Chapter 306: Uncle and Nephew Return Home

“Madam Cui fell ill, and the prescription Physician Cui gave her was quite similar to the one in the book. Mother found it and hurriedly asked Young Doctor An about it. He said the prescription was good and even completed the pulse diagnosis and symptoms.”

She pointed and said, “It’s the one in the middle.

Mother said she was cautious and didn’t show the whole book, just one prescription to Young Doctor An.”

“Uncle, do you think Young Doctor An can remember it after just one look? He can’t, right? Even I have to read a book several times to memorize it. With so many medicinal names, he probably can’t remember them all, right?”

Yan Yu pretended to be petty and asked deliberately.

Yan Huaiwen found it amusing. The Young Doctor An from Huimin Hall had extraordinary medical skills and could probably remember most of it after just one glance. That’s why he felt it necessary to complete the prescription.

“If Young Doctor An thinks it’s good, can the prescription for treating fever be used on that little girl? If it works, she can survive, right?” Yan Yu asked eagerly.

Yan Huaiwen sighed. He knew Xiao Er brought these copied prescriptions to him because of the little girl with a high fever.

His Xiao Er was a kind child.

Just like her father, she couldn’t bear to see others suffer.

Crouching Tiger City was sealed, and Tianyou had been running between Yongning, Longxing, Gufeng, and Changping, even going to Linhai Prefecture. He was constantly on the move, enduring hardships that were easy to imagine.

Xiao Er took after her father, especially since the little girl was involved. She probably felt a kinship and couldn’t bear to see her suffer.

“Whether it can be used or not, we still need to show it to a doctor,” Yan Huaiwen said.

He didn’t outright deny Xiao Er’s kind gesture.

Yan Yu nodded repeatedly, knowing that her uncle didn’t take this book of prescriptions too seriously. Each profession has its expertise. Her uncle might be well-read, but he was probably clueless about medicine.

At this moment, Yan Huaiwen didn’t realize the immense value of the medical book filled with prescriptions, so he didn’t delve too deeply into Yan Yu’s explanation of its origin.

Yan Yu was now adept at reading her uncle’s expressions. Seeing that he indeed wasn’t suspicious, she felt relieved.

As she left the room, she couldn’t help but skip and jump, running to report to her mother.

Yan Huaiwen watched her departing figure through the window and couldn’t help but smile.

Helping others brings such joy?

…

“We’re back!” Yan Lao’er, eager to be home, jumped off the raft and jogged towards the house under the moonlight.

Li Xuemei, having slept much during the day, wasn’t sleepy at night. The oil lamp was still burning, so she reacted quickly, putting on shoes and running out of the house.

Seeing Yan Lao’er and Yan Xiangheng standing in the courtyard, her face lit up with a smile.

“You’re back! I’ll get you some water.” She happily headed to the kitchen.

“Sister-in-law, let me do it.” Yan Huaiwen quickly approached, took the wooden basin from her hands, and went into the kitchen.

Yan Lao’er and Yan Xiangheng’s eyes lit up when they saw him.

“Big Brother!”

“Father!”

“I was thinking of coming back early to pick you up from Crouching Tiger City,” Yan Lao’er said, moving closer and looking him over with affection.

Yan Xiangheng did the same, as if he hadn’t seen his father in a long time, unable to get enough of looking at him.

Yan Huaiwen poured water for the two of them.

Li Xuemei brought Yan Lao’er’s change of clothes, and Yan Yu went to her brother’s room to find something he usually wore.

The three of them took over the kitchen.

One boiled water and poured it, while the other two changed clothes and washed up, busy and happy.

Li Xuemei, unable to enter, returned to the room, laid out another quilt on the kang¹ to warm it, then placed a small stool outside the kitchen, sitting to listen to the conversation inside.

Yan Yu helped pass things from outside, and Daya was soon alerted and came to help.

Yan Lao’er’s mouth hadn’t stopped since entering the house. He was delighted that Old Yan had returned early, opening up a flood of words.

