Chapter 49 Studying Medicine 2
Although Aman was given the cold shoulder yesterday and was exhausted, his ambition only increased.
Sure enough, she went to De'an Hall to report for duty early this morning.
When Old Cheng saw him arrive, his eyes didn't show much emotion. When she greeted him, he simply responded with a faint sound and continued with what he was doing.
Aman didn't feel embarrassed at all and greeted everyone with a smile.
Having learned from yesterday's experience, Aman was already quite adept at packing medicinal herbs. Sometimes, when the apprentice herbalists were too busy, she would even help weigh the herbs.
Fortunately, he learned a lot of characters from the young master during that year, and he also learned to recognize scales by buying vegetables, otherwise he really wouldn't have dared to act rashly.
Guo An was impressed that Aman could handle things on her own in just one day. So when the work was finished today, he gave Aman some money as her wages.
Ah Man looked at the money and felt it was burning hot.
"You mean... you want me to leave?" Aman panicked. "Is this what Elder Cheng wants?"
It seems they were really frightened; they didn't even call out to their grandfather anymore.
"Of course not," Guo An said, waving his hand when he saw her looking like she was about to cry. "It's because I feel you work so hard every day and I don't want you to work for nothing."
"Really?" Aman was somewhat skeptical.
"Of course it's true." Guo An was practically swearing to the heavens. Little did he know that giving Aman money would lead her to such thoughts.
Fortunately, Aman was a straightforward person and asked, otherwise, if she didn't come tomorrow, he would have become the one to blame.
"I just saw how hard you've worked these past two days, and I didn't want your efforts to be in vain."
As he spoke, he offered the money to Aman, but Aman shook her head. “No need, Uncle Guo. I’m here to help because I need your help, Grandpa. If you really care about my hardship, please say a good word for me to Grandpa.”
“You silly child, let’s keep this separate from what you’re doing.” Guo An said, stuffing all the money into Aman’s hand. After glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, he whispered, “Don’t worry, your master is already considering your matter.”
"really?"
"Would I lie to you?" Guo An said, "Wait a few more days. But acupuncture is not as simple as dispensing medicine. If you really want to learn, you must be prepared to endure hardship."
“I am not afraid of hardship. As long as you can get better, I am not afraid of any hardship.”
Watching Aman's frail figure disappear into the wind and snow, Guo An felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
Young Master Fu has truly struck gold by meeting Miss Aman.
A continuous heavy snowfall took away the last bit of festive atmosphere in Yongzhou.
Ah Man's journey through wind and snow to help at De'an Hall these past few days has finally melted Old Cheng's not-so-cold heart.
"Really?" Ah Man was so excited when he heard that Old Cheng had finally agreed that he wanted to do a few somersaults on the spot.
She said, "Why are there magpies chirping on the eaves so early in the morning? It turns out there really is good news."
Aman jumped around in the house for a while, then finally quieted down. "Grandpa, when do we start? Ah-chi."
Aman sneezed, rubbed his nose which had been stuffy since he woke up, and was about to speak again when he sneezed several more times in a row.
"Achoo, achoo, achoo."
Several incessant sneezes made Aman feel dizzy and lightheaded. Old Cheng knew something was wrong as soon as he took Aman's pulse, and sure enough, Aman was sick.
"It's alright, Grandpa, just a little cold, nothing serious." Aman felt a headache coming on when she saw that Old Cheng was making a big deal out of nothing, taking her pulse, having the medicine boy prepare and brew the medicine, and telling her to go back and rest.
A slight cold was nothing to her.
Rather than going back to her room to rest, she wanted to learn the treatment method as soon as possible so she could heal the young master's leg.
"What do you mean 'nothing'? You're starting to get a fever." Old Cheng scolded, "There's no rush to study medicine. You should take care of yourself first."
“But I…” Aman was unwilling, but Old Cheng didn’t give her a chance to object. “It’s settled then. After you drink this medicine, I’ll have someone send you back.”
If that brat knew he'd made someone sick, he'd probably blame him.
As expected, Fu Yunxiu's face darkened immediately upon learning that Aman had caught a cold and fallen ill.
"Old Master Cheng has already prescribed medicine for Miss Aman. She just needs to take the medicine and rest for two days and she will be fine."
