The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Xu Yi and Xing Yuesen turned their heads in unison to look at him.
Xing Yuesen frowned: “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Xu Yi said: “He’s been here the whole time.”
Xin Shengyuan felt somewhat embarrassed being stared at by both of them. His ears turned slightly red, his eyes widened in a failed attempt to cover up, his lips red and teeth white. He opened his mouth in denial: “This is the morning market, not your Xing family’s property. What does it matter to you if I stand here?”
By the end, he straightened his proud chest righteously.
Xing Yuesen: “……”
What an act of turning the tables! This kid was becoming increasingly thick-skinned and mature. He was no longer like before, when after a few words he’d get angry like a koi fish, puffing out his cheeks, gasping for breath and flicking his sleeves before leaving.
Xu Yi smiled faintly without speaking. He could see that although the two seemed at odds and liked to trouble each other for no reason, it was all harmless bickering, like children squabbling.
It was impossible to ignore someone as large as Xin Shengyuan standing there. Xu Yi simply let him continue standing there listening and continued telling Xing Yuesen the historical anecdote from the previous dynasty he hadn’t finished.
In current imperial examinations, commonly used allusions were often cited as examples. But as the examinations progressed to later stages, those allusions had all been overused by predecessors. What Xu Yi was talking about were things he’d often heard in modern times but that people nowadays rarely encountered.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have captivated both of them so completely.
The coming and going of people in the morning market began to increase.
Xu Yi’s stall location was rather off to the side. Over an hour passed without anyone coming to inquire about the digestive pills.
He didn’t mind. After talking so much, he was thirsty, so he directed Xin Shengyuan to go buy three bowls of sweet soup.
Xin Shengyuan pouted: “Why not tell him to go buy it?” He pointed at Xing Yuesen beside him.
Xing Yuesen was amused: “Who’s the one standing here unwilling to leave, listening to others talk? A gentleman should see no evil and hear no evil. You’ve studied for so many years, where did it all go?”
Xin Shengyuan choked, his brow furrowing slightly in distress, not knowing whether he should obediently go buy the sweet soup.
Xu Yi said: “If you go buy it, I’ll wait for you to return before continuing.”
“Fine, I’ll go and come right back.” He left right after.
Xing Yuesen wasn’t eager to continue asking either. Instead, he dusted off his long robe and waited leisurely.
“Seems you don’t actually dislike that Young Master Xin.” Xu Yi said with a smile.
Xing Yuesen didn’t deny it: “Can’t say I dislike him. He’s just a bit delicate, can’t be told off or scolded, which is somewhat annoying.”
Xu Yi: “……”
His gaze looked toward the surrounding small stalls. When people set up stalls, some simply spread a grass mat and laid out their goods like Xu Yi, while others pushed carts with the items for sale placed on them. On the cart frames hung cloth strips or wooden boards inscribed with “Such-and-such Food” or “Such-and-such Goods” and so on.
Those coming to browse the market were mostly well-dressed female servants, matrons, young servants, young ladies wearing veiled hats concealing their faces, and officials and gentlemen in long robes……
They spent generously and bought much. The stall owners respectfully smiled and spoke auspicious words, also able to receive two or three reward coins.
Xu Yi withdrew his gaze. Xin Shengyuan returned carrying an exquisite wooden box.
He’d gone to the teahouse beside the City God Temple to buy fragrant pear drinks, made by cooking pear flesh until thick, then adding honey, pear blossom petals, and white sesame seeds.
It smelled of pear and flower fragrance, tasted sweet and refreshing, leaving an endless aftertaste.
Each of the three had one bowl, leisurely enjoying the delicious sweet soup. Before they’d finished drinking, they suddenly heard clamoring in the not-too-far distance.
Immediately after, many people ran toward the source of that sound.
Before long, someone shouted “Someone’s dying!”
“What’s happening?” Xin Shengyuan curiously stretched his neck to look toward the crowd of onlookers.
But Xu Yi had already strode forward quickly, pushing into the crowd.
Xin Shengyuan went “Eh?” and was just about to ask Xing Yuesen what he was going to do when he saw Xing Yuesen also running over.
“……Ah, wait for me.”
……
In the middle of the crowd lay an old man with twitching eyes, a purple-blue complexion, crooked mouth corners, and tightly clenched teeth.
Beside the old man knelt a helpless old woman. The old man still had some consciousness. His palm, covered in rough calluses, tightly gripped the old woman’s hand, seemingly wanting to say something yet unable to speak any words in his pain.
The old woman cried out to him while kneeling and begging the surrounding onlookers: “Please… please save him… Wake up, you absolutely can’t sleep…”
With her crying pleas, more and more people gathered.
Many were discussing among themselves.
“What’s wrong with this old man?”
“Alas, I was setting up a stall right next door. This old man was perfectly fine when suddenly his eyes twitched and he slumped to one side. He collapsed on the ground. It seems he won’t make it.”
“This… is quite pitiful.”
“He’s having an attack, right? Don’t know what illness.”
“Has anyone gone to call a doctor?”
“……”
No one responded to this question. For strangers, who would help invite a doctor over?
Xu Yi frowned tightly, silently observing the old man’s condition. From his complexion and symptoms, there was a probability it was a hypertensive emergency.
That old man looked only forty or fifty years old, the pillar of his family. If he collapsed like this, the family would likely lose someone who could earn money to support them.
As a doctor, Xu Yi really couldn’t just stand by and watch.
After weighing the options, he saw the old woman about to pull the old man up and urgently shouted: “Don’t!”
His sudden shout gave Xin Shengyuan, who had finally squeezed to the side, quite a fright.
Others also looked toward Xu Yi. Seeing he was a teenage youth, their faces showed confusion.
