54 Houttuynia cordata
◎ She doesn't look like a doctor, but like a fairy who walked out of a picture book◎
To reassure them, Chu Yufu could only say, "This is a prescription that was once recorded in my grandfather's medical records."
Madam Shen's eyes lit up even brighter, and Doctor Xu pressed on, "So how's the effect?"
"That's right," Chu Yufu answered, bracing herself against the two men's intense gazes. Seeing the weariness on the Duke's wife's face, she couldn't bring herself to say she was just trying it out.
"Good, that's great!" Mrs. Shen's tense nerves relaxed a little in an instant. She held the hand of her personal maid beside her and smiled with tears in her eyes.
After a while, a maid came in with a tray with a plate of peeled garlic and a bowl of liquor on it, and came to ask Chu Yufu to take a look.
The servants knew that this was something to save the eldest master's life, so they didn't dare to make any mistakes. They simply carried the tray to Wutong Garden and made it in front of their masters. If there was anything wrong, they could remedy it immediately.
Chu Yufu went forward to examine it carefully. The garlic cloves were fresh and clean, the liquor had a strong flavor, and the amount was exactly right. So she nodded and asked the maid to mash the garlic into paste.
Perhaps it was because of the noise and the large crowd in the room, or perhaps it was because he had slept too long, but Young Master Yan woke up slowly from his bed. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids and saw his mother standing at the foot of the bed. He called out weakly, "Mom..."
"My son's awake." Madam Shen squeezed forward, bent down and touched her son's face, a smile curling her lips. "You've slept for so long, are you hungry? Mother, ask someone to bring some food."
Young Master Yan shook his head weakly, his eyes slowly sweeping across the bedside, finally landing on Chu Yufu. He smiled weakly, "Is this the most amazing doctor Mother was talking about? Ahem, ahem."
"She doesn't look like a doctor, but more like a fairy who walked out of a picture book, ahem."
He spoke these two sentences extremely slowly, with labored coughs in between, and his little face looked even redder from holding his breath.
Madam Shen sat on the edge of the bed, patted his back tenderly with a look of heartache, and said with a smile, "Isn't she a sister? Miss Chu Er is only five years older than you, but don't underestimate her youth. She has real skills."
Chu Yufu was a little surprised to hear that Young Master Yan was only five years younger than her. The boy in front of her was thin and weak, and only a thin layer of quilt was visible under him. Judging from his figure and complexion, he was about eight or nine years old, not like a twelve-year-old boy at all.
At this time, the maid who was pounding garlic had already ground the garlic into paste and mixed it with wine. Chu Yufu took it and took a look, confirming that there was no problem. She just had to wait for the time to come, take it out and filter out the juice.
Mrs. Shen was still persuading her son to eat something by the bed, even if it was just some porridge, but Young Master Yan had been coughing and wheezing badly since he woke up, with phlegm in his breathing, and he had no appetite at all.
Seeing this, Chu Yufu quietly retreated to the side of Doctor Xu, who had been observing intently, and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, you are suffering from coughing and wheezing. Have you tried fumigation to relieve it?"
Doctor Xu said in a deep voice, "I have used coltsfoot flower fumigation before, but unfortunately it had little effect."
Coltsfoot flower is indeed a commonly used medicine for expectoration, cough relief, and asthma relief. It was Chu Yufu's first thought, but after hearing Doctor Xu say it wasn't effective, she concentrated on thinking for a moment, and then an idea flashed in her mind: "How about trying Houttuynia cordata? It can reduce inflammation, cough, and fever, and it might be effective."
Doctor Xu's cloudy old eyes lit up slightly. He twirled his beard for a moment and nodded slowly: "Houttuynia cordata is pungent and cold, good at clearing lung heat. It is indeed the right method, it can be done!"
He immediately called the maids and told them to prepare one or two ounces of Houttuynia cordata, mash it and boil water, then boil half a pound of water into two ounces. He also brought a copper teapot with a lid and a small red clay stove.
Young Master Yan has been ill for more than ten years. The medicines in his mansion are so complete that even the largest pharmacy in the capital cannot match them. Not to mention the mere houttuynia cordata, even ginseng and deer antlers can be found immediately. In just a moment, all the necessary things are prepared and delivered.
Chu Yufu rolled up her sleeves and poured the medicinal liquid into the copper pot with her own hands. She then placed the pot on the stove. When the liquid began to boil and white mist wafted out of the spout, she said in a loud voice, "Sir, how about trying this? Breathe into this medicinal mist and let it steam for a while. Perhaps it will help you feel better."
Mrs. Shen and her son had noticed her actions a long time ago, but they didn't know what she was going to do until they saw the white mist with a medicinal smell wafting out of the spout of the pot and realized that she was going to fumigate.
