10
Before stepping down as the Military governor of Jiannan Circuit, the Marquis of Dingbei rendered yet another great service in Jiazhou. He not only successfully suppressed the bandits but also rectified the local officialdom. Within days, he would lead an army of fifty thousand into Chang’an City to resist the Dongwan cavalry, who frequently harassed the borders.
This morning, the corrupt officials, gentry, and clerks—including County Magistrate Tang, Tang Yi, and Advisor Liu, all stripped of their positions—were publicly paraded through the market streets. The long-oppressed common people finally had an outlet for their anger. Shouting “Corrupt officials!” again and again, they pelted the disgraced prisoners with rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs.
Madam Zhu, already deep in gambling debt and having committed numerous shady deeds under Advisor Liu’s protection, not only found her broken arm left untreated but also received the devastating news that she would never leave the prison.
Although confined, she continuously inquired about Ruan An. The bailiffs told her that Ruan An had been rescued, and further, that Marquis Huo, during his duty handover with local officials, had specifically instructed them to show extra care and consideration to the herbalist surnamed Ruan.
Madam Zhu knew perfectly well that the herbalist surnamed Ruan was Ruan An. Now that Ruan An had saved the great war god of the Great Li, her reputation would surely soar. When she disguised herself as an old woman to go down the mountain and treat patients in the future, few would fail to pay her consultation fee.
Even in Chang’an City, the name of the herbalist Ruan would likely become known.
This girl had become a renowned physician so effortlessly.
Madam Zhu felt so enraged she could almost vomit blood.
With their parting imminent, Huo Pingxiao no longer stayed in her thatched cottage. Ruan An still hadn’t decided how to use the two wishes he had promised her.
She wasn’t greedy. Besides, Huo Pingxiao had already given her a thousand taels in consultation fees—an amount of money she had never dared to dream of before, more than she could earn in several lifetimes.
As for the medicinal herb fields, her greatest worry, Huo Pingxiao had assigned specialized officials to oversee and manage them. They would regularly prevent fire hazards, allowing herb farmers to gather plants there once more.
Incidentally, Huo Pingxiao also had the irrigation systems and farming tools in Xinghua Village repaired.
The broken bridge in Meishan had also been rebuilt, greatly facilitating travel for the mountain dwellers. They all deeply appreciated the Marquis of Dingbei’s kindness.
That day, Ruan An stood on the new suspension bridge, gripping the railings wrapped with rope knots. The early spring chill gradually seeped from the railings into her palms.
She stood on tiptoe, watching the babbling stream flow eastward. The waterfall cascaded down, constantly splashing water against the cliffside rocks and crevices.
Surrounded by the mountain mist, Ruan An’s heart surged with emotion.
She looked northwest, but could not see the prosperous city of Chang’an.
Even less could she see the young man she secretly adored.
She only heard the partridges, temporarily resting in the mountain forest, crying mournfully, their calls tinged with the sorrow and melancholy of parting.
She finally learned that his courtesy name was Zhongxun, but she could not utter it. Even in her heart, she felt unworthy, even carrying a sense of guilt.
Ruan An knew that her chances of seeing him again were slim to none.
That evening, a crimson setting sun hung high in the sky. She knew that in his presence, she was as humble as grass. She also lacked the courage of Kua Fu, who chased the sun until his death.
She could not cross the two great rivers, the Yellow and the Wei. She knew that even if she were to die from the scorching sun’s heat, she still could not catch his pace.
Yet that day, she still went to the city gate and got off the carriage. Due to the intense running, she could no longer speak a complete sentence. Her heart and lungs felt as if they might burst.
Ruan An gasped for air, and the bitter, acrid tears finally flowed uncontrollably, streaming down her cheeks in large drops. But she could use her recent sprint as a cover.
Huo Pingxiao rode on his pitch-black horse, dressed in magnificent robes and a formal hat, handsome beyond compare. When he saw her, he reined in his horse and stopped.
