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

Yu Fengshou nodded with a smile, indicating his agreement, while Yu Wangdi looked at Ji Yongling with admiration and envy.

Ji Yongling shook his head without changing his expression and said, "I have learned some basics, but I am still far from being a qualified doctor."

She knew in her heart that although she had studied in medical school for eight years and spent a few years in clinical practice, she had only learned modern medical knowledge. In terms of traditional Chinese medicine, she could only say that she knew some Chinese herbs and had memorized some prescriptions, but she had not studied them systematically and was far from being a beginner.

In an era without modern testing equipment and instruments, her modern medical knowledge was almost useless. At best, she could only act as a health care doctor, giving people some medical advice. She still had to rely on traditional Chinese medicine passed down from her ancestors to treat illnesses and prescribe medicines.

Ji Manchuan didn't take it to heart and continued with a hint of pride, "This girl is just modest and thin-skinned. She doesn't like being praised. Brother-in-law, let me tell you, the other day, Uncle Liu's granddaughter and Shuanzhu's wife's brother both got some kind of swine parasite. It was my Ling'er who cured them."

Ji Shuicao walked in carrying the decocted medicine. Seeing everyone smiling, she smiled knowingly and said, "Oh my, Yongling is really becoming more and more promising. He can even treat people and prescribe medicine. It seems that our family will have a miracle doctor in the future."

Ji Yongling shook her head with a helpless smile. How was she supposed to explain this? Could she say that besides memorizing a few prescriptions, she had no idea how to adjust the dosage?

Ji Manchuan suddenly remembered something and said, "Big sister, I forgot to tell you, we've changed our outhouse, separating the latrine and the pigsty. If you want to raise pigs in the future, you'll have to separate the pigsty and the latrine too, to prevent those parasites and diseases in the pigs."

“Pork tapeworm disease,” Ji Yongling added.

"Yes, yes, it's pork tapeworm disease. Wangdi, come on, while your third uncle is here, let's tidy up the outhouse for you." After saying that, he took Yu Wangdi outside.

Ji Shuicao watched as Yu Fengshou finished drinking the medicine in his bowl, then called over the medicine pouch that had been prepared next door.

Yu Maimiao came in with a bundle, carefully spread it out on the kang (a heated brick bed), and opened it.

Ji Yongling took out two of the medicine pouches and saw that the stitches were fine and neat, almost identical to the sample made by Jia Ronghua. He nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing Ji Yongling nod, Yu Maimiao felt relieved and said, "Sister Yongling, this was made by my mother, my sister, and me staying up all night. It should be ready to be delivered, right?"

Ji Yongling smiled slightly and said, "Well done, Auntie. Your needlework is excellent, and yours and Shuiqin's are also quite good. I'll take all of these with me and give the money to Auntie later."

Yu Maimiao and Yu Shuiqin's eyes lit up as they listened, and they held hands and shook them excitedly.

Ji Shuicao chuckled and said, "Why give me money? Just take it. We'll finish delivering the goods to the noblemen in the city first."

Ji Yongling had already counted out six hundred coins from her pocket and placed them in Ji Shuicao's palm, saying, "Aunt, this is the family business. I've settled accounts with everyone first. You take it, I won't give you more. This is what you and your two cousins ​​earned through hard work."

Ji Shuicao looked at the copper coin in her hand, feeling a little embarrassed, and said, "Your father also paid for the medicine for your uncle, and the expenses weren't even included in your father's account."

Yu Fengshou added, "And the medicine Yongling gave me must be very expensive. Look how much better I feel right after drinking it."

Ji Yongling shook her head and said, "Aunt and Uncle, my father bought the medicine voluntarily, and my grandmother insisted on paying for it, so you don't need to give me any money. The medicine I gave my uncle didn't cost any money either, so you don't need to give me any money either."

“This—” Ji Shuicao looked at Ji Yongling with difficulty, then at Yu Fengshou.

