"I thought it was abandoned, I didn't expect there were still people there." Xu Zhuohua looked up at the old man's wrinkled face, "What's your name?"
The child hiding behind the old man suddenly peeked out, his dark eyes sparkling in the twilight, but when he met Xu Zhuohua's gaze, he shrank back like a startled rabbit.
The old man said, “My surname is Liu. I am a barefoot doctor who wandered to this area. When I was down on my luck, my employer let me stay here. At first, this station was very prosperous, but later no more boats passed by, so I packed up my belongings.”
Xu Zhuohua's fingertips traced the dark patterns on the cup's surface, the rising steam blurring the neatly arranged ceramic jars on the medicine shelf in her vision.
When Hsu Shih-nung laid out the roadmap, he must have originally intended to "help people."
The sound of Dr. Liu's Adam's apple bobbing was particularly clear in the silence. His chapped lips moved a few times, but he could only manage to squeeze out a hoarse question: "Young Master, are you here to take back the station?"
The child hiding behind the old man suddenly clenched his fists, his flushed face tensed like a drumhead, and two small flames rose in his dark, grape-like eyes.
Xu Zhuohua placed the teacup on the mottled wooden table. The crisp sound of the celadon hitting the table startled the child.
"That was my plan on the way here." She gazed at the tea leaves unfurling in the tea soup.
Dr. Liu's bloodshot eyes suddenly widened, and the child behind him tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
"Okay... Young master, could you spare a little time? Xiaohe and I need to tidy up the things in the pharmacy."
Xu Zhuohua smiled, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "This child? Xiaohe? What's his background?"
Doctor Liu took Xiaohe's hand and said with great pity, "It's him. I found this child in a floating basin by the river. He was less than a year old then. I raised him, and he's almost five now."
The child was wearing faded coarse cloth clothes, the hem of which was patched, but the stitches were fine and neat, clearly indicating that it had been carefully starched.
The nimble movements when pouring tea just now, and the way he secretly observed the old man while hiding behind him, all revealed a cleverness that was not typical of a child.
Especially his eyes, which were as clear as the unpolluted waters of South Lake, were now rippling with anger, and his chubby cheeks added to his childishness.
"No need to pack it up, just keep it." Xu Zhuohua withdrew her gaze and tapped the edge of the teacup with her fingertips. "Although the goods won't be going through here anymore, it doesn't mean people won't. The pharmacy is still open, and it will be useful in the future."
Before he could finish speaking, Doctor Liu suddenly stood up, the bamboo chair scraping against the blue brick floor with a screeching sound.
The old man's cloudy eyes instantly reddened, and his withered hands trembled as he bowed, his forehead almost hitting the mottled table: "Thank you, young master!"
The child standing nearby was stunned at first, then jumped around like a happy little deer, revealing a bright smile.
Xu Zhuohua walked around in front of the medicine cabinet.
"Dr. Liu, you said you came from a place that was once a wanderer. Where were you originally from?"
Doctor Liu said, "I was born and raised in Beiping."
Xu Zhuohua thought for a moment, "What is your relationship with the Liu family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners?"
The Liu family of traditional Chinese medicine is a prominent family in the 21st century.
Doctor Liu chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I can’t shake off the name of the Liu family no matter where I go. To be honest, I am a descendant of the Liu family. However, the Liu family has no shortage of famous doctors, so I left Beiping and wandered around.”
Xu Zhuohua's eyes lit up. "Then your medical skills must be very strong!"
Dr. Liu was not modest at all, “Although I am not ranked among the top doctors in the Liu family, I am definitely a famous doctor in this small place. People from all around come to me for medical advice and treatment.”
"If someone is seriously injured, such as from being hit by a stick or whip, what medicine can help them heal quickly?"
Dr. Liu immediately got up and went to rummage through the back of the medicine cabinet.
Xu Zhuohua was thinking about Cheng Muyun's injuries. Although the weather wasn't very cold, it wasn't very warm either, so the wounds would definitely heal very slowly.
Since it's the Liu family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, they must have many secret recipes, including muscle-regenerating powder.
She plans to return to Xinhai City tomorrow and give the medicine to Cheng Muyun then.
In addition, this is also an excellent place to live in seclusion.
Xu Zhuohua thought that if Cheng Muyun could escape from the disaster, he could be placed here.
Nobody can find it.
To ensure that the small station would still exist a year later, Xu Zhuohua simply crossed it off the route map.
They also gave Doctor Liu a large sum of money for medicine, enough to ensure that the grandfather and grandson had enough to eat and wear.
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