r18novel Chapter 49 The Treacherous Nature of Human Hearts, News of the Precious Medicine
Chapter 49 The Treacherous Nature of Human Hearts, News of the Precious Medicine
"Young master, what's in the gift box?"
Upon arriving at the entrance of Huichuntang, Zhuang Hongxiu could no longer hold back and asked.
If you look closely, you can see a hint of unease in her eyes and a complex expression.
"Open it and take a look."
Li Xin smiled.
"You actually watched it?"
Zhuang Hongxiu had long been unable to contain her curiosity.
Before leaving, the young master mysteriously handed over the gift box, telling me to carry it. He said it wouldn't be appropriate to arrive empty-handed, since his master had a close personal relationship with Doctor Yang of Huichuntang, and he had to be polite.
But there weren't any suitable gifts at home; anything too expensive wouldn't be appropriate, and anything too cheap wouldn't be appreciated.
"Suzhou embroidery?"
Zhuang Hongxiu opened a corner of the gift box and whispered.
Her eyes were full of confusion.
This is a precious item that I personally bought from Jinxiufang a couple of days ago. I thought the young master was going to give it to my senior sister, Cheng Feiyan.
"Where is Senior Sister Cheng?"
"Senior Sister is always fighting and killing, it's not appropriate for her to wear this," Li Xin laughed. "You haven't seen your Fifteenth Aunt in a long time either, it wouldn't be good to come empty-handed."
"Young Master."
Zhuang Hongxiu's eyes were slightly red.
"Actually, I have seen her before. Aunt Zhen came to my house before the New Year and brought a lot of things, which my aunt accepted... She knows that my family is now in dire straits, so it doesn't matter if she comes empty-handed now."
"I don't care what you did before, but now that you're with me, you can't embarrass me when we're out and about."
Li Xin shook his head and said, "Also, that painting is Tang Bohu's Autumn Wind Painting, which my elder brother casually picked up from Yang Tongpan's house."
I heard that your fifteenth uncle, Yang Shoucheng, is quite passionate about calligraphy and painting; giving him this is a way of catering to his interests.
"Young Master, your uncle has a few excellent medicinal herbs that greatly replenish qi and blood. He usually keeps them hidden away like precious treasures and is reluctant to take them out. I'll have a good talk with Aunt Zhen about it later."
Zhuang Hongxiu wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes and said with a smile.
Judging from her menacing appearance, she was probably about to pull out all the stops to rob someone.
This relative.
"it is good."
Li Xin chuckled and nodded.
We entered Huichuntang.
Li Xin looked around and saw a young apprentice, about fifteen or sixteen years old, frantically preparing medicine.
Sitting behind the counter was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a thick beard.
The man's eyebrows were furrowed into a deep frown as he took the pulse of a young man next to him.
The young man glanced at the doctor's face, his lips trembling with fear, and hurriedly asked, "D-Doctor, am I going to die?"
"It's nothing serious, just a lack of energy in the meridians, a deficiency of vital energy, and a coldness in the lower abdomen. A few doses of medicine will do the trick."
The doctor, with a stern face, said in a deep voice.
"What?"
The pale-faced young man was completely bewildered and didn't understand.
Zhuang Hongxiu, standing nearby, chuckled softly, covering her mouth. She turned her face away, her shoulders twitching slightly.
"What exactly do you mean? Doctor, please explain clearly, otherwise I dare not take this medicine. If it causes any problems, I'll be in big trouble."
Li Xin coughed lightly and said, "Is it possible? Doctor Yang has already explained it very clearly. He said you have kidney deficiency, that you can't go on, and that you should take medicine and go home to rest."
"Who's no good? Who's no good? Quite the quack, I'm not seeing him anymore, he's completely inaccurate."
The young man immediately blushed, cursing and swearing, and stopped getting his medicine. He turned and ran straight to the door, nearly tripping over the threshold.
"How can you avoid seeking medical treatment because you're afraid of your illness?"
Li Xin sighed, then chuckled. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, "Dr. Yang, don't look at me like that. I'm not sick, and I don't need your pulse taken. However, the medicine still needs to be prescribed."
"I know you're not sick. Your face glows with health, your muscles and bones are strong, and your vital energy is extremely abundant. Only your qi and blood are slightly deficient, clearly due to over-practicing, resulting in a deficit. That's easy to fix..."
"Please wait on the medicine prescription. Madam, Madam, Hongxiu has arrived."
Yang Shoucheng shouted at the top of his lungs.
The sound had barely faded when the curtain was lifted and a slightly plump, beautiful woman walked out. She immediately saw Zhuang Hongxiu and froze on the spot.
Before she could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face. "Red Girl, last time I brought you here, you refused. I told you long ago that your aunt is a scoundrel, sigh..."
