Warring States Survival Guide

Chapter 24: Ah Song Ah Song

"A Song, ah, A Song, my poor A Song..."

Asong had just taken the medicine and fell asleep when a dusty woman in her thirties rushed into the Yayoi family. She threw herself beside Asong as she entered the door, holding her little hand tightly and crying, as if she would die if she let go.

It's not her fault that she's timid. In medieval Japan, the child mortality rate was so high that it would scare modern people to death. In ordinary families, if only two or three of the six or seven children survived, it would be a blessing from the gods. The mortality rate was usually over 50%. Even in samurai families, where nutrition was relatively good, the mortality rate was usually over 30%.

This was an era where people could die from a cold. Sudden severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and even mental confusion were never good signs, so death was not uncommon.

Maeda Toshiie had calmed down after seeing the pain on Song's face gradually disappear after taking the medicine, but he didn't expect this woman to come and cry again. She cried non-stop with snot and tears, which made him feel deeply ashamed. After cursing, he explained to Yuanye awkwardly: "Excuse me, this is Madam Amei, Song's wet nurse. She has been taking care of her since she was a child and has always loved her. This time she was a little scared..."

This time when he went home to visit his family during the vacation, he met his favorite younger sister (stepsister and cousin). On a whim, and wanting to show off, he took his younger sister out for a ride on his newly bought famous horse, and gave her half a bottle of konpeito (a kind of candy that Nobunaga had rewarded him with, which he had never been willing to eat). As a result, this gift caused a big disaster - with the humidity in Japan in summer, and the konpeito rich in wheat flour, it was considered good if it didn't grow green hair after being kept in the bottle for half a year after opening. How could it not go bad?
Fortunately, Konpeito was a luxury item of that era - usually produced in India, resold to China by the Portuguese and the Dutch, and then resold from China to Kyushu, Japan, and then sold from Kyushu to various ports along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, and then resold from the Seto Inland Sea to Sakai Town, and then sold from Sakai Town to Shimazu, and then transported from Shimazu by land to Nagoya Castle. With such a long journey, even a piece of shit would be worth more than gold. It was indeed a luxury item - fortunately, Konpeito was a luxury item, and the glass bottle was very beautiful. Asong cherished it very much and didn't eat too much, otherwise the situation would be worse.

But suddenly he had severe abdominal pain and vomited everything in his stomach. This still scared Maeda Toshiie and his wet nurse Ame, so they quickly sent Asong to the nearby Nakamura to rest. However, when he arrived in Nakamura, Asong's condition became more serious. Not only did he vomit a lot of yellow acid water, he also had diarrhea and abdominal pain until he fell into a coma.

At this time, a member of Nakamura's Maeda Iechiro's party mentioned Harano, saying that a samurai from outside the area who came to stay in Hibitsu Village was said to have great medical skills and had brought Jikuro, who was almost dead, back to life. Perhaps they could ask him to come and take a look.

Although Maeda Toshiie was young, he was quite decisive. When he heard there was still hope, he did not hesitate. He wrapped Osomatsu in his arms and rode his horse to Hibitsu Village. But Amei was very pitiful. She ran here on her own two legs. She was more and more scared on the way, afraid that she would be killed if she ran to Osomatsu. Not only did she cry her eyes out, but she also collapsed on the road several times.

Maeda Toshiie explained the situation very awkwardly, and Yuanye nodded slightly after listening.

In history, Osomatsu went to Atsuta Shrine many times to pray for blessings, and left records of prayers for the elimination of loss of appetite, stomach acid and stomach pain, and the number of prayers for Maeda Toshiie to prosper in the military and not die on the battlefield is roughly the same, which shows that she had extremely serious chronic gastritis. These records have been preserved in later generations and are stored in the Atsuta Shrine Archives. Yuanye took a quick look at them, and now it seems that it is very likely that she had acute gastroenteritis when she was a child but did not receive good treatment. She was lucky enough to get well and left the root of the disease.

but……

Yuanye looked at Maeda Toshiie again. Is it possible that this kid is more than ten years younger than Asong?
Fifteen or sixteen and four or five years old, what kind of childhood sweethearts are these?
They are clearly two generations apart. Just looking at their appearance, it wouldn't be inappropriate to call them uncle and niece!
Yuanye originally thought that Maeda Toshiie and Osomatsu were able to get married because they grew up together, supported each other and accumulated deep feelings. But now it seems that is not the case!
Could it be a training system? Is there a training system so early?
It turns out that the Japanese are the best at playing. China is far behind in this regard and may never catch up.

Yuanye was thinking wildly in his mind, but he asked Maeda Toshiie knowingly: "I see, who is this person I haven't asked you yet?"

Maeda Toshiie was not as eccentric and frivolous as he was in his dress. Perhaps it was his reserved demeanor and noble expression that put him under great psychological pressure. He could not act unrestrainedly before they got to know each other. Upon hearing this, he immediately sat up straight, put his hands on his knees, bowed his head, and said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, I'm the fourth son of the Arako Maeda family, the grandson Shiro Toshiie, and now I'm a retainer of Lord Oda Saburo (Nobunaga). I was really rude before."

Yuanye bowed his head slightly as a gesture of greeting, and said with great acting skills: "It turns out that you are Lord Sunshiro of the Araki Maeda family. I am Nohara Saburo who came from the west. I am staying here temporarily. Sorry for disturbing you."

"No, no, Lord Nohara, it's a blessing for our Arashi Castle that you can stay in Hibitsu!"

Maeda Toshiie was still young and immature at the moment, and his personality was quite straightforward. He was not very good at this kind of interpersonal courtesy, and his words were dry. Moreover, he was most concerned about Osomatsu at the moment, so after a few polite words, he asked expectantly: "Lord Nohara, Osomatsu's current condition... should be fine, right?"

"Wait until she wakes up, there shouldn't be any serious problems." Yuanye answered according to the book. "If she still has diarrhea, drink some warm salt water later, eat some easy-to-digest food in the next few days... drink some hot rice porridge and eat some egg custard to nourish her body, and she should be able to recover. This is just a minor illness, and the diagnosis and treatment are very timely. Master Maeda doesn't have to worry too much."

If the prescription doesn't work, he still has a trump card. Given Asong's future identity as "one of the three ladies of the Warring States Period", she probably deserves to take one pill... one third of a pill should be enough. She also deserves to take one third of a pill of anti-inflammatory medicine. She will definitely get better, so there is really no need to worry too much.

"Is it a minor illness?" Maeda Toshiie was a medical illiterate. In "Taiko 2", his medical skills were zero stars. He didn't understand medicine and was limited by the times. He didn't think it was a minor illness. Under normal circumstances, at least half of his life would be lost. However, Yuanye looked noble and was a doctor who cured and saved lives. Even though he was upright, he didn't dare to question him in person. He could only sit upright again and bow deeply, "Thank you for your hard work. Thank you very much!"

"Okay, okay. It's a doctor's duty to cure illnesses and save lives. Don't be polite."

Yuanye left after saying a few words of daily doctor's language, leaving him to accompany the patient. He was not very enthusiastic, nor did he take the opportunity to get close to him. Although making friends with Maeda Toshiie was very helpful in gaining a foothold in this era, it was just the first time they met, and the first impression is a very important part of interpersonal communication. Trying to get close with a shameless face would make people look down on you, which is completely counterproductive and is not what a wise man would do.

Only by respecting yourself, being humble and loving yourself can you gain the respect and love of others. This principle is the same in any era.

It’s good like this now, just take it slow.

…………

Asong slept until the afternoon.

When she woke up, her complexion had improved a lot. Accompanied by her wet nurse Amei, she went to the back of the house to wash her hands. She also invited Yuanye to come and thank her. She was very grateful and said many words of gratitude in her childish voice - people of that era matured precociously. She was only four or five years old, but she acted in a very methodical manner, like a little adult. Her mental maturity was astonishing.

Maybe it's because she was abandoned by her mother when she was young and became an adopted daughter in someone else's family, and this has trained her to be like this?
Well, she was also born in a samurai family. Her father was Shinohara Shukei Ichien, who was ordered by Oda Nobuhide to support his eldest son Oda Nobuhiro. He died in battle while stationed in Ansho Castle in Mikawa Province. When her mother, the eldest daughter of the Takeno family, remarried and married into the Takahata family, she sent her to her brother-in-law's family, that is, the Arako Maeda family, as an adopted daughter. It has been two or three years now.

