The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1646 - 1640: The Booklet

Because of this return to Chicheng, passing through Jing County.

It’s been a few years since she last saw the Wang Family members.

Wang Yongzhu sent someone early to Jing County to deliver the message to the Wang Family, saying she would pass through Jing County in a few days.

She would have the boat stay a few more days in Jing County to pay respects to Old Doctor Du and meet the Wang Family.

Also to see how they’re doing nowadays.

Naturally, this news was also incidentally reported to the County Magistrate of Jing County. After all, their group would be staying in Jing County for a few days, and if they didn’t report it, something might go wrong, and wouldn’t that be harming the County Magistrate of Jing County?

When the boat arrived at Jing County, the County Magistrate of Jing County had already cleared the docks early and personally brought people to welcome them.

It’s important to know, this was a First-Rank Enjoin Lady, and above all, this Lady Dingguo was from Jing County.

Even though it was just a brief stopover, wasn’t it still an honor for Jing County?

Wang Yongzhu did not show her face and only let Yao Da step forward to express gratitude for the County Magistrate of Jing County’s goodwill.

She said she just wanted to stay at the old residence for a couple of days to see her family, nothing more.

Currently, the Jing County Magistrate was not the same Lv Wenguang as before; he had been transferred after an official inspection.

This new County Magistrate had used considerable effort to be appointed to this position in Jing County.

He was very understanding and considerate, and as a courtesy, he left his own wife to be at the service of Lady Dingguo, in case there were any needs she might have, instructing her to simply use his wife.

Wang Yongzhu thanked the County Magistrate and indeed met the Magistrate’s Lady.

This Magistrate’s Lady, Lady Li, was seeing such a noble young Enjoin Lady for the first time in her life, and she was extremely flustered. From the moment she entered, she dared not say a word too many and dared not take an extra step.

After paying her respects, even while sitting, she dared not lift her head too much.

Wang Yongzhu didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so she spoke a few gentle words to ease Lady Li’s fear.

She then asked about the current situation of Old Doctor Du and whether her brothers had already arrived in Jing County.

Lady Li calmed her nerves and replied in an organized manner.

She said only that Old Doctor Du’s family was doing well, and in Jing County, the old man was highly respected, and who would not show them some respect?

As for the lady’s brothers, they had been received in Jing County and were well settled.

They were settled next to where Wang Yongzhu’s group previously resided, as the County Magistrate had secured that place for the Wang Family to settle in.

Currently, if Wang Yongzhu wished to see them, she just needed to have someone bring them over.

After staying on the boat, Wang Yongzhu was tired of it and, returning to Jing County, missed that little courtyard very much.

Naturally, she wanted to stay there for a couple of days.

Hence, after exchanging a few more polite words with Lady Li, she had someone escort her back with care.

She then instructed people to arrange a carriage, bringing along Old Granny Zhang, the maid, and the guard, and disembarked from the official boat.

Wang Yongzhu had already informed the others who followed her.

If these people disembark, naturally, arrangements will be made by the County Magistrate of Jing County, and she did not concern herself further with them.

After disembarking, it was natural to first pay a visit to Old Doctor Du.

Someone had already gone to inform the Du Family, and by the time Wang Yongzhu and her party arrived at the doorstep of the Du Family, Old Doctor Du and Lady Qi were already waiting at the door to greet them.

Having not seen each other in years, upon reuniting, let alone Lady Qi who couldn’t stop wiping her tears with a handkerchief, even Old Doctor Du had reddened eyes.

He looked up and down at Wang Yongzhu for half a day, only nodded and said "good," unable to utter another word.

After holding hands and talking for half a day, they moved inside.

The guests and hosts took their seats, and spoke for a while.

Old Doctor Du then gestured for Wang Yongzhu to follow him to the study, while Lady Qi naturally stayed behind to converse with Old Granny Zhang.

Upon entering the study, Old Doctor Du’s face turned serious: "Nonsense! Reckless! Your three-legged medical skills haven’t even been fully apprenticed, yet you dared to deliver a child for the Empress? Are you seeking death?"

Recalling the messages sent from the Capital City at that time, Old Doctor Du nearly had a heart attack on the spot.

