Because they were really too destitute, Manbao didn’t let Shi Xiu and Liu Sanniang ask them more questions. However, she still let the two take their pulse, while she stood to the side and wrote down the pulse case. After they were done, she told the wife in the couple, "You don’t have any major problems, but if you want to have children, you’d better take so dicine to regulate your body. I’ll prescribe a month’s worth of dicine. After you finish, pay more attention to your health, eat so at or eggs, and gradually nurse your body back to health."
Then she said to the husband, "You have so issues. I’ll prescribe you so dicine to take for half a month first and see how it goes. After half a month..."
She frowned and thought for a mont, "After half a month’s rest period, you should visit Jishi Hall. It’s best to go in the morning. I’ll take a look then and give you a new prescription."
The man got excited, "Does that an my illness can be cured?"
Manbao thought for a mont and said, "It can be treated, but having children also depends on fate. So both of you should take dicine and regulate your bodies well. When fate cos, children will naturally follow."
The imperial doctor sitting next door couldn’t help but nod silently. Imperial Doctor Zhou has beco quite adept at speaking now, and indeed, fate depends heavily on fate.
Manbao wrote prescriptions for both of them and reminded them of so precautions, such as the woman should avoid cold water as much as possible, and the man shouldn’t eat certain things.
Both of them took notes earnestly, then took the prescriptions and left with many thanks.
They kept seeing patients until lunchti, when the chefs at the hospital prepared lunch, and they went for a break with the sign hanging up.
Those waiting in line also took out their own dry food to munch on. So wealthier families directly sent soone to buy so food from nearby stalls. The more affluent ones didn’t even need to queue themselves but had their servants queued up while they sat at nearby teahouses to wait.
Actually, places could be bought, but firstly, the officials maintaining order didn’t allow it, and secondly, it’s rare to encounter an imperial doctor holding a free clinic. Even if soone needed money, they wouldn’t sell their spot.
The imperial doctors said they would see patients for four days, but who knows if it might later be students doing the checkups instead of the doctors themselves?
So no one was willing to give up their spot on the first day.
To be seen by the doctors was already a gain.
The doctors led the students back to the hospital to eat, and the students quickly mingled in the cafeteria with other classmates, while Zheng Gu and the other twelve stood quietly by, listening to the teachers speak.
Imperial Doctor Liu asked Manbao, "I heard you treated a severely ill person this morning?"
Manbao nodded, opened her lunch box full of mostly pickled vegetables and cabbages with very few at slices, as was usual—the als at the hospital were always quite ordinary, but at least they were hot.
Manbao took a bun and briefly explained the patient’s pulse condition.
Imperial Doctor Fang next to her said, "Such an illness would require at least three months of dication, which an ordinary family might not be able to afford."
"Not just that, three months would rely sustain life. To see improvent, at least six months of dicine would be needed," another doctor added. "Otherwise, the patient could spend their life bedridden."
Manbao knew in her heart, just like her mother was before, needing to hold onto walls to walk steadily.
After taking a bite of her bun, Manbao said, "It’s a new condition, not a chronic one. With acupuncture, three months should be enough."
"But Imperial Doctor Zhou’s acupuncture skills aren’t sothing everyone possesses. Leaving the capital, there might be no one able to treat with acupuncture." There was no question of whether Zhou Man would provide treatnt in the capital, as everyone at the hospital knew Zhou Man to be compassionate; encountering such patients, she would surely offer help.
Manbao nodded, then looked over at the lively students, sighing, "So we need to quickly educate them and send them to various dical offices. That way, patients with such conditions wouldn’t have to travel all the way to the capital to find soone."
The doctors: ...So you’re planning to teach your treasured skills to so many people?
One doctor, upon hearing this, hesitated before asking, "Could we learn sothing about your acupuncture thods, Imperial Doctor Zhou?"
Manbao nodded, "No problem. We can discuss it later."
The doctors were delighted, and since she was so generous, others were not reluctant either and straightforwardly said, "After lunch, why don’t we go for a walk and also take a look at Imperial Doctor Zhou’s patient? I have so insights regarding tonifying qi and blood, perhaps my prescription might be more suitable for her."
Manbao was very willing and imdiately agreed, even hastening her eating pace.
The patient in the tent had just taken dicine and laid down when the curtain was lifted, and a group of doctors in official attire ca in.
Manbao led them at the front, nodding at the man standing anxiously, "I’ve brought other doctors to take a look."
She then turned to her colleagues, saying, "She has so cold, but not severe. I’ve prescribed dicine to dispel the cold, but care should be taken to avoid drafts, otherwise, it could lead to problems."
The doctors understood; now was a critical ti for her, and going outside could easily allow evil winds to enter the body. Catching a cold in her state might make her condition irreversible. It was fortunate she hadn’t gotten wind chill while being carried to the capital—a miracle in itself.
Five doctors took turns checking her pulse, discussed quietly, then handed Zhou Man two prescriptions, "They might not need this one, but this one is good. Please take a look, Imperial Doctor Zhou."
Manbao compared them and found indeed, they had four ingredients arranged much better than hers.
So Manbao calculated in her mind and imdiately decided to change the prescription.
After they all had a look, Manbao sent them out of the tent, then with Shi Xiu and Liu Sanniang, turned back to ask the patient’s husband, "Have you made your decision?"
The man had initially decided to go ho for treatnt, as they had really gathered little money for this trip. Staying in the capital might not even afford them half a month’s dicine, but returning ho with the prescription, they could borrow so more from relatives and possibly afford four months’ worth of dicine.
However, seeing Zhou Man bringing so many doctors to see his wife, that bit of reluctance in his heart re-erged. He glanced at his wife lying silently on the bed, gritted his teeth, and said, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, we’ll stay."
His brothers were surprised, "Elder brother?"
He replied, "We can’t let your sister-in-law remain bedridden her whole life. You all go back first. My wife and I will stay, and you can return to get us in three months."
Manbao: "...By then, just find a caravan to ride back. It won’t cost much to reach Fengzhou, especially compared to you brothers coming to fetch them and returning."
She saw the woman lying on the bed quietly shedding tears and told them, "Think positively. Once she’s healed, she’ll be able to help with chores and manage the household. Otherwise, if all we do is treat her to stay in bed, you’ll have to support her for life. Isn’t the money she can earn once she recovers likely to exceed the expenses for these three months?"
The brothers who initially had so opinions were now lost in thought.
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