Yuan Ye said a few polite words and checked her pulse, but he was not good enough. He then checked her temperature and asked her nurse, A Mei, if her diarrhea had improved. He nodded and said, "It looks good. Go back and take the remaining medicine. Just pay attention to your diet for the next period of time."

The wet nurse, Amei, was still wiping her tears and kept murmuring, "Buddha bless us, it's really Buddha bless us!"

Her husband was a member of the Shinohara family's gang and died in the battle at Mikawa Azuzaka. Her child also died early. Osomatsu was her only support now. If Osomatsu died, she would have nowhere to go and would probably become an ordinary servant in Arashi City. Arashi City would even have no place for her and would no longer waste food on her. They would let her go and fend for herself.

Now that Asong can save his life, it is equivalent to saving her life. Maeda Toshiie beside him also breathed a sigh of relief, finally he didn't kill his younger sister, and stroked the handle of the knife with a relieved smile.

Asong noticed it, and immediately turned his little head towards him, saying softly, "I'm sorry, Inu-nii-nii (Maeda Toshiie's childhood name is Inu Chiyo), I made you worry."

Maeda Toshiie immediately perked up, patted Song's little head, and said in a stern voice, "It's good that you know you're wrong. You really scared everyone this time! Get well soon, and then I'll take you horseback riding again!"

Although it was the candy he gave that had problems and almost cost Osomatsu's life, in this era, women were completely appendages of men, and it was impossible for him to apologize to women. Osomatsu was also used to this and immediately responded obediently. It seemed that she liked Maeda Toshiie very much and didn't care at all that Maeda Toshiie had tricked her into this.

It was probably because Maeda Toshiie was not an honest child before he came of age. He started to pursue a frivolous and bizarre style at that time. When she first arrived at Arashi Castle, he often took her out to play. He was the bright sunshine when she was at the lowest point in her life and had some special meaning to her.

Yuanye was watching the "live-action Taiga drama" on the side, and after daydreaming for a while, he called Maeda Toshiie out to get the medicine and taught him how to decoct it.

Maeda Toshiie listened patiently for a while, then looked around, and saw three rows of bamboo and wooden shelves filled with large and small hand-woven bamboo jars, totaling more than a hundred in total. Each jar was carefully labeled with the name of the medicine in Chinese characters. There were many Chinese characters he did not recognize, and he could not help but reveal a look of awe - it seemed like he was a man of great talent!
However, he was not good at speaking and his vocabulary was limited. He wanted to compliment but couldn't think of any nice words. Moreover, looking at these unfamiliar medicinal herbs, he remembered another thing.

He stroked the hilt of the knife and asked awkwardly, "Sir Nohara, I'm sorry, I don't know how much the medicine will cost. I was in a hurry and damaged some of the herbs in the courtyard. This..."

He remembered that he had to pay for the medicine. He didn't know the name of the medicine, but it looked like a high-quality product from the Ming Dynasty. Products from the Ming Dynasty were generally very expensive, so he couldn't help feeling guilty and embarrassed when he talked about it.

Of course, he was not a pauper. He was now a retainer of Oda Nobunaga, and Oda Nobunaga was a super wealthy third-generation rich man. His income was actually very good, with an annual salary of 25 kan and an equal amount of support rice. But these money and food were not just for himself. He had to fulfill his military obligations and follow Oda Nobunaga in battle. These money and rice needed to be used to recruit a small number of retainers to assist him in battle. At the same time, he had to equip himself and his retainers with horses and weapons. It could only be said that it was barely enough.

Especially since he was still young and spent money lavishly. He just bought a good horse, and not only had he spent almost all his money, he also borrowed some money from Sawaki Touhachiro Yoshiyuki, his younger brother who was sent to the Sawaki family as an adopted son. Now his pockets are really empty.

He was in a hurry to save people before and was worried that Asong would die, so he didn't care about these things. Now he felt very ashamed when he talked about it. His hand kept stroking the handle of the knife, wondering if Yuanye could accept the temporary debt.

If that didn't work, he could only leave his horse here and go to Oda Nobunaga to ask for an advance on his annual salary.

Anyway, facing a respectable person, even if Qingqi did not abide by the rules, he would feel embarrassed to refuse to pay, as that would be too disrespectful.

Yuanye was carefully picking up the medicine, fearing that he might make a mistake and kill Ah Song. He didn't think as much as he thought. He silently calculated the cost and said, "Forget about the medicine that was stepped on. You are in a hurry to save people. The money for the medicine... give me thirty-five cents!"

This is roughly equivalent to the price of a dozen kilograms of refined rice. After all, Yuanye does not practice medicine to get rich, and he is not prepared to treat his patients as fat sheep to be slaughtered. It is just a routine fee and he makes a small profit - he wants a good reputation, and it is enough for him to make a small profit. If it were an ordinary villager, he would have no problem charging ten cents or a bushel of grains. Herbs that can be picked for a few taels and a few coins are not worth anything at all. In other words, few of the prescriptions in the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" used precious medicinal materials at all, and they were all cheap goods that were readily available.

Moreover, he was now becoming more and more satisfied with his course of action as a doctor and was ready to carry it out.

The best example is Maeda Toshiie, who was not a well-behaved child in his own territory. He had a hot temper and was ready to draw his sword and fight with Aman if he disagreed with him. He was very young and hot-tempered, but everyone was respectful and polite to him and did not dare to speak too loudly. It can only be said that doctors are indeed universally respected no matter what era.

This path is definitely the right choice, it is very safe and can definitely effectively increase the chance of survival!

"Thirty-five sen?" Maeda Toshiie was stunned. He saw that Yuanye's medicine cured the disease and his medical skills were very impressive. The medicinal materials he used were probably very expensive. He thought that he would charge at least three or five kan of money - he felt that he had made a lot of money by spending three or five kan of money to save Asong's life, but in the end it was just a small amount?

Yuanye tied the medicine paper and hemp rope and handed it to him. He also tied a "curved finger hook" for it, imitating the pharmacy of later generations. Yuanye realized what he meant and said nonchalantly, "Why, is it that you don't have enough money? It doesn't matter if it's inconvenient for a while. Treating the disease is important. We can talk about the money later."

"Yes, yes." Maeda Toshiie was a samurai with an annual income of 50 kanwen after all, so even if he was nervous, he still had 30 or 50 kan. He immediately took out the money and handed it to him, and couldn't help but sighed frankly, "Thank you very much, Lord Nohara, I didn't expect it to be so cheap."

Cheap?

Yuan Ye had been looking forward to the pillow for a long time. Now the pillow fell into the trap. He did not hesitate, glanced at the various medicinal herbs in the yard, and began to show his acting skills, saying lightly: "Even if it's cheap, no one will come to see the doctor."

"Why is this happening?" Maeda Toshiie became puzzled. He felt that with Yuanye's medical skills, this small courtyard should have been crushed long ago.

"I don't know. Maybe they're worried that I'm cheating them out of their money!" Yuan Ye flipped through the herbs casually. His expression remained calm, but he also revealed a hint of frustration. His acting skills were excellent. "I wanted to help because there was no doctor here and no one was treating my illness. But now it seems that I was overthinking."

Maeda Toshiie was stunned for a moment, then with gratitude in his heart, he immediately showed the positive attitude that is unique to young people, rushed to help, and said as he gripped the handle of the knife, "If you don't mind, please let me lend you a hand!"

"It's up to you, but you may not be able to help. You can't force it." Yuan Ye is a new actor. He can't control his acting skills freely. Although he achieved his goal, he was still immersed in his acting. He couldn't turn around for a while. He just responded lightly, as if he didn't care at all. His taste was still very high.

Maeda Toshiie didn't care at all, and even became more certain that he had discovered a "peerless master" hidden among the people. He immediately rubbed his hands and said excitedly: "Then leave it to me!"

He was confident that in this small piece of land of Hibitsu Village, anyone who dared not come to see a doctor would be beaten to shit by him with just three punches!

(End of this chapter)