charge of the house, so her mother is personally responsible for this matter.

A few people were chatting about giving porridge, and then they mentioned that Xu Yi was going to sit in the free clinic arranged by the Xing family.

"Xu Yi, are you going to be a free clinic doctor?" they shouted in unison in surprise.

After shouting, they were shocked. Why did Xing Yuesen take the lead in doing this?

Sure enough, Xing Wu is the most scheming among them!

Xu Yi said: "Brother Xing asked me, and I happened to have this intention, so I agreed .

"

Xing Yuesen's smug face made him really want to punch him.

Xing Yuesen said calmly: "If you are dissatisfied, you can also open a free clinic and invite brother Yi to sit in the hall."

Xin Shengyuan and Tao Qinghao: "..."

So angry.

If they could make the decision, would they still be so angry?

...

After much fussing, the mule cart arrived outside the city wall smoothly.

Xu Yi returned to South Street. Before he entered the house, he saw a donkey cart parked in front of the house.

There was a strange boy next to him.

The boy looked to be about his age, wearing an old satin blue robe. He had been waiting by the car for a while. The snow on his shoulders had melted a little, and the clothes on his shoulders were darker than other parts.

When he saw the owner of the room coming back, he bowed to Xu Yi respectfully: "Doctor Xu."

Xu Yi looked at him and asked, "Who is this little brother?"

The boy said with a slight smile: " I'm from Pan County Wei's family, and my master sent me to ask Doctor Xu to come over."

It turned out to be a young man from Pan County Wei's family.

Xu Yi nodded and asked him to wait for a while. He went back to the house and put down the medicine box.

The boy smiled and said: "Doctor Xu, wait a minute, my master just invited Dr. Xu to come to the house for consultation."

Xu Yi: "..."

This is a little different from what he thought. He thought Pan County Lieutenant asked his servants to come to him, It's about that letter.

However, no matter what the reason for the dignified county captain to see him, Xu Yi could not refuse.

He grabbed the edge of the carriage and got into the car. He looked at the simple decoration in the carriage and raised his eyebrows.

Then the boy sat on the top of the donkey cart and drove the cart like a handlebar.

The wheels turned gurglingly and rolled over the bluestone slabs, and they headed east as they exited South Street.

There was no one else in the carriage. Xu Yi closed his eyes and listened to the various noises on the street outside. There were people selling food, people selling various small sundries, and people selling firewood and charcoal... almost everything.

The severe winter had no impact on the always lively East Street. There were still many people dressed as servant girls walking among the bustling markets.

After a while, the noise outside the car became silent.

Xu Yi opened his eyes, lifted the curtain and looked outside. He saw tall gates with white walls and green tiles on both sides of the road.

They have arrived at Xinglu Lane on East Street. This alley is home to officials of all sizes such as the county magistrate, the chief minister, and the county lieutenant, as well as some well-known outsider families.

Every household in this alley is a well-known dignitary and wealthy gentry in the county. No one dares to make a loud noise here. When vendors pass by this alley, they speed up and leave for fear of bumping into some wealthy family. people.

Pan Xianwei's mansion is located in the fourth house of Xinglu Lane. It is a two-entry courtyard with two entrances and two exits.

The boy stopped with the donkey cart and lifted the curtain for Xu Yi: "Doctor Xu, we're here."

Xu Yi leaned down and looked at the four-meter-high vermilion gate, thinking that he would enter the house through the side door.

As a result, the boy knocked on the door, and the boy guarding inside opened the door. Then, the boy ushered Xu Yi in.

They walked directly through the house as soon as they entered the courtyard, came to the courtyard in the middle of the back, then passed through a corridor and went to the small door on the side.

Passing through the small door is the back room.

Xu Yi followed him to a room without squinting his eyes.

Soon, someone came over. It was a woman who looked to be in her thirties, wearing a dark brocade skirt and a silver hairpin.

When the mother-in-law saw Xu Yi, she said after Wanfu: "Doctor Xu, come here."

Helpless, Xu Yi followed her out of the room, walked through the quiet corridor, and came to a small courtyard.

The woman who was walking in front suddenly said: "Doctor Xu, this is the courtyard of the young man. The young man ate fruit yesterday, and today he has a bloated stomach that is uncomfortable. He took Xiaoshi Pills but it didn't make him any better."

She said . The fruit in question is made with glutinous rice flour and carrot juice. There are fillings inside, including mung bean filling, red bean filling and sesame filling.

Among them, carrots are the modern carrots. In the Northern Song Dynasty, carrots were cultivated on a large scale, and it was not difficult to eat carrots.

Hearing that he had taken Chen's Xiaoshi Pills, Xu Yi had no time to think about it as he had already followed the woman to a wing.

The mother-in-law lifted the heavy curtain and entered. After saying goodbye, she took Xu Yi into the back room.

Back room.

Pan Wenji stood guard by the bed, looking at his youngest son lying on the bed and groaning in discomfort, his brows furrowed into the Chinese character "Chuan". When he saw Xu Yi coming over, he raised his hand and called him forward.

"Pan County Lieutenant." Xu Yi bowed and came closer.

