Chapter 12: Jade Rabbit Fights in the Arena
Mr. Chabs looked at her for the first time.
"Miss Alice, you are quite confident," he said in surprise.
"The method sounds fair, but how can we ensure that the passers-by we invite on the street really need treatment? If they just want to drink herbal tea here all day, I'm sorry, I don't have as much free time as you do, young lady." Mr. Chabs added, with a condescending scrutiny and guidance in his words.
"In traditional Chinese medicine, which came from the far East, there's the concept of visual diagnosis. That is, you can make a preliminary judgment by observing someone's external condition. Can't you do that?" Alice pretended to be confused.
"English doctors use specialized instruments to make precise diagnoses. Only this kind of medicine can be called scientific," Mr. Chabs argued confidently, adding a sarcastic comment, "This is also the biggest difference between folk medicine and orthodox academic medicine."
"It seems Mr. Chabs has accepted the challenge." Alice stopped her meaningless threats and said, "Let's wait and see."
Mr. Chabs had no objection. He sat in his chair and responded only with his expression, still maintaining a gentlemanly demeanor.
Alice signaled to Anne to open the entire store door to make it easier for the two of them to look for someone.
It was about ten o'clock in the morning and the whole street was gradually becoming lively.
Three doors down from Alice's shop is Brown's, a very nice clothing store that's often frequented by ladies. Ten doors down is a gentlemen's club that's also frequented by gentlemen.
Soon, Alice fixed her eyes on a lady who had just gotten off the carriage.
She was exquisitely dressed and carried herself with great elegance, looking either wealthy or noble. Unfortunately, her left cheek was slightly swollen, and even heavy powder couldn't hide the pained look that occasionally appeared on her face, especially when she had to give orders to servants.
Alice found her target and immediately strode out of the shop, introducing herself: "Excuse me, ma'am, but perhaps you've heard of me. I'm Alice Bennett, the maker of the Awakening Cream."
Unlike when she first arrived in London, her name and face are still enough to make her famous in high society.
The lady was still angry when she turned around, but when she heard the name and looked at the sign of the shop next to her, she recognized her as Miss Alice, who had recently become famous in the newspapers all over London, and her expression softened.
"You seem to be unwell, and I am confident that I can cure you. Would you mind being an impartial judge between me and a doctor, based on whether I can cure your illness?" Apparently, the lady had a good impression of her, and Alice took the opportunity to extend an invitation.
Before the lady could reply, another competitor in the store finally left the chair he had been sitting on for almost the entire morning and approached the two eagerly.
"Mrs. Finsbury, my name is Hyman Chabs. I'm a member of the Royal College of Physicians. You may not remember, but I had the honor of being introduced to you at a ball." He immediately recognized the person in front of him as the Countess of Finsbury, whose family held considerable power in Parliament. She was currently being served by another official member of the College.
Mr. Chabs suddenly felt satisfied with Alice's proposal, thinking that maybe he could poach this distinguished client from that person.
"Mrs. Finsbury, I can treat whatever ails you." He spoke with full confidence, having already put the other person aside.
As he spoke, he asked Reed, who had followed him, to go to his pharmacy to get him the commonly used pharmaceutical materials and instruments, and to bring two apprentices with him to use.
Alice glanced at him. He couldn't even see the symptoms, yet he was still claiming he could be treated.
Taking advantage of the moment when Mr. Chabs was talking to the druggist Reed, Alice asked bluntly, "Ma'am, are you suffering from a toothache?"
The lady opposite looked at Alice in surprise. The expression, which was a bit too expressive for her, irritated her facial nerves, causing her face to turn pale. She only nodded reservedly, not daring to speak again, but a hint of trust already appeared in her expression.
Mr. Chabs was a little anxious when he saw Alice had taken the lead, but he suddenly understood why the guy from the association hadn't cured his client. Dental treatment was clearly the job of surgeons, not the responsibility of physicians like them, who were primarily responsible for prescribing medicine.
But now he is in a difficult situation. He first greeted the lady warmly and introduced himself. If he retreats now, wouldn't he be destroying his reputation?
A number of bustling Londoners had gradually gathered around, including shop owners and employees from nearby shops, as well as members of the upper class who came here for shopping and entertainment. Chabus wiped the sweat from his forehead and became anxious.
