The seventh month was sweltering hot. As Ru Shi’s eldest son was getting married in August, she currently had little time to see patients. Miaozhen was staying indoors to escape the heat, wondering whether Tan Yunxian would attend Ru Shi’s son’s wedding. Having studied medicine under Ru Shi for three years now, Miaozhen had thoroughly mastered gynecology – whether it was leukorrhea, menstrual regulation, metrorrhagia, pregnancy, miscarriage, difficult labor, or postpartum care, she had gained considerable experience.
Naturally, she still wished to specialize further in gynecology, but there was a problem: she lacked reputation, was too young, remained unmarried, and had no influential patron to endorse her – this simply wouldn’t do.
When Suzhou Prefecture summoned female physicians to serve in the palace, Ru Xiniang was actually recommended. Had she not withdrawn upon hearing there would be palace examinations, she might have been selected.
Although Ru Xiniang studied medicine under Ru Shi, she wasn’t diligent and often misdiagnosed cases.
Yet she had her aunt Ru Shi spending money and effort, mobilizing numerous connections to secure this selection opportunity, while Miaozhen had no one to scheme on her behalf.
Even while accompanying Ru Shi to see patients, establishing herself would require years of gradual effort.
Ancient times differed from modern days. Even someone like her father, she had overheard him telling her mother they should start looking for matches next year. Once betrothed, it would be difficult to continue practicing outside.
She didn’t necessarily crave fame, but currently women couldn’t open medical clinics. Most who sought medical treatment sought out renowned practitioners. Ru Shi could do so because she came from the Ru medical family, but Miaozhen didn’t have that advantage. Even with medical skills in the future, patients might not seek her treatment. More frighteningly, without reputation, people might distrust her treatments, then blame her if they took some other medicine and had adverse reactions.
If others confused proper physicians like her with unlicensed female healers, her career advancement would become difficult. If she could enter palace service treating imperial household members, in the future she wouldn’t need to seek patients – they would beg for her services.
While lost in these thoughts, she saw Ma Yulan approaching. “I thought you had gone out these past few days?” Miaozhen greeted with a smile.
“In this heat? I’ve been staying indoors to escape it. By the way, my mother said you visited the Li family – how come you returned so soon?” As she spoke, Miaozhen had someone bring the honeydew melon cooling in the well.
Ma Yulan waved her hand impatiently: “Don’t even mention it! You know how Old Lady Li loves playing leaf cards? One of her card partners kept holding my hand tightly, boasting about her grandson as if he were heaven-sent, with sweaty palms no less. Then she started criticizing me for being lazy, acting like she had any right to discipline me!”
As neighbors with close ties, Ma Yulan often confided in Miaozhen.
A year older than Miaozhen at thirteen, Ma Yulan was now at marriageable age. Typically after betrothal, families would prepare dowries for two or three years before the actual wedding, so marriage wouldn’t come too quickly.
A woman’s life seemed to be arranged so swiftly.
Miaozhen comforted her: “Your mother dotes on you so, she’ll surely make good arrangements for you. More importantly, how do you want to celebrate your birthday? Why not invite Sister Wang and Little Tong this year? We can all gather and chat together.”
“I actually have a good idea. Don’t the ladies have their tea gatherings? I’ll ask my mother to host one, and we can go along with the adults. Then we can close the door and chat comfortably among ourselves. Otherwise, if I were to invite people individually, it wouldn’t matter for you and Sister Wang, but I’m afraid Tong’s younger sister might not have the final say in her household.” Ma Yulan thought this way.
Miaozhen praised her thoughtfulness repeatedly, and the two of them discussed it further.
Finally, Ma Yulan said, “Do you know why Tong’s younger sister isn’t allowed to come out? It’s all because of the Li family.”
Miaozhen couldn’t help but remark, “The father of the Li family’s second young master is an instructor, a proper eighth-rank official, while Tong’s younger sister’s father is a Recorder in the prefecture, also a proper eighth-rank official. They’re perfectly matched in social status. Actually, the Tong family is even more prosperous.”
The Li family was no longer as influential as in previous years.
Ma Yulan sighed softly, “Exactly. The Li family’s eldest young master has gone to his aunt’s house in Jinling, apparently hoping to leverage a powerful wife’s family to advance his career.”
Miaozhen had seen the Li family’s eldest young master before—he often played football in the side alley outside Changmen.
It seemed men weren’t above calculating even marriage for their own prospects. So why should women resign themselves to fate? Moreover, to some extent, if she had ability and reputation, she could develop her career better, which would give her more choices in marriage later.
Ma Yulan had expected Miaozhen to despise the Li family’s eldest young master for such behavior, but instead, Miaozhen was lost in thought. Picking up some sliced melon, she said, “Since we’ve agreed, I’ll let you know when the Tong family responds.”