"So, does that mean I should thank him?" Fu Yunxiu said with a dark face and a less than friendly tone.
Seeing that innocent people had been implicated, Aman hurriedly reached out and tugged at Fu Yunxiu's sleeve, "Young Master, I'm fine."
Seeing the sickly paleness on Aman's face, Fu Yunxiu was even more furious, but he couldn't show it in front of others, so he could only snort coldly, "You're quite something."
"Now that the person has been delivered, please return."
Mantou made a gesture of invitation at the right moment, and Aman gave the man a wink, indicating that he shouldn't take it to heart.
The person blinked, indicating that it was okay.
In the entire Yongzhou, everyone knows that this Young Master Fu is unpredictable and moody. Only Aman is not afraid of him and is willing to go to the pharmacy to help him treat his leg, even in such heavy snow.
After the mantou was seen out, Fu Yunxiu finally spoke when he heard that it was quiet. "You too, with such heavy snow, I told you not to go, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what happened."
“I didn’t know,” Aman murmured. “Besides, it’s just a minor cold. Grandpa is making a mountain out of a molehill.”
Seeing that Fu Yunxiu was about to say something, Aman quickly grabbed his sleeve, "I'm already in such a miserable state, so please don't scold me."
A pair of pitiful, doe-like black eyes looked at him, and no matter how angry Fu Yunxiu was, he couldn't vent it. "She's always good at playing the victim in front of me."
“Hehe,” Aman chuckled, deciding to play the pitiful role to the end, “Then, young master, I’d like to drink some water.”
Fu Yunxiu glanced at her and said irritably, "Wait."
With Fu Yunxiu supervising, Aman's cold was cured and he rested for three days.
Actually, after drinking Old Master Cheng's medicine that day and taking a nap and sweating it out, she was already almost fully recovered. It was just that Fu Yunxiu refused to let Aman go out, which is why it has been delayed for so long.
After recovering from his illness, Aman rushed straight to De'an Hall.
During these few days, Master Cheng also organized what he was going to teach Aman.
Although it was specifically designed to help Fu Yunxiu, Aman also needed to learn some medical and pharmacological principles.
Although it wasn't a lot, it was definitely enough to give Aman, a complete novice, a lot of trouble.
Therefore, these past few days, Aman has been helping out at De'an Hall in the mornings and spending his afternoons at home reading medical books.
When Fu Yunxiu asked, he said that he had suddenly become interested in these things and wanted to learn them, since he had nothing better to do anyway.
Fu Yunxiu didn't say much about it, nor did he think there was anything wrong with a woman studying medicine. He believed that having more skills was never a bad thing, and that it was always beneficial for Aman to know more.
To avoid arousing Fu Yunxiu's suspicion, Aman openly took the books on medical theory and pharmacology to Fu Yunxiu's room to read, and could ask him about anything she didn't understand.
As for the acupuncture chart, Aman would secretly memorize it in his room at night.
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the anniversary of Grandma Aman's death.
According to village custom, on the first anniversary of the deceased's death, relatives need to gather at the grave to add soil.
Unable to visit his grandmother's grave in person, Aman could only go out in the middle of the night, go to a crossroads, face the grave, burn some paper money, and kowtow three times.
"Grandma, Aman is doing well here. The young master treats me very well, and Brother Mantou treats me very well too. Aman hasn't suffered any grievances. You don't need to worry."
As Aman burned paper money, she muttered, "Don't worry, Aman will always remember my teachings and will not follow in my mother's footsteps. Please also bless the young master from the other side, so that he may be free from illness and disaster and recover soon."
At this point, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Aman's face.
Grandma is so smart, she'll definitely understand what she means.
"Grandma, the young man is a good person and handsome. If you meet him, you will definitely like him too."
Therefore, please bless your granddaughter so that she may learn medicine and successfully cure your son.
Aman kowtowed three times heavily, then knelt up and watched the paper money burn. The firelight dimmed her face, but her eyes shone brightly, filled with an unwavering determination.
Around a corner not far away, Fu Yunxiu looked at Aman's thin body, which appeared even more frail in the firelight, and seemed to be deep in thought.
