The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

When they walked into the inner room, Chen Jianqiu's second aunt was already sitting at the table waiting.

Seeing everyone coming in, he stood up and greeted them with a smile, "You're here. Xiaoqiu went back and told me the general situation yesterday. He asked me to help take a look. Which two of you are the patients? Come sit next to me."

After everyone greeted each other, San Ya and Ying Niang looked at each other, walked to the table and sat down stiffly.

Zhang Ping'an thought that the lady was quite kind. She was about thirty years old. Apart from the fine lines at the corners of her eyes that revealed her age, she looked well maintained.

Worried that it would be inconvenient for the men on his side to be here, Zhang Ping'an bowed and said, "Second Aunt, Jianqiu, my eldest cousin, my third brother-in-law and I will go out first. You guys take your time and wait. When we need my eldest cousin and the others to go in, come out and call us."

Chen Ergu smiled and nodded in response: "Okay, you guys go out first. The next room is empty. You can go sit there first. I'll take a look at the two women first."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianqiu brought a few people to the next room and said, "Sit down, don't be shy."

After they sat down, Chen Jianqiu smiled and said, "Ping An, I noticed you didn't look very well yesterday. I just got you some Qi-boosting herbs this morning. Take them with you to the south and boil some infusions when you have time. It's good for your health."

"Okay, thank you then," Zhang Ping'an said without hesitation and smiled.

After they sat there for more than a quarter of an hour, Mrs. Li came out and called out, "Dazhu, and Yongde, come here and let the doctor take a look."

"Hey, here they come," Dazhu stood up quickly, knocking over the stool. It was obvious that he was very nervous.

Qian Yongde was not much better off, and the two of them went to the next room together.

Zhang Pingan didn't follow, after all, this kind of thing is still very private.

Seeing this, Chen Jianqiu comforted her, "It's okay. My second aunt is a very skilled doctor. If even she can't treat it, then there probably isn't any doctor in the provincial capital who can. Generally, few doctors specialize in studying schizophrenia. My family is because my grandfather is quite open-minded and dotes on my second aunt, so he taught her a lot of related medical skills. Coincidentally, my second aunt was also very interested in this area, and she gradually made a name for herself."

"Don't medical families like yours generally emphasize passing the genealogy down to males rather than females?" Zhang Ping'an asked curiously.

"Generally, yes, it's mainly because it's inconvenient for women to travel outside. However, my grandfather has a very clear understanding of many things and doesn't care much about these worldly rules. Therefore, the women in our family basically know some medical skills. I can't say they are very good, but at least they can treat headaches and fevers. My second aunt is an exception, but fortunately, the patients she sees are generally women, so it's not a big deal," Chen Jianqiu explained.

"Then your family tradition is quite open-minded," Zhang Pingan sighed.

Chen Jianqiu smiled and replied, "Maybe it's because we've seen so much life and death. Life and death are unpredictable, and nothing matters."

"That's right," Zhang Ping'an admired this family tradition very much.

After a while, the sound of a door opening was heard from the next room.

"Let's go and take a look. My second aunt should have finished reading it," Chen Jianqiu said, standing up.

When the two of them arrived next door, Chen Ergu was wiping her hands with a handkerchief dipped in alcohol. San Ya and her husband looked fine, but the eldest cousin and his wife did not look well, and the eldest cousin's wife's eyes were red.

It was Li who had just opened the door. She was standing at the door now, her face livid. Xu was pulling someone in, and she urged him, "Come in and sit down first. Your grandson is already this old, yet he's still so unstable."

Aunt Chen Er saw the two people come in and said with a smile: "Xiao Qiu, I have finished the examination. I have told them the specific situation and whether it can be cured. I have something to do at home, so I will go back first."

Zhang Pingan quickly thanked him: "Thank you for your trouble, Second Aunt!"

Chen Ergu waved her hand: "You're welcome!"

Chen Jianqiu followed her out the door and said, "Second Aunt, I'll call a car to take you home!"

"It's just a short distance. It's not like I'm unfamiliar with the place. It's very convenient to walk back. You don't have to worry about it. Go back and greet your friends," Chen Ergu said nonchalantly and went downstairs after a while.

Chen Jianqiu then walked back and said, "How's the situation? Has my second aunt written a prescription? If so, I'll ask the medicine boy in front to help get the medicine."

Mrs. Xu smiled and replied, "Little Doctor Chen, I'm so sorry to have troubled you for so long. Doctor Chen said that my third daughter and my third son-in-law both have cold energy in their bodies, and they just need to take some medicine to fight off the cold. She's already given them the medicine, so there's no need to prescribe it again. It's in powder form, so just drink it directly. There's no need to boil it."

Chen Jianqiu nodded: "That's good, I hope I can help you."

He was not completely stupid, so he did not have the tactlessness to ask Ping An about the condition of his cousin. It was obvious that the condition was not good and was probably difficult to cure!

"Mom, aunt, since you have finished reading, let's go back first, so as not to delay Jianqiu from doing other things," said Zhang Pingan.

Mrs. Xu nodded and stood up. "Yes, yes, let's go. We've delayed Doctor Chen for a long time!"

"Aunt, it's okay, don't be polite. There's no need to worry about the relationship between Ping'an and me," Chen Jianqiu said with a smile.

Xu praised: "Look at what a good child this is!"

After they went downstairs to the front hall, Chen Jianqiu handed over the medicine he had prepared for Zhang Ping'an and saw them off. He reluctantly said, "You're leaving the day after tomorrow, and I don't know when we'll see each other again."

Zhang Pingan patted the other person's shoulder and said with a smile: "Jianqiu, I always have a premonition that we will see each other more often in the future. The fate between us is more than this."

"Forget it, when did you change your career to become a fortune teller?" Chen Jianqiu laughed.

After returning to the inn, Xu couldn't wait to open the two packets of medicine powder and made two cups of tea for San Ya and her third son-in-law to drink quickly.

San Ya followed in, and before she could stop him, she asked in surprise, "Mom, didn't Doctor Chen tell us to eat and conserve our energy before drinking this medicine? She said this medicine will cause severe stomach pain."

Xu frowned and said, "How much more painful can it be? Drink it quickly and see if it works. The sooner it's cured, the sooner you can feel at ease."

Qian Yongde also agreed: "What mother said makes sense. Let's drink it quickly. The sooner it is cured, the better."

After saying that, he picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

When San Ya saw this, she quickly picked up the other cup and drank it.

The medicine took effect quickly. Within a moment, Qian Yongde was clutching his stomach and wailing, "Mom, my stomach hurts!"

San Ya also covered her stomach and howled, "Mom, my stomach hurts too."

Aunt Chen had just said that drinking it would cause severe stomach pain and that she needed to expel the cold air, so Xu was mentally prepared and soothed them, saying, "Don't scream, don't scream, it will be fine in a while, otherwise people will think something is wrong with you two!"