Chapter 235: Where in Life Do We Not Meet Again?
Early in the morning, Chunshui Street behind the Qingzhou government office gradually became bustling. Though there were no fixed shops, over the years each vendor had settled on a regular spot to set up their stall, respecting each other’s territories. The clerks in the government office were generally wealthier than ordinary people; having to attend court early in the morning, they often rushed out to buy food first. The most popular stalls were those selling pancakes and soy milk. Yet today, the first customers for these two stalls arrived quite late—only after the sun was high in the sky did the first patron show up.
Facing the pancake vendor’s inquiry, the clerk waved his hand weakly and said, “Don’t even mention it. Something happened in Le’an again. Early this morning, several officials from the government office rushed there, leaving us to handle everything. We still haven’t had breakfast! Hurry up—twelve servings in total. Hey, the one from the Liu family, bring the soy milk to the office with me later; everyone’s dying of thirst… Sigh, it’s never peaceful. People are driven crazy by all this. What kind of world is this…”
The other vendors continued selling their goods, merely sighing in response to these words. A woman at the wonton stall, engrossed in eating, listened thoughtfully to the vendor’s complaints until the soy milk seller carried the wooden bucket and followed the clerk through the back door of the government office. Only then did she turn her head, eat two more wontons, and ask the woman who managed the stall,
“Are there green garlic slices in these wontons? They give them a unique freshness.”
“Indeed! Adding green garlic strands makes them even more flavorful. You really notice that!”
The wonton stall was run by just the owner couple—one took care of clearing tables and collecting money, while the other handled cooking; both were very efficient. With few customers around, the owner, in her forties, sat down on the stool in front of the woman and examined her with a smile, though she couldn’t quite figure her out.
The woman wearing a lilac-colored cloud-patterned silk shirt and a white silk skirt, with her hair tied up with a cloud-patterned jade hairpin, appeared to be unmarried—neither as gentle as a common maiden nor as graceful as a noblewoman. After observing her for a while, she dismissed her thoughts and said with a smile, “A few years ago, when things were cheap and the harvest was good, we even added shredded eggs to the wonton filling. But now we can’t afford such luxuries. Meat prices have risen by half these past few days; if this continues, wontons will likely go up in price too. You seem unfamiliar here. Are you here to visit relatives or friends?”
“I’m here to find someone,” the woman said. From the way the shopkeeper spoke, she could tell she was the kind of person who liked to meddle in others’ affairs, so she decided to be direct. “Since you do business here regularly, do you know a doctor named Feng? I once studied medicine under him. A few days ago, I went to his clinic to see him, but was told he had been invited to work at a Meng family’s residence, which is why I came here.”
“Ah, the Meng family. Of course I know them!” The shopkeeper wiped her greasy hands on her apron and smiled knowingly. “Although the Mengs moved here recently, who doesn’t know that Lord Zhang from the government office has always taken care of them? I’ve also heard that a doctor now lives at their house to treat their wife. It’s right at the end on the west side. I heard the Mengs are a prominent family of meritorious officials. If it weren’t for the head of the family serving in the Imperial Guards… well, better not say that… Anyway, it’s right there. Just go and look for them. That girl who bought wontons last time said the young lady of the Meng family is very kind, so you’ll surely be able to meet her.”
Having gathered all the information she needed, the woman paid the bill after finishing her wontons, thanked the shopkeeper, and then headed toward the Meng family’s house at the end of the west side. Upon arriving, she looked around and saw it was an ordinary small residence with not very high walls, and no family name hung at the entrance. The black-painted door seemed to have been freshly painted and looked quite impressive. She paused for a moment before stepping forward and gently knocking on the doorbell. Soon, the door was pulled open halfway.
A delicate boy around thirteen or fourteen opened the door. After glancing at her appearance, he asked, “May I ask whom you’re looking for, miss?”
“Is Doctor Feng at your residence?”
The boy was momentarily stunned before realizing what she meant. He hurriedly nodded and said, “Doctor Feng is indeed at my house, but he’s currently treating my wife. If you’d like him to see you, I need to inform my lady first. Please wait a moment…”
Before she could say anything else, the boy ran off like the wind. Faced with this, Tang Sair smiled in surprise—she was used to encountering cruel and unkind wealthy people and hadn’t expected things to be so easy this time. Shouldn’t the doorkeeper have spoken rudely, saying something like, “Doctor Feng is treating my wife right now. You’d better leave; he won’t go see anyone else”? After waiting a short while, the boy returned to invite her in, saying that Doctor Feng was still taking the wife’s pulse and that she would need to wait in the west wing room.