"Aunt Zhen."
Zhuang Hongxiu couldn't hold back her tears and burst into tears.
The two held hands, looked at each other, and went into the house while talking.
A little while later, Aunt Zhen came out and somewhat embarrassedly invited Li Xin into the inner room for tea.
She didn't forget to criticize Dr. Yang a few times.
The two walked to the side and whispered a few words to each other. When they looked at Li Xin again, their eyes became slightly strange.
It was eerie, yet also carried a touch of warmth.
"Come, come, have some tea. My dear nephew, this gift is far too precious. Wait a moment..."
"They're just some toys, nothing much, Uncle Yang and Aunt Liang, please don't be so polite. Besides, Hongxiu brought them, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."
"Alright, we'll always cherish Hongxiu, it's just a pity about her family..."
At this point, the group sighed again.
It's best not to say any more.
Li Xin knew that it was nothing more than Zhuang Hongxiu's family falling into poverty and her mother passing away...
Because of the pretense of filial piety, he was kept at home by the eldest wife of the Zhuang family, forced to work outside to earn money, and subjected to her torment.
Life was very hard.
It's likely that Yang Shouchang's family had considered bringing Zhuang Hongxiu out of the country.
However, the other party's wife, who was in charge of the household, pressured him with the idea of upholding justice, and so the matter was delayed.
Ultimately, after experiencing a major upheaval, Hongxiu came to understand some things and made up her mind to sever ties with that family.
Otherwise, if this continues, they will eventually perish.
After talking for a while, we got down to business.
"Nephew, I actually know the recipe for your Nourishing Vitality Soup."
Brother Yuanhua is a very generous person, and I admire him greatly.
The beauty of this formula lies in the fact that several of its main ingredients can be substituted. The longer the formula has been stored, the more potent the medicinal properties become, and the better its effect in nourishing blood and replenishing vital energy.
The current difficulty is that the batch of medicinal herbs from Longqing Trading Company is stuck in Heihu Village, Chaoyangou, and has not yet been able to reach Beijing.
There is a shortage of auxiliary medicines now, especially Rehmannia glutinosa and donkey-hide gelatin, which are in short supply.
Therefore, I can only prescribe twelve doses of medicine at Huichuntang this time. If you want more, you'll have to go to other clinics to get it.
"Is this old ginseng? I've heard that the older the ginseng and lingzhi in a prescription, the better. Uncle Yang, do you know of any family that has such excellent medicinal herbs?"
"My best ingredient is an eighty-year-old ginseng. I used it all to write a prescription... I can't accept this. Nephew, aren't you slapping me in the face? This is a gift for Hongxiu."
As he spoke, Yang Shoucheng blushed, puffed out his beard, and glared, refusing to accept the money no matter what.
After some back and forth, they still didn't take the money.
Having finally managed to pick up where the topic left off, Yang Shoucheng shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Originally, it was somewhat unethical to reveal the secrets of other clinics, but since we're talking behind closed doors, there are fewer taboos."
"Uncle Yang, please speak."
"Yong'an Hall should have a Ganoderma lucidum that is 180 years old. Don't go there directly to ask; they won't admit it anyway."
"I would like to hear the details."
Last May, after my old friend Chen Yutian returned from collecting medicinal herbs, he excitedly sought me out to appraise them.
The two Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms were enormous, with dragon-patterned purple leaves. I was so tempted by them... but I didn't have enough money to buy them for the time being.
After I had raised the money, I went to find him again, only to discover that my old friend had met a tragic end; his house had been burned down. Later, three skeletons of varying sizes were found in his house.
This unsolved case was beyond explanation even in the government offices. I sensed something was amiss at the time, so I didn't dare mention the medicinal herbs.
I thought this matter might remain a mystery, and no one would ever know its secrets again.
At the beginning of this year, on Li Zhongtang's birthday, he received a century-old dragon-patterned Ganoderma lucidum. Simultaneously, Qi Yunfang, the owner of Yong'an Hall who gave the gift, saw his status rise dramatically. His clinic's reputation soared, and its doors were constantly being knocked down.
"I see."
Li Xin understood this perfectly.
Human nature is treacherous...
No one knows what kind of heart some people hide beneath their sanctimonious exterior.
Chen Yutian originally thought he would make a fortune, but the secret was leaked.
Instead of achieving great success, he brought about the extermination of his entire family.
If Yong'an Hall can give away a century-old Ganoderma lucidum, it most likely also has another century-old Ganoderma lucidum in its possession.
Yang Shoucheng's guess was actually not wrong.
This substance is a holy medicine for replenishing blood. If added to a nourishing decoction, it will surely cause blood and qi to surge and vital energy to be greatly strengthened.
……