BFDNS 032

Chapter 32: Moss Powder

The Zheng residence was located in the eastern suburbs. The eastern suburbs had quite a few estates where wealthy and powerful families built recreational properties, though none of these were related to his family. His family just happened to build their residence here. Compared to the precious land in the prosperous areas of the city where every inch was worth gold, the same amount of money could buy a large compound with decent space in the suburbs.

The front courtyard of the Zheng residence was planted with a grove of verdant bamboo, with a pavilion for resting among the bamboo. Following the pebbled path through the entrance gate, one could see the main hall for receiving guests.

The breeze was fresh and the bamboo elegant. The courtyard was spacious and level. Xu Yi’s eyes grew slightly warm at the sight. Such a large courtyard could dry so many medicinal herbs!

“Thank you for making the trip, Doctor Xu. The house has prepared simple tea and water. I hope Doctor Xu won’t find it lacking,” Master Zheng said humbly, raising his hand to invite Xu Yi inside.

Xu Yi nodded and entered the main hall. He found the interior quite spacious, with most of the furniture made from bamboo and wood, yet it didn’t lack elegance and grandeur. One could see that this Master Zheng’s household was a scholarly farming family.

Compared to the Xu family’s circumstances, the Zheng family was more prosperous. Though they didn’t live in the county seat, living here meant spacious and comfortable housing with an elegant and tranquil environment, more suitable for scholars.

Master Zheng said, “My mother is elderly, and now with this affliction, she’s been resting in her room these past days and hasn’t come out. I hope Doctor Xu will go into her room to examine her pulse.”

“Please lead the way, Master Zheng.” Xu Yi said calmly, carrying his medicine box.

Leaving the main hall, the two walked along a bamboo and wood corridor for a while before entering the rear courtyard. Xu Yi noticed two old servants tending to the back garden. It was actually a vegetable garden.

Seeing Xu Yi’s interest, Master Zheng said with a smile, “The suburbs have plenty of land. When we bought this compound, we felt the rear courtyard was too empty. My mother also can’t sit idle, so we opened a vegetable garden at home to grow some seasonal vegetables for eating.”

Xu Yi said enviously, “It’s excellent!”

He had grown medicinal herbs before but had never successfully grown vegetables. Everything he planted died. His older brother had once said he was destined to have no connection with vegetable gardening in this lifetime.

At this moment, the thought arose in him again. What if he bought a compound in the suburbs and planted some vegetables?

Before long, they arrived at Mother Zheng’s room. Master Zheng first knocked on the door and explained his purpose in a low voice before someone inside came to open the door.

The room was gloomy and dim, separated by a thick curtain. The person who came to open the door was an old woman in her fifties. Upon seeing Master Zheng, she bowed and said, “Master, the old lady is sleeping.”

“This…”

Master Zheng looked somewhat uncertainly at Xu Yi beside him.

Xu Yi said, “No matter. For skin conditions, one can examine just the affected area. If Master Zheng has no objections, I can still conduct an examination.”

Master Zheng didn’t hesitate. “Please come in, Doctor Xu.”

The old woman guarding the room looked at Xu Yi, somewhat surprised by his youth, and quietly asked Master Zheng a few questions.

So young, could he really cure the old lady’s illness?

Master Zheng also wasn’t clear about Xu Yi’s abilities, but after yesterday’s scene, he felt he still needed to give it a try.

When employing someone, trust them; when doubting someone, don’t employ them. Since he had already invited Young Master Xu to see the illness, he shouldn’t doubt his capabilities. “It’s fine. Let Doctor Xu take a look first.”

The old woman asked no more questions. She lifted the heavy curtain and invited the two inside.

As soon as Xu Yi entered the room, his brows couldn’t help but furrow. The room was piled with boxes and cabinets of all sizes, along with quite a bit of old furniture, making the originally spacious room cramped, cluttered, and difficult to navigate.

The old woman quickly explained, “The old lady is frugal and can’t bear to throw away old things, so they’re all stored in the room.”

