Chapter 17 Bow and Surprise
A fire burned within Ouyang Rong, growing ever stronger.
But there's nowhere to vent or release those emotions.
He didn't come here to molest other men's wives, daughters, or younger sisters!
But upon closer reflection, his actions over the past two days have clearly been heading in that direction in the eyes of many people in the world.
Imagine a young county magistrate, not a doctor, who repeatedly visits a poor family to "inquire about their illness," and the illness is terminal. He speaks words of comfort to the patient, and when invited to stay for dinner, the magistrate readily agrees without hesitation, showing no politeness whatsoever...
What else could you be eyeing but the only somewhat rare and pretty little sister in this family? Surely not her mother? That's a bit beastly, but it's not entirely impossible...
So, you don't really intend to stay for dinner, do you?
Isn't eating just a facade to maintain appearances? Behind that facade lie the unspoken rules of society...
However, this was not what angered Ouyang Rong the most. What truly made him purse his lips tightly, his nostrils tremble slightly, and his face flush with anger was that... they all treated it as nothing.
Ah Shan took it as normal.
Liu's mother treated it as normal.
Aqing took it all in stride.
Everyone in the Great Zhou Empire took it for granted.
Ouyang Rong even believed that even if the world knew about this now, it would not affect his reputation as a virtuous gentleman throughout the world; at most, he would only lose the reputation of not being close to women.
Because Aqing's family was merely a lowly household of slaves, while Ouyang Rong's status was... Wasn't Ouyang Lianghan doing a "great act of charity"? It might even become a celebrated story among scholars of a virtuous gentleman taking in a slave...
And this is the source of the raging fire in Ouyang Rong's heart.
He was not a saint, but he did not treat it as ordinary either.
"Is something that everyone takes for granted necessarily right?"
In the dimly lit room, Ouyang Rong silently draped the scholar's robe he had taken off over A Qing's shoulders, picked up the belt from the ground, and carefully tied it around the waist of the frail girl.
Aqing is a bit short, so he has to kneel on the mat so that the two of them are the same height, making it easier for them to move around.
"Does the master not fancy Ah Qing?"
"No, it's just that I think too highly of Aqing."
Aqing looked confused, but Ouyang Rong shook his head gently and didn't explain further.
What he was thinking about now was how to convince Aqing and Liu's mother of his treatment plan. Could he just say... wait, that's right, just say it directly.
Ouyang Rong took Aqing directly to Liu's mother, pretending to be confident and assured of victory, and told them that he had an ancestral remedy that was always effective and could cure Liu Ashan's tetanus, but they needed to cooperate and that time was very tight.
Ouyang Rong immediately saw in the eyes of Liu and her daughter the reverence for authority and the hope born from superstition.
"...Two qian of Arisaema cum Bile, one whole scorpion, ground into powder, taken with a cup of yellow wine..."
After explaining the prescription, he paused and then said:
"Besides the miraculous cure, there are some auxiliary methods that require your cooperation... First, the wound needs to be treated again... and don't cover it with such thick blankets anymore, it needs ventilation..."
Ouyang Rong initially thought the proposed steps of regularly cleaning the wound, fumigating with mugwort, and removing necrotic tissue and foreign objects were a bit frightening, but to his surprise, Aqing and Liu's mother believed it even more after hearing it.
They said that some Taoist doctors also use incense and talismanic water to cleanse wounds, claiming it can cure all diseases...
Ouyang Rong was speechless after hearing this, not knowing who was trying to take advantage of whom in this whole mess.
However, he did not deny the mother and daughter's imagination; he simply smiled and nodded, appearing inscrutable.
Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival; arrogance is, and the poor are the least likely to have arrogance.
Ouyang Rong carefully explained the details to Liu's mother. Aqing, who was wearing someone's clothes next to him, stared at his face in a daze. The girl seemed to want to say something, but then lowered her head shyly and self-consciously.
However, those large, sorrowful eyes, which had always been shrouded in smog, finally regained some glimmer of hope.
Back in the dimly lit ward, the sick man on the bed was wrapped in a blanket that looked like a shroud. His stiff face seemed to have a deathly pallor. At one moment, he suddenly convulsed in pain. Aqing and Liu's mother hurriedly grabbed a blanket and rushed over to hold him tightly. It took a while for him to calm down.
The mother and daughter, wiping away tears, told the weakened Ashan about the "miracle cure." Ouyang Rong noticed that the tattooed man's expression seemed complicated. He walked over and said only one sentence to the man:
"Liu Ashan, after you recover and settle your mother and sister, come down the mountain to find me. I'll be waiting for you at the county office. You won't die!"
Liu Ashan was stunned.
Ouyang Rong turned around and took his leave.
Whether this prescription from the barefoot doctor in his previous life would be effective depended on how resilient Liu Ashan was. He did everything he could, including offering words of encouragement.
Inside the house, the delicate and slender girl seemed to remember something, and ran after him with an umbrella, but the young magistrate had already disappeared into the sparse, dark rain.
