Picked Up a Sickly Little Husband - Chapter 2

With the osmanthus candy as a successful start, the subsequent rice porridge went down remarkably smoothly. Xie Ling fed the porridge to Shen Ziqiu, then, without a hint of distaste, drank the remaining dregs from the bowl.

Xie Ling placed his fingers on Shen Ziqiu’s slender wrist, holding his breath as he took the pulse. Shen Ziqiu’s skin was so pale that the bluish-purple veins beneath were clearly visible, like winding streams. The pulse, which should have been strong and steady, now throbbed sluggishly and slowly—still the same weak, sinking rhythm as before.

Even though the fever had broken, Shen Ziqiu’s condition remained critical. Xie Ling silently vowed, Wait for me. Just hold on for one more day.

[ Alright, I’ll wait for you… Doctor Xie. ]

Shen Ziqiu’s inner voice grew even weaker. Xie Ling knew he couldn’t delay any longer. He tucked the blanket securely around the sick man and stepped out of the room.

He placed two rabbits he had caught in traps recently into his back basket, added some herbs he’d gathered from the mountains, and set off.

It took Xie Ling about an hour to descend the mountain and reach the village. This was the first time he hadn’t stayed on the outskirts but walked directly onto the main road of Xiejia Village.

Soon, someone spotted him and jeered, “Hey, you stinking mute! We told you to crawl into the deep mountains and stay there. Why are you back? What if your deafness is contagious!”

The newcomer clearly recognized the original owner of the body. Xie Ling couldn’t hear the words clearly, but he could read lips.

He had once treated a young patient with a lifelong hearing impairment. To better communicate with the child and help them integrate into society, Xie Ling had specifically learned lip-reading to teach the patient.

Thus, Xie Ling saw the newcomer’s lip movements with perfect clarity. But he had no desire to waste his time on someone so insignificant, Shen Ziqiu was still waiting for treatment. He couldn’t afford to linger. So, Xie Ling feigned deafness, ignoring the man and walking straight toward the pharmacy.

Xie Fushun, stunned that the usually weak and timid Xie Ling would dare to ignore him, stepped forward to teach him a lesson. But before he could get close, Xie Ling threw a handful of powder in his face. Xie Fushun instinctively raised his hands to block it. By the time he regained his senses, Xie Ling had vanished, and his skin was already beginning to itch uncontrollably.

Xie Ling had thrown crushed nettles, which he’d gathered while foraging for herbs in the mountains and stored in a cloth pouch after grinding them with a stone pestle. Originally meant to treat insect bites and snake wounds, the powder now served as a perfect deterrent against Xie Fushun.

Heh, you deaf bastard. Now he’s trying to catch it too.

Xie Ling sneered. It seems the man’s deafness didn’t rub off on him, but his brain must have caught something else.

“Ah, Deaf Xie. You got any money? Why’d you come to the pharmacy?”

A young apprentice emerged from the pharmacy. Everyone in the village knew Xie Ling was an orphan with bad hearing. Though he could vaguely hear some things, he often misunderstood them, and over time, the villagers began to despise him.

Another one calling me deaf. But saving a life was more important. Xie Ling suppressed the urge to twist the apprentice’s head. “I brought some herbs and rabbits to trade for wound-treating medicines.”

The apprentice was surprised Xie Ling had actually understood him, but his expression remained disdainful. “You can trade for some of the cheaper herbs, but you probably can’t afford the consultation fee for a prescription.”

Prescribing medicine? That’s my specialty, Xie Ling thought. “No matter. I can write my own prescription.”

The apprentice, of course, didn’t believe him. He led Xie Ling to Doctor Li, hoping to see him make a fool of himself. “Master,” he said snidely, “Xie Ling says he can write his own prescription so he doesn’t have to pay the consultation fee.”

Doctor Li stroked his graying beard. He was a man of renowned kindness in Xiejia Village. “Xie Ling, I see you’ve fallen on hard times. Tell me your symptoms, and I’ll write you a prescription. You can pay me for it later, when you’re back on your feet.”

Xie Ling hadn’t expected the apprentice’s arrogance, but he was grateful for Doctor Li’s gentleness. He bowed deeply and said sincerely, “Thank you, Doctor Li. I have little to my name and cannot afford any medicinal herbs. But I have a prescription here. Could I trade it for seven doses of medicine?”

The apprentice spoke up first. “What kind of scrap of a prescription are you trying to swindle us with? My master is kind, but don’t push your luck!”

Doctor Li, however, didn’t dismiss Xie Ling. “What is this prescription for? Let me hear it.”