Ruan An gradually calmed her emotions, walked up to him, and gritted her teeth to hold back her tears.
The color of the man’s pupils, lightened by the setting sun, had shed their usual cold disdain and arrogance, replaced by a faint, almost imperceptible gentleness.
Huo Pingxiao didn’t see the hidden girlish feelings she was concealing. He simply leaned down slightly from his horse, trying to meet her at eye level.
He looked into her eyes and asked in a low voice, “Has my savior thought of the other two wishes?”
The petite girl only shook her head.
A sudden, strong wind blew in her face. The resilient rushes were sprouting, but although rushes could be bathed in the sun’s light, they absolutely could not chase the sun.
Ruan An felt like grass on the ground, separated from him by the distance between heaven and earth.
Jinwu also showed great patience with Ruan An. The horse swished its tail and neighed softly, not urging Huo Pingxiao on, but acting coquettishly with both of them.
Ruan An suddenly looked up. He asked again, “Then why did you come to find me?”
She had just managed to adjust her emotions, suppressing the surging thoughts in her heart. Forcing a smile to her lips, she faced the young man she loved but could not have, pretending to be heroic and forthright—
“Marquis Huo, this humble woman’s name is Ruan An. At thirteen, I ventured alone into Jiannan, developing effective remedies that spared the people of Shu from suffering from rheumatism.”
“Many women in Guizhou were infertile, but after taking my formulas…”
“The Military governor there once promised me a generous salary, even wanting to build a temple for me…”
“Outsiders call me Healer Ruan, but I am not a fifty-year-old woman. You, Marquis Huo, once promised me two wishes. I hope that if fate brings us together again in the future, you will fulfill the promise you make today.”
The girl’s appearance was soft and petite, yet these words were spoken with the heroic boldness of a chivalrous soul.
Seeing her like this, the corners of Huo Pingxiao’s eyes, though still holding their innate arrogance, showed a slight hint of being taken aback.
Then, a hint of a smile appeared on his thin, cool lips. “Alright.”
Perhaps because the young girl before him had spoken such noble and heartfelt words, the next words Huo Pingxiao uttered were also more refined and eloquent, unlike his usual cold, terse manner of speaking just a few characters at a time.
“I am deeply grateful for Miss Ruan’s life-saving grace. Though I have paid a thousand taels as a consultation fee, it is insufficient to repay your kindness. Should we meet again in the future, I, Huo, will surely repay this great debt.”
The man’s solemn words drifted away with the wind. Ruan An watched the group of figures grow smaller and smaller in the twilight of the setting sun, and silently made her two wishes in her heart—
First, may the Marquis of Dingbei achieve victory and return safely.
Second, may peace reign in the Central Plains, with no more wars, so that the Marquis of Dingbei need not march off to battle in all directions.
The achievement of a general was built upon ten thousand skeletons. So many soldiers’ lives were under his sole command. Ruan An knew that Huo Pingxiao bore a tremendous burden.
Those two wishes seemed unrelated to her personally, yet they were deeply connected to her.
The only position she could take was as a subject of the Great Great Li, praying for their war god who defended the borders.
A month after Huo Pingxiao left, Ruan An took most of her silver to a pawnshop and exchanged it for banknotes, keeping only a small portion as cash for daily expenses.
Recently, Ruan An had gathered many valuable herbs from the medicinal fields. This time, she wasn’t in a hurry to sell them. The compendium of her medical practice was also making good progress. However, her handwriting was still unattractive. If she hired a scholar to write it for her, she feared her medical secrets might be leaked.
Ruan An was contemplating whether to hire a tutor to teach her calligraphy when Sun Ye finished cooking the fish porridge she usually loved, bringing a bowl into the room.
The moment she smelled the fish porridge, Ruan An didn’t find it appetizing at all. Instead, she found it foul and nauseating, her heart even feeling queasy.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Ruan An asked Sun Ye, “Is the fish you used fresh?”
