The moment the system notification ended, Lin Xiaxia immediately turned her attention to her storage space.
A thick, thread-bound ancient book had appeared inside.
Its cover was wrapped in dark blue brocade, giving it an antique and dignified appearance. The title was written across the front in bold golden characters.
Unable to contain her excitement, she immediately took it out.
The book felt heavy in her hands. When she opened the cover, she found yellowed sheets of traditional paper filled with neatly written prescriptions in delicate small-script calligraphy. Red-ink annotations appeared beside the entries, explaining medicinal combinations, dosages, preparation methods, and even detailed insights on diagnosing and treating different conditions.
Holding the *Complete Collection of Exclusive Imperial Physician Prescriptions*, Lin Xiaxia carefully searched through it beneath the dim glow of the oil lamp.
The prescriptions were clearly divided into categories, including internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics.
She quickly turned to the section on treating male internal conditions. Her fingertips gently slid across the pages as her eyes scanned each line.
She actually found it!
On one yellowed page was an entry describing kidney yang deficiency, weakened vital energy, thin and cold essence, and difficulty fathering children.
The symptoms listed beneath it perfectly matched Gao Dahai’s pulse and everything he had told her.
Heaviness and weakness in the lower back, along with a sluggish pulse, were precisely signs of deficient yang energy and poor circulation of qi and blood.
Delighted, Lin Xiaxia hurriedly read the corresponding prescription.
The imperial physician’s annotation clearly stated:
“This prescription warms and nourishes the kidneys, strengthens yang, replenishes qi, and promotes blood circulation. Taken continuously for one month, it can restore vital essence and improve the chances of conceiving an heir.”
But when she saw the ingredients, her excitement immediately faded.
Her eyes widened.
The prescription might perfectly suit his condition, but the medicinal ingredients were far too precious.
One tiger penis, soaked in wine for three days.
Three qian of deer antler, which had to be fresh velvet antler rich in blood.
There was also a pair each of sea cucumbers and seahorses, both prized nourishing ingredients.
And that wasn’t even mentioning several rare medicinal herbs, such as *Qian Nian Jian* and cistanche. They were difficult to find in ordinary pharmacies, and even if they were available, their prices would be frighteningly high.
Lin Xiaxia silently calculated the cost.
She was afraid Gao Dahai’s family wouldn’t be able to afford even a single course of this medicine.
His family consisted of ordinary farmers. How could they possibly have enough money to buy so many expensive medicinal ingredients?
Lin Xiaxia frowned and tapped her finger against the prescription.
She couldn’t simply refuse to treat him because the medicine was expensive.
Perhaps she should discuss it with them when they came tomorrow.
Still unable to suppress her excitement, Lin Xiaxia continued flipping through the medical book.
It contained everything imaginable—from ordinary remedies for colds and chills, to internal and external treatments for bruises and injuries, and even nourishing prescriptions for women recovering after childbirth.
The details were astonishing.
It even recorded the ideal season for harvesting each medicinal herb and the exact methods needed to properly process them.
When she turned to the accompanying hand-illustrated manuscripts from renowned physicians, her heart began pounding even faster.
Among them was actually a handwritten copy of the *Qing Nang Jing*!
It contained several unique acupuncture techniques attributed to Hua Tuo. The pages were covered with detailed illustrations of meridian pathways, along with notes explaining how to accurately locate important acupuncture points.
“This is a lost treasure…”
Lin Xiaxia couldn’t help exclaiming softly.
Her fingertips gently brushed across the yellowed pages, as though she could feel the wisdom of physicians from a thousand years ago flowing through them.
She continued reading page after page.
Before she knew it, it was already well past midnight.
If she hadn’t remembered that she needed to travel to the county town early the next morning, she would have gladly stayed awake until dawn reading the entire collection.
When she came across a passage emphasizing that “acupuncture combined with medicine doubles the effectiveness of treatment,” she couldn’t help sighing.
In her previous life, the old man who had taught her medicine had passed away too early. His acupuncture skills had been extraordinary, but she had only managed to learn the basics from him.
Now that she possessed the *Qing Nang Jing* in this life, she was determined to master acupuncture properly.
