Chapter 15 The Internship Begins (Second Update) The internship has begun...
Even if this old woman wasn't Madam Yang or Tan Yunxian, Miaozhen still used her own money to buy several feet of bright satin and gifts, which she would then give to Ru's confidante at the Tao family, hoping she could help her.
One sentence from these women is worth ten sentences from others.
In the hot summer, we usually eat porridge for lunch, breakfast, and dinner. For dinner, the kitchen makes soybean noodles, which we eat with a dish of shredded cucumber and braised meat. The whole family enjoys it to the fullest.
After the meal, Xu Erpeng brought up something: "My third brother came to the shop today and said that my eldest brother wrote a letter asking our two families to each contribute one hundred taels to him, or else we'll be in big trouble. I read the letter; it was my eldest brother's handwriting, neat and tidy. I don't know why. I guess he wasn't being blackmailed."
"What should we do?" Madam Mei was unwilling to give money to this older brother. It was not easy for her family to save money. Her daughter was almost twelve years old and would be of marriageable age in another year. If she did not have a generous dowry, she would have to marry down.
Xu Erpeng took a sip of tea and said, "I had someone invite my sister-in-law's uncle over to ask if they knew anything about my brother's situation, but they didn't seem to know much either. So, I'm thinking of sending a letter to inquire about the situation first. I'll send the letter to his friend in Jinling. If things aren't good, I'll have him report it to the authorities."
Brotherly affection and respect were of no concern to Xu Erpeng. He was plump but not a soft-hearted person. In his view, his brothers had been independent for many years. His eldest brother had taken thousands of taels of silver from others back then, not to mention the money the family would provide, yet he hadn't contributed a single penny. Last year, when his brother stayed at his house for almost ten days to avoid the rain, he treated his friends to good wine and food, but didn't even mention treating his own family to a meal.
Call him heartless if you want, but if he's unwilling to pay, we can just report him to the authorities. If a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations files a lawsuit, will the court refuse to accept it?
Miaozhen thought of her eldest sister, Miaoyun, and sighed inwardly at her uncle's inability to manage a household. Tong Pan'er's father was only a student of the Imperial Academy, who had secured a job in the local government and then betrothed Tong Pan'er to an official's family. Meanwhile, her aunt had devoted herself to raising her eldest sister, who seemed to have learned more than the daughters of prominent families, yet they lived a life of constant uncertainty.
However, this matter can only be lamented.
At the end of August, Miaozhen heard that Tan Yunxian had arrived at the Tao family, so she sent several feet of satin and two tin bottles of wine to Madam Ru's eldest maid. This eldest maid was originally Madam Ru's maid and had never married. Madam Ru was usually busy making house calls and did not have a good relationship with her mother-in-law, so she took care of all the affairs of the household.
This person is not petty in his actions, is fair, and helps others whenever he can. He holds a special position in the Tao family.
What's most remarkable is that despite the discord between Ru Shi and her mother-in-law, she managed to maintain good relations between both sides.
The old woman just laughed: "It's not a holiday, what does Miss need this for?"
"You've always taken good care of me, so it's only right that I bring these things." Miaozhen didn't explain her purpose at first.
When the eldest aunt saw that it was Sanbai wine, and it was even packaged in a tin bottle, it was clear that it was expensive. She also saw a food box with roast chicken, pork hock, dried fruit, dried fruit, and other snacks to accompany the wine. She declined, but Miaozhen insisted on accepting it after repeated requests.
Pian Miaozhen left after delivering the goods. The next day, when she came to help pick abalone with bones, she happened to see the old woman she had met before. She was really lucky to have run into Tan Yunxian.
Ru quickly introduced, "Aunt, this is my disciple."
Miaozhen quickly bowed, while Tan Yunxian smiled and said, "I have already seen her at Lotus Pond." After saying that, she recounted the incident of seeing her prescribing moxibustion for Granny Shao that day.
Although when Ru Shi took Miao Zhen in, she asked her if she was afraid of needles, Ru Shi mainly focused on gynecological diagnosis and treatment, directly prescribing medicine, and using acupuncture but not much.
However, she still taught Miaozhen some basic knowledge about how to insert needles.
Then Miaozhen said, "Madam Yang is too kind. I was just trying my best. How could I deserve such praise from experts like you and my master?"
Tan Yunxian smiled but remained silent.
Miaozhen didn't say much, but Rushi instructed, "Come back in three days and do some more. I'll trouble you then."
“If Master has something to do, this disciple will naturally do his duty,” Miaozhen said.
Ru then asked Miaozhen, "Do you know who this is?"
Seeing Miaozhen shake her head, she continued, "My aunt has treated the Empress and the concubines in the palace and is highly trusted. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask her."
This was a polite remark, but Miaozhen replied, "This disciple certainly will."
That afternoon, Miaozhen deliberately "bumped into" the eldest aunt. The eldest aunt knew that she had given her a generous gift before, and today she saw that Miaozhen had brought several pairs of mop socks from Songjiang in a bundle.
"How long has that Madam Yang been staying here?" Miaozhen asked.
The old lady said, "She has no sons or grandsons. Although she has three daughters, they are all married. Our lady wants her to stay a few more days."
"Auntie, is this Madam Yang's medical skill really as good as Master said?" Miaozhen asked.
The eldest aunt nodded: "That goes without saying. If I may say something inappropriate, even our madam is far inferior to her."
"If only I could have her give me some pointers, but I don't have the face to do so, and I can't very well say so," Miaozhen said, feigning distress.
Since things had come to this point, and the eldest madam had already accepted her gifts, she naturally replied, "What's the big deal? Miss, just go and ask her. Madam won't say anything, and even if she does, I'll be there for you."
