Chapter 10 Seeing a Doctor
The madam actually rewarded Li Xiaoxiao? When Mama Mao found out, she smiled and said, "It seems you are quite lucky. The madam hasn't been in such a good mood to give out rewards in a long time. Take it."
Li Xiaoxiao casually stuffed the money into her belt.
A few days later, Li Xiaoxiao still felt a tightness in her chest and had to ask Aunt Mao, "Aunt Mao, where should I go to see a doctor if I want to see one?"
Mao's mother was taken aback: "What illness? Are you feeling unwell?"
Li smiled and said, "Didn't I get swept away by the flood? It felt like I hit a big rock in my chest, and it still hurts a little. So I wanted to go to the clinic to get some medicine."
Mao's mother was startled: "Did it hit a big rock in the water? How long has it been?"
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment: "It's been more than a month."
It's been over a month and it's still not healed? Madam Mao is experienced in life. If an injury takes this long to heal, it might leave a hidden ailment. She wiped her hands and said, "If you want to see a doctor, you should go to Huichuntang on Dongmen Street. The doctors there are quite skilled. When Master first came to Biyang County, he was sick for a while, and we asked Doctor Xie from Huichuntang to come and treat him."
She glanced at Li Xiaoxiao's face. The girl's complexion was slightly dark, and her lips were a little pale, making her look unwell. However, considering that she had been in the manor for a few days and could fill two large water vats in less than half an hour every day, as well as chop half a room's worth of firewood, she didn't seem to be sick. She guessed it wasn't too serious. She thought for a moment and said, "If you're worried, you should still go see a doctor, get some medicine, boil it, and drink it. If you need to go out, tell Granny Qi. If she agrees, then you can go."
Li Xiaoxiao responded and went to find Granny Qi.
When Granny Qi heard that she had bumped into a big rock in the water and needed to see a doctor, she didn't make things difficult for her. She even gave her twenty large coins and instructed Liuzhi to accompany her out: "Go find Doctor Xie from Huichuntang. Our master has been seeing him all along when he was sick. I'm afraid you won't know the way, so I'll have Liuzhi accompany you."
Liu Zhi was at the age where little girls love to explore. When she heard that she could go out, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly said, "Grandma, I know the way. I'll take Sister Xiao Xiao."
When Yingchun heard that Liuzhi was going out, she gave her some money and said, "Go to the sewing shop and buy me some colored thread, white, red and green."
Then, Aunt Luo's maid Xiumei and Meng Liniang's maid Baoqin came over. One wanted to buy some handkerchiefs, and the other wanted to buy soap for washing hair. Before they even left, Liuzhi had already stuffed a bag of money into her arms.
Li Xiaoxiao: ……
Liu Zhi happily noted down what the older sisters wanted to buy and said to Li Xiaoxiao, "Let's go."
It was as if they were mainly going out shopping, not to see a doctor.
Li Xiaoxiao followed Liu Zhi out of the county government's backyard, turned into a quiet alley, and a lively sound came out, with various vendors calling out their wares.
Liu Zhi was very excited, chattering away like a little sparrow: "Sister Xiaoxiao, if you go through this street, it's only a quarter of an hour to East Street. That's the most bustling street in the entire county government area. They sell all kinds of things there. Huichuntang is also there. The silk handkerchiefs and soaps that my sisters asked me to buy are also on East Street, not far from Huichuntang!"
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes couldn't take it all in; she looked around, only interested in food, wishing she could buy and try every single thing she had never seen before.
Seeing that she was craving candied hawthorns, Liu Zhi couldn't help but swallow hard: "Sister Xiaoxiao, do you want to eat candied hawthorns too?"
Li Xiaoxiao stared at a stall selling grilled meat, her mouth watering: "I want to eat this grilled meat."
Seeing the two girls drooling over the roasted meat on his stall, the owner immediately called out, "Come on, come on, tender and juicy roasted meat, only eight coins a skewer, little girls, would you like two skewers?"
Liu Zhi was already quite sensible and knew that eight coins for a skewer of meat was not cheap at all. She guessed that they were trying to rip off the two girls because they were young. Just as she was about to refuse, Li Xiaoxiao next to her said, "Give us two skewers."
The owner immediately handed two skewers of grilled meat to Li Xiaoxiao: "This is a gift of sixteen coins."