He heard everything Aman said; every word he uttered was about him.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved, but what happened after I was moved?
He wasn't unaware of Aman's thoughts; on the contrary, he shared the same thoughts as Aman. But what could he do?
He's a useless person.
Moreover, he was a cripple who was nearing the end of his life.
He could clearly feel that his body was not as good as before.
What Professor Cheng calls a new treatment is nothing more than a death throes.
"Young Master?" Mantou looked at Fu Yunxiu's increasingly clenched fists in the dim moonlight and couldn't help but feel worried.
However, Fu Yunxiu didn't say anything. He just looked at Aman deeply, sighed, and said, "Let's go."
"Aren't you going to wait for Aman?" Young Master came out specifically because he was afraid that Aman would be in danger if she came out alone.
"Let's go," Fu Yunxiu said again.
In February, the nights were chillingly cold, and in the vast darkness, only Aman was surrounded by warmth and light.
The wheels rolled over the ground, the heavy sound mirroring Fu Yunxiu's mood at that moment. Mantou pushed her, gradually moving further and further away from that glimmer of light.
But if she turned around, she would see Aman's clear, watery eyes fixed on her. Full of tenderness, ever-present.
When Aman returned home, Mantou said that Fu Yunxiu had already gone to bed. Seeing Aman's hesitant expression, Mantou wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything, and just told Aman to go to sleep early.
The next day, everything was as usual.
Fu Yunxiu didn't mention what happened last night, and Aman pretended not to know. After dinner, she continued to stay in Fu Yunxiu's room reading.
With the beginning of spring just around the corner, Aman showed no signs of life. Instead, she seemed to be reading medical books more and more, and her books were getting thinner and thinner. Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Are you not planning to be your rouge this year? Are you really planning to study medicine?"
“Of course not.” Aman looked up from the obscure medical book, his eyes shining brightly. “It’s not spring yet, the snow hasn’t melted, so even if I wanted to, there’s nothing I could do. I might as well read more medical books, so I can use them when I go to the clinic to help out.”
Fu Yunxiu had no doubts. After all, Aman had once said that she wanted to open a rouge shop in the future.
After thinking it over, he said, "Aman, let's save up some money this year and buy a greenhouse!"
When making rouge, the worst thing you can do is stop halfway through.
Last year, Aman accumulated many loyal customers selling rouge, but after taking a four-month break, those customers may have already switched to other buyers.
If there were a flower shop, Aman's rouge business wouldn't have to stop.
Aman also had this idea, but the cost of building a greenhouse is extremely high. Even renting one would cost a lot of money over a year, let alone buying one.
Even if I didn't eat or drink for a year, I probably wouldn't be able to save enough money to buy a greenhouse.
"We'll see when the time comes," Aman said nonchalantly. "But I was thinking of going to see Uncle He in a few days and asking him to make sure he gives me all the branches that were pruned from the flowers at the Marquis's residence this year."
"What do you need those flower branches for?" Fu Yunxiu asked, puzzled.
"Of course I'll plant them. Grandpa Cheng said that some medicinal herbs don't need to be planted from seeds; they can be propagated directly by cuttings. I think it might be the same for flowers. Anyway, the backyard has such a large area; it would be a waste not to use it. I might as well use it to try my hand at planting flowers."
If she succeeds, she won't have to pick up discarded flowers anymore.
Who knows, maybe in the future, I can even build my own greenhouse.
With this in mind, Aman deliberately tried to run into Uncle He several times over the next few days, and before long, he actually did bump into him.
Uncle He remembered Butler Xu's instructions and readily agreed to Aman's request, saying that he would have someone notify her when it was time to prune the flower branches.
With one worry gone, Aman once again focused her attention on treating Fu Yunxiu.
After being examined by Master Cheng, it was found that Aman had mastered the most basic medical and pharmacological knowledge and was also very familiar with acupuncture points. Next, the second step of the teaching began: acupuncture.
This is no small matter. Although Aman has held a needle before, this is the first time she has ever pricked someone with a needle.
Not only did his hands shake violently, but he also couldn't hit the mark accurately.
This is a problem that all beginners would encounter. Master Cheng didn't think much of it. He simply gave Aman a piece of pigskin and told him to take it home and practice. He told Aman to come back to him when his hand stopped shaking and he could stab accurately.
