Today was another day for Zhao Ying to go to the Cui Zhu Clinic to buy some herbs she needed for cooking spices; in truth, she didn’t need any medicinal herbs.
When she arrived at the clinic, everything was running as usual.
As Zhao Ying discussed with Manager Liu the unique flavors and benefits of each herb, and how each one would impact her cooking, she said with a smile, “Next time I make braised meat, I’ll bring some for you to try.”
“Oh, there’s no need for that.
An old man like me hardly has an appetite anymore.”
“Once you taste my cooking, Manager Liu, I promise you’ll change your mind,” Zhao Ying said confidently.
“Alright, alright, I won’t turn you down, then!” Manager Liu laughed, giving in to her insistence.
While they were speaking, a man, appearing to be in his thirties or forties, entered the clinic and asked to speak with the resident physician.
It was clear he’d never been here before.
“Please wait here for a moment.
I’ll take him to see the master first,” Manager Liu said to Zhao Ying.
As he left to greet the man, Zhao Ying initially paid no mind to their conversation.
However, when the man mentioned that he wasn’t sick himself but had come because his mother was unwell and needed the doctor to visit their home, she started listening more closely.
But because this wasn’t a large clinic and Master Fang, the only physician, managed all the cases here, he was unable to travel to attend to the patient at her residence.
Just then, they heard a frail voice from the carriage outside calling the man over, revealing that the patient was indeed inside the carriage.
Seeing the commotion, Zhao Ying decided to step away and let them be.
She could finish her errands in the town and return later to buy the herbs.
However, as she was about to turn and leave, the elderly woman entered the hall, assisted by two maidservants at her side.
She was dressed rather plainly, without any adornments other than a single jade hairpin.
Zhao Ying noticed that her clothing, while simple, was finely made and without a single patch.
The hems were even embroidered with delicate floral patterns.
Despite the man introducing himself as her son, he appeared more like a servant, which suggested that they might be hiding the woman’s true status.
Zhao Ying’s suspicions grew, and she noticed several men outside casting subtle glances toward the clinic.
After a moment’s observation, she realized they were likely bodyguards assigned to protect the elderly woman.
With a soft, strained voice, the elderly woman spoke, “I won’t hide anything from the doctor.
I happened to injure my ankle, and though it was just a minor wound, it refuses to heal.
No matter how many clinics I visit or how many doses of medicine I take, the injury only seems to worsen.”
Zhao Ying glanced at her, observing that the woman, although frail, had an air of nobility.
Her body was notably thin, and her skin was rough and dry—a condition unusual for a lady from a wealthy family, as Zhao Ying assumed she must be.
Overall, Zhao Ying guessed that the elderly woman likely had diabetes—a common condition among people of her age.
If the wound on her foot wasn’t properly treated soon, Zhao Ying feared it could spread and potentially lead to the loss of the limb.
With this thought, Zhao Ying’s sense of compassion surfaced again.
She glanced over and saw that Manager Liu had returned to his spot at the counter.
She approached him and quietly asked, “Manager Liu, I noticed that woman walking a bit strangely.
May I ask what’s wrong with her?”
“She just has a small wound on her foot, but it’s been there for a long time without healing.
Why do you ask?”
“I believe she may have diabetes,” Zhao Ying replied.
“From her appearance and the wound that hasn’t healed, it seems likely… Well, if you wouldn’t mind, I actually have a recipe for a remedy that might help manage the condition.”
“A remedy to manage it, you say?
May I ask how reliable this recipe is?”
“This recipe was passed down to me by my teacher.
This illness can’t be cured entirely, but if she takes the medicine regularly, the symptoms can be controlled.
The wound, however, needs to be kept exceptionally clean for it to heal properly.
If it’s left untreated, she could eventually lose her leg.”
“Is it really that serious?” Manager Liu asked in alarm.
“Yes, it is,” Zhao Ying confirmed with a serious expression.
“If you’re uncertain, I can write out the prescription for you.
If her condition improves or the wound starts to heal, we can discuss it further then.”
“Could you write the prescription down for me?
I’ll take it to Master Fang for his review.”
Manager Liu, though not as skilled as Master Fang in diagnosing illnesses, was well-versed in herbal knowledge and could prescribe simple remedies for minor ailments.
Zhao Ying accepted the paper and brush, carefully writing out the prescription.
She also included instructions on how to treat the wound, dietary suggestions, and precautions to follow.
“If she cleans the wound as I instructed and takes the medicine I’ve listed, within three days the wound should start drying up and gradually heal,” Zhao Ying said, handing the paper to Manager Liu.
He read through her notes while occasionally glancing at her with an expression that was both skeptical and slightly impressed.
Zhao Ying, however, let him study her writing without further comment.
After some thought, he turned and took her prescription to Master Fang in the examination room.
As Manager Liu went in to see Master Fang, Zhao Ying decided to leave the matter to fate—whether or not they’d use her remedy.
She headed toward the market to buy some of the supplies she needed.
Seven days passed since she had left the prescription with Manager Liu.
That morning, Zhao Ying went about her usual routine.
Reflecting on the days that had passed, she realized that the clinic hadn’t contacted her, and she assumed they hadn’t used her recipe.
Zhao Ying didn’t feel disappointed, as she had expected it might turn out this way.
She was, after all, only a common village woman with a knowledge of herbs.
If they chose not to trust her advice, it was understandable.
