Chapter 53 The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the sky was clear. Showing goodwill.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the sky was clear.
As Ji Yun had predicted, the number of people in the city suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhea due to drinking polluted river water increased daily over the next three days. Even the relatively remote Zhaoyutang clinic treated nearly a hundred patients in these few days, with long queues forming in front of its doors.
It's easy to imagine that the clinics located on the northern section of Yujie Street, near the pollution source, must be overcrowded and overwhelmed with patients.
Most patients who come to Zhaoyutang for treatment have mild symptoms. Meng Yutong often prescribes formulas containing herbs such as agastache, atractylodes, magnolia bark, and poria, focusing on resolving dampness, harmonizing the middle jiao, and regulating qi. After taking the medicine, patients go home to rest and pay attention to a light diet, and most of them gradually feel better.
However, some patients, especially the elderly and frail, and young children, who already have weak spleens and stomachs, are further aggravated by this epidemic, and their condition quickly develops into a dangerous typhoid fever with dysentery. Symptoms include persistent high fever, severe abdominal pain, bloody and purulent diarrhea, and lethargy.
For such severe illnesses, especially for elderly and young patients, medication must be used with extreme caution. While strong medications may be effective quickly, they can easily damage the already weakened body's vital energy.
Therefore, Meng Yutong often selects medicinal materials with relatively mild properties that also have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping dysentery, such as Pulsatilla chinensis, Fraxinus rhizome, Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron bark. She adds Pueraria lobata to clear heat and stop diarrhea, and Paeonia lactiflora to relieve pain. She also adds Codonopsis pilosula or Dioscorea opposita to slightly replenish qi and yin, so as to support the body's resistance and eliminate pathogens, and gradually treat the disease.
However, a prolonged treatment period poses a significant challenge to the patient's recovery. During this time, only liquids such as rice water can be consumed, which cannot effectively replenish nutrition, resulting in severe physical depletion and hindering recovery.
Seeing this, Meng Yutong made a decisive decision to take the three most critically ill patients she had treated in the past two days—an elderly man over sixty, a three-year-old child, and a five-year-old child—into Zhaoyutang for care.
The second floor of the clinic was originally used as a guesthouse, but it was converted into a temporary ward at this time. The three people were placed in separate rooms, which facilitated centralized care and avoided cross-infection.
The clinic suddenly became very busy, and Liu Sijun and his group, upon hearing the news, also volunteered to help.
With the arrival of these men from Qinzhou, the inn immediately became even more lively. Wu Ming and Cui Da were responsible for running errands, relaying messages, and maintaining order; Liu Sijun, who had some medical knowledge, assisted Meng Yutong with the initial consultation and triage; Bai Zhi and Mei San deftly prepared prescriptions in front of the medicine cabinet; and Granny Gui, being meticulous, went to the second floor to carefully care for the three seriously ill patients.
Everyone performed their duties, and although the clinic was busy, it was orderly and well-organized.
By evening, the patients who had flocked to the clinic during the day had all been treated, and the clinic finally became a little quieter.
Just as Meng Yutong had a moment to drink some water to moisten her throat, Bai Zhi quietly leaned closer, whispered a few words in her ear, and glanced warily toward the door.
Following her gaze, Meng Yutong saw Sun Guifang carrying a huge food box, peeking in from outside Zhaoyutang, looking hesitant, as if she wanted to come in but dared not take a step.
Bai Zhi frowned and whispered, "Miss, what's she up to now? It's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—she's up to no good! Is she trying to cause trouble again?"
After being exposed for causing trouble at her last business opening and suffering the consequences of using croton oil, Sun Guifang behaved herself for quite some time.
He obediently came to Zhaoyutang every day for his medicine and treatment, behaving himself properly and without causing any further trouble. His sudden appearance today is indeed suspicious.
Meng Yutong patted Bai Zhi's hand, signaling her to calm down, and said softly, "No need to speculate, go and invite Aunt Sun in."
Although Bai Zhi was unwilling, she still did as she was told and led Sun Guifang in.
Sun Guifang appeared quite reserved as she stepped into Zhaoyutang.
She placed the heavy food box on the consultation counter, rubbing her hands together, and stammered, "Dr. Meng... I saw that you were all so busy today, you probably didn't even have time to eat a hot meal... so I specially prepared some home-cooked food to bring over, to... to fill your stomachs..."
Bai Zhi secretly curled her lip. Given Sun Guifang's petty and vindictive nature, why would she be so kind as to bring them food? Could there be something poisoned in the food? She stared at the food box, her eyes full of suspicion.
Wu Ming sniffed and leaned closer, his eyes shining as he locked onto the food box: "Huh? I think I smell... braised pork trotters? braised beef? And... fragrant scallion pancakes! Bai Zhi, can you smell it too?"
Bai Zhi nudged him with her elbow, lowering her voice in an annoyed tone: "I smelled something fishy! I can't reason with a glutton like you!"
Meng Yutong's gaze swept gently over the food box, and she said to Sun Guifang, "Thank you for your trouble, Aunt Sun."
He then gestured to Bai Zhi, "Settle the bill for Aunt Sun's meal at the market price."
Upon hearing this, Sun Guifang panicked and waved her hands repeatedly, "No! No! Doctor Meng, this is unacceptable!" As if she had made a great decision, her face turned bright red with embarrassment, but her voice became clear: "Last time... last time, Miss Meng, what you said was truly... truly like a wake-up call, waking this old woman up! I've done so many terrible things, yet you still didn't hold it against me and treated my illness... I... I was truly bewitched!"