One piece of pigskin was clearly not enough for Aman to practice on. After Aman had ruined 36 pieces of pigskin, Uncle He sent someone to deliver the flower branches he had pruned.
With two large sacks full, Aman picked and chose some of the thicker branches with many healthy buds. He then pruned them into small sections according to the buds and, with Mantou's help, planted them in the backyard.
"Will this work? Or will it be a waste of effort?" Mantou remained skeptical of the neatly arranged rows of flower branches.
“Of course it can work, Grandpa Cheng said so.” Aman’s eyes were full of trust, which made Mantou’s heart ache.
These days, Aman has been going to the clinic all the time. Even when he comes back, he often locks himself in his room, and I don’t know what he’s busy with.
Before, when she spoke to me, she always talked about how I was the young master, but now, it's either Grandpa Cheng or Doctor Guo, completely ignoring me.
Although the young master didn't say much, Mantou felt wronged on his behalf.
"Everything is done by Grandpa Cheng, Aman. What have you been busy with lately?" Mantou finally couldn't help but ask. "Every day after meals, you lock yourself in your room and chop up a piece of pigskin."
Upon hearing this, Aman quickly covered Mantou's mouth with his hand, making a shushing gesture. Seeing that the door to the east room was properly closed, Aman finally felt relieved.
"How did you know I was chopping up a piece of pigskin?" Aman thought he had been very careful, but he didn't expect that Mantou would still find out.
"You're one to talk! You get up before dawn every day and always lock yourself in your room. I've been suspicious for a while now." As he spoke, Mantou scratched his nose guiltily. "Then yesterday morning, I was just curious, so I opened your window and peeked out."
"Hey, you!" Aman was furious and reached out to hit the steamed bun.
Mantou shrank his neck to dodge, but the slap didn't land. Aman asked impatiently, "So, you told the young master about this?"
"Not yet," said Mantou. "So, what exactly are you tinkering with in the house?"
Aman knew Mantou's character; although he was a smart aleck, he knew what to say and what not to say. So he confessed to him, "Grandpa Cheng said he has a method to cure the young master, you know about that, right?"
"Hmm." Mantou nodded. He was right next to Old Cheng when he said this, so he naturally knew.
“But didn’t you say you didn’t want to try?” Mantou said.
“I know, and Grandpa Cheng himself said that he is old and might not be able to endure the treatment.”
"So?" Mantou looked at her. "What does this have to do with your sneaky behavior these past few days?"
“I want to learn,” Aman said. “Grandpa Cheng is too old and doesn’t have much energy, but I do.”
"What did you say? So these past few days, you weren't just casually reading medical books, but..." Mantou's eyes widened in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
Aman nodded and took the opportunity to say, "Grandpa Cheng said I have a pretty good talent. If I practice diligently, I should be able to help the young master with acupuncture. So, Brother Mantou, please keep this a secret from the young master for me. If he finds out, he definitely won't allow me to continue learning."
Aman clasped his hands together, his face full of pleading.
"But..." Mantou was actually unwilling to deceive the young master.
But what Aman said also makes sense.
If Aman really masters the skill, then the young master will have no choice but to accept it, even if he doesn't want to.
Moreover, with Aman around, the young master will eventually agree.
Having confirmed this, Mantou gradually relented, "Even if I were to keep it a secret for you, it could only be for a short time. You know, young master is very clever!"
Aman nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, this little bit will be enough."
Once she's mastered the skills, she can go directly to the medical clinic to learn. Even if the young master has any doubts, she'll have an excuse to cover it up.
Aman helped Mantou come up with an explanation, "Then during this time, if the young master asks, just say that I'm in my room mixing new rouge, and that pigskin is also used to make rouge, understand?"
"Okay, I understand." Mantou nodded vigorously, with a tragic expression of a warrior making a painful sacrifice. Aman couldn't help but laugh at him and gave him a push, "Alright, stop standing there, finish watering the rest of the land, and I'll make you cherry pork tonight as a treat."
With Mantou as an ally, Aman's days thereafter were incredibly smooth. Trusting both of them completely, Fu Yunxiu believed Aman's story without a doubt. He even cautioned Aman not to overwork herself, lest she ruin her health.
