Holding an umbrella, one can touch the shoulder.
Just as Yu Jinnian stepped inside, a young boy organizing herbs in front of the medicine cabinet, without raising his head, said irritably, “How many times do you need to come? Master Luo is not seeing patients today!”
How fierce.
“Sorry to bother you, young man, but…” Yu Jinnian said, “I am here to return a medicine chest to an old gentleman.”
The young boy looked up and took a good look at the visitor, taking a while to remember who he was. The day Master Luo agreed to lend him the medicine chest, he was very surprised, always thinking that he was some close friend or disciple of Master Luo. Moreover, this young disciple had a kind appearance and always spoke with a smile, making a good impression. The young boy quickly came out from behind the medicine cabinet and apologized with a smile, “It’s you? Just leave the medicine chest here, and I’ll go call Master Luo.”
Originally, Yu Jinnian wanted to thank the old gentleman in person, but hearing this, he obediently stood aside.
Master Luo was seeing patients in the neighboring Shouren Hall. Upon hearing the young boy’s report from behind the screen, he didn’t show much reaction and simply acknowledged, patiently attending to the remaining few patients, prescribing and advising, showing no signs of getting up.
The young boy returned to the pharmacy and told Yu Jinnian that the old gentleman was still seeing patients and might not be available for a while.
Yu Jinnian smiled and said, “It’s alright, I have plenty of time, I’ll wait a bit longer.”
As he finished speaking, the sky outside suddenly darkened, a few thin dark clouds drifted over Xinan County, and before long, a light drizzle accompanied by a chilly, damp wind began to pour in.
Despite the deep autumn season, Yu Jinnian, feeling robust, still wore light clothes and shoes, and today was no exception. Unexpectedly, this autumn rain brought a real chill. He rubbed his arms and moved behind the wind-blocking door panel, thinking that this rain started so abruptly; who knows how long it would last? Would he have to run back in the rain later?
(T/N: Speechless. Author…are you serious?)
The more he thought about it, the more the rain seemed to intensify, as if it had a grudge against him.
“Sigh…” Yu Jinnian sighed. The young boy behind the counter suddenly greeted politely, “Master Luo.”
Turning around, he indeed saw the white-haired old man who had lent him the medicine chest that day.
Luo Qian seemed surprised that Yu Jinnian was still there and was momentarily stunned. “You…”
Yu Jinnian straightened his clothes, returned the greeting, and took out a small money pouch from his sleeve, saying, “Sir, thank you for lending me the medicine chest that day. It saved my sister’s life. I am here specifically to express my gratitude. In my haste that day, I forgot to compensate you with silver. I came today to make up for it…”
Luo Qian, seeing his calm expression, asked in doubt, “You said that day you needed it to sew bones and flesh?”
The phrase “sew bones and flesh” always evokes a chilling feeling. Sewing human bones and flesh is something only a sinister ghost or malevolent demon would do—dark forests, pale moonlight, bloodthirsty ghosts, sharpening knives, singing enchanting songs while stitching freshly dug-up corpses into human shapes… The young boy beside them shuddered violently at the thought of such a horrifying scene.
“Something like that,” Yu Jinnian nodded, briefly explaining, “After cutting open the flesh, the broken bones are repositioned, fixed with splints, and the skin is sewn back together. The bones and flesh will gradually heal on their own.”
Luo Qian frowned but hadn’t spoken yet when the young boy eagerly asked, “Did it really get sewn up?”
Yu Jinnian pondered for a while and said, “It’s stitched up, but we still need to see how it recovers in the next few days, as long as there’s no infection or inflammation…”
The young man’s words were understandable individually, but the whole sentence was not easy to comprehend. However, the young man spoke seriously, not like he was making things up. In medicine, experience is indeed important, but one cannot simply judge by age. The elderly may not always be knowledgeable, while the young might be well-versed in ancient and modern practices.
Luo Qian, though doubtful, was curious about the boy’s “stitching” method. Hearing him mention a new term, he couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean by infection and inflammation?”