Xu Yi made a sound of acknowledgment. He smelled a musty odor rushing toward him. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Master Zheng, who was also frowning with held breath. One could see that he rarely came here.

“Old lady?” The old woman entered the inner room, came to the bedside, leaned over and lifted a corner of the bed curtain, calling out softly a few times.

The old lady was a light sleeper and was soon awakened. The old woman helped her sit up and put on her outer garment, took a handkerchief to wipe the old lady’s face, and said quietly, “The master has brought a doctor into the room.”

“Quickly let them in,” the old lady said.

“Yes.” The old woman came out to call them.

Xu Yi and Master Zheng passed through another curtained door and entered the inner room.

They saw that the white-haired old lady had already seated herself on a daybed beside her sleeping platform. She wore a forehead band embroidered with peonies symbolizing wealth and nobility, a tea-brown silk jacket, and tied a ginger-earth yellow belly band around her waist. She appeared prosperous in appearance with an innate air of nobility.

Xu Yi bowed in greeting and gave his name.

“So you’re Doctor Xu,” the old lady said slowly. “When my Eldest Son told me about it, I thought he was inviting an older doctor. I didn’t expect Doctor Xu to be so young.”

Xu Yi said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “We met by chance on the road. It’s because Master Zheng trusted me that he invited me to make this house call.”

His attitude dispelled some of the old lady’s doubts. Her son had always been proud. If this Doctor Xu didn’t have some ability, her son would never have let him come.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Yi began to get to the main topic: examining the pustules on the old lady’s legs.

The old woman beside them received instructions, crouched down, and rolled up the old lady’s skirt and trousers, exposing only a small section of her leg.

The area with pustules was wrapped in plain silk, with medicinal ointment wrapped inside. When unwrapped, some ointment mixed with foul-smelling pus flowed out. The old woman immediately wiped it with a handkerchief.

Xu Yi said, “Please bring a basin of clean water.”

The old woman responded and left. After a while, she returned carrying clean water.

Xu Yi rolled up his sleeves, crouched down on one knee, and from the second layer of the medicine box he had brought, took out a small jar. He poured some medicinal powder into the basin, then took out a clean handkerchief, dipped it in the medicated water, and washed away the ointment applied to the pustules.

After washing away the greenish ointment, the original appearance of the pustules was revealed.

The papular pustules formed a mass about the size of a fist, showing spreading symptoms. If left untreated, they would likely continue to spread to the surrounding areas.

It seemed to have some degree of contagion, but seeing that the old woman who had been serving at her side all along hadn’t developed the same problem, it appeared to be self-transmitting rather than contagious to others.

Xu Yi asked, “How long has it been since the sores first appeared?”

The old woman sighed and said, “Half a year. At first it was just a small blister. I thought it was nothing serious and only applied ordinary herbal ointment.”

“But after the old lady used it for ten days and it didn’t heal, instead the rash became more serious, so we asked the master to see it,” the old woman continued from the side. “At that time we invited a doctor over. He said it was ordinary blisters and would heal with ointment application. But that doctor was useless. Neither eating medicine nor applying ointment worked. Later we invited several more doctors. But Doctor Xu, look what’s become of the old lady’s leg!”

As the old woman spoke, her voice began to choke with tears, and she couldn’t stop crying.

She was the old lady’s dowry maid and had served the old lady for decades. How could she bear to see the old lady suffer like this?

The old lady comforted her from the side: “I’m still alive, so why are you crying already? It’s just pustules. Perhaps with Doctor Xu’s help, they’ll heal.”

“Ptui, ptui, ptui! What are you saying, old lady? I won’t cry anymore,” the old woman stopped her tears.

She turned back and urgently asked Xu Yi, “Has Doctor Xu identified the problem?”

The old servant was anxious, which both the old lady and Master Zheng knew, so they didn’t scold her for talking too much. Both sets of eyes looked toward Xu Yi.

Xu Yi was silent for a long moment before asking if the old lady’s leg hurt.

“It didn’t hurt before, only itched,” the old lady said. “But later when pus formed, it began to hurt.”

Xu Yi asked again, “Pain like needle pricks?”