“Alright, alright.” Miaozhen finally snapped out of her reverie.
Ma Yulan ate a few slices of melon there, then grew drowsy and took an afternoon nap at Miaozhen’s place before returning home. Miaozhen had originally planned to nap too, but how could she sleep? She opened her money box all at once—inside was one ingot of gold worth five taels, plus two strings of cash. This was all her private savings.
Her family had just cleared their debts at year’s end and was now in the accumulation phase. Her father had said that this book-writing work might be banned at any time, so they needed some savings. If the harvests turned bad in the future, at least the whole family wouldn’t starve.
Having relocated to Suzhou with no farmland, if they lost this livelihood, they might all go hungry. They had no choice but to prepare for rainy days.
Miaozhen was very sensible and never asked for extra money. Although her daily spending money wasn’t much, she always used it where necessary—like on toilet paper, soap, and silk thread.
The next morning, she told Mei Shi about Ma Yulan’s birthday the previous day. Mei Shi readily agreed, “In that case, I’ll accept when the time comes. You’ve always been close, but since Chou Niangzi left last year, you haven’t been together much.”
“That’s what I thought too, Mother.”
“Take it easy while you’re young.” Although Mei Shi’s current life was ten times better than before, she still wanted her daughter to enjoy some relaxation.
Miaozhen nodded with a smile.
But then Mei Shi’s tone shifted, “Zhenzhen, tell me—did you deliberately treat Fifth Concubine Qiao? Though you’re young, I’ve always known you to be cautious.”
When her mother brought this up, Miaozhen didn’t avoid the topic: “Partly for my medical practice, and partly because I’ve seen Fifth Aunt constantly bully you with her words. Even when you were impoverished, she never offered a single coin to help. While I strictly uphold medical ethics, she responds with sarcasm and even publicly mocked you for being unvirtuous by not taking a concubine for my father. Since that’s the case, let her deal with a concubine who can bear children herself.”
“You child…” Mei Shi was momentarily speechless.
Having lost her mother young, with a stepmother who treated her poorly and a father who paid no attention, she had always preferred to avoid conflict. But her daughter seemed different—so young yet already shrewd, even exacting subtle revenge.
Miaozhen added, “Besides, I’m only treating that woman’s illness. Whether she conceives or not isn’t up to me.”
Mei Shi didn’t reproach her much, only saying, “If your aunt finds out, she’ll likely blame you.”
“That’s her problem. Does this world only allow treating her illnesses and no one else’s? Mother, although the Qiao Family is a prominent local household, my teacher is the elder sister of Censor Qiu. I might have connections of my own.” Miaozhen showed no fear.
Suddenly, Mei Shi recalled those years of poverty: her stepmother secretly giving rice to her stepsister while she only got beans, being forced to rise at dawn to cook, feed pigs, and prepare meals, often falsely accused of stealing money. Those were dark times, but her life had improved so much she no longer dwelled on them.
Abruptly, Mei Shi smiled, embracing her daughter. “You’re right. I won’t blame you.”
“Mother, you’re always so good to me no matter what I do,” Miaozhen thought to herself.
Soon after Ma Taitai received the Tong Family’s response, they arranged to meet at Lotus Marsh, renting a painted pleasure boat for a lake excursion to pick lotus seedpods.
Miaozhen and the others first took a carriage to the lakeside. As many visitors were overly enthusiastic, the pleasure boat was still on the opposite shore, so everyone had to board small boats to row across. The boat Miaozhen’s group took wasn’t steered by a boatman but by a boatwoman.
This boatwoman was quite talkative, saying she had been ferrying here for over ten years. “Three hundred sixty days a year, rain or shine, I’m here. By operating this boat, I’ve raised my son and daughter, at least keeping them from starvation.”
Mei Shi sighed, “That’s truly not easy.”
“Who says otherwise? My hands have been numb for six years. I’ve taken many medicines but with little effect.” The boatwoman revealed a hint of helplessness as she spoke.
Although Miaozhen currently studied gynecology, before her transmigration she specialized in acupuncture and tuina. Her medical kit was always carried by her maid. She couldn’t help saying, “This is rheumatism. Some moxibustion treatment will fix it. I’ve been studying medicine for three years. If you trust me, I can try to help you.”
She expected the boatwoman to refuse given her youth, but surprisingly, the boatwoman—observing that Mei Shi and Miaozhen traveled with servants and wore fine silks, appearing to be people of status—had an eye for judging character and agreed immediately.
Mei Shi said, “We’ll have lunch at the nunnery by the shore at noon. You can come find us there.”
The boatwoman noted this.
