Chapter 53: Nanny Yu Begs for Medicine

An Chunfeng now knew that in the Great Liang Dynasty, courtesans going out were required to wear a frivolous pink sheer gauze veil. The purpose was twofold: first, to add a sense of mystery to them, and second, to distinguish them from women of reputable families.

At this moment, a woman wearing a dark purple long skirt and a veil was pleading in a low voice with Physician Shen: "We lowly women are all wretched souls. Having escaped the brothel life several years ago, we now chant scriptures and worship Buddha every day to wash away our sins. We beg the Divine Hand Shen to dispense medicine and save a life!"

Physician Shen pulled a cold face: "Once a prostitute, always a prostitute. Do not step into this medical clinic and pollute my pristine grounds."

Onlookers chimed in: "That's right, this is a place for saving lives. What business do you prostitutes have coming here!"

"Indeed, you must not let them in!"

The woman in dark purple dropped heavily to her knees: "Human lives are at stake. Yue'e has been running a high fever for days and is already delirious. If you don't save her now, I'm afraid..."

Physician Shen said indifferently: "Don't come kneeling to this old man. Your brothels have always had your own ways; treat her however you treated such illnesses in the past!"

Ordinary physicians disliked treating women's miscellaneous ailments, and illnesses among courtesans were especially avoided. Whoever treated them would become a laughingstock.

Therefore, when courtesans felt unwell, they could only seek out wandering physicians or street-corner herbalists, and naturally, they could not expect any effective results.

Amidst the sneers and abuses of the onlookers, the woman in dark purple remained kneeling, refusing to get up, while Physician Shen flicked his sleeves and retreated into the clinic, refusing to come out again.

An Chunfeng silently watched and listened until Xiao Linzi pushed his way through with a bag of medicine: "Mistress, the herbs have been gathered!"

"Alright, then let's go!" An Chunfeng replied.

"Yes, yes, let's go!" Xiao Linzi echoed.

Both said they were leaving, but neither moved their feet. Instead, both looked at the few figures still kneeling and sitting at the entrance of the clinic.

The dark purple-clad woman's veil was moistened by tears, clinging tightly to her cheeks and revealing an aging yet still exquisite face.

The whispering voices of the crowd grew louder. Someone remarked, "Isn't this the Jade Guanyin whose fame for beauty spread far and wide back in the day? Even a single song from her cost a hundred taels of silver. Back then, how many people lost their minds over her, ruined their families, and sold their sons and daughters? Such sins are as deep as the sea. To say she is already atoning for them—even skinning and dismembering her wouldn't be enough to clear her debt."

"Why don't you hurry up and get lost? Just standing here brings bad luck!"

"I heard these people are the daughters of convicted officials sentenced to the Ministry of Rites' music bureau. Tsk tsk tsk, they used to be pampered young ladies of noble families, and now they're just cheap goods for anyone to ride..."

The discussion grew increasingly vulgar, and the group could clearly no longer bear it. The two women supporting the palanquin trembled slightly, while the kneeling "Jade Guanyin" tried her best to keep her back straight despite her unstable posture.

An Chunfeng raised her eyes to look at the clinic. With such a commotion outside, Physician Shen still had not shown his face, making it clear that he would not accept the patient.

"Xiao Linzi, let's go!" An Chunfeng bit her lip and turned to leave.

This time, Xiao Linzi did not respond.

An Chunfeng took two steps before she realized Xiao Linzi had not followed. Looking back, she saw him staring at the four women, including Jade Guanyin, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot.

"Xiao Linzi, what's wrong with you?" An Chunfeng asked, finding it strange.

Xiao Linzi panicked and wiped his face, then hurried to catch up: "No, nothing! Mistress, let's go!"

An Chunfeng stopped in her tracks: "Xiao Linzi, you are hiding something from me!"

Xiao Linzi glanced at Jade Guanyin, knowing he could no longer hide it. Only then did he lower his voice and say, "In the past, when I was little, begging on the street every day was still not enough to eat. I don't know who it was, but every month they would leave a peck of white rice, a peck of white flour, half a pot of oil, and a basket of charcoal at my doorstep, and it didn't stop until I entered the agency a year ago."

A peck of rice was equivalent to twelve catties; An Chunfeng had bought rice when she first moved to Pear Blossom Lane, so she knew.