“Young Doctor An came over and said that, you returned home, Heng’er couldn’t sit still. Seeing that there wasn’t much to do, I brought him back first,” Yan Lao’er said with a smile.

Yan Xiangheng, having just washed his face, hadn’t dried the water droplets yet. Hearing this, he looked up, accusing him with his eyes.

It was clearly his uncle who, upon hearing his father had returned home, became anxious and insisted on returning immediately, not waiting for the others in the village.

Uncle Qi and the others naturally followed his uncle’s lead, so they went with two rafts and returned with two rafts, but without Physician Cui.

“Big Brother, you wouldn’t believe it. The place Gufeng arranged for the people of Da’an Village is so remote, far from the river, making it very inconvenient to get water.

All the edible wild vegetables around have been dug up, and the few trees with fruit have been stripped bare. Those who know it’s Guanzhou Prefecture might think it’s Qishan Prefecture. It’s almost as miserable as our journey fleeing from famine.”

“They did separate the living arrangements, not by family, as there were too many people. Groups of twenty or thirty were spread out.

The sick were concentrated in one place, with shelters set up and straw curtains hung for separation. They couldn’t afford cloth, so the straw curtains were woven by the idle refugees outside the city.

Goodness, isn’t Gufeng supposed to be richer than Crouching Tiger? It looks poorer than us, lacking everything.

They wanted to find healthy refugees to help, but it was hard to find people. Mainly, the refugees were scared, afraid that once taken away, they wouldn’t return. Sigh! So many people died, how could they not be afraid? Even if told that wearing masks and taking precautions would keep them safe, they didn’t believe it.

Young Doctor An’s presence improved things a lot. Previously, it wasn’t apparent, but he was quite bold! His father and uncle couldn’t stop him. He was straightforward, telling people what to do. The big official in Gufeng City was accommodating, not blaming him for meddling, and followed his instructions.

But the effect was poor, not comparable to our Crouching Tiger.

Big Brother, we really didn’t choose the wrong place. Our Crouching Tiger is truly great!”

Yan Lao’er took a sip of water, and Yan Xiangheng finally found a chance to speak.

“Father! Uncle managed to sell our medicine, which wasn’t easy. If Young Doctor An hadn’t gone, we wouldn’t have even met the big official.”

Yan Lao’er quickly interrupted him, “But we did meet him in the end, and selling it is what matters. The process isn’t important. It’s good that the villagers have another livelihood.”

Yan Xiangheng, finally able to speak, wouldn’t stop at just one sentence.

“The Yongning constables Uncle knew left, saying the newly married Crown Princess Consort² lost something on the way, and they were sent to find it. Without knowing anyone, we couldn’t connect with Gufeng. Fortunately, Young Doctor An introduced us.”

Yan Huaiwen paused in his water-pouring, asking gently, “Did you suffer any grievances?”

Yan Lao’er chuckled, “Not really, but we owe Young Doctor An a favor.

Speaking of which, he even asked me for a consultation fee. I don’t know if he was serious or joking.

I was dumbfounded. Brother, hasn’t Master Tian thought about giving him a consultation fee for all the work Young Doctor An’s done in Crouching Tiger? Letting him work for free?!”

(End of Chapter)

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Translator’s Notes

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1. kang: A ‘kang’ (炕) is a traditional heated brick or stone platform used for sleeping and living in northern China. It is connected to the kitchen stove (stove-bed system), allowing the exhaust heat from cooking to warm the platform. It serves as the social center of the home during cold winters. ↩
2. Crown Princess Consort: The term ‘shizifei’ (世子妃) refers to the primary wife of a ‘shizi’ (the designated heir to a princely title, such as a Prince of the First or Second Rank). While ‘Crown Princess’ usually refers to the wife of the imperial heir, in a regional context like Guanzhou, it signifies the high-ranking wife of the local Prince’s heir. ↩