Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 141 Deliberate Avoidance
In order to remove the remaining poison from Tan Huaike, Fufeng studied Nie Zhan's own prescription day and night. Because it involved using poison to fight poison and mutual generation and restraint, he had to consult other doctors and then constantly experiment, adjusting the proportions of various toxins and medicinal properties in the antidote little by little, in order to prevent a mistake from sending Tan Huaike to his death.

Fortunately, Tan Huaike had moved out of the Prince's mansion, making it much more convenient for him to consult with the doctor or for him to supervise his diet and medication in the small courtyard. In addition, Tan Huaike was in good health to begin with, and he visibly recovered his vitality.

Shen Tu Zhuo accompanied Tan Huai Ke and Pei Er to the suburban clinic. There were quite a few patients today. It seemed that a village had been flooded and someone had been burned while fighting the fire. The doctors were extremely busy.

At that moment, Fu Feng was applying medicine to a patient with a burn on his arm. When he saw them arrive, he nodded and indicated that they should wait a moment.

The patient said that while fighting the fire, a broken beam fell on his arm, trapping him and preventing him from escaping. Fortunately, two neighbors pulled him out; otherwise, he would have suffocated. However, because the beam had been pressing on him for so long, a large area of ​​his arm was burned, leaving the flesh charred and causing him excruciating pain. As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes, fearing that his arm would be ruined and he would never be able to do farm work again.

Fu Feng's words were already very fluent. After looking at his wound, he comforted him, "It's alright. Your wound looks scary, but it didn't actually damage any bones or tendons. Once the new skin and flesh heal, it will definitely leave a scar, but you can just cover it with your sleeve. It won't be a problem for doing farm work. Here, apply this medicine and change it every two days. Just be careful not to get it wet."

Seeing that he was a foreigner, the patient was somewhat skeptical: "What...what kind of medicine is this? Will it work? Won't it make my arm rot even worse? Doctor, please don't blame me for being paranoid, but Old Qian from the next village only had a burn on the back of his hand, and he used some kind of folk remedy to treat it, and his whole hand rotted away...I...I'm just scared..."

Fu Feng glared angrily: "What, do you think I'm a quack doctor?"

The other doctors nearby tried to smooth things over: "Xiao Feng, don't worry. Doctor Fu Feng's burn medicine is guaranteed to work well. It's much better than our original prescription. Those who used it before said it was cool and comfortable, and they didn't feel much pain anymore. The wounds would close up and scab over in a few days, and they would be completely healed very quickly."

The patient named Xiao Feng quickly smiled apologetically, "I believe you, I believe you. Please give me the medicine quickly. Thank you, Doctor Fufeng."

Fu Feng applied the medicine to him with a hint of annoyance, boasting as he did so: "I'm not bragging, but to save a patient with severe burns who was having difficulty breathing, I specially modified the prescription and preparation method. He not only had burns all over his body, but his neck and face were also badly disfigured..."

Shen Tu Zhuo, who had been bored, suddenly focused his attention and looked at Fu Feng with a probing gaze.

Fu Feng, still unaware, continued, "In the past, burn medicine in our area often caused wounds to fester. I suspect that some water was added during the decoction process. That person's burns were too deep, and he couldn't withstand any more treatment, so later I used oil to decoct the medicine, sealed it in a jar, let it cool, and then gave it to him. That's how I saved him."

Shen Tu Zhuo narrowed his eyes, feeling even more suspicious.

Xiao Feng dared not question Fu Feng's medical skills any longer and nodded his thanks repeatedly. Fu Feng didn't argue with him, finished bandaging him, and then told him to come back frequently to change the dressing.

When it was Tan Huaike's turn, Fufeng took her pulse and his brows relaxed: "Hmm, you've recovered well. The remaining toxins have been cleared, but your qi and blood are still somewhat weak. You need to take three more doses of the Strengthening Decoction."

Tan Huaike always followed the doctor's orders and had Pei'er get the medicine according to the prescription.

