Chapter 29: Chapter 28 Wan Fu Household’s _1
Shengjing’s spring was nearing its end, gradually showing signs of summer’s fervor.
Early in the morning, the gate of the Ke Family’s residence in the south of the city was pushed open, and a middle-aged woman came out.
This woman wore a honey-colored silk blouse that was slightly worn, her hair coiled up in a bun, with a plump, round figure and a kindly face. She was carrying a bamboo basket on her arm.
The gatekeeper greeted her, "Nanny Wan."
Wan Fu Household’s own nodded in response and headed straight toward the Guanxiang Flower Market.
Madam Ke had a sweet tooth, and Wan Fu was skilled in making sweets, especially expert at steaming cakes fashioned from various fresh flowers. Recently, Madam Ke’s favorite had been the Plum Cake, made with plum blossom ground into juice mixed into fresh pastry, pressed into small plum flower shapes and arranged on plates, pleasing to both the eye and the palate.
However, we were now past the Grain Rain season, and with half a month to the Start of Summer, the plum blossoms should have already left the market. The plum blossoms currently available at Guanxiang Flower Market were last year’s holdovers, and once this batch sold out, there would be none until this year’s winter. Therefore, Wan Fu set out early.
Upon arriving at Guanxiang, the rich fragrance hit her before she even entered the market. Spring and summer brought an abundance of flowers, with all the vendors’ stalls displaying orchids, jasmine, peonies, purple orchids... each emitting its intoxicating scent, bustling with activity everywhere.
Wan Fu made her way to a stall selling plum blossoms and bought up all of the remaining stock. She also picked up a few bunches of herbs for making sweets before heading back with her basket.
The entrance to Guanxiang was always crowded with people and a constant stream of carriages. It was especially packed with the flower market influx. Just as Nanny Wan stepped out, a beggar child around twelve or thirteen years old darted out from the outskirts of the market, bumping into her and sending Nanny Wan tumbling to the ground with a cry. Before she could call out, the child, seeing the bad turn of events, bolted away.
Nanny Wan lay on the ground, feeling an excruciating pain in her ankle and unable to stand up for a moment. She managed to gather her scattered flowers back into the basket and muttered a few curses under her breath.
Then, she suddenly heard someone ask nearby, "Madam, are you all right?"
Nanny Wan looked up and saw two young ladies standing before her.
One was dressed in a light blue vest, looking pretty and clever with a servant girl’s hairdo. The other wore a deep blue skirt, her lips red, teeth white, and her skin translucent and smooth, looking at her with concern.
Nanny Wan, with her foot hurting badly and the inconvenient hustle and bustle around her, said, "Would you mind helping me to that stone bench at the entrance of the alley to sit for a while?"
The maid in blue chuckled as she helped her up, saying, "Not at all."
Nanny Wan was assisted by the two to a stone bench outside, where she felt her ankle hurt even more acutely. She tried to stand and walk, but the pain made her grit her teeth and wince.
The young lady in blue examined her ankle and shook her head, "It seems you’ve sprained your bones and definitely should not walk on it right now. It would be best not to exert force for three to five days."
Nanny Wan cried out anxiously, "Oh no, this is bad."
She had gone out to buy plum blossoms, and the flower market was still a good distance from the Ke Family’s home. It was too late now to call for a carriage.
After some thought, the young lady in blue said to Nanny Wan, "Although you have sprained it, if you use a Golden Needle to apply acupuncture, it could be better in less than half a day."
"Acupuncture?" Nanny Wan asked in confusion, "Is there a place nearby that offers it?"
The maid in blue smiled brightly, "I know of a Renxin Medical Hall not far from here, quite close to the flower market. Would you like to give it a try?"
Nanny Wan hesitated for a moment, "Renxin Medical Hall?" Her face showed surprise, "Is it the same medical hall that has been selling the popular Nasal Congestion Herbal Tea recently?"
The maid paused, then smiled again, "You’ve also heard of Renxin Medical Hall?"
"Of course, their medicinal tea is famous everywhere these days," Nanny Wan said as she looked at her ankle, "Since everyone says the tea from Renxin Medical Hall is good, they must have some real skill. Please trouble you young ladies to take me there. Once my foot gets better, I will make sure to thank you both properly."
"It’s just a small effort, no need for thanks," the maid reassured her with a smile, looking at the young lady in blue, "Let’s help her over together, shall we?"
"All right."
...
Lu Tong and Yin Zheng helped Nanny Wan, who had injured her ankle, all the way to the Renxin Medical Hall.