Yu Fengshou sighed and said, "Wife, please accept this money for now. We'll remember Manchuan and Yongling's kindness and repay them slowly in the future."

"Sister Yongling, you're so kind," Yu Shuiqin said happily.

"Sister Yongling, your hair tie is so pretty, it makes you look even prettier." Yu Maimiao said shyly, looking at the red ribbon tied in Ji Yongling's hair.

Ji Yongling turned her head to look at the red rope in her hair, a little puzzled. It was just ordinary hemp rope dyed with paint, but Hu Xirong insisted on tying it on her.

However, in this era of extreme scarcity, even a red hair tie was probably a luxury for a rural girl. It seems I should try dyeing more hemp rope and cotton thread to sell at the market.

Seeing that Yu Fengshou looked tired, Ji Yongling told the Yu sisters to go sit in the yard. Ji Shuicao also got up and said she would go cook.

Upon entering the courtyard, Yu Maimiao brought over several small stools and invited Ji Yongling to sit down, while she herself sat next to her younger sister.

Ji Yongling looked at her two cousins, who were two years younger than her, and saw anticipation and envy in their eyes.

In fact, Ji Yongling herself was also a poor girl covered in patches. Feeling a pang of sadness, she quietly took out a few biscuits and handed them to the two sisters: "Try these."

Yu Maimiao and Yu Shuiqin stared wide-eyed at each other, then cautiously looked at the food that Ji Yongling had never seen before in her hands.

Ji Yongling smiled and encouraged them, "Take a bite and try it. It tastes different from the snacks in the county. There aren't many, and each of you only gets two pieces. Don't let anyone else know."

Yu Mai Miao took the cookie first, carefully took a bite, and her eyes lit up instantly with surprise. Yu Shui Qin followed her sister's example, took the cookie, held it under her chin with one hand, took a small bite, and stared wide-eyed at Ji Yongling.

They had never tasted the county's pastries, but from then on, they believed that the cookies Ji Yongling gave them were the best pastries in the world.

Seeing them enjoying their meal, Ji Yongling felt a warm current flow through her heart.

Just then, Yu Liangdi's voice came from outside the door: "Wangdi, Wangdi, quickly call your third uncle and borrow his mule cart."

"Liangdi, what's going on? Who is this? How did this happen?" Ji Manchuan's voice followed closely behind.

Ji Manchuan, who was outside the door, saw that the boy on Yu Liangdi's back had his eyes closed and his body was twitching from time to time. He immediately thought of Hou Jianye from before, and hurriedly stepped forward to support the boy's back, shouting, "Quick, quick, put him on the ground first. Ling'er, Ling'er, come quickly and save him!"

Ji Yongling quickly got up and walked out of the courtyard.

Yu Liangdi was seen anxiously standing at the door, carrying a boy who was about the same height as Yu Wangdi on his back, followed by a short, old woman wiping away tears.

Ji Yongling immediately stepped forward and helped Ji Manchuan support the boy's body, allowing him to lie flat on the ground.

Yu Liangdi hurriedly squatted down beside the boy, calling out, "Baby, baby, wake up! My third uncle has a mule cart; he'll take you to the county to see a doctor right away."

The woman knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face, shaking the boy's arm and calling out, "Bad boy, bad boy—"

Ji Yongling squatted down to the boy's right and said to the people around her, "Make way, don't crowd around. Someone tell me what's going on."

Yu Liangdi swallowed nervously and said anxiously, "It's like this, Naowa and Wangdi were catching scorpions together when they got stung on the hand. Wangdi sucked out the venom from the wound. Naowa was fine for a while, and everyone thought it was nothing serious, so I told Wangdi and the others to come back first."

"But just a short while ago, Naowa started feeling nauseous and vomiting, and kept saying he was cold. He also seemed a bit delirious, which scared my aunt and me. The village kids said there was a mule cart in front of our house, and I thought it must be my third uncle coming over, so I quickly carried Naowa over, hoping to take him to the county to see a doctor."