Pan Wenji said: "The child is suffering from abdominal pain. Doctor Xu, please take a look at the cause."

Xu Yi nodded, put down the medicine box he was carrying, took out the pulse pillow and came to the bedside. Pan Wenji made room for him, and Xu Yi sat on the stool next to him while observing the child on the bed.

The child looked to be about seven or eight years old, and his facial features were somewhat similar to Pan County Captain's, but he had not grown out yet. His face was fair, and he was clutching his stomach in pain with cold sweat on his forehead.

He stretched out his hand and called softly: "Little official, please stretch out your hand. I'm going to check your pulse."

The child on the bed moved and looked at him with half-open eyes. When he saw Pan Wenji beside him, he obediently stretched out his hand. Handed.

Xu Yi felt silently and felt the pulse. The child's pulse was tight in the string, indicating that it was blocked. Looking at the eye sockets, there was nothing unusual.

He silently withdrew his hand and asked the child to open his mouth.

The child groaned twice in discomfort, but still opened his mouth.

Xu Yi saw that his tongue coating was white and thin, and he made a judgment in his heart. But he did not come to a conclusion immediately, but turned his head and looked at Pan Wenji.

"Captain Pan, I need to check your son's belly," he said.

Pan Wenji naturally agreed.

After he agreed, he asked the woman next to him to undress his youngest son.

After taking off the outer robe and the middle shirt, Xu Yi stopped the mother-in-law's next move.

Xu Yi pressed the child's stomach through his inner clothes. There was a hard lump on the right side. As soon as he pressed gently, the child cried out in pain.

Pan Wenji on the side asked nervously: "What's wrong?"

Xu Yi carefully closed the clothes he had taken off, stood up and said to Pan Xianwei: "The heat stays in the small intestine, causing pain in the intestines, jaundice, heat and thirst, and dry throat. It cannot come out, so it is painful and blocked. This is a case of acute intestinal obstruction." [Note 1]

In the "Nei Jing", it is called "posterior difficulty" and "difficulty in defecation". In modern medical disease names, it is called intestinal obstruction. .

This intestinal obstruction generally presents with abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, cessation of defecation and flatulence, etc. If a child eats too many pastries made from glutinous rice, this problem will appear. However, the symptoms are not serious and can be treated externally. [Note 2]

Xu Yi said again: "I will prescribe a umbilical filling therapy. If you use it continuously for two or three days, it will help reduce qi and reduce swelling."

After hearing this, Pan Wenji looked at Xu Yi with a look of satisfaction.

If a child can recover without taking medicine, that would be great.

Pan Wenji and his wife had a hard time getting this child when he was over 30 years old. They took good care of him since he was a child and prayed that he would grow up to his crown safely.

Nowadays, many children are dying in infancy. This situation does not only happen to the lower class people, but also often happens in the homes of wealthy people. In order for this child to grow up safely, he usually cares a lot about his youngest son's diet and daily life.

However, even so, accidents still happen.

Pan Wenji asked Xu Yi what caused the disease.

Xu Yi said: "My son has a cold in his spleen and stomach. He also ate too much glutinous rice fruit and it was difficult to digest. As a result, there was heat in the intestines, which could not be eliminated."

After hearing this, Pan Wenji told his mother-in-law to eat less of these fruits for him in the future . The food is not easy to digest, otherwise the servants like them who are waiting in the yard will be questioned.

The mother-in-law was so frightened that she knelt down, shook her shoulders and said she understood.

Pan Wenji waved her hand slightly displeasedly to get her up, and then said: "Get down."

Before he finished speaking, the mother-in-law did not dare to complain and left the room in a hurry.

Xu Yi blinked and was forced to listen to the lecture.

He pretended not to know, held a pen, wrote out the navel filling method, and then showed it to Captain Pan.

Pan Wenji took the paper, looked at the simple recipe on it, and was stunned.

This recipe is too simple.

Only two things are used in it, one is Wu Yu and the other is rice vinegar.

Take an appropriate amount of Wuyu and grind it into powder, then use rice vinegar to make

a thin paste and apply it on the belly button. Then, it needs to be fixed with a cloth bandage. Change the dressing once a day. When the stomach no longer hurts, defecate Medication can be discontinued. [Note 3]

Pan Wenji asked: "Wuyu has such miraculous effects?"

Xu Yi said lightly: "Wuyu can nourish the spleen and stomach, cure stagnation, dispel cold and relieve pain, soothe the liver and lower qi, so it can be used for it. Treat intestinal paralysis."

Pan Wenji nodded with satisfaction: "In that case, follow Doctor Xu's prescription." He called the boy in and told him to prepare quickly.

The boy took the prescription and didn't dare to delay at all.

Soon, he came in with the prepared Wu Yu powder and rice vinegar, and carefully placed them on the table.

Xu Yi said: "I'll do it."

Seeing that the master had no objection, the young man quietly stepped aside.

Xu Yi cleaned his hands, scooped three spoons of Wu Yu powder into the bowl, and added two spoons of rice vinegar. The smell of rice vinegar is pungent and makes your teeth sour. The sour smell makes Xu Yi want to eat dumplings dipped in vinegar.