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, twisting the hem of her dress between her fingers: "Young lady, you're absolutely right! In this world, to make a living, you have to rely on your own real skills! If I can't stand on my own two feet, even if there's a royal palace across the street, my restaurant will still have no business! Only if I make the food delicious and fragrant, 'good wine needs no bush,' will customers naturally come..."
"Besides, after how I treated you that day, you still informed me in advance that the river was polluted, which saved me from disaster and preserved the restaurant's reputation... I, I really... sigh!" She sighed heavily, her face full of shame.
She had wanted to apologize for a while, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, and seeing that Zhaoyutang's business was booming, which had also boosted the popularity of her family's restaurant, she was busy with both and kept putting it off.
Today I finally mustered up the courage to prepare a meal and also want to formally apologize.
Sun Guifang is such a proud person!
She felt incredibly embarrassed to say it now, even though it was difficult. If Meng Yutong didn't appreciate it or embarrassed her in public, she feared she would become a laughingstock throughout Peach Blossom Street.
Cui Da and Mei San, who were standing to the side, had witnessed the uproar at the opening ceremony. At this moment, they were both looking at each other with sidelong glances and pursed lips, looking like they were about to start a sarcastic remark.
"What business is it of yours?" Liu Sijun swept a cold glance over them, neither too harsh nor too gentle. Cui Da and Mei San immediately fell silent, straightened their backs, and lowered their eyes, looking quite obedient.
The consultation room suddenly felt crowded and cramped. Meng Yutong turned her head and exchanged a glance with Liu Sijun.
Liu Sijun understood and immediately got up, then "invited" Wu Ming, Bai Zhi, Cui Da, Mei San and the other "unrelated people" out without saying a word, and led them to another clinic room to wait.
After the onlookers left, the room fell silent, leaving only Meng Yutong and the anxious Sun Guifang standing facing each other.
Meng Yutong gently invited Sun Guifang to sit down on a stool nearby, her tone calm: "Aunt Sun, the food you brought today smells even more tempting than usual. You must have been working hard lately and improved your skills?"
Although the girl in front of me is young, her heart is as clear as glass and exquisitely discerning.
She casually brushed aside the past that had made Sun Guifang feel ashamed, and instead sincerely praised her cooking. Such magnanimity and forgiveness made Sun Guifang, who had lived half her life and considered herself shrewd, feel a wave of shame, her face burning with embarrassment.
Sun Guifang quietly wiped her moist eyes with her sleeve, stepped forward, and deftly lifted the lid of the food box, revealing neatly arranged and tempting dishes inside: "It's also a good opportunity for Doctor Meng and the other staff to try it and give us their feedback... My husband said he's recently improved a lot of the ingredients and cooking time, insisting that the taste is much better than before. I tasted it myself... and it does seem to be much more fragrant."
The food box was filled with a dazzling array of dishes: braised pork hock, glistening with a rich, dark sauce and trembling with an enticing sheen; braised beef in a secret recipe, stewed until tender and flavorful, its aroma irresistible; stir-fried lotus root, crisp and refreshing, garnished with scallions; and a bowl of rich, creamy, steaming hot mountain and pork rib soup… all signature dishes of Qinglai Restaurant. Judging from their appearance and aroma, they were indeed more refined and sophisticated than ever before.
Meng Yutong smiled and nodded: "The dishes are so plentiful, it's really a lot of trouble for Aunt Sun to prepare them."
"There are so many of you today, this isn't enough to eat!" Seeing Meng Yutong's gentle attitude, Sun Guifang felt a little relieved, and her smile became much more natural. She quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead with her apron. "I still have quite a few dishes warming in the steamer on my stove! Doctor Meng, please wait a moment, I'll go get some more! You've been busy all day, you need to eat something to replenish your energy!"
As she spoke, she deftly took out the dishes from the food box one by one and arranged them, then picked up the empty food box and hurried off to the restaurant across the street.
This time, Meng Yutong didn't stop her, but instead called out to Wu Ming to come and lend a hand.
The people who had been listening intently from next door all went around the screen and surrounded the area.
Bai Zhi leaned closer to the table, carefully examined the appearance of the dishes, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said in a softer tone, "Tsk, judging from the presentation and the sheen of the oil, it is indeed much better than before."
Cui Dacheng crossed his arms, snorted, still harboring resentment: "What good is a good appearance? What that Sun woman did that day was truly the act of a despicable person! Today she brings food and drink to curry favor, who knows if she's been instigated by someone and is hiding some evil intentions? One must always be wary of others!"
Meng Yutong glanced at everyone, smiled faintly, and said in a calm but powerful voice: "We're all neighbors, we see each other all the time. It's better to resolve grudges than to let them fester. The future is long, who can guarantee that everything will always go smoothly for them? Maybe one day my Zhaoyutang will run into trouble and we'll need Qinglai Restaurant to lend a hand. Since she's willing to show goodwill, we might as well give her a chance."
Her voice was slow and gentle, like a quietly flowing stream, as if she always knew where she was going, never becoming turbulent or agitated by a few strange rocks she encountered along the way. As long as she sat steadily in Zhaoyu Hall, she was like a pillar of support for everyone.
Upon hearing this, Liu Sijun's eyes flashed with approval. He said no more, stepped forward to arrange the table, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks, and called out, "Enough talk, Yutong knows what she's doing! The most important thing for us right now is not to waste this delicious meal! Stop standing around, let's fill our stomachs!"
Mei San immediately chimed in with a grin, "Young Master's words are spot on!"
The group hurriedly brought over a long bench from the backyard and sat around the table. When Wu Ming helped Sun Guifang bring over the additional dishes, everyone stopped being polite and started eating heartily.
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