Chapter 707 Patience (Don't forget to read the author's notes!)
As the last rays of light shone through the sky, the first person Li San Niang saw when she looked up was the most dazzling face among the four.
"Li San Niangzi".
"Xu Sanlang-kun."
Xu Jingzhen, who had already stood up, and Li Sanniang, who was looking over, addressed each other and bowed.
Afterwards, Li San Niang solemnly bowed to Doctor Liang, and she also greeted the young boy from Shaoyang and Fang Chengxian.
As the night wind began to blow, Duoshou took a thin cloak and draped it over the frail Fang Chengxian. Seeing this, Doctor Liang said, "It's getting dark. Perfect timing. Let's go inside and talk."
Thus, the group entered the main hall. Qiu Xiang helped Duo Shou light the lamps, and in a short while, all the candlesticks in the main hall were lit. The dim light shone on Li San Niang's chin, which looked as if it had been sharpened with a knife, making people feel a little sorry for her.
"Your disciple is truly a source of worry for me."
After Dr. Liang uttered this complaint, the young boy from Shaoyang took out a pulse pillow from the side.
With a mix of embarrassment and fear, Li San Niang first glanced at Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian, then looked at the young boy from Shaoyang with pleading eyes.
Li San Niang's eyes clearly conveyed the message: "Junior Brother, save me!"
"snort!"
Old Doctor Liang's cold snort immediately made Li San Niang look away. "Why are you looking at your senior brother?"
The pulse pillow had already been placed on the table. Looking at Li San Niang, who looked as if she were being led to the execution ground, Doctor Liang slowly stood up from the chair at the bottom and moved to the top.
As Li San Niang moved along, she smiled ingratiatingly at Doctor Liang. The smile was so obsequious that even the young boy from Shaoyang couldn't stand it and looked away.
"Master! Master! I have made great progress in my golden needle technique in the past month or so!"
I'll show my master how to do it in a bit!
Your disciple has never neglected his duties!
"I will strive so that in the future, whenever people see me performing acupuncture, they will say without hesitation, 'I, Li Mingfang, truly deserve to be Master's last disciple!'"
"Oh."
Faced with Dr. Liang's decisive blow, Li San Niang dared not say anything more. She quickly walked over, plopped down, and placed her wrist on the pulse pillow.
After taking his pulse with three fingers, Dr. Liang withdrew his hand after a short while.
"Hehe, Master, I'm fine, I just look a bit thinner."
"Don't worry, Master, I'm in great shape!"
As she said this, Li San Niang patted her chest, which looked rather comical.
After examining Li San Niang's pulse, Dr. Liang determined that apart from some deep-seated worries, Li San Niang had not suffered any fundamental damage and would recover with proper care over time. Only then did he put aside his initial concern upon first seeing Li San Niang's thin appearance in the courtyard.
"Since both Fang Langjun and Xu Sanlangjun are here today, I won't say anything more about you."
As a doctor, you don't even take care of yourself, it's truly..."
"Master, Master! Please give me some face. Wait until the outsiders leave before you scold me."
Fang Chengxian and Xu Jingzhen, who were called "outsiders," didn't feel anything was wrong, since, logically speaking, they were indeed outsiders.
Xu Jingzhen looked at Li Sanniang, who was smiling ingratiatingly at Doctor Liang, with great restraint. The candlelight shone down from above, and Xu Jingzhen, sitting at the lower end, could just see Li Sanniang's profile in the candlelight from this angle. Because they were not far apart, Li Sanniang's eyelashes could be clearly seen from this angle.
Xu Jingzhen looked down from Li San Niang's forehead, then down her eyelashes, past her slightly prominent cheekbones, distinct jawline, and slender neck, before stopping her gaze on her neck. Xu Jingzhen quickly looked away.
In fact, Xu Jingzhen's gaze, which he thought he had concealed well, had already been seen by the young boy from Shaoyang sitting opposite him.
However, given the circumstances, the young boy from Shaoyang didn't say anything after Xu Jingzhen shifted his gaze.
Otherwise, even without saying a word, the young boy from Shaoyang would have glared at Xu Jingzhen intently, after all, what man would stare at a woman so brazenly?
Although the young boy from Shaoyang was younger than Li Sanniang, he was Li Sanniang's senior brother!
It's only natural for a senior brother to protect his junior sister!
Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was still acceptable, Duoshou dared to bring out the tea and snacks on the tray.
Back at the lower seat, Li Sanniang had two plates of pastries in front of her. Duoshou smiled and said to Li Sanniang, "Sanniang, this plate was specially reserved for you by Doctor Liang."
Looking at the red bean cake in front of her, Li San Niang said, "My master still cares about me the most. I can't finish this cake, so I'll take it with me and eat it slowly."
Although Dr. Liang had personally examined Li San Niang's pulse and confirmed that she was still in relatively good condition, he was still quite angry about her overworking herself to the point of exhaustion.
"All you do is flatter me!" Dr. Liang picked up his teacup, glanced at Xu Jingzhen, and said nothing more.
Instead, the young boy from Shaoyang picked up the conversation: "Third Sister, these red bean cakes weren't ordered by Master to be bought. They were brought by Third Master Xu when he came to visit Fang Langjun today, and he also gave some to Master."
Li San Niang hadn't expected there to be such a reason. She savored the delicate and slightly sweet red bean paste on her tongue, paused for a moment, and then looked at Xu Jingzhen. She didn't say anything, just smiled.
With snacks and tea, everyone finally felt comfortable chatting.
It turned out that today was Xu Jingzhen's day off. He hadn't seen Fang Chengxian for a while, so he bought some pastries and came here to find Fang Chengxian.
Fang Chengxian, Dr. Liang, and the young boy from Shaoyang gathered together. Xu Jingzhen arrived at just the right time, and the four of them set up a chessboard in the courtyard and started playing chess.
While playing chess and talking, the conversation eventually turned to Li San Niang, who had been away from home for over a month.
It was Fang Chengxian who said, "I haven't seen Third Sister for two months. I heard she went to work in the outskirts of Beijing because of the opium incident?"
The young boy from Shaoyang nodded, and just as he was about to say something, Li Sanniang knocked on the door.
Li San Niang picked out what she could say and spoke to the four of them. When Xu Jingzhen heard Li San Niang say that she was extremely busy managing all the maids by herself, she wanted to speak, but after opening her mouth, Xu Jingzhen felt it was inappropriate and remained silent.
Fang Chengxian felt less burdened and looked at Li Sanniang with slight concern: "Sanniang should listen to Doctor Liang's advice and take care of yourself."
If Third Sister needs anything, please don't hesitate to ask.
Following Fang Chengxian's words, Xu Jingzhen then spoke up: "If you need any help, Third Madam, just say the word. Although I work in the Ministry of War, I also know some people in the Imperial Medical Bureau."
"It's alright, it's alright."
I also went to the Imperial Medical Bureau, and they sent five female physicians. I even called my disciple Linglan over, so she can go home to see her master today.”
======
Thank you to reader 20230312091853673 for casting a monthly ticket! Thank you so much for your support and encouragement!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com