Chapter 23 Yan Qing
After the floodwaters receded, the refugees from various parts of Jingzhou, following the government's arrangements, slowly and orderly moved back to the city.
The city was shrouded in a moist mist, and people walking through it felt as if they were in water.
Shang Yuji and her group followed them down the mountain, politely declining Li Wanjing's suggestion to send people over to help clean up. The dozen or so people lent a hand to each other and cleaned up the temporary accommodation assigned to them.
Although the floodwaters have receded, the damage they have left behind continues to affect the reconstruction of Jingzhou.
The water had soaked through the weakened house pillars, the damaged eaves, and the debris scattered everywhere after being swept away by the flood... The reconstruction process was extensive, and it took a full three days just to clear a barely passable road.
Shang Yuji sent the best members of her team out to help with the reconstruction of Jingzhou, leaving only herself and Jiang Xi at the house, along with two guards who stayed behind to protect them.
After taking stock of the supplies needed for the return journey, Shang Yuji remained silent the entire way, feeling frustrated.
Stranded in an inn by heavy rain for ten days, Shang Yuji decided to set off despite the rain and the inconvenience of driving, because she was thinking about returning to see Dr. Fang a month and a half later.
They had originally planned to stay in Jingzhou for a while after delivering the supplies to help with the reconstruction, but time is of the essence, and they will probably have to return soon.
To avoid encountering the same road closures caused by heavy rain on her way back, she needed to allow enough time in advance, which made time management even more crucial.
Suddenly, someone grasped her hand. The moment she touched the familiar hand and felt its warmth, she knew it was Jiang Xiqu.
Looking back, she saw the other person gently shaking her hand: "Aji, is there anything I can do to help?"
He waved his hand and asked softly, "Or is there anything Ah Ji wants to eat? I can go and see where I can find it and buy it for her?"
Shang Yuji paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'm not unhappy, I'm just thinking about some things."
Jiang Xi smiled and said, "That's good."
One of the remaining men found Shang Yuji and said, "Miss, there is an old doctor outside the door who says he knows Doctor Fang and has come to see you today."
Shang Yuji was not surprised that the old doctor outside the door knew she knew Doctor Fang. Most of the medicinal herbs she brought this time came from Doctor Fang's clinic. Every doctor has their own method of processing medicinal herbs, and perhaps the doctor could tell Doctor Fang's skills from the herbs.
However, the fact that the person who prepared the food could be identified from the preparation method must be because they were very familiar with Dr. Fang, or even that the two had a very close relationship.
Remembering the wooden plaque given to her by the old doctor before she set off, Shang Yuji asked the guards to invite the person in first, while she went back into the house and took out a wooden plaque with the elegant characters "Fang Mu" written on it from her small bundle.
Jiang Xi silently followed behind her, and then went with her to see the old doctor.
The old doctor was dressed simply in a plain-colored robe, with a cloth bag hanging from his waist. His eyes were unusually clear for his age. When he saw the two of them coming over, he exchanged a few pleasantries with them.
As soon as she got close, Shang Yuji smelled a bitter medicinal scent, as if this person was a walking medicine cabinet. Yet, mixed with the earthy aroma, it gave her a sense of peace.
“I observed that the way you prepared the medicinal herbs you brought is very similar to that of an old friend of mine. May I ask where these herbs came from?”
"Of course, they are mostly purchased from Dr. Fang Mu's clinic in Yangzhou."
The old doctor smiled with his eyes narrowed, momentarily obscuring her clear vision, and did not ask her why she was able to purchase so many medicinal herbs.
No matter which clinic it is, it is impossible for them to bring out several cartloads of medicinal herbs for a single customer to buy.
If this is the case, what if the clinic doesn't have enough medicinal herbs to prescribe medicine for other patients?
He knew Fang Mu's character, and Fang Mu must have his reasons for doing this.
Having figured it out, the old doctor changed the subject: "I've been away for many years and haven't seen my old friend Fang Mu for a long time. I wonder how he's been lately? Is he in good health?"
Shang Yuji nodded: "Dr. Fang has always paid attention to health preservation. If you put it in a light way, people would believe his age."
Upon hearing this, the old doctor wholeheartedly agreed: "That's absolutely right."
She lowered her long eyelashes, responding to the old doctor's questions, her palms hidden in her narrow sleeves, stroking the slightly cool wooden plaque.
From the very beginning, she had a suspicion about one thing, and the more she talked to this old doctor, the greater her suspicion became.
I am the same age as Dr. Fang Mu, and we are acquainted. I have practiced medicine in other places for many years...
