Chapter 812 Five Years Later (Part 1) Wu Erniang
The first day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Changshou.
In the dead of winter, it would be an exaggeration to say that water freezes instantly, but if you look at the basin of water used for washing feet that was placed in the corner of the room last night, there is indeed a thin layer of ice on the surface of the wooden basin.
Just past dawn, after the watchman had struck the clapper three or five times, Wu Erniang slowly opened her eyes.
After lying in bed with her eyes closed for a while, Wu Erniang quickly got up. Even though she was wearing her undergarments, the cold air outside still made her shiver.
Wu Erniang rubbed her hands together, enduring the coldness, and took the clothes she had prepared the night before off the rack and put them on.
With the daylight outside, Wu Erniang didn't bother lighting the oil lamp. She dressed herself, combed her hair, rubbed her hands together, opened the door, and then took the foot-washing basin from the corner of the room and poured it into the now bare little flowerbed in the yard.
The stove, which had been lit last night, was still warm. There was warm rice porridge on top of the pot and lukewarm water at the bottom.
Wu Erniang washed her hands and face with the water from the bottom of the pot, wiped her face with a cloth, and then took out a small porcelain jar from the dressing table that her father had made for her when he was alive. She used a small silver spoon to scoop out a little ointment with a floral scent and carefully applied it to her face.
After applying it to my face, I won't waste the little bit left on my hands. I'll rub my hands together to get some of the ointment on them too.
You know, at this time of year, Wu Erniang would never have been willing to spend nearly two taels of silver at Yanxiangji to buy such a jar of fragrant ointment to use on her face.
At most, at this time, Wu Erniang would buy two catties of fatty pork, render the oil herself, add some cheap herbs, and boil it into a medicinal ointment to apply to her hands.
The oil left over after rendering can still be eaten, and the remaining cracklings are not wasted either; they make a wonderful accompaniment to porridge.
But Wu Erniang, who has been working at the maternity ward in Changshoufang for nearly a year now, has already saved up quite a bit of her monthly salary.
The balm costing one tael and eight mace of silver was expensive, but Wu Erniang felt that as a female doctor treating patients, she had to be clean and tidy, and she had to pay attention to her appearance.
Therefore, Wu Erniang was willing to spend money to buy perfume.
A bowl of rice porridge, an egg, and some pickled vegetables—that was Wu Erniang's breakfast.
After Wu Erniang finished eating, she went back into the house to get her family's heirloom gold needle pouch, carefully tied it to her belt, and then locked the door and walked towards the street corner.
When Wu Erniang went out, it was already daylight, and some shops on the street had already opened.
There are also stalls that specialize in breakfast; there are always three to five on a street.
Therefore, there are quite a few pedestrians on the street right now, with people coming and going.
Occasionally, one could see Imperial Guards riding tall horses with swords at their waists patrolling the streets. Some of these guards not only carried swords but also longbows and arrows on their backs.
However, the Jinwu Guards had to withdraw to Wuhoupu at 9:00 AM, and the patrol officers would take over next.
Although the patrolling constables also carried knives, they had no horses to ride and no bows and arrows to use; they relied entirely on their two legs and a knife.
Because the Tang Dynasty navy had captured a sizable island in the south a few years earlier, and with its powerful posture, it used gunpowder to pave the way, and in one fell swoop, it made the Kingdom of Lin-yi (present-day southern Vietnam) and the Kingdom of Zhenla (present-day Cambodia) submit to it.
As a result, many merchants took the opportunity to build ships and follow the Tang Dynasty's navy to conduct trade between the Tang Dynasty and these regions.
Furthermore, due to the warm climate and abundant water resources in the south, it is possible to grow rice two or even three times a year.
Many wealthy merchants brought porcelain and silk goods south to buy land, and offered high prices to hire people to farm in the south, then transported the harvested grain back to the Tang Dynasty.
Chang'an, already a prosperous and multi-ethnic city, is now teeming with business opportunities. Even the most unskilled men can earn a living by relying on their strength, carrying bags and goods, or working as laborers.
Therefore, the security in Chang'an City is now quite good. The most important thing for the patrolling constables is to direct traffic and prevent road congestion to avoid stampedes.
After waiting at the intersection for a while, Wu Erniang was greeted by a familiar woman.
"Is Second Sister going to her shift?"
"It's a bit too early. Here, take this pancake and eat it; it's still warm."
Wu Erniang responded first, then quickly reached out to stop the steamed bun that was being offered to her, "Aunt Zhou, I've already had breakfast at home, I really don't want it, please take it back."
"Why are you being so polite with your aunt, child?"
If it weren't for you last time, I don't know what would have happened to my little gourd.
Here, take this quickly. Look, it's all wrapped up. Go and eat it.
Aunt Zhou recounted that one night in late last month, her grandson developed a high fever that wouldn't go down. In the end, Aunt Zhou, carrying her child, and her daughter-in-law went to Aunt Wu's door for help. It was Aunt Wu who used her golden needles to bring down the little gourd's temperature.
Aunt Zhou didn't give Wu Erniang a chance to refuse. She shoved the steamed bun wrapped in oil paper into Wu Erniang's hand and then quickly left with her basket.
Holding the still-warm steamed bun in her hand, Wu Erniang couldn't help but smile helplessly. Suddenly, a clear voice rang out: "Sister Wu, Sister Wu, you're here so early!"
Good morning, September.
"Good morning, Sister Wu!"
As she spoke, September pulled a piping hot chicken from her cloth bag. "Here, Sister Wu, you can warm it up by holding it!"
Once it's warm, you can peel it and eat it.
"I also want to thank Sister Wu for helping me out last time. If it weren't for you, I don't know how much the manager would have scolded me."
September is different from Wu Erniang. Wu Erniang is a resident female doctor in the maternity ward, while September is a female apprentice in the maternity ward.
Although even apprentices in the maternity ward receive wages, female doctors who actually treat patients still hold a higher status.
In September, I did indeed prepare the medicine for the woman who came for treatment, as instructed by the manager. However, the woman falsely accused me of not bringing the medicine bowl. It was Wu Erniang, who happened to be passing by, who pointed this out. The medicine bowl that I brought in September was knocked over by the woman's son. The woman simply cleaned up the broken pieces, not wanting to spend any more money on medicine, and tried to extort a whole set of medicine from the maternity ward.
Thus, September was framed.
However, it was also something that was wrong in September.
There are clear rules in the maternity ward: the bowl of medicine must be watched until the patient finishes drinking it before it is taken away.
After Wu Erniang and Jiuyue chatted for a few more minutes by the roadside, a long carriage with a curtain hanging to block the wind stopped.
This type of vehicle, which has only become popular in the last year or so, is called a highway carriage and was arranged by Xing Yu.
The different numbers on these horse-drawn carriages correspond to different routes. As long as you go to the shop in advance to greet the people and wait at the designated time in the fixed place, the carriage will stop in time to pick you up.
Wu Erniang and Jiuyue each dropped two copper coins into the wooden box next to the driver and then got into the carriage together.
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