Chapter 16 The Battle Between Heaven and Man
The next day, they continued to rub the moxa sticks, and Miaozhen yawned uncontrollably from the process.
After rubbing moxibustion in the morning, Tan Yunxian asked her to read the "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and used the "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" to explain acupuncture. Every time Miaozhen heard the wonderful parts, she couldn't help but feel that she still knew too little.
"For the Qimen acupoint, you should generally insert the needle obliquely or horizontally, but not too deeply, about half an inch is enough. We doctors are usually very cautious with this acupoint, only Zhang Zhongjing frequently needled it. And you have to be even more careful with the Fengfu acupoint, the slightest mistake could be fatal," Tan Yunxian warned.
Miaozhen nodded repeatedly, taking notes as if she wanted to write down every word she said. She was exhausted when she got home that night. Unexpectedly, her parents were waiting for her. Her mother had specially prepared a meal for her: half a steamed sea bass, a small dish of pickled cucumbers, and a small dish of scrambled eggs. She was already starving, so she devoured the food in no time.
Still feeling unsatisfied after finishing his meal, Xu Erpeng brought out all the snacks he usually kept in his study: "Here, have some."
Miaozhen took it and heard Madam Mei say, "You must be very tired?"
"It's tiring, but the opportunity is rare." She recalled reading "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and how Mu Nianci's martial arts skills greatly improved after Hong Qigong taught her the "Free and Easy Fist" in three days. She went through seven rounds of martial arts contests to find a husband, but no one could defeat her. She herself was able to learn it for half a month, so she was sure she could also benefit a lot.
Seeing his daughter like this, Xu Erpeng produced a bag of walnuts from somewhere and said, "Walnuts are good for the brain, eat more of them."
Miaozhen took them and crunched them one after another.
Xu Erpeng, who was standing nearby, took a hammer and smashed a few more pieces, blew on them, and then placed them in front of his daughter, saying, "You are at the peak of your memory and energy right now, so it will be easy for you to learn anything, but you must persevere."
"My daughter knows." Miaozhen nodded hurriedly.
After finishing her meal, she went back to organize her notes, then took out the acupuncture bronze figure again to experiment before finally going to bed. It was a rare occasion that the eldest son of the Tao family was getting married just two days later, and she had to go pick abalone with bones on this day.
She was making cream from the milk curds by herself with two maids, and Xiao Xi complained in a low voice, "Why do you have to do so much?"
"Don't meddle." Having gained so much, a little hard work is nothing. Some knowledge is kept tightly guarded by some people, but at least Ru Shi would tell me, not to mention the guidance of a master.
After being scolded by Miaozhen, Xiaoxi didn't dare to say anything more. Once she had finished, she hurriedly went to report to Madam Ru. Madam Ru was skilled in medicine and usually had a strong personality. Now she looked very capable. When she heard Miaozhen say that everything was done, she quickly took Xiaoxi's hand and said, "Good child, thank you for your hard work."
"I only regret that I can't help you in any way," Miaozhen quickly said, "It's alright."
Ru Xiniang sized up Miaozhen from the side, her attitude somewhat subtle. Miaozhen had failed to enter the palace as she wished, and her gynecology skills had deteriorated considerably. She had also only half-baked knowledge of sores. It was thanks to her aunt's help that Miaozhen had studied. Many dignitaries and nobles came to this occasion, and her aunt was also intentionally telling outsiders that she was the true successor of the Ru family's medical lineage.
Madam Ru invited her to take a seat and eat, but Miaozhen quickly declined, saying, "I have things to do at home today, so please go ahead and do your work. My father wants me to go back early."
The Tao family didn't send an invitation, and her parents didn't give her any gifts. She didn't know where to sit, so she might as well go back home.
Actually, she didn't care about these things. She and Ru Shi weren't related, and it was already very kind of her to teach her. So she went back without saying much and was able to rest well.
Xu Erpeng had heard about these things, of course. He told Madam Mei not to ask too many questions, and said, "Don't ask too many questions about these things. I heard that people who learn a trade are beaten. Miaozhen is already doing very well. At least she has learned everything. People who can endure hardship when they are young will have a smoother life later on, but if they have too much luck when they are young, it may not be a good thing in the future."
Now that he is over thirty, he has some life experience and profound insights.
Miaozhen rarely got a chance to rest, and she slept soundly for a long time. When she got up, she couldn't sleep, so she and the two maids did needlework under the oil lamp. She planned to make a pair of knee pads to give to Tan Yunxian.
The next day, she sent winter dates to the Tao family; these were all bought with her own savings. Tan Yunxian was getting old, and after the wedding banquet, she wasn't feeling well, so Miaozhen quietly read in her room and didn't ask any questions.
When someone is willing to offer guidance, then give them a few words of advice.
The eldest son of the Tao family married a very beautiful woman. Because her surname was You, some people jokingly called her a rare beauty. However, after she married into the family, although her husband was happy with her, Madam Ru seemed to dislike her somewhat. Of course, she had heard Madam Ru complain about her before the marriage.
Because it was the Mid-Autumn Festival after their marriage, Ru Shi saw that she was a proper mistress and let her start managing things with the eldest mother. Unexpectedly, she made a mess of things, and by the time the Mid-Autumn Festival came, the prepared gifts had not yet been sent.
