The next day, even before the normal afternoon return time, Xu Father made a special trip back at noon.
He found his youngest son, looking quite excited: “That medicine you gave me yesterday…”
Xu Qiu looked up at his father’s agitated expression and asked, “Have you already tested it so quickly?”
“Yes,” Xu Father nodded. “Someone happened to get injured this morning, so I took out the hemostatic medicine you provided to let them use it, just to see the effect.” The results were so remarkably effective that it completely exceeded his expectations.
At the same time, this success caught the attention of the main Xu family branch.
In this era, especially living near the military, and with clan members who were naturally fierce and strong, the importance of such hemostatic medicine was self-evident.
Xu Father had returned at noon partly because he was proud of his youngest son’s brilliance, and partly to consult him on how to proceed. Despite being father and son, Xu Father was not an overbearing man; he valued everyone’s right to make their own choices.
Xu Qiu roughly guessed his father’s intent. “My idea is to sell the medicine to the military, as they are the ones who need it most. The clan can handle the specific communication and arrangements. However, the price shouldn’t be too high; other than that, it doesn’t really matter. Dad, you can handle the rest as you see fit.”
Although Xu Qiu knew that the military stationed nearby was likely under the command of a certain prince, they were, in the end, soldiers defending the country, and he held them in high regard. The Xu family had always maintained a peaceful relationship with the military.
Xu Father agreed, and the rest no longer Xu Qiu’s concern.
Xu Qiu also mentioned his plan to open a pharmacy in town or the prefectural capital. He hadn’t formally spoken about this at home before, as the products were not yet developed, and it would have been too early.
Xu Father did not oppose the idea. If his son’s vision could succeed, it would be a very convenient arrangement. Even people without deep medical knowledge could assist in selling the medicine, making life easier. In his original plan, sending his son to study under the old doctor since childhood was intended solely to give him a skill to earn a living. Opening a clinic was a natural step, aligning perfectly with his original expectations.
However, he asked, “In that case, do you not want to sit for the imperial examinations anymore?”
Xu Qiu shook his head. “Of course not.”
“I am still preparing to study for the exams. Opening a pharmacy is partly out of interest, after studying for so many years, it would be a shame not to put it to use. On the other hand, Mother could help out at the pharmacy, and our whole family could live in town, closer to one another.”
Compared to their village, the town was naturally better equipped. The prefectural capital was even more prosperous. However, Xu Qiu hadn’t fully decided where would be best; it would require a family discussion. He was flexible and would leave the final decision to his parents and two older brothers.
Xu Father pondered this and felt it was feasible. Everyone naturally aspired to progress, and their family was no exception. It was just that they hadn’t had a sufficiently stable situation to move to town before, and they had to manage their fields, making it difficult to leave so easily. But now that his youngest son possessed such excellent medical skills, opening a pharmacy for his wife to assist in sounded like a pleasant change, it would be less strenuous, and the family could be together.
“Fine. Let’s discuss it as a family tonight,” Xu Father said. “As for finding a tutor, I will discuss it with the main Xu branch, they should be able to arrange something.”
He hadn’t found it appropriate to bring this up with the main branch before, but with this medicine, it was a different story.
“Yes,” Xu Qiu nodded.
At noon, when his older brothers returned for lunch, Xu Father, having finished discussing the matter with Xu Qiu alone, brought it up simply at the dining table: “You two should think about it yourselves. Tonight, once everyone has their own opinions, we will discuss and make a decision.”
Xu Sen and Xu Zhou were clearly surprised. Xu Zhou looked at his younger brother and asked with a smile: “Third Brother, you really are that impressive!”
In their eyes, Xu Qiu had always been someone in need of protection. Suddenly, he seemed to have grown up quite a bit. Eldest brother Xu Sen also looked at Xu Qiu with joy.
Xu Qiu felt embarrassed under their gaze. “I’ve been studying for over a dozen years, so it’s natural that I know how to do these things.”
Lady Li was also excited. “Would it be inappropriate for Mother to help? I don’t know how to diagnose patients, and it would be bad if I prescribed the wrong medicine.” She supported her son’s idea of opening a pharmacy, but the thought of dispensing medicine made her shrink back.