Yu Jinnian had no intention of holding back. If disinfection could become common knowledge among healers, the mortality rate from wound infections would significantly decrease. He seriously explained, “The tools we use daily, no matter how clean they appear, inevitably harbor invisible evil forces, which we call bacteria and viruses. These evil forces can exist not only on tools but also on stones, rain, plants, flowers, and even on our own bodies. It’s said that if the body’s righteous energy is strong, evil cannot invade. Healthy people are naturally fine, but when the body’s defenses are weak, these evil forces can infect wounds, causing them to fester and become pus-filled, sometimes fatally so.”
“The reason why so many people die from bone fractures is mostly due to infections caused by improper handling during treatment. The poison enters the body through the bone, travels through the blood, and reaches the heart, making it difficult to treat. This applies to all external injuries, not just bone fractures.”
His words were reasonable and well-founded. Luo Qian, after some contemplation, deduced, “So, if we can eliminate this evil beforehand, the wound can be treated with your ‘stitching method’ and won’t fester?”
Yu Jinnian nodded with a smile, “Exactly.”
The young boy, listening in confusion, felt scared by the talk of evil and poison everywhere, even on people, and wanted to wash his hands twice.
Unexpectedly, Yu Jinnian added, “However, such evil forces cannot be removed by ordinary handwashing.”
The young boy exclaimed in horror, “Then am I doomed? I pricked my finger on a thistle while picking herbs yesterday!”
Luo Qian frowned, glancing at the young boy, seemingly reprimanding him for his lack of manners. Yu Jinnian waved his hand and smiled, “Don’t worry, as I said before, if the body’s righteous energy is strong, evil cannot invade. You are full of vigor, just take some care, and you’ll be fine.”
Luo Qian wanted to discuss how to eliminate these evil forces, but a customer came in for medicine. He had to put the matter aside and attend to the patient, instructing the young boy, “Xiao Li, serve tea.”
The young boy, named Chen Li, nodded, fetched a pot of tea, and poured some for Yu Jinnian. Seeing Yu Jinnian, he couldn’t help but think of the evil poison he mentioned, which frightened him. After pouring the tea, he hurried to the backyard to wash his hands.
The rain outside was getting heavier, showing no signs of stopping. Yu Jinnian sat quietly, observing a father and son who had come for medicine. The father had been coughing since he entered, while the son clung to his clothes. Judging by their attire, they weren’t wealthy but not destitute either. Yet, the child was thin and had dirty saliva at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing Yu Jinnian looking at him, the child wiped his mouth with his sleeve, eyes wide open.
Yu Jinnian, curious, stepped closer and touched the child’s face.
“Hmph!” The child huffed.
The father, realizing this, pulled his son close, and without asking, shoved Yu Jinnian away, angrily saying, “Who are you, and what are you doing?”
Yu Jinnian stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance. Thinking it unreasonable to be hit for no reason, he then realized he had touched the child without permission. Understanding the father’s anger, he spoke kindly, “Your son might have worms in his stomach and needs prompt treatment.”
The man, hot-tempered, retorted, “Who are you? I’ve been to Pingkang Pharmacy often and never seen you before.”
Luo Qian was checking the prescription and saw the two arguing, so he quickly intervened to defend Yu Jinnian, “He is an apprentice of mine.”
The man replied, “If he hasn’t graduated, he shouldn’t speak nonsense! My son may not live in luxury, but he never eats dirty things, so how could he have worms?”
Yu Jinnian thought to himself, just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.
However, before Yu Jinnian could argue, the boy raised his hand and started biting his nails.
Yu Jinnian pointed out innocently, “Look, he’s chewing his nails bald…” If we talk about dirty things, what could be dirtier than a child’s fingers? Besides, children run around playing and often don’t wash their hands, so it’s possible he swallowed some worm eggs.
The father, feeling embarrassed, slapped the boy on the back and shouted, “Still eating?!”
Yu Jinnian: “…”
Luo Qian also came over, carefully examined the boy, felt his belly, and checked his tongue and pulse. He then looked at Yu Jinnian, wanting to see how skilled this young man was. So, he said, “Young brother, why do you say this child has worms? Please explain.”
