TTLJDFL Chapter 26

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After parting ways with Chen Xiran, Li Jin temporarily set aside thoughts of Mr. Song's situation.

Previously, Mr. Song had already agreed to sponsor both him and Chen Xiran for the county exam.

Even though Mr. Song was in a bad mood today, he still taught them diligently and never brought up the matter himself.

This was proof that the accusations were false, and that Mr. Song likely had a way to resolve them.

Li Jin thought that Chen Xiran had been right about one thing—he paid too little attention to town gossip.

Although scholars were expected to "remain deaf to the affairs outside their studies," the emperor nowadays valued diligence and agriculture.

The local examiners, attuned to the emperor's mindset, might just test them on these topics.

Li Jin realized he needed to pay more attention to the everyday lives of the townspeople.

This would help him develop a unique perspective in his exam essays.

After all, he wasn’t a native of this ancient world—he had only transmigrated here recently. He couldn't write the kind of flowery, elegant prose that others could.

Instead of trying to compete in literary embellishments, he might be better off embracing his identity as a farm boy and writing in his own style. That might help him stand out.

This realization suddenly made him feel much clearer in his thoughts. After all, in this era, every scholar could recite the classics, but if passing the county exam was just about memorization, why were there still elderly men who had taken the test for decades without success?

It wasn't because they hadn’t memorized the texts.

If he wanted to pass the exam next February, rote learning was just the foundation.

Mr. Song had told him before that once he had finished copying and memorizing all the books, he would begin teaching him how to write policy essays—that was the true heart of the exam.

As Li Jin walked along the main street of town, heading back to his village, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the medical clinic that bought his medicinal herbs.

In the past, he might have ignored it and gone straight home.

But this time, he wanted to learn more about the people and happenings of this era.

So, carrying his basket, he turned his steps in that direction.

There was already a crowd three layers thick at the entrance of Xinglintang. Li Jin couldn’t see Wu the physician or his apprentice, Zhou Gui.

He asked the person next to him, "Sir, what’s going on here?"

The man initially didn’t want to respond, but seeing Li Jin dressed in scholar’s robes, with a refined and noble demeanor, he cupped his hands and said, "It’s the butcher’s wife—she’s in labor. They hired several midwives, but she’s having a difficult birth. The midwives say she won’t make it, and they might lose both mother and child.

"The butcher, shameless as he is, had his workers carry her to the clinic.

"The other two medical halls turned them away, but Physician Wu has a kind heart and agreed to help. But it’s a woman giving birth—men and women aren’t supposed to have physical contact!"

Li Jin’s face darkened.

The gender segregation in this era was truly extreme—women facing complications during childbirth were being denied medical care.

Thank goodness for Physician Wu’s compassion. Otherwise, with any further delay, it really would have been a tragedy.

The man continued, "But even if she survives, she won’t have any face left to live in this town.

"But at least she’ll have a child to carry on the family line—that’s her fortune."

Li Jin said nothing more, but his face had turned ashen.

Standing on the steps of the medical clinic, he could clearly see Zhou Gui blocking the entrance, preventing people from going inside.

Zhou Gui was struggling to explain, “Dear villagers, please show some kindness! Our physician Wu is saving a life right now. Please don’t just stand here watching the commotion!”

Li Jin called out loudly, “Zhou Gui!”

The first time he called, Zhou Gui didn’t hear him. It wasn’t until the third time that Zhou Gui finally looked up and saw Li Jin.

Zhou Gui hurriedly pushed through the crowd and ushered Li Jin inside. “Brother Li, why are you here?”

Li Jin said, “I just got out of the academy and heard some commotion here, so I came to take a look. I happen to know a bit of medicine—does Physician Wu need any help?”

Zhou Gui replied, “Ah… I can’t make that decision, but the pregnant woman and my master are in the inner room. You could go inside and discuss it with the woman’s husband.”

Saying that, Zhou Gui signaled to the man inside to open the door. Once Li Jin entered, he quickly shut it behind him.

The man was tall and burly—though not as tall as Li Jin, he was far more muscular.

At this moment, this strong man actually looked incredibly aggrieved.

“My damn wife is having a difficult labor, it’s a matter of life and death, yet they won’t even let me seek medical help! If anything happens to my wife, I’ll go out there and fight them all!”

Li Jin couldn’t help but admire the man. After all, he had set aside the so-called rule of "men and women should not touch" and instead prioritized his wife’s life.

In ancient times, many men would rather let their wives die than allow a male doctor to deliver the baby.

Of course, this situation might be slightly better in the capital, where most families were wealthy and powerful. Some women were born into noble or military families and were naturally treated with care.

But the more remote and impoverished a place was, the more cruel human nature became.

Li Jin said, “Sir, please remain calm. I am also a doctor—I might be able to help.”

He then asked the man how long the woman had been in labor and roughly estimated the timing.

Inside, Physician Wu was already using ginseng to sustain the woman’s life.

Hearing Li Jin’s voice, he called out loudly, “Is that Li Jin? Ah, the situation is really bad.”

Li Jin thought to himself that the most critical moment hadn’t arrived yet. Standing outside the main hall, he called out to ask Physician Wu about the woman's condition.

After roughly understanding the situation, he said, “Physician Wu, may I prepare a decoction on my own? It might be of help.”

Physician Wu’s response and the man’s words came almost simultaneously.

“Go ahead, you can grab the herbs yourself and prepare the medicine.”

