Chapter 50: Consultation at the Spring-Return Hall

An Chunfeng did not know that Tang Mu was actually Qin Mu, nor did she expect to see the child on their very first attempt. Instead, she praised young Linzi for his competence and efficiency.

For a fourteen-year-old boy to be able to handle tasks reliably and practically was already a success in its own right.

The mistress is ill? Which one—the Qin woman or the Liu woman?

It seemed there was also an old matriarch in the Tang household who was bedridden and paralyzed, but as long as it wasn't Tang Mu who had fallen ill, it was none of her concern.

When the donkey cart arrived at the Huichuntang Medical Clinic, recommended by Qiushui, the sky was already fully bright. There were already seven or eight people queuing in front of the clinic, and more people kept rushing over. A young attendant in green robes was handing out numbered tickets.

Young Linzi had quick legs; in two or three strides, he darted to the front of the clinic to secure a spot, paid ten coins for the numbered tally, and then hurried back to the donkey cart. "Mistress An, the medical tally has been secured. The attendant said it will take at least another hour before our turn comes, and suggested we wait elsewhere in the meantime."

An Chunfeng shared the same sentiment. Having set out early, she had not yet eaten breakfast, and this was a good opportunity to find a breakfast stall nearby to eat while waiting.

After paying the driver and dismissing the donkey cart, young Linzi eagerly offered to guide her to a dining establishment, claiming that their soup-filled steamed dumplings were exceptionally delicious, and they also served a signature dish: golden-hook and jade-sliver seaweed soup.

Over the past few months, An Chunfeng had grown quite tired of the breakfast stalls on Chessboard Street. With young Linzi leading the way, she readily agreed.

The restaurant was spacious and bustling with guests. The soup dumplings were indeed good, and the feeling of having someone wait on her was even better.

Young Linzi bustled about, helping her find a seat. Instead of sitting down to eat with her, he stood attentively by her side, carefully ladling soup for her.

The soup was made by simmering dried tiny shrimps, shrimp meat, and shredded purple seaweed. The ingredients were not particularly luxurious, but its charm lay in its exceptionally fresh flavor.

Young Linzi patiently used a spoon to scoop into the bowl, trying to fish out every single piece of shrimp.

"Young Linzi, sit down and eat. We need to head to the medical clinic early," An Chunfeng said, blowing on a piping-hot soup dumpling and urging the boy to eat as well.

Young Linzi acknowledged her words, but handed the bowl of soup directly to An Chunfeng. "Mistress An, the jade-sliver soup is a specialty of this place. It's a rare seafood dish, very nourishing for the body—ordinary people can't even buy it!"

"Ah! Is this a seafood tonic?" An Chunfeng almost burst out laughing. Even this seaweed soup was considered a tonic.

However, the capital of Daliang was far from the sea, making seafood somewhat difficult to come by. To an ordinary person like young Linzi, a bit of dried seaweed and tiny shrimps counted as exotic seafood.

Assuming An Chunfeng had never seen it before, young Linzi explained, "Mistress An has lost weight recently, and since you've been ill, you certainly need nourishing foods."

He had seen what An Chunfeng's physical condition was like when she first arrived at Pear Blossom Alley.

Compared to those days, An Chunfeng, who exercised daily, had developed firm muscles. She had indeed lost some of the slightly bloated roundness from before, but because she had slept poorly the night before, dark circles rimmed her eyes, and she had not used any cosmetics to conceal them for her trip to the doctor, she appeared rather haggard.

A quiet warmth blossomed in An Chunfeng's chest. Young Linzi was the first person to notice that she had lost weight.

Perhaps Qiushui had noticed too, but to someone like Qiushui, who was accustomed to heavy makeup, women without makeup all looked more or less the same.

Perhaps because An Chunfeng was a newly widowed woman living alone, while Qiushui came from a humble background, both of them carried heavy secrets in their pasts, leading to a tacit understanding where neither ever brought up their past or present lives.

After finishing breakfast, they returned to the medical clinic. By then, the place was packed to capacity. An Chunfeng was eighth in line, and after only a brief wait, her turn for a consultation arrived.

The resident physician on duty was surnamed Shen, belonging to a family of hereditary medicine practitioners. It was said that every generation of his clan served in the Imperial Hospital.

Master Shen was in his fifties, with a lean and refined visage and a long beard gracing his jaw, projecting an air of maturity and profound composure.

He sat solemnly behind the medical desk, while a younger member of his clan stood nearby as an apprentice, holding a brush to record prescriptions.

Master Shen first instructed An Chunfeng to place her wrist on the silk pillow, then gently rested three fingers lightly upon her pulse, closing his eyes slightly as if wandering in some distant void.

An Chunfeng held her breath and concentrated, afraid of disturbing this human diagnostic scanner during its inspection.

