TTLJDFL Chapter 36

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Piaoxiang Tower, also known as Piaoxiang Courtyard.

Since the moment Li Jin had transmigrated here, he would hear people mention the town's brothel every few days.

But he was busy like a spinning top every day and never had time to look into the original body's relationship with the courtesan.

From the way Li Zhuzi spoke, it seemed that the original owner had been infatuated, but it was a one-sided crush.

Essentially, the original owner was hopelessly devoted, while the courtesan never paid him any attention.

Because of this, ever since Li Jin arrived, he had never given this matter a second thought.

His time was better spent on improving his life rather than wasting it on useless affairs.

Who would have thought that on his first day at the clinic, someone from Piaoxiang Courtyard would appear?

Li Jin continued diagnosing the patient in front of him, having them describe their symptoms. He prescribed the appropriate medicine and had Doctor Wu review it.

He paid no attention to what the people around him were whispering.

He thought—if they were here for medical treatment, that was fine. He was a doctor, and saving lives was his duty. He wouldn’t refuse.

But if they were here for something else, then they shouldn’t blame him for being unkind.

Li Jin's prescriptions were largely similar to those commonly used by doctors of the time but had slight adjustments.

He tailored the dosage of specific herbs according to each patient’s condition.

Doctor Wu found it strange—he thought the white peony root dosage in this prescription seemed a bit low.

However, instead of questioning Li Jin immediately, he asked the patient about their symptoms again.

After hearing the response, Doctor Wu realized that Li Jin’s prescription was actually perfectly tailored to the condition.

After all, this was just a small-town clinic, and the doctors who trained apprentices here had limited medical knowledge.

Over generations, they had mostly relied on memorizing a few standard prescriptions.

If a patient’s symptoms matched a known prescription, they would provide medicine; if not, they would simply say they couldn’t treat the illness.

This was how things had always been done.

But now, looking at Li Jin’s five prescriptions, each one different, Doctor Wu compared them to the patients’ conditions and suddenly felt enlightened.

It was as if all the rigid knowledge he had memorized was becoming flexible and interconnected.

The patient, seeing Doctor Wu staring at the prescription, asked worriedly, "Doctor Wu, is there something wrong with the prescription?"

Doctor Wu stroked his beard and said, "Wrong? Not at all! I was just marveling at Doctor Li’s excellent medical skills. Take this medicine, and within seven days, you’ll be cured."

The patient was stunned—wasn’t that the kind of thing only shamans said?

His family was poor; they couldn’t afford to hire a shaman.

But since Doctor Wu said so, he felt reassured and was no longer as anxious as before.

After Zhou Gui prepared the medicine, he stood behind Li Jin and called out, "Next!"

The murmuring in the crowd suddenly fell silent.

Li Jin caught a whiff of a strong fragrance and instinctively frowned.

As a doctor, he was used to the smell of disinfectants. He found overly strong perfumes and powders unpleasant, though he could tolerate mild woody scents.

The newcomer was a veiled woman accompanied by a tall, imposing matron and a young maid, who appeared to be about thirteen or fourteen.

The maid was supporting the veiled woman, while the matron spoke up: "Our young lady hasn’t been looking well lately. Please, Doctor, take a look at her."

When Li Jin heard this, he raised his eyes but could only see the veil. How was he supposed to examine the patient's complexion?

However, he wasn’t annoyed. He would take the pulse first—if he couldn't detect anything from it, he would simply say that he was powerless to help.

As soon as he took the pulse, Li Jin's brows furrowed again.

The pulse was like a string of pearls—smooth, round, and pulsating with remarkable liveliness.

This was unmistakably a pregnancy pulse!

Li Jin double-checked, then raised his hand and asked the patient, “Are you aware of your own condition?”

The veiled woman remained silent, simply staring straight at Li Jin. Even through the veil, he could feel the intensity of her gaze.

Li Jin thought to himself—this must be the legendary top courtesan.

Staying true to his medical ethics, he asked again.

Yet, the courtesan continued to stare at him without speaking a word.

Li Jin decided not to waste time and directly stated, “Miss, your illness is beyond my ability to treat.”

Announcing a pregnancy publicly—even for a courtesan—would greatly affect her reputation.

