Between the courtyard walls, there was a narrow alley only wide enough for one person to pass through. Broken and discarded items were piled in the passage, and Li Ji was hiding behind these items.
He crouched in the corner, his entire body trembling, yet his hands tightly gripped the bloodstained cleaver that had struck a person.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Li Ji shuddered violently like a startled bird. His eyes bulged and bloodshot, flashing with a crazed expression. At the same time, when Li Ji recognized who had come, his ferocious expression froze in a way that was both comical and horrifying.
Xu Yi frowned. “It’s you.”
The moment Xu Yi saw this person, he instantly recalled who he was.
Li Ji’s lips moved rapidly. Like someone grasping at a lifeline, his voice was urgent and hoarse. “Xu Yi.”
This utterance sounded terrible.
Even he himself was stunned when he heard his own voice.
Xu Yi watched him expressionlessly, but in his mind he wondered why Li Ji had appeared here.
Having killed someone, Li Ji should have found a faraway place to hide, at least not on South Street. At this time, South Street already had several teams of runners searching, and it wouldn’t be long before the constables came to arrest him as well.
Receiving no response from Xu Yi, the tension in Li Ji’s body seemed to deflate. His taut shoulders sagged slightly as he muttered to himself, “I cut him, three times. He’s definitely going to die.”
Xu Yi asked, “Who is he?”
Li Ji’s eyes shifted as he stared at Xu Yi and said, “It’s Doctor Sun, the Doctor Sun who treated your parents.”
When he said this, he wanted to see if Xu Yi’s face would show any different expression. Sun Shitong had treated Xu Yi’s parents to death; to Xu Yi, this was also an enemy.
But why could he only see calmness on Xu Yi’s face?
A detached calmness, as if it had nothing to do with him.
“Don’t you hate him?” Suddenly, Li Ji asked, breathing heavily.
There was pity in Xu Yi’s eyes. “Why should I hate him?”
“You should hate him. He’s not a good doctor at all. You don’t know, you don’t know anything…” Li Ji clutched his hair, crying out in anguish. “When no one was around, he would always scold me. Nothing I did satisfied him. He said I was stupid, foolish, and said I couldn’t learn anything properly.”
“Actually, he never intended to teach me at all. I did menial work at the medical hall for three years. He only let me touch those medicinal herbs. What effects the medicines had, why certain prescriptions were given to patients, he wouldn’t let me listen to any of it. I begged him bitterly to let me continue staying, but in front of the other apprentices, he told me to leave…”
As Li Ji spoke, he curled himself into a ball, his arms hugging his knees. He felt so cold. Why couldn’t anyone understand him?
“Xu Yi, you’re so capable, you wouldn’t understand me.”
He hung his head, and when he looked at Xu Yi again, there was something different in his eyes.
Xu Yi’s brow furrowed slightly. From Li Ji’s words, he detected a desire to find validation in him.
Especially when Li Ji looked at him, it seemed that if he simply said “Doctor Sun isn’t that kind of person,” Li Ji would erupt in a crazed fury.
Of course, Xu Yi didn’t think Sun Shitong was a good person.
As for why Li Ji wanted to kill him, he understood. When people are suppressed to a certain degree, they explode. Even someone who ordinarily appears gentle and kind-hearted has a dark side.
But understanding didn’t mean approving of this murderous behavior.
Xu Yi took a deep breath. “You wounded him, so why did you come looking for me?”
Li Ji became restless and uneasy. He bit his finger, deliberating for a long time before speaking. “Xu Yi, if I hadn’t wounded him, would you have taken me on as… as an apprentice?”
Xu Yi was speechless.
He looked at Li Ji with an extremely complicated expression.
“Why?”
Li Ji’s eyes reddened. “It was him. He had me watch you, and didn’t want you opening a medical hall on South Street. When he found out the Digestive Pills were prepared by you, he became more and more displeased with me.”
“Xu Yi, I didn’t mean to kill him!”
“You have to believe me!”
He stumbled to his feet, still clutching the knife, and tried to lunge toward Xu Yi.
Xu Yi sensed no malice from him, but still acted, grabbing his wrist and applying slight pressure. Li Ji cried out in pain, and the cleaver fell from his hand with a loud clatter.
Xu Yi spoke flatly. “Li Ji, you can still go to the yamen and turn yourself in. Perhaps everything can still be salvaged.”
“It’s too late, too late…” Li Ji’s tears and mucus mixed together as he cried hysterically.
Xu Yi sighed helplessly. After releasing him, he took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.