Based on these similarities, Shang Yuji guessed that the old doctor in front of her might be Dr. Fang's senior brother, another of the two sages of traditional Chinese medicine, Yan Qing.
She pondered for a moment, then quietly asked, "May I ask your surname, Doctor, so that I may address you properly?"
"My surname is Yan, the Yan of banquet."
Seeing the old doctor's kind smile, Shang Yuji smiled sincerely as well: "Doctor, if you hadn't said so, I would have thought it was the 'Yan' in 'Yan Qing'."
The old doctor waved his hand: "I'm just an ordinary doctor, how could I share the same name as Doctor Yan?"
Shang Yuji looked helpless and took out the wooden plaque in her hand, sighing, "It seems there's still no place for you to use your skills."
Yan Qing stared intently at it and saw the two characters "Fang Mu" engraved on it. She paused for a moment, then laughed loudly, "You little girl, you recognized me a long time ago, didn't you?"
"This junior is merely speculating, and daring to guess."
She gently placed the wooden plaque on the table between the two of them. Yan Qing took it, his eyes filled with nostalgia: "It's been a long time since I've seen my junior brother. Since he gave you this wooden plaque that symbolizes his identity, it means he's vouching for me and asking me to do my best. I wonder what illness you need to treat, young lady?"
Shang Yuji couldn't help but turn to look at Jiang Xi sitting beside her. She didn't hide anything from him and told him about the result of being poisoned and her guesses.
Before she could speak, Jiang Xi took the initiative to say, "Doctor, I'm the one who needs treatment. I've been poisoned by a curse."
"So it was you who wrote to Junior Brother Fang asking me to examine the Gu poison," Yan Qing remarked with emotion.
It seems that my junior brother is indeed at a loss about this matter, otherwise he wouldn't have made two preparations, writing letters and giving wooden plaques. But it also shows my junior brother's curiosity about this Gu.
This aroused his curiosity as well.
"Then we are destined to meet Doctor Yan. I thought it would be a month before I could see Doctor Yan in Yangzhou."
According to Dr. Fang Mu, it would take at least two months from the time the letter was sent to the time when the senior brother arrived in Yangzhou. Unexpectedly, they met him in Jingzhou just one month later.
Yan Qing said, "I originally intended to stay in Yangcheng for a while longer, but a friend asked me to do something, so I set off ahead of schedule. I happened to receive a letter from my junior brother on the way. It is indeed fate."
"How should I address this young man?"
Jiang Xi glanced at Shang Yuji. Since Doctor Fang already knew their real names, there was no need to hide it from Doctor Yan. She nodded to him in acknowledgment.
Having grasped the meaning, Jiang Xiqu replied obediently: "My surname is Jiang, and my name is Jiang Xiqu. It means big river, small stream, and flowing."
"Hmm? Jiang Xi is going..." Yan Qing pondered, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite place it. He needed to see the doctor first, so he suppressed the odd feeling for the time being and then reached out his hand, saying, "Young Master Jiang, please put your hand out."
Shang Yuji and Jiang Xi switched places, and now Jiang Xi was sitting next to Yan Qing.
As Dr. Yan was taking his pulse, Jiang Xi lowered his head, glanced at the pulse diagnosis area, and then frequently looked at Shang Yuji with his dark eyes, as if trying to gain the courage to face his illness from her.
His hands didn't move, and his head didn't move much, but Shang Yuji still noticed his gaze coming over several times, and his lips that had become tightly pursed and pale.
She smiled reassuringly, took his other hand that was lying to his side, squeezed his palm a few times, and told him to relax.
Jiang Xi seemed to understand her meaning, her dark eyes lit up, and she finally relaxed.
While comforting the people, Shang Yuji continued to think: Dr. Fang Mu said to go back for a follow-up visit in a month and a half, but now that Dr. Yan is seeing patients, do they still need to rush back?
Let's ask again after Dr. Yan finishes his diagnosis.
Unexpectedly, Yan Qing's expression shifted from confusion to strangeness to surprise. She had just calmed Jiang Xi down when she noticed Doctor Yan's expression and became nervous.
Doctor Yan hesitated, then withdrew his hand, stood up uncertainly, and called Jiang Xi to stand up as well. He then circled around him twice, muttering to himself, "Strange, strange."
"Doctor, what's wrong with him?" Shang Yuji couldn't help but ask.
"Little girl, find me a room. I want to see where this Gu is hidden!" Yan Qing was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his face.
He detected something by taking the pulse, but the Gu was hidden too deeply, instantly arousing his competitive spirit.
Upon hearing this, Shang Yuji found a clean room.
Before going in, she wanted to encourage Jiang Xi, but Jiang Xi reassured her instead: "I can manage on my own, Aji, don't worry!"
After the two went inside, Shang Yuji stood outside for a while. Then, one of the guards brought over a wooden chair and placed it on a flat area in the courtyard. She sat down and waited for the result inside.
The heavy rain finally stopped, but the dark clouds lingered, and Jingzhou hadn't seen the sun for a long time. The air was thick with dampness. The only consolation was that the unbearable summer was now less scorching and more cool and refreshing.
The yard wasn't particularly fancy, but the remaining items revealed the warmth of the original owner's home. While cleaning, they discovered many items full of life.
Simple flowers are depicted; a food bowl with a nick; shoes and socks with tightly stitched seams; a small and whimsical handmade wooden windmill...
The man who owned the house was a minor official in the governor's mansion. He spent many days distributing supplies and comforting the people in the rain, saving his own share for his sick wife. Fortunately, they got through that nightmarish period.
His wife was treated by the old doctor Yan Qing, and now the whole family is in a separate ward. When he heard that the governor wanted a room to accommodate his family's savior, he was the first to step forward and offer his house.
Shang Yuji had met that minor official; he was an ordinary person, a microcosm of countless ordinary people.
His tears were genuine, and his laughter sincere, as he repeatedly bowed in gratitude: "Thank you, young lady. If you hadn't arrived in time, if the medicine hadn't come in time... Ye Niang, she..."
She choked up and didn't finish her sentence, but they all understood the unfinished meaning.
Finally, the clerk, with tears in his eyes, said again, "Thank you, young lady..."
Shang Yuji was thinking at that moment, "That's great, she still managed to save the person."
The tedious wait continued for an unknown amount of time before the locked door finally opened.
Of the two who came out, Yan Qing looked dejected, while Jiang Xi looked completely lost.
In an instant, Shang Yuji was completely baffled.
Yan Qing sighed, "They hid it so well, they even fooled me."
"Why do you say that, Doctor Yan?" Shang Yuji asked, puzzled.
Yan Qing pointed angrily at Jiang Xi's left cheek: "That little mole! It's that little mole!"
Shang Yuji: "Hmm?"
He paused for a moment before saying, "This is not a mole, this is a poison."
He searched for a long time, even going inside the house to check carefully, but unexpectedly the answer was right on the surface of the riddle!
This Gu poison wasn't hidden at all; it was openly and blatantly exposed.
Shang Yuji looked over in surprise, glancing past Jiang Xi and lowering her head shyly, her ears turning red. Her gaze fell directly on the red mole on Furong's face.
The gaudy and alluring embellishment is actually a form of poison?
After a moment, Yan Qing calmed down and said, "I don't know if my junior brother has told you that I once practiced medicine in the southern border region."
She nodded: "He did mention it. He also said that Dr. Yan had seen many different kinds of illnesses and had a unique way of treating them."
"Hmph, he's just flattering me." Yan Qing feigned displeasure, but then said confidently, "There is a way, but I need to spend a few more days examining Jiang Langjun's Gu."
"Is there any hope?"
"Of course!"
Hearing Doctor Yan's reply, Shang Yuji's anxiety about Jiang Xi being poisoned by Gu lessened somewhat.
“However…” Yan Qing’s words changed, immediately raising her anxiety again.
Dr. Yan and Dr. Fang are indeed worthy of being fellow students; they have a great understanding of how to use unexpected turns to startle patients.
“Little girl, let me tell you straight, I don’t recognize the Gu on this kid, but it feels very familiar. Tell me about it, do you have any ideas? Maybe I can remember something.”
Just as his junior brother had said in his letter, the Gu poison in Jiang Langjun's body was bound to pique his interest. After years of practicing medicine, he hadn't encountered anything that he found troublesome in a long time.
Facing difficult and complex problems is like solving a puzzle; the process may be tiring, but the sense of accomplishment at the moment of success brings him joy.
Another mystery surrounding a disease has been unveiled, and those suffering from it will be reborn.
Shang Yuji first explained the agreement with Doctor Fang, and then asked, "Do we still need to rush back to Yangzhou?"
“No need. I don’t think Jiang’s Gu will take effect anytime soon, unless…” Yan Qing pondered for a moment before saying, “unless he has been stimulated.”
"What kind of stimulation?" she asked, trying to avoid it.
Yan Qing pondered: "I don't know what kind of stimulation it is, but it is targeted. For example, people who are afflicted by gluttony cannot go hungry. If they go hungry, it will stimulate the Gu worms, and the person will keep eating until there is no room left in their stomach to fill it with food."
"Don't worry, I'm here!" Yan Qing declared confidently.
Upon hearing this, Shang Yuji became even more uneasy.
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