Even though Wang Yongzhu had talent, ultimately it was all theoretical knowledge, merely having read some medical books.

A true healer is not just someone who reads a few medical books. It requires personal experience, various patient engagements, and gradual practice.

With such a lackluster skillset, lacking the necessary skills, she had dared to take on such a crucial task!

He was so anxious that he hadn’t slept well for several days, with half of his beard turning white, all worrying for Wang Yongzhu.

If anything had really gone wrong, it would have been enough for a crime convicting one of treason and execution.

On one hand, he urgently wrote a letter, harshly reprimanding his eldest son Du Zhongjing, asking how the Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau could be so negligent. With the Imperial Noble Consort pregnant, check-ups were regular, yet how did such a large Imperial Medical Bureau fail to detect any issues?

The current batch of Imperial Physicians was either incompetent, or his eldest son was too ineffective in managing them, leading to divided loyalties.

On another hand, he wished he could sprout wings and fly to the Capital City to see if there was any way to rectify the situation.

His heart was on edge day and night, even disrupting the New Year celebration.

Finally, he managed to endure until the fifth day of the first month of the new year, estimating by then the Imperial Noble Consort should have most likely delivered by then. If a tragedy had struck, the Emperor would be furious, and any bad news would have already reached the official reports by then.

Yet there was no movement until the tenth day of the first month when he finally saw in the reports that the Imperial Noble Consort had safely given birth to the Ninth Prince.

Old Doctor Du finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Du Zhongjing’s letter quickly followed, explaining the events and situation of that day.

With Old Doctor Du having spent more than half his life immersed in palace affairs, he naturally saw the potential threats and urgent circumstances between the lines.

Fortunately, young Miss Wang Yongzhu, endowed with both fortune and courage, with some peculiar skills, managed to safely pull through.

In hindsight, he often boasted in front of Elder Qin, about his exceptional last disciple, who managed to turn the tide, remain calm in crisis, and snatch lives from Yama Raja’s grasp—

But now, seeing Wang Yongzhu in person, all those proud boasts vanished, leaving only the burning desire to drag this young disciple over and give her a good scolding.

Wang Yongzhu knew well why Old Doctor Du was angry, so she very honestly admitted her mistakes, apologized profusely, and flattered him carefully, finally calming Old Doctor Du down.

The little remaining anger in Old Doctor Du, not much to start with, couldn’t persist against Wang Yongzhu’s flattery and pleas for forgiveness.

His beard lifted, he strained to keep a straight face: "Alright, go write down all your insights from that day’s medical practice, the events, and how everything was handled, one by one."

Wang Yongzhu obediently went to the desk, picked up a pen, and started to write slowly.

Old Doctor Du sat by, sipping tea, and said: "These past years, having nothing else to do, I’ve compiled a collection of strange and difficult cases I’ve treated or encountered over the years, and also ’borrowed’ a few cases from Old Qin, documenting them in detail."

"Cases like that of the Empress and the Ninth Prince are rare but noteworthy. Documenting them ensures that similar situations in the future are handled timely!"

When Wang Yongzhu finished writing, Old Doctor Du took a glance at her work, pondered for a moment, before folding the paper and putting it away.

He took out a small booklet from his pocket and tossed it to Wang Yongzhu: "This is the compilation I put together, only made two copies; one for you, and one for your senior brother. Study it well, so that you don’t panic upon encountering similar conditions in the future, embarrassing me—"

Wang Yongzhu respectfully accepted the booklet, which looked extremely plain, bearing the title: Summary of Difficult and Strange Illnesses, written in large characters on the cover.

Opening it, she saw various unheard-of medical cases lined its pages, with peculiar symptoms and equally peculiar treatments.

Even the case of Old Man Wu was among those documented.

This collection represented Old Doctor Du’s life’s work and medical experience, akin to an invaluable treasure for any physician.

Though thin, the booklet weighed heavy as though bearing a thousand gold pieces in Wang Yongzhu’s hands.

Carefully storing the booklet, Wang Yongzhu respectfully paid Old Doctor Du a significant bow, and earnestly expressed, "Please, Master, rest assured! As a disciple, I will thoroughly study these cases to repay your immense kindness!"