Song Wenqing was completely immune to those words by now, though they still made his heart itch slightly. After a long pause, he countered, saying, “You are a bad brother.”
In the end, the distilled bayberry brandy filled a total of six large ceramic jars. The two of them pooled their strength to carry the jars down into the cellar for continued storage. These jars were inherently large, and containing the liquid made them even heavier. Because Pei Jinrong could not exert strength with his left leg, it took them a long time to finish moving everything.
The weather was intensely hot. After completing the task, Song Wenqing looked as though he had been pulled straight out of the water, completely drenched in sweat as he sat down outside the house to rest. Seeing him in this state, Pei Jinrong felt incredibly pained; he could easily tell that Song Wenqing had intentionally shifted the vast majority of the weight onto his own side.
It was not until a bowl of ice-cold sour plum soup was handed before his eyes that Song Wenqing raised his gaze to look at Pei Jinrong, saying with a smile, “Ah Jin finally understands how much I have been craving this bowl of sour plum soup.”
Ever since the last time he suffered from that severe illness, Pei Jinrong had become constantly anxious and fearful. He would even make sure the water he brought for him was warm, terrified that Song Wenqing might accidentally catch a cold again.
Song Wenqing had originally wanted to object, arguing that his own constitution was perfectly fine and that he was not that fragile. But whenever he spoke this way, Pei Jinrong would simply stare at him with pleading eyes, and Song Wenqing was always the first to admit defeat.
Forget it, Pei Jinrong had been frightened terribly during that half a month.
After downing the bowl, Song Wenqing felt his entire being revive. The youth held a round fan to fan him; though he himself was sweating profusely from the heat, he stubbornly remained seated right beside him.
Feeling rather bad for him, Song Wenqing spoke up, “Do not just fan me, you should rest a bit too.”
Pei Jinrong did not say a word. After a short while, the rims of his eyes turned red, making him look like a pitiful large dog.
Song Wenqing asked in a panic, “Did you bump into something just now?”
“Or did someone bully you?”
Song Wenqing blurted out a string of questions all on his own, yet Pei Jinrong remained silent, tears welling up in his eyes. He possessed exceptionally good looks, and crying only made him appear more endearing and worthy of affection.
Seeing that he refused to speak, Song Wenqing steeled his heart and said, “I will not drink sour plum soup next time, alright?” As he spoke, he used a square handkerchief to wipe away Pei Jinrong’s tears. “Please do not cry.”
In his past life, his days had been entirely occupied by studying and performing surgeries, so he had never learned how to coax someone. If a child cried in the hospital, he could at least purchase a couple of candies, but when Pei Jinrong cried, he was truly at a total loss. Yet at the same time, he could not help but think that Pei Jinrong looked remarkably beautiful when he cried.
The weather today was stiflingly hot. Before the two of them had sat outside for very long, it began to rain.
The rain pattered outside. Beneath the eaves, rainwater splattered onto Pei Jinrong’s face, and he murmured softly, “Ah Wen, am I particularly useless?”
The rain was falling heavily, so Song Wenqing did not hear him clearly.
“Let us go inside first to shelter from the rain.” He pulled up the youth sitting on the ground and headed toward the inner room.
Upon entering the house, Song Wenqing found a piece of cloth to wipe down the areas where his body had been drenched. He turned around to ask Pei Jinrong, “Ah Jin, did you say something just now?”
Gray Ball followed them into the house as well, shaking the water off his body and whimpering as he circled around the two of them.
Pei Jinrong pursed his lips into a smile and said, “I said that fortunately, the person I met was you, brother.”
Song Wenqing dazed slightly upon hearing this, and once he processed the meaning, he felt a wave of heat wash over him. “You would even cry over this.” He pressed down the upward curve of his lips and added, “You are not made of water, after all.”
By the end of July, the bayberries were completely gone. These six jars of wine ought to command a good price. During the winter here, one was practically forced to stay idle at home, and the weather was freezing, so they needed to prepare winter clothing and rations in advance.
