Chapter 820 Five Years Later (Part 9) Fang Chengxian
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, light snow began to fall.
Today, Li Sanniang did not get up even after dawn. Today was a special day, and Li Sanniang had already asked the Imperial Medical Bureau for leave. She was not required to be on duty today.
Dewdrop is already ten years old and no longer sleeps in the same bed with Li San Niang.
Having long been accustomed to her routine, Li San Niang couldn't fall asleep even if she wanted to close her eyes and sleep a little longer.
So Li San Niang got up, and as soon as she was dressed and opened the door, a blast of cold air rushed into the room from outside.
The icy air, when inhaled, made me shiver.
Before dawn, the first thing Li San Niang saw was Qiu Xiang practicing martial arts in the large courtyard of her new home, and the second thing she saw was the layer of white on the ground.
Li San Niang stood under the covered walkway and watched for a while. After Qiu Xiang finished practicing her boxing, she quickly called out to Qiu Xiang, "I told you I would get you an indoor training room. You don't have to freeze here on this snowy morning."
Qiu Xiang knew that Li San Niang was feeling sorry for her. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her temples and turned to give Li San Niang a flattering smile.
After all these years, how could Qiu Xiang not know Li San Niang's weakness?
Faced with Qiu Xiang's smile, how could Li San Niang bear to say anything more to her?
"Go and wipe yourself down quickly, lest you catch a cold."
"Why!"
Li San Niang watched Qiu Xiang go to the kitchen before turning back to the door of the next room and gently knocking twice. She softly called out, "My dearest, my precious Zhu'er, are you awake yet?"
"Alright, I'm up. We'll be traveling for a long time today."
Dewdrop was a good-natured girl; Li San Niang only called her once, and she answered and came.
After the three of them had finished getting ready, each of them ate a fried chicken and a steamed bun with vegetarian filling. Then, Lao Shi knocked on the door from outside.
"Third Sister, it's me, I've come."
"Hey, here, I saved this especially for you. Eat it on the way."
The tenth brother didn't refuse; he took the oil paper package from the third sister and put it in his pocket.
“Mother, I want to enjoy the scenery with my tenth uncle from the carriage shaft.”
Li San Niang always granted Lu Zhu'er's requests. Instead of stopping her because of the biting cold wind outside, she put the cloak she had brought earlier on her body.
The horse's hooves clattered softly as it left the alley and headed towards the street corner. Li San Niang slightly lifted the curtain to look at the street scene outside.
The light snowfall did not stop the early risers of Chang'an from starting their busy day.
Steam rose from the entrances of each breakfast stall, and the mutton soup with pepper was especially delicious on such a hot morning.
Seeing the long queue outside Zhouji Lamb Soup Shop, Li San Niang knew just how delicious the food was.
While waiting in line to leave the city at Anhua Gate, Li Sanniang specially asked Lao Shi to buy some hot sweet pear soup from a roadside tea stall.
"Mother, let's buy another pot to take with us. Uncle Fang must also like this sweet soup."
Li San Niang was stunned for a moment when she heard what Lu Zhu'er said before she reacted, "Hey, you're right."
Your uncle drank so much bitter medicine, wasn't it all for the sake of drinking this sweet soup?
Turning her head, Li Sanniang wiped her eyes and said to Lao Shi outside, "Lao Shi, could you please go and buy another pot? We'll take it with us."
In recent years, Chang'an has been bustling with activity. Even outside the city, on this official road, the biting cold wind could not stop the caravans from moving forward.
The carriage carrying Li San Niang and her companions followed closely behind the caravan leaving the city, and they were met by a large merchant caravan with dozens of camels carrying goods.
Dewdrop, draped in a cloak, sat on the carriage shaft, curiously watching the Bactrian camels with their thick coats, and even more curiously, the Western Region people sitting between the camels' humps. Their different faces, curly hair, and brightly colored clothes made them all very interesting.
After passing the caravan waiting to enter the city, Lu Zhu'er leaned close to Lao Shi and whispered to him, "Uncle Shi, they really have a good taste. They probably haven't bathed since they've been walking on the road."
Once they left the outer three cities, the flow of people and carriages on the official road decreased significantly, but occasionally three or five carriages would pass by Li San Niang's carriage.
After traveling for about an hour, the snowflakes in the sky changed from light snow to large snowflakes, and Li San Niang and her companions finally arrived at their destination for the day.
The carriage stopped in front of a farmer's courtyard. Duoshou, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, was already waiting there. He was covered in a layer of white.
"Why would we need to wait in advance?"
It's cold today, don't catch a cold.
Duo Shou bowed to Li San Niang before replying with a smile, "San Niangzi, it's alright, I didn't wait long."
Qiu Xiang handed over a basket, and Duo Shou quickly took it: "I've given away Third Sister's things again. Thank you, Third Sister."
Li San Niang smiled, picked up another basket, and said to Duo Shou, "Let's go see your master."
Li San Niang carried a basket in her right hand and held Lu Zhu'er's hand in her left. Qiu Xiang stood aside and held up an oil-paper umbrella for Li San Niang. Lao Shi followed silently behind the group.
I followed Duoshou up the mountain, and after climbing for more than 15 minutes, we finally reached the halfway point.
After turning southeast halfway up the mountain, you will arrive at your destination.
"Third Sister, you two talk to the Lord, I'll wait at the crossroads."
Looking at the clean tomb covered only in white snow, Li San Niang knew that Duo Shou must have come up to clean it every few days.
Whether it was truly a divine intervention or just a coincidence, the snow that had been falling all along suddenly stopped as soon as Li San Niang lit the incense.
"Mother, Uncle Fang knows we've come to see him!"
Li San Niang smiled at Lu Zhu'er without saying anything more.
Li San Niang lit incense at Fang Chengxian's tombstone with dewdrops in her hand, placed four offerings, and added the pot of sweet pear soup that was still warm at the moment.
The year Lu Zhu'er turned seven, Fang Chengxian left this world forever just a few days later.
In fact, Li San Niang, Li's father, and even the old doctor Liang had long known that this day would come, as Fang Chengxian's condition had already become quite poor at the beginning of that year.
By the middle of that year, he was no longer able to get out of bed.
Li San Niang and the others discussed whether to take a gamble and fight poison with poison in hopes of a chance of survival, but in the end, Fang Chengxian took the initiative to give up the idea.
Fang Chengxian, who was so thin he was just skin and bones, said to Li Sanniang, "Sanniang, don't force it. Let it be."
My life has not been in vain. I have Jingzhen, and you are such a close friend. I am also fortunate to have met doctors with superb medical skills, such as you, Dr. Liang, and Dr. Li, who have helped me extend my life by so many years.
I am content, truly content.
Third Sister, I'm tired. Let's leave it at that.
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