Ink Burns

Chapter 143 Three Jujube Trees (Chubby Chapter)

In March, the capital city was filled with warmth. Along the alleys of Xue Nan's mansion, in addition to the acacia trees planted everywhere, there was also a jujube tree planted at the entrance. This tree was of the same origin as the one in the courtyard. The fresh green color and the direction of the branches were exactly the same. The only difference was that one was towering and the other was small.

After going around the jujube tree, you will enter Xiangshui Lane. After walking another 300 steps, you will see a narrow courtyard with green walls, a low wooden door, and sparse fences. There is lush grass planted in the gaps, and a big tree among the grass.

The courtyard faces north and south, welcoming the sunshine with open arms.

A hemp banner was hung outside the yard with the words "free clinic" inscribed on it.

The people queuing for treatment are like a long, winding vine, spreading along the wall, with its tentacles extending to the next corner.

People lined up in a crowded manner, shoulder to shoulder, toes to heels, fearing that they would be caught because they were all wearing ragged clothes and had no decent shoes.

The interior of the cabin can be seen through the wooden fence.

Two bamboo poles were set up in front of the hut, and a layer of tarpaulin was roughly covered on the poles. Because the weather was still good, the tarpaulin was not opened, and the warm spring sun encountered no obstacles and poured down directly.

In the sunlight, the thin and gaunt young man leaned forward and listened, his expression serious and his eyes gentle. The fine hairs on his cheeks and nose seemed to be stained with a layer of golden glow.

Shanyue waited obediently at the end of the team until noon, when he was able to enter the courtyard smoothly.

"Doctor Cheng."

Shan Yue's voice was smiling, warm and light, floating in the air.

Cheng Xingyu nodded and wrote furiously. He didn't have time to distinguish the voices, so he could only ask hurriedly: "Please sit down - what's wrong?"

As soon as he said this, he realized something was wrong. He looked up suddenly and Shan Yue's clear and fair face came into his sight.

Cheng Xingyu's heart skipped a beat. His expression was one step ahead of his thoughts. His face was filled with a smile of surprise, and his eyes seemed to be filled with thousands of stars: "Why are you here!"

After the surprise, confusion follows.

Cheng Xingyu stood up hurriedly, turned back and forth several times, and suddenly remembered something and looked outside.

"There are no more patients." Shan Yue smiled and looked back. The originally crowded alley was now only occupied by a few scattered people squatting at the foot of the wall and eating steamed buns. "I have been waiting for the last person. Just now, an old man urged everyone to disperse, shouting, 'Let Doctor Cheng have a good lunch.' - You have only been here for a few days? Why are you setting up a tent to see patients?"

"I was originally waiting for a batch of coltsfoot and northern astragalus in the capital. These two batches of northern medicines will not arrive until summer. I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well open a clinic for free - living in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time, some diseases are not easy to see."

Cheng Xingyu smiled, his eyes like crescent moons, and the ending tone was soft and light, which is unique to southerners. "Don't you know? Diseases are also divided by region. Sometimes rare diseases here are common diseases elsewhere. For example, in the south, it is rainy and humid, so there are more cases of ear sores and hydrangea (modern eczema). In the north, it is cold and dry, so there are more cases of throat paralysis (pharyngitis) and lung swelling (emphysema). "

Speaking of medicine, Cheng Xingyu was not embarrassed: "So I thought, I might as well rent a small house and study the diseases that are hard to see in the south, so that I can deal with them with ease when I encounter them in the future."

Although he didn't seem nervous, Cheng Xingyu was visibly tired and short of breath after talking so much. He even had to pause two or three times in a sentence to catch his breath before he could continue.

Shanyue looked at the dark circles under Cheng Xingyu's eyes and the pale color of his lips.

He was even weaker and more frail than when he was in Songjiang Prefecture.

"You were already in poor health, and Shui Guang dragged you into a mess. There are a lot of old, weak, women and children in the car. Even if Wang Erniang and Huang Zhi were the best, given your personality, you would never let the old woman and the little girl come out to mediate."

