At Madam He’s house.
After drinking the five doses of medicinal decoction that Xu Yi had prescribed, Madam He noticed that the stiffness and numbness in the back of her neck, which would set in whenever she sat down, had improved considerably.
With her body feeling more comfortable, Madam He’s thoughts returned to the unfinished embroidery work. However, she still remembered Xu Yi’s instructions and didn’t dare sit for long periods. After sitting for the time it took to drink a pot of tea, she would get up and move around, following the massage methods Xu Yi had taught her. She would knead her arms and the back of her neck, then raise her arms high overhead.
In just a moment’s time, the fatigue in her arms dissipated, which amazed Madam He greatly. Though the movements were somewhat inelegant, the effect was remarkably good.
She recalled that there was still some flour left from making pastries for her sonlast time, so she decided to make a bowl of meat noodles to bring to the Xu household when Xu Yi returned home.
At this moment, Xu Yi was still on Golden Goose Mountain. He had nearly harvested every type of wild medicinal herb that grew on the mountain.
His favorites to dig up were chuanxiong, danggui, danshen, huangqi, and poria, among others. These were all commonly used medicines that appeared in numerous prescriptions and had wide applications. It was good to store more of them.
Each time, he only filled his bamboo basket to half capacity, and this time was no exception.
After digging up all the medicinal herbs he needed, Xu Yi wanted to check on the agarwood tree he had encountered last time. He remembered the location well, and after walking for about half an hour, he saw the traces left from his previous fight with the wild boar. Not much time had passed since then; the broken shrubs hadn’t yet grown back.
Xu Yi crouched down and touched the moss covering the base of the broken shrubs. This patch of moss was a vibrant green with stems as fine as silk, clinging to the wooden stumps and stones. It felt slightly slippery to the touch and somewhat damp.
Xu Yi didn’t mind. He took out a small jar and his machete, using the back of the blade to scrape off the layer of moss on top and collect it in the ceramic jar.
After finishing this, Xu Yi shouldered his bamboo basket and walked further in. After another ten or so minutes, he finally spotted the agarwood tree.
The incision where he had harvested resin last time hadn’t yet produced new agarwood. The remaining agarwood was still there, undamaged by wild beasts. Xu Yi circled around the area within a radius of several dozen meters but didn’t discover any new agarwood trees.
Such a solitary tree standing alone; the living creatures of nature were truly wondrous.
He wondered if, decades ago, a bird had carried a seed from somewhere and dropped it here, where it took root and sprouted. Through wind, frost, rain, and snow, through insect infestations and diseases, it had grown into the tall, towering tree standing before him now.
On the way back, Xu Yi deliberately chose a small path he hadn’t walked before.
The secluded path could only accommodate one person walking at a time. Wild grass and fern leaves on both sides brushed past his knees, their damp tips moistening his pant legs. After Xu Yi had walked for a while, even the back of his hands had become damp.
The sun outside had no effect on the moisture in the shaded areas. The humidity here was heavy, and ferns gradually became more abundant.
Among fern plants, there were quite a few that could be used medicinally. Xu Yi spotted golden dog spine fern, black fern, and horseshoe fern, among others.
He gathered several more horseshoe ferns. They could treat bruises and injuries, stop bleeding, and also treat venomous snake bites, making them very useful medicinal ferns.
Since Xu Yi frequently went up the mountain, it was good to prepare more of such herbs.
Among other medicinal ferns, some could be used whole as medicine, while others only their roots could be used medicinally. Xu Yi carefully separated them out, and to avoid mixing them together, he bound them separately. At times like this, the hemp rope he brought up the mountain proved useful.
After filling his bamboo basket, Xu Yi had no choice but to head down the mountain.
…
“Young Master Xu, how did you gather so many medicinal herbs today?”
Getting onto the ox cart, a young man traveling with him caught sight of the full bamboo basket and revealed an envious look. This Young Master Xu was truly formidable!
The cart driver, having previously enjoyed a free wild boar head from Xu Yi, treated him far better than before.
He chimed in with praise: “Young Master Xu is a doctor who can examine patients and read their pulse. Digging up some herbs is naturally beyond what others can compare to.”