Li Xiaoxiao took it and took a bite, her eyes widening suddenly: "Wow, it's so delicious!"
She'd been in this world for over a month, and this was the first time she'd ever eaten meat! The meat in this world was so delicious and fragrant!
Liu Zhi almost jumped up: "Sister Xiaoxiao, this meat is expensive! Why did you buy two skewers?"
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at her, then reluctantly handed her another skewer of meat: "Would you like to take a bite?" This willow branch skewer of meat weighed two or three ounces, sizzling with oil from grilling, and brushed with sauce—it smelled so good.
She was used to eating alone and wouldn't share such delicious meat with others, but she had eaten her fill at the county government office these past two days. Since she was full, she couldn't be too stingy with the little sister who had accompanied her to see the doctor.
Although Liu Zhi vaguely felt that Sister Xiao Xiao had been deceived, she was still very young, and since coming to Biyang County with her grandmother, she hadn't eaten as much meat as she had in the capital. When the meat skewer was handed to her, she couldn't help but open her mouth and take a bite, instantly forgetting that the meat was expensive: "Mmm, delicious."
The two stood on the street and ate both skewers of meat, one bite at a time.
Liu Zhi's little mouth was glistening with oil from eating, but after finishing, she realized what she had done and resolutely refused to let Li Xiaoxiao spend any more money to buy a third skewer. Instead, she forcefully pulled her forward, saying, "If my grandma finds out you spent so much money on meat skewers, she'll definitely scold you."
Li Xiaoxiao had no choice but to regretfully give up on the meat stall, but her eyes were immediately captivated by other foods. This stall's baked flatbread looked good, that stall's glutinous rice cakes looked delicious, this stall's osmanthus cakes smelled wonderful, and that stall's mung bean cakes were also quite good...
When Liu Zhi finally brought her to Huichuntang, an hour had passed. The two of them had eaten until their bellies were bulging. Liu Zhi suddenly realized how much money Xiaoxiao had just spent.
She came out to see a doctor, so how come she spent so much money before even seeing the doctor?
Liu Zhi asked timidly, "Sister Xiaoxiao, how much did you spend just now?"
Li Xiaoxiao still had a piece of candied hawthorn in her mouth: "Hmm, was it seventy-five or seventy-eight coins?"
Liu Zhi burst into tears: "Wow, it cost so much?" She cried uncontrollably.
Grandma asked her to bring Xiaoxiao to see a doctor, but before she even got her to Huichuntang, Xiaoxiao had already wasted so much money!
Li Xiaoxiao was so startled she almost dropped the candied hawthorn in her hand: "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Liu Zhi sobbed and wiped away her tears: "Waaah, if Grandma knew how much money you spent on taking care of you, she would definitely beat me to death."
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "I didn't spend your money, so why did your grandma hit you?"
Liu Zhi cried, "Grandma told me to bring you to see the doctor, but we've already spent so much money before we've even started seeing the doctor..."
Li Xiaoxiao was even more puzzled: "But you didn't spend any money, so why did she hit you?"
Liu Zhi said fearfully, "My grandma will think that I didn't take good care of you and let you spend money recklessly."
Li Xiaoxiao suddenly realized: "Isn't that simple? Just don't tell her!"
Liu Zhi paused for a moment. Should she not tell her grandmother? If she didn't tell her—she really wouldn't get scolded.
She whispered, "What if she asks?"
Li Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly, "If she doesn't ask, then you don't have to say anything. If she really asks, then just push the blame onto me. I'm not your grandmother's granddaughter, I'm not afraid."
Liu Zhi immediately felt relieved, but thinking that she had also eaten with Sister Xiaoxiao all the way, she decided that if Grandma didn't ask, she wouldn't say anything; she wouldn't betray Sister Xiaoxiao.
But they had been out for a while, and there were still two patients waiting ahead of them when they entered Huichuntang. She tugged at Li Xiaoxiao's sleeve and pointed to the bustling shop diagonally across the street, saying, "Sister Xiaoxiao, you wait here. I'll go to that needlework shop across the street to buy some things for my sisters, and I'll come back as soon as I'm done."
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at the distance to the sewing shop; it wasn't far. "Alright then, go ahead. If you encounter any bad guys, just call me and I'll come and rescue you."
Liu Zhi said crisply, "No, our Biyang County is safe." Then she skipped away.