Faced with this explanation, Tang Sair found it even more baffling—she had thought the stubborn old man was just going through the motions, but it turned out he was truly giving it his all. When had he changed his attitude? As she had anticipated, it was an ordinary three-section courtyard. In the three rooms on the south side, faint figures could be seen; it was unclear whether they were the accountant’s or the servants’ quarters. The young boy escorted her to the second gate before retreating, with another maid taking over as her guide. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw two children still in their childhood years sweeping the courtyard. From the east wing came the sound of reading aloud—clearly a boy and a girl. The maid led her to sit in the main room of the west wing. Shortly after, she brought tea, asking her to wait a while before leaving. Only then did Tang Sair take a closer look at the room. All the furniture was old but well-maintained. On a high shelf in the corner stood a vase filled with fresh flowers, adding a touch of elegance. On the wall directly opposite the door was a piece of writing that wasn’t cursive nor regular script—it was clearly Feng Yuanming’s handiwork. “Are you here to see Doctor Feng for treatment?” Hearing this voice behind her, Tang Sair quickly turned around and saw a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a sandalwood-colored pleated dress and a jade skirt. Her hairpins and ornaments seemed ordinary, but she didn’t look like a maid. Smiling, Tang Sair explained, “I’m actually Doctor Feng’s apprentice. I went to the clinic a few days ago but couldn’t find him. I found this note and came here instead. I’m not here for treatment. Besides, he has a terrible reputation for being greedy for money. Even with a lantern, it’s hard to find anyone in Qingzhou Prefecture willing to see him.” Du Wan was skeptical, thinking the woman seemed only in her twenties and claimed to be Feng Yuanming’s apprentice. But when she said outright that Feng Yuanming was greedy for money, Du Wan believed her. She smiled and praised Feng Yuanming’s excellent medical skills, but never mentioned that he had extorted six hundred taels of silver. Soon, voices came from outside. “Your wife has been ill for a long time and is weak—don’t you understand that she can’t take tonics? In short, avoid things like ginseng and antler. Also, don’t use gastrodia for people with blood deficiency and yin deficiency—it’s like seeking death! Things aren’t as critical these days, so tell your future husband to get some pigeons to make soup, adding goji berries as well. Every medicine has some toxicity; recovery must be done step by step!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Sair saw Feng Yuanming enter the room. Noticing him staring at her in shock, she stood up and said, “What, you money-hungry master? Didn’t expect me to find you here? You left so easily, forcing me to search hard. Who would have thought you’d just scribble a few words on the table with a knife?”
Feng Yuanming finally snapped out of it, but any trace of joy was washed away by her remark about him being money-hungry. Moreover, there were people from the Meng family behind him, and Du Wan was also in the room. Glaring at Tang Sair angrily, he dismissed Du Wan in a few words before sitting down and asking in a gruff tone, “Weren’t you practicing medicine in the countryside? What are you doing here?”
“If you can be hired by wealthy families for medical treatment, of course I need to come and see what’s going on.” Tang Sair had spent more time learning medicine from Feng Yuanming than she had getting the White Lotus Heavenly Book, so she knew his peculiar temper well. Without hesitation, she asked, “So, are you planning to make a comeback and return to the Imperial Medical Academy?”
“Who wants to go back to that dark place?” Feng Yuanming snorted through his nose before reluctantly explaining, “Six hundred taels of silver a year—better than the salary at the Imperial Medical Academy for several years. It would be a shame not to earn it. Since they can afford it and are willing to follow my old man’s orders, I reluctantly come here to treat patients.”
Seeing Feng Yuanming’s neatly dressed clothes, Tang Sair suddenly remembered her own days learning medicine in the clinic. Back then, he was taken care of by her, with proper clothes and shoes. But after she left Qingzhou, she found him growing more and more disheveled each time she returned. She tried to find someone to help take care of him, but he scolded her away. Perhaps he wasn’t reluctantly treating patients here but actually enjoyed it? Still, charging six hundred taels of silver… He was indeed still that money-hungry old man!
“Master, I’m busy in the countryside now and can’t visit you often. Be careful, okay? After all, the Meng family are officials, and that young Mr. Zhang is also an official. If people find out you used to be at the Imperial Medical Academy… it could be detrimental.”
“Don’t worry. They know my junior brother from the Imperial Medical Academy, so they must already be aware of my situation. That girl from the Meng family is a filial daughter. I’m saving her mother, not harming her. She doesn’t interfere in my affairs. As for that kid surnamed Zhang… Hmph, at my age, dealing with him isn’t a problem.”
That being said, Feng Yuanming remembered how Zhang Yue had overheard his conversation with Shi Quan before, and he no longer felt as confident as he did while speaking now. But he didn’t want to lose face in front of his disciple, nor could he show it, so he changed the subject and said, “As a woman, be more careful outside. Stop messing around with those pills—they’re of no use. I fell for that trap back in the day. Also, since your husband has been dead for so long and you’ve always dressed like an unmarried woman, why do you still stay single?”
“If it weren’t for me being practicing medicine outside at that time, how would Third Brother have been beaten to death by those government officials?” Tang Sair’s expression turned cold instantly. “I’ve already made a vow to all the gods and Buddhas that I will never remarry in this life. This dress is just for convenience in my activities!”
Both master and disciple were stubborn. Having said what they needed to say, Tang Sair got up to leave. Yet as soon as she stepped out of the west wing room, she saw several maids and wives leading a young girl over, who looked somewhat familiar. In an instant, she suddenly remembered where she had seen this girl before, and her heart was shocked.
Ah, it was during the sermon at Wang’s family’s estate. That day was her husband’s anniversary, so she left the sermon to her cousin and went around exploring on her own. That’s when she met this noblewoman!