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Tian Chunyan watched the two people and the donkey walk away, and she suddenly felt a bit unhappy.
Her two daughters-in-law had been married for three to five years now, and whenever they went to town, all they knew was to scrape a bit of silver from her without even buying her a handkerchief.
How long had Chu Yue been married? Selling medicinal herbs and hiring doctors for the Yun family’s illnesses—could she really be that kind-hearted? There must be other motives at play.
“Be careful not to poison yourself!”
In annoyance, Tian Chunyan slammed the courtyard door shut and turned back to her room.
Looking at her three little grandsons who were sleeping soundly, she suddenly felt less angry.
“Hmph! Marrying a daughter-in-law who hasn’t fully grown up yet; she probably can’t give birth as well as my two daughters-in-law. I guess I have to work hard to please the third daughter-in-law.”
…
A not-so-long journey took Dr. Zhu a full fifteen minutes, all because of that stubborn donkey.
If it weren’t for Lu Yufang pushing behind the donkey, it probably would have taken even longer.
“Brother Xinghe, Yueyue, come quickly!” As soon as Lu Yufang saw the gate of the Lu Xinghe family, she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Lu Xinghe and Chu Yue, who were inside reading and studying, rushed out upon hearing her voice.
When Chu Yue saw the two of them sweating profusely as they pushed the donkey forward, she couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her shoulders in amusement.
Lu Xinghe raised his hand to cover the corners of his mouth and went to the kitchen to fetch a ladle of water for the donkey.
The donkey stopped scratching at the ground with its hooves, stood upright, and drank the water seriously.
Dr. Zhu let out a sigh of relief.
“If I had known it was just thirsty, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.” He then rubbed his aching waist, adding, “Ouch! This stubborn donkey has really put me through the wringer. At first, it insisted on racing with the cart, and then it just refused to walk at all.”
Lu Xinghe couldn’t help but smile.
“If you don’t find water for a thirsty donkey, it will get stubborn and keep scratching at the ground until it finds water. Also, they don’t like being pulled along; it makes them uncomfortable.” He said this and turned to Dr. Zhu, “This donkey must have been bought not long ago, right?”
Dr. Zhu sighed.
“Originally, we had a mule, but it was quite old and passed away not long ago. I bought this donkey a few days ago, but I haven’t figured out its temperament yet.”
Lu Xinghe nodded. “Donkeys are gentle by nature; it’s quite suitable for you, Dr. Zhu.”
Dr. Zhu waved his hand dismissively. “We’ll get to know each other slowly. I came here because Manager Chen said you were looking for me. Do you know where the patient is?”
Chu Yue quickly pointed to Yun Cuihe’s door. “Dr. Zhu, please follow me.”
As she spoke, she knocked on Yun Cuihe’s door. “Mother, the doctor has come. Let him take a look at your health.”
Upon hearing that a doctor was coming, Yun Cuihe felt a sudden rush of anxiety.
The doctor’s consultation fee wasn’t cheap, and if she had known that Chu Yue would ask the doctor to come, Yun Cuihe thought it might have been better to go with them to town last time. However, now that the doctor was already here, she couldn’t just refuse to let him in.
She got up from the bed and opened the door.
“Please come in, Doctor.”
Dr. Zhu looked at her slightly pale face and sat down by her bed to take her pulse.
After a moment, he picked up his medicine box and stepped out of the room.
Chu Yue followed closely behind him. “Dr. Zhu, how is my mother’s health?”
Dr. Zhu frowned. “Your mother’s condition is neither too serious nor too minor. The main issue is that her body is quite weak, likely due to the physical toll from childbirth years ago. With the family’s difficult circumstances, it has been neglected until now. Overall, it’s not life-threatening at this stage, but there are several issues that need to be addressed early on.”
Hearing this, Chu Yue felt a sense of clarity about her mother’s condition.
“Please, Dr. Zhu, go ahead and prescribe the medicine,” Chu Yue said.
Dr. Zhu pondered for a moment.
“I’ll prescribe a formula to nourish qi and blood, strengthen the spleen, and calm the heart. If taken consistently for a period, it should gradually alleviate symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, and weakness caused by physical deficiency. However, while medicinal supplements help, food supplements are generally more effective. Miss Chu, you might want to put more effort into her diet.”
Chu Yue nodded. “I understand.”
Dr. Zhu took out a charcoal pencil from his medicine box, wrote down the prescription, and handed it to Chu Yue. “Given your mother’s condition, this prescription should be taken for at least two months. One of the key ingredients is ginseng, which may not be inexpensive, while astragalus, angelica, white atractylodes, and poria are relatively common. We need to spend two to three months addressing her physical deficiency before we can tackle her other health issues effectively.”
Chu Yue listened attentively, nodding in agreement with everything Dr. Zhu said.
Afterward, she turned to Dr. Zhu and said, “Dr. Zhu, I’ve actually always wanted to learn medicine. Could I become your apprentice?”
Lu Yufang, who had been sitting under the big tree outside, overheard the conversation. She was envious of how well Chu Yue communicated with Dr. Zhu and understood so much. Now, hearing Chu Yue express her desire to become an apprentice, she was taken aback and gasped in surprise.
Dr. Zhu was also taken aback by Chu Yue’s sudden change in direction.
Just now they were discussing Yun’s health, and now she was talking about becoming an apprentice?
However, given his experience at the Huang Mansion, he really didn’t have the face to take Chu Yue as his disciple. This young lady was a promising talent, and he didn’t want to hold her back. “If you truly want to learn, I can introduce you to my master.”
In his opinion, a bold disciple like Chu Yue might achieve greater heights under the guidance of his master.
Chu Yue’s eyes lit up upon hearing Dr. Zhu’s words.
Dr. Zhu’s master? Wouldn’t that be an even more skilled physician than Dr. Zhu himself?
Chu Yue quickly nodded. “Of course I genuinely want to learn. But, will your master accept me as a disciple?”
Dr. Zhu stroked his beard and chuckled. “Don’t worry, if he knew what you did at the Huang Mansion, he’d probably beg me to bring him to see you.”
Chu Yue smiled brightly and bowed gracefully to Dr. Zhu. “Then I’ll trouble you to introduce me.”
Dr. Zhu quickly waved his hand. “Miss Chu, you’re too kind. It’s just that my master is a bit elusive, and I don’t know when he’ll appear in Nanping Town next. But when he does, I’ll bring him to Banpo Village to meet you.”
Chu Yue repeatedly said, “Okay, okay.”
After settling the consultation fee with Dr. Zhu, Chu Yue saw him out.
At this time, Dr. Zhu’s donkey, under Lu Xinghe’s calming influence, had eaten and drunk its fill and was no longer as stubborn as before. Lu Xinghe personally helped Dr. Zhu onto the donkey, then reminded him of some important things about the donkey’s care before watching him ride off.
Lu Yufang, seeing Dr. Zhu leave, stood up from the bench under the tree and looked at Chu Yue with immense envy.
“Yueyue, you’re amazing! You actually got Dr. Zhu to introduce you to his master.”
Chu Yue chuckled lightly. “It’s nothing. I don’t know if he’ll even agree to take me on.”
Seeing that she didn’t seem at all smug about it, Lu Yufang’s impression of Chu Yue grew even better.
She grabbed Chu Yue’s hand. “If you have time, could you teach me to recognize a few medicinal herbs?”