TWWDS - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Li Yi worked quickly, boiling hot soup and bringing it to her elder sister to drink.

Seated beside her, Chao Qingxiu said gently to Li Yao, "I will massage your acupoints first."

She had proposed it herself, so the patient naturally did not refuse. Li Yao struggled to sit up, bracing herself against the wall.

Chao Qingxiu walked over and gently pressed the Yunmen and Zhongfu acupoints with her fingers.

If the human body were a vessel and vital energy a current of water, then for someone who had never practiced martial arts, the lower abdomen would be like a stretch of level ground. It could not store another person's internal power for long and could only be sustained by an external force. After two days of practice, Chao Qingxiu had begun to understand how Qingxin Formula worked, and she slowly guided her own inner breath into the woman's meridians.

Li Yao had a frail constitution, so Chao Qingxiu did not dare channel too much internal power into her at once. She stopped moments later.

Yet even that small stream of pure, balanced vital energy from the orthodox Daoist tradition had left the patient feeling much more at ease.

A faint blush rose to her sallow cheeks, and her eyes grew brighter.

At the sight, a hint of joy stirred in Li Yi's heart. She quickly took a cloth bundle from her bosom. It contained fifty-eight copper coins altogether. She placed the entire bundle in Chao Qingxiu's hands and said with her head lowered, "We do not have much saved at home, but I wonder how much Doctor Chao will charge for the consultation. Before long, we will surely repay everything we owe."

In those days, consultation fees at private clinics were never cheap. Most of the physicians who practiced there had spent many years as apprentices, and those with even a little renown could charge from five hundred copper coins to a full string of cash or more for a single consultation.

Li Yao guessed inwardly that even if this young woman did not earn her living by practicing medicine, judging by the abilities she had shown, she could make house calls and charge one or two hundred copper coins without any trouble.

Chao Qingxiu did not reply. She looked all around the room, then suddenly asked, "What do you normally do for a living?"

Li Yi replied, "We are not natives of Shizhou. We came here three years ago to seek out relatives, only to find that they were no longer there. Usually, we make ends meet by sweeping and mending for others, or by working in a tavern."

In short, they made ends meet by taking odd jobs.

Fortunately, Shizhou and its environs had always been prosperous, and the local official was not the sort to act lawlessly. The two sisters could normally get by on the work they found, but illness had left their household short one worker. Li Yi herself had therefore been dismissed by Cai's, and their finances immediately became strained.

Chao Qingxiu nodded, then made a suggestion. "My home is not far from here. Since that is the case, would you two like to come and do some odd jobs for me?"

"..."

For Li Yi at her present stage, this was plainly a premium job offer, far beyond what she had expected.

Moreover, Chao Qingxiu's terms were exceedingly generous. Although the accommodations at her place were not especially good, the Li sisters' living conditions were plainly worse. The only advantage was that rent could be paid by the day, without having to pay for three years upfront, and some delay in payment was allowed.

So, after receiving Chao Qingxiu's job offer, Li Yi made up her mind without even signing a labor contract: "If Doctor Chao is willing to take us in, the two of us are more than grateful."

She gathered up the remaining odds and ends that still had some use, tied them into a bundle, and carried it on her back. She also helped her sister sit up, and within half an hour, everything was ready for them to leave.

Qingbo Street lay near the outskirts of the city in a secluded place where it was difficult to hire a carriage after dark. Fortunately, the endurance afforded by inner breath had not yet worn off. Li Yao still had enough strength to walk slowly without needing her younger sister to support her.

The residence Chao Qingxiu had rented was a two-courtyard compound, and there were still a dozen or so empty rooms. She picked one in reasonably good repair at random and had the Li sisters move in. She sent over the bolt of hemp cloth and loose feathers she had bought earlier so that they could make bedding, then instructed them, "There are also some rice and eggs in the kitchen. Cook some for yourselves."

Li Yi acknowledged, then asked, "What time will you wash up today?"

Chao Qingxiu considered the time and answered, "I am going to sleep now."

Ever since crossing into this world, she had found herself forced into the healthy habit of going to bed early and rising early.

Li Yi acknowledged and soon brought hot water.

After a simple wash, Chao Qingxiu blew out the oil lamp and first closed her eyes to meditate on the bed. Only after her inner breath had completed two full cycles did she lie back down beneath the covers.

Whenever conditions allowed, she would place Qingxin Formula in an equipment slot. Vital energy circulated through her body day and night without pause, continually nurturing the eight extraordinary meridians. Although Chao Qingxiu's aptitude for martial arts was currently rather ordinary, her cultivation could still advance so long as she trained correctly.

---

The next morning.

As a veteran worker, Li Yi's practical abilities were far beyond those of Chao Qingxiu, who had crossed into this world less than two days earlier. After rising, Li Yi went into the yard and foraged a basketful of nature's bounty, then cooked bean and vegetable porridge for breakfast and called Chao Qingxiu to come eat.

The porridge carried the fragrance of rice and the sweetness of wild greens. With neither the recipe nor the ingredients differing in any way, Chao Qingxiu could only conclude that any difference in the final flavor lay entirely in their cooking skills.

After drinking a bowl, Chao Qingxiu went to check on Li Yao. Overnight, the patient's illness had not worsened, and she looked somewhat more energetic, which counted as good news.

The side rooms of this residence were not in particularly good condition, but compared with the Li sisters' previous lodgings, at least they were not so damp or musty.