Miao Zhen wanted to hear those words, so she quickly said, "In that case, thank you very much, Mother. There's still a dish of abalone with bones; I'll bring it to you later."
She has to proceed step by step; she can't achieve it all at once.
The next morning, she went to Madam Ru's place first, and then went to consult Tan Yunxian about acupuncture. She already had basic skills in acupuncture and moxibustion in modern times, and now she just needed to gain some fame, so that in the future she could say that Tan Yunxian had instructed her in acupuncture, and no one would doubt her.
When she arrived, Tan Yunxian was already up and practicing the Five Animal Frolics in the courtyard. When he saw Miaozhen coming over, he smiled and said, "Little girl, what brings you here?"
"I came here to ask you for advice, especially about moxibustion," Miao Zhen said sincerely.
Tan Yunxian smiled and said, "Speaking of which, we are destined to meet. Now that I am getting older, my memory is not as good as before. Go back to the basics. If you read the Ling Shu over and over again, you can't go wrong."
Miaozhen nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Tan Yunxian wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and asked Miaozhen to come in with her. She didn't ask about her acupuncture, but only about her family situation. Miaozhen answered truthfully, "My father was a student in this prefecture, but later he lost interest in an official career and opened a bookstore. When my mother gave birth to my younger brother, the doctor she hired was illiterate and only knew how to perform acupuncture randomly. So my father made me learn some medical skills so that I could treat the family in the future. But gradually, I actually came to like medicine."
"Yes, your father was prescient. Are you the only one who has received an education?"
"Yes, I started school at the age of six and continued for five years until the end of last year."
Tan Yunxian nodded: "It's not easy for us women to learn medicine. We have to be different from those old-fashioned doctors. We must be very careful when treating patients, and most importantly, we must be accurate in our diagnosis. I will only stay here for half a month. After that, I will go back to Wuxi. You should arrive at dawn and leave at dusk. I won't wait for you if you are late."
"Yes." Miaozhen didn't expect Tan Yunxian to actually teach her, so she quickly knelt down and kowtowed three times.
Tan Yunxian was extremely famous, and people from Wuzhong flocked to her seeking medical treatment after learning of her arrival in Suzhou. Miaozhen arrived three quarters of an hour early, when it was still pitch black, and without knocking, she waited outside.
Xiao Xi asked her, "Are you tired, Miss?"
"I'm not tired. I'll give you a reward next month for having you with me today," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao quickly said no need.
When the Tao family opened the door, Miaozhen went in. She thought Tan Yunxian would teach her how to differentiate syndromes, but she didn't expect Tan Yunxian to ask her to rub moxa on her.
"You should first learn to rub moxa sticks. Don't buy moxa cones. The moxa sticks for your hands and feet should be about the size of your little finger joint. For your limbs, they should be about the size of two finger joints of your little finger. For your torso, they should be about the size of your entire little finger. Try rubbing these three types first."
Miaozhen didn't ask any questions. She first wrote down the requirements she was given in her notebook, and then kept rubbing it.
Even when patients came, the old lady would keep rubbing moxibustion on herself. Miaozhen, however, was very thoughtful. She listened to Tan Yunxian talking to the patients and was surprisingly patient.
They not only asked about the patient's symptoms, but also about the origin of the illness. For example, this woman had suffered from continuous bleeding for several months, and later even developed hematuria. She had been taking various medications without any effect. Miaozhen immediately thought that if it were her, she would choose Xiaoji Yinzi from the "Jisheng Fang" (Formulas for Saving Lives), since this formula is mainly used to treat hematuria and urinary tract infections caused by heat accumulation in the lower abdomen.
Unexpectedly, Tan Yunxian prescribed Buzhong Yiqi Tang with the addition of Huangling, Xiangfu, and Daji, and told her to drink the soup and then take Dabu Yin Wan.
In an instant, she realized that the woman's blood and qi were depleted due to years of hard work, and she could not even rest during her menstrual period. Therefore, the core issue was the deficiency of vital energy, which prevented the qi from holding the blood.
First, replenish Qi, then use Scutellaria baicalensis and Cirsium japonicum to stop bleeding, promote urination, and relieve strangury.
After the woman left, Miaozhen shared her insights. Tan Yunxian exclaimed in surprise, "You're right! Trying to block it for a short time won't work." Then, feeling that Miaozhen was very insightful, he mentioned that he had treated several similar patients and they had all recovered in the same way.
Miaozhen quickly sorted through the information again, ignoring the fact that her hands were covered in moxa wool, and wrote it down in her notebook.
After that, I frantically rubbed mugwort, and when I got back, there was a strong smell of mugwort.
Madam Mei left her some food, and seeing how tired she was, she couldn't help but say, "You should at least rest."
"They gave me at least half a month, so I must study hard. By the way, Mother, don't we have plum jam at home? I want to make two jars, one for my master and one for Tan Yunxian. I can't be biased." She wanted to give herself a reputation, but she wouldn't ignore Ru Shi.
Madam Mei told her to pack it the next morning, but fearing she might forget, she went to the kitchen herself that evening to dig it out. She also gave Yu Xiang, a cook, a tael of silver to buy her two boxes of shortbread.
She actually dislikes social niceties, but learning a craft involves a lot of them; you can't succeed without understanding them.
The next day, she arrived on time as usual. Tan Yunxian's expression was even more amiable. When she saw the plum sauce she brought, she said, "I'm getting old now, and my family is too tired to bother with this anymore. When I was younger, my family used to keep these things at home."
“My mother is the best at making these things. Every year when my family pickles spring greens, all the neighbors and relatives come to ask for some,” Miaozhen said with a smile.
Tan Yunxian had taken a liking to her when he first met her at the ferry, as if he saw himself in her back then. Now, after spending a few days together, seeing that her family was well-off but she could still endure hardship, he liked her even more.
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