Li Xiaoxiao was queuing at Huichuntang.
She waited less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before it was her turn. The doctor who examined her was an old man with a white beard, drooping eyelids, and hands as dry as withered vines.
Remembering what Mama Mao had said, Li Xiaoxiao asked him, "Are you Dr. Xie?"
The old man lifted his thick eyelids slightly: "It's me. Where do you feel unwell?"
Li Xiaoxiao used the same reason: "I hit a big rock in the flood, and it's been more than a month. My chest still feels tight and painful, so I came to see if it's serious?"
Doctor Xie placed his hand on Li Xiaoxiao's pulse and listened attentively.
After listening to his left hand for a while, he switched to his right hand. The more he listened, the more his brows furrowed. After a long while, he opened his eyes and said, "Your injury is very serious. Your pulse is weak and the rhythm is irregular. Your blood and qi are stagnant and blocked. It's a serious condition."
But Li Xiaoxiao was sitting perfectly fine in front of him, with crumbs of pastry still on the corners of her mouth. It was obvious that she had just eaten something, and she was also very energetic. How strange!
The old doctor carefully examined Li Xiaoxiao's face, his brows furrowing even more: "Strange, your pulse indicates a serious illness. Such severe symptoms should keep you bedridden, but why are you able to act as if nothing is wrong with you?"
Li Xiaoxiao unconsciously pulled her hand back. Was the injury really that serious? No wonder she only had a little strength left on the surface of her body.
Li Xiaoxiao asked, "Is there a cure?"
Doctor Xie frowned deeply. He had taken many pulses like Li Xiaoxiao's and knew how to prescribe medicine, but the patient's mental state was completely unrelated to the pulse. He dared not prescribe medicine easily: "Wait a moment. I have been a doctor in Huichuntang for more than 30 years and I have never taken a pulse like this before. Let me find the manager and then I will make a diagnosis for you to see if there is any discrepancy."
He got up and went to the backyard of the pharmacy. A moment later, he returned with a middle-aged man who smelled strongly of medicine: "This is Manager Tong from our Huichuntang. Manager Tong has been practicing medicine for nearly twenty years and has a great deal of experience in using medicine."
Manager Tong had already heard from Doctor Xie about the strange incident where Li Xiaoxiao's pulse did not match her symptoms at all. He cupped his hands to Li Xiaoxiao and said, "Doctor Xie has been practicing at our Huichuntang for nearly thirty years. His medical skills are superb, and he has never made a mistake in diagnosing a pulse. Let me also diagnose the young lady's symptoms and see if there are any discrepancies." After saying that, he gestured for Li Xiaoxiao to extend her hand.
Li Xiaoxiao extended her hand, and Manager Tong placed his hand on her pulse, closed his eyes, and listened carefully. The more he listened, the more his brows furrowed. He then gestured for Li Xiaoxiao to switch hands. After listening for a while, he exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be?"
Li Xiaoxiao's heart sank: "Am I going to die?"
Shopkeeper Tong waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, this—" He glanced at Doctor Xie with difficulty, not daring to draw a conclusion easily.
Doctor Xie placed his hand on Li Xiaoxiao's hand again, listened for a while, and his brows furrowed more and more: "How strange! Logically speaking, with a pulse like yours, you shouldn't even be able to stand up, but why are you still able to jump around like this?"
Shopkeeper Tong nodded as well; his conclusion from listening to the pulse was the same as Doctor Xie's.
Li Xiaoxiao already had a general idea of what was wrong with her body, and she also knew that this injury could not be healed by herself: "It's okay, doctor, just treat me as a serious case and prescribe some medicine for me. I'll go back and decoct it and take it."
Doctor Xie and Manager Tong wouldn't dare prescribe medicine recklessly. To be honest, if Li Xiaoxiao had been carried here, they could have immediately prepared the medicine and fed it to her with her pulse like that. But she is full of energy and vitality right now. This kind of medicine for serious illnesses can be life-saving if it is appropriate, but deadly if it is not. So how could they dare to prescribe it?
Shopkeeper Tong could only say, "Medicine has no limits. I've never seen such symptoms in my decades of medical practice, and I dare not prescribe any medicine rashly. Please consult another expert."
Li Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded: "Huh? Is it really hopeless? Shopkeeper, I think I can still be saved..."
A note from the author:
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