TTLJDFL Chapter 28

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At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Li Jin’s mind.

For example, three taels of silver could buy two bolts of cloth, and one bolt could make four long robes. If made into underclothes, it could last even longer.

Three taels of silver could buy meat for the young man for three whole months—he could eat meat every day.

Three taels of silver could buy three stacks of high-quality xuan paper, which meant he wouldn’t have to wait for his bamboo-leaf paper to dry when copying books.

…

Dr. Wu, seeing that Li Jin remained silent for a long time, assumed it was an unspoken refusal.

He quickly said, “Mr. Li must be too busy with his studies. I apologize for my impudence.”

Li Jin replied, “Not at all. I can do it. But I don’t have much experience in medical practice. How about this—next month, after my classes, I will come here to prescribe treatments. You can review them and decide if we should proceed in August. Does that work?”

He really hadn’t prescribed many herbal remedies before.

But as a top student, he had memorized everything he needed to know.

And in his time, most traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions were publicly available, making them much easier to learn than in ancient times.

Dr. Wu hadn’t expected such a response from Li Jin.

How could he refuse?

He immediately said, “In that case, I will discuss with the shopkeeper about giving you some compensation for your consultations in July. Also, lunch will be provided.”

Li Jin agreed right away.

The young man had given birth in early June. By the end of July and into August, his body would have mostly recovered.

It was time for him to start earning more money.

Chen Xiran was stunned—Li Jin was willing to sit for consultations for two hours every day just for a few taels of silver!

That was two whole hours! By the time he returned to the village, it would already be past seven in the evening.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiran himself had casually spent several taels of silver just to buy a jade pendant or a paperweight.

He deeply realized how difficult Li Jin’s life was and suddenly regretted helping Dr. Wu find him.

Wouldn’t it be better for Li Jin to have more time to study?

After all, the county examination was in February next year!

But since Li Jin had already agreed, there was no point in saying anything now.

At least Li Jin was highly disciplined, so his studies wouldn’t suffer.

Li Jin got home early that day.

First, he went to Li Daniu’s house to ask if they sold cotton cloth.

Li Daniu replied, “That stuff is expensive. It’s much harder to weave than hemp cloth. My wife can’t even weave one bolt per month. It doesn’t sell well in town, so she just stopped making it.”

Li Jin asked, “If I place an order for one bolt, how much would it cost?”

Li Daniu said he didn’t remember the exact price and told Li Jin to wait until his wife returned from washing clothes.

Then, without hesitation, he pulled out a chess set and said, “She’ll be back in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. We might as well play a game.”

Li Jin thought about it and agreed—it would be less of a hassle than going back and forth.

The cotton cloth in town cost at least one tael of silver per bolt, which he couldn’t afford anytime soon.

It was better to wait for Li Daniu’s wife to weave one.

Li Daniu had a distinct chess style—the worse he lost, the more stubborn he became. He would fixate on taking one of Li Jin’s pieces, only to lose even more in the process.

By the time his wife returned, Li Daniu was nearly out of pieces.

When she heard Li Jin’s question, she replied, “It depends on whether you want it bleached. If you want plain white cotton, I only need 700 copper pennies. If you want it bleached in town, that will cost an extra 200 coins.”

That meant a total of 900 coins—100 coins cheaper than buying in town!

Li Jin asked how long it would take to finish weaving.

She answered, “If you order today, it will be ready in early August.” That was a little over a month away.

“If I rush, I can finish by late July and then take it to town for bleaching.”

Li Jin immediately placed an order for one bolt of cotton cloth.

He asked, “Can I delay the deposit for a bit? I can write a receipt and have the village head witness it.”

Li Daniu immediately refused.

“No need for a receipt—I trust you. Wife, just start weaving. The deposit can wait.”

Li Daniu’s wife glared at her husband but said nothing. After all, Li Jin now had a good reputation in the village, so there was no fear of him trying to go back on his word.

—

Li Jin went back and told the young man about the matter. He said, "I didn't expect cotton fabric to be so expensive. Let's wait until August, when you've recovered, and then you can make me new clothes."

Besides, he had been training more recently, and by then, his muscles would be more defined. It would save them from making new clothes now, only for them to become too small in a few months.

The young man felt a little regretful. Lately, it seemed like the only things he did were cooking and nursing the baby—nothing else.

Although he knew he needed to rest, he felt too idle.

Li Jin wanted to instill the idea in him that "it's okay to be a little pampered," but unfortunately, in the young man's eyes, there was always more work to be done.

Li Jin playfully tapped his nose. "Isn't nursing the baby exhausting? When the little one cries and you have to hold him, doesn't your arm get sore?"

Under Li Jin’s gaze, the young man seriously and slowly shook his head.

Li Jin: "..." Alright then. His husband might look delicate, but in reality, he could harvest two acres of wheat on his own and still have the energy to farm, weed, water the fields, and do needlework.

Realizing that he had just contradicted Li Jin, the young man quickly tried to save his face.

"Not exactly... Baozi is very well-behaved now. He eats until he's full, then sleeps. When he wakes up, he eats again. I really don’t feel tired.

But I heard from others in the village that once babies start crawling at seven or eight months, it gets a lot more tiring."

Li Jin knew the young man was just giving him an excuse to back down.

However, in ancient times, women and ger (men capable of bearing children) were expected to take care of children, cook, clean, and then use whatever time was left to sew and earn money.

