Chapter 636 - 330: Detained for a Lifetime

Chapter 636: Chapter 330: Detained for a Lifetime

Zhang Dashuan led Qin Feng to a seat at the square table. He was about to greet Yun Ying when he heard Zhang Huai’s words and chided him, "How can you talk to Doctor Yun like that? Her father is the most skilled doctor in all of Jing Country, so how could she be any less? You’re just being petty. You’re just upset about that medicine she lost, aren’t you? Why do you keep dwelling on it? It’s not like Doctor Yun lost it on purpose. Come, Doctor Yun, sit here. We’re about to eat."

Upon hearing his words, Yun Ying, who had just calmed down, grew upset all over again, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing her tears, Zhang Huai didn’t dare say anything else. ’A grown woman, and she still cries so easily,’ he thought, turning to Juhua to quietly ask how she felt that morning, if she was uncomfortable, and how much she had eaten.

When Zhang Dashuan saw Yun Ying shedding tears, he quickly said, "Oh, my! Please don’t cry, child. This old uncle can’t bear to see it. None of us blame you, right, Juhua?"

Juhua didn’t want the matter to be exposed either, so she tugged on Yun Ying and said, "There, there, we don’t blame you. Huai Zi was just teasing you. Come on, let’s go wash your face. It’s time to eat."

With that, she first pulled her into a room to compose herself, then found a clean cotton towel and took her to wash up. Only then did they go help Mrs. He serve the dishes and rice.

After the meal, Juhua arranged for Yun Ying to stay at her parents’ home, in what used to be her own maiden bedroom.

Mrs. Yang was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling. With both Qin Feng and his junior apprentice here, she felt much more at ease about Juhua’s delivery. Besides, no matter how skilled Qin Feng was, he was still a man and couldn’t very well enter the delivery room. His junior was different. With a female doctor like her standing by, what was there to worry about with Juhua giving birth?

Therefore, she made sure Yun Ying was settled in comfortably, attending to every detail and telling her to make herself at home.

Liu Yunlan also came over, carrying little Hulu, to see the beautiful female doctor. She was quite fascinated to see such a lovely young woman who actually practiced medicine.

Yun Ying, for her part, was captivated by the quiet little Hulu. For a moment, she forgot her sorrows and began to play with him alongside Juhua.

Hulu didn’t cry or shy away from the stranger. He simply stared intently at Yun Ying for a moment with his jet-black eyes before shifting his gaze to Juhua. He already recognized Juhua; seeing his aunt made him feel as secure as seeing his parents or grandparents. He didn’t fuss when she held him. If anyone else held him, he wouldn’t cry, but he would squirm and wriggle with a furrowed brow, looking clearly uncomfortable.

As Juhua took Hulu, gave him a kiss, and settled him in her arms, she called out to Mrs. Yang, who was bustling in and out of the room. "Mom, stop bustling about. Come sit for a bit. I have something I want to talk to you about."

Mrs. Yang came in carrying several small earthenware jars, which she placed on top of a storage chest. She smiled at Yun Ying and said, "These have roasted melon seeds and peanuts, and also some fried sweet twists—they’re made from Shanyu flour. You can snack on them when you’re bored. We country folk don’t have many fancy things; these are all homegrown. In a little while, the peaches, apricots, and plums will be ripe, and then there’ll be a lot more to eat."

Yun Ying was touched by her kind, gentle smile and her many caring words. Having lost her mother at a young age and suffered so much recently, she felt a special warmth in her heart and hastily thanked her.

Mrs. Yang then pulled a clean set of bedsheets and pillowcases from the chest. As she began to change the bedding, she asked Juhua, "What is it? Go on. Mom’s listening."

Juhua smiled. "Doctor Yun is young and just arrived, so I’m afraid people might not trust her. But she’s actually very skilled and specializes in treating the wives and daughters of wealthy families in the city. I was thinking she could diagnose and treat you and my mother-in-law first. Then you two can spread the word in the village. Once her reputation is established, the other women will be willing to see her for childbirth and other illnesses."

