Chapter 46

Ah Yong’s father was soon helped back home by his eldest grandson, trembling and unsteady on his feet.

Along the way, they met several villagers, all curious as to why he, unable to walk, had gone all the way to the village end. When Ah Yong’s father mentioned he had seen a doctor, everyone found out about the female doctor, Yin Huaixi, at the village end.

Some people scoffed, thinking it impossible for a woman to know medicine, assuming Ah Yong’s father was just desperate and had tried anything out of desperation. Others were half-convinced, realizing it matched what Dayou’s wife had said. If she charged money, it must be real.

Some believed it outright, secretly planning to visit Dr. Yin themselves by evening.

Thanks to Ah Yong’s father’s word of mouth and Dayou’s wife’s promotion in the village, everyone now knew about Yin Huaixi’s medical skills.

Whether or not her skills were truly impressive didn’t matter; just having a doctor in the village was a matter of pride for everyone.

At this time, the old village chief was sitting on the doorstep, munching on clams, while sending off a few villagers who had come to ask questions. After all, the village chief was the only one who knew the true background of the exiles who had come to the village.

“Do you think that Yin girl is really a doctor?”

“…”

The old village chief frowned, unsure. When the people had arrived, he had only known that Yin Huaishan had been a scholar and that Yin Huaixi was a divorced woman sent back to her parents’ home. The higher-ups hadn’t mentioned that she was a doctor.

He had assumed that when the Cai family had diarrhea and Yin Huaixi had prescribed medicine to cure them, she was simply someone who knew a few remedies. Now, though, she could even treat Ah Yong’s father’s leg, which was quite impressive.

There were quite a few villagers like Ah Yong’s father who had leg problems but usually just suffered in silence. Most people wouldn’t see a doctor unless they were at their limit.

If Yin Huaixi could treat them, it would be a huge benefit—perhaps in the future, when someone got sick, they could have someone to see.

The old village chief felt a pang in his heart.

Over the years, several villagers had died from illness. Some had delayed treatment, thinking it wasn’t serious, and others had believed in folk remedies and poisoned themselves. If only there had been a doctor in the village at the time.

“Do you think we should send the second daughter-in-law to see her too?”

“The second daughter-in-law? What’s wrong with her? Is she sick?”

“No… it’s just that she’s been married to the second son for almost three years and still hasn’t had a child. I was thinking…”

Before the old wife could finish, her husband interrupted her.

“Alright, enough. If the second daughter-in-law wants to see her, then let her go, but don’t meddle. We’ve got a big grandson at home; why are you always so focused on the second daughter-in-law’s belly?”

The old wife was good in every way, but she always liked to nitpick her daughters-in-law. What kind of issue was that?

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything. I’m just thinking about the second son’s good.”

Grumbling, the old wife turned and went into the kitchen. The old village chief, thinking for a moment, decided to go to the Yin family to inquire further.

Meanwhile, after lunch, Yin Huaixi’s family received a delivery from Lian Yue—sea snails and small dumplings. Lian Yue’s grandmother had gathered as many snails as she could for her grandson’s teacher, making sure to impress him. She even recruited some old friends to help, collecting two large buckets’ worth.

Even when Yin Huaishan was uninjured, he couldn’t gather this many.

It was clear they were offering a genuine gesture of goodwill.

Lian Yue didn’t stay long, as he needed to set traps on the deserted island and take care of other matters. After delivering the snails and dumplings to Yin Huaixi, he left, promising to pick up his younger brother before dark.

Yin Huaishan had specially dressed in the coarse cloth clothing his daughter had made for him and had even washed his hair, looking lively and radiant.

“Little Yuanzi, come here. Today, your teacher will give you a lesson. Let’s start with the rules of being a disciple.”

Holding a piece of charcoal, Yin Huaishan began writing on the stone slab in front of him.

Jiang Wan peeked over and saw the character for “person,” which she recognized, as her mother had already taught her. The other characters were unfamiliar. Some of them were quite complex, and she almost shook her head at the sight. How could little Yuanzi understand these?

She had originally planned to learn some common characters from Yuanzi’s lesson, but her uncle was teaching the disciple rules…

“Uncle, Yuanzi just wants to learn some everyday characters. We don’t have to start with the disciple rules, do we?”

Yin Huaishan paused, thinking Jiang Wan had a point. He wasn’t teaching children in the capital anymore, so there was no need to strictly follow the traditional teaching order.

“You’re right, Wanwan. Then, what do you think we should start with?”

Jiang Wan smiled gently, happy that her uncle was willing to listen to her suggestion and adapt.

“Why don’t we start with the numbers one through ten, and also teach Yuanzi his full name? By the way, Yuanzi, do you have a formal name?”

“Lian Yuan?” That sounded like a nickname, not a proper name.

Yuanzi shook his head.

“My big brother said my name was supposed to be chosen when my father came back, but since my father is gone, and my mother passed away after giving birth to me, they just gave me this nickname.”

The people in the yard fell silent.

Jiang Wan felt guilty, realizing she had reminded Yuanzi of his painful past. She was about to offer comfort when she saw Yuanzi looking at his uncle with admiration.

“Teacher, my big brother says you’re really knowledgeable. Can you help me come up with a really impressive name?”

Yuanzi didn’t seem upset at all. After all, he had never known his parents, so he didn’t have strong feelings about them.

Yin Huaishan, wanting to change the subject, readily agreed to give Yuanzi a formal name.

“Your nickname is Yuan, which means completeness and smoothness, a good omen. I’ll give you the name Feng. Feng means abundance, harvest, and fulfillment. Do you like it?”

“Does that mean I’ll be called Lian Feng from now on?!”

Xiao Yuanzi’s face was full of joy.

Yin Huaishan smiled and confirmed, then wrote the name “Lian Feng” on the stone slab and began teaching Xiao Yuanzi how to recognize his name.

The little one was so excited that he focused especially hard on learning the characters.

Outside the gate, the old village chief was even more excited. He slapped his thigh and quickly turned to leave Yin’s house.

He truly felt foolish—how had he not thought that Yin Huaishan, a scholar, could teach children?

A scholar! How valuable!

The old village chief was so excited that he hurried back home and immediately sent his eldest grandson to gather a few old friends to come to his house.

He needed to discuss with them the idea of setting up a school in the village and convincing Yin Huaishan to come teach the children.

Everyone knew that education was important. In the social hierarchy, scholars were always at the top, above peasants, artisans, and merchants. But for people like them, common folk with no means, sending children to school was incredibly difficult.

The nearest school was in Huaishan Town, but it was only accessible by crossing mountains; it took half a day for a round trip. Who would trust their children to walk such a long distance alone? And there were no adults to spare for daily trips to escort them.

The next closest school was in the city. While it was closer, it was expensive. Tuition alone could be several ounces of silver, and that didn’t even include the cost of books, pens, and paper. No single family could afford to send a child there.

The old village chief remembered that back then, Jinhua’s son had wanted to study, but his family couldn’t afford it, so he shamelessly learned from literate people at the dock while working. Later, he even taught himself how to do calculations. Now, he worked for a wealthy employer in the city, had bought a small house, and had brought his mother to live with him.

Thinking of this, the old village chief felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.