Fields of Gold

At this time, Old Yu stepped into his older brother’s courtyard. When he heard the sounds of his niece sobbing, the look on his face immediately changed. In previous years, when the weather suddenly changed, a lot of old folks with weaker bodies were unable to endure it. His eldest brother was older than him by eight years and was already past the age of sixty. Perhaps…

He quickened his steps and entered the room. Inside were his niece and nephew, and both of them seemed very distressed. Yu Lichun was lying on the bed with his eyes tightly shut. There was an unnatural flush on his face and there were a few sores on his cracked lips. His chest was still moving slightly, which allowed Old Yu to relax a little.

“Third Uncle? You got better, Third Uncle? Which medicine hall’s doctor treated you? What type of medicine did you eat?” When Yu Jiang saw that Old Yu had come in, he was stunned for a second and then hope lit up his face.

A few days ago, Old Yu’s illness was quite severe and had pretty much the exact same symptoms as Yu Jiang’s father. He was feverish, coughing, and had fallen into an unconscious stupor due to the severity. After taking medicine that was prescribed by Tongren Medicine Hall, he still didn’t get better. He had heard that Third Uncle’s family had connections with Doctor Sun from Tongren Medicine Hall. Did Doctor Sun come back from the capital?

Old Yu hesitated for a moment and then stated with a bit of uncertainty, “Doctor Sun had gone into the capital on the behalf of some noble. The person who treated me was his head disciple, who is also considered a very skilled doctor in town. However, my body was weak and didn’t get better even after taking a dozen taels worth of medicine. Didn’t your niece learn a bit of medicine in the past? People turn to any doctor when someone is ill, so she concocted a few tisanes for me. Perhaps the medicine I took earlier had finally taken effect but within a few days I was completely better…” 

Yu Jiang’s eyes flickered with a different light and knocked his head a few times as he repeatedly said, “That’s right ah! Xiaocao also knows some medicine. How could I possibly forget this? Third Uncle, thank you for reminding me, I’m going to go invite Xiaocao over now…”  

“Dajiang, how old is Xiaocao right now? She only knows a bit of basic medicine, so she can’t be considered more skilled than the doctors in town right? Even the most skilled doctors in town are no use, so what would inviting her over do?” Yu Jiang’s older sister didn’t quite approve of her younger brother’s decision.

Yu Jiang rubbed his sore and red eyes as he looked at his older sister, “Older Sister, you haven’t spent a lot of time in Dongshan Village these past two years and don’t know of your niece’s abilities. Even the royal prince, after hurting his arm, had Xiaocao treat his arm. Also, Princess Consort Jing had also invited Xiaocao to craft medicinal cuisine for her to strengthen her body. That being said, if we don’t ask her, are we just supposed to watch our father die in front of our eyes?”

Yu Jiang’s older sister couldn’t say anything. It was true. Even the doctors in town had said that her father couldn’t get better, so they advised them to prepare for the future. Perhaps having Xiaocao come over to treat him was the only bit of hope they had left?

After Xiaocao got the message, she almost ran the entire way there. Her medicine box was carried over by Yu Jiang. When they entered the room, they were so winded that they continued to huff and puff for quite a bit. 

Yu Xiaocao was very worried when she saw her granduncle’s condition. When she first transmigrated over, her granduncle had treated her better than her grandfather and supported her family. Furthermore, he didn’t even hesitate to give them all of his money to have her go into town and be seen by a doctor. After they split from the main family, Eldest Granduncle’s family also helped them frequently when they were too busy. Their two families acted as if they were one whole family. 

She resolved to do her best to save such a kind hearted and gentle old man! Yu Xiaocao took her granduncle’s pulse and discovered that he was not doing well. She then took out a porcelain bottle from her medicine box and had her Third Uncle, Yu Jiang, pry his father’s mouth open to drip two drops of mystic-stone water into his mouth.  She noticed that everyone regarded the bottle in her hand with curiosity, so she explained, “When my grandfather got really sick recently, I used more than twenty medicinal herbs to extract an essence to combat cold illnesses. My grandfather has personally experienced its effects!”

She then had a person fill up a basin of warm water and also added a few drops of mystic-stone water to it. She instructed her Third Uncle to wipe her granduncle’s body, “Eldest Granduncle’s illness is a lot worse than when my grandfather was sick. We not only have to give him oral medication but we also have to wipe medication on his body! By washing his body with some warm water, it can help him reduce his fever. Right now Eldest Granduncle has a high fever that’s not abating, so we need to lower his temperature before the fever damages him!”

After she finished her explanation, Yu Xiaocao stepped out of the inner room and took out a few medicinal herbs that had been filled with spiritual energy by the divine stone. She personally concocted the herbs into a tonic. During the process, when other people weren’t observing her, she also stealthily added a drop of mystic-stone water to the mixture.

Yu Jiang and his oldest brother, Yu Xi, were in the room as they continuously wiped their father’s body with the warm water mixture. Within moments, the mystic-stone water started affecting the sick man. Yu Lichun’s fever started to go down significantly. By the time the tonic was finished, he had already woken up from his stupor and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Yu Lichun drank the medicine and then said a few words to his younger brother and children before he went back into a deep sleep. Yu Xiaocao was cleaning up her medicine box as she said, “The medicine I concocted should be taken three times a day. After three days, I’ll come over to take Eldest Granduncle’s pulse again. For the next two days, let Eldest Granduncle rest and he should be like my grandfather very soon and be able to walk around the village!”

When Yu Jiang’s wife noticed that Xiaocao’s medicine was very effective, she pulled on Xiaocao’s hand as she sobbed, “Xiaocao, can you take a look at my daughter ah? She’s also been sick for many days…”  Yu Xiaocao entered the west room with Third Aunt and inside was a tiny, skinny baby sleeping there. Her face was ghost white and occasionally she would have a bout of hacking coughs. Perhaps she was feeling uncomfortable, but she started to wail. Her cries were weak and thin and sounded like cat crying.

Yu Jiang’s wife picked up her daughter and gently patted her on the back. Yu Jiang’s eyes became hot with tears again as he asked, “Xiaocao, can my little girl drink the essence that’s in your porcelain bottle? It’s only been a few days but she’s already shrunken until she doesn’t look human. She hasn’t been able to drink any medication and often vomits. Every time she coughs, all of the medicine and gruel we managed to get her to drink comes back up…” She was, after all, his own blood and flesh. Yu Jiang was somewhat incoherent when he described his daughter’s condition.

Yu Xiaocao looked at her younger cousin and nodded, “She also got sick after being exposed to the cold. This essence should also help strengthen her body. Third Uncle, go pour a glass of warm water!”

After the previously boiled water was poured, Yu Xiaocao dripped half a drop of mystic-stone water into it and had Third Aunt feed the mixture to the little girl. Yu Xiaocao also explained, “The baby is too young, so we can’t use too much medicinal essence for her. Too much medicine is just as harmful as not taking any! Her cough is quite severe, so I’m going to go back to concoct some cough syrup. The syrup will taste sweet and is suitable for young children to use.”

Yu Jiang’s wife hesitated for a second before she finally decided to ask, “Don’t we need to concoct some medicine for her?”

Yu Xiaocao lightly shook her head and stated, “Regular medications are too bitter and most children don’t like to eat it. Even if you force them to, they’ll often vomit it back up. The syrup I’m talking about is actually a type of medication. The only difference is that I also added some honey, so it’ll taste more sweet. The efficacy of the medication is also not bad!”

After she left Eldest Granduncle’s residence, Yu Xiaocao started to concoct the ginger syrup. This type of syrup not only had ingredients to suppress coughing but it could also treat illnesses caused by cold exposure. There were a few drops of mystic-stone water added so it amplified the effect of the herbs. There were quite a few children in the village who were sick, so Yu Xiaocao deliberately made a larger batch of this syrup. That way she could avoid having to make it again when someone inevitably asked for it.