Ru was complaining to her eldest aunt: "She didn't send any of the major medicinal herb merchants that I usually cooperate with."
The eldest aunt also said, "Grandma Yang will be going home in two days. The travel expenses have been arranged. Would you like to take a look?"
"I don't have the time for that. Oh, right, Miss Xu made so many abalone and snails with butter for me last time. I was thinking of giving her something in return, but I got busy and forgot." It wasn't that Madam Ru was bad at household affairs; it was just that she was overwhelmed with all sorts of things.
The old lady smiled and said, "Miss Xu came here to help sincerely, there's no need for you to return the favor."
“That’s not how it works. We can’t just let them give it away for free,” said Madam Ru.
The old lady squeezed the silver ingot in her hand and couldn't help but smile: "If you ask me, you might as well let her become an apprentice of Old Madam Yang. Firstly, it would be an honor for her, and secondly, I heard that Madam Zhang intends to have the Zhang sisters become your students. In that case, you won't be able to teach so many people."
The Zhang family were medicinal herb merchants, but Madam Zhang had no children. The family was planning to find a son-in-law to run the business, but they didn't want their daughter to know anything about medicine.
This person wasn't just something the old lady made up.
But Ru said, "Actually, I've taught you almost everything I need to. There's no point in teaching you anything more. Let's just say this is doing a good deed for you."
The eldest aunt secretly thought that Ru Shi simply thought the Zhang sisters were rich. At least they could have studied for seven or eight years. Miss Xu was smart, quick-witted, and quick to understand. She could learn acupuncture after just one lesson and could recite the prescriptions for gynecology by heart.
Moreover, the Xu family was just a small merchant family, and the fees they paid were limited, so they couldn't be compared to a medicinal herb merchant like the Zhang family.
“Madam, you don’t need to play the villain. I’ll talk to Miss Xu properly, and I’ll make sure things go well. As for Old Madam Yang, I don’t have that much influence over her. She’s not so easy to persuade,” the First Madam said deliberately.
Madam Ru shook her head: "That's not it. My cousin is the most compassionate towards the poor and weak. Well, she became my disciple, and I've never given her any special treatment. This time, I'll do it for her."
The older woman quickly agreed.
After she came out, she first had someone invite Miaozhen over, saying, "This matter is already 80% certain, so young lady, don't reveal a single thing to Madam Yang."
Miao Zhen was very surprised; she hadn't expected it to actually work out, as she hadn't held out much hope.
"Are you sure it's true? I can't even imagine it." Miaozhen thought that she would only need to study for half a month at the very least, which was a pleasant surprise.
The older woman laughed and said, "Why would I lie to you about something like this?"
"Alright, then I'll wait until this matter is settled. Thank you so much."
Although she already knew that Ru would recommend her to Tan Yunxian, she still sent over the knee pads she had made: "You will be returning to Wuxi soon, and since it is already the beginning of autumn, I made a pair of knee pads for you."
Tan Yunxian picked up the pair of knee pads, then picked up the eyeglasses next to her and put them on her glasses. She looked closely at the needlework and couldn't help but say, "Your handiwork is really good."
"I'm glad you don't mind," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Although they were very different in age, they could still talk about medicine. Miaozhen learned a lot from her: you must listen to the patient and find the cause of the disease by carefully analyzing the symptoms. Otherwise, if you are only confused by the appearance, it is easy to make a misdiagnosis.
After returning from the Tao family, Miaozhen told her parents the good news: "I don't know how much truth there is in what that aunt said, but I'm finally at ease."
Xu Erpeng said, "If you pay your respects to her, wouldn't you have to go to Wuxi? That wouldn't be good."
In his view, his daughter was safest with her parents. If something happened to her outside, who would be responsible?
“Madam Yang is getting old, she might not be willing to accept me. The eldest mistress said that because I gave her all my savings, but whether she will actually agree is hard to say.” Miaozhen knew these things.
Xu Erpeng was speechless for a moment.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Old Mrs. Xu suffered an unexpected accident. While moving a bag from the top of the cabinet, she fell off the stool and was unable to move her lumbar spine for a while, so she had to rest for some time.
Originally, Old Mrs. Xu had handed over the cooking and laundry chores to Fourth Sister. In the past, when her mother was capable, Fourth Sister would always shirk her responsibilities, but now she could no longer shirk them and was forced to start cooking and washing clothes.
When Xu Erpeng returned from the old house, he said, "I must say, Fourth Aunt's cooking is better than my mother's now."
Even the laziest person can be forced to grow under certain circumstances.
Miaozhen's request was quickly answered. Tan Yunxian was willing to teach her medicine, but only if she went to Wuxi with him for two years. Although Xu Erpeng and Madam Mei were reluctant for their daughter to go so far away, they respected her opinion.
"Zhenzhen, think it over carefully."
Unlike in modern times, in ancient times, people rarely left their hometowns unless they were desperate for survival. Otherwise, due to poor communication, any incident would cause delays in both directions.
And it will take two years...
After all this effort, should I just give up now?
Miaozhen was truly torn between two conflicting emotions.
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