“Wipe your face.”
Li Ji stopped crying in surprise, looking at him in confusion. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Xu Yi replied, “Why should I be afraid of you? Would you randomly attack people?”
“I… I wouldn’t.” Li Ji shook his head, saying he never thought he’d have the strength to cut down Sun Shitong.
Xu Yi hadn’t witnessed the scene himself, so he could only sympathize with Li Ji’s circumstances. He told Li Ji that since he had cut someone down, he should face himself honestly and turn himself in, for him, this might be the better outcome.
Li Ji stared blankly. He seemed to have listened, yet also seemed not to have absorbed it.
But he could tell that Xu Yi didn’t want to take him as an apprentice.
He wiped his tears and snot. His clothes were covered in stiffened, congealed bloodstains that wouldn’t wipe off. Li Ji asked Xu Yi, “When I leave, will you report me?”
Xu Yi shook his head.
…
When Xu Yi entered the house, he saw Ah Jin holding a knife, nervously staring at the door.
Seeing it was Xu Yi who entered, Ah Jin quickly put down the knife and ran over. “Young master!”
“Young master, I heard.” Her small face was tense, as if she had made some kind of resolution.
But Xu Yi was very calm.
“Ah Jin, there’s nothing to fear. He’s already left and won’t appear again.” Xu Yi looked at Ah Jin, whose brow was furrowed with worry, and smiled faintly.
The fact that the person Li Ji had cut down was Doctor Sun quickly spread throughout South Street.
Some felt unfortunate for Sun Shitong. Cases of apprentices killing their masters were rare, but not unheard of. For such a kind-hearted person as Doctor Sun to encounter such an ungrateful apprentice was truly terrible luck.
But others thought Sun Shitong deserved it.
If he hadn’t been so excessive, why would Li Ji have been driven to attack him in anger? He must have pushed the man to that extreme.
The two groups each held to their arguments, quarreling without reaching a conclusion. Instead, they learned news from the notice posted at the city gate:
Li Ji had escaped from the city.
This outcome was something no one had expected.
Because of this, Pan Wenji, as the county sheriff handling various criminal cases, became so busy he didn’t even have time to visit his friend’s house for tea.
Just because the man had a knife, no one dared approach, and they watched him flee right before their eyes?
Hearing this was the reason the criminal had escaped from the county town, Pan Wenji was so angry he could barely breathe.
He gave the runners who had gone to arrest Li Ji a thorough scolding and ordered them to immediately search the countryside everywhere. They must find the man.
When Xu Yi learned this news, he was taking the medicinal herbs stored in his room out to the courtyard to dry again. He and Zhang Tiegou stood on either side of the wooden rack. Zhang Tiegou said that even the villagers of Baili Village knew about this matter.
Zhang Tiegou said, “My uncle is worried the criminal will come to the village, so he had the villagers surround the village entrance with wooden fences. Every day, two strong men take turns standing guard.”
Xu Yi replied, “He won’t go to Baili Village.”
“How do you know?” Zhang Tiegou asked, puzzled. “My uncle came back from the county town and said this criminal killed the doctor who taught him medicine.”
Such a vicious person, if they couldn’t catch him, he’d surely become a bandit.
Xu Yi sighed softly. He wondered about the probability of Li Ji becoming a bandit.
That day when Li Ji fled, Xu Yi had softened and showed him a way out.
If he could survive, perhaps they would have a chance to meet again in the future.
But this wasn’t good to tell others.
Xu Yi changed the subject. “Have you thought about studying the Thousand Character Classic?”
“Huh? How did you know?” Zhang Tiegou looked at Xu Yi in surprise.
Xu Yi said, “You suddenly came to find me. Besides this reason, is there anything else?”
Zhang Tiegou fell silent. There really wasn’t anything else.
He scratched his head. He hadn’t expected Xu Yi to figure out so quickly why he had come. He was still very hesitant.
Making him learn to read was too difficult. Zhang Tiegou said with a mournful face, “Can I just learn half the book? Making me learn a thousand characters is too many.”
Xu Yi was speechless.
The Thousand Character Classic was the current primer reading material. Only after reading it could one barely be considered “not completely uneducated.”
Xu Yi said quietly, “Although I’d like to agree with you, this is like our previous wager, a gentleman’s word is his bond.”
Zhang Tiegou felt regretful.
If he couldn’t reduce it by half, the question returned to the beginning: should he study the Thousand Character Classic or not?
