TTLJDFL chapter 36

Piaoxiang Tower, also known as Piaoxiang Garden. Since Li Jin traveled across, he had occasionally heard people around him mention this brothel in the town.

But he was busy every day like a spinning top, and there was no chance to look into the relationship between the original owner and the top courtesan.

Anyway, judging by Li Zhuzi’s tone, it was probably just the original owner’s unrequited love and bitter longing.

In short, from the original owner’s side, it was a one-sided crush, while the top courtesan didn’t pay any attention to him at all. Therefore, after coming over, Li Jin hadn’t concerned himself with this matter at all.

He still needed to save his time to live a good life for himself, rather than waste it on other things.

Who would have thought that on the very first day of his clinic, he would actually encounter someone from Piaoxiang Garden?

Li Jin felt the pulse of the patient in front of him, let him describe his condition, prescribed medicine accordingly, and then had Doctor Wu review it.

He was completely indifferent to what people around him were saying.

He thought, if it was for a medical consultation, then that’s fine; after all, his primary duty is being a doctor. Saving lives and helping the wounded is his mission, and he naturally wouldn’t refuse.

But if he tries any other tricks, then don’t blame him for turning his back on you.

Li Jin’s prescriptions are generally similar to what doctors commonly use nowadays, but there are subtle differences.

That’s because he tweaks the dosage of certain herbs slightly based on each person’s condition.

Dr. Wu found this a bit strange—he felt the amount of white peony in the prescription was a little low.

But he didn’t immediately question Li Jin; he chose to ask about the patient’s condition once more first.

After hearing the patient describe their symptoms, Dr. Wu realized that Li Jin’s prescription was actually truly tailored to the illness.

This was, after all, just a small town clinic, and the doctors who trained apprentices had limited medical skills. Over generations, they basically just memorized a set of fixed prescriptions.

If a symptom seemed to match, they’d prescribe the medicine; if not, they’d claim they couldn’t treat it.

That’s how things had been done all these years.

And all five prescriptions that Li Jin brought over were completely different from each other. After Dr. Wu matched the prescriptions with the patients’ conditions, he suddenly felt enlightened.

The things he used to memorize by rote seemed to gradually come to life, showing a tendency to integrate and make sense.

Seeing Dr. Wu staring at the prescriptions, the patient asked a little worriedly, “Dr. Wu, is there something wrong with the prescriptions?”

Dr. Wu stroked his beard and said, “What’s wrong with them? I’m just marveling at Dr. Li’s brilliant medical skills. Take the medicine he prescribed, and in seven days, you’ll be completely cured.”

The patient was stunned. Isn’t that something only a shaman would say?

His family was poor and couldn’t afford to hire a shaman. But since Dr. Wu said it, he felt a bit reassured and no longer looked as worried as before.

After Zhou Gui prepared the medicine for this person, he stood behind Li Jin and shouted, “Next!”

The murmuring of the crowd stopped abruptly, and Li Jin felt a whiff of fragrance. He instinctively frowned.

As a doctor, he was used to the smell of disinfectant and couldn’t quite tolerate strong perfumes or fragrant powders; he could only accept something slightly subtle, like a hint of woody fragrance.

The visitor wore a veil, accompanied by a tall nanny and another maid who looked about thirteen or fourteen.

The maid kept supporting the veiled woman, while the nanny said, “Our young lady hasn’t been looking well lately, so we hope the doctor can take a look.”

Hearing this, Li Jin looked up, but all he could see was the veil. How was he supposed to check the patient’s complexion?

But he wasn’t angered either; he first took the pulse. If nothing could be seen from the pulse, he would simply say he was powerless.

Upon taking the pulse this time, Li Jin’s brows furrowed again.

The pulse was like pearls, round and smooth, beating very briskly.

This was clearly a joyous pulse!

Li Jin confirmed once more, raised his hand, and asked the patient, “Do you have any understanding of your own condition?”

The woman with the veil didn’t speak; she just stared straight at Li Jin. Even through the layer of fabric, Li Jin could feel her gaze.

Li Jin thought, this is probably the famous top courtesan everyone talks about. So, sticking to his medical courtesy, he asked again.

The top courtesan still stared at him without saying a word.

Li Jin didn’t want to get too caught up, so he said directly, “I can’t treat your illness, miss.”

Pregnancy is something that, when mentioned publicly, can greatly affect one’s reputation, even for a courtesan.

The crowd erupted: “Could it be a venereal disease?”

At this moment, not only did the veiled woman change her expression, but even the maid beside her did as well.

The maid angrily said: “You must not slander my young lady!”

Li Jin stood up, and before anyone could say anything, he spoke first: “Venereal diseases can be treated. This young lady’s problem is mental; she needs to take care of herself, which is why I can’t treat it. So, everyone, please don’t speculate recklessly.”

After saying that, he sat down and let Zhou Gui call in the next person.

The clinic fell silent again.

But the girl refused to leave. Looking at Li Jin’s current state, she felt like she had been completely fooled.

A few months ago, Li Jin used to get drunk every day just because he couldn’t win her favor.

Saying that he would never marry anyone else in this life, if she agreed, Li Jin promised to return and divorce his husband.

However, at that time, she thought that she would never marry a man who was lecherous, poor, and uneducated.

The sisters in the brothel often mocked her for this: “Look, he’s willing to marry you?”

Every top courtesan went by the stage name Lingmei. ‘Ling’ is from ‘lingren’ (performer), and ‘Ling Mei’ was the title given to a woman only after she became the top courtesan.

Of course, a brothel had only one top courtesan.

After hearing this, Ling Mei just continued shaping her eyebrