Knowing the Warmth of Southern Tea (GL) - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Nan Nuan took up the burden of Qingzhou and began recruiting workers to reinforce the levees, while spending large sums of money to stockpile grain and medicinal herbs. If they weathered the flood, all would be well; if they did not, there would still be means of remedy. With the Healer Immortal Rongrong present, she estimated that no great chaos would erupt.

If the masses have faith, then manipulating them becomes a very simple matter.

However, if this endeavor succeeded—in other words, if the Emperor was satisfied—Nan Nuan would be unable to escape marrying into the Imperial family, regardless of her own will. For a person like Nan Nuan, if she could not be used by the throne, she would have to die; but if this mission failed, she would likewise face death. To others, this might seem like a dead end, but to Nan Nuan, it was merely a small pebble on the road, something to be toyed with for amusement.

Nan Nuan was not one to invite trouble upon herself, nor did she enjoy thankless tasks. Yet, she never regretted her choices. It was because she had once been lost and cold-hearted that she now understood her own desires more clearly. Fortunately, she had met Rongrong and Wen Cha, allowing her to reclaim many things she once thought unimportant.

Nan Nuan requested Gu Zhuang to serve as the overseer. Fearing that Rongrong would be bored staying in the courtyard alone, she arranged for Rongrong to provide free medical consultations to the people of Qingzhou, with Wen Cha assisting and learning by her side. Although this was what Nan Nuan told Rongrong, she was actually utilizing Rongrong to stabilize the hearts of the people. After all, the fame of a Divine Physician is known to all under heaven; it brings hope.

Some people may not possess immense power, yet they can become the vessels for the most beautiful aspirations. Rongrong was such a person—wherever she went, she brought hope.

Back to the matter at hand, Rongrong could not sit idle while looking at the mountains of medicinal herbs piled in the courtyard. She was quite pleased with Nan Nuan’s arrangement. Meanwhile, Gu Zhuang, acting out of a desire to accumulate blessings for Rongrong, went to the levees every day to oversee the work, sometimes even working alongside the laborers. With Zhuang at the levees, he served as both the front line and the rear guard, constantly refining and revising the levee blueprints.

To protect Rongrong’s health, she only held consultations for four hours a day, writing prescriptions and giving away medicine for free. On her very first day, the line stretched incredibly long. Rongrong had resolved plagues three times and held consultations in many different places, but she always displayed a sign with her “Three Refusals”: She would not save those who wished to die, those who had committed murder, or those whose time had truly come.

The people of Qingzhou believed in her immediately upon seeing the “Three Refusals.” Combined with the rumors regarding Rongrong’s appearance, her identity was confirmed. The commoners always welcomed outsiders, let alone an esteemed guest who brought health and well-being.

Fearing that some might intentionally cause trouble, Nan Nuan dispatched two soldiers to protect Rongrong, putting Gu Zhuang’s mind at ease. After all, having only Wen Cha follow Rongrong was indeed a bit unreliable. Rongrong felt that letting a young girl dwell on her own thoughts was a recipe for trouble, so it was better to bring Wen Cha along to teach her medical skills—giving her a few more trump cards for survival.

Thus, Wen Cha began her “happy” life of taking care of her foster mother while studying medicine. Every day, the two would deliver dinner to Zhuang and Nan Nuan at the levees, then head near the city gate for the consultations until packing up at dusk.

Wen Cha could see Nan Nuan every day now, but the two remained speechless when they met; it was almost better not to meet at all. Wen Cha was despondent every day. Initially, she watched Rongrong take pulses, record medical cases, and write prescriptions quite seriously, but later her mind began to wander to parts unknown. She would stare blankly at the sign until Rongrong tapped her. Unwilling to admit she was thinking of Nan Nuan, Wen Cha pointed at the “Three Refusals” sign and asked:

“Mother, why did you establish such a rule?”

“Your Grandmaster made me do it,” Rongrong replied while continuing to organize the medical records. It was already evening, and there were few people left; the people of Qingzhou were unwilling to delay the Divine Physician’s dinner time.

“Ah, I see. Grandmaster must have wanted us to have principles and boundaries,” Wen Cha nodded solemnly, as if she had personally heard the Grandmaster’s teachings.

Rongrong glanced at Wen Cha, patted her head, and said, “Actually, that’s not it. When I first left the mountains to practice medicine, Master said I was too young and feared people wouldn’t believe in my skills. So, he told me to establish the ‘Three Refusals’ to make people more convinced. After all, Divine Physicians must have a certain ‘style’.”

Wen Cha looked at Rongrong in shock. Rongrong looked back at the past quite seriously. Good heavens, so that was the real reason? It was just to trick people into believing she was highly skilled—it was a bluff. Whether the rule existed or not made no difference…

To calm Wen Cha’s mind, Rongrong had her take pulses while she watched from the side to prevent errors. Wen Cha became busy and had no more time to dwell on her troubles. Interacting with patients daily made her much more cheerful.

While diagnosing a little girl, Wen Cha followed the four steps of diagnosis and wrote a prescription, only to find that her foster mother modified it. Wen Cha didn’t ask immediately but moved on to the next patient. From then until dusk, Rongrong never changed Wen Cha’s prescriptions again.

“Mother, why did you change the Ginseng to Codonopsis (Dang Shen)?” Wen Cha asked, puzzled.

“You mean that little girl. Your diagnosis was correct; her tongue was pale with small black spots at the tip, her complexion was sallow, and her body was frail. It is indeed a deficiency of Qi and blood, and the focus should be on tonifying Qi. But she is just a little girl, still very young. Ginseng is too potent and not gentle enough. I feared her body was too weak to absorb such a heavy supplement, so I swapped it for the gentler Codonopsis.” Rongrong explained her reasoning.

Wen Cha thought about it and realized it was true. “But Ginseng provides a much stronger Qi boost!”

“Ginseng is too much of a burden for them. Although we are providing the herbs now, it is not a long-term solution. In the future, they will have to bear the cost themselves. Since the effects are similar, why not do something to lighten their burden?” Rongrong asked in return, only to hear the sound of clapping behind them.

“Indeed. Since the effects are the same, why not use cheaper herbs? Perhaps the cheaper one is more ‘suitable’.” Rongrong and Wen Cha turned around to see Jiang Gai. At this moment, Rongrong did not yet know that Jiang Gai was the elder brother of her daughter’s future husband… Wen Cha looked at Jiang Gai with vigilance.

And whether Jiang Gai’s “suitable” referred to the herbs or the person buying them was a very interesting question.

“Please, do not be nervous. I am Jiang Gai. I have had the pleasure of meeting Miss Wen once before. I have come today to catch a glimpse of the Healer Immortal. Since I was a child, my father has admired the Healer Immortal’s character. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation,” Jiang Gai said with a smile.

“Your father? May I ask his name?”

“My father is Jiang Yi, courtesy name Yin-zhi.”

“You are the son of Jiang Yi? My husband’s former colleague?”

“Precisely so.” The two began to catch up. Jiang Gai was incredibly smooth in social circles; if he wanted to please someone or gain their affection, it was no difficult task. Furthermore, the woman before him was effectively his father’s savior; back then…

The three walked together, with the soldiers following behind. Rongrong and Jiang Gai chatted the whole way, while Wen Cha followed like a piece of furniture, feeling as though she had lost her status as the favorite. It wasn’t until they reached the residence that Jiang Gai took his leave.

Jiang Gai finally understood why Rongrong was the “pure moonlight” in the hearts of so many.

Because she was worth it.