Chapter 52
It would only take ten days to travel from Luohe Village to Yunxi Town at a fast pace, but Chen Qing and his group traveled for twenty-five days before finally seeing the city gate of Yunxi Town.
Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced back at Zhang Yin's face in the carriage; it was still as pale as before, but thankfully it hadn't gotten any worse. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The city gate of Yunxi Town must have been recently renovated; it looks much sturdier and more solid than the city walls of their town.
The town's streets are clean and tidy, with no vendors obstructing the way to sell goods.
Zhou Yuan dismounted and led his horse away, while Chen Qing walked beside him, holding his hand tightly, clearly feeling uneasy in the unfamiliar environment.
"Don't be afraid." Zhou Yuan patted his hand.
Chen Qing took a deep breath and followed Zhou Yuan's pace.
After walking through the main street, there were many more people on the busier streets, and Zhou Yuan immediately spotted Tianji, which was almost in the very center of the street.
Zhou Yuan led the way, and they chose an inn not too far from Tianji and the clinic. They booked three rooms and decided not to rush to see a doctor, but to rest and recuperate first. Zhang Yin probably needed a good rest right now.
"Then take a shower and get a good night's sleep first, and we'll go see the doctor tomorrow."
Chen Qing naturally listened to Zhou Yuan. Li Xin helped Zhang Yin back to her room, and Qi Shuning followed behind them. The group dispersed at the door of the room, asked the waiter for hot water, and Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan washed away their fatigue together.
Even Zhou Yuan, who was usually very lustful, gave up his desires. After helping Chen Qing wipe his back and carrying him back to bed, he quickly washed himself, lay back down on the bed, and hugged Chen Qing.
Chen Qing lay on the bed, but he felt like he was still on horseback, as if the whole bed was swaying. Zhou Yuan was holding him and was sleeping very well. Chen Qing slowly closed his eyes as well.
When he woke up, it was already dark. Zhou Yuan was still fast asleep, but he woke up as soon as Chen Qing moved.
Zhou Yuan slept very well, and seeing that Chen Qing was in much better spirits, the two changed their clothes and went out to find Li Xin and the others.
Li Xin was quite used to going out, and she had already ordered some congee and side dishes for Zhang Yin to bring to the room. Zhou Yuan knocked on the door and only entered after receiving a response: "Godmother, how are you feeling?"
Zhang Yin put down her spoon and smiled at them: "After a nap, I feel a bit more relaxed."
"I'll take you to see that Dr. Yu tomorrow," Zhou Yuan said. "I'll have the waiter help brew the medicine later."
Zhang Yin nodded: "I heard it's quite lively outside. You young people should go out for a walk and grab something to eat. You must be tired from the journey."
Zhou Yuan nodded: "Then you should get some rest."
Afterwards, Zhou Yuan led Chen Qing and Li Xin out of the inn. Zhou Yuan had lived in their town for a while. At night, except for holidays, there was no one to be seen on the streets. But in Yunxi Town, it was as if night was the beginning of day. The streets were lined with lanterns, and there were many stalls on both sides of the street selling things they had never seen before.
Li Xin was also a little stunned: "Can it be this lively at night?"
All four of them came from poor villages and had never seen such a lively place except for lantern festivals.
It was summer, and even at night, the wind was still hot. But the wind carried a strange fragrance, and the four of them looked at each other and heard their stomachs growling.
"Let's go get something to eat," Zhou Yuan said.
Because there were too many people on the street, Chen Qing felt a little uncomfortable and hid behind Zhou Yuan.
They had never seen or tasted anything on this street before. Soon, Zhou Yuan spotted a wonton stall by the roadside and took Chen Qing there.
They ordered four bowls of wontons. The wonton stall was run by a middle-aged couple. The wife was making wontons on the spot. Chen Qing glanced at the meat filling she was making and saw that it was all real lean meat.
"Are you from out of town?" The stall owner worked quickly, serving them four bowls of soup.
Chen Qing tasted it; it was a rich and fragrant bone broth.