Among those riding the ox cart today was an unfamiliar face. Hearing this, his gaze shifted to Xu Yi. Seeing such a young face, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Xu Yi said, “I came across some herbs while descending the mountain, so I gathered a bit more.”
As he spoke, his eyes moved downward, settling on a section of this young man’s exposed calf.
On the sun-reddened skin, there were several wounds from insect bites. Some were fresh, while others had been bitten for some time. The bitten areas were swollen and red, with the surrounding skin showing a strange purplish-red color that was hard to notice without careful observation.
The young man noticed his gaze and said nonchalantly with a grin, “In summer, the mountain is full of mosquitoes and bugs. They’re terribly annoying and won’t go away no matter how much you chase them. Look, I’ve been bitten several times again.”
“Does it itch?” Xu Yi asked.
The man was taken aback, somewhat puzzled as to why Xu Yi was asking this, but still answered honestly: “It does itch a bit. When I get home at night, I grab some green grass, grind it into juice, and apply it for a night, and then it stops itching.”
Xu Yi pressed his lips together. “Ordinary green grass has no anti-itch or pain-relieving effects. You feel much better because it cools the area down, preventing it from continuing to itch, but after the next day, it will still itch unbearably. Over time, it will develop into prurigo.”
The young man opened his mouth…
He was stunned. It was just an insect bite, wasn’t it? In the past, it would heal on its own after a while without needing any attention.
“Young fellow, you’re not trying to scare people to sell your herbs, are you?”
At this moment, a voice suddenly interjected.
Xu Yi and the young man both turned their heads to look at him, discovering it was a person with very little presence, with an utterly ordinary, unmemorable face.
Xu Yi fell silent. Had this person been here all along?
“Ahem.” The man, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Xu Yi’s stare, cleared his throat and said, “I was merely offering a reminder, not deliberately speaking ill of you.”
Xu Yi smiled. “No harm done.”
The young man also spoke up: “You’ve misunderstood Young Master Xu. Young Master Xu isn’t one of those scoundrel tricksters who habitually deceive people. He has real ability.”
The man: “…”
Why was this person so naive?
The young man continued to ramble on about Xu Yi’s glorious achievements: “Last time, you didn’t see it! Young Master Xu single-handedly brought down a full-grown wild boar weighing over two hundred jin. With such prowess, and being able to identify so many medicinal herbs, how could he possibly deceive anyone?”
“That’s right. Has this gentleman perhaps been deceived before?” the cart driver asked.
Only then did the man realize he might have truly wronged this young gentleman.
He quickly apologized with a regretful expression: “My judgment was poor. I hope the young gentleman won’t take offense.”
“No harm done.”
Xu Yi repeated those same two words. He turned his gaze back to the young man. He had traveled with this young man more than ten times and knew him to be honest and straightforward, so he offered a warning: “The insects on the mountain are venomous. It’s better to be more careful.”
“Young Master Xu speaks truly,” the young man said with a grin, then asked, “How should I be careful then? My wife and I only know how to apply green grass.”
Xu Yi paused for a moment, then turned his head to search through the bamboo basket. Before long, he pulled out a bundle of thick root herbs.
This was the guanzhong he had just dug up from the damp, shaded side of the mountain.
Guanzhong was a type of wood fern, with the root bulb being the medicinal part. It could be dried and sliced for consumption, or ground into powder for external application. It was commonly used for hemostasis, wind-heat colds, heat rashes, and killing parasites and detoxifying, among other purposes.
The reason Xu Yi had dug it up was precisely because it could kill parasites.
The “killing parasites” here didn’t mean poisoning harmful insects, but rather eliminating hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and other parasites living in the intestines.
Spring and summer were the seasons of growth, and parasites reproduced and thrived during this time, often residing in water sources like rivers.
People nowadays didn’t like to boil water before drinking it. When thirsty, they would simply scoop up some water from the river and drink it. Occasionally, when their stomach hurt, they thought it was from eating something bad, but it could also be parasites causing trouble.
In the countryside, there were often people who suddenly developed diarrhea that wouldn’t get better, writhing in pain on the ground, yet not knowing the cause.