Xu Yi told him to think it over slowly, especially since once he decided, there would be no chance to go back on it.
This time, Zhang Tiegou stayed at the Xu household for half a day. He tasted chicken noodles made by Ah Xu and left wanting more.
He said that next time he came, he would bring two wild chickens for Ah Xu.
Ah Xu said quietly, “Could you bring wild rabbits?”
Zhang Tiegou replied without thinking, “Sure, I’ll bring them when I catch some wild rabbits.”
Only after speaking did he ask Ah Xu why he wanted wild rabbits.
Ah Xu told him, “I want to learn new dishes. The young master said delicious food can’t always be the same, you need to learn balanced meal combinations, because eating only one type of food long-term will cause problems for the human body.”
Zhang Tiegou was struck dumb. Perhaps he really should study the Thousand Character Classic.
Otherwise, before long, he wouldn’t even understand half of what Ah Xu was saying.
“If you have time for idle chat, you might as well help,” Xu Yi said, looking at them. “There are still many Digestive Pills to prepare. Brother Zhang, since you rarely come by, why not join us?”
Zhang Tiegou fell silent.
He felt something was off about Xu Yi’s words. He had come with such difficulty, shouldn’t he be received with good tea and water? How did it turn into being put to work?
But seeing the look Xu Yi cast his way, Zhang Tiegou instinctively agreed.
When he started pounding medicinal ingredients again with “thud thud thud” sounds, Zhang Tiegou came to his senses and gritted his teeth. It must be because he had read too little.
He had completely forgotten.
He’d never studied at all!
–
One day, two days…
Regarding the case of Doctor Sun’s murder, the fugitive Li Ji still hadn’t been captured and brought to justice.
He seemed to have vanished into thin air. All the villages and mountain forests around the county town had been searched, but they simply couldn’t find Li Ji.
Now the weather was gradually growing colder, with even greater temperature differences between day and night in the wilderness. In the early morning, dewdrops on the roadside weeds could condense into frost beads. Fewer and fewer people went up the mountain.
Xu Yi also stopped going up the mountain.
Ah Xu and Ah Jin put on new cotton-padded jackets made by Madam He. The robes made from soft cotton cloth felt especially soft and comfortable. After putting on the clothes, they happily led Little Huang around South Street several times.
The neighbors who knew them all praised how good-looking the clothes they wore were.
But there were also those who, after returning home, sarcastically remarked that Xu Yi didn’t know how to manage a household, treating bought servants so well, and to be careful that outsiders don’t steal from the family.
Theft hadn’t occurred, but Ah Jin now dared to contradict Xu Yi.
Ah Jin looked at Xu Yi and said with pursed lips, “Young master, we have new clothes now. We don’t need to make new quilts.”
Making quilts was a major undertaking, not something done casually.
The quilts she and her brother currently used were left behind by Xu Yi’s parents. Xu Yi felt these quilts had grown hard from long use and weren’t warm, so he wanted to replace them all.
As a result, these two little ones took the money to the ready-made clothing shop to buy cotton, but only bought enough to make Xu Yi’s quilt. They didn’t spend the remaining money.
“The young master doesn’t lack money, but having money doesn’t mean spending it like this. If the young master feels bad about not making us new quilts, then Ah Jin has a solution that won’t wrong us.”
Ah Jin spoke quite reasonably, pointing to the extra basket of kapok cotton and telling Xu Yi:
“The old cotton and new cotton can be beaten together to become new cotton. We only need this one basket.”
Xu Yi was speechless.
What more could Xu Yi say? Naturally, he let them have their way.
Seeing that Xu Yi had agreed, Ah Jin happily carried the cotton into the house. She was skillful and had a natural talent for needlework. She could use a needle to pick apart and remove the thread sewn on the outside of the quilt, add new cotton, beat it evenly with a stick, then sew the thread back up.
Looking at it this way, Ah Xu and Ah Jin really didn’t need to make new quilts.
Xu Yi didn’t interfere further and left the house.
As he came out, he saw a middle-aged man anxiously looking around outside the courtyard. Seeing Xu Yi emerge, the man called out happily, “Doctor Xu.”
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow and went over to open the gate for him.
The middle-aged man spoke very quickly. “I’ve finally found Doctor Xu’s place. When my master returned home and learned of this, he immediately sent me to invite you to come.”
As the household steward, he had been assigned a small sedan chair for outings.
Unfortunately, this sedan chair was rather small and could only accommodate one person. Since he had come to request Xu Yi for a house call, the sedan chair would naturally be for Xu Yi to ride.
