Farmhouse Green Plum

Ruyi's gaze fell on the ointment in her hand, and she instantly understood. She quickly said, "It's nothing, just a little bit old..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Ying had already grabbed her wrist and lifted her sleeve.

Song Ying paused, noticing that the slender wrist not only bore the marks she had glimpsed yesterday, but also several grotesque scars crisscrossing it. Some were already whitish, while others still showed traces of blood, clearly indicating that new wounds were layered upon old ones.

Song Ying's breath hitched, and she pushed her sleeves up to the top, revealing an arm with almost no intact skin.

Her movements were so fast that Yuan Qing couldn't react in time. He quickly turned his head away, but still felt it wasn't right, so he simply went out and sat on the carriage shaft.

At this moment, Song Ying couldn't care less about him. She was so shocked by the sight of Ruyi's arms covered in injuries that she couldn't speak.

She had worked in the Shen family mansion and had extensive contact with servants in the inner quarters of high-ranking households, but she had never encountered anyone who had been mistreated like this.

Ruyi gently pulled her hand away, lowered her sleeve to cover the wound, and forced a smile, saying, "It's almost healed, it doesn't hurt anymore, there's no need to apply medicine."

"What happened to these injuries?"

The heartache in her eyes was so obvious that Ruyi's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. Ruyi bit her lip, trying to hold back, but the tears still flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"I was sold into the Sheng family when I was eight years old. Because I used to grow vegetables at home, I was assigned to work in the flower room."

Everything was fine at first, but a few years ago, as I grew up and my looks blossomed, the eldest son of the household started to make unwanted advances towards me.

He was incredibly absurd; he had taken advantage of every maid in his courtyard who was even slightly attractive.

Fearing he would force himself on her, the maid used all her savings to negotiate and finally managed to get a chance to serve the second young lady in her room.

But to my surprise, the eldest young master still wouldn't let me go. Every time he visited the second young lady at Fangfei Garden, he would find an opportunity to grope me.

"Does Miss Sheng know? Did you ask her to take charge?" Song Ying frowned. In wealthy families, rules are strict. A maid who bullies her sister can be considered to have violated human ethics.

A look of pain flashed in Ruyi's eyes. "The second young lady said that I was a vixen who bewitched the master, and punished me by making me kneel in the courtyard all night."

Song Ying was incredulous. "It's utterly absurd."

Ruyi raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but the tears flowed like a broken string of pearls, no matter how much she wiped, they wouldn't stop. She choked back sobs: "They are all jealous of my good looks, but they don't know how much I have suffered because of this beauty. Men covet me, women are jealous of me, and in this huge Sheng Mansion, there isn't a single friend who truly cares for me."

I've figured it out now. Beauty is a bonus for masters, but for us girls, it's a curse.

Song Ying sighed softly: "It's not your appearance that's at fault, it's those people who are at fault. When others want to hurt you, whether you're beautiful or ugly, it's their excuse."

Ruyi was stunned.

Song Ying took her hand, scooped out some ointment, and applied it to her little by little. "It's all over now. Study medicine well from now on. Medical skills can not only support you, but also earn you respect."

Ruyi's tears welled up again, but this time her heart was filled with joy. She nodded repeatedly, "I will definitely study hard. But you don't need to apply the ointment anymore, right? Most of these wounds have healed and don't hurt at all. Your ointment must be very good. I can keep it for the patients and make some money."

Song Ying looked up into her eyes. "Now, I'll teach you the first thing."

Ruyi's expression immediately turned serious, and she listened attentively.

Song Ying slowed down her speech, speaking almost word by word: "At any time, you must value yourself highly and believe from the bottom of your heart that you deserve any good thing."

"Huh?" Ruyi was a little confused.

Song Ying smiled slightly, "Didn't you want to learn from me? Would you like to hear my story?"

Ruyi nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Ever since she learned of the goddess doctor who, like her, came from a farming family, Ruyi had longed to be her doctor.

Song Ying then recounted the key aspects of her family history, from being an orphan to discovering how medicinal herbs could be sold, and how she gradually learned medicine to get to where she is today.

Finally, she asked, "Do you know why I named myself Song Ying?"

Ruyi thought for a moment, "Does it mean I want to act decisively, unlike ordinary women who are weak and delicate?"

Song Ying shook her head. "My name, Ying, comes from the phrase 'falling petals in profusion,' which describes the beautiful scene of flowers falling like rain. I gave myself that name when I first learned to read. I wanted to tell myself that I deserve all the beautiful things in the world!"

Ruyi still didn't quite understand, and murmured repeatedly, "Things worth having."

Song Ying nodded emphatically: "Yes, we need to change our previous views from the bottom of our hearts and believe that we are worthy."

Our thoughts influence our behavior; to change, the first step is to change our old ideas.

Of course, this isn't something that can be achieved overnight, but you have to keep telling yourself that you deserve all the good things.

After saying that, seeing that Ruyi still seemed to understand but not quite, she added, "It's okay if you don't understand now. Just do it as instructed, and you'll understand later."

"Yes, I started by changing my name. What about you? Do you like the name Ruyi?"

"Please bestow a name upon me, Madam."

"I'm asking if you like this name? Do you want to change it?" Song Ying frowned. "I'm not taking in a maid, I'm taking in an apprentice. You need to have your own identity."

What she said was all too unfamiliar to Ruyi, who shook her head blankly, "I don't know."

"Then let's talk about it after you've thought it through."

Throughout the journey, Ruyi served Song Ying with utmost care. As soon as Song Ying felt thirsty, a cup of warm tea was handed to her; as soon as a fine sweat appeared on her forehead, a silk handkerchief was gently placed on her forehead; even if a strand of hair was blown into disarray by the wind, it would be neatly tied up by a pair of skillful hands.

“I don’t need you to serve me,” Song Ying said, pressing down on Ruyi’s hand as she added tea for the third time. “I’ve already said, you’re no longer a maid.”

Ruyi was somewhat at a loss, kneeling on the carriage floor, "I'm used to doing this. I feel uneasy if I'm idle."

“All my previous words were wasted!” Song Ying frowned.

Ruyi's hand holding the dressing case trembled slightly, and the inlaid ink inside almost rolled off.

Just as she was about to speak again, Yuan Qing suddenly looked up from his book and gently advised, "My lady, don't be too anxious. Take it slow. She has been like this for more than ten years. How can she change in a short time?"

Moreover, the Book of Rites states, "Treat your teacher as you would your father." It is only natural for a disciple to serve his master.

Song Ying let out a breath, took the dressing case from her hand, and said, "Memorize this song about the five acupoints. I'll check it first thing tomorrow morning. If you make a single mistake, you'll have to copy it twenty times!"

"Yes!" Ruyi nodded, quickly tidied up the items on the table, and then took out the acupuncture rhyme to begin reciting it.

The days slipped by slowly as they traveled and worshipped.

On this day, they arrived at a ferry crossing, and suddenly a layer of lead-gray clouds appeared in the sky, pressing heavily down on the river.

At first, it was just a sparse raindrop, tapping out tiny silver rings on the lake. Gradually, the rain intensified, and thousands of silver needles densely pierced the water, turning the entire river surface into a misty expanse of shattered jade.