Chapter 52 Leukorrhea (Gynecological Disease)
Hearing Li Dalang's questioning voice, Li Sanniang finally had the mind to look up and see who it was.
There stood a Tuva dressed in Hu clothing and a woman clearly dressed as a Hu woman. "Tuva, you've come to see Qiu Niang? Why didn't you just knock and come in?"
Before Tuva could speak, the Hu woman raised her head and bowed, saying, "It's not that Tuva doesn't want to come in, but this servant has something to ask of you."
It was almost curfew, and the intersection wasn't a place to talk, so Li's mother waved for the two of them to get in the car and go home first.
Upon hearing this, the Tuva and the Hu woman insisted on not getting on the cart and instead walking with the donkey cart.
Fortunately, the Li family's clinic was close to the intersection. Everyone got off the car and thanked Jun Youlai's driver profusely. Li Sanlang went up and knocked on the door. After knocking a few times, Li's sister-in-law's voice came from inside.
Indeed, with such a large family, and Brother Li still on duty, only the women and little Wulang, who is still a baby, are at home. It's no wonder they're worried that their father and the others haven't returned home yet.
It's likely that Sister-in-law Li received her father's message after dark and had been waiting in the front hall. That's why she called out when she heard the knock.
When Sister-in-law Li heard it was Li Sanlang's voice, she felt relieved and hurriedly opened the door. She even called out to the person behind her to reassure Sister-in-law Li Er and Shen Qiuniang who were in the courtyard.
With many people, things get done quickly. They hurriedly carried everything into the house, and after the four little ones put the door panels back on, they went through another round of washing their hands and faces. Just as everyone sat down and drank the herbal tea that Sister-in-law Li had prepared in advance, the last clapper of the curfew sounded.
When the oil lamp was lit, the group was puzzled as they faced the Tuva and Hu woman who refused to sit down.
Faced with Shen Qiuniang's questioning gaze, the tall Tuva with a head full of braids could only straighten up and speak directly, even though he was embarrassed: "Doctor Li, Third Madam, it is I, Tuva, who have bothered you today. I know I should have said so in advance, but my sister is really sick and can't wait any longer, so I had no choice but to wait with her at the crossroads tonight."
Upon hearing that Ms. Hu was a patient, everyone took a closer look at her and discovered that although her face was covered with makeup to conceal her pale complexion, she still looked rather listless.
Li San Niang could see clearly that this woman was probably running a fever.
"Tuva, did you come to me for medical treatment?"
Li San Niang guessed that it was probably looking for her. After all, the Hu women, especially the Hu women that Tuva knew, were probably the low-status Hu women in the West Market who worked in the sex trade. They were not accepted by male doctors, and they would not treat Hu women.
When a woman from Hu was feeling unwell, she would usually find someone she knew to get some medicine from a pharmacy, which was considered good. If she was in the worst situation, she could only try to tough it out. If she couldn't tough it out, she would just lose her life.
Although Emperor Wu did not prohibit people of various ethnicities from making a living in Chang'an, the low-status Hu women generally worked in brothels, which was unacceptable to most people, and the clinics dared not treat them.
With a "plop," the Hu woman knelt down on one knee. Before she could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face. She couldn't be seen from the outside because of the dim lighting, but once inside, she really did look like a beautiful woman from a foreign land.
"Diliber greets everyone." With that, she bowed down, making the Li family members quite embarrassed.
Tuva clenched his right fist and struck his left chest. "Tuva Ashina greets everyone. Today, Tuva has brought my sister from the same tribe to seek medical help from Lady Li San Niangzi. Please, Lady Li San Niangzi, save my sister. Tuva has money to pay the consultation fee."
As he spoke, Tuva took out a bag from his chest and poured out some loose silver mixed with a few gems, showing it to everyone in his palm.
Actually, very few people present were still in shock. First, they were stunned that the Hu woman would kneel down so easily, and second, they were surprised to hear the name Tuva.
Ashina is not an ordinary surname; it is the surname of Turkic nobles.
But if the Tuva were a Turkic nobleman, they would never be performing in a circus at a stall run by a Hu (non-Turkic) person in the western market. This is hard to explain.
However, Li's mother saw through the two's intentions. Seeking medical help from Li San Niang, who was also a Hu woman, she guessed it must be a woman's disease. So Li's mother told the four children to go back to their rooms to rest.
Before Li's mother could say anything more, Chen Qiuniang stood up and said she was going back to look after Luzhu'er. Seeing this, Li Ersao also suggested that she go back to take care of Xiao Wulang.
Just as Li Ersao was debating whether to take Li Erxiong with her, Li Daxiong finished his shift and came straight in.
"Erlang, your elder brother is back. Go quickly and fetch him some water so he can wash up properly." As she spoke, she pulled Li Erxiong out the door.
If we're talking about who's the best, Sister-in-law Li is the real deal. She could tell that this person had some private matter to discuss, or something that was hard to talk about. She walked to the door, grabbed Brother Li who had just stepped into the house, and pulled him out. "The kitchen left you some food. Mother told me to cook that pork. Perfect timing. After you finish eating, you can light the fire for me."
Alright, only Li's father, mother, and third sister-in-law remained at the scene, along with Tuva who was standing and Diliber who was kneeling.
No matter how much they sought medical help, they couldn't be left standing or kneeling all the time. Li San Niang invited them to sit on chairs, but they repeatedly declined. Finally, she had no choice but to move two stools for them to sit on before they were satisfied.
Then came the long, nearly hour-long listening to stories.
Although Tuva's surname was Ashina, his mother was just a lowly female slave who died of illness before he grew up. He then followed his chief to fight, but after the defeat, he was lucky enough to survive. Knowing some horsemanship, he joined a merchant caravan's circus stall to earn a living in Chang'an.
Diliber's situation was much worse. Before being captured, she was just an ordinary maid, but because of her good looks, passing caravans had bad intentions and kidnapped her under the cover of night. After several transfers, she is now working as a waitress in a restaurant in Pingkangfang. It's not too bad; she has food and clothing, which is much better than her life of wandering.
But her good fortune didn't last long. A few months ago, Diliber contracted a disease from a customer. At first, she didn't pay attention, thinking it was just due to lack of rest and that she would recover in a few days. But as time went by, the symptoms became more and more obvious, and she couldn't get any customers. She was even looked down upon by the madam at the restaurant. In order to survive, she could only take the lowest-paying jobs.
By chance, Tuva was delivering something to this restaurant when he saw her. At first glance, she looked familiar to him; she resembled a woman from a family he knew back in his tribe.
To confirm his suspicions, Tuva called her over, and to his surprise, she really was the little sister he remembered.
The Tuvan boy lost his mother. Although he had a flock of sheep, he was not yet an adult and could not inherit these possessions. He could only rely on the meals provided by the various families in the tribe and grew up in hardship. Diliber's parents were one of the families who often helped him.
This led to the scene where Tuva, to save a little sister from his former tribe, paid money to have Diliber serve him at a restaurant, and then waited for her at the crossroads of Li's medical clinic near curfew.
Doctors have a compassionate heart. They've already knelt down and are right in front of us. How can we ignore them?
Li's mother shook her head and said nothing. She and Li's father helped each other into their own courtyard.
This means you can save her if you want, but your father can't go with you, since most male doctors won't treat women like this.
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