The old lady nodded and said yes, then also asked, “Has Doctor Xu identified the problem?”

“I can determine one or two things,” Xu Yi didn’t speak with absolute certainty. Bamboo groves had many mosquitoes and insects. The Zheng family loved bamboo, and Mother Zheng’s pustules most likely resulted from a venomous insect bite that didn’t receive appropriate medicinal treatment. Delayed until this point, once pustules formed, they became difficult to handle.

But Xu Yi had recently dug up some good things that might help the old lady’s pustules.

One of them was the moss powder he had just made last night.

He hadn’t expected it would be put to use so quickly. This moss powder mainly treated burns. Mixed with rapeseed oil and stirred into a paste, when applied to burned areas, it could cool and reduce swelling very quickly without easily leaving scars.

It was a very good burn medicine.

Besides this, one could also use cypress pine bark. There was a folk remedy called “pine bark powder” that used naturally peeled pine bark. After being roasted into black powder, it could be used medicinally and was very effective in treating burns and scalds.

However, besides treating burns and scalds, moss powder could also be combined with other medicinal herbs to treat sores, rectal prolapse, trauma, and so on.

Xu Yi carefully explained the old lady’s condition, then said, “These pustular sores cannot be bandaged under pressure. That easily causes stuffiness that’s unfavorable for tissue regeneration and healing. Having too many miscellaneous items in the room won’t work. I hope the old lady will clear out the clutter and replace the thick cloth curtain with a bamboo curtain, which would be much better.”

External factors were also very important. In a polluted, cluttered environment with poor air circulation, there would be an impact on pustular sores that were inherently infectious.

“The previous doctor told us to wrap it in plain silk, saying it would heal faster. Was he a fraud?” Hearing this, the old woman wrung her handkerchief and cursed. “That damned scoundrel deserving a thousand cuts, what a filthy wretch! How could he harm people like this!”

Xu Yi blinked. “…”

“Ahem.”

Master Zheng quickly cleared his throat, stopping the old woman from continuing to curse.

“Enough. That monkey can’t hear you anyway, so cursing him might relieve your anger but not much else.” Master Zheng glanced at her, then turned to ask Xu Yi, “I wonder if Doctor Xu has a different method?”

Xu Yi nodded. “I do. The old lady’s condition isn’t too serious. As long as we properly wash and apply medicine, and she takes a few doses of decoction to clear dampness and toxins, it will heal.”

The old lady’s pustular sores were dripping with pus. Combined with various circumstances, they fell under the category of boil toxins.

He had recently dug up an herb that could be used for this.

However, today he had only brought moss powder and hadn’t brought that herb. He still needed Master Zheng to find someone to accompany him back home.

Master Zheng, hearing that he had a solution, said directly that he would accompany Xu Yi himself.

…

The two went out together.

The Zheng family had neither ox cart nor donkey cart, so they could only walk slowly.

On the way, Xu Yi explained some precautions: “The old lady’s leg has some swelling. In daily life, she should walk around more and eat less spiced drinks and spicy foods.”

Master Zheng’s face showed difficulty. “What my mother loves most are spiced drinks. She also can’t live without spice. She needs to eat some spicy food with every meal to be happy.”

Xu Yi pressed his lips together. The average lifespan of ancient people was low, and one reason was inadequate medical care. A family like Master Zheng’s was considered well-off in Yanting County, yet they could still delay an illness by failing to find a good doctor for a minor ailment.

The old lady’s pustular sores shouldn’t have been delayed to this extent. In the end, it was caused by circumstances.

Women of the inner chambers couldn’t easily go out. When she fell ill, she could only invite doctors to make house calls.

Good doctors were hard to invite and had their own peculiar conditions for making house calls. Like Doctor Chen, he generally wouldn’t leave the county seat.

First, he was old and not suited to the hardships of travel. Second, outside the county seat, there weren’t many wealthy families who could afford to invite him.

Over time, those doctors with poor skills stood out in Yanting County, such as Doctor Sun at Apricot Grove Hall on South Street.