Fortunately, the sweet potatoes planted in the courtyard were nearly ripe, and the corn would follow soon. When the time came, purchasing some cured meat and rapeseed at the market would be just about enough to endure until spring. Sowing these rapeseeds after the Start of Autumn would yield winter Chinese cabbages that tasted incredibly sweet. Since those few days would be idle, it would not be considered busy even if he opened a medical clinic, so he could also make some pickled spicy white cabbage to serve as a side dish when drinking porridge in the mornings.
Song Wenqing had many plans. He also used a wooden rice steamer to brew some rice wine. Compared to bayberry wine, the production method for rice wine was considerably easier.
He soaked the glutinous rice in cold water for roughly eight hours before placing it into the wooden steamer to steam. Once it was thoroughly cooked, he used a spoon to spread out the clumped rice to cool. There was remaining yeast left over from brewing the bayberry brandy last time, so Song Wenqing added the yeast, crushed it, and scattered it into the rice to mix evenly. Having completed these steps, the brewing of the rice wine was nearly finished.
Song Wenqing pressed the rice firmly, dug a small hole in the center, and covered it with a lid. Since the weather at night was a bit chilly now, he instructed Pei Jinrong to light the kang bed-stove in the woodshed, and he wrapped the container tightly in an unused garment.
After finishing these tasks, Song Wenqing intended to hold another free clinic. Pei Jinrong prepared water and flatbreads for him, fearing that he might become too busy to return home for meals.
Song Wenqing, however, did not think that far ahead; he felt that this time might be just like the last, with no one showing up. Looking at the busy Pei Jinrong, he said with a smile, “There is no need to prepare so much, I cannot finish it all.”
Pei Jinrong paused slightly and raised his head to look at him before stopping his movements. “What does Ah Wen wish to eat tonight?”
Song Wenqing thought for a moment and said, “Let us have fish.”
This fish chanced to be caught by Zhao Lin and the others using spears along the stream while they were out hunting a few days ago. Keeping Song Wenqing in mind, they had sent one over to him. Pei Jinrong had already gutted and marinated the fish, so it was at its best for consumption during these few days.
After packing up, Song Wenqing arrived at the official road early and took out the paper and brush from his bundle. He had already prepared himself mentally for today, yet to his surprise, someone actually came seeking him out.
It was Brother Chuan.
Brother Chuan’s leg had completely healed, and a dense crowd of people followed closely behind him.
“Brother Wen, the health of this group of people behind me is not very good, so I must trouble you to help examine them,” he said with a smile.
Song Wenqing’s heart stirred. He had never expected that a previous action of his would prompt Brother Chuan to help him in this manner. If he could truly resolve the difficult and complicated illnesses of these people today, his reputation would spread. Over time, as more people sought him out, he would be able to establish his medical clinic.
Noticing that Song Wenqing was lost in thought, Brother Chuan turned around to tell the group behind him to wait a moment. He stepped forward, leaned in, and murmured in a low voice, “Brother Wen, do I not travel back and forth among our few villages doing a bit of small business? Thus, I possess some connections. If not for you last time, this leg of mine would likely be ruined. I, Li Chuan, am not an ungrateful person. Hearing that you were holding a free clinic here on the official road, I inquired around and gathered the villagers from the nearby settlements who cannot afford medical treatment.”
Song Wenqing recovered his senses. Understanding exactly what Brother Chuan’s words signified, he raised his gaze to look at him and said in a solemn tone, “Thank you very much, Brother Chuan.”
Seeing that he understood the underlying meaning, Brother Chuan smiled, turned around, and raised his voice to speak to the people behind him, “Everyone may step forward one by one to let Physician Song examine your bodies. My leg was previously injured from a fall, and it was precisely Physician Song who treated it.”
An aunty standing at the front possessed a sallow complexion. Although the garments on her body were patched, they were exceptionally clean. After a moment, she asked, “Is it truly unnecessary to spend silver coins here at Physician Song’s clinic?”
