Chapter 105: Chapter 66: Not Willing_1
Fifteen days after Xiaoshu, Shengjing welcomed Dashu.
This was the hottest time of the year in the Liang Dynasty, and the thunderstorms made the humidity and heat of the ground even more oppressive, so much so that even lying on a bamboo mat felt sticky and uncomfortable.
With the sultry heat increasing, there were much fewer visitors to the medical clinics during the day.
Du Changqing arranged red dates on a mixed plate, placed it in front of the counter, and beckoned Ah Cheng to come and eat. Yin Zheng piled up the bamboo tubes that had been used for drinking the slurry, filled them with water, and added the jasmine flowers bought by Xia Rongrong, filling the entire shop with fragrance.
Official Hu came to the clinic early in the morning, asking Ah Cheng to make tea for him.
This season, without the fluttering willow flowers, Official Hu’s nasal congestion wasn’t a problem. Moreover, with "Xianxian" selling well and Du Changqing able to make ends meet, Official Hu wasn’t particularly focused on business anymore, and Lu Tong hadn’t seen him for nearly half a month.
Today, it was rare to see him visit the clinic again.
Du Changqing grabbed a handful of red dates for Official Hu and leaned on the counter to ask him, "Uncle, what wind has blown you this way?"
Official Hu waved his hand, "No, thanks, I have been in toothache for almost a month. Please ask Doctor Lu to take a look at it."
Lu Tong washed her hands, examined Official Hu’s mouth closely, and then said, "Tooth decay."
"What should we do about it?" Official Hu insisted, "I’ve been barely able to eat for days and can’t sleep at night, it’s truly agonizing. Doctor Lu, do you have any solutions?"
"I’ll have Ah Cheng prepare some platycodon and coix seed for you to decoct," Lu Tong sat down at the table and started to write a prescription, "Asarum, sophora flavescens, and croton should be cooked together for gargling. If you have apricots, eating one or two fresh after meals will also help."
She looked up and handed the written prescription to Ah Cheng, "After using them for a few days, suōyáng will draw out the worm, it’s not difficult to cure."
Relieved by these words, Official Hu waited for Ah Cheng to fetch the medicine, and in the meantime, he praised Lu Tong, "I’ve always said, there’s not a second Doctor Lu like you on West Street, excellent in both character and skill, so young, yet such exceptional medical expertise, surpassing even men by a hundredfold. Changqing, don’t spend all your days in idle elegance; at your young age, you should strive to progress."
Du Changqing rolled his eyes, "Uncle, I’m already looking after the medical clinic every day, how much more progress should I make, studying by the hanging lamp or with awls in my legs?"
Official Hu lectured Du Changqing with disappointment, as if he were lamenting that iron could not turn into steel, "What’s wrong with studying by the hanging lamp or with awls in your legs? When your father was alive, he often told me you were smart, but it’s a pity you do not love studying. If you had put half the effort you put into playing into your studies, how wonderful it would have been for you to earn a good official rank?"
"That’s enough. Achieving a good official rank isn’t something I could do just by wanting to. Haven’t you seen Scholar Wu from the fresh fish shop? He has taken the exams for many years without success." Du Changqing threw a red date into his mouth, "Everyone has their own fate; when and to what rank a person can be an official is all written in their destiny."
"It seems my destiny is merely this," Du Changqing chewed on the red date, "I must be content with what I have."
At these words, Official Hu’s beard bristled with anger, "It’s outrageous that you do not find this shameful but instead take pride in it!"
Lu Tong put away her pen and paper and asked, "Scholar Wu? Is that the one who lives at Fresh Fish Alley near the temple?"
Official Hu replied in surprise, "Correct, how do you also know him, Doctor Lu?"
"He had once requested a house call from me, and I treated his mother."
Official Hu sighed, "Indeed, he has always been very filial, hoping to earn an official rank to make his mother happy, but unfortunately... alas!"
Lu Tong stood up, walked to the inner shop, took the teapot from Ah Cheng’s hand, which had mint water boiled in it to clear the heat and relieve summer heat. She poured a cup and handed it to Official Hu, asking, "Scholar Wu has gone without success for many years... Is his writing that bad? If it is indeed so poor, why persist so stubbornly?"
No sooner had she spoken than Official Hu sprang up, "Who said that? Scholar Wu’s essays are exceptionally good!"
All the people in the room turned to look at him.
Official Hu took the cup of tea from Lu Tong, took a hard gulp, and began indignantly, "Scholar Wu is someone I’ve watched grow up. He wrote beautiful essays even when he was thirteen or fourteen. He is both smart and has a great memory. It’s not just me, even our friends who have seen his essays acknowledge his talent. We all used to say with his ability, how could he not bring back a title of champion to bring glory to his family name, but who knew... alas!"
He muttered, "Why can’t he pass?"
Du Changqing, who had been watching indifferently from the side, added fuel to the fire, "That’s why I say, each person has their own destiny. Scholar Wu’s fate is simply that of a commoner, taking exams year after year without success, toiling pointlessly."
"What do you know?" Official Hu seemed very sorry for Scholar Wu and became very angry at the words, "A man with such thorough knowledge of history and literature, and with such essay writing skills, it’s strange that he hasn’t passed! Perhaps his lucky star for officialdom has just not arrived; this year might be different, and later on, he should go to the temple to offer some incense to Wen Quxing."