"You silly boy, why didn't you let me into the house earlier? I was freezing to death."
As soon as the old man came into the living room, he started firing at Zhang Guoqing: "If you have any delicious food at home, bring it to me quickly. I'm starving."
"Just wait, I'll get ready."
Zhang Guoqing came out with meat buns and corn porridge for breakfast and saw a scene when he opened the door curtain - an old man who had taken off his tattered jacket and was wearing "twill", and a woolen sweater draped over the armrest beside him.
He complained, "You're already so old, why do you always have to make fun of me? You're old enough to come to me for free food and drinks."
"I'm looking for you because I think highly of you. So many people have wanted to invite me to their house, but I'm not happy about it. Hurry up and call your wife over; she's still pregnant."
"You always see it?"
"Nonsense!" The old man glanced at him with contempt, stretched his neck and looked out the window eagerly.
Zhang Guoqing's heart moved when he saw this. It seemed that the other party had other intentions and was trying to find Zhou Jiao through him.
"Old man, are you an old friend of the Huang family? My wife has only learned a few basic things, so it's useless for you to ask her. The Huang family's medical books and family prescriptions are all left in the Zhou family in Northeast China."
The old man looked at him with amusement: "Why would I care about the Huang family's things? That old fool died and then he died. What kind of bullshit imperial physician Huang family is that? Who would remember their Huang family?"
"Then why are you looking for my wife?" Zhang Guoqing handed him a bowl of corn porridge. "Take a sip first. My wife will bring our son in soon."
The old man didn't hesitate, picking it up and drinking. He had long since noticed that this corn porridge was different from others; it was so fragrant that it made his mouth water. As he took a sip, he found that it was just as he'd expected, with a lot of good stuff added.
"You have extra red dates, give me some. And some brown sugar, too."
Zhang Guoqing looked at him amusedly: "Didn't you say you weren't leaving? Why are you bringing it back?"
The old man pretended to be bitter and said, "If your wife is not willing, I will suffer even if I add a handful of coptis. I'd better leave. It's my fault that I have such a hard life that I don't even have an apprentice."
Zhang Guoqing's eyes lit up when he heard this. "No wonder I asked if my wife really has a photographic memory. Are you trying to take her in as your apprentice? No way! We don't even know who you are."
"Damn brat!"
"Are you angry out of shame? It's useless. My wife can't study medicine. If she wanted to learn, she would have enrolled in medical school the same year she took the college entrance exam. You're wasting your time."
The old man slammed the table in anger and said, "If you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor. Why is it not good to study medicine? You know nothing! How many people have begged to be my disciple? Why is it all in vain?"
"There's no point in getting excited."
Zhang Guoqing said something and ran to the door, calling Zhou Jiao and her daughter to come in for breakfast. Whenever she had some free time, the girl would always pore over those ancient medical books. Now that they had finally found a cheap, seemingly expert master, they had no choice but to keep him.
As the saying goes, it's inevitable that people will get sick if they eat all kinds of grains! It's safer to put your life in your own hands than to trust those quack doctors. Haven't you seen the head of the Gu family being killed by a handful of medicine?
Zhou Jiao brought a plate of colorful pickled vegetables, brought her son in, and put it on the table: "Try it, how does it taste?"
"That's quite a clever idea." The old man took a bite, "If you add some medicinal herbs, it will be even better..."
Zhang Guoqing quickly interrupted: "Eat breakfast first, it's getting cold."
The old man snorted in dissatisfaction: "Don't eat these, little kid."
Ping An smiled and thanked him. He wisely kept quiet, observing everyone as he ate. His mother had just said it was best to remain silent until he was certain of the other person's intentions.
Breakfast ended with Zhang Guoqing and the old man bickering, and Zhou Jiao could see what was going on. The other party seemed to want to take her in as a disciple, but there was no such thing as a free lunch.
She was always wary of unnecessary advances. She was willing to support someone who could guide her son, even if it was for nothing; perhaps he would be of use one day.
But if he came to her door and wanted to take her in as a disciple, that would be ridiculous! How could Zhou Jiao deserve to be favored by a master she had never met before?
After the meal, the old man patted his stomach comfortably, let out a loud fart, and proudly boasted about his internal organs being healthy, which made Zhou Jiao's eyelids twitch.
She was now doubting whether this unpretentious old man was truly a master. If she hadn't been so bored, she would have gone back to her room to knit.
"I've received great kindness from Master Yu." The old man said this suddenly and fell into reminiscence. "When I was young, I was flattered by everyone. I always thought I was the best in the world and looked down on everyone else. That year, a eunuch came with a verbal order to recruit me into the palace. At that time, my master warned me that if I interfered in the affairs of nobles, I should say less and observe more, and never force myself to be the leader."
Zhou Jiao knew that he was going to talk about the past.
"At the time, an eight-month-old empress fell into the water and became unconscious. Many imperial physicians suggested preserving the fetus first, and then proceeding to perform a laparotomy to deliver the baby."
Zhou Jiao looked at Zhang Guoqing, and the two of them glanced at each other.
"I was very angry at the time. Such a beautiful woman was clutching her stomach even when she was unconscious. Children are lives, so aren't adults' lives too? I volunteered in a fit of rage."
Zhou Jiao understood that something must have happened later, otherwise her grandfather would not have happened.
"...Many senior doctors came out to stop him. It seemed that if he delayed any longer, his Excellency's life would be in danger. We started arguing. I didn't even know when one of the doctors left. By the time I found out, it was too late. He said he had received the order. Who would dare to resist the Empress Dowager?"
"Not long after I gave him the medicine, the emperor arrived and forced us to save the master. I was so touched, thinking God was watching over me, that I volunteered. But there were so many rubbish rules, and by the time the midwife heard me, she was dead, and the baby boy I had induced to be born also died."
Zhou Jiao took a breath. Imperial power was supreme, and that really meant he would be buried with her.
"At that time, the emperor hadn't yet blamed me, but one of the imperial physicians pointed at me and said it was my fault. The old men in the entire Imperial Hospital started to make a fuss, and that's when I understood what my master meant."
After saying that, the old man looked at Zhou Jiao, his eyes seemed to be trying to find a certain shadow through her.
"My life was in danger. The Empress Dowager rushed over after hearing the news, saying it was my fate. That day, Master Zhou was also summoned to the palace. He stood in the hall with the Empress Dowager and others. After hearing the imperial physician's words, he said that God is merciful. It was these words that saved my life."
Zhou Jiao shook her head: "This is not a big favor."
The old man glared at her and said, "What do you know, little kid? There were other brothers who came in with Master Yu, but not one of them pleaded for me. In their eyes, we are no different from dogs. We can die if we want to.
If someone else spoke, the Empress Dowager wouldn't listen. That's what Master Yu knew, right? As soon as he finished speaking, several of the princes came to speak in his favor.
Zhou Jiao touched her nose. Was it really necessary to be so excited?
Zhang Guoqing on the side quickly changed the subject: "You are both the emperor and the empress dowager, can you tell me how old you are this year?"
"Humph," the old man turned away proudly, "I won't tell you! You can do the math yourself. I was only fifteen years old that year, five years older than Master Yu."
Zhou Jiao couldn't help but laugh out loud. No wonder he was said to be full of youthful vigor, he turned out to be just a young boy!
Zhang Guoqing, standing by, gave a thumbs-up: "You're amazing! So you're 86 years old, really young. You really are still going strong!"
The old man shook his head and sighed: "I am too old to be useful."
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