This was the strategy she and Yun Ying had discussed.

Mrs. Yang asked in surprise, "But I’m not sick. What is there to check?"

Juhua said with a sigh of resignation, "Mom, you don’t call what you’re going through a sickness? Does it only count as a sickness when you’re bedridden and can’t move? Let Doctor Yun prescribe something for you, and you can take a few courses of medicine to regulate your body. Once you’re properly conditioned, you’ll feel much more comfortable in the long run, won’t you?"

Which of these village wives didn’t suffer from some gynecological ailment, whether from a life of hard labor, the strains of childbirth, or poor hygiene? But their circumstances didn’t allow them to be as particular as the women in wealthy households, who would call for a doctor at the slightest discomfort. As long as they could still get up and move, they would just drag on, letting the problem be and not taking it seriously at all. Besides, these kinds of illnesses were embarrassing to talk about. Even when Qin Feng was around, few of them had sought him out for treatment.

Mrs. Yang and Mrs. He were actually in better condition than most. They had fewer children, and in recent years, Juhua had encouraged them to pay attention to hygiene and recuperation. Their issues weren’t as severe, but they still suffered from some backaches and discharge. Juhua wasn’t a doctor, after all, and didn’t know how to treat these chronic, stubborn ailments.

Yun Ying quickly added, "Aunt Zheng, let me take a look. It won’t take any effort at all."

Mrs. Yang finished stuffing the pillow core with last year’s sun-dried wild chrysanthemums, put on the pillowcase, smoothed it out, and placed it on the bed. Then, she hesitantly walked over to the round table.

Liu Yunlan quickly stood up and offered her seat to her mother-in-law, then stood by to attend to her.

Yun Ying carefully took her pulse and asked a few questions. Then she smiled at Juhua and said, "Auntie is fine, it’s just a few minor issues. A few courses of medicine will clear it right up. I guarantee she’ll feel clean and comfortable from now on. I’ll write a prescription later. You can go get the herbs, and I’ll brew the medicine for her."

Juhua nodded. She already knew Mrs. Yang wasn’t seriously ill—she could tell just by looking at her complexion.

Mrs. Yang, however, asked cautiously, "Do I have to take medicine?" In her mind, taking medicine meant you were sick. If she wasn’t really sick, why did she need it?

Juhua understood her concerns and explained everything, which finally put Mrs. Yang at ease.

In the days that followed, Juhua took the medicinal pills prescribed by Qin Feng and also slightly adjusted her diet on Yun Ying’s advice. Every day, Yun Ying would take her pulse for a routine check-up, monitoring her condition. With this, Juhua’s mind was at ease, and she focused single-mindedly on waiting for her term to end so she could have the C-section.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng made several trips into the mountains, catching various animals like rabbits, sheep, and river deer. He and Yun Ying would then perform vivisections on them back at the house—though they always stitched them back up afterward—turning the Zheng family’s backyard into something of a zoo.

To support their surgical practice, Juhua bought a large quantity of wine. She went to great trouble to distill it, wasting a good amount of wine in the process, before finally managing to collect a few small jars of high-proof alcohol for them to use as a disinfectant. Not really understanding the process herself and finding the crude method too troublesome, she told Qin Feng to take over the distilling from now on and find a way to improve it, but to not tell anyone the idea came from her.

One evening, Juhua heard that Qin Feng had caught another deer, so she and Zhang Huai hurried to the Zheng family’s backyard to see it.

Sure enough, there was a beautiful sika deer. She asked Qin Feng in amazement, "Doctor Qin, are your martial arts that good? How else could you catch them? And all of them alive, without killing them?"

Qin Feng shook his head and laughed. "I wouldn’t say my martial arts are ’good,’ I just know a few basic moves. Traveling to practice medicine and gather herbs is very hard work, so practicing some fighting techniques helps strengthen the body. We also frequently encounter snakes, dangerous insects, and even leopards or tigers. Knowing a few moves is useful for self-defense in the mountains."

(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please consider supporting it with your recommendation votes and monthly passes on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation!)