Li Feng said, “Then let’s get gold ones.”
Lu Liu opened his mouth, about to say no.
Gold—how expensive! But he’d never seen gold before.
All he knew was that it was yellow. Some said it looked like a fried egg, some said a ripe persimmon, others compared it to wheat.
Lu Liu thought gold should look like wheat. Every autumn during harvest, watching the rolling golden fields, he felt it was a color that glowed.
He liked that color.
It was the season of plenty, and every year, that time of year brought him genuine joy.
Li Feng asked, “Do you want a gold leaf, or a gold wheat ear?”
Lu Liu chose the gold wheat ear.
Wheat turning golden meant harvest.
Leaves turning yellow meant falling.
A gold wheat ear symbolized abundance.
Li Feng agreed to whatever he wanted.
On April 20, Si Liang gave birth to four puppies.
Lu Liu and Li Feng brought Er Huang, along with two meaty bones, to see her and the pups.
It was best not to touch the newborns. Everyone stayed outside the doghouse to watch.
The pups inherited the main colors of Er Huang and Si Liang—yellow, white, and black.
All four were still blind, tiny little bundles, smaller than a palm, nursing at Si Liang’s belly and whining softly.
Lu Liu instinctively touched his own belly, his heart melting.
Before the scorching sun hit the earth, these little ones arrived at the tail end of early summer, bringing life and hope into the world.
After the provincial exam ended, Xie Yan rested a day. The next morning, he rose early to supervise the students taking the academy exam. Once the few students under his guidance entered the testing hall, he just had to wait for the results.
The provincial and academy exams ran concurrently. During these exams, the provincial exam wasn’t particularly noteworthy. Merchants in the city were busier than usual, working several days in a row, serving everyone equally—whether young scholars taking the lower-level exam or those sitting higher-level exams—all received the same warm treatment.
Xie Yan got sleepy waking early, but once awake he felt fine.
By the time he finished, dawn had arrived. Returning home, Lu Yang was awake too, and the couple could go together to the clinic.
Wu Pingzhi had called a servant to guide them; he couldn’t come today because he had other engagements.
Lu Yang wanted to do a mountain mushroom business, and Wu Pingzhi would help introduce a few merchants. In the next couple of days, they would contact potential buyers and maybe have a meal together.
This time, Lu Yang didn’t resist going to the clinic. He left home obediently, walking straight toward the clinic from the city gate, very well-behaved. Xie Yan kept glancing sideways, rubbing his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming.
The city was lively these days. Walking through the streets, they moved among the crowds.
The foot traffic wasn’t as dense as near the exam hall, but still thicker than in the county. They had to brush past people occasionally, careful with their purses.
Lu Yang held his hand, also worried his scholar husband might get lost.
He said, “Before, I feared illness and lacking money. I worried that because of my frail body, others would look down on me. Now it’s all better. We have money in hand, my health is improving, and we can get treated. Life is looking up. I value my life now.”
Before coming, he hadn’t wanted to spend any silver. But now that they were here, and spending was inevitable, it didn’t matter.
Xie Yan, hearing this, didn’t want to stroll through the city. With a few free days after the exams, he wanted to quickly finish the second volume of the Imperial Exam Answer Manual. Once back in the county, he could immediately deliver it to Master Lu for printing and earn some silver by the end of the year.
Lu Yang stopped him. “It’s my first time in the city. I’ve been home the past few days, waiting for you and keeping you company. Today I finally got out—don’t you want me to see a little?”
Xie Yan changed his mind and decided to stroll properly with him.
During exams, the clinic business was booming. A large gathering like this brought silver to every trade.
Many examinees fell ill before or after entering the hall—diarrhea, high fever, even collapsing inside.
They queued as before, mouths and noses covered with cloth.
Today, Lu Yang wore a long cotton robe for the stroll; Xie Yan wore his daopao. Together, they looked well-matched.
Xie Yan remarked that he’d brought too little silver. “You could buy medicine here too.”
Lu Yang had deliberately brought little.
They went out with Young Master Wu, avoiding transport costs, carrying their own rations, staying in the Wu family guest quarters, with food all provided—minimal spending needed.
Before leaving, he had gotten some medicine from the clinic and consulted the old doctor. Even with precious herbs, the illness needed gradual care; it wouldn’t heal quickly.
So it wasn’t about expensive or cheap medicine. Even the medicine he had was not cheap.
With only a little silver, he paid for the consultation and received the prescriptions, deciding later whether to get the herbs.
If he had plenty of money, Xie Yan’s temperament meant he would have immediately bought all the herbs, no matter what.
Thinking this, Lu Yang said, “Medicine shouldn’t be taken haphazardly. I’ve been taking these herbs for months and doing well. Suddenly changing the prescription might clash with the medicine. Let’s take the prescriptions back to the county and ask the old doctor there.”
Xie Yan genuinely wondered, “Why not show the prescription to a city doctor to see if it’s okay?”
Lu Yang teased him: “Because the city doctor never treated me—I don’t trust him.”
Xie Yan was no longer so easily fooled. He nodded slowly. When it was their turn, the doctor checked the pulse. Listening to the doctor’s advice, discussing old illnesses, unraveling the symptoms, Xie Yan recited the previous county prescriptions to let the doctor hear.
“I’ve been taking these pills for months. Lately my spirit is fine, but traveling and stress reduce my appetite. Can you see if this prescription needs changing?”
Lu Yang: …
Such a good memory, memorizing prescriptions.
The city doctor was young; Lu Yang didn’t trust him.
He had barely any chin hair and had to touch his chin before discussing prescriptions.
Adjustments could be made—substituting some herbs, lowering potency, focusing on warming tonics.
Lu Yang had a weak stomach, liver qi stagnation, insufficient heart qi, and internal heat blazing. Other ailments could be treated, but the stomach would remain delicate. Strong medicine could hurt it.
Changing the prescription would make the tonics milder and longer-term, which was better for his stomach.
The young doctor said continuing the pills was also fine, depending on which prescriptions were used in autumn.
They could switch now if they could attend follow-ups regularly.
“Herbs have proportions—you won’t take the same prescription entirely. Best to come for a pulse check every two courses and then adjust.”
They couldn’t come to the city often; the trip was too far.
Lu Yang asked, “So in the county, the old doctor could adjust my prescription every half month?”
The doctor nodded.
Xie Yan still wanted the prescription. He took it, noting the treatment.
After leaving, they visited three more doctors. Comparing prescriptions, there were no major differences. The advice was similar. Healing was gradual, like pulling threads—cannot rush recovery.
Prescriptions could either adjust now (focus on care, auxiliary treatment), or continue old methods (main treatment, auxiliary care), switching prescriptions in autumn.
Lu Yang preferred to wait until autumn. He couldn’t stand days with low energy—physically and mentally fragile, dwelling on unhappy thoughts, feeling depressed.
He told Xie Yan, “This trip, the shop is managed by Brother Lin. When we return, if he can handle it, I’ll have more rest and can take care of myself. Let’s not change prescriptions for now.”
Xie Yan remained silent.
Lu Yang added, “Gradual care is fine, but what use is that if I feel terrible? Lately, I’ve been okay—eating well, traveling, jolts and bumps. Even the healthy scholars feel nauseous and lose appetite—that’s normal. With exams over, my mind is at ease; I won’t feel worse.”