Xu Yi took a deep breath and said: “I’m a traveling doctor. Old woman, may I treat him?”
“……You?” The old woman hesitated. This young man was too young.
Xing Yuesen also reacted and immediately said: “Old woman, you can trust him. The way things are now, if he’s not treated promptly I’m afraid it will be beyond help. Why not let him try? I’ll pay for the consultation fee and medicine costs.”
“Yes, he looks nearly gone. What if he can be saved?”
“Might as well treat a dead horse as if it were alive. Things are like this anyway……”
Hearing the surrounding people’s persuasion, the old woman bit her teeth and without further hesitation knelt before Xu Yi, crying out: “Please save him, doctor. I’m willing to work like an ox or horse……”
Xu Yi stopped her, saying seriously: “I’ll do my utmost. Please, everyone, make some space.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the onlookers scattered sparsely, leaving space with only Xu Yi and the old man in the original spot.
The old man was in a half-sideways lying position. Xu Yi quickly and carefully arranged him into a flat lying position, then casually grabbed a small low stool nearby to elevate his head.
Next, he half-knelt and squatted down, one hand checking the pulse, the other bending toward the old man’s chest cavity, listening to his heart rhythm.
“What is he doing?” Xin Shengyuan had never seen such a scene and asked Xing Yuesen beside him in confusion.
Xing Yuesen glared at him: “Be quiet.”
Xin Shengyuan pressed his lips together and obediently closed his mouth.
The others all subconsciously held their breath until Xu Yi raised his head to look at the old woman, asking her several questions about the old man.
“Has he been dizzy recently?”
“Yes, yes. These past two days he told me his head sometimes feels severely dizzy, but it passes quickly.”
“How’s his sleep?”
“Not… too clear.”
“And eating?”
“Normal. His appetite has been excellent recently. He can eat two bowls of rice.”
“……”
After Xu Yi finished asking, he had a good assessment in his mind.
But the person was already in an unconscious state. If he wasn’t awakened soon, the prognosis would likely be dire.
In emergency situations, one could awaken someone by stimulating corresponding acupuncture points, then follow up with medication treatment, acupuncture, and massage. But he was currently in a marketplace with no acupuncture needles available for use.
However, Xu Yi quickly knew what to do.
He removed the rough cloth short garment the old man wore on the outside, exposing the inner shirt underneath. After locating the acupuncture points, he pressed both thumbs on the Quchi and Yongquan points.
Thanks to his recent regular exercise, he’d recovered some strength. Stimulating acupuncture points required skillful force. The pressure couldn’t be light either, otherwise it would have no effect.
After pressing for a full incense stick’s worth of time, the old man finally showed a reaction.
He groaned “Nn, nn” painfully, his eyelids twitching as he tried to open them. At this moment, one of Xu Yi’s hands released the acupuncture point and felt for another pressure-reducing groove.
Immediately after, Xu Yi suddenly burst forth with force, swiftly, accurately, and firmly stroking that location, following the meridians, gradually traveling along the bladder meridian, stomach meridian, and liver and gallbladder meridians……
His technique was very fast. The surrounding people watched with amazement. What surprised them even more was that following these movements, the old man’s rapid breathing stabilized and he slowly opened his eyes.
“He’s awake!”
“He really woke up!”
“This young doctor is so amazing!”
……
Seeing this, the old woman threw herself forward crying, looking at her old companion with lingering fear, muttering words.
Xu Yi was close enough to hear her repeatedly reciting prayers for heaven’s blessing, Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha.
He curved his lips, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, helping the old man up while standing straight.
The old man knew it was this handsome young man who saved him. His eyes immediately filled with tears as he expressed gratitude and wanted to kneel with the old woman to bow in thanks. Xu Yi was quick to grab his arm and prevent him from kneeling.
Xu Yi instructed: “Old man, you mustn’t. You just woke up. You shouldn’t move too much. You should sit down slowly and rest a while.”
How could the two not listen? The old woman hurriedly helped the old man sit on a wooden stool at their own stall.
Only now did Xu Yi notice that this old man and old woman had come to the market to sell bamboo baskets and woven containers.
Xing Yuesen and Xin Shengyuan also came over. Xing Yuesen had seen Xu Yi prescribe medicine based solely on described symptoms and wasn’t too astonished. But Xin Shengyuan’s perception of Xu Yi had completely changed, his eyes full of admiration for him.
He urgently asked: “How did you do that? Just pressing and applying pressure like that and the person woke up. So amazing!”
Xu Yi: “……”
There were many considerations in pressing acupuncture points. It couldn’t be explained clearly in a short time. Right now, the most important thing was still the old man’s condition.
According to the old woman’s account, this should be his first attack, proving it wasn’t too serious yet. Just now, if there had been a strong man to support him, it wouldn’t have reached the point of unconsciousness.
Currently, there was no term for “high blood pressure.” Traditional Chinese medicine’s syndrome differentiation and treatment mainly involved excessive liver fire, yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity, deficiency of both yin and yang, and so on. From the old man’s pulse signs and symptom diagnosis, it should be yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity, treatable with Liver-Calming Wind-Extinguishing Decoction combined with acupuncture treatment.
Based on the patient’s physical condition, he modified several dosages in the Liver-Calming Wind-Extinguishing Decoction, then instructed the old man on what to pay attention to normally.
Normally he shouldn’t eat much triggering food, pickled vegetables, etc. His diet needed to emphasize being light and nutritious. He could eat more protein and lean meat.
The old woman’s face showed difficulty: “He can’t eat fatty meat anymore?”
Country folk were poor. Only during festivals would they be willing to buy some meat, naturally choosing fatty, oily white meat to get more of the meaty taste.
Xu Yi sighed softly: “He can eat it, but must avoid eating too much.”