Aman nodded in agreement, but he started getting up earlier and earlier every morning.
After inserting and damaging more than twenty pieces of pigskin, Aman finally passed the inspection and could start learning how to find acupuncture points.
Different acupoints require different needle lengths, sizes, and depths. Aman still needs to learn the intricacies of this slowly.
But at least she was one step closer to treating the young master, so Aman was in a good mood. On her way back, she happened to run into someone selling plum trees.
Thinking of the bare courtyard in winter, and knowing that the young master also loved plum blossoms as much as she did, Aman waved her hand and ordered the other party to book an entire truckload of trees.
"Young lady, I have about a dozen trees in this cart. Are you sure you want them all?" The old man buying the trees was suspicious. Judging from Aman's age, she didn't seem like someone who could make decisions at home. "Why don't you go back and ask your father first?"
"No need, Grandpa, I'll take them all. I just need you to deliver them to my house for me."
"Alright, alright, if you really want them all, I'll give you a discount."
In the end, Aman spent 60 coins to buy the whole cart of saplings. Although it was a bit pricey, the young master liked them, and Aman was willing to spend any amount of money.
The old man helped carry the sapling to the door, and from a distance, Aman called out, "Brother Mantou, Brother Mantou, come out and help!"
Mantou was bored out of his mind inside the house when he heard Aman's voice and rushed out, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
As soon as the door opened, Aman walked over excitedly, pointing to the cart behind him and saying, "I bought some plum saplings, please help me move them into the yard."
Looking around, Mantou was astonished to see that the cart was piled high with saplings, at least a dozen or so. "Why did you buy so many?"
Although he said that, his hands were not idle. Aman helped from the side and explained, "Didn't you say that the courtyard is bare in winter? So I thought of planting some plum trees. We can enjoy the flowers in winter and eat plums in summer. We can also use the leftovers to make wine. It's a win-win situation."
"You don't need to buy so many, do you think we can even plant them all?" Mantou said.
“Of course,” Aman said confidently.
When the two men carried the tree in for the second time, Fu Yunxiu also came out of the house.
The heavy cloak covered her entire body, with only her gentle and refined face showing.
The old man selling trees had been guessing who Aman and the others were, but when he saw Fu Yunxiu, he immediately understood.
Presumably, the son of a wealthy family is recuperating here, which is why he is so generous.
After unloading the goods, Aman paid the money, and the old man, carrying his heavy purse, pushed the cart away contentedly.
The saplings lay scattered haphazardly in the small courtyard, but Aman wasn't bothered at all. She cheerfully stepped forward, tugged at Fu Yunxiu's sleeve, and shook it. "Young Master, let's plant two plum trees in front of your window. That way, even if you don't go out in winter, you can still see plum blossoms when you open the window."
“And over there,” Aman pointed to the pavilion, “let’s plant a few trees on the side of the pavilion too, since you always complain that the sun is too strong in the summer.”
"It's up to you. Plant it however you want." Fu Yunxiu never interfered with such trivial matters.
Aman had guessed he would say that, and excitedly dragged Mantou to the storeroom to find a shovel and a hoe.
After the Awakening of Insects, all things revive, and the soil, thawed by the midday sun, has long since melted.
Fu Yunxiu held the saplings, Aman buried them in the soil, and used a shovel to make a small circle. Mantou was in charge of watering them. The three of them worked together seamlessly, and all twelve saplings were planted before sunset.
At the dinner table, Aman was still rambling on about his ideas.
"When winter comes and the plum blossoms bloom, we will use the snow from the blossoms to brew tea for you, young master. I've heard that tea brewed with snow water from plum blossoms has a unique flavor. We can also make plum blossom cakes and plum blossom wine. In the summer, we can soak plums in sour plum wine and add one to dishes. It's quite delicious. We can also make plum wine, which has a low alcohol content. You may also try a little, young master."
Ah Man kept talking, making Mantou's mouth water. He wished the plum tree would bloom and bear plums immediately.
Fu Yunxiu listened quietly, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
What Aman said was certainly wonderful, but he probably wouldn't live to see it.
By the time this tiny plum sapling grows up, he'll probably be gone.
What a pity!
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