Meeting the aunty’s gaze, Song Wenqing said in a warm voice, “Naturally, it is not required. From now on, I will be here on the first day of every month.”
Though he was no saint, he would certainly lend a hand to help within his capabilities.
Brother Chuan also added hurriedly, “Everyone can trust Physician Song. Even Physician Li could not cure my leg at the time. If not for Physician Song, I, Li Chuan, might very well be a cripple today.”
The moment he spoke, the crowd instantly altered their view of Song Wenqing. Brother Chuan was someone whose opinion carried weight among the villages. A few days ago, when he sought them out, he stated that there was a brilliant divine physician on the official road who was highly capable and charged no money. Upon hearing this, they were indeed tempted.
Song Wenqing requested the aunty at the front to sit down first. He began by asking her to stick out her tongue, then had her stand up and turn around twice, asking, “Aunty, have you been experiencing dull pain in your chest recently?”
His experience was vast. With a simple glance, he could roughly surmise the cause of the aunty’s illness, though it remained a hypothesis for now. He had the aunty sit down, and after checking her pulse, he continued to inquire, “Does the chest pain even radiate through to your back, to the point where you gasp for breath and cannot lie flat?”
Seeing that he had articulated her symptoms precisely, the aunty raised her gaze to look at him in excitement, saying enthusiastically, “Exactly so.”
Recalling that the fields at home had not been plowed yet, while her body was uncooperative, making it impossible to accomplish any work while dragging an illness along, the aunty choked up slightly. “Physician Song, have I contracted some incurable disease?”
Hearing this, Song Wenqing relaxed his brow to comfort her, saying, “It is nothing serious. It is merely chest bi syndrome.”
The aunty could not comprehend what he was saying, but she could understand his words stating it was nothing serious. She let out a massive sigh of relief, covering her face as she wept silently. Her child was only six years old, and her husband was irresponsible, idling about outside all day long. She had been living in constant fear for many days. If she truly passed away, what would become of the child at home?
Song Wenqing did not rush her either, comforting her by saying, “It is fine. Just take the prescription I write and go to Physician Li’s place to fill the medicine.”
He did not possess medicinal ingredients here. While Physician Li might not know what medicine to prescribe for their specific ailments, the two of them could complement each other. Not to mention that the consultation fees in the county seat were expensive, the cost of medicinal ingredients was exorbitant as well. This was why these villagers chose to endure their illnesses rather than spend silver coins. Looking at them, Song Wenqing was reminded of his late grandmother.
If only he had noticed her illness in time and brought her to the hospital back when she fell sick, perhaps everything would be different.
Thinking this way, Song Wenqing lowered his eyes, his expression turning somber. He picked up his brush to write a prescription. Knowing that Physician Li’s stock of medicinal ingredients might not be complete, he continued, “Aunty, if Physician Li is missing a few ingredients, you must go to the county seat to fill them. This illness cannot be delayed, so think of the child at home.”
Song Wenqing spoke with utter sincerity. The aunty wiped away her tears and nodded heavily. “Thank you, Physician Song. I will do so.”
Seeing that she had taken his words to heart, he finally pursed his lips into a smile.
After the aunty departed, Song Wenqing fell into deep thought. He was not a specialist in traditional Chinese medicine after all, and in ancient times, surgical practice faced immense limitations. Although he had plans, he still required more systematic study. Only by integrating Chinese and Western medicine could he provide what was most needed here.
Furthermore, the Jishi Hall that Zhao Lin mentioned might very well serve as his greatest stepping stone.
He lacked a source for medicinal ingredients, yet he possessed numerous improved prescriptions. He had not remained idle these past few days either. Song Wenqing had inquired around and discovered that this Jishi Hall was not merely located in the county seat; it was actually a branch of a major establishment in the capital. This signified that the person controlling it behind the scenes possessed a formidable background. If he could establish a partnership with Jishi Hall, it would greatly facilitate the subsequent introduction of medicinal ingredients.
Song Wenqing pondered for a moment. It appeared that a trip to the county seat must be placed onto his schedule.