Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The matter finally came to an end, and I was planning to go home and have a good sleep, but as expected, Zhu Yuan suddenly appeared like a ghost again.

"Miss Yang, are you done?" He leaned against the door with a relaxed look on his face, holding a candied haws that he had picked up from somewhere in his mouth, and seemed to be in a good mood.

I glared at him. "What are you doing here again? Do you keep an eye on me every day, waiting for me to show up when I'm done?"

"That's not the case." He took a leisurely bite of the candied haws. "I just thought you were too tired recently, so I came to see you and brought you some delicious food."

As he spoke, he pulled out a bag of cakes from his pocket and handed it to me, smiling smugly: "Look, these are special cakes from the imperial kitchen. You can't usually get them even if you want them!"

I glanced at the pastry in his hand, and the scene of Eunuch Liu holding his stomach in pain and eating secretly in the imperial kitchen immediately emerged in my mind.

I couldn't help but laugh: "Are you sure this won't give you a stomachache like Eunuch Liu did?"

Zhu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, Miss Yang, you are so funny. Don't worry, I'm not as greedy as him. I will only eat a few bites at a time. Nothing will happen."

I looked at him angrily: "You really have eaten all over the palace. It makes me wonder whether you are here to help or to eat and drink."

Zhu Yuan blinked innocently, "I'm doing this for the stability and unity of the palace! Think about it, if the palace chefs aren't skilled enough and can't make delicious food, then everyone won't eat well and won't be in a good mood. Wouldn't that affect the atmosphere of the entire palace?"

When I heard this, I almost burst out laughing at his twisted logic: "Oh? So you're the palace's 'food ambassador'? In charge of supervising the cooking skills of the imperial chefs?"

"Yes!" Zhu Yuan replied seriously, "Don't you see that I'm working hard every day for everyone's stomach health?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes: "Then you really have a bad stomach."

Zhu Yuan's smile widened. He suddenly leaned closer to me and said in a low voice, "Miss Yang, I heard you've cured quite a few people recently. Even the imperial chefs in the imperial kitchen rely on you. I'm afraid your medical skills have spread throughout the palace, right?"

I sighed helplessly: "It's unlikely to spread. I'm just an ordinary doctor. Saving lives is my duty."

"Ordinary?" Zhu Yuan shook his head, a hint of teasing in his smile. "You're not ordinary. If I were to say, you're the palace's 'life-saving goddess'! No matter who gets into trouble, you're the one who'll be the one to clean up the mess."

I frowned as I heard this: "Why do you sound like you're insulting me?"

Zhu Yuan quickly waved his hands: "No, no, this is a compliment from the bottom of my heart."

I was too lazy to argue with him anymore, so I turned around and prepared to leave. "Okay, stop talking nonsense. I have to go back to sleep. If you're bored, you can find something else to entertain yourself."

Zhu Yuan hurried over: "Hey, don't go! You've been so busy lately, it's rare to have some free time. Why don't we go for a walk in the city? I know a few snack shops, and the food is just as good as the Imperial Kitchen."

I stopped and turned to look at him. "Is food all you can think about? I just came back from the imperial kitchen, and you want to drag me out for some snacks?"

Zhu Yuan smirked, "You make it sound like eating is a sin. I'm just thinking about Miss Yang, who's tired, and wants her to eat something good to replenish her body."

I raised my hand as if to hit him: "If you continue to behave so improperly, I will really doubt whether you are here to cause trouble."

Zhu Yuan pretended to be terrified and hid aside: "Oh, Miss Yang, please don't do anything. I'm doing this for you!"

I sighed helplessly: "You, hurry up and find something serious to do, and stop thinking about eating, drinking and having fun all day. Look at me, I'm so busy every day that I'm almost exhausted."

Zhu Yuan shrugged nonchalantly: "No matter how busy you are, you still have to have some fun. Otherwise, if you work so hard every day, you'll get sick sooner or later."

"Okay, then tell me if I'm suffering from 'hunger syndrome'?" I deliberately teased.

Zhu Yuan laughed heartily: "If you really have this problem, it's really easy to cure. Take me with you, I'll eat with you every day, and it will cure all diseases!"

I couldn't help but laugh: "You really are good at making excuses for yourself."

Finally, after Zhu Yuan's constant persuasion, I agreed to go with him to stroll around the city.

Along the way, he enthusiastically introduced various snack shops to me, like a "living map" of Yingtian Prefecture. From candied haws, tofu pudding to fried crispy pork, he knew them all like the back of his hand.

"Miss Yang, look at that shop. It sells the most famous red bean cake in Yingtian Prefecture. It is soft, glutinous and sweet. I guarantee you will never forget it after trying it once!" He pointed to the small shop not far away, his face full of excitement.

I shook my head helplessly: "You are such a foodie. I see you followed me not to see a doctor, but to find food."

Zhu Yuan laughed heartily. "Don't say that! I'm just trying to make you enjoy the food. All those formalities in the palace are so boring. We need to have some fun."

I laughed and joked, "Okay, wait till you get a stomach upset one day, and see if I can cure you!"

Zhu Yuan waved his hand nonchalantly: "With you here, I don't have to worry about getting an upset stomach! Besides, I'm in good health and can digest anything I eat!"

I glanced at him and said, "If Eunuch Liu and Chef Li heard you say that, they would probably give you a 'King of Eating Challenge'."

Zhu Yuan laughed and patted his belly: "Great! I'm not afraid of competing with them!"

I looked at him speechlessly, thinking to myself: This guy is really not serious. All he does all day is eat and drink.

However, being with him was stress-free and relaxing. Although he was always talkative and liked to joke around, he was a good friend. At least in this strange world, he could make me feel a little more relaxed and modern.

On the way home, Zhu Yuan continued to talk about various food stories, and I listened silently. Looking at his excited expression, I suddenly felt that perhaps in this complicated palace life, it would not be a bad thing to have a friend like this.

"Miss Yang, have you heard of it? There is a shop in Yingtian Prefecture that specializes in making shepherd's purse dumplings. The taste is simply the best in the world!" He still introduced it enthusiastically.

I smiled helplessly and shook my head: "I think you should just not do anything else in your life. Just open a food guide shop. I guarantee that business will be prosperous."

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands exaggeratedly: "Great idea! When I open a shop in the future, you can be my guest and eat for free every day!"

"Come on, I don't want to eat like a 'big steamed bun' with you." I smiled and waved my hand, then turned and walked towards home.

Zhu Yuan continued to shout from behind, "Miss Yang, don't be so heartless! Let's continue next time!"

I smiled and turned around and shouted, "Okay, you treat me next time!"

He laughed heartily and waved from a distance: "It's a deal!"