Chapter 35 (combined chapter)
After the tea ceremony, the wedding date was set for the eighth day of the second month of the following year, because calculations indicated that there would be no auspicious days next year. The Xiao family's betrothal gifts were considered extremely high-class no matter where they were, making the Xu family's relatives very envious. Miaozhen thought it was fortunate that the jewelry, clothes, and fabrics she brought back from the Cheng family were also quite valuable, otherwise they would have been unable to afford them.
The Xu family felt they had made a good deal. Although they had spent a lot on the dowry, the betrothal gifts were correspondingly generous, so their daughter was still getting a profit. As for the Xiao family, they had given a considerable betrothal gift, but the bride's dowry would still be taken by the bride's family, so they were not at a loss either.
Xu Erpeng prepared a banquet, and Madam Mei led people to check and pack up the betrothal gifts. As for Miaozhen and the others, they came out normally after the Xiao family left.
While eating, Miaozhen was thinking about how to improve her medical skills. She originally thought that going to the Cheng family would be a better platform, and she might even be able to consult with the imperial physicians. However, she did not expect that in the inner quarters of the Cheng family, she would be imprisoned if she was not careful, as it was all about human relationships and worldly affairs.
At the banquet, Miaozhen was so focused on eating that she didn't notice the envious and jealous looks from Bao Shi and the others. Xu Sanshu had previously thought that asking for two hundred taels was too much, but now that he saw the betrothal gifts given by the Xiao family, he was going to ask for five hundred taels when he got back, which made Miaolian cry in distress.
"My second uncle and Zhenzhen gave me so much dowry, what did you give me?"
Uncle Xu didn't want to talk about his daughter, but Madam Bao said, "Your second aunt said that all these dozens of pieces of jewelry, hairpins, top-quality fur coats, embroidered robes, and several hundred taels of silver were saved up by your sister Zhenzhen herself. Why don't you save any money?"
Miaolian said, "I followed others to get their hair ornaments, and with the money I earned, I made clothes for you and my father, and hairpins for our hair. Isn't that right?"
You have to understand that the He family is just a woodworking workshop with only two or three people. They only assemble a whole team when there is a big job. Besides, the He family has an older brother, so their financial resources are obviously insufficient. How can they compare with the Xiao family?
Uncle Xu was furious, so he came to complain to Xu Erpeng. Xu Erpeng said, "Don't ruin your niece's marriage over this. I told you to buy a shop to expand the business, but you're not short of money, and you just wouldn't do it."
To put it bluntly, if you want to find a good family for your daughter, you yourself can't be too bad off.
It's like if he weren't a student of the Imperial Academy, even with Mo Gu's help, it would be difficult.
Uncle Xu said, "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that Bao's family is a bottomless pit. Her eldest brother borrowed eighty taels from me, and when her parents fell ill, she took five taels back. Her second brother's son borrowed twenty taels from us for his wedding dowry, and then there's her sister..."
Seeing his younger brother say so much, Xu Erpeng couldn't help but say, "This money is in your hands, it's not going to fly away. If you really don't lend it, I don't believe it will end up in someone else's hands."
Even though Uncle Xu lent out so much, he still had several hundred taels in his hands, so he wasn't really short of money. He was just annoyed that his brother's family was doing well and his own family was being overshadowed.
As Madam Mei came to the back embroidery building, she saw Miao Zhen making the medicine she had bought into pills. She then brought up the matter of Xu Sanlang's family: "I look down on your third aunt's family. They're all like vampires."
“Mother, why can’t you understand? If Uncle hadn’t been so accommodating, how come all the people helping out at his shop are now Aunt’s family? They only earn two coins a month. Where can they find that kind of money?” Uncle Xu is a shrewd businessman.
Mrs. Mei chuckled: "You're the one who sees things clearly, child."
Miaozhen couldn't help but say, "Mother, I originally wanted Father to write a notice at the door for me, saying that I would be doing free clinics on the first and fifteenth of each month. But then I thought that my marriage proposal was too extravagant. What if someone was not paying attention and we got into trouble? It would be better if I went to do free clinics with Master Ru."
“But wouldn’t that give the reputation to someone else?” said Madam Mei.
Miaozhen nodded: "But I have also accumulated experience. In fact, there is no shortcut to improving medical skills. Besides studying medical books, you have to read more. Although I am a disciple of Madam Yang, I don't have someone to recite my lessons like Ru Xiniang. So I have to rely on myself step by step."
Madam Mei stroked her daughter's head and said, "You're just like your father, very steady and reliable. Ordinary women, seeing the Xiao family's wealth, would forget about their own affairs."
“The Xiao family’s wealth is theirs. Besides, I’ve also lived in a large family like the Cheng family. They are indeed extremely wealthy on the surface, but every penny they have doesn’t come from thin air. Large families have many more social obligations and need to take care of servants. A little money is simply not enough,” Miaozhen said.
Mei agreed.
Miaozhen then said, "Mother, I'm going to make jade hairpin powder after I finish rolling out the pills. If you want, I'll make more."
She started learning medicine in ancient times at the age of eight and continued until she was fifteen. Including her university and master's studies in her previous life, it had been more than ten years. Besides practicing medicine on a daily basis, she should also have some life of her own, otherwise there would be no fun.
She had seen how medicine was prepared at the Cheng family home, and she had learned something from them.
However, that's how things are. When you're at your leisure, no one comes to your door; but when you want to do something else, well, suddenly, people come seeking medical help.
It turned out that the Du family's daughter in the south of the city had fallen ill. The Du family's teacher only had the title of a child scholar and had failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. He used to make a living by providing food for students, but later he specialized in compiling essay topics for the eight-legged essay. Even so, the family was not well-off and could only get by.
Unfortunately, he had a daughter who was as beautiful as a flower, but was also very enthusiastic about the eight-legged essay.
Because Mr. Du was often invited by Xu Erpeng to choose topics, the Xu and Du families were quite familiar with each other.
"Why didn't you let Miss Du come directly?" Miaozhen asked.
It always costs money to pick up a doctor for a house call, and the Du family isn't exactly wealthy, so why would they need to spend that extra money?
Upon arriving at the Du family home, Mrs. Du had just gotten up from her loom and said to Miaozhen, "Miss Xu, thank you for coming. We don't know what's wrong with our husband, he just can't eat anything."
When Miaozhen went in, she saw Miss Du lying on the bed. She exchanged a few pleasantries and, seeing that Miss Du looked weak and listless, took her pulse and said to Mrs. Du, "It's just that you're depressed. I'll prescribe a Lily and Rehmannia Decoction, which can nourish yin, clear heat, calm the mind, and soothe the nerves. As the saying goes, a heart ailment needs a heart remedy. You should try to comfort her."
She actually seemed to have some depression, but she couldn't say that Miss Du had depression. Nowadays, people are generally quite superstitious. They don't understand these things and think that the person is possessed by evil spirits, so they call in some kind of shamans.
Mrs. Du sent someone to collect the consultation fee, but then she saw Miss Du looking at Miaozhen and saying, "Miss Xu, I really envy you."
"Envious of me?" Miaozhen was completely baffled.
Miss Du didn't know how to put it. Cen Yuan's father and her own father were originally classmates and their families were originally related. However, as her father repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, the family became increasingly poor. Although the Cen family had also experienced many declines, the gap between the two families widened significantly after Cen Yuan's father passed the imperial examinations.
But she trusted Cen Yuan, so she kept hoping.
Unexpectedly, Cen, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, was selected as an official, which made all the difference. Madam Cen quickly arranged a marriage for Cen Yuan with a girl from the third branch of the Xiao family, the daughter of the third master of the Xiao family who had just been promoted to Assistant Magistrate of Songjiang Prefecture. Her years of affection had gone down the drain; how could she not be heartbroken?
So she envied Xu Miaozhen, who managed to get her daughter into the Xiao family no matter what methods she used.
Their parents have that ability.
Miaozhen paid one qian for the consultation and one qian for the carriage and horses, and didn't complain.
It was already noon when Xu Erpeng got home. He was having a scribe write out a scroll he had finished writing, and then the engraver would carve it. Outside, Li, the shop assistant, was tying the book up with rope and handing it to a few young men.
The Xu family used to sell mostly storybooks, but now that they have capital, they sell more books on the imperial examinations, and even the storybooks are now illustrated instead of just text, so their business is even better.
After the meal was served, Xu Erpeng said to Miaozhen, "Zhenzhen, I'm thinking of making a booklet similar to 'Illustrated Guide to Daily Life,' combining agriculture, sericulture, life tips, and some folk tales. As for life tips, I'd like you to write some medical common sense. What do you think?"
“Great, that’s perfect! It’s like ‘using Clematis chinensis decoction for fishbone stuck in the throat,’ right? Then I can talk about preventing baldness. You see, many men are balding in the middle these days, and even women’s hair tends to thin after childbirth. I’m sure this will attract a lot of viewers.” Miaozhen understood these things very well. Just like why short dramas are so popular now, it’s because they get to the heart of the matter quickly.
Hair loss is a topic that resonates with people throughout history. Whether it was Wang Mang or Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, they all had this problem. Even Du Fu wrote, "My white hair grows shorter with every scratch, and I can hardly hold it up with a hairpin."
She used to run a school magazine when she was in school, and besides, she grew up reading sensational news and all sorts of hot topics, so she knows all about these things.
She was in high spirits, and when she got back, she first used examples of celebrities losing their hair to explain how hair loss occurs. She then provided two methods and wrote, "To find out what the next method will be, please stay tuned for the next installment."
Miaozhen also suggested that Mei write down some housewife tips, especially how to cook the best dishes and how to pickle the most delicious vegetables.
Xu Erpeng also thought his daughter's idea was good, but Mei was writing too slowly, so Miaozhen simply helped her mother with the writing.
In less than five days, the new "Zhiyin Xiaobao" (Zhiyin Little Newspaper) was born. The so-called "Zhiyin" means that this book can answer your questions about all aspects of life, from storytelling to cooking, it can be said to have everything.
The drawings were quite simple to make; Miaozhen handled everything herself, especially the steps for washing hair, how to comb it, how to cover the parting, and what kind of powder to use.
Li, the shopkeeper, specially hired people to go along the street to teahouses or brothels to hawk their wares: "The latest books, the latest 'Zhiyin Xiaobao'! What to do if your hair is falling out in clumps? What to do if your hair is turning gray? Come and buy 'Zhiyin Xiaobao'! It's only one coin, only one coin!"
Miaozhen didn't expect to make money at first, after all, it was the beginning. Although the Ming Dynasty had a high literacy rate, she thought that people with money would definitely buy books for the imperial examinations. However, she forgot that people from Songjiang Prefecture, Zhenjiang, Wuxi and many other places came to buy the books. They actually sold more than a thousand copies and made a profit of 120 taels after deducting the cost.
Xu Erpeng looked at his wife and daughter with a grin: "This is an achievement for both of you."
“Speaking of which, we really are good at writing and drawing. I heard that many people buy this book to prevent hair loss.” Mrs. Mei smiled at her daughter.
When talking about hair loss, Xu Erpeng asked his daughter, "My hair used to be very thick, and I even wished I had less. In recent years, especially on the top of my head, my hair has become thinner. Is what you mentioned really effective?"
Miaozhen said, “Everyone’s hair loss is caused by different reasons. For example, some people have reddish scalps, are very oily, and are very itchy. This is due to internal heat in the blood, so they need to wash their hair frequently. For external treatment, use the arborvitae leaf formula I mentioned, and internally take Angelica sinensis and Sophora flavescens pills. However, if it is like you, who stays up late for a long time and has liver and kidney deficiency, you should also take Liuwei Dihuang pills internally. Another type is women who have insufficient qi and blood, so they should take Guipi Decoction internally. It cannot be generalized.”
Upon hearing his daughter's words, Xu Erpeng immediately asked her to treat his ailment, and Miaozhen readily agreed.
Her father especially liked moxibustion. Every time he had moxibustion, it was when he slept the best. So she specially devised a method for her father. Her father not only had hair loss on the back of his head, but also gray hair. She would first massage her father's Baihui and Touwei acupoints, and then perform moxibustion. As for Geshu, Shenshu, and Zusanli acupoints, she would directly use moxa sticks the size of soybeans.
After this process, the father, who had difficulty falling asleep, was able to fall fast asleep.
Mei pulled Miaozhen aside and said, "Your father can't sleep soundly all night. I was very worried. Luckily, you're here."
"Don't worry, even if you want to go to bed early, it will take at least three months to form a good habit. I'll definitely help my dad adjust," Miaozhen said with a smile.
This month, she went on a free clinic with Ru Shi. She found that there were still a few areas where she was lacking. The follow-up visit was not very good, so after returning to her room, she still tried to figure out where she had problems herself.
She thought she was just copying some modern family magazines to write about hair loss prevention tips, and she knew that people usually experience a lot of hair loss in July and August, so she figured some people would resonate with her first post. But she didn't know that for people today, it was like finding a treasure. Even the eldest patriarch of the Xiao family secretly bought a copy, because so many people, especially men, were going bald after middle age.
After analyzing the medical cases, she had already written her next article on hair loss. Of course, at the end, for the sake of disclaimer, she also had to write: If you really have hair loss, please seek help from a doctor and do not take medicine blindly.
She could only rest after finishing everything ahead of schedule.
In the afternoon, Ms. Mei sent someone to tell her what she wanted to eat that evening. She suddenly remembered that when her parents divorced when she was very young, she would read a lot of books. One of the books mentioned making three-color rice, and she wanted to try making it herself.
For example, she would mix red rice with the juice squeezed from amaranth, mash cucumber peel, and add a few drops of lemon juice (the name for lemon in the Ming Dynasty) to the green juice extracted from it. This would make green rice. Yellow rice would be made by frying it with egg liquid. She had a lot of fun with it.
If there were elderly people in the family, they would definitely say she was wasting food, but her parents are very open to new things. Her father is also very childlike: "These three colors of rice look really nice when they are arranged."
The two younger brothers liked this new dish and even fought over it, but the youngest brother was too small, so Miaozhen personally scooped a spoonful for him.
The family atmosphere was very good. Her parents rarely argued, and her two younger brothers were well-behaved. Miaozhen analyzed that the main reason was that her father was truly capable of protecting everyone from hardship. The money was in place, there were no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law problems, no awful relatives, and no concubines, so her mother was at ease.
Her mother was truly understanding, content, and tolerant, which is why their family lived a good life.
However, many couples turn against each other because of poverty or problems between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, which often prevents them from getting along well.
Although she is now engaged, she doesn't feel it's real and often forgets that she is engaged, only thinking about it occasionally in unintentional moments.
The next day, someone came to invite her to see a doctor. It was a wealthy family in the household. Miaozhen was no longer as humble and cautious as she had been in the Cheng family; this was probably due to the confidence she gained from her medical skills. Besides, if you are easy to talk to, some people will take advantage of you, repeatedly asking about precautions, and in the end, they will not follow the doctor's advice and will even blame the doctor for not explaining it clearly.
Therefore, Miaozhen now acts more aloof to make herself appear more authoritative.
She changed into a milky white bodice, over which she wore a light blue diagonally-fastened short gauze blouse, and a white silk skirt. She only had a single hairpin with a drop of oil in her hair, which made her look very refreshing.
The family I visited today lends money to government officials; they run a large business, and their house is astonishingly big.
"Miss Xu, this way please." A woman led the way.
Miao Zhen followed Xiao Xi without looking to the side. She looked around and found the surroundings quite nice. However, when she entered the room, she found that despite the hot weather, the windows were tightly closed, and the room was filled with the fragrance of orchids, with no unpleasant smells.
Passing through the beaded curtain, she saw a young woman lying on the bed, her belly quite large. She was very polite: "Miss Xu, please sit down."
Miaozhen knew that the more polite the patient was, the more serious their condition might be. She sat down nervously and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"I have contracted a strange illness." Grandma Wu rubbed her stomach, a hint of fear on her face.
Miaozhen reassured her, "Don't be afraid, just tell me. The more detailed your description, the better it will be for your condition. I once treated a pregnant woman whose hands and feet came out first, and she almost had a difficult birth, but I cured her. You can rest assured."
After calming herself down, Grandma Wu said, "About half a month ago, I could always hear the baby crying in my belly, especially at night, and the baby's movements were more frequent than usual. The rumbling was even louder when I was lying on my back like this. My husband had someone come and scatter beans, but it's still the same. Now that it's the Ghost Festival, I'm afraid I'm carrying a ghost baby."
"Have you consulted any other doctors?" Miaozhen asked.
"Some said I had intestinal rumbling, others said there was something wrong with my fetus and suggested I have an abortion, but this was a hard-won pregnancy, and I didn't want to ruin it." Grandma Wu had seen many doctors, and luckily she heard about Miaozhen, so she specially invited someone to come to her house. But when she saw that the person was a young woman who had never been married, she didn't know if she could cure her.
Miaozhen glanced at her, took her pulse first, and found that she was indeed weak.
Such an illness would be difficult for even modern hospitals to diagnose, but she was a time traveler from the future and had already read "Fu Qingzhu's Gynecology" and "Huizhitang's Experienced Prescriptions," so there was indeed a way.
She began by saying, “This truly shows the bond between mother and child. You don’t know, the child in the womb is nourished by the mother’s blood and qi. It’s like mother and child are breathing together, without a moment’s interruption. But when I take your pulse, I see that you are severely deficient in qi. Your pulse beats only three times per breath, and it’s very weak. As the saying goes, the kidneys and lungs are the mother and child organs. The lungs are responsible for respiration, and the kidneys are the root of vital energy. As long as the lungs and kidneys are nourished, the metal and water elements will counteract each other, and the blood and qi will be sufficient, and the child will stop crying.”
Seeing that she spoke very clearly and logically, and comparing it with her own symptoms, Grandma Wu said, "I do have qi deficiency, I am prone to shortness of breath, fatigue, chest tightness, and feeling cold all over."
“That’s it. I’ll prescribe two doses of medicine for you, called Fuzheng Zhiti Tang. Ginseng, astragalus, and ophiopogon japonicus nourish lung qi, angelica sinensis replenishes blood, tangerine peel clears heat from the lungs, pollen nourishes yin and moistens dryness, and licorice harmonizes the properties of all the medicines. With this, your recovery will be just around the corner,” Miaozhen said.
After listening to this, Grandma Wu asked Miaozhen to prescribe the medicine. Miaozhen wrote out the prescription first and then instructed, "The astragalus must be tender; you must not use any other kind."
After prescribing the medicine, she finished organizing the medical records at the Wu family's house and then took her leave. She passed by in a hurry and was not seen by Xiao Jingshi. He thought that since the Xu family's daughter was a female doctor, she must have come to the house to treat patients.
However, most female doctors are not very skilled, so Xiao Jingshi said, "Is my cousin-in-law's illness alright? Should I recommend another doctor?"
Wu Zhang shook his head: "I've seen several doctors, and they all said the fetus was not healthy and that I had miscarried. Another one said it was due to fetal heat, but the medicine had no effect. Now I've heard that this female doctor Xu is a disciple of Madam Yang from Wuxi, so I'm just trying my luck."
Few people associate the female doctor Xu with the daughter of the wealthy Xu family; the Xiao family only publicly stated that she was the daughter of a student of the Imperial Academy.
Therefore, Wu Zhang was unaware of the relationship between Xiao Jingshi and Xu Miaozhen.
"I think those female doctors just randomly stick needles in their needles; they're not reliable at all." Xiao Jingshi still felt they should find a reliable doctor to see him.
Wu Zhang sighed: "Let's take a look first."
Xiao Jingshi thought to himself, "I want to see what's going on."
Meanwhile, Miaozhen came for a follow-up visit the next day. Grandma Wu was very happy to see her: "I took one dose that day and the baby in my belly stopped crying. Today, after taking the second dose, I am much better. Miss Xu, you are truly a miracle doctor."
"I'm not a miracle doctor, I just happen to know this prescription," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Grandma Wu shook her head and said very seriously, "Don't be modest, you are the best. Although you didn't say much, you cured my illness in no time..."
Miaozhen smiled and said, "This is just my duty."
"I really want to send you a plaque. I'll be counting on you for the future of my unborn child." Grandma Wu just thought she was reliable.
Miaozhen said with delight, "Then thank you very much. Now that you have stopped the baby from crying, you should rest and recuperate. If you need anything, just send someone to call me."
She never expected that someone would give her a plaque. She wasn't greedy for fame; she just felt it was a sign of recognition from others.
...
When Xiao Jingshi asked Wu Zhang again, Wu Zhang smiled and said, "That female doctor Xu is truly skilled in medicine, but my wife is completely cured after just two doses."
Xiao Jingshi was surprised that the Wu family had consulted several doctors who had failed to cure him, but his fiancée had cured him. It seemed that she was quite capable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