The crowd erupted in speculation. “Could it be a venereal disease?”

At that moment, not only did the veiled woman’s expression change, but even her maid’s face darkened.

The old madam accompanying them snapped angrily, “You must not slander my young lady!”

Li Jin stood up, and before the crowd could speak further, he declared, “Venereal diseases can be treated. But this young lady’s ailment stems from the heart—she must regulate herself, which is why I cannot treat her. So, please refrain from wild guesses.”

After that, he sat down and instructed Zhou Gui to call in the next patient.

Silence fell over the clinic.

Yet, the young lady refused to leave. She stared at Li Jin’s current appearance, feeling as if she had been blinded by lard in the past.

A few months ago, Li Jin had been drowning in alcohol daily because she had rejected him.

He had once sworn that she was the only one for him and had even promised that if she agreed, he would return home immediately and divorce his husband.

But at the time, she thought she would never marry a man who was lustful, poor, and utterly useless.

The other courtesans in the brothel had often teased her: “Look, at least someone is willing to marry you!”

Every top courtesan was given the stage name "Lingmei"—"Ling" for performer, and "Lingmei" was the exclusive title for the top courtesan of a brothel.

And there was only ever one top courtesan per brothel.

Upon hearing their teasing, Lingmei had merely continued painting her eyebrows and coldly replied, “He will probably never save up enough money to buy my freedom.”

And even if he did—so what?

Li Jin's family was dirt poor. If she married him, would she have to toil in the fields to support their household?

Yet now, Li Jin had transformed into the town’s renowned young miracle doctor.

Lingmei had gone to great lengths to investigate Li Jin’s clinic hours, then faked an illness and begged the brothel madam to take her out.

She had only intended to take a look, with no other motives.

After all, Lingmei had never believed that a good-for-nothing like Li Jin could be called a "miracle doctor."

But after seeing him today, her opinion changed.

Li Jin had indeed changed significantly. He no longer spoke frivolously, and his demeanor carried a calm and steady presence.

Especially when he had defended her just now—there was a distinct masculine dominance and protective aura about him.

Yet, Li Jin clearly regarded her merely as a patient. He even went so far as to call for the next person, showing no extra interest in her.

Later, as the clinic emptied out, Li Jin informed Doctor Wu about the top courtesan’s pregnancy.

Doctor Wu stroked his beard and asked, “Are you sure you didn’t misdiagnose?”

Li Jin shook his head. “I checked twice. The results were the same.”

Though diagnosing pregnancy through the pulse could sometimes lead to errors, the symptoms in this case were far too obvious.

There was no way he could have been wrong.

Doctor Wu pondered for a moment before saying, “You were right not to announce it in public.”

If the townsfolk discovered that the top courtesan of Piaoxiang Courtyard was pregnant, the entire town would rush to gawk, and storytellers would probably craft endless tales about it.

Li Jin added, “But it seemed like the young lady herself wasn’t aware of her pregnancy.”

Doctor Wu sighed. “That’s not for us to worry about. Brothels have matrons who conduct monthly checkups on the girls, usually in the early days of the month.

“Let’s wait and see. That top courtesan will likely be ‘bedridden’ for a while.”

Since Doctor Wu had already said so, Li Jin didn’t press further.

Whether the child in a courtesan’s womb would be born or not was not something a mere farmer’s son like him could influence.

As Li Jin’s clinic hours ended, Doctor Wu went back to treating patients, and Zhou Gui walked him to the door.

Li Jin asked, “Ah Gui, do you know where I can buy a mirror in town?”

Zhou Gui pointed down the street. “There’s a shop on this road. The shopkeeper makes excellent polished bronze mirrors.”

Li Jin thanked him and headed in that direction.

He realized he had misunderstood. The mirror he had in mind was made of glass with a layer of silver or tin on the back, producing a crystal-clear reflection.

He hadn’t expected that such mirrors might not exist in this era.

Or perhaps only the royal family and nobility possessed glass mirrors as tributes.

Ordinary people still used bronze mirrors.

But a bronze mirror was still better than having to fill a basin with water just to see one’s reflection.

Though he tried to comfort himself, he still found bronze mirrors somewhat inconvenient.

However, when he finally reached the shop Zhou Gui had recommended, Li Jin felt completely humbled.

The craftsmanship of the ancient artisans was truly remarkable. The seven or eight mirrors displayed on the antique shelves at the entrance were all incredibly bright and clear, adorned with intricate carvings.

Some mirrors had floral engravings on their backs and edges, while others featured birds and fish.

One mirror, in particular, caught Li Jin’s attention—it was relatively small, about the size of two adult palms, just right for placing on a windowsill.

Unlike the others, the back of this mirror was engraved with a pair of cranes, delicately painted with colors that enhanced its exquisite beauty.

After Li Jin asked about the price, he felt that the price was also quite exquisite.

The shopkeeper found him pleasant-looking, well-spoken, and appearing to be someone who could afford it, so he became even more enthusiastic in his sales pitch.

Li Jin picked up the mirror, and his face was reflected clearly in it.

He thought that after all this time, he still hadn’t given the young man a proper gift.

This mirror—why not buy it and bring it back?

In the end, Li Jin paid one tael of silver and received six hundred wen in change.

The mirror cost four hundred wen. However, the shopkeeper assured him that all the mirrors on their antique shelves were high-quality goods. If the reflection ever became unclear in the future, he could come back anytime for a free polishing service.

Li Jin placed the mirror into his basket. The shopkeeper, pleased to have made a big sale, asked enthusiastically, “Young man, is this for your sister?”

Li Jin shook his head. “For my spouse.”

Hearing this, the shopkeeper’s gaze toward Li Jin changed. He even wanted to recommend more items from the store, such as combs.

Li Jin said, “If you get new stock in the future, I’ll be back.”

The shopkeeper smiled. “That’s great! Our shop has the best mirrors in town at the fairest prices. If you ever need another, we’ll be sure to satisfy you again.”

When Li Jin returned home, he immediately gave the mirror to the young man.

“I promised you last night—so from now on, don’t ever say you’re not good-looking.”

The young man had probably just finished cooking, as his hands were still a bit wet. He dried them off before carefully taking the mirror.

Qin Muwen had seen this type of mirror before—it was carved with cranes and clouds, even painted with colors!

But back then, only the children of the prime minister’s main wife could have such trinkets.

He had envied them at the time, but all he could do was watch from afar.

In truth, the mirror he and his father used also had floral carvings, but they had used it for so long that the reflection had become blurry. His father had to polish it himself every now and then.

It was nothing like this small mirror—so bright and clear.

Afterward, Li Jin ate a little to fill his stomach, then went out to water the vegetable garden.

Before, when he wasn’t at Xinglintang for consultations, he could rest at home for a while before watering the crops.

Now, after spending an hour seeing patients at Xinglintang, he had no time to rest when he got home—he had to hurry and water the crops. Otherwise, once night fell, wolves would come down from the mountains, making it unsafe.

Meanwhile, the young man held onto the mirror, unable to put it down.

At that moment, Xiao An ran over. He had been planning to tell Qin Muwen that a woven vine fan was only the fan frame—it still needed to be covered with oiled paper to be complete.

Xiao An had happily gifted his fan frame to his husband earlier, thinking it was a finished product, only to be laughed at.

So now, he was here to share this knowledge with Awen, just in case he made the same mistake.

After all, while Awen had taught him how to weave the fan frame, he didn’t seem to know it needed a layer of oiled paper in the end.

But as soon as Xiao An arrived, he spotted the mirror in Qin Muwen’s hands.

His eyes widened. “Th-this mirror is so beautiful!”

Qin Muwen smiled, revealing two small dimples, and nodded. “Mm.”

Xiao An teased, “Your husband gave it to you? He treats you so well!”

Although there was a hint of envy in his words, it was mostly friendly banter. Xiao An figured he could make Awen blush with embarrassment.

After all, Awen had a soft personality—he must be easily embarrassed.

But Xiao An quickly realized he was mistaken.

Because Qin Muwen, instead of getting flustered, nodded firmly and seriously. “Yes!”

Author’s Note:

Xiao An: ??? Why am I being force-fed dog food?

Tl Notes:

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