Shen Ziqiu’s injuries were severe. Xie Ling knew that a conventional prescription wouldn’t be enough. He had to take a risk. “It’s for treating severe injuries and deficiency of both qi and blood. I need one raw aconite root, one and a half taels of dried ginger, two taels of prepared licorice root, half a tael of raw Sichuan aconite root, and one tael of processed pinellia tuber.”

The apprentice sneered, his upturned eyes narrowing with contempt as he looked at Xie Ling. “The Bencao clearly states the Eighteen Antagonisms: Banxia and Loulu are incompatible; Beimu and Jiu clash; Zao and Ji are opposed to Sui and Yuan; and various Shen and Xin herbs rebel against Lilu. This is the most basic of prescription taboos! Yet you’ve paired processed pinellia tuber with raw Sichuan aconite root—and not just any aconite, but the most toxic raw form!”

The apprentice snorted and turned to Doctor Li. “Master, I told you he doesn’t know his prescriptions! He’s just trying to kill the patient!”

Doctor Li remained silent for a long moment, carefully considering Xie Ling’s formula. “Xie Ling, he is correct. These two herbs are indeed incompatible. Did you perhaps misname one of them?”

Xie Ling replied calmly, “Doctor Li, the ancients said, ‘To treat a great poison, one must use a great poison to attack it.’ The person I am trying to save is severely injured. Raw Sichuan aconite root can relieve pain, sedate, strengthen the heart, and warm the meridians. An appropriate dose of processed pinellia tuber can neutralize its toxicity. Therefore, this prescription is correct.”

In his past life, Xie Ling’s graduate thesis had been on the effects of aconite and processed pinellia tuber on heart failure. Though they were considered incompatible, processed pinellia tuber could actually decompose the alkaloids in aconite. With the correct dosage, even a poison could become a divine medicine in a doctor’s hands.

“Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never seen anyone use medicine like that! You’re just—”

“Stop,” Doctor Li interrupted his young apprentice. “Xiao Zhao, go to the medicine cabinet and get Xie Ling the herbs he asked for.”

The apprentice protested, “But Master, how can you actually give them to him? What he said is clearly wrong!”

Doctor Li shook his head, praising Xie Ling without reserve. “When used correctly, even incompatible herbs can have a synergistic effect. Xie Ling, this prescription of yours is truly brilliant!”

With Doctor Li’s endorsement, the apprentice had no choice but to dejectedly go fetch the herbs.

Xie Ling cupped his hands in thanks. He set down his basket, took out the items he had brought, and handed them to Doctor Li. “Thank you for trusting me, Doctor Li. I’ve brought you some rabbits I caught and herbs I gathered. They may not be worth much, but I hope you’ll accept them.”

Doctor Li glanced into the basket, and his eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected to find truly fresh herbs. Even his own apprentice could only recognize a few common ones and couldn’t tell the difference between weeds and medicinal plants in the wild.

Earlier, he had assumed Xie Ling had simply come across a lucky prescription. Now, he realized Xie Ling possessed genuine medical knowledge. In fact, his foundation in medicine seemed to be exceptionally strong.

Xiao Zhao would be finishing his apprenticeship in two days and returning to his original village to get married. He had only learned the basics and wouldn’t truly inherit Doctor Li’s legacy.

Doctor Li, now older, naturally hoped for a closed-door disciple who could carry on his work. Thus, he had the idea to take on a new apprentice: “Xie Ling, are you willing to become my disciple?”

Xie Ling was just placing the medicine Xiao Zhao had prepared into his basket. He wanted to refuse, he didn’t want to be entangled with Xiejia Village.

But as he put the herbs in, he saw osmanthus petals scattered at the bottom of the basket. Pressed by the weight of the medicine, the petals had left a transparent imprint.

That newly picked-up, sickly Ge’er…

Xie Ling swallowed the refusal he was about to say and decisively performed the apprenticeship ceremony. “Xie Ling is willing to become your student, Master.”

Doctor Li’s eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled. “Good, good, good.”

He finally had a disciple willing to seriously study medicine.

Doctor Li brought out a red cloth bundle from inside the house. “This is this master’s gift to you for becoming my disciple. I hope you can save the person you want to save.”

Xie Ling took it and unfolded the red cloth. To his surprise, it was a fifteen-year-old ginseng root. With the ginseng to boost his qi, the chances of saving Shen Ziqiu would be much higher. Moved, he said, “Thank you, Master. I will head home immediately to save him and return in a week.”

“Good, go on.”

On the mountain path back, Xie Ling took a treacherous shortcut.