Chao Qingxiu channeled a little more vital energy into Li Yao, then said to Li Yi, "Go cook an egg and mix it into the porridge to help build up your sister's strength." She also set down a small bundle containing two hundred copper coins and added, "One hundred is your wages, and one hundred is for rice and vegetables. When you have finished, please find a broker in the street and ask him to help draw up a labor contract."

The previous day, while out, Chao Qingxiu had learned that in Gaofang Prefecture, part-time domestic help earned between fifteen and thirty copper coins a day. With Li Yao still ill and Li Yi the only worker, twenty copper coins a day was a reasonable rate. Besides, after completing the chores required by the contract, Li Yi would still be free to arrange her own time and work elsewhere to earn money.

Li Yi declined again and again, saying, "Doctor Chao has taken us in and treated my sister. How could I take more of your money?"

Chao Qingxiu waved a hand to stop her and indicated that there was no need to say more. "The rooms in the courtyard would stand empty if no one lived there. Having you here will also liven the place, and at night you can keep watch over the gate. Would that not be the best of both worlds?"

After saying this, Chao Qingxiu left Li Yi there to care for her sister, then carried a chair out beneath the eaves and went on reading Medical Arts as usual.

Near noon, someone knocked at the door. Li Yi, who was doing chores in the yard, called out to ask who it was, then said, "It is Master Xu from yesterday. He came specially today to thank you."

Chao Qingxiu nodded. "Then please ask him in."

After Young Master Xu returned home yesterday, his elder sister had summoned him to her sickbed and scolded him thoroughly, then had him review his oversight. Today, he had obediently taken his family out and selected some gifts to present to Chao Qingxiu in thanks.

After passing through two gateways, he saw Chao Qingxiu rising from her chair. Her white sleeves lay across the armrests like white mist, giving her quite the air of a mountain hermit.

Young Master Xu bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for lending a hand yesterday." He added, "My elder sister meant to come in person today, but her headache flared and it was inconvenient for her to go out. She told me to bring a few modest gifts and asked that you be sure to accept them."

His family had some holdings and never lacked food or clothing. Anyone who had returned his younger sister to him would naturally feel obliged to offer a reward. Besides, Chao Qingxiu herself seemed to be a person of some ability, and Young Master Xu was eager to make a favorable connection.

To make sure Chao Qingxiu would not refuse, Young Master Xu had chosen nothing expensive. Using her recent settling in Gaofang Prefecture as a pretext, he sent two bolts of blue silk, two bolts of silk satin, two small boxes of tea, and one box of pastries.

Chao Qingxiu said, "I actually have something I would like to ask you, Master Xu."

Young Master Xu hurriedly replied, "What is the question? Even if I do not know, I will certainly find out for you."

Chao Qingxiu smiled. "It is nothing much. I only wanted to ask where your family usually has its prescriptions filled."

Young Master Xu immediately understood. "You are looking to have a prescription filled? Buer House has a dispensary here, but the prices are a little high and they dispense only limited amounts. My family, however, is acquainted with the people at the Zhu family's long-established herb shop. If you have a prescription, you would do better to give it to me. I can stop by on my way home later and ask them. Although the city sells some medicinal ingredients cheaply, they may not be good. Without knowing the ins and outs, one may only spend money for nothing and still fail to cure the illness."

Chao Qingxiu nodded slightly. "I plan to buy some ephedra, cassia twigs, licorice root, apricot kernels, and white atractylodes."

She had bought paper and a writing brush when she moved in. After speaking, she worried that he might not be able to remember everything at once, so she returned to her room and wrote down the kinds and quantities of the herbs she needed, one by one. She then handed the paper to Young Master Xu.

Young Master Xu read it carefully before folding it up and tucking it safely into his robe.

During the conversation, Li Yi had already brewed a pot of herbal tea and brought it over.

With the gifts and thanks delivered, Young Master Xu took a sip of tea and said, "I have something at home to attend to. I shall take my leave now."

At that very moment, another knock came at the door.

This time, the visitor was another familiar face. A government runner from Gaofang Prefecture stood at the door, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting. He called loudly to Chao Qingxiu, "Yesterday, after we returned to the magistrate's office, Deputy Magistrate Han learned that you had helped someone recover their younger sister and praised you very highly. She sent me to deliver a reward of five strings of cash in recognition of this righteous deed."

For a detective, a reward often arrived hand in hand with unforeseen developments.

Chao Qingxiu gave a courteous bow and said, "It was only a matter of lifting a hand, but I still made you come all this way."

The runner said, "Rewarding righteous deeds is part of official policy. You need not stand on ceremony, miss." Seeing that she still looked puzzled, he stepped closer, lowered his voice slightly, and explained with a smile, "Besides, Gaofang Prefecture has no chief official at present. If the Deputy Magistrate spends too sparingly, she may find it difficult to manage things in the future."

Chao Qingxiu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood.

After all, she was a corporate drone herself. She knew perfectly well that when an allocated budget went unspent, the approval process had to be started all over again when the accounts were submitted for review. Moreover, Han Sihe was only a Deputy Magistrate. If she were too frugal, a magistrate transferred in later might accidentally spend too much, leaving people to think that the chief official was less able to make every coin count than her deputy.

Han Sihe was doing this half to display her administrative accomplishments and half because she had heard that the court would soon decide who would be Gaofang Prefecture's next magistrate. She was hastening to find a way to put the remaining budget to use.

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