He thought this in his heart, but with a serious look on his face, he carefully mixed the medicinal powder with rice vinegar, and then applied the medicine to Captain Pan's youngest son.

Giving medicine to children is much more difficult than for adults.

Pan Xianwei's youngest son grew up being pampered, and seven or eight years old was a naughty age. Therefore, even if the county lieutenant's son was already literate, he would instinctively break away when he felt a chill in his belly. Don't let Xu Yi touch him anymore.

"It hurts..." He struggled towards his father with tears streaming down his face.

Pan Wenji hugged his youngest son's head lovingly, whispered a few comforting words, and coaxed his little son back to sleep. Xu Yi also took the opportunity to apply medicine to his navel and fix it with a cloth strip.

"Next time, just follow my method and change the dressing." After Xu Yi finished doing this, he said to the boy who was watching.

The boy nodded with a smile and agreed.

After a while, the little son, who was groaning in pain, stopped crying out in pain frequently.

Pan Wenji happily touched the child's hair and asked him if he was feeling better.

"It doesn't hurt much anymore." The youngest son lay in Pan Wenji's arms and acted coquettishly, secretly looking at Xu Yi with his eyes.

Xu Yi blinked at him. The child's eyes were stunned and he immediately shrank back.

Xu Yi: "..." So cute.

Seeing that the child was not as uncomfortable as before, Pan Wenji thought about it and asked Xu Yi to come out with him.

Xu Yi put away the medicine box and walked silently one step behind. He glanced at Captain Pan's generous back and wondered if he had something else to say to him.

In particular, he had just sent a letter, and he wanted to know if Captain Pan had seen the letter.

The two came to Pan's study.

The boy guarding the study brought tea in very discerningly, and then quietly closed the door.

In the study, Pan Wenji said nothing, and Xu Yi waited silently with lowered eyebrows.

Pan Wenji took a sip of tea and said calmly: "I already know about Xichong County."

Xu Yi raised his head.

Pan Wenji's eyes fell on his face, and his expression remained unchanged as he said: "You are not allowed to get involved in this matter. You don't have to worry about it anymore. If Xichong County is short of doctors by then, I will recommend you to go there."

"I'm here . Understood." Xu Yi said.

Xichong County is at the same level as Yanting County, so Captain Pan is very grateful for his willingness to take action.

It was even more unexpected when I heard that I would recommend myself to go to Xichong County if I had the chance.

Maybe this matter will never come to a conclusion for Xu Yi, but without his knowledge, someone has already intervened. Even if the situation is still bad, it will not continue to be bad.

Xu Yi sincerely thanked Captain Pan and said goodbye to him when he saw that he had no other words to say.

Pan Wenji did not keep him and called the boy who had brought Xu Yi over to see him off.

When the boy sent him out of the study, he took out a small piece of silver from his pocket and said it was the medical fee for the young man.

Xu Yi accepted the money and left Pan's house quickly.

...

For dinner, Xu Yi wanted to eat cabbage and pork dumplings.

Dumplings at this time were called "jiaozi". It is said that a gourmet in the Tang Dynasty suddenly came up with the idea of ​​eating dumplings. From then on, some people continued this eating method. By the early Song Dynasty, jiaozi often appeared on the dining tables of people in Kaifeng City. superior.

But there is another reason. It is said that this dumpling (Jiaoer) was invented by Zhang Zhongjing, a medical saint in the Western Han Dynasty. It was first used to wrap medicinal materials and take them to treat diseases.

No matter which way it was said, after A Xu heard that he wanted to eat dumplings, he began to worry about what to do.

Pork stuffed with cabbage and pork?

He knows about water spinach, and he also knows about pork, but what are the coins?

A Xu, who grew up in the countryside and had never been exposed to anything outside the countryside before, came to ask Xu Yi what a slot was after being troubled to no avail.

Xu Yi frowned: "..." He can eat it, but he can't cook it either.

"Why don't we go ask Mrs. He?" he suggested.

After a while, Xu Yi and A Xu came to He's house and knocked on the door.

It was He Qiulin who came to open the door.

Although He Qiulin is currently unemployed at home, he goes to Xu's house to help make Xiaoshi pills during the day.

Xu Yi saw this and often deliberately kept him down for lunch.

While eating, I would occasionally plan with He Qiulin about selling Xiaoshi pills after the new year.

When Mrs. He saw him coming with A Xu, she asked doubtfully, "What's going on with Brother Yi?"

"Ms. He, do you know how to play slots?" Xu Yi asked her.

Mrs. He was surprised and said: "I have seen this dime but never eaten it. I seem to remember that only people in Kaifeng City can eat dimes. Why does brother Yi suddenly want to eat it?"

Xu Yi said seriously: "I heard that this dime can be dipped. Eating it with jealousy, it tastes very good, so I want to know how to make this dime."

He would not admit that he was greedy.

Mrs. He nodded, that’s how to eat it. She was thinking about the appearance of the horn she saw last time in her mind, feeling a little hesitant.

After a while, Mrs. He said: "Brother Yi, if you can trust me, ask A Xu to bring the prepared food and let me try to cook it?"