Sun Ye placed the fish porridge on the small table and answered honestly, “Of course it’s fresh. I kept them alive in water. They were still jumping and flipping around before I put them in the pot.”
Ruan An furrowed her brows. She really didn’t want to eat it. She simply waved her small hand, signaling Sun Ye to take the fish porridge away.
Over the past month, she had found a reliable family. The kind couple had adopted the female medicine apprentice, and Ruan An had also prepared a dowry for her in advance.
Because she had realized that this girl truly wasn’t suited to studying medicine. Not only did she often memorize medical formulas incorrectly, but she also didn’t enjoy delving into medical principles and pharmacology.
Since that was the case, Ruan An wouldn’t force the girl to continue studying medicine. Everyone had their own path. Besides, if one didn’t master medicine well, it could actually harm people.
Ruan An had specifically instructed the couple who adopted the girl to enroll her in a girls’ school in the town, not just keep her at home doing needlework.
After Sun Ye returned, he also brought up this female medicine apprentice: “Ah Xu, what you did was right. There’s something I’ve never told you.”
Ruan An picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and tried practicing her calligraphy on some blank paper again.
It was still very ugly.
She put down the brush in resignation and asked in a feigned stern tone, “What mischief have you been up to behind my back? Confess immediately.”
Sun Ye touched the back of his head sheepishly and told Ruan An what had happened nearly two months ago.
“You have no idea. I had her prepare just one prescription—the sterilizing pill formula you developed. Not only did she misremember several of the herbs, but she also confused them with the formula for Aconite Decoction… Fortunately, I destroyed all those pills. I used my own private silver to cover the loss…”
As he finished speaking, Sun Ye looked up and saw that the girl’s small, palm-sized face had instantly turned deathly pale, even tinged with panic.
Thinking Ruan An was angry, he continued explaining in a trembling voice, “Throughout these villages and towns, I haven’t heard of anyone getting pregnant. Ah Xu, please don’t be angry.”
Ruan An was utterly shocked. Her mind went blank with a “buzz.”
She then recalled that her monthly courses hadn’t come for two months. Combined with her recent symptoms of drowsiness and aversion to cold, the terrifying thought in her heart grew increasingly certain—
She was afraid she was pregnant.
Six months later.
Having discovered her pregnancy, Ruan An found it inconvenient to continue living in Xinghua Village. She made an excuse to the villagers and, together with Sun Ye, moved to Mengyang Prefecture, a relatively prosperous area of Jiazhou. There, she purchased a private residence away from the bustling market to live temporarily.
This day, Sun Ye returned from an eatery with some food for Ruan An, who was now eight months pregnant. Seeing her pale, leaning against the bed, her fair, delicate forehead beaded with cold sweat, he asked with concern, “Ah Xu, are you feeling unwell again?”
Upon learning of her pregnancy, Ruan An had considered using an abortifacient formula. But in the end, she decided to have this child.
Sun Ye couldn’t understand her reasoning. He only felt that the child would be born without a father and would inevitably be regarded as illegitimate.
But Ruan An said to him, “I’ve made my decision. I’m going to have it.”
Ruan An also said, “After Master passed away, you were practically raised by me. I’m certainly capable of raising a child properly. Besides, most medical texts on gynecology are written by men. They aren’t women, so they cannot experience women’s suffering. By giving birth myself this once, I can also further perfect my compendium of medical practice.”
Sun Ye was horrified when he heard this. He tried earnestly to dissuade her: “But you can’t just have a child to complete a medical book… Tell me, after you give birth, what are you going to name it?”
“Is it going to take its birth father’s surname, Huo…”
At the mention of the character “Huo,” Sun Ye saw Ruan An’s expression darken considerably.
He wasn’t foolish. He could naturally see that Ruan An actually admired Huo Pingxiao.
Sun Ye’s thoughts stopped there. Just as he was about to walk over to Ruan An, whose complexion was deathly pale, he heard from her eight-month-pregnant, still-unborn belly—the sound of a baby crying, wave after wave…
**