Zhou Yuan then started chatting with him: "How did you figure that out?"
"If you were a local from Yunxi Town, you wouldn't come to my wonton stall; you'd all be eating something better." The stall owner smiled, revealing his bright white teeth.
"Could you please help us with the introduction? We are indeed from out of town seeking medical treatment," Li Xin said, joining in the conversation.
"Ah, you're looking for Dr. Yu, right? He's a skilled doctor and a kind-hearted person." The stall owner served bowls of wontons one by one. "You've come to the right person."
Li Xin's initial nervousness eased considerably. He took a bite of the wonton; the skin was thin, the filling generous, and the broth rich and flavorful—it was delicious.
Even though Chen Qing had a small appetite, there were only three left in his bowl. Zhou Yuan took his bowl and ate the rest.
"If you have the time, you can try Tianji. That's the best food in Yunxi Town. They also have barbecue at night, but you might not be able to get a table right now."
Thank you.
Zhou Yuan paid the money and led them to continue strolling along the seemingly endless street. Soon they saw a stall in front of Tian Ji's shop, with a strong aroma of charcoal and a strange fragrance. Zhou Yuan originally wanted to buy some for them to try, but unfortunately there were too many people in front of them, and the waiter said they were out of stock, so they had to leave disappointed.
"So this is what Yunxi Town is like. Brother, have you been to the capital? Is it like this too?" Qi Shuning asked, walking behind Li Xin.
Zhou Yuan shook his head: "It's not quite the same. The capital city isn't this leisurely."
They returned to the inn, and Li Xin went to see Zhang Yin, who was fast asleep, before going back to her room with Qi Shuning.
Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan also went back inside. They had slept for too long in the afternoon, so neither of them could fall asleep now.
Chen Qing was reserved and shy, so Zhou Yuan always took the initiative. But occasionally, he would like to see Chen Qing blushing while trying to keep a straight face.
Zhou Yuan supported his waist and whispered words of encouragement in Chen Qing's ear. Chen Qing's eyes were glazed over, and hearing the praise made him lose his composure.
What was supposed to be a sleepless night turned into a better night's sleep after I was completely exhausted.
The next morning, everyone was in good spirits, and Zhang Yin was even able to go downstairs to have breakfast with them at the inn.
After they finished eating, they took Zhang Yin to the clinic.
This clinic didn't even have a big sign; it was only the aroma of medicine wafting from inside that told people it was a clinic.
There weren't many people in the clinic. Doctor Yu was seeing patients behind a curtain, while two apprentices were filling prescriptions in front of him. In a side room, another apprentice was decocting medicine, and the continuous aroma of herbs was coming from there.
"Are you here to see the doctor?" a young apprentice greeted them. "You'll have to wait a moment."
Li Xin quickly said, "We'll just wait."
A short while later, Yu Nian finished examining the patient and instructed the apprentice to take the person out. Then he saw Zhou Yuan.
He was taken aback: "It's you?"
Zhou Yuan was surprised that Dr. Yu still remembered him. Yu Nian walked up to him and said, "The symptoms you mentioned last time, I later checked medical books and there are indeed cases to follow."
Upon hearing his words, Li Xin quickly stepped forward and said, "Doctor, please take a look at my mother."
Yu Nian then noticed Zhang Yin behind them. He looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "She is truly filial."
When Zhou Yuan came earlier, he only mentioned a little bit of the situation. He instructed that it would be best to bring someone with him so that he could know the details. But then he thought that since they were so far away, it would be difficult to meet. Unexpectedly, Zhou Yuan actually brought someone with him.
After helping Zhang Yin into the house, Yu Nian took her pulse through a handkerchief. The pulse was indeed as recorded in the notes: "Qi stagnation and blood stasis, obstruction and blockage..."
Chen Qing and Li Xin were both a little nervous. Li Xin held Chen Qing's hand, while Chen Qing tugged at Zhou Yuan's clothes.
"What medicine did you take before?" Yu Nian asked.