Xu Yi got in with his medicine chest on his back, but before long, he asked to get out.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, the sedan chair swayed too much, making him feel like vomiting up his breakfast.
Since he wouldn’t ride in the sedan chair, the middle-aged man accompanied him on foot.
During their conversation, Xu Yi learned which household he would be visiting.
In the county town, there were four great wealthy landlords: the Xin family, the Xing family, the Tao family, and the Tan family. Besides these, there were quite a few other families that appeared low-key but were actually members of the upper class.
The master the middle-aged man served wasn’t from the county town, but was the county school instructor who had come from the prefectural city to take up his post.
The county school instructor was an academic official responsible for temple sacrifices and educating affiliated students. He had the power of life and death over students, meaning scholars. If a student’s conduct was improper or morally deficient, he had the authority to strip them of their academic titles.
Therefore, even though he was just an instructor, his status in the county town was quite high. When those wealthy and powerful people encountered him, they had to be respectful and deferential, fearing that any misstep might ruin the prospects of the younger generation in their clan.
The middle-aged man’s surname was Fang, following his master’s surname. Stewards in scholarly households like this were almost all indentured servants who served the master’s family their entire lives. Even their sons and daughters would find positions in the main residence.
Steward Fang said, “My master prefers quiet. After coming to the county town to assume the position of instructor, he’s been living in the estate behind the county school. Doctor Xu, are you sure you won’t ride in the sedan chair?”
Xu Yi replied, “My legs are strong enough. Steward Fang, you needn’t worry about me. You should ride in the sedan chair.”
Steward Fang waved his hand, saying he could still manage.
…
Although the county school was within the county town, it was far from the bustling streets and markets, situated in the northern suburbs. The northern suburbs had clear mountains and beautiful waters. Each courtyard in the county school had different scenery. Behind the mountain was a bamboo forest, entered by stone steps. The estate was halfway up the mountain, truly secluded and quiet.
At the foot of the mountain, Steward Fang was panting heavily from exhaustion, breaking out in a layer of sweat despite the cold weather. Xu Yi urged him to ride the sedan chair, and this time he no longer insisted on accompanying him.
When the sedan bearers carried the chair to the estate gate, Steward Fang went forward to knock on the door.
The servant who came to open the door respectfully called him “Uncle Fang” upon seeing him, then said, “Just now the master was still asking about Uncle Fang, and you’ve returned. Did you find the doctor?”
As he spoke, he saw Steward Fang step aside and invite Xu Yi to enter the estate.
The servant saw someone about his own age and was stunned for a long time. When he came to his senses, he saw that the doctor had already followed Steward Fang inside.
“Strange, why did Uncle Fang find such a young doctor?”
He wasn’t the only one with this thought. Steward Fang brought Xu Yi to the covered corridor at the back of the estate, where they encountered Old Woman Qin from the rear courtyard.
Old Woman Qin was the stewardess of the eastern wing. Ordinarily, the eldest young master’s food, clothing, and daily life were all under her management. But the eldest young master had been in poor health since birth, always at risk of dying young. As the stewardess in charge, she worked in constant trepidation, afraid that one night the eldest young master would simply pass away in his sleep.
Regarding the household summoning doctors, she had always been concerned and would always ask a few extra questions.
Seeing only Steward Fang bringing someone over, she naturally stopped them to ask a couple of questions.
Old Woman Qin asked, “Is this the new doctor you’ve hired?”
Steward Fang replied, “This is Doctor Xu, whom the master asked me to invite.” Having answered her question, he asked Old Woman Qin, “Is the master at the eastern wing?”
“He’s at the eastern wing…” Old Woman Qin looked with a subtle expression at the doctor behind him, hesitating as she muttered quietly, “Can this person treat illness? If something happens to the eldest young master, wouldn’t that be…”
Steward Fang’s face turned cold. “Old Woman Qin, mind your words.”
Old Woman Qin smiled awkwardly, not daring to continue speaking. She just moved her doubts from her face to her heart, thinking she should let the mistress know. This concerned the eldest young master’s health, they couldn’t be careless.
While she headed toward the mistress’s courtyard, on the other side, Steward Fang had already brought Xu Yi through the gate of the eastern wing’s courtyard.
In the courtyard, two maids were cleaning. Seeing people arrive, they stopped to bow in greeting.
Steward Fang waved his hand, signaling them to continue, and took Xu Yi directly to the door of the main room of the eastern wing.