“It won’t be a problem,” Xu Qiu explained. “There aren’t many types of medicine to begin with. I won’t have you handling prescriptions directly, you’ll undergo training for a period of time to learn the basics. Besides, these are just common medicines for minor illnesses we see every day, like colds and fevers. I will write down the symptoms for each medication in great detail. These medicines are safe, even if taken incorrectly, there won’t be any major issues. As long as the patient is still alive, I can save them.”
Xu Qiu spoke with great confidence. With his special abilities, he was indeed certain of this, and he had already prepared specialty medicines infused with his energy that wouldn’t cause problems.
The medicine he sold was limited in variety and targeted specific, distinct ailments, it wasn’t quite the same as a modern pharmacy.
Seeing her son so capable, Lady Li couldn’t stop smiling.
Xu Qiu described the medicines he had prepared, and the classification was clear enough that it didn’t seem complicated. Lady Li felt much more confident about helping out.
“I will accompany you at first. Once Mother is proficient, you can handle it entirely on your own.”
“And I will always be in the pharmacy, so if Mother is unsure about anything, you can just ask me directly.”
Lady Li felt completely at ease, already thinking that she would have to study hard.
Since Lady Li was willing to go, the matter was essentially settled. Xu Father’s handling of the hemostatic medicine progress seemed smooth. Over the next few days, Lady Li prepared for the move while carrying the items her son had given her.
At the same time, she didn’t forget to head to the Lin house to push for the cancellation of the engagement: “If you don’t find a reason to explain this to the village, I will just tell everyone myself.”
Since they were going to move, she couldn’t leave this engagement hanging.
Zhao agreed with a face full of smiles, pretending she wanted to reconcile but couldn’t get consent. She saw Lady Li off properly, but the moment she turned back, she was grinding her teeth in rage. Now, everyone in the village knew the Xu family was moving to town because their youngest son was a skilled doctor who was going to open a clinic.
In the past, the old doctor hadn’t been a gossip and didn’t boast about his apprentice. Though Zhao had heard Lady Li say Xu Qiu studied well, she hadn’t taken it to heart because of his age. Good doctors were typically older, even if Xu Qiu were capable, she thought he still had a long way to go. She hadn’t expected him to be opening a clinic already.
Back in her room, she threw what she was holding in a fit of rage. Lin Third Uncle, lying on the bed, asked lazily: “What are you doing?”
Zhao fumed: “How can you still be lying there! Lady Li just came to urge us to announce the dissolution of the engagement. The Xu family will be moving to town in no time. What will we do about our Qiong’er then?”
It was easy to scheme in the village, but once they were gone, who would they scheme against?
“What did you say?” Third Uncle Lin sat up at once.
Zhao said with a huff: “I said the whole Xu family is moving to town because Xu Qiu is going to open a clinic.” She had only just heard it from Lady Li.
Because she was unpopular in the village and lazy, she hadn’t heard the news until now. Thinking of Lady Li’s smug expression earlier, Zhao wanted to tear her face off.
“Really?” Third Uncle Lin still couldn’t believe it. “Is Xu Qiu that capable? To open a clinic at such a young age, won’t something go wrong?”
“What do you think!” Zhao wished that were true, but she knew the Xu family well enough, especially Lady Li. If he weren’t truly skilled, the Xu family wouldn’t let Xu Qiu open a clinic so easily.
“She also said the money for the clinic was earned by Xu Qiu himself. Although she didn’t say how much, it looked like a significant amount.”
She sat down heavily. “Hurry up and think of a way. What are we going to do?”
“Let me think. Let me think,” Third Uncle Lin said.
Lady Li hadn’t told many people initially, mainly just the clan leader. After all, they weren’t planning to sell their fields yet, in case they needed a retreat. She had only spread the news to find someone to rent their land. Soon, however, the whole village knew.
That day, Xu Qiu brought items like quilts and clothes, which he had promised to Gu Chenxiao. Although he was leaving and wouldn’t need Master Wen to teach him anymore, he still had to give them what was promised.
He had been dragged around by the old doctor to treat patients for the past two days and hadn’t had time to visit them, but he finally found the opportunity today. He also needed to inform them that he was leaving.
On the road, he saw Lin Qu waiting ahead, and for a moment, Xu Qiu had a sense of impending inevitability. Lin Qu stood before Xu Qiu, pinching his fingers anxiously, staring fixedly at him. He felt his throat go dry, and after a long moment, a sound finally escaped his throat, barely a whisper: “I heard in the village that your family is moving to town?”
Xu Qiu nodded slowly: “Yes.”