Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Seeing that it was the same child he had seen before, and hearing that the illness had not improved, Dr. Xu inquired about the situation carefully again, examined the child's tongue and pulse once more, and thought to himself, "The condition has indeed not improved."

After much deliberation, Doctor Xu frowned and said, "My skills are not yet proficient, and this prescription is the most suitable one I can think of. Why don't you take the child to the prefectural city or the capital to have him examined?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Jipo's sister-in-law and son and daughter-in-law immediately looked distressed, unsure of what to do. The expenses of a trip to the prefectural or provincial capital were beyond their means.

Just as Dr. Xu was about to get up to see his apprentice get the medicine, Hu Jipo's sister-in-law stopped him and said, "Dr. Xu, do you think it's because the baby has worms in his stomach, which is why no other medicine is working?"

Doctor Xu turned around, frowned and thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "The child is young, and he was digging in the soil and playing with mud. His hands are dirty when he eats, so it's possible that he has worms in his stomach. But I have never seen worms in the stomach with my own eyes, so it's hard to say."

“There’s a little girl in the village next to mine who’s giving out medicine powder to the kids in the village. She says it’s for treating some kind of worm in pigs, or something like that. Doctor, do you think my grandson can take this medicine? Will it work?” Hu Jipo’s sister-in-law looked at Doctor Xu with eager eyes.

Upon hearing that a little girl was dispensing medicine, Dr. Xu angrily rebuked her, "Nonsense! How old is she? She's never had a teacher or learned medicine, yet she dares to give people medicine so casually. What if someone dies from it!"

Hu Jipo's sister-in-law shrank her neck and lowered her voice, saying, "People in the village say they saw several people who had contracted this parasite cured, so every family's children went to drink that medicine."

Dr. Xu flicked his sleeves, tossed out a curt "Playing tricks!" and left.

Hu Jipo's sister-in-law and her family returned to Huyang Village with worried expressions.

After discussing it for a while, the group decided to first go to Niujiazhuang and spend two coins to drink a bowl of deworming medicine. If that didn't work, they would borrow some more money to go to the prefectural city to have another checkup.

Meanwhile, Ji Manchuan and his daughter were on their way back.

Ji Manchuan was still immersed in the excitement of selling the mugwort leaves and getting the money, as well as taking over the business from Jishi Pharmacy. He chattered on and on to Ji Yongling: "Ling'er, how did you suddenly think of taking over the medicine bag business from Jishi Pharmacy? Oh dear, you didn't even tell your father before you suddenly said it. I saw that Master Liang's face immediately turned a little ugly. You're such a bold child..."

Ji Manqing, pulling the cart from behind, also shouted, "That's right! I was so nervous! I was afraid that Boss Liang would scold us for being arrogant! This is Jishi Pharmacy! I never imagined that I, Ji Manqing, would one day be able to chat and gossip with the big boss of Jishi Pharmacy."

Ji Manchuan, leading the mule, turned and glared at his younger brother, saying, "Is that a chat? That's business, serious matters, don't you understand? Look at you staring blankly!"

Ji Manqing craned his neck, his face flushed, and retorted, "What? Didn't you hear that Boss Liang call our Ling'er 'little friend' and you 'brother Ji'? That's how close they are. Can't I, a bald man, even get a little bit of credit?"

Ji Manchuan ignored Ji Manqing and looked up into the distance: "Anyway, bragging isn't a capital offense—you can talk big as you please, just don't ruin the reputation of Liang Dongjia and our Ji family when you brag in the future!"

Ji Manqing said impatiently, "I know, I know! You're not that old, but when you lecture me, it's like a lazy old woman's foot-binding cloth—long and smelly."

Ji Yongling smiled and explained to Ji Manchuan, "Father, I suddenly thought of this when I saw the medicine pouch on Liang Dongjia's waist. This thing is not difficult to make, nor is it expensive. There are many wealthy people in the prefecture who are willing to buy it. Jishi Pharmacy is a large business, so the output of the medicine pouches must be considerable. If we can take on this business, the grandmothers and aunts in the village will have more income."

Ji Manchuan was still puzzled, scratched his head and asked, "But how can you be so sure that Boss Liang will give us this business? We've never done this kind of work before, what if we mess it up?"

Ji Manqing chimed in, "Third Brother, that medicine pouch is just a matter of two needles and thread, as simple as a needle. You can tell how to make it just by looking at it twice."

Ji Manchuan clenched his fists, wanting to punch Ji Manqing, but having to lead the mule, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Simple, simple? I'll show you for a second, and you go back and make one for us! All you know is how to write poetry with a broom—talking big!"

Ji Manqing said with a wronged expression, "What I meant was, for a woman who knows how to sew, that medicine pouch is just a matter of doing a few stitches, it's a very simple thing, not something I'm telling you is simple. Look at my hands, they're as rough as millstones, how could I possibly hold a needle?"

Ji Yongling suddenly thought of Lu Zhishen embroidering with his orchid-like fingers raised, and burst into laughter.

Ji Manchuan glanced back at Ji Manqing and said leisurely, "Look, you've made the kids laugh. What does that mean? It means you're like a performer trying to sing a song while hitting a copper basin—completely out of tune!"

Ji Yongling glanced at Ji Manqing and quickly defended herself: "Dad, I didn't make fun of Fourth Uncle. I was just thinking, if Fourth Uncle were to embroider with a needle, wouldn't his hands be covered in bloody holes?"

Ji Manqing: "...You're not as well-behaved as you were when you were little..."

Ji Yongling quickly straightened up and continued to explain her father's question: "Father, you could say that the medicine pouch business was something I exchanged with Liang Dongjia for the prescription. We didn't take advantage of him for nothing. Besides, we only got this one order of transporting medicine pouches to the south, it's not a long-term business."

Ji Manqing sighed: "I really didn't expect this. This Liang Dongjia isn't a merchant from the south. He has to send medicinal herbs and medicine bags all the way over. How much money can he possibly make!"

Ji Yongling shook his head: "For a family head like Liang Dongjia, whose business has already grown to a large scale, only fame, besides money, can sway him. Therefore, sending medicinal herbs and medicine pouches this time may not be for the purpose of making money."

Ji Manqing asked, puzzled, "If it's not for making money, isn't it just like fishing in one ditch and releasing fish in another—a complete waste of time?"

“Doing things doesn’t always have to be for money, especially for business people. Sometimes, the bigger the business, the more you need to care about things other than money. If this prevention and control of the epidemic in the south is effective, coupled with the distribution of medicine and good deeds, the reputation of Jishi Pharmacy will definitely be further enhanced, and the government will give them more face in the future.” Ji Yongling paused for a moment, then slowly continued, “Master Liang might even become a medical officer because of this.”

Ji Manqing freed one hand, scratched his head, and said, "I feel like I understand, but I also feel like I don't fully understand."

Ji Manchuan shook the reins in his hand and sighed, "So that's how it is. Sometimes people are like the characters for 'king' and 'jade'—they may look a little different, but they are actually quite different."

"drive--"

The sound of mule hooves echoed on the road.