Soon, the boatwoman delivered them to the pleasure boat. When the schoolmates met, they naturally had endless topics to discuss. Tong Pan’er, as lively as ever, clamored to visit the Wang family. Wang Xie remarked, “Do be careful. Don’t speak so childishly.”
Among these women, Wang Xie was the most kind-hearted, yet she had her share of troubles. Her distress stemmed from the discord between her mother and sister-in-law. “My sister-in-law seemed so gentle before marriage, but only after the wedding did we realize how formidable she is. She’s turned my brother’s household upside down, and my mother is deeply worried.”
“Madam Wang is a shrewd woman; you needn’t fret,” everyone chimed in to comfort her.
Wang Xie shook her head. “Now she’s targeting me too, nitpicking and scolding all day long, even daring to find fault with me.”
Miaozhen thought Madam Wang was a capable person. She had heard that in her youth, Madam Wang disguised herself as a man and traveled with her husband trading silk. It was only in middle age that she opened a silk shop—no ordinary feat.
Those who could establish themselves, even in small businesses, were far from ordinary.
The lotus marsh was filled with blossoms, pink and white, half-open, with clear, vibrant leaves. As they composed poems together, Ma Yulan remarked, “Among us, Xiaoxiao has the finest literary talent—truly gifted, never making a mistake, quick-witted in emergencies. Back in school, I often complained about waking up early, but now I still think those school days were best.”
Everyone hurriedly agreed.
At noon, the painted boat docked near a nunnery. Ma Taitai suggested, “Behind this nunnery, there’s a grove of crape myrtles. Let’s go enjoy them after lunch.”
Unexpectedly, it began to rain during the meal. An elderly lady and the boatwoman they had seen that morning came in to take shelter. Spotting Miaozhen, the boatwoman said to the old woman, “Madam, please wait here out of the rain. I’ll ask this young lady to treat my ailment.”
The old woman glanced swiftly at Miaozhen.
Miaozhen remained composed. She found an empty room and performed moxibustion on eight acupoints for the boatwoman: two shoulder points, two Quchi points, two Zhigou points, and two Lieque points, treating her for rheumatism.
The shoulder and Quchi points belong to the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming, Zhigou to the Triple Energizer Meridian of Hand-Shaoyang, and Lieque to the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin—all four acupoints are used to treat wind-bi (painful obstruction) in the upper limbs.
“I’ll perform the moxibustion first,” Miaozhen explained. “Afterward, I’ll prescribe a formula called Atractylodes Decoction, specifically for dispelling dampness.”
…
The others had never seen Miaozhen’s medical skills before. But half an hour later, the boatwoman emerged, weeping and laughing alternately. “My arm, numb for so many years, finally has feeling again! Thanks to Miss Xu!”
Those who had never experienced illness could hardly understand.
The silent old woman then turned to Miaozhen and asked, “How did you treat her just now?”
Seeing that the old woman, though advanced in years, was spirited and alert, and with nothing else to do in the rain, Miaozhen explained her method. The old woman nodded. “Your approach is correct.”
“You’re knowledgeable about moxibustion?” Miaozhen inquired.
The old woman merely smiled. The maids and elderly servants behind her wore expressions of restrained speech. Perceptive, Miaozhen asked no further, instead inquiring where they were from. Learning they were from Wuxi and had come for a banquet, Miaozhen wondered inwardly: Could this be Tan Yunxian? The method she had just used was one she’d read about in Tan’s Miscellaneous Words of a Female Doctor.
But she never missed an opportunity. If this was Tan Yunxian, they would surely meet again at the Tao family in the future, and she could seek guidance—perhaps even become her disciple. If not, it was merely a passing encounter.
Therefore, she sighed: “I’m currently studying gynecology with our teacher, but I personally prefer acupuncture. Back when Sun Simiao wrote in ‘Essential Formulas for Emergencies’, he mentioned that in our Wu-Shu region with its numerous rivers and lakes, he would always apply moxibustion two or three times during each visit. It’s just a pity I wasn’t born into a medical family, otherwise I would truly like to study moxibustion techniques more deeply.”
Hearing this, the elderly woman asked what medical texts she had read. Upon hearing her response, the old lady expressed great surprise: “At such a young age, you’ve already thoroughly studied so many medical texts – that’s truly remarkable.”
She then asked her several questions and, seeing Miaozhen answer fluently with grand aspirations, immediately developed a favorable impression and felt a desire to nurture this talented individual.
This elderly woman was none other than Wuxi’s Tan Yunxian, who was attending the wedding banquet of Ru Shi’s son. Already over seventy years old, her own son had passed away twenty years earlier, and her grandson had also been affected. Hearing this young woman speak of how she would leave early and return late every day after becoming a disciple, diligently studying medical texts, she recalled her own childhood memories of leaning against her grandmother’s knees while reading medical texts…