Yu Jinnian calmly replied, “When I first saw this child, I noticed that although he is well-dressed, his face is sallow, he is thin, and he drools; when I got closer, I saw that he has some white spots on his eyebrows and sides of his face, with indistinct edges, and his skin feels rough to the touch. Furthermore, I observed an unusual blue spot in his sclera, which a normal child would not have. Therefore, I deduced that this child has worms in his stomach.”
He then asked the man, “Does your son sleep well at night? Does he grind his teeth, talk in his sleep, and wake up easily? Does he often complain of intermittent abdominal pain?”
Upon hearing Yu Jinnian’s words, the man’s face changed, and he looked down at his son. The boy had mentioned stomach pain before, but he hadn’t paid much attention. The teeth grinding was a nightly occurrence. Could it be that he really had eaten worms?
Realizing this, the man’s attitude instantly changed. He respectfully said, “Oh my, it’s like a flood has washed into the Dragon King’s temple. I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I didn’t know you were a high disciple of Master Luo. Please forgive me…”
Turning to Luo Qian, he said, “Sir, I’m really sorry. My son’s health depends on you!”
Luo Qian waved his hand and asked Yu Jinnian, “In your opinion, what medicine should be used?”
Yu Jinnian pondered and said, “Would Fat Baby Pills work?”
Luo Qian hesitated for a moment. Yu Jinnian thought he disagreed with the prescription, but then Luo Qian covered his mouth, avoiding the father and son, and quietly asked, “May I ask, what is this Fat Baby Pill?”
“…” Yu Jinnian realized that the Fat Baby Pill came from the “Golden Mirror of Medicine,” a book that didn’t exist in this world. After a moment of hesitation, he had a sudden idea and said with a smile, “This prescription is from a rare book I once came across. It consists of ginseng, poria, white atractylodes, picrorhiza, quisqualis, aloe, and the three charred immortals, combined with licorice, made into pills with honey.”
“A good prescription, a brilliant combination!” Luo Qian marveled, “Where is this book?”
Yu Jinnian, having no such book, said, “Well… I lost it when I fell into a river while escaping during troubled times.”
Luo Qian was visibly pained by the loss of this book, shaking his head in regret. Following Yu Jinnian’s instructions, he prescribed the Fat Baby Pills for the boy with worms.
After sending off the father and son, Yu Jinnian said, “My memory is quite good, and I still remember some other prescriptions from that book. If you need them, I can share them with you.”
Luo Qian was shocked, “How could that be? In the field of medicine, each family keeps their methods secret, only passing them from father to son or master to disciple. Your earlier talk of eliminating evil forces and stitching methods was already astonishing. How could I be so greedy as to ask for your prescriptions?”
Yu Jinnian shook his head, “If prescriptions cannot be used to help people, then they are no better than waste paper.”
Hearing this, Luo Qian laughed twice, took two steps back, and bowed to Yu Jinnian, saying, “You are truly noble, young sir!”
In just a few words, Yu Jinnian had been elevated from “young brother” to “young sir.”
As they were discussing, the young boy returned to the front hall after washing his hands three or four times. Seeing the two bowing to each other, he was stunned. Before he could speak, he suddenly cried out in pain.
Yu Jinnian noticed his grimace and asked, “What’s wrong?”
The young boy replied bitterly, “I indulged in spicy food earlier and got a mouth ulcer. I thought it would heal quickly, but it’s only gotten worse and is extremely painful!”
Yu Jinnian approached the medicine cabinet to take a look.
Luo Qian asked, “What remedy do you suggest, young sir?”
Yu Jinnian smiled, “I wouldn’t call it a miracle remedy, but I do know a prescription called Bingpeng San, which is effective for mouth ulcers and throat pain.” He took a small amount of borax, cinnabar, borneol, and mirabilite, ground them into powder, and mixed them, instructing the young boy to apply it to the ulcer.
The young boy immediately cried out in pain, “This is really killing me!”
Seeing they had small bamboo tubes for dispensing powder, Yu Jinnian filled one with the remaining powder and said, “The pain means it’s working. Apply this powder twice a day, and the ulcer will heal within three days.”
The young boy, half-believing, half-doubting, asked, “Really?”