“Doctor Xu, please wait a moment. I’ll be right back.” After saying this, Steward Fang lifted the curtain and went inside. Before long, he came out again and called for Xu Yi to enter.
“The master and the eldest young master are both inside. Doctor Xu, please come in.”
Upon entering the room, Xu Yi saw a child with a complexion as white as congealed fat and pale lips sitting obediently in a chair. He wore a silk robe with subtle patterns woven into it, and around his neck was wrapped a snow-white fur scarf. His short legs couldn’t reach the floor, so they swung slightly. A pair of bright, spirited eyes looked over.
The two made eye contact, and the child spoke first. “Are you Doctor Xu?”
Xu Yi replied, “That’s correct.”
The child continued, “Those who came to treat me before were all white-bearded grandfathers. You’re so young, can you really treat illness?”
Xu Yi smiled. “It depends on what kind of illness.”
The child wanted to say something more when a young man walked out from behind the screen.
“Father.” The child turned his head and called out.
The young man appeared to be in his early thirties, wearing a tall hat and a water-green wide-sleeved robe. His face was clean-shaven, and his demeanor was refined and scholarly, yet he naturally carried the dignified authority of a teacher.
He first patted the child’s head, then his gaze fell on Xu Yi as he said, “I am Fang Chuliang, currently serving as instructor at Yanting County School.”
Xu Yi nodded, replying neither humbly nor arrogantly, “I am Xu Yi, a traveling physician. The steward said Instructor Fang requested my services for a house call. Is it for this child?”
Fang Chuliang nodded and inquired, “Can Doctor Xu see anything unusual?”
“Not yet,” Xu Yi said. “I still need to conduct an examination.”
Fang Chuliang sighed inwardly. The previous doctors had said the same thing.
“Please proceed.”
Even so, he still held a sliver of hope. What if this Doctor Xu could actually see something different?
As an instructor, he had seen many naturally intelligent individuals, prodigies who showed exceptional qualities from childhood. Therefore, though surprised to see Xu Yi so young, he found it easier to accept than others might.
Xu Yi opened his medicine chest, took out a pulse pillow and placed it on the table, then asked the child to extend his hand.
The child stared at his medicine chest for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Why does your chest contain so many jars? Are they all medicine?”
“Yes.” Xu Yi smiled at him.
The child sighed. “I smell a familiar scent. When I used to drink Four Gentlemen Decoction, it contained baizhu, poria, and licorice, this is that smell.”
Xu Yi was slightly surprised. This child was indeed clever. “What else do you smell?”
The child thought for a moment, then shook his head, saying there were too many and the smell made his head dizzy.
When he said this, Fang Chuliang, standing beside him, was startled and quickly asked, “Ci’er, where do you feel unwell?”
“Father, I’m just dizzy. It’ll pass quickly.” Fang Qiaoci closed his mouth, not wanting to worry his father.
Xu Yi observed this, then raised his hand to take the child’s pulse.
The moment his hand touched Fang Qiaoci’s wrist, his fingertips felt a slight chill. Yet judging from his clothing, this child wore quite a few layers.
With so many clothes on, but still having cold hands, this was a deficiency syndrome.
Carefully examining the pulse, he found it weak, deep, and tight, with fine qi that was intermittent, the qi was blocked and not harmonized.
Xu Yi’s brow furrowed. He asked the child to open his mouth. The child was used to this. Having seen many doctors, he quickly opened his mouth wide, revealing his tongue.
Xu Yi saw a thin white tongue coating, which also matched the symptoms.
He asked, “Does your chest hurt ordinarily?”
“Yes, sometimes it hurts so much that I can’t move my hands and feet, and I feel a bit cold.” As Fang Qiaoci spoke, he looked at Xu Yi and asked, “Have you also determined that I can’t be cured?”
Before his words had even fallen:
“Ci’er…” Fang Chuliang called out, his voice trembling. Seeing the child so sensible and well-behaved, how could his heart not ache?
Fang Qiaoci turned to comfort his father. “Father, I’m used to it. After drinking so much medicine, I’m not as uncomfortable as before.”
Fang Chuliang said, “It’s Father who has failed you, unable to find a good doctor to treat you.”
Fang Qiaoci shook his head, saying it wasn’t Father’s fault. “I was born weak. I’ve brought you and Mother so much worry. Father, don’t be sad, or Mother will cry when she sees you.”
Watching this father and son interaction, Xu Yi interrupted to ask, “Could I see the prescriptions that previous doctors have written?”