Shan Yue said with a clear sigh: "When you came that day, you were in someone else's house after all, and it was not right to act rashly with a man and a woman inside. I just nodded and glanced at you quickly, and then said goodbye. Today I came here specially to thank you."

"Someone else's house"—Cheng Xingyu became inexplicably happy.

Cheng Xingyu lowered his head, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably: "No need to thank me, but on the way - I persuaded Ruchun, oh, Shuiguang, I persuaded her for a long time"

Cheng Xingyu shook his head and smiled helplessly: "Your stubborn temper is reflected on your face."

Shan Yue's thin, bony face honestly hides a sharp stubbornness.

"Shui Guang's stubbornness is soft, like a piece of cotton without any strength. She can be flattened or rounded by anyone, but once the force of others is removed, she will quickly return to her original shape."

Cheng Xingyu waved his hand, "When I tried to persuade her, she just said 'hmmmm' and didn't argue. I thought my persuasion was effective, but she followed the carriage from Songjiang Prefecture the next day. Huang Zhi said we had to chase her, and if we couldn't catch up, we had to go to the capital to tell you about it - that's why I came."

Cheng Xingyu suddenly recalled Xue Xiao's words and actions that day: neat, clean and decisive. As they moved forward, it seemed as if a hurricane had been stirred up, but he was like a magic needle that stabilized the sea, standing still.

Very similar to Shan Yue.

Cheng Xingyu lowered his voice: "Were we here to cause you no trouble?"

Shan Yue was puzzled: "Trouble? What trouble?"

It took him a moment to realize that Cheng Xingyu was referring to Xue Xiao.

Shan Yue shook his head: "Master Xue is not worthy of his reputation. The outside world says that he is cruel and manic, but in fact..."

In fact, he is also a poor man.

Shan Yue paused and said, "If you have any problem, you can also come to see Master Xue. You don't have to hide anything from him."

Cheng Xingyu's eyelashes trembled slightly, then he raised his eyes and smiled brightly: "Okay - you trust him very much?"

Shan Yue nodded: "He is different from those dignitaries in the capital. He is not arrogant. He grew up in hardship and fell into the dust. He knows that all people suffer, but what is rare is that he has good intentions and has never gone astray."

Shan Yue said firmly: "He will never hurt anyone."

"He won't hurt anyone" - such a simple sentence. But Cheng Xingyu knew the weight of this sentence in his heart. Shan Yue was both stubborn and obstinate, and it was very difficult for him to trust others. It was not easy for him to make such a judgment on others.

Cheng Xingyu leaned on the back of the chair and clasped the wooden board with both hands. An indescribable sourness and bitterness rose from the bottom of his heart. His heart beat faster and faster with the bitterness, and sometimes was silent for a long time. After a long while, Cheng Xingyu finally got rid of most of his emotions: he had no right to suffer, Shanyue was married, and married a good man, he should let go, be comforted and feel at ease.

"Okay." Cheng Xingyu replied again, with a smile on his face and a sincere look in his eyes: "Since he is a good man, then it's good. As the old saying goes, things change over time. You and Shui Guang have suffered for half of your life. Now that you have left your hometown and come to Beijing, it may be a good time to change your fate. Since Lord Xue is a good man, you should live a good life with him."

After talking for a long time, Cheng Xingyu still didn't think of serving tea.

Shanyue simply sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

Shan Yue leaned back on the stool, took a sip of warm tea, sighed, and felt a little funny: "What kind of life is it to live with him?"

Shanyue found this proposal incredible and completely contrary to her plan: "I have agreed with Lord Xue that when I finish my work, I will definitely drag Shuiguang out of the palace! Then I can sell my paintings to buy a piece of land and build a two-story house. I can plant flowers and plants, and the same goes for painting flowers and plants. I can sleep at dawn and wake up at dusk. I can eat a whole chicken or drink only mountain spring water all day. I can laugh when I am happy, lie down when I am tired, cry when I am sad, swim when it is hot, and cover myself with a quilt when it is cold - this is what it means to live!"