Since every household was like this, Li Jin’s treatment of the young man seemed particularly indulgent.

Only Li Jin knew that it was because this era was especially unfair.

Ger and women had little opportunity to work outside. The only way they could earn money was through needlework.

Li Jin said, "Anyway, don't assume that just because you can do this and that, you're fine. Your body is still weak. You need to rest and recover properly."

Although he wasn’t proficient in traditional medicine, he could at least read basic pulse conditions.

The young man was indeed physically weak. Not to the point of needing medicine, but he did need plenty of protein.

Suddenly, the young man remembered that he wanted to have another child. That made him take Li Jin's words seriously.

Only having Baozi felt too lonely. If they had another child, Baozi would have a companion to grow up with.

Qin Muwen thought, It would be best if it's a boy. Baozi could take care of his little brother, and his little brother could protect his older brother.

—

As the sun began to set, Li Jin went to plant vegetables and water the fields. He estimated that he would need about two more days to finish planting everything.

He carried a lot of water today, and by the time he returned home, his shoulders felt sore and almost detached from his body.

Seeing him rubbing his shoulders, the young man eagerly volunteered, "Ah Jin, let me massage them for you."

Back when he lived with his family, whenever his father’s shoulders ached from playing the qin (a Chinese zither) for too long, he would massage them for him.

Li Jin thought, It’s nice to have someone at home who takes care of you—someone who knows when you’re feeling cold, hot, or unwell.

He sat on the bed while the young man knelt behind him, brushing his hair forward before placing his hands on Li Jin's shoulders and applying pressure.

Li Jin felt instantly relieved. The young man’s strength was just right—not too strong, not too weak—providing the perfect amount of relief for his sore muscles.

Qin Muwen asked, "Is the pressure okay? Is it too strong?"

Li Jin said, "It's perfect."

Qin Muwen let out a small sigh of relief. Even though he was used to farm work, there was still a fundamental difference in physical strength between him and a man.

This was already the hardest he could press. If more strength was needed… well, he couldn’t do it.

Li Jin gradually realized that while the initial pressure was decent, he could barely feel it as the young man continued.

He asked, "Are you tired?"

The young man, slightly out of breath, replied, "No."

Li Jin chuckled, stood up, and said, "Time to practice my calligraphy, little liar."

When he called him "little liar," there was a deep fondness in his tone, though he himself didn't notice it.

But the young man did. He felt shy, retreating under the blankets and hiding his fingers beneath them.

His hands had gone numb from the massage, but clearly, his strength was still insufficient.

—

After practicing calligraphy, Li Jin did some push-ups before going to bed.

He had realized that writing with a brush required arm strength, so he had started training even harder.

Chen Xiran, though seemingly unreliable, was actually very perceptive. After only a few days of knowing Li Jin, he already recognized that Li Jin was an extremely self-disciplined person.

And he was right.

Once Li Jin set a small goal for himself—like practicing calligraphy—he would make sure to practice extra pages every day while also doing additional training to support it.

With that kind of self-control, no matter where he ended up, he would never live a failed life.

—

The next day, after school, Li Jin went to the Xinglintang (a medical clinic) and met the shopkeeper that Doctor Wu had mentioned.

When the man saw how young Li Jin was, he was quite surprised. "This is the herbal expert you spoke of? The one willing to share secret prescriptions?"

Doctor Wu said, "Yes. Li Jin is indeed young, and he’s currently preparing for the imperial exam. But his medical skills are solid."

The shopkeeper hesitated. "But you know how it is, Old Wu. Patients care about two things when choosing a doctor—first, their reputation, and second, how old they are."

After all, the term "old Chinese doctor" existed for a reason.

Li Jin felt somewhat helpless—he had neither fame nor an aged appearance.

But Doctor Wu countered, "No fame? What are you talking about? The storytellers in town are already spreading tales about ‘The Miracle Doctor Farmer Who Saved a Mother and Child from the Gates of Hell.’"

Li Jin was dumbfounded. He felt completely out of touch with this era.

From now on, after school, he would have to chat more with Chen Xiran. With that gossip-loving friend around, he would never be out of the loop on town affairs.

As for this "miracle doctor scholar" business… what nonsense was that?

Doctor Wu added, "That family you saved—the Songs—have been looking for you for days. They come to my place every day, wanting to express their gratitude for saving their lives."

Li Jin thought to himself, he really just wanted to keep his achievements hidden.

Doctor Wu said, "If you don’t meet them, in a few days the storyteller at the teahouse will have new material: ‘The Benevolent Healer Who Does Good Deeds Without Leaving His Name and Vanishes Without a Trace.’"

Li Jin and the shopkeeper exchanged glances and saw the same despair in each other's eyes.

What kind of storyteller is this?

Doctor Wu handed Li Jin a tea voucher. "You can go have a cup of throat-soothing tea and listen to the storyteller—it’s quite exciting. With this voucher, you won’t have to pay. Leave your basket here."

Li Jin found this hard to accept and asked for Doctor Wu to summarize it instead.

Doctor Wu obligingly complied. "Because the doors of Xinglintang aren’t soundproof, people outside heard what you said the other day.

They know you didn’t enter the inner room or see the woman’s body, yet you still wrote a prescription that saved a life. If that’s not a miracle doctor, then what is?"

Tl Notes:

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