Later, unable to bear the pain, with severe diarrhea and dehydration, quite a few died.
This young man worked year-round at the foot of the mountain, mostly drinking water from the river. The insect bite marks, besides showing signs of rash, also displayed the purplish-red color that indicated parasites attached to the intestinal wall.
The young man asked in confusion, “What is this?”
Xu Yi explained simply, “This is guanzhong, a medicinal herb. It is slightly toxic and cannot be consumed in large quantities, but it can cure the insect bites on your legs.”
People who didn’t understand pharmacology had a very vague grasp of dosage. Telling them not to eat too much could mean very different things to different people. Sometimes they thought a jin or half a jin wasn’t much. Therefore, Xu Yi didn’t plan to give him the entire bundle of guanzhong; he wouldn’t need that much anyway.
He pulled out one thick root and handed it to the young man, instructing: “After you go home, soak this in clean water for two nights. When it softens, you can cut it into thin slices and put a few slices in boiled water to drink.”
The young man listened carefully while asking, “How long should I drink it for?”
Xu Yi said, “Drink it for three days.”
The young man said, “But it’s such a large root. I can’t finish it in three days.”
Xu Yi fell silent, then told him, “Your family members can also drink it together. However, children should only have one slice, and if they’re toddlers, they shouldn’t drink it at all.”
The person who had interjected earlier couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master Xu, does this medicine truly treat insect bites? Then why not apply it to the wound instead of consuming it?”
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow. That was getting to the key point.
The reason for having the young man drink guanzhong rather than applying it to the wound was naturally because of the parasites in his body.
If he had parasites, the probability of his family members having them would be very high, which was also why he should have his family take it together.
“Consuming it can reduce swelling and itching. Didn’t you say you couldn’t finish the sliced portions? The remainder can be dried and ground into powder, then mixed with wine and applied to the swollen areas. After a few applications, it should completely disappear.”
The young man was delighted and asked happily, “So the bitten areas won’t itch anymore after that?”
“Yes.” Xu Yi nodded.
The person beside them quickly asked, “Would Young Master Xu be willing to part with one root for me? I’m willing to pay the young gentleman the proper price.”
Xu Yi shook his head. “Guanzhong is toxic, so I cannot give it to you.”
The man smiled bitterly. “I’m not curious about the medicine’s uses. Rather, a relative at home has been bitten by insects and hasn’t gotten better. Pustules have even grown. Even after lancing them and applying medicine, they can’t be cured.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi knew this person had a local allergic reaction to insect venom. The bitten area would develop swellings, and after the swellings subsided, blisters and rashes would form. Severe cases would result in pustules.
But without seeing the person, he didn’t dare make a definitive diagnosis.
Xu Yi considered carefully, then said, “The symptoms you describe cannot be treated with this medicine. Even if I gave you the medicine, it would be useless.”
“Then what medicine should be used? I beg Young Master Xu to teach me.” The man bowed respectfully and called out earnestly.
“I say, this gentleman is quite presumptuous. Young Master Xu is a doctor. How can he casually teach you about medicine usage?” The cart driver spoke up disapprovingly. “If you’re sincere, you should invite Young Master Xu to make a house call, not beg for medicine here.”
The cart driver’s words made the man’s cheeks and ears burn red with embarrassment.
He shamefully covered his face with his sleeve. A man in his thirties, taking an ox cart ride, only to be scolded. It made him unable to lift his head.
But thinking of how the person bitten by insects at home was his elderly mother, he could only swallow his pride and request that Xu Yi come for a consultation.
He was truly desperate, grasping at any straw. His elderly mother had been unable to sleep well for some days because of those pustules, and she looked much older as a result.
Xu Yi agreed, but said he needed to go home first.
He needed to change his clothes and also unload his bamboo basket.
The man naturally had no objections. He gave Xu Yi his home address and also provided his surname.
The man’s surname was Zheng. He told Xu Yi that the person bitten by insects who hadn’t recovered was his elderly mother, who was fifty-two years old this year.
After learning the basic information, Xu Yi said he would bring his medicine box for a house call the next day.