Holding an oil-paper umbrella, Aqing rolled up the hem of her clothes to keep them dry. She stood on tiptoe in the rain, watching the direction the man had left in. After standing there for a while, the girl looked down at the clothes that exuded a masculine scent. What caught her eye most was the butterfly-shaped knot he had tied around her waist.
Aqing reached out and touched the knot in her belt.
Even she, who was always skilled with her hands, had never seen this way of tying before. It looked a bit like... the butterfly flowers by the Butterfly Creek at the foot of the mountain.
...
That night, Ouyang Rong once again arrived at the Merit Pagoda in the clouds.
Upon entering the tower, look directly at the cyan-gold characters above the small wooden fish:
[Merit: 160]
"I really don't understand this bullshit point system. Saving a life with medicine only adds 20 merit points, but just dressing Ah Qing gives me 50 merit points... Isn't dressing a little girl a matter of course? What's so great about that? Saving a life is more important, yet you're so stingy?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, glanced at the silent bronze bell, and turned to leave...
early morning.
Ouyang Rong got up early, met up with Zhen Shi, and went together to the Zaozhaiyuan of Donglin Temple.
The aunt and niece arrived a bit early; the Xie family father and daughter hadn't arrived yet.
Ouyang Rong, dressed in light blue casual clothes, was looking down at the official documents that Yan Wuxu had sent last night, seemingly pondering something.
The woman beside him, Madam Zhen, was dressed rather solemnly and elegantly today. With the help of a servant, she scooped up a spoonful of hot porridge, took a small sip, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and then took out a small bundle of red cloth from her sleeve. It seemed that she was holding a small, hard, ring-shaped object inside the cloth.
The beautiful woman carefully touched the small red envelope, occasionally raising her chin and glancing expectantly towards the doorway.
"Is Aunt waiting for her ideal husband?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously, flipping through official documents without turning his head.
"Pah! What nonsense are you talking about, my dear? Your aunt is getting on in years, what kind of husband are you waiting for?" Madam Zhen raised her spoon, as if to hit someone on the head, but Ouyang Rong dodged to the side.
Ouyang Rong sighed again, "That's a pity. It would be so much better to find someone else. That way, she wouldn't have to bother him every day."
"You heartless bastard!" Zhen glared at him, then touched the red cloth in her sleeve and said, "This is the jade bracelet left by your mother, which is to be passed down to Tanlang's wife."
Ouyang Rong was not surprised at all, and said, "Then why don't you hide it well? Don't take it out to show off if you don't have to."
"Hmph, I'm clearly 'busy' today, but there might be a surprise that I can use right away."
"A surprise? Alright." Ouyang Rong smiled and stopped arguing. Anyway, his master would be here soon, and reality would speak louder than words. This was the proper way to deal with his elder's "concern."
Just as Madam Zhen was about to reprimand someone again, she suddenly heard footsteps outside. Looking up, she saw Xie Xun arriving with Xie Lingjiang. Madam Zhen immediately sat up straight.
"Sorry I'm a little late. Hope you weren't too long?"
Xie Xun bowed apologetically, and Ouyang Rong and Zhen Shi rose to return the greeting. Everyone then took their seats.
Madam Zhen sighed, "It's alright, it's alright. Tanlang got up too early and was a bit too eager, so he arrived a little early. It's not time yet. Mr. Xie and Wanwan are not late."
Ouyang Rong: "?"
Zhen ignored him, looking expectantly at Xie Xun, trying to find a topic: "Mr. Xie, last night..."
Xie Xun took the initiative to speak: "I'm late because something came up this morning. I discussed it with Wanwan, which took a little time."
"What is it?" Madam Zhen immediately perked up, but Ouyang Rong noticed that she was clenching her sleeves under the table, as if she was a little nervous.
Ouyang Rong shook his head inwardly, calmly put the official document aside, and began to eat his porridge, as if he already knew the outcome and didn't want to hear the details.
Unexpectedly, Xie Xun smiled and said, "There is something I need to trouble you and Lianghan with."
Ouyang Rong put down his bowl and looked up: "Teacher, please speak? I will certainly take it seriously."
Xie Xun stroked his beard with some relief and said, "It's not a difficult matter. It's just that I've decided to let Wanwan stay in Longcheng to accompany Lianghan."
"..."
Ouyang Rong thought he had misheard, and after a moment of hesitation, he uttered a single syllable: "Huh?"
Madam Zhen's face lit up with joy, and she clenched her fist under the table! She thought to herself, "It's all settled!"
Xie Xun glanced at Ouyang Rong and repeated it again, word for word, confirming that Xie Lingjiang was indeed to stay and keep him company.
Ouyang Rong fell silent. He slowly turned his head and looked at the quiet Xie family noblewoman diagonally opposite him. She was supporting her fair face with her right palm, tilting her head to look at the monk who was bringing in porridge outside the door, her expression normal.
But at that moment, only one sentence was on someone's mind:
Explain what "a fucking surprise" means.
(End of this chapter)
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