Qi Shuning quickly took out the prescription from his pocket. He had copied it down beforehand for emergencies, and he didn't expect it to actually work.
Yu Nian's expression became more serious. Most of the medicines on this prescription were for replenishing qi and blood. She had been taking them for so long, and her qi and blood were already congested. The excessive replenishment of qi and blood made her even weaker inside.
He glanced at the few people standing in the room, and only one of them looked very much like Zhang Yin, so they must be her biological child.
He looked at Zhou Yuan: "I have something I want to say to you all alone."
Qi Shuning very consciously helped Zhang Yin out, leaving Zhou Yuan, Chen Qing, and Li Xin inside.
Chen Qing also wanted to go out, but Zhou Yuan stopped him: "You should listen too."
“My master’s notes did record a case of this condition, but his patient was a man in his prime.” Yu Nian closed the notes beside him. “The treatment method was to first use silver needles for acupuncture for more than a month to clear the blockage in the body; then take medicine to strengthen the body’s foundation and nourish the vital energy for more than a month, and then have acupuncture again.”
Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing exchanged a glance. In that case, they would have to stay here for quite a while.
Li Xin was somewhat agitated: "Does this mean my mother's illness can still be cured?"
Yu Nian shook his head: "Even doctors can't say they can cure 100%. The patient I was talking about was weak since childhood, but he had a good doctor by his side all the time. But your mother's situation is different. Acupuncture is always risky."
Li Xin's excitement vanished. He glanced at Dr. Yu, then looked helplessly at Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing. Chen Qing held his hand, offering him support.
"In addition, there is another medicine that is even more difficult to find."
Li Xin's eyes reddened: "Then, then what, my mother..."
"Yu Nian, what do you want for lunch? I..." The back door suddenly opened, and a person appeared in the room. He seemed surprised to see so many people inside, paused for a moment, and then said, "Oh, someone's here. Young man, why are you crying? Are you sick or feeling unwell?"
Zhou Yuan remembered him; he was the manager of Tianji Restaurant.
Even the usually outgoing and generous Li Xin felt a little embarrassed. He wiped away his tears and nodded to the person who entered.
Yu Nian smiled at him and then began to talk about the matter.
Tian Yao thought for a moment and said, "You mean that medicine we gave to Young Master Liu back then? Why don't we just go into the mountains and look for it?"
Tian Yao walked up to Li Xin and said, "You're such a filial son. Don't cry. I'll take you up the mountain to find medicine to save your mother. You should be happy and cheerful."
He turned around and saw Zhou Yuan standing to the side. His memory was also very good: "Oh, it's you."
"Manager Tian," Zhou Yuan bowed to him.
Tian Yao then saw the person standing next to him. Chen Qing was still shy, but he greeted Tian Yao. He could tell their relationship at a glance: "Your husband? How cute."
He then walked back to Yu Nian's side: "It just so happens that I want to go up the mountain, so let me take them there."
Yu Nian didn't want to agree. Tian Yao was already forty-one years old this year and was not as healthy as she used to be. But seeing several pairs of eyes staring at him in the room, he sighed.
"I will do my best to treat your mother."
Li Xin immediately knelt down: "Thank you, Dr. Yu!"
Just as he knelt on the ground, he was lifted up by a tremendous force. He turned his head and saw Manager Tian lifting him up with one hand, saying to him, "Why do you kneel down all the time? Stand up straight now."
Li Xin was helped up by Tian Yao and was still a little dazed. Zhou Yuan said, "Go see your godmother and tell her the good news."
Li Xin wiped away her tears and left, leaving Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing in the room.
Zhou Yuan looked at Tian Yao: "Manager Tian, could you take us up the mountain to find some medicine?"
Tian Yao thought for a moment, then felt a little apologetic: "I went to that place twenty years ago, and I don't know if any medicinal herbs still grow there now, but it's still worth going to take a look."
"Thank you very much." Zhou Yuan thanked them sincerely.
His expression was tense, and Chen Qing saw everything. He gently took Zhou Yuan's hand from behind.
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