With half-baked skills, he could still have a decent reputation in the county…

After an hour, they finally reached the city gate and arrived at the Xu house on South Street.

Master Zheng wasn’t surprised to see the dilapidated house. After entering the courtyard, he first heard a dog barking, then a cute little yellow dog ran out from the house and circled around Doctor Xu joyfully.

His heart jumped. He found the dog quite adorable. But then the little yellow dog noticed another person, and its round eyes instantly became alert, making “woo woo” sounds from its belly toward him.

“Behave, Little Huang, this is a patient’s family member,” Xu Yi patted Little Huang’s head.

Master Zheng was momentarily stunned hearing “patient’s family member,” then understanding the meaning, he laughed.

So “family member” could be used this way too.

While Xu Yi went to fetch medicine, Master Zheng rested in the main hall. The beech wood furniture in the hall was completely incongruous with everything else in the house, creating a very jarring feeling.

Master Zheng was curious, and seeing Xu Yi return, he asked about this curiosity.

He hadn’t expected ancient people to be so direct either.

Xu Yi thought to himself, but he didn’t hide anything. He said it was a gift from his good friend’s grandfather and he couldn’t refuse.

Master Zheng was surprised. “If that’s the case, why doesn’t Doctor Xu replace the other old things in the house with new ones?”

Xu Yi: “…”

Could he say that money should be spent where it matters most?

From his current perspective, he felt this old, broken-down, small place was quite good. It was enough for him alone.

“There’s no rush,” Xu Yi smiled.

Then he turned the topic to business: “This is external medicine, used to clean the pustular sores. Each time take twenty qian, boil with three times the water, soak for a quarter-hour then pour out, add one qian of coarse salt, then use hemp cloth to scrub the pustular sores.”

“Scrub?” Master Zheng had seen those pustules. They had already grown terrifyingly into the flesh. Just looking at them was heart-wrenching, and they still needed to be scrubbed? Wouldn’t that hurt even more?

“Yes.” Xu Yi didn’t hesitate and said, “Scrub while it’s hot to wash away the flowing pus. Do this three times daily. After scrubbing and letting it dry, sprinkle this bottle of medicinal powder on the areas with flowing pus. If new pus flows out, continue applying.”

He gave all the moss powder he had made to Master Zheng.

The other medicine used to wash the pustular sores was an herb called caosu.

It grew in the wild mountains. When mature, it would bloom with small pink-purple flowers that looked quite beautiful.

Its leaves had fine hairs on both sides, were oval-shaped with clearly visible veins, and were dark green. Both the whole plant and roots could be used medicinally. They were most abundant in summer and autumn. Xu Yi had dug some up and brought them back, hung them to dry, and cut them into small strips for storage.

He took out one-third to give to Master Zheng; a ten-day supply.

If the pustular sores hadn’t completely healed within ten days, he could come back for more.

Next, he also wrote two prescriptions: one was a heat-clearing and detoxifying decoction, and the other was to be used together with the moss powder, containing white atractylodes, white peony, crabapple flowers, and so on.

Master Zheng, hearing that it might heal within ten days, was incredibly excited. This illness had been dragging on for half a year, and these past days had been increasingly worrying!

“Thank you, Doctor Xu,” Master Zheng bowed sincerely.

Xu Yi shook his head.

If it could heal within ten days, that would be even better.

He had previously encountered patients with similar symptoms. Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine didn’t rely solely on herbal medicine. Sometimes the prescriptions given to patients would also include vitamins, Western medicine, and so on.

He instructed Master Zheng that the old lady shouldn’t eat eggs during this period and should eat more seasonal vegetables and fruits.

Summer was abundant with fruits and vegetables, so prices wouldn’t be very expensive. With the Zheng family’s means, they could afford it.

“I understand,” Master Zheng nodded seriously after listening.

Then Master Zheng asked about the consultation fee and medicine costs.

Xu Yi charged the consultation fee and medicine costs at normal rates. Then he saw Master Zheng off.

…

Not long after, a servant dressed in blue came knocking at the door carrying a calling card.