The rain from the previous night had left the trail muddy and slick. The already narrow path was now treacherous, forcing him to scramble along, clinging to exposed rocks. His straw sandals were caked in yellow mud.

Few ever walked this route. The ground was unstable, and dew-laden grass constantly obscured his vision.

What should have been a continuous path had been washed away by the rain, creating a gap. Xie Ling’s foot slipped, and he tumbled. The medicinal herbs in his back basket scattered everywhere. Fortunately, they were wrapped in oil paper and hadn’t mixed with the mud. A searing pain shot through his ankle, and several deep scratches from mountain vines tore across his face as he fell.

Xie Ling tore a strip of cloth from his clothing, gritted his teeth against the pain, and wrapped his ankle tightly. He gathered the scattered herbs, hoisted his basket, and picked up a fallen branch to limp forward.

Someone was waiting for him. He had to hurry.

The mountain path that usually took an hour was covered by Xie Ling in just over half that time. He pushed open the door to find Shen Ziqiu lying silently on the bed. When Xie Ling took his pulse, he found the skin abnormally cold and the heartbeat so faint it was barely detectable.

Xie Ling gritted his teeth and cursed, “You promised to wait for me, and this is the hellish state you’re in?”

Doctor Xie, don’t be angry. I tried my best.

Seeing that Shen Ziqiu was still conscious enough to try and comfort him, Xie Ling hurriedly pulled a red cloth bundle from his robes. He cut off a small piece of ginseng root and crushed it with a mortar, intending to feed it to Shen Ziqiu.

But at this moment, Shen Ziqiu had truly lost all strength. He lay completely motionless, looking every bit like a dead man.

Xie Ling couldn’t bear to watch him die before his eyes. “I’m just trying to feed you medicine. If you feel your purity has been compromised, you can settle the score with me when you wake up. If you don’t mind… I’m willing to take responsibility for you and marry you as my husband.”

Xie Ling placed the crushed ginseng in his own mouth. With one hand, he forced Shen Ziqiu’s jaw open. Having no other option, he placed his index finger between Shen Ziqiu’s teeth to keep his mouth ajar. Then, leaning over, he pressed his lips to Shen Ziqiu’s and transferred the ginseng into his mouth.

Shen Ziqiu couldn’t control himself, his teeth closing. Xie Ling’s index finger was bitten, but he didn’t withdraw.

His tongue pushed the ginseng deeper. Shen Ziqiu’s soft, limp tongue pressed against his lower jaw. With each push, their tongues inevitably touched, feeling the slight roughness. The unique herbal fragrance of the ginseng mingled with the metallic scent of blood, spreading through their mouths.

Perhaps Xie Ling’s actions had startled Shen Ziqiu so much that he unconsciously swallowed, taking down both the ginseng and Xie Ling’s blood.

Seeing Shen Ziqiu swallow, Xie Ling pulled away from his lips. His index finger, now coated in transparent saliva, was withdrawn.

He took his basket to the small kitchen, brewed a bowl of pitch-black medicine, and brought it back into the room. Fortunately, the liquid medicine didn’t require a repeat of the earlier ordeal. Though Shen Ziqiu choked a few times, he was fed successfully.

In fact, both raw and processed aconite could be used in Xie Ling’s prescription. While raw aconite had a shorter duration of action, its effects were more potent, making it more suitable for Shen Ziqiu’s current condition.

But raw Sichuan aconite root was far more toxic than processed aconite. With Shen Ziqiu so weak, Xie Ling couldn’t be entirely sure of the outcome. He could only stay by Shen Ziqiu’s bedside. Exhausted from hunger and a full day’s journey on the mountain road, Xie Ling drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

In his dream, before he even opened his eyes, he felt a cool hand stroking the scar on his face.

“Doctor Xie, how did you get hurt?”

Shen Ziqiu was awake!

Xie Ling jolted awake with a start, his eyes snapping open. At such close range, he saw Shen Ziqiu carefully examining the scar on his face.

For the first time, Xie Ling saw Shen Ziqiu’s eyes up close. His pupils were incredibly light, like the fading evening clouds at the horizon or a piece of translucent glass. But this glass was not fragile. While the sleeping Shen Ziqiu had seemed like a delicate, ailing beauty, the man who had just opened his eyes now possessed a certain resilience.

He watched as Shen Ziqiu touched his own face first, then gradually reached into Xie Ling’s embrace. Failing to find the osmanthus candy he was looking for, and only feeling Xie Ling’s firm, hard chest, Shen Ziqiu sat up in bed. His lips were still swollen from the day before, and his eyes held a silent, aggrieved accusation.

“Liar!”

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