Chapter 1783 Grandparents
Doctor Liu paused and followed her grandfather to the study.
Imperial Physician Liu handed the medicine box to his attendant and took it away. He sat down in the main seat in the study, looked her up and down, and said, "The Empress Dowager is ill with a cough. Imperial Physician Zhou and I attended to her last night."
Doctor Liu lowered her head and listened. Although she didn't quite understand why her grandfather said this to her, she still listened very carefully.
Doctor Liu said, "Before I left the palace today, Doctor Zhou and Dean Xiao recommended you, thinking you could perform acupuncture on the Empress Dowager's behalf."
Upon hearing this, Doctor Liu was slightly moved and couldn't help but look up at Doctor Liu.
Doctor Liu nodded to her and said, "This is your chance."
He paused and sighed, "Your medical skills are all inherited from Dr. Zhou. You grew up in the Liu family, so you should know that each family's medical system is different."
Doctor Liu responded softly and whispered, "Grandfather, don't worry. Your granddaughter has no intention of fighting for the family's resources."
Doctor Liu was silent for a moment before saying, "Grandfather, that's not what I meant. I wanted to tell you that, so far, the only woman in my family who has been allowed to enter the palace as a doctor, or to practice medicine outside the palace, is Doctor Zhou."
The others were unknown, their medical skills were mediocre, and they were local women who only knew some simple medical theories. They did not form a system at all.
Doctor Liu said, "Sanniang, you are not young anymore. It's time for you to get married."
Doctor Liu's face changed, and she knelt down quickly and said, "Grandfather, I am willing to tie my hair and become a nun, and serve you for the rest of my life."
She said, "If my granddaughter becomes an official in the palace, it will also be a help to the family."
Doctor Liu's shameful heart fluttered, but he looked down at his granddaughter and shook his head. He sighed, "Getting married with your hair tied up is too tragic. If you stay single for your whole life, how different are you from those palace maids who die of old age?"
But she is at the critical stage of her medical studies. Wouldn't it be a waste of all her efforts if she got married at this time?
This is what Doctor Liu feared most in the past year. She knew her family too well. She was old enough, and if she didn't get married for a long time, it would definitely affect her younger brothers and sisters.
Not to mention her uncle and aunt, even her parents would probably not agree.
Doctor Liu was almost about to burst into tears. She said, "Grandfather, I am learning medicine from my master at the order of the Empress..."
Doctor Liu said, "Just because I'm letting you get married doesn't mean I'm letting you stop studying medicine."
Doctor Liu paused and looked at her suspiciously. "Come to think of it, the boy from the Zheng family is older than you, right? You two are senior and junior brothers..."
Doctor Liu was a little sad and angry, "Grandfather, your granddaughter doesn't have it!"
Doctor Liu breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, otherwise I wouldn't be able to face your master."
He said, "I've agreed with your master to find a date for you to meet her nephew. If he likes her, the two families will set a date to arrange the marriage."
Doctor Liu was stunned and looked up at Doctor Liu in surprise, "My master's nephew?"
Doctor Liu nodded and sighed, "You want to continue studying medicine, and you are determined to enter the officialdom. Your master is unwilling to let you go. This is the best choice."
He said with a hint of meaning, "The Zhou family already has a female imperial physician, so they obviously wouldn't mind their daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law becoming officials in the palace. But it would be different for other families."
"You entered the palace hoping for a good marriage. You should know that after marriage, families like that find it difficult to show up in public again. If your family is of a lower social status and is willing to let you practice medicine, I'm afraid their family members are not very good either." Imperial Physician Liu said, "After all the considerations, the Zhou family is the most suitable."
Doctor Liu became thoughtful.
Doctor Liu saw that she didn't seem to object, so he nodded slightly with relief. But then he remembered that she had two fellow apprentices of the same age, and he became a little worried. "Sanniang, Zheng Shao's talent is average. Zheng Gu is not bad, but his status is not suitable. The Zheng family has always been very shrewd..."
Doctor Liu heard the hidden meaning of her grandfather and was quite speechless. She could only assure him, "Grandfather, I have no romantic feelings for you, brother. I only have a brother-sister relationship with you."
Doctor Liu nodded in satisfaction, saying, "That's great. The Zheng family owns Jishitang, and our Liu family has always been close to Baicaotang. Our two families absolutely cannot marry."
But there can be other relationships that are more roundabout.
Doctor Liu lowered her head and responded.
Doctor Liu waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can go now. I'll prepare some nice clothes and jewelry for you over the next two days. If you need anything, ask your father and mother for it."
Doctor Liu responded in a low voice.
By the time she arrived at Jishitang, she was already the last one to arrive. Even Zhou Liru had arrived, helping Manager Zheng pound herbs and boil ointment in the backyard.
Seeing that there were not many patients in the front hall and Zheng Gu and Zheng Shao occupied Zhou Man's clinic, Doctor Liu went to the backyard and sat with Zhou Liru, pounding medicinal herbs with her.
She could only pound herbs in the yard. She could not take jobs like going into the pharmacy to boil ointments, because that involved some confidential prescriptions of Jishidiang.
In contrast, Zhou Liru was free to move around and learn whatever she wanted, and Manager Zheng basically didn't hide anything from her.
Doctor Liu was also very careful to avoid suspicion.
So she knew from the beginning that the Liu and Zheng families would never get married.
But she really didn't like why the adults looked at them as if they were going to get married when they saw their senior and junior brothers and sisters getting closer.
Zhou Liru was pounding herbs boredly when he asked Doctor Liu, "Sister, are you worried today?"
Doctor Liu looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then couldn't help asking, "Junior sister, I remember you have a brother, right?"
"Yeah," Zhou Liru said with a look of disgust, "He's more than two years older than me. He's so annoying."
Doctor Liu calculated and found that he was a year or two younger than her. However, a woman three years older than her would bring her wealth, so she asked without any concern, "Is your second brother a good person?"
Zhou Liru shook his head directly, "No, you're still trying to grab some buns from me today. My aunt made some meat-filled buns, they're super delicious. I wanted to bring some for my senior brothers and sisters, but my brothers ate them all up."
Doctor Liu: ...It doesn’t sound very reliable.
Doctor Liu: "I remember you have a cousin?"
"Yes, there are two. My third cousin is only two months older than my aunt."
"What about your eldest cousin?"
"He's the oldest in the family."
"How are they?"
Zhou Liru said without hesitation: "Much better than my second brother. My eldest brother never fights with us for food and always gives in to us."
Doctor Liu nodded, feeling much more satisfied.
Zhou Liru was very curious, "Senior Sister, why are you asking this?"
Doctor Liu felt a little embarrassed. Since the matter had not yet been finalized, she couldn't say anything. She could only vaguely say, "Just asking casually."
At this time, Manbao was sitting at home, drinking goat milk and eating buns, while talking incessantly to Xiao Qian about her female apprentice.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
