Livelihood
Master and servant sunbathed for a while in the veranda when Xing Niang came in from the neighboring smaller courtyard carrying medicine. Seeing Ran Yan sitting under the veranda, she quickly walked over and put the tray under the railing. Taking Ran Yan’s hands, she cried tears of joy, “Niang Zi is awake! Awake is good, old servant will go now to ask the Great Doctor Wu to come see you.”
Ran Yan nodded. She also knew some traditional Chinese medicine and could take someone’s pulse and mix herbal remedies. She was especially good at mixing remedies, but she was not proficient with taking pulse and the likes so it was best if someone came to check
After a while, Xing Niang came back with a stooped old man wearing an old, light-brown shirt clutching a gray pouch. Hair and beard were both as white as snow. Sparse white hair was messily put into a bun on top of his head held together by a wooden hairpin. While walking, it weighed down the hairstyle swaying from front to back. Clogs were also shabby to the point they can fall apart at any time.
With this downtrodden appearance, one could not tell of any gift in healing.
Ran Yan didn’t judge people based on appearance. Moreover, her remnant memories showed that this old man was a wandering folk doctor carelessly sought out by the second wife to appease the elders of the family and Ah Lang—named Wu Xiu He.
Perhaps even the second wife did not expect this folk doctor to actually have some substance. Stubbornly extending Ran Yan’s condition by two years, he even voluntarily stayed in the village to treat Ran Yan. Originally Ran family set aside some money for him. But now, they no longer provided monetary support.
They call Wu Xiu He the Great Doctor not because of his miraculous healing abilities, but out of appreciation.
“Great Doctor Wu.” No matter how one looks at it Wu Xiu He is considered the same profession as Ran Yan, and is considerably compassionate. With Wan Lu’s support, Ran Yan got up to greet him.
Wu Xiu He acknowledged them with a grunt. Looking at Ran Yan’s eyes, he saw that she was deathly pale with a blue undertone. The usual pair of vivid and beautiful eyes looked dulled. Unable to refrain from frowning, he stretched out his finger and pinched Ran Yan’s slender wrist.
“Pulse type is vigorous and persisting, foretelling great recovery and good health……” Wu Xiu He said while smoothing out this thin beard.
Confused, Wu Xiu He watched Ran Yan’s facial features attentively and questioned, “Since there is foretelling of great healing, the complexion should not be like this?”
No matter how great Wu Xiu He’s healing abilities were, he would not be able to tell that this was because the spirit within Ran Yan’s body was switched. Due to not being fully adapted to the body in addition to her usual half-dead expression in her past life, her current appearance really couldn’t be much better!
Wu Xiu He wrote a prescription and gave it to Xing Niang, “Still need to change prescriptions even though it took a turn for the better.”
Upon writing this prescription, Xing Niang and Wan Lu expressed both joy and concern. Joy that the lingering illness that kept Niang Zi bedridden finally took a turn for the better. Concern that presently where is there money to purchase herbs for the prescription! Moreover, the prescription contained some first-rate supplements.
Xing Niang gave Wan Lu a look indicating to her to not mention this in front of Niang Zi.
Tightly pursing her lips and taking the prescription, Wan Lu cautiously putting it in her sleeve pouch and advised Ran Yan “Niang Zi’s illness is healing and should go rest in the room. Servant will go make up the prescription.”
Ran Yan noticed their small gestures, but still nodded and went back into the room with Xing Niang’s help.
Seeing her clutch her sleeve tightly, Wu Xiu He’s eyes flashed with determination and understood the turn of events and quietly said, “These past few days I went in to work in the town’s clinic. Instead of money, I received some medicinal herbs. On this trip if you can retrieve the monthly allowance that would be best, but if you cannot do not worry.”
Wan Lu’s eyes reddened and suddenly kneeled in front of Wu Xiu He. Choking with emotion she said, “Our Niang Zi will never forget your great kindness and virtue! In my next life, I will work to repay your kindness!”
“Ai!” Wu Xiu He sighed and reached out to help Wan Lu up. He was originally a wandering doctor drifting to earn a living. His whole life he had never been this compassionate, who knew he would gain a kind heart here. Although he is presently compensating a bit, originally he also saw that Shi Qi Niang took a turn in life and reckoned that in the future he can receive payback. This was why he gave his utmost effort.
However, Ran Shi Qi Niang was really difficult to help, resigning herself to adversity at every turn—never forging ahead! Wu Xiu He raised his head and let out a breath, took his medicine trunk and turned to leave. Thinking to himself that complexion reading was indeed not reliable. In this moment his willingness to assist financially had worn thin and this was probably the last time so he packed his things and prepared to leave.
Wan Lu had just managed to stop her tears when she saw Xing Niang walk towards her from the house. Anxiously holding a gold hairpin in her hands she said, “Niang Zi wants us to sell this hairpin.”
Wan Lu thought they were going to sell another piece of madam’s old jewelry and hurriedly said, “But there are so few pieces left, we must at least save a few in memory of her!”
“Not what madam left behind.” Xing Niang nervously put the hairpin in Wang Lu’s hands, “This is the one Niang Zi……received from Shi Ba Niang yesterday. Niang Zi wants us to exchange this for money, but what if……”
Pleased, Wan Lu took the hairpin into her hands she comforted Xing Niang, “This butterfly and flower pair gold hairpin is embedded by gems so it is worth a good amount. Selling this will support us three to five months. Niang Zi’s medicine fees would be settled too. Please do not worry.”
Still feeling uncomfortable, Xing Niang watched as Wan Lu escaped in a jog. Shi Ba Jiang is not one to suffer losses, if……Xing Niang was filled with worry, but thinking of how Niang Zi hadn’t been able to eat fish or meat for almost half a year, and if today the Great Doctor Wu did not assist financially, there may not even be medicine anymore. Due to all this, she did not voice her objections.
Lying on the bed still muddle-headed, Ran Yan thought about things and did not even realize when she drifted off into light sleep.
Unsure for how long she had slept, in a daze she awakened to Wan Lu feeding her porridge. After a while, was once again supported to take a bowl of medicine and soon after fell asleep again.
After two days of this, Ran Yan stayed in this drowsy slumber. Wu Xiu He had already packed his belongings and was ready to leave, but Wan Lu grabbed onto him and would not let go. Xing Niang also cried her heart out. Wu Xiu He’s head swelled from their pleas and reluctantly agreed to stay until Ran Yan woke up.
Wan Lu was afraid that he would go back on his words and stubbornly took his medicine trunk. Even in her sleep she held the trunk, angering Wu Xiu He to the point he was blowing on his beard and glaring. But his trunk was still held hostage, and he was already up there in age so although he was thick-skinned, he still wanted to save face—it’s not like he could snatch something from a little girl!