As they were talking, a person slowly walked up in the drizzle outside, holding a tung-oil paper umbrella. The person, with ink-black boots lightly touching the ground, wore flowing white clothes that seemed untouched by the muddy water. The raindrops pattered on the umbrella and slid down its ribs, forming a new curtain of water around the person.
Yu Jinnian squinted to see better. Though the umbrella was held low, revealing only a bit of a white chin, he recognized the person instantly and happily exclaimed, “A’Hong!”
The person slightly lifted the umbrella, revealing Ji Hong’s handsome face. He gently reproached, “You didn’t return for so long, I thought you were detained again.”
“It started raining suddenly, making it hard to leave,” Yu Jinnian said, running out and ducking under the umbrella, looking up at Ji Hong with a smile. “Did you come to pick me up?”
Ji Hong raised an eyebrow, silently indicating, “Who else would I be here to pick up?”
Yu Jinnian, feeling delighted, turned to wave goodbye to Luo Qian and called out, “Goodbye, Master Luo!”
Luo Qian and the young apprentice waved goodbye to him.
…
Under the umbrella, Ji Hong apologized, “I left in a hurry and only brought one umbrella.”
Yu Jinnian tucked his hands into his sleeves, suddenly realizing that after he had packed the medicinal powder earlier, he had inadvertently slipped the bamboo tube into his sleeve… Oh well, he thought, I’ll return it another day.
“One umbrella is enough!” Yu Jinnian said lazily, sticking close to Ji Hong. Though Ji Hong’s body wasn’t particularly warm, it always had a comforting presence. Yu Jinnian blinked and said, “I thought I’d turn into a drenched chicken today.”
“You won’t,” Ji Hong said, tilting the umbrella slightly toward Yu Jinnian. After walking a few dozen steps, the pharmacy behind them was barely visible through the misty rain. While other pedestrians were running to avoid the rain, the two of them strolled leisurely. Ji Hong pulled Yu Jinnian closer and suddenly asked, “Earlier at the pharmacy, what did you call me?”
“Huh?” Yu Jinnian thought for a moment, “Ji Hong… wasn’t it Ji Hong?”
Ji Hong shook his head slightly, “Think again.”
Yu Jinnian racked his brain for a while and finally recalled, “Ah, A’Hong?”
“Mm,” Ji Hong nodded with satisfaction, a smile playing on his lips, “Call me that from now on.”
Yu Jinnian: “…”
He didn’t mind much. It was common among close friends to drop last names and use affectionate nicknames like Ah Da, Ah Er, Ah Mao, Ah Gou. He believed that after living together for so long, they were good friends, so calling him A’Hong wasn’t overstepping.
Though they reached an agreement, Ji Hong didn’t realize that to Yu Jinnian, this “A’Hong” was just as casual as calling someone Ah Mao or Ah Gou.
As they walked past a butcher’s shop, Yu Jinnian suddenly stopped, “A’Hong, let’s buy a pork hock!”
Although the He family had previously sent plenty of pork hocks and bones as a thank-you gift, it was too much to store and would eventually spoil. Yu Jinnian had cooked it all in one go, leading to several days of “pork hock noodles” at their noodle shop, with each bowl containing a few slices of pork hock meat, topped with spicy sauce—a mouthwatering dish.
The pork hock noodles had sold so well that they barely had any for themselves, which was a regret.
Passing by the butcher’s shop today, Yu Jinnian’s mouth watered again. He dragged Ji Hong to buy a big pork hock, intending to make “Flower Cloud Dream Meat” at home.
Author’s Note:
Yu Jinnian: (seriously) Yesterday, someone told me that between upright men, they first pat each other’s waists, then, while going to the bathroom, they glance at each other and ask—”Bro, is it that big?”
A tung-oil paper umbrella flies in from nowhere. Yu Jinnian, dodge! Hahaha, how can someone fall into the same pit twice?
Ji Hong: (picking him up by the waist) I’ll show you what big means later.
Yu Jinnian: …qaq?
—
Wait, how could Ji Hong possibly lift Yu Jinnian? Hahahaha, it’s impossible—A kitchen knife flies in from nowhere, reporter Qing Amao, dead.