Then Tan Huaike suggested that since the weather was nice and he felt good, he wanted to go to the nearby market with Pei'er to buy some trendy and inexpensive cosmetics.

Fu Feng scoffed, "The markets in Andu City are truly bustling. What, are you afraid to go and stroll through them?"

Tan Huaike rolled his eyes at him: "You know perfectly well why."

She had only recently escaped from the Prince of Qin's residence. Although she looked quite different after removing her makeup, and Pei'er had also changed her hair accessories and clothes, she still had to avoid some familiar faces from the former residence to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Tan Huaike looked at Shen Tuzhuo, asking him with his eyes if he wanted to come along.

Perhaps worried that they were unfamiliar with the place in Andu, he had been trying to follow them whenever they went out lately. But for some reason, he wasn't as casual and talkative as before; he preferred to stay a distance behind them.

Shen Tu Zhuo avoided her gaze and said, "You go first, I'll come find you later." Tan Huai Ke nodded slightly and went out with Pei'er.
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The small markets in the suburbs are not like those in the city; many of the goods on the stalls are rather rough.

For example, in shops in the city, rouge would at least be served in carved wooden boxes or exquisitely patterned lacquerware, while here it is often served in simple bamboo tubes or ceramic cups, but in terms of the contents, there is not much difference in how they are used.

And then there's the food. The restaurants in the city are all incredibly luxurious, with plates and bowls that are a feast for the eyes. The waiters who take orders and serve food are also quick-witted, able to describe even the simplest white steamed buns as if they were delicacies from land and sea. In contrast, the suburban markets are where they simply scoop food out of a chipped earthenware bowl or wrap it in a large leaf, and that's it—money paid, take it or leave it. Skilled cooks can set up a shabby little stall and their business will flourish.

After enjoying a stroll around, Tan Huaike said to Pei'er, "I've thought it through. Let's set up a small food stall nearby first, and once we figure out the tastes and preferences of the people of Andu, we can think about opening a restaurant in the city."

Pei'er knew that she had been worried about this for a long time, and agreed, "Okay, let's do as you say, Madam. I'll help too."

Tan Huaike walked around and looked around, then stopped and looked back.

Seeing that Shen Tu Zhuo hadn't followed yet, she sighed and said, "I feel like Uncle has been acting strangely lately."

"What?" Pei'er didn't react when the conversation suddenly changed from their previous small business.

“Pei’er, don’t you feel like Uncle is deliberately avoiding me?” Tan Huai Ke said. “Now we live in the same courtyard. He helps us chop wood and boil water every day, but he refuses to eat with us and we talk less. Before, even though we were separated by the locked gate of Shen Tu’s mansion, he would climb over the wall every day to freeload a meal.”

“It’s a bit strange,” Pei’er said after thinking for a moment. “Could it be that the Second Young Master is preparing for the imperial examinations but isn’t quite sure he’ll be able to take them, so he’s lost his appetite and doesn’t have the time to think about it?”

"Hmm, he bought a lot of books and piled them up in his small room. He must be cramming on the classics."

"or……"

"Or what?"

"Or is the Second Young Master still jealous of Prince Qin?" Pei'er teased softly. "I still remember the look on his face when he saw Qinglu still standing in the palace. Oh my, he was gritting his teeth as he spoke, and I almost couldn't help but laugh."

"Pfft, you little rascal, Pei'er, you dare to say anything!" Tan Huai Ke blushed slightly, so angry that he wanted to pinch her ear.

The two joked and bickered, then started discussing where to open a food stall, quickly forgetting about it.

At the same time, Shen Tu Zhuo pulled Fu Feng aside, who finally had some free time.

Fu Feng said impatiently, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Shentu Zhuo cut to the chase and asked, "Was it you... who saved my brother?"

Fu Feng was suddenly stunned: "W-what are you talking about? What do you mean, your brother?"

Shentu Zhuo asked, "Is the patient you mentioned, who has severe burns and difficulty breathing, my elder brother Shentu Heng?"
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Next chapter: I didn't, I didn't, I don't know.