After feeling her pulse for a long time, Master Shen instructed An Chunfeng to stick out her tongue so he could observe the coating. With just a fleeting glance, he nodded and said, "The lady's pulse is taut and rapid, and the tip of her tongue is red. You must be suffering from inner restlessness and vexation, a depressed emotional state, frequent feelings of sorrow that bring no tears, coupled with the vexation of being unable to sleep at night..."

An Chunfeng listened in stunned admiration, feeling a deep sense of respect, and nodded in agreement: Indeed, she was plagued by poor sleep.

Truly a divine being; without even asking a single question during the consultation, he knew she suffered from insomnia.

Her insomnia was indeed related to emotional states. In the past, when she treated herself through acupuncture and tui-na massage, she also focused primarily on the Liver and Gallbladder meridians, as well as the Heart and Pericardium meridians.

The two apprentices nearby also stepped forward in turn to feel her pulse and observe her tongue. Before An Chunfeng could speak another word, Master Shen instructed the apprentice holding the brush, "This illness is the same as the previous case: modify Xiaoyao San by adding or subtracting Longdan Xiegan Wan, plus licorice, angelica, poria, white peony root, atractylodes, bupleurum, and gentian root..."

The names of the medicinal herbs flew rapidly from his mouth, and the apprentice's brush danced like a flying dragon. In the span of a short moment, a prescription glistening with fresh black ink was complete.

An attendant naturally stepped forward to collect the prescription and gather the herbs, while An Chunfeng stood outside in a daze, waiting...

Although Master Shen's medical skills were miraculous, she had only spoken a single sentence, and the diagnosis was already over. Wasn't this a bit too hasty?

Inside the consultation room, the apprentice with the brush said with a look of adoration, "Fifth Uncle's pulse-taking technique is growing increasingly precise. Just by reading the pulse, you hit the exact condition!"

Master Shen stroked his beard, raised his chin slightly, and said with a hint of complacency, "Such minor ailments are as easy to pluck as an item from your pocket. The Shen family's pulse-diagnostic techniques have never failed. The two of you brothers must study diligently and wholeheartedly if you ever hope to glimpse their marvelous depths."

A round-faced apprentice nearby frowned and said, "Fifth Uncle, although that woman's pulse was taut and tight just now, the tip of her tongue was not red, and her expression appeared calm and steady—she showed no signs of liver agitation..."

Master Shen's expression immediately soured. Although this nephew was well-versed in pharmacology, he was rigid and inflexible in his ways, and now he dared to question his medical skills right to his face.

He said in a deep voice, "Shen Xiujin, recite how the *Classic of Pulse* defines the taut pulse!"

Shen Xiujin's round face stiffened, and he opened his mouth to recite: "Taut: rapid with a sense of tension, like pressing upon the strings of a zheng zither, running straight through, rigid beneath the fingers, upright and long. In human anatomy it relates to the liver, in seasons to spring; on the *cun* position it indicates headache, on the *chi* position it indicates abdominal pain!"

Seeing that he could recite the *Classic of Pulse* fluently, Master Shen's expression softened slightly. "Hmm. Now recite the tight pulse!"

This time, the apprentice holding the brush snatched the answer: "Tight: rapid and forceful, bouncing against the person's hand from side to side like twisting a rope or cutting a cord. Tightness is the pulse image of heat bound by cold. Floating and tight is light, sinking and tight is firm!" Having finished, he cast a provocative glance at the round-faced apprentice.

Hearing him speak with equal eloquence, Master Shen nodded in approval. "Zhongshen has made progress these past few days and deserves praise!"

Having received praise, Shen Zhongshen straightened his back and said with restrained modesty, "It is a rare privilege for this nephew to receive personal instruction from Fifth Uncle; I dare not be lazy."

At that moment, the patients waiting outside for consultations grew increasingly numerous, but Master Shen was in no rush.

Although these two clan nephews had different temperaments, they were both outstanding and diligent learners who deserved careful instruction. Thus, he leisurely began to analyze the condition for his two disciples.

"Diagnosis relies on the four methods: inspection, listening, inquiry, and pulse-taking. Observe the complexion and appearance, listen to the voice and tone—not only looking at the illness itself, but also combining it with reality to make deductions.

"The garments of the woman just now were plain and simple, yet the blue floral hair ornament she wore was brand new, and she is quite young. She is undoubtedly newly widowed.

"A newly widowed person misses her departed husband; she cannot swallow her food and cannot sleep at night, hence her haggard appearance and the dark circles around her eyes.

"Such emotional illnesses are difficult to voice; when a physician asks, a woman feels shy and hides it, making inquiries useless. One must rely heavily on observation.

"In terms of treatment, stagnant emotional fire generates heat, and the tip of the tongue turns red. To soothe the liver, regulate *qi*, and resolve stagnation, Xiaoyao San paired with Longdan Xiegan Tang is most suitable."

The two disciples listened, nodding repeatedly. A widow thinking of a man in the dead of night, unable to sleep for longing—that was indeed difficult to put into words.