Shan Yue leaned all his weight on the back of the chair and blinked his eyes, revealing starlight and expectation.

also may.

Cheng Xingyu smiled happily.

Both are fine.

It didn't matter if Shanyue had someone in her life, or if she had him. As long as she was willing to live well, it would be fine. He still remembered the first time he saw her after the Cheng family's funeral. Although her pulse was beating, he could clearly see the determination to die on the face of this young girl.

Whether a person is dead or not is determined by the pulse.

But as to whether the heart is dead or not, there is no standard to judge in the thousands of medical books from ancient times to the present.

As long as she wants to live, it doesn't matter who is around her.

All of Cheng Xingyu's complicated emotions were released. He took out a small plate of peanuts, a plate of mung bean cakes, a small bowl of honey and roasted pumpkin seeds from the drawer and shared them with Shanyue.

"Doctor Cheng, are you running a free medical consultation stall? Or a grocery store?" Shanyue pursed her lips and smiled.

Cheng Xingyu smiled, his eyes sparkling: "Many patients actually don't have enough food. Sometimes they don't need medicine. Just a spoonful of honey and a piece of cake can have a miraculous effect."

Shan Yue took a small bite of the mung bean cake. She couldn't taste the flavor, but she felt full. She sighed, "How wonderful it would be if there were no war, no poverty, no serious illness, and no hunger in the world."

Cheng Xingyu lowered his eyes: He was doing his best, and he also believed that the powerful Censor Xue was also trying his best.

The sun is pouring down, with a thin warmth like the gurgling of a stream.

Outside the narrow courtyard, vendors gathered and the celebration was lively. You could even see the east side of the moat through the wooden fence facing north.

Shan Yue sighed again: "This little courtyard is really nice - it's not easy to live in the capital, this little courtyard is quiet and beautiful, and you can even see the Forbidden City. How could you rent it?"

Cheng Xingyu smiled and said, "Maybe it's fate. The day after I found the dental clinic, I was recommended this small courtyard. It's in the city, the surroundings are busy and clean, there is a medicine shop at the entrance of the alley, and it's not far from Xue Nan's mansion."

Shan Yue deeply agrees: "When renting a house, fate is very important."

Cheng Xingyu also deeply agrees: Fate is very important in everything in the world.

Coincidentally, a row of carriages of various shapes and colors crossed the moat one after another and stopped at the east gate of the Forbidden Palace. Looking from afar, four or five noble ladies in solemn clothes and gorgeous hair handed over their name tags and entered the palace one after another.

The guard at the door seemed to be checking something.

What is this doing?
Shan Yue slowly sat up straight, staring with frowned brows.

Cheng Xingyu followed Shan Yue's gaze and said, "It's been like this for several days. Many noble ladies have been going in and out of the Forbidden Palace. When they come out during curfew, their carriages stop in Xiangshui Lane. I've seen them from afar. The signatures on the carriage tracks are different. Most of them are from marquises, clans, and noble families."

Shan Yue frowned more and more.

While I was thinking, there were three hesitant knocks outside the door.

The wooden door was originally ajar, and the person outside had been waiting for an unknown amount of time. Unable to wait for the person in the courtyard to open the door, he had no choice but to knock on the door to disturb them.

"Please come in." Cheng Xingyu said.

Shanyue came to his senses and turned to look.

It’s Luo Feng.

Luo Feng was very respectful. He bowed to Cheng Xingyu first, then bowed to Shan Yue and said, "Mrs. Zhou from the Chang family came over. When she heard that you were not at home, she left a note and left. She looked quite anxious."

All the relaxation and ease around Shan Yue disappeared in an instant.

Tension returned to the spine.

Shan Yue stood up suddenly, turned around and said goodbye to Cheng Xingyu: "I'll go back first. If you have anything to do, remember what I told you."

Cheng Xingyu nodded: ".Be careful."

Shanyue was walking in a hurry and didn't notice that the big tree among the narrow courtyard and grass was also a jujube tree.

The color of the new green and the direction of the branches are exactly the same as the two jujube trees inside and outside Xue Nan's mansion.