“Mother, can we go catch river prawns again today?
The shrimp custard you made the other day was so delicious!” Xiao Bao asked eagerly.
“Of course!
How about I make shrimp dumplings for you to try today?” Zhao Ying replied with a smile.
“That sounds great!
Mother’s cooking is the best!” Xiao Bao beamed, taking her hand as they headed toward the mountain river behind their house, where the water was filled with river prawns of all sizes.
Zhao Ying had made Xiao Bao a small fishing rod out of bamboo so he could fish by the riverside while she waded into the water to catch the prawns herself.
Since he was still young, she thought it best to keep him entertained this way rather than letting him venture into the water.
Despite her precautions, however, Xiao Bao still managed to get parts of himself wet, as if he had actually been splashing around in the river.
It wasn’t long after Zhao Ying had caught just four river prawns—each about as long as Xiao Bao’s arm—that Father Lu came looking for them along the riverbank.
“Ah Ying!” he called out.
“Someone’s here to see you.
They said they’re from the Cui Zhu Clinic.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ying quickly got out of the water.
The three of them made their way back toward the house, and Zhao Ying planned to change into dry clothes since her hem was thoroughly soaked.
“Go and greet them first,” Father Lu suggested.
“They seem to be in quite a hurry.”
“All right,” Zhao Ying replied.
“Xiao Bao, go see your grandmother and have her help you change so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Yes, Mother,” Xiao Bao replied obediently and went off to find his grandmother.
Seeing him leave, Zhao Ying made her way to the front yard, where she saw that her visitor was none other than Master Fang himself, accompanied by his coachman.
“Greetings, Master Fang,” Zhao Ying said, bowing in respect.
“Oh, there’s no need for formalities,” Master Fang replied.
“The reason I came in person today is, well…”
He paused when he noticed Father Lu had followed Zhao Ying outside.
Taking the hint, Zhao Ying introduced her father-in-law.
“Father, this is Master Fang, the owner of Cui Zhu Clinic.
He’s here to discuss the herbs we plan to sell to them.”
Then she turned to Master Fang, “This is my father-in-law, Father Lu.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Master Fang,” Father Lu said politely.
“No need to be so formal, Master Lu,” Master Fang replied kindly.
“We’re about to become business partners, so it’s really my privilege to meet you all personally.
Please forgive me for intruding.”
Master Fang, understanding Zhao Ying’s subtle introduction, realized she didn’t want her father-in-law to know about the medicinal recipe she’d provided.
“Not at all, not at all.
Please, go ahead with your discussion,” Father Lu said before stepping aside.
He didn’t go far, though; instead, he busied himself with a task nearby, close enough to observe the conversation.
That way, any passerby would see that his daughter-in-law was not left alone with a man inside their home.
“Today, I came here because of the medicinal recipe you gave to Overseer Liu seven days ago.
To be honest, I didn’t try your remedy at first—I hope you won’t take offense,” Master Fang admitted.
“Not at all,” Zhao Ying replied with a slight smile.
“If you hadn’t used it, I wouldn’t have been disappointed.
I am, after all, just an ordinary village woman.
But may I ask what brings you here today?”
“It’s because of that very recipe that I had to come find you, all the way at the edge of the village,” he said, taking a deep breath before recounting the recent events.
“After treating the elderly woman according to my own diagnosis, I gave her medicine to last three days.
But by the third day, someone came urgently to the clinic, saying the medicine I had prescribed had caused the wound on her foot to become foul-smelling and to worsen.
I had no choice but to go to her residence and examine her in person.”
“How was she?” Zhao Ying asked, noticing his silence.
Master Fang seemed disturbed as he recalled the sight he had seen.
The original wound he had observed was only about two finger-joints long, with a small area of decay.
He had assumed the woman’s wound had worsened due to being exposed to water.
“When I first saw her, the wound was around two finger-joints long.
But when I went to her residence to check on her, the wound had spread and decayed to the point that it was nearly down to the bone.
Realizing the severity, I decided to try the recipe and treatment method you’d provided.
After three days of using your remedy, her condition actually improved.
That’s why I’m here—to ask for further help, as her wound is now much deeper.”
“If she’d been treated the way I suggested from the beginning, the healing process would have been simpler.
But now that the wound has widened, the chances of a full recovery have reduced.”
“Then what must we do?” Master Fang asked, concerned.
“I’ll prepare an herbal pill for her right away and deliver it to the clinic as soon as it’s ready,” Zhao Ying replied confidently.
“Have her take it, and while the lost flesh won’t regenerate, her wound will heal, and she should soon be able to walk normally again.”
After listening to her plan, Master Fang thought for a moment and nodded.
“Very well, I’ll be waiting.”
“Rest assured,” Zhao Ying said with a reassuring smile, noticing his lingering concern.
She certainly wouldn’t let the opportunity to sell her medicinal pills pass so easily.
Once she saw Master Fang out, Zhao Ying returned to the kitchen to fulfill her promise of making a meal for Xiao Bao.
Later that evening, after finishing her daily tasks and putting her son to bed, she headed to her secret cabin to begin crafting the herbal pills.
With the completion of these pills, she would be able to start selling them, along with other formulas for various ailments that were difficult to treat in this era.
The potential for earnings was immense.
That night, as Zhao Ying finished preparing the herbal medicine, she drifted off to sleep in high spirits, pleased with her progress and her future plans.