In this situation, if he loses and the news reaches the association and the upper class, how can he climb up?
The tremendous pressure prompted Mr. Chabs to rack his brains and come up with a plan.
"Miss Alice, I am older, so I will give you this opportunity. You can treat it first." It seemed as if he was saying that if Alice couldn't be cured, he would do it later.
Mr. Chabs had a good plan. With this arrangement, no matter who cured the patient, he could claim the credit for it.
It takes time for medication to take effect. The first person treated the patient first, and then he treated the next. If the patient was cured, then his medication was undoubtedly effective in terms of time. He could also claim that the medication was fast-acting, further highlighting his own abilities. Lady Finsbury and the passersby would undoubtedly have more faith in his abilities, as he was, after all, the more legitimate doctor.
If neither of them could cure the Countess's toothache in public, the rumor was spread by Alice Bennett, and he was just an internist with less expertise in surgery, so he could always save his reputation.
Alice studied Mr. Chabs's expression and guessed his plan accurately. Her eyes were nonchalant with a hint of mockery. "In that case, I'll be disrespectful in refusing."
As for the fighting venue, there happened to be two compartments in the store, and she suggested that each person have one, which would not only isolate them from interference but also prevent them from stealing each other's skills.
These are of course just superficial excuses. After all, the British can mix all the root-type Chinese medicines together and call them Chinese roots. It is better to worry about them making a pot of poison and sending people to the underworld, oh no, to hell.
She just wanted to block other people's sight so that she could use the jade pestle more conveniently.
Unfortunately, Mr. Chabs didn't let her have her way.
"If what Miss Alice says is true, then how can we prove that this medicine was developed by you without anyone else's help?" He stopped her, "At least a supervisor needs to be present."
Finally, the two sides reached an agreement, and each side sent a person to supervise the other side's compartment. The supervisor was only responsible for ensuring that no one else entered or left the compartment, and proving that the potions were all made by Bidou himself.
Alice sent Anna, who had already bought some things, and Mr. Chabs directly sent the druggist Reed to supervise her.
The fight was about to begin, and Alice invited Mrs. Finsbury to rest inside the shop. It was then that Alice noticed Adrian Moran was still standing by the roadside. Glancing at the umbrella he still clutched tightly, she said, "Mr. Moran, just leave it where it is by the door. I'm busy today, so I'll be leaving."
There was no formal greeting between the two, but Mrs. Finsbury briefly exchanged greetings with Mr. Moran before entering the shop with Alice.
The two ladies walked together. Although their postures were ladylike, the younger lady always looked a little murderous.
Alice felt a little regretful that her pupil's Qi-reading technique had not yet recovered, otherwise she would have been able to see clearly at a glance. You know, she was able to spot Tang Sanzang in the crowd by using the Qi-reading technique.
Now I have no choice but to use my brain and try some earthly methods.
The lady's gums were slightly swollen, and whenever she spoke and was exposed to a cold breeze, her teeth ached unbearably. Furthermore, her voice was soft but deep when she spoke to her servants, suggesting a toothache caused by a cold wind. Her teeth were already rotten, and she had a yang-deficient constitution. The recent sudden drop in temperature in London had exacerbated her dental problems.
Alice searched the pharmacy for the right herbs. Luckily, Old Lucy in Herb Alley had a good supply, and she had stocked up on everything they had on hand from her last purchase.
Asarum, fried beehive, Bibo, dried ginger, Sichuan pepper, Cyperus rotundus, and Angelica dahurica[1], she took out about the right amount of each and put them into the medicine bowl.
Feeling the surveillance eyes behind her that wanted to penetrate her and look at the contents of the bowl, she picked up the ordinary medicine pestle used in the store for show, first crushed the herbs, and then ground them into a fine powder.
She had plenty of strength, but she still had to fill it up. She deliberately slowed down the grinding, listening to the noise from the other side, and only put down the pestle when it was almost done, indicating that she was done.
Although she couldn't use the jade pestle, she had found a clever trick. Mugwort was compatible with the original prescription and also had the ability to reduce swelling and relieve pain, so she poured some of the spiritual fluid she'd prepared for mugwort tea into the bowl as a common ingredient, tempering and enhancing the medicinal properties of the ordinary medicine.
Alice divided the powder in the bowl into equal portions for a week's supply, took one portion and presented it to Mrs. Finsbury.
"Madam, please apply this powder to the affected area." He handed over a small copper dish.
Mrs. Finsbury looked suspiciously at the dark brown powder in the dish, then at the wide-open shop door and the bustling crowd outside.
"Ma'am, please move behind the screen to apply the medicine," Alice said politely, motioning Anne to come forward. "I've prepared a cork sheet just for you, for your convenience."
Mrs. Finsbury expressed satisfaction with this arrangement.
She applied the powder on her gums, then covered her swollen left cheek, waiting for it to take effect.
The patient, another doctor, and the onlookers all thought that we would have to wait for at least a while.
Just before Mr. Chabs opened his mouth to use his potion as soon as possible to confuse the time of its effect, Mrs. Finsbury was pleasantly surprised to find that her teeth didn't hurt at all.
"This... Miss Alice, it's hard to believe your prescription is so effective. I've tried it from several other gentlemen before," she exclaimed, still finding it unbelievable. "Chinese medicine is truly so miraculous. It seems the legends of the ancient countries of the far East are true."
Mrs. Finsbury has been suffering from toothache recently. She can't eat, and she feels uncomfortable drinking water whether it is cold or hot. Even her speech is restricted, which makes it inconvenient for her to arrange household affairs.
The lady, who used to be quite gentle, had recently become much more irritable, and the servants had become even more cautious in their service. Seeing this, the maid secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Chabs, this proves that I have won the fight and have the ability to prescribe medicine, right?" Alice asked in a raised voice.
There was a burst of cheers outside the door, including from fellow merchants on the street who were already dissatisfied with Reed's arrogance.
Seeing that Alice was about to win the fight without a doubt, Mr. Chabs panicked. He whispered to Reed, "This potion of mine is useless. You should take it back."
Who knows if this medicine is effective? He is not good at treating teeth.
Waving his hand, he told Reed to hurry away. He then shouted to Alice, Lady Finsbury, and the passersby, "To be honest, this kind of competition isn't really fair. Miss, your medicine has proven its effectiveness, but mine isn't necessarily inferior to yours. It's just that you cured your lady's illness first. You should at least let me treat her first so we can compare."
Some of the onlookers were persuaded that the doctor was right and that it was unfair to the gentleman to declare Miss Alice Bennett the winner, and they all shouted "Support! Support!" as they gathered around him.
As for the second patient, Reed returned to the store to stock up on medicine and brought in a man with acute laryngeal closure who was said to have gone to the pharmacy to buy medicine. His throat was swollen, his voice was hoarse, and he was almost out of breath.
This man, a middle-class man who looked respectable, had heard Reed describe the situation when he arrived. Once he was ushered into the crowd, he began to babble at the two men, desperate for treatment. He figured that since one was a full member of the Royal College of Physicians, who usually only served the upper classes, and the other was Miss Alice Bennett, who had recently become quite the sensation, one of them would surely be able to help him.
This time, Mr. Chabs handed over the decoction first. He also showed off his medical knowledge. "According to the theory of biliary balance, you have a bile imbalance. I prescribed a laxative that will cure you."
The second patient felt so uncomfortable that he didn't care what was said and drank the medicine bottle in one gulp.
Sure enough, not long after, he urgently needed to defecate. Fortunately, there was a public toilet not far away. He went there after drinking the medicine and avoided making a fool of himself.
When he returned to the crowd waiting for the results with ease, everyone immediately saw that the medicine had taken effect and cheered in celebration.
"Miss Alice, I win this second round, right?" Having restored his reputation and face, Mr. Chabs returned to his calm demeanor when they first met.
Alice knew at a glance that the patient was only half cured, but seeing that the onlookers could not tell the difference and the patient looked like he was saved, she did not bother to talk to him any more, because she knew that Mr. Chabs would definitely not be satisfied with the status quo and would not stop while he was ahead, doing something that would make everything better for everyone.
"Miss Alice, we are now tied at 1-1. How about a best-of-three game?" He was sure that he had a perfect plan and he would win the third game.
The author has something to say:
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[1] Refer to the medicinal properties of prescriptions in Ren Zhai Zhi Zhi and other books.
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