Chapter 88 Why don’t you come in?
No matter how good the cloak is, it cannot block the drizzle coming from all directions with the wind. The rain flows into the collar along the edge of the cloak. Qingwu steps deep and shallow in the grass that is filled with rainwater.
Xiao Xing has a high fever, dry mouth and sore throat. I'm worried that you don't sweat enough. This is a symptom of cold enveloping fire. You need to dispel the wind and cold externally and clear the heat internally.
Although there were medicinal herbs in the backyard, the quantity was small. Qingwu thought about it and quickly came up with an emergency prescription - boil ginger, mint, dandelion and bupleurum in water and drink it.
She had memorized where the herbs were in the yard these days, and immediately took Yuzhu to look for them. After a while, the faint light revealed a few clumps of Bupleurum that were knocked down by the rain.
Qingwu stood in the wet and cold grass, the hem of her skirt soon soaked by mud and water. She waved a hoe to dig up a Bupleurum chinense plant, and then found a clump of mint at the foot of the wall.
"Madam, is that enough?" Yuzhu's teeth were chattering with cold. Although it was almost early summer, it was still chilly after raining for so long.
Qing Wu wiped the rain off his face and said, "Let's go to the well in the backyard. I left a bunch of dandelions there."
When they came back with the herbs, the corridor was empty. They must have gone into the house to rest.
Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt inexplicably lost. She shook her head to clear her mind of all thoughts. Just as she was about to go straight into the kitchen, she was stopped by Zhao Tong who was sticking his head out from the side hall.
"Madam, please come here quickly. Please see if there is anything you can use from the master's herbs."
Qing Wu paused. Xiao Ji's medicinal herbs? Those were precious medicines brought from the palace.
Her fingers holding the medicine basket tightened unconsciously, her heart was surging, and she finally walked towards Zhao Tong.
There are only three or four herbs in hand, and the effect of a prescription made up of them is ultimately mediocre. If one or two precious herbs can be added, the strengthening effect can be enhanced, and perhaps the fever can be reduced in one dose.
Thinking of the young man's performance from beginning to end, and how he urged her to save Xiao Xing, Qing Wu no longer hesitated and entered the side hall.
Under the dim candlelight, the table was already filled with brocade boxes and paper packages, which had been opened one by one.
Qingwu quickly scanned the area and found ginseng, snow lotus, saffron...all good things.
After hesitating for a moment, Qingwu took a knife and carefully cut off a small slice of ginseng and took two saffron flowers.
Qingwu's actions were seen by Xiaoxing's relatives. They were farmers themselves, so they naturally knew ginseng as a medicinal herb. When they occasionally came across it, they would dig it up and sell it to the town. This kind of ginseng of coarse and fine quality could probably be sold in the town's medicine shop to be enough for the whole family to chew for a year.
"Madam, this is too expensive... We..." Xiao Xingniang wanted to say that they couldn't afford it, but seeing her daughter calm down a little, she gritted her teeth and said, "We know this silver isn't enough. We'll sell our piglets tomorrow."
She took out a coarse cloth purse from her bosom and poured out a small piece of silver, about three cents.
Qingwu took the silver and said, "That's enough." She wasn't so kind as to go out and treat patients and give them medicine without asking for money. She and her grandmother had learned a lesson while practicing medicine. She had treated the poor and given them no money out of pity, but later it was taken for granted.
"The consultation fee is ten cents. The herbs picked in the backyard are not expensive, including the labor cost. But this ginseng is a hundred-year-old ginseng. Just this piece is worth a lot of money. And this saffron..."
As Xiao Xingniang listened to Qingwu's detailed calculations, her rough fingers clenched the corners of her clothes, and her eyes gradually became moist. She had never seen such a kind and gracious man before. Even the doctors in town always gave whatever he said, so there was no reason for them to question him.
But the lady in front of them was willing to discuss the price of the medicine with them so patiently, which made them feel at ease.
"Madam, you don't have to say more. We believe you. Just as you said, we will do as you say. Go and boil the medicine for Xing'er."
"good."
Qing Wu removed the needle from Xiao Xing, then hurried to the kitchen with two maids. As soon as he entered, he took off his dark blue cloak and carefully hung it on the door. Then he quickly gave the order:
"Yuzhu, go wash the newly picked herbs, and be quick."
"Baozhu, prepare two medicine jars and a casserole."
Fortunately, there were several medicine jars in the palace for making bone-nourishing soup for Xiao Ji, otherwise there would be more trouble.
Qingwu scooped up a ladle of clean water and poured it into the clean medicine pot, then put in sliced ginger, broken sections of bupleurum, and dandelion roots, and then left it aside and turned to busy himself with processing the ginseng slices.
"This ginseng is a precious medicine and needs to be stewed separately."
The herbs in the medicine pot on the left were still soaking, while the water in the casserole on the right had begun to bubble. Qingwu placed the thinly sliced ginseng slices into the small medicine pot and then placed it firmly in the boiling water.
After finishing the ginseng, the ginger pot that had been sitting aside was also lit, and both burners were lit. After boiling the ginger pot over high heat, it was simmered on low heat for a quarter of an hour. The bitter fragrance of the herbs gradually spread in the steam.
"The time has come." Qingwu used a cloth towel to padded the lid of the medicine jar. The medicine had already boiled into amber color.
She slowly added the ginseng soup stewed in double boiler into the filtered ginger and bupleurum soup. The golden liquid swirled in the brown medicinal juice like the sunset falling into a deep pool.
The last two strands of saffron fell to the bottom of the bowl. The boiling hot medicine soup rushed down, and the bright red filaments kept spinning. Qingwu stirred it gently with a spoon for a moment, then handed the medicine bowl to Yuzhu.
"Send it to the child and let him drink it while it's hot."
…
The bitter medicine slid down her throat, and Xiao Xing's brows gradually relaxed.
In less than half a minute, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and her body temperature dropped a little.
Qingwu gently brushed away the strands of hair stuck to the child's neck and placed three fingers on the thin wrist - the pulse had stabilized.
"Let her sleep." Qingwu stood up.
"She might have a fever again at night. I've left some medicine. Fugui will bring you a stove later. You can put the medicine by the stove to warm it up. When she wakes up, let her drink it."
Xiao Xingniang finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.
Qingwu was also very tired, so he turned around and went to the other side hall to quickly wash up before returning to the main hall.
It was late at night, and the girl dragged her tired body back to the main hall. She thought the boy inside was already asleep, but when she turned two doors, she saw a faint candlelight shining through the inner door.
Qingwu's footsteps paused for a moment, and he dared not go any further.
As she washed up, she couldn't help but think of today's events. The boy's unusual indifference towards her made her wonder if he had already seen through her identity, but only chose not to expose her outright because he was concerned about the outsiders.
Or maybe he didn't care who she was, he just needed a wife.
The more Qingwu thought about it, the more uncomfortable and afraid he felt. For the first time, he felt like retreating.
Maybe it would be better to spend a night with Yuzhu today. She turned around and was about to go out, but she didn't know that the person in the house had been counting her footsteps for a long time.
"My dear."
Xiao Ji's voice came through the door, a little deeper than usual.
"Why don't you come in?"
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