With prescriptions and meridian diagrams still swirling through her mind, Lin Xiaxia finally drifted into a deep sleep.
When she woke early the next morning, faint dark circles had appeared beneath her eyes. She yawned several times before finally finishing washing up.
The moment she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Wang Tiezhu waiting outside with an ox cart.
A clean layer of dry straw had even been spread over the cart.
“Educated Youth Lin, judging by how tired you look, did you not sleep well last night?” Wang Tiezhu asked with a smile, pointing toward the pile of straw.
“Why don’t you sleep for a while on the straw? I’ll wake you when we reach the county town.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Lin Xiaxia didn’t refuse. She climbed onto the ox cart, leaned against the straw, and covered herself with a thick coat.
The ox cart rocked gently along the road.
Accompanied by the old yellow ox’s occasional mooing and the rumbling of the wooden wheels, Lin Xiaxia soon fell into a deep sleep.
By the time Wang Tiezhu woke her, the ox cart had already stopped at the entrance to the county town.
The sun had only just risen above the treetops.
“We’re here, Educated Youth Lin. Where should we go first?”
Lin Xiaxia rubbed her eyes and immediately became more alert.
“Let’s go to the state-run restaurant first. It’s almost mealtime anyway, so we should get something to eat.”
The moment Wang Tiezhu heard that Lin Xiaxia intended to take him out for a meal, he hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, no. Educated Youth Lin, you go ahead and eat. My wife packed two cornbread buns for me this morning. I can just eat those.”
“Uncle, don’t be so polite with me.”
Lin Xiaxia grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the state-run restaurant.
“You still have to help me transport medicinal supplies today, and that’s heavy work. How will you have the strength if you don’t eat properly? Those cornbread buns won’t be enough. Come on, I’m treating you!”
She practically dragged Wang Tiezhu to the restaurant before helping him move the ox cart into an alley behind the building.
The restaurant was bustling with noise at mealtime.
Lin Xiaxia walked straight to the counter and ordered a serving of braised pork, a plate of scrambled eggs with chives, and a large bowl of rice.
When the dishes arrived, Wang Tiezhu stared at the glossy, fragrant braised pork until his eyes nearly popped out.
He rubbed his hands together awkwardly.
“This… isn’t this too extravagant? There are only two of us. How could we possibly finish so much?”
He held his chopsticks for quite a while without daring to take anything.
Lin Xiaxia was already accustomed to eating meals with both meat and vegetables, so she didn’t consider it extravagant.
She smiled and urged him, “Uncle, hurry up and eat. It won’t taste as good once it gets cold. We still have to head back afterward, so we shouldn’t delay what we came here to do.”
Wang Tiezhu ate the meal with extraordinary restraint.
Every time he picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, he did so carefully, as though he were tasting some priceless delicacy.
Lin Xiaxia didn’t have much of an appetite and was full after eating less than half a bowl of rice.
“Uncle, you stay here and finish eating. I’m going to the post office to see whether the things I mailed have arrived yet.”
Lin Xiaxia wiped her mouth.
“Let’s meet behind the post office later.”
“All right.”
With his mouth still full of food, Wang Tiezhu answered somewhat indistinctly.
Lin Xiaxia had just stood up when Wang Tiezhu suddenly called out to her.
“Educated Youth Lin!”
She stopped and turned toward him.
Wang Tiezhu looked a little embarrassed as he quietly asked, “If… if I can’t finish everything, could I take the leftovers home? I’d like to let the children have a taste…”
“Of course.”
Lin Xiaxia smiled.
“Just find something to wrap it in. There’s no point wasting good food.”
With that, she turned and left the restaurant, heading toward the post office.
Wang Tiezhu looked at the half-plate of braised pork remaining on the table, warmth filling his heart.
Educated Youth Lin wasn’t only capable—she was thoughtful and kind as well.
She really was a good young woman.
He quickly asked the restaurant worker for a clean sheet of oil paper and carefully wrapped up the remaining meat, rice, and vegetables, planning to bring them home so his children could enjoy a rare treat.
By the time Wang Tiezhu reached the alley behind the post office, Lin Xiaxia was already waiting there.
Beside her was a mountain-like pile of supplies.
“Oh my! That’s a lot of stuff!”