Yet Ye Manshu had called it wasting-thirst disease—a condition not to be taken lightly.
“Steward Zou, even at your age, having all these symptoms together cannot simply be explained away as getting older. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my cousin to examine you carefully.”
Steward Zou immediately became cautious and quickly invited them into a private room.
“Physician Li, please examine me.”
He didn’t trust the words of a mere village woman, but he trusted a doctor.
Li Yong’an carefully questioned Steward Zou about his symptoms before performing a thorough traditional examination—looking, listening, asking, and pulse-taking. After finishing, he finally said:
“Steward Zou, my cousin is correct. You do indeed have wasting-thirst disease. Fortunately, it hasn’t reached the late stage yet. With proper care, the condition can be stabilized.”
Only then did Steward Zou truly take it seriously.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Physician Li.”
After speaking, he turned to Ye Manshu.
“You know medicine?”
“Just a little.”
Steward Zou didn’t think too much about it. In his mind, this woman probably just happened to know a bit of medical knowledge and had observed him carefully enough to notice something was wrong.
Still, he felt he owed her gratitude. He knew perfectly well what late-stage wasting-thirst disease could lead to. Discovering it early and managing it was far better than discovering it too late.
“This is two taels of silver, as thanks.”
For a village woman, the best way to express gratitude was naturally with money.
Ye Manshu didn’t refuse and accepted it.
“Thank you, Steward Zou.”
Wanting to show even more appreciation, Steward Zou specially ordered a banquet prepared.
“Since you’ve come here, I can’t very well let you leave hungry. This meal is on me.”
Cheng Yuan and Cheng Kang were utterly stunned.
Their mother had only spoken a few sentences, yet the steward was both giving her money and treating them to a feast.
How could she be this capable?!
Ye Yuze’s heart stirred deeply. He could tell now that Auntie Ye possessed extraordinary insight.
Meanwhile, Ye Manshu inwardly regretted things terribly. If she had known such an opportunity would arise, she never would have revealed her thirteen-spice and five-spice powder recipes so early. If she sold them to Steward Zou now, she could definitely make a fortune.
But there was no medicine for regret.
The dishes at Drunken Immortal Tower clearly already used those seasonings—she could taste it immediately.
She still didn’t know exactly who had stolen her ideas, but even if she did, what could she really do about it?
Fortunately, she could still make money through fishing. Winter would be more difficult. During winter, she could only rely on angling, but with freezing winds and icy weather, she truly didn’t want to become some lonely fisherman in the snow every single day.
Doing it occasionally was fun and romantic.
Doing it daily in freezing weather was simply suffering.
Out of consideration for the two taels of silver and the banquet, Ye Manshu decided to offer Steward Zou some advice.
“Steward Zou, regarding your diet, you should cut down on greasy foods and refined rice and flour. Wasting-thirst disease is also called the rich man’s disease among commoners. Eating simpler foods and coarse grains will help preserve your health.
“And you should also take walks, jog lightly, even swim when possible. Your condition isn’t severe yet. If you persist with these habits, they can effectively reduce your symptoms. The important thing is consistency.”
Wasting-thirst disease was essentially diabetes.
Modern medicine claimed that type 2 diabetes could not truly be cured, only controlled.
But Ye Manshu believed that with proper lifestyle changes and avoiding triggering factors, many people could live out their entire lives without diabetes actually becoming the cause of death.
In other words, diabetes didn’t necessarily have to be fatal.
The problem was that very few people could maintain healthy habits consistently.
Once someone became accustomed to rich food and meat, switching to plain porridge and vegetables might be tolerable for a day or two—but enduring it for months was another matter entirely.
Steward Zou nodded, seemingly taking her words to heart.
“Madam Ye, my wife has been saying she feels unwell for quite some time. We’ve already consulted several doctors, including Physician Li, but nothing has improved. Would Madam Ye perhaps be willing to take a look?”
Steward Zou didn’t actually believe Ye Manshu’s medical skills were exceptional, but his wife had been feeling ill for half a year now.
There weren’t even any female physicians available in the county. The medical women employed by wealthy families were privately trained and often not particularly skilled.
Last time, he had finally managed to beg the head family to send over a medical woman for a consultation. A prescription had been written, but it simply hadn’t worked.
Now, seeing that Ye Manshu was both female and somewhat knowledgeable about medicine, he decided to try anything possible.
There was no harm in trying.
“A physician’s heart is like that of a parent. Since that’s the case, naturally I’ll go take a look.”
Ye Manshu followed Steward Zou inside. Li Yong’an came along as well, unwilling to let this cousin of his go alone. If she encountered something she didn’t understand, he could at least offer guidance.
Cheng Yuan, Cheng Kang, and Ye Yuze followed too.
Especially Cheng Kang, who whispered quietly:
“Big Brother, do you think Mom actually knows medicine?”
“She… probably does?” Cheng Yuan answered uncertainly. Their mother sounded so knowledgeable and confident that he was inclined to believe it. After all, she recognized medicinal herbs and knew how to process them, making her at least half a doctor.
Besides, hadn’t she already cured Wang Lin?
So surely she knew something.
Ye Yuze, on the other hand, believed in her completely.
“Auntie definitely has good medical skills. Otherwise, she couldn’t have recognized Steward Zou’s illness instantly.”
Ye Manshu’s hearing was sharp enough to catch all their whispers.
She inwardly thought: Of course this lady’s medical skills are outstanding. Back in the modern world, she had once even received honors as an excellent physician.
Madam Zou herself was kind-hearted and sincere.
Still, Ye Manshu immediately noticed the woman’s pale complexion. At a glance, it was obvious she suffered from blood loss and deficiency of qi and blood.
After exchanging a few polite words, Ye Manshu began asking about her symptoms.
Madam Zou merely said that she sweated easily, felt irritable, and lacked energy. She added that several doctors had already diagnosed her with qi and blood deficiency combined with liver qi stagnation, but despite taking plenty of medicine, nothing had improved.
Ye Manshu took her pulse.
The diagnosis of qi and blood deficiency and liver qi stagnation was indeed correct.
But something still felt off.
She also sharply noticed that Madam Zou seemed restless, unable to sit still properly. For a woman of such status and upbringing, that kind of fidgeting was unusual.
A faint suspicion formed in Ye Manshu’s mind.
Smiling gently, she said:
“Steward Zou, would you mind stepping outside for a moment?”
Steward Zou was startled but still complied.
Not only him—Ye Manshu had everyone leave the room. Even the maids were not allowed to stay behind.
“Madam,” Ye Manshu said softly, “please don’t avoid treatment out of embarrassment. If you don’t tell me the truth, how can I properly treat you?”
Madam Zou’s face reddened slightly.
“How do you know I haven’t told the truth?”
“From your pulse, I can tell you truly do suffer from qi and blood deficiency, and the other physicians were not wrong. But I also sensed that your deficiency is caused by bleeding.
“And the source of the bleeding is likely rather hidden.
“That’s why you’ve never told the full truth. Even when the medical woman examined you before, you were afraid she might not keep your secret and spread word of your illness. So you continued hiding it and never spoke honestly.”
Madam Zou looked even more uncomfortable.
“Madam, don’t worry. I’m only a village woman. I have no interests tied to yours, nor do I know any noble ladies in the county. Naturally, I can keep your secret.
“But if you continue hiding things, your illness will only worsen. Eventually it will become impossible to conceal anyway.
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to quietly treat you now?”