“Second Brother, we must go to Tongren Alley in the west of the city,” Su Wanqing said softly, tugging at Su Muyang’s sleeve.
Su Muyang looked at the determination in his sister’s eyes and didn’t ask another word.
“Let’s go.”
The siblings squeezed onto a bus heading toward the western district.
Outside the window, the streets sped past, but Su Wanqing’s heart beat faster and faster.
The livestream comments mentioned an old traditional Chinese doctor surnamed Wang—he might become another source of security for her survival in the countryside.
But…
She still felt uneasy.
She didn’t have much time left.
“Qingqing, what are we going to the west side for?” they huddled in a corner, speaking in low voices.
“Second Brother, I heard there’s an old doctor living in Tongren Alley. I want to learn medicine from him.”
“This…” Su Muyang froze.
It was too risky.
Su Wanqing knew the stakes, but the livestream comments wouldn’t have mentioned it for no reason.
“Qingqing, you’re being sent to the countryside in three days. Is there even time to learn medicine?”
She had expected her brother to stop her.
“We have to try. I’ll learn whatever I can.”
“Alright. As long as it’s what you want, Second Brother will support you.”
Tongren Alley was even more rundown than the black market area.
The narrow lane was lined with peeling walls, and the air was thick with a damp, moldy smell.
Step by step, the siblings made their way inside until they finally found a small courtyard at the end of the alley, marked by a weathered wooden sign.
The words “Wang Residence” had almost completely faded.
This was the place.
Just as they were about to knock, a string of curses came from inside.
“You old thing, don’t push your luck!”
“You still dare to hide those feudal relics? Are you tired of living?!”
“Bah! Next time we’ll send you straight to a struggle session!”
With a loud bang, the courtyard door was kicked open from the inside.
Several young men wearing red armbands rushed out, their faces full of hostility. The one in front spat on the ground.
Su Muyang’s expression changed, and he instinctively shielded his sister behind him.
The group glanced at them but didn’t care, swaggering off.
The alley fell silent again.
Su Wanqing’s heart sank.
She pushed her brother aside and rushed into the open courtyard.
The scene before her made her gasp.
The small courtyard had been completely wrecked.
The clothesline had been torn down, clay jars smashed to pieces, and several carefully tended medicinal herbs had been uprooted and thrown all over the ground.
A frail figure lay motionless in the middle of the yard.
The old man’s graying hair was matted with blood, clumped together, and beneath him, a small pool of blood had formed on the stone floor.
“Quick! Second Brother!” Su Wanqing’s voice trembled.
Su Muyang dashed forward, trying to carefully lift the old man.
But he was too thin—any movement tugged at his wounds, causing more blood to flow.
“No, don’t move him!” Su Wanqing shouted as she rushed into the ransacked house.
Tables and chairs were overturned, drawers from the medicine cabinets pulled open, herbs scattered everywhere.
Her eyes scanned quickly, finally locking onto a medicine box that had been kicked over.
She rushed over and rummaged through the scattered bottles.
Bandages!
Hemostatic powder!
Grabbing them, she ran back out, knelt beside the old man, and with trembling hands cleaned the wound. Then she poured an entire packet of hemostatic powder over it and pressed firmly with bandages.
The siblings exchanged a glance, both seeing anger and helplessness in each other’s eyes.
Su Wanqing’s hands were shaking.
In her previous life…
Her father, her elder brother, and her mother who had been driven to death…
“Qingqing… Qingqing…” Su Muyang noticed something was wrong and quickly held her trembling hands.
“Second Brother…” Her eyes were red as she looked at him helplessly.
“Don’t be afraid. Don’t overthink it. Trust yourself—trust us. We can change the ending,” he said, guessing she had been reminded of her past life.
A weak groan from the old man interrupted them.
He slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze wandering before finally focusing on Su Wanqing.
“I… I’m not dead?” His voice was hoarse, filled with confusion at surviving.
“Who… are you?”
“Sir, my surname is Su. My name is Su Wanqing. This is my second brother, Su Muyang.”
Looking at him, she spoke directly, “I want to become your apprentice and learn medicine from you.”
A flicker of surprise passed through the old man’s cloudy eyes.
He studied the young girl in front of him—cleanly dressed, delicate-featured, clearly a city girl who had never suffered hardship.
He gave a bitter smile.
“You’ve seen how those people treat me.”
His gaze swept over the ruined courtyard, his voice full of desolation.
“In times like these, studying this is a crime. Do you still want to learn?”
Su Wanqing fell silent.
Looking at his injuries and the destroyed home, it wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid.
But she remembered her family’s tragic deaths, the suffocating despair of her previous life.
Fear solved nothing.
She lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes clear and resolute.
“I want to learn.”
The old man stared at her for a long time.
When everyone else avoided this, she walked straight into danger.
Wang Aiguo didn’t know her true reasons, but the sincerity in her eyes couldn’t be faked.
He knew he didn’t have much time left.
Those people wouldn’t let him go.
Perhaps…
Instead of letting his life’s work be buried with him, he might as well take a gamble.
“Alright.”
He nodded slowly, as if using all his strength.
“I’ll take you as my disciple.”
Joy surged in Su Wanqing’s heart, and her eyes reddened instantly.
“Master!”
“I only have three days. I’ll be sent to the countryside after that,” she said urgently.
“Three days?” He frowned, then relaxed. “Learn whatever you can in three days.”
He pointed inside.
“Help me in. On the third shelf under the bookcase in the inner room, there are some books they didn’t find. Take them back and read. Understand as much as you can. Come back tomorrow at ten in the morning.”
“Okay!” She nodded firmly.
Su Muyang helped settle the old doctor inside, while Su Wanqing found the hidden compartment as instructed.
Inside were several thread-bound ancient medical texts wrapped in kraft paper, their corners worn.
The yellowed pages carried a faint scent of ink and herbs.
She held them tightly—more precious than gold.
Before leaving, she cooked a pot of plain rice porridge with the rice she had just bought.
The master was too weak for anything greasy.
Wang Aiguo looked at the bowl of porridge.
The old man, at his age, burst into tears.
“Good… good… good…”
This disciple was worth taking—she had a kind heart.
“Don’t leave anything behind. Take it all back.”
“Master…” she tried to persuade him.
“Be good. It won’t stay safe here.”
She understood his concern and didn’t insist.
They said their goodbyes and left.
On the way home, they were silent.
What happened today made her understand the cruelty of this era even more.
In her previous life, she had been too well protected.
Foolish without knowing it.
This second chance—she would not repeat the same mistakes.
Back in her room, she placed the medical books on the table and took a deep breath.
Time was too tight.
She opened the thinnest one, Essentials of Pulse Diagnosis.
The text was in traditional characters and written vertically—hard to read.
“Floating pulse—excess when lifted, insufficient when pressed…”
She chewed through it word by word, trying to force it into her mind.
But the more anxious she became, the more her mind turned into a blur.
Frustrated, she rubbed her temples and forced herself to calm down.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her gaze fell back onto the page.
A miracle happened.
The cramped, obscure text seemed to come alive.
As her eyes swept over a line, it turned into a stream of light, imprinting clearly into her mind.
Subconsciously, she sped up.
One line, two lines, three…
She was reading at an astonishing speed.
Pages flipped rapidly with a “whoosh, whoosh,” like fanning air.
In just over ten minutes, she had “read” the entire thick book from beginning to end.
She snapped the book shut, her heart pounding wildly.
Closing her eyes—
Every word, every annotation, every illustration appeared in her mind with perfect clarity, as if carved into it.
She…
She had perfect photographic memory.