Madam Shen beckoned, and two attendant maids came forward, draped the robe over Master Yan, and then helped him slowly walk to the low couch, where they sat down and leaned forward. Amid the gurgling sound of boiling water, wisps of the distinctive, pungent aroma of Houttuynia cordata permeated his mouth and nose.
Chu Yufu stood behind him with her breath held in concentration, carefully watching out for him not to get burned, and patting his waist and ribs with her hollow palms every few minutes. After two cups of tea, he suddenly opened his eyes, coughed violently a few times, and then spat out a mouthful of rusty phlegm!
Mrs. Shen was far away, and when she saw the dark red, she thought her son had vomited blood. She rushed over, grabbed the cotton handkerchief, and saw that it was just phlegm.
Cold sweat instantly wet her temples.
At this time, the medicine liquid was almost evaporated. Chu Yufu raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, asked the maids to remove the stove, and asked with concern: "How do you feel now, young master?"
Young Master Yan stroked his chest and let out a long breath, a smile on his face: "My chest feels much looser than before." Then he turned to look at his mother, "Mom, I feel a little hungry."
"Good! As long as you're hungry!" Madam Shen was so happy that her voice trembled slightly. She turned around and repeatedly instructed the maids to bring the breakfast that had been prepared and kept warm into the house.
Doctor Xu had been observing Master Yan's expression. When he saw him let out a long sigh, he couldn't help but twirling his beard.
Although he knew about the herb Houttuynia cordata, he rarely used it in this way, so he couldn't remember it for a moment. He didn't expect that it would be so effective in relieving cough and reducing phlegm, which was surprising.
What surprised him even more was the young woman before him. Whether it was the combined tonifying and draining acupuncture techniques, the fumigation with houttuynia cordata, or the use of garlic to treat lung heat, the medical traditions she mastered seemed completely different from what he had usually learned. Could this be the result of Brother Wan's travels? The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this must be the case.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but move closer to the bowl of crude "wine garlic" to take a closer look, looking forward to its effect even more.
As soon as two quarters of an hour passed, Chu Yufu stepped forward personally and, with the help of Doctor Xu, filtered out the garlic juice with fine cotton yarn, and then took clean water to dilute it.
Looking at the juice in front of him, Doctor Xu hesitated: "So... it's done?"
Chu Yufu was silent for a moment before she said, "Yes, that's what was written in my grandfather's medical records."
"Then let's try it." Doctor Xu's eyes were fixed on the garlic juice.
Young Master Yan had just finished half a bowl of chicken porridge and was half-lying on the bed to rest. Chu Yufu picked up the teacup, poured a little water into it, added a teaspoon of garlic juice, and walked over to him. "It might taste a little unpalatable, young master, give it a try."
Young Master Yan raised his flushed face, took the teacup, and drank the spicy water without blinking: "Yuchen is afraid of everything, but the thing he fears most is bitter medicine. I'm used to it."
Chu Yufu saw that he was young but spoke in an air of adulthood. She felt that he was both pitiful and adorable. She took the empty teacup and comforted him, saying, "That's it. You should have a good rest. Drink the garlic juice every two hours, and the same goes for the fumigation. Try it this way for a day and see how it works before making any further decisions."
As the two were talking, Madam Shen's personal maid came forward, lowered her voice, and said excitedly: "Madam, have you seen it? Ever since the fumigation, Chen Ge'er seems to have not coughed much!"
Madam Shen nodded, her fingertips holding the handkerchief turning slightly white.
How could she not notice!
Now, hearing Chu Yufu say that she had to take the medicine every two hours, and thinking that this was a prescription she had never used before, she felt a pang of anxiety. She immediately stepped forward and said, "Why don't you stay at the mansion today, Second Miss? I'll feel more at ease with you here to look after her."
Chu Yufu pondered, thinking that this was a good idea. Young Master Yan's foundation was too weak, and she was also worried that the garlic juice might cause some problems. She said sincerely, "Madam, you are very thoughtful. Why don't you let Doctor Xu stay with us? I only rely on what I learned from books. In terms of clinical experience, I am far less experienced than Doctor Xu. What's more, Doctor Xu is more familiar with Young Master's condition. If anything goes wrong, we can discuss countermeasures nearby."
Doctor Xu has been stationed at the Duke's Mansion since the beginning of the year, so Madam Shen readily agreed: "Of course, I'll send someone to tell Doctor Chu in a moment."
In the afternoon, after drinking the garlic juice for the second time, Master Yan fell into a deep sleep with the help of his maid. Madam Shen also sent someone to clean up the Wanxiang Pavilion, which was closest to Wutong Garden, and invited Chu Yufu to take a rest.
In the evening, Wanxiangxie was quiet. Chu Yufu leaned on the soft couch, her head against the window, and dozed off little by little. Suddenly, a maid's excited shout came from the gate of the next courtyard -
"Madam! Madam! The young master's fever seems to have subsided!"
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