With this delivered white rice and flour, Xiao Linzi and his siblings were able to survive.

An Chunfeng raised an eyebrow. Although Xiao Linzi said he didn't know who it was, it was obvious he had his suspicions.

She followed Xiao Linzi's gaze toward the four faded courtesans, a suspicion rising in her heart: Could these courtesans be the ones doing good deeds? They say courtesans are heartless, but to be capable of such charity was truly rare!

However... what should she do? Should she go inside and beg for a prescription on their behalf, or pretend not to know and just walk away?

While she hesitated, someone came out of the clinic. It was Shen Zhongkun.

He forcefully hurled a package of medicine onto the ground, his face full of disgust as he said, "This is to reduce the fever. Get out of here quickly, and if you dare make trouble again, I'll have the City Guard arrest you."

The medicine was wrapped in paper, which instantly tore open upon hitting the ground, scattering leaves and tree bark everywhere. The dark purple-clad woman, however, did not mind; she hurriedly bowed her head in gratitude: "Thank you, Divine Hand Shen, for the medicine. This humble woman will keep it engraved in her heart..."

"Don't bother remembering! Being remembered by someone as cheap as you is disgusting!" Shen Zhongkun waved his hand as if shooing away a fly: "Hurry up and get lost, go on!"

The surrounding patients' families chimed in unison: "Hurry up and get out!"

"Cheap goods!"

"Filthy disease!"

"You're making me sick!"

The two women supporting the palanquin squatted down, sobbing as they picked up the medicine. However, some malicious onlookers made things difficult, preventing them from easily gathering it by intentionally kicking the medicine packages, trampling them with their feet, and spitting on them.

An Chunfeng finally could not hold it in any longer. No matter how good one's medical skills were, if one lacked basic human empathy, one was no different from a butcher skilled in slaughtering pigs and sheep.

And as for these people around her—clearly suffering from illnesses themselves—they still had the audacity to mock others for having dirty diseases.

Those who eat grains fall prey to hundreds of illnesses, all born from greed, obsession, foolishness, and anger. Who was really any nobler than anyone else?

She walked up to the women who were struggling to pick up clean pieces of herbs and said to the stern-faced Shen Zhongkun, "These herbs are mixed with mud and sand; even picking them up is impossible. Please trouble Junior Physician Shen to write another prescription, and I will pay for the medicine."

With that, she tossed a piece of broken silver at Shen Zhongkun's feet. Treating others by their own standard—you throw medicine, I throw silver, we are all the same.

Shen Zhongkun's face instantly darkened. He glared at An Chunfeng, curled his lips in a sneer, and dragged out his voice: "Speaking up for these cheap wretches—could it be that you're part of their gang? Oh! No wonder a widow like you can't sleep at night; just earlier you were even saying my Fifth Uncle, Divine Hand Shen, prescribed ineffective remedies."

Saying a widow couldn't sleep in the middle of the night clearly implied she was restless for a man. The surrounding crowd immediately chuckled, their lips twitching and eyes darting around.

They had been bored waiting here and welcomed some gossip.

Ordinarily, if a woman were publicly accused of seeking medical help out of a desire for a man, she would most likely run home in tears to hang herself or drown herself in water to prove her innocence.

Xiao Linzi jumped out, wanting to curse, but was stopped by An Chunfeng, whose gaze remained cold: "As a healer, you lack benevolence and virtue, despise your patients, and use their conditions and trust as fodder for your random rumors."

"It seems this place shouldn't be called a medical clinic; it would be better suited as a stage for plays."

Having said that, she swept her gaze across the crowd: "Yes, I came to see a doctor because I couldn't sleep. But the funny thing is, while you are laughing at my insomnia, I can equally laugh at you. In the short time I went in to see the doctor, Junior Physician Shen, in order to comfort me that my condition was minor, mentioned the personal matters of several of you."

"Things like impotence, overeating ruining the stomach, and urinary incontinence—they are all jokes. Hahaha, hilarious, you're killing me."

An Chunfeng threw her head back and laughed out loud, as if she had heard something immensely entertaining.

Her words were a mix of truth and falsehood. Within her field of vision, several people's expressions changed instantly.

When they consulted the doctor, the physician's questions had indeed been meticulous, ranging from their eating and elimination habits down to private bedroom matters, which they had not concealed. The physicians would also offer words of comfort. If their own private matters were spread around as a joke...