Fu Xinzi pushed open the wooden door and saw that there were not many people in the medical hall at this hour. Behind a wooden table against the wall sat an elder with white hair, who was looking down at a young man and writing a prescription.
As the elder wrote, he also instructed the young man on what to pay attention to.
The young man sitting opposite the elder kept nodding in agreement.
Inside the counter, a youth of about the same age as Qi He was dispensing medicine to an elderly woman.
The old woman muttered incessantly, and they couldn't clearly hear what she was saying.
The elder with white hair, however, had sharp hearing. Without looking up at the sound of the door, he continued writing his prescription. After finishing the entire prescription, he gave the young man a few more detailed instructions before sending him to the medicine boy to collect the medicine.
After sending off the young man, the elder beckoned to the two of them, "Young sirs, are you here for a consultation or to get medicine?"
It was no wonder the elder asked Qi He, as he still had a bruise on his face.
"Hehe." Qi He forced a smile, feeling a bit embarrassed, then said to the elder with some pride, "It's not me who needs a doctor, but my brother. Could you please take a look at him, elder?"
"You want me to make a house call?" The elder's voice was very soft, but Fu Xinzi could still detect a hint of excitement.
Why wouldn't the elder be excited? Sitting in the medical hall for several hours every day without moving would annoy anyone.
House calls were different. Walking on the streets was much more lively. Moreover, the consultation fee for a house call was double.
This was a win-win opportunity. The elder didn't even ask what illness it was, and immediately grabbed his medicine box, ready to leave.
Fu Xinzi said, "Elder, you'd better prepare some more medicinal herbs for bruises and sprains, both for internal and external use."
Hearing the young girl's reminder, the elder smiled and patted his medicine box, saying, "Little girl, don't worry, old man is fully prepared."
"Ah?"
Seeing the surprised expression on the young girl's face, the elder smiled and revealed the truth. "Our Ningyuan City is a frontier town, and countless people get injured throughout the year. Therefore, wound medicine is always prepared in my medicine box."
After hearing the elder's explanation, Qi He reached out to help the elder carry the medicine box. The elder smiled, which meant he agreed.
As they left the medical hall, the elder was like a bird released from its cage. His demeanor was comparable to that of a three-year-old child.
Qi He didn't know why, but Fu Xinzi could guess that the elder had a restless personality and was bored staying in the medical hall all day, finding everything outside fresh.
She was just afraid that the elder might be disappointed. The place they were going was too close to the medical hall, and the only thing that could satisfy the elder's gossipy nature was that the young patient was a criminal.
Fortunately, Meng Yuwen and Meng Yuwu were not seriously injured. The elder left them two bottles of wound medicine, one for internal use and one for external application. The external medicine would heal in a few days if the wound was cleaned and applied.
Meng Wu Nai, who had been heartbroken by her two grandsons' crying, finally stopped complaining about Meng Wu Ye after hearing the doctor's words.
Meng Wu Ye also felt sorry for his grandsons, but he endured it for their future.
Coincidentally, as Qi He and the others were escorting the doctor back to the medical hall, Jiang Tou'er came out of the yamen with a happy expression.
Seeing Meng Qingping and the others still there, he went up to talk to them again.
"Brother Jiang, are you leaving today?"
"No, it's our good fortune this time." Jiang Tou'er considered it a secret and whispered into Meng Qingping's ear, "We just received news at the yamen that the soldiers stationed in Ningyuan City and the yamen runners have teamed up to transport a batch of grain and fodder south. Brother Qi mentioned it to the military officer in charge, and tomorrow we will travel back with them in their mule cart."
"That's great, it will save you the trouble of walking." Meng Qingping was also happy for them.
"Indeed." After chatting with Meng Qingping, Jiang Tou'er continued, "Second Brother Meng, we are going to find an inn and have a good sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to travel with them."
"Go ahead, you deserve a good rest."
"Yes, we do need a good sleep." Jiang Tou'er said, feeling relieved, and was about to lead a few people to an inn.
"Grandpa Jiang."
"Oh, Young Miss Fu, is there anything else?"
"Grandpa Jiang, it's nothing much. I just bought a bottle of wine and some snacks. Take them with you to pass the time on the road." Fu Xinzi said, taking a package from her carrying basket and handing it to Jiang Tou'er before turning to run back.
"Oh." Feeling the weight, Jiang Tou'er's eyes lit up immediately. He felt duck eggs, and what was this smooth, cool thing?
When he secretly glanced, his heavens, it was a glass bottle, and the transparent liquid inside made his heart flutter.
"Head, what good stuff did Miss Fu give you? Let us have a look?"
"Wait."
"Head, when did you learn to be stingy? Even if you don't let us eat it, we can at least have a look, right?"
"Don't be noisy. Let's go to the inn first, and I'll show you when we get there."
"That's acceptable."
Fu Xinzi turned back and watched them bickering as they went to the inn before returning to the donkey cart.
Qi He and the others returned, and Yan Yi and Qi Yuanshan were also personally escorted out by the magistrate of Ningyuan City.
Magistrate Wang was a shrewd man. Not to mention that Meng Qingping was once his peer; it was the former Duke Meng's misdeeds. Otherwise, given Meng Qingping's age and qualifications, he would have been at least a court official.
Although he was now exiled to this desolate place, he was still remembered by the Emperor. Otherwise, even if it was just a land deed, why would Lord Yan have come along?
Magistrate Wang and Qi Bazong held a map and, in front of Yan Yi, marked the entire area bordering the sea.
Yan Yi: "This area is at least two hundred mu, right?"
"Yes, this whole area is wasteland." Qi Yuanshan did not say that this land would not be less than three hundred mu.
He had his reasons for allocating this piece of land to the Meng family. The mountain pass where their garrison was stationed was not only a strategic location but also the most inconvenient place for supplies.
Every year, when the severe winter came and the snow blocked the mountains, their garrison was almost cut off from the world. Not only could food not be delivered, but nothing else could be delivered either.
To be honest, they could tolerate the non-delivery of other things, but the non-delivery of food was truly unbearable. The feeling of starving was truly terrible.
Thinking of how harsh their winters were every year, with no food, they sometimes couldn't even eat a bowl of thin porridge a day. Remembering those scenes, his eyes would turn red.
Out of selfish consideration, he had secretly allocated this wasteland to the Meng family today, hoping to be in a favorable position. Every year, when the Meng family harvested their grain, they could sell some to them at a cheaper price, so that he and his brothers could go hungry less often.
Yan Yi: He turned a blind eye, and the matter was easily passed over.