That night, she didn’t sleep as she made the syrup. The next morning, she went over to her eldest granduncle’s house to deliver the new medication. Her eldest granduncle’s fever had already disappeared, and he was currently leaning against some blankets as he talked to his family. They mentioned that his appetite that morning had been pretty good and he had even eaten two bowls of congee. When they saw Yu Xiaocao enter, everyone complimented her medicinal skills and proclaimed that they had faith in her skills now.

Yu Xiaocao took her eldest granduncle’s pulse and then grinned, “Eldest Granduncle, you just need to take a few more bowls of medicine and then you’ll be completely better. Rest well for the next few days. My grandfather is still waiting for you so he can play chess with you!”

“With your grandfather’s poor skill at chess, I have no desire to even play with him ah! Xiaocao, I owe you this time. If it wasn’t for you, I’m afraid that this old bag of bones would be gone…” Yu Lichun looked like he had aged several years after this bout of illness. His voice didn’t have much energy to it but he seemed a lot more vigorous compared to before.

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly said, “Just look at what you’re saying! Eldest Granduncle, the heavens help those who are worthy. Although it looked bad this time, in the end, you were able to escape calamity. Go rest, I’m going to go look at the baby.”  

“What’s wrong with the baby ah? She’s sick? Is it serious?” No one in the family had told Yu Lichun the news about the baby while he was ill, which was why he didn’t know she was sick until now!

When Yu Xiaocao saw this, she hastily comforted him, “Eldest Granduncle, don’t worry. The baby is fine. She’s only been coughing these past two days. I came over to bring over the cough suppressant syrup I made for her. Children like this type of syrup and it works pretty well. Don’t worry, with me around, the baby will be able to call you ‘grandfather’ tomorrow!”

Once Yu Lichun found out that the baby only had a cough, he relaxed a bit and then laughed, “You lass, you’re quite good at calming people down. However, your little cousin still hasn’t reached the age when she can talk. She can’t even say ‘father’ or ‘mother’, so how would she be able to say ‘grandfather’?”

Some children learned how to speak early, while others learned later. The baby was already over a year old but she hadn’t started to talk yet. Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed her nose before she dispiritedly said farewell to her granduncle and entered the west room.

The baby was currently awake and was lying listlessly in Yu Jiang’s wife’s arms. When the little girl saw Yu Xiaocao enter, she blinked her two eyes and then buried her face into her mother’s arms and refused to come out.

“Oh! Our family’s little girl is a bit shy now!” Yu Xiaocao looked at the little baby who was hidden inside Third Aunt’s arms with her butt up in the air. She looked very cute so Xiaocao laughed and cracked a joke.

Afterwards, she asked her third aunt, “It looks like the baby is more energetic. Did she still have a fever last night? What about a cough?”

Yu Jiang’s wife finally had a bit of a smile on her face. She looked gratefully at Xiaocao and replied, “Yesterday night, she slept quite well and didn’t make a peep the entire night. In the middle of the night, I touched her back and saw that she was sweating. Thus, I followed what you said and used some warm water to wipe her body and then changed her into a set of clean clothing. She didn’t cough much last night and also didn't vomit. Xiaocao, the medicine you made is better than the one the doctor from town made. What kind of doctor did your Third Uncle bring over from town? He even said that our family’s girl wasn’t looking too good!”  

Any doctor in town had better medicinal skills and knowledge than she did. When she heard her Third Aunt complimenting her, Yu Xiaocao felt a bit sheepish and lightly coughed, “Everyone has their own speciality. Perhaps that doctor isn’t as familiar with pediatric medicine ah! Third Aunt, the medicine I made is quite complicated and after treating Eldest Granduncle and the baby, I don’t have much left. Please don’t spread the word about this.” 

Her third aunt nodded honestly, “I understand! This is a secret recipe of yours. Normally, most people would hide it and deny that they knew of it. Who would brag about it?”