“Yes, go! Put it all on my tab!”

Li Jin set down his basket, washed his hands, and selected some motherwort and other herbs that could warm the uterus and accelerate labor.

These prescriptions were ones he had memorized before, but it seemed that they had not yet been discovered in this era.

After he finished preparing the decoction, the man immediately carried it inside.

The woman drank the medicine, and soon enough, the labor pains intensified once again.

Li Jin thought to himself that just based on Physician Wu’s willingness to save lives despite societal prejudices, he would consider this prescription a gift.

After writing it down, he also noted the specific conditions in which the prescription should be used.

Only then did he put down the pen and quietly waited for the final result.

He didn’t enter the inner room—not because of societal expectations but because he was drenched in sweat and likely carrying bacteria. To avoid causing an infection, he decided it was best to wait outside.

And so he waited until the sun slanted westward.

At last, the sharp cry of a newborn rang out from inside. The man immediately asked, “Physician Wu, how is my wife?”

“Thanks to Li Jin’s medicine, both mother and child are safe.”

The man was so overwhelmed that he didn’t know what to say, nervously rubbing his hands together as he waited.

By the time he came back to his senses, he realized that Li Jin had already left without a sound.

===

Li Jin carried his basket on his back, looking at the dimming sky and quickened his pace.

Their village was near the mountains, and while it was relatively safe, walking alone at night still carried the risk of encountering wolves.

Fortunately, it was summer, and there were still travelers carrying loads and balancing poles on the road. By sticking with them, it wasn’t too dangerous.

As he reached the riverbank, he spotted a figure pacing anxiously at the village entrance from afar.

That silhouette… looked very much like Qin Muwen.

Even though Li Jin’s legs were exhausted from walking, he suddenly felt a surge of energy and started running faster.

The young man happened to see him at that moment, his eyes lighting up as a bright smile spread across his face.

The entire way back, neither of them spoke.

Once they arrived at the courtyard, Li Jin spoke first. “It’s my fault. I was delayed today and didn’t inform you in time.”

The young man shook his head and said, “It’s okay. I only went to the village entrance because the baby had just eaten and fallen asleep… I didn’t wait long.”

He helped Li Jin remove his basket and set it down.

Li Jin held his hand and frowned. “You say you didn’t wait long, but your hands are freezing.”

Without another word, he tucked the young man into the blankets and asked, “Have you eaten? How about some braised pig’s trotters?”

When he entered the kitchen, he found a batch of scallion pancakes—not the simple kind he had made before but thick ones made by kneading and rolling out the dough before frying them in a pan.

The pancakes were already cold. Judging by the timing, the young man had made them right before Li Jin was supposed to return.

And there were exactly twelve of them, untouched…

The young man hadn’t eaten anything at all!

Li Jin sighed and added more firewood to reheat the pancakes.

In another pot, he began simmering the pig’s trotters.

The pancakes reheated quickly, and he placed them on a plate before bringing them inside.

Li Jin really wanted to ask if the young man realized how foolish this was.

But as soon as the young man saw him, his eyes held nothing but warmth, as if Li Jin was his entire world.

Li Jin placed the plate in the young man's lap, letting him sit on the bed to eat while he took one and sat at the bedside himself.

The scallion pancake had a crispy outer layer. Though the flour contained some bran, the addition of scallions, pepper, and other seasonings gave it a unique and delicious flavor.

Li Jin ate three in one go, and the young man, clearly very hungry as well, ate one and a half.

Seeing that the young man couldn't finish the remaining half, Li Jin took it directly and ate it himself.

He said, "Save some room. There's still soup to drink later."

The young man stared, a little dazed, as he watched the half-eaten pancake go straight into Li Jin's mouth.

His lips parted slightly, and for a moment, he seemed stunned.

Ah Jin actually ate something he had already taken a bite of...

The young man couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart. Happiness, joy, fondness—all these emotions mixed together, making him feel like the past seventeen years of his life had never been as fulfilling as they were now.

He thought back to his time at home. Back then, Li Jin wouldn't even let him sit at the same table, and the food he ate was always whatever Li Jin had left over.

At first, he had felt miserable. He even found it hard to eat those scraps, which often looked unappetizing. But after being beaten by Li Jin a few times, he had learned to eat without showing any emotion.

Looking back now, he supposed he must have felt humiliated then. But strangely, he could no longer recall that pain.

The suffering from those two years had faded away.

Now, with Li Jin by his side, he was happy.

Li Jin was a little surprised himself. Given his cleanliness, he had no problem sharing dishes with friends or eating from the same hotpot, but eating a pancake that someone else had already bitten into?

He asked himself if it was because they were poor, and wasting food would be too much of a pity.

His heart immediately answered, "Yes."

Good. That was a satisfying explanation.

Li Jin told the young man, "It would be wasteful to throw it away, so I ate it for you."

See? A perfect excuse.

The young man didn't notice anything odd about this reasoning. Instead, he lowered his head, feeling a little shy.

His long, curled eyelashes cast a shadow over his cheeks.

Li Jin quickly looked away. Suddenly, he stood up so fast that the young man barely had time to react.

"I’m going to check if the soup is ready," Li Jin said abruptly.

Author’s Note:

Li Jin: Something feels off...

Qin Muwen: ??? Huh???? What’s wrong???

[From a conversation between a naturally "bent" person and someone who doesn’t realize he’s already bent.]

Tl Notes:

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