Du Changqing was sitting in front of the medicine cabinet in a daze, and when he saw Lu Tong return, he was a bit surprised, "Doctor Lu, didn’t you go to buy flowers? How come you’re back so early?"
Early in the morning, just as the Renxin Medical Hall opened, Lu Tong had told Du Changqing that she was heading to the flower market to buy flowers and left with Yin Zheng.
Hearing Du Changqing’s words, Nanny Wan looked at Lu Tong in astonishment, "Doctor Lu... you’re a doctor?"
Lu Tong nodded.
With a smile, Yin Zheng supported Nanny Wan’s arm and walked her inside, "Don’t worry, granny, my lady has excellent medical skills. She made that Nasal Congestion Herbal Tea, and in a moment, we’ll do some acupuncture on your ankle. I assure you it’ll stop hurting soon."
Du Changqing was still somewhat unclear about the situation, but after Lu Tong explained what had happened, he looked at her with a complex expression, "You really are compassionate, helping everyone you come across." He leaned in closer and asked in a low voice, "But do you really know how to do acupuncture? You’re not deceiving people, are you? I’ll have you know, if you mess someone up, I can’t cover for you."
Lu Tong ignored him and went on to take the Golden Needle from the medical box.
Outside, Nanny Wan was half sitting on a recliner, looking at Lu Tong with some doubt and hesitated, "Doctor Lu, if it’s not possible..."
"The interior is related to the organs, the exterior to the limbs and joints," Lu Tong had already removed Nanny Wan’s shoes and socks, sat on a slightly lower chair, and placed the other’s leg on her knees.
At the sight of the large swelling at the ankle, which looked frightening, she said, "After the acupuncture, the meridians will be clear, the swelling will go down, and you’ll be able to walk very soon, granny. Don’t worry." With that, she raised her hand and inserted the Golden Needle into Nanny Wan’s ankle.
Any words Nanny Wan had been about to say were lost.
Lu Tong’s movements were indeed too quick.
Seeing this, Yin Zheng brought over a bowl of tea and handed it to Nanny Wan with a smile, "Relax, granny. Since my lady is the Resident Doctor here, her skills are naturally extraordinary. Have some tea to calm down. After the moxibustion, you’ll be better in about an hour or two."
Nanny Wan accepted the tea, her smile somewhat forced.
Yin Zheng then pulled up a stool and sat in front of Nanny Wan, engaging in idle chat, "I just heard granny’s accent; it doesn’t sound like it’s from Shengjing, more like it’s from Yingchuan."
Hearing this, Nanny Wan’s attention was diverted, and she laughed, "Indeed, I am from Yingchuan."
"Really?" Yin Zheng became excited, "My family is also from Yingchuan. I never expected to meet a fellow towns-person in Shengjing; what a fate!"
Nanny Wan was also surprised, "What a coincidence, no wonder I felt close to you the moment I saw you, miss!"
As the two discovered their shared hometown, a great sense of closeness instantly formed, and they began to chat warmly. Yin Zheng, being naturally clever and lively, spoke of hometown matters with Nanny Wan, and in no time at all had charmed her into full bloom. Grabbing Yin Zheng’s hand, Nanny Wan affectionately called her "my girl," and in her excitement, completely forgot about the Golden Needle in her ankle.
Du Changqing tutted and fiddled with his ear, seemingly annoyed by the incessant chatter in the shop.
But Lu Tong gave a slight smile.
Since entering the Renxin Medical Hall, she had not forgotten her mission for a moment, constantly gathering intelligence on the Ke Family without slacking.
This woman visited the Guanxiang Flower Market every five or six days to buy plants, and she spoke with an authentic Yingchuan accent. Yin Zheng, who had once been in dire straits, had known a sister from Yingchuan and had fortunately learned a few phrases.
Thus, Lu Tong had bribed the beggar at the temple entrance early on and staged an act of kindness at the Guanxiang Flower Market.
A collision, a charitable deed, luring someone in, claiming fellowship—all were nothing but ruses to deliberately get close to this woman.
With her head lowered, she took the last Golden Needle from the velvet cloth, slowly inserted it into the acupoint on Nanny Wan’s wrist, listening as Nanny Wan laughed, "My household is small; the head of the family works for Master Ke and had gone out early today to buy plum blossoms. Alas, the flowers were mostly ruined due to the collision with that troublemaker."
As she performed the acupuncture, Lu Tong’s hand paused for a moment.
Shortly after, she looked up with a smile and asked, "Master Ke? Is that the Ke Family from Shengjing that sells porcelain?"