Before long, the ancient city walls appeared before everyone’s eyes.
They had arrived at Yanting County, and people on the ox cart got off one after another.
The young man carrying a root of medicine hurried home. His family lived in Waigou Village outside the city, only three li from the county seat which was very close.
His entire family depended on him working at the temple on Golden Goose Mountain, where he earned more than ten wen each day. Today, besides bringing money home, he also brought a strange root, which left his wife completely puzzled.
“What is this thing?” she asked the young man in confusion.
“Wife, this is what Young Master Xu gave me. He said it’s to treat the insect bite wounds on my legs.” The young man explained while snatching away the guanzhong root. “This thing is toxic, so don’t touch it. I know what to do.”
“Toxic? Then is it for eating or applying to the wound?” his wife followed along asking.
She watched as he diligently scooped up a ladle of water from the earthen vat, took the wooden basin usually used for washing clothes, and placed the root inside to soak.
“It needs to soak until tomorrow when we change the water,” the young man said with a grin, pulling her hand. “Wife, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat at home?”
“There’s still some vegetable porridge left from lunch. I’ll serve you a bowl.”
“Good, good. Oh, by the way, wife, from now on we need to boil water before drinking it.” The young man, remembering Xu Yi’s instructions, called out toward the kitchen.
“Boil it? Where would we get so much firewood to boil water? Boiling water is so inconvenient. There’s so much water in the vat. Can’t you drink that?”
His wife came out carrying a bowl of vegetable porridge, asking in confusion.
The young man said, “Young Master Xu said so. He said the reason the insect bites on our legs never get better is because we drink water that hasn’t been boiled.”
His wife: “…” Young Master Xu again.
Who exactly was this Young Master Xu?! Ever since he came back from working last time, he kept mentioning this person, saying he could single-handedly kill a wild boar. Could he also treat illnesses?
She voiced her doubts.
“That’s right, Young Master Xu is a doctor.”
…
When Xu Yi arrived at Stone Well Lane, the people from the lane who had been working in the fields were also returning with their hoes over their shoulders.
Upon encountering Xu Yi, they all called out warmly, “Young Master Xu is back!” Facing these familiar faces whose names he couldn’t quite recall, Xu Yi exchanged pleasantries with each of them.
“Young Master Xu dug up so many herbs today!”
“Young Master Xu, have you eaten dinner yet?”
“Young Master Xu, do you still have those digestive pills you made? I’ve finished the ones at home and want to buy more from you.”
“…”
Since they were all familiar people, residents of Stone Well Lane who bought digestive pills from Xu Yi got the wholesale price, only ten wen per packet.
However, Xu Yi had also made it clear that this price was only for them and they couldn’t mention it to outsiders.
If he found out someone had leaked the information, he wouldn’t sell to that person anymore.
Upon hearing that revealing the secret would mean they couldn’t buy anymore, everyone promised they wouldn’t tell. Later, when they learned that Jishi Hall on West Street also sold these “Chen’s Digestive Pills” at double the price, they became even more tight-lipped.
They feared that if too many people knew, they wouldn’t get a turn to buy Young Master Xu’s digestive pills.
Two people wanting to buy digestive pills followed Xu Yi home. Xu Yi invited them into the courtyard, set down his bamboo basket, went into the house, and brought out two packets of digestive pills.
He said calmly to the two uncles, “One packet per person, ten wen.”
“Understood, understood.”
The two men readily paid, then squeezed their eyes and quietly asked Xu Yi whether the digestive pills would increase in price.
Today, when Xu Yi went outside the city, he had heard people traveling with him talking about the digestive pills and knew they had already spread throughout the county.
Seeing them staring at him with wide, round eyes, he wasn’t surprised. He nodded and said, “The price won’t increase. Whenever you want them, it’ll be this price.”
The two men were overjoyed and thanked Xu Yi before leaving.
After they left, Madam He came over carrying a bowl of steaming hot meat noodles.
Meat noodles, as the name implied, consisted of skewers with meat slices inserted on them, spread over the noodles, making it look like a mountain of meat piled on top.
This was a famous noodle dish in Yanting County’s restaurants. Usually, the meat slices were mutton, with rare occasions of beef. However, beef wasn’t easy to come by; only wealthy households had the opportunity to taste it.
Madam He had bought ordinary pork hind leg meat, boiled and sliced thin, then mixed with precious Sichuan pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.
Sichuan pepper was expensive. If not for repaying Xu Yi’s kindness, Madam He wouldn’t have been willing to go to the spice shop to buy even that small amount.
“It smells wonderful! What delicious food have you made, Madam He?” Xu Yi had eaten dry steamed buns with water for lunch, and his stomach had long been rumbling with hunger.
Madam He said with a smile, “I made meat noodles. Hurry and wash your face and come eat, or else the noodles will get mushy.”
Xu Yi didn’t stand on ceremony. He ran to wash his face and hands, and even changed out of his dirty clothes.
The sky hadn’t completely darkened yet. By the remaining light of the setting sun, Xu Yi could see Sichuan pepper grains clinging to the meat slices, and the characteristic numbing, spicy fragrance of Sichuan pepper rushed into his nostrils.
Having been here for so long, this was the first time Xu Yi had eaten food with a spicy flavor. His appetite instantly opened up.
He chewed and swallowed even the numbing, tingling Sichuan pepper grains. By the end, a circle around his mouth was numb and bright red, as if he’d applied lip rouge.
Madam He covered her mouth and laughed at the sight.
Xu Yi was rarely embarrassed. Scratching his head, he said, “Wait a moment, Madam He. I’ll wash the bowl for you.”
“No need.” Madam He took the bowl and chopsticks with a smile. “You don’t need to wash the bowl. Seeing how much you enjoyed it, you must like spicy food.”
Xu Yi nodded honestly.
This level of spiciness was just right for what he could handle before. As for the Sichuan cuisine from his previous life, that wouldn’t work. He could only handle very, very mild spice.
“However, Sichuan pepper is expensive. If you want to eat it again next time, I can buy some zhuyu and fresh ginger to make spicy soup for you,” Madam He said.
Only then did Xu Yi remember that the Song Dynasty of this time didn’t have chili peppers yet. But Song Dynasty people loved eating spicy food; some couldn’t live without it. They would use ginger, scallions, garlic, zhuyu, pepper, mustard greens, and other ingredients with spicy flavors to satisfy their love of eating spicy food.
The meat noodles Madam He made today were the predecessor of later Sichuan dishes like spicy sliced meat and beef noodles.
…
Xu Yi had quite a bit of work to do tonight.
The water in the ceramic jar had been drying in the sun for two days and could now be seen at the bottom. When Xu Yi scooped with a wooden ladle, the water at the bottom was murky and unclear, consisting of precipitated saltpeter.
It seemed that after drying for another two days, he should be able to scrape out the saltpeter again.
He moved the ceramic jar into the kitchen. At night, there would be dew outside the courtyard, and leaving the jar outside would only lengthen the drying time.
Next, he took out the small jar he had used to collect moss today and poured the moss from inside onto a round bamboo sieve.
He then placed the sieve on top of the small stove. Xu Yi usually used this stove to boil water, but now using it to hold the sieve was just right. He lit a fire in the stove, planning to dry the moss spread on top.
He had bought this sieve at the market for making medicine. The outer layer had been fire-treated to prevent insect damage, and it was very convenient for roasting medicinal materials over an open flame without easily burning.
Xu Yi brought over a small stool and observed the moisture level of the moss while keeping an eye on whether the flames below had extinguished.
After more than a shichen, the moss was finally dried. Xu Yi took out a mortar and pestle, threw the moss into it, and grasped both ends of the grinding pestle, carefully grinding the moss inside into powder.
Xu Yi placed the ground moss powder into a clean small jar. After sealing it, he put it in the second layer compartment of his medicine box.
This layer compartment held external medicines.
So far, none of the external medicines placed inside had been taken out for use.
But Xu Yi didn’t mind. He glanced at the window outside. The courtyard was silent and still, with a clear breeze and bright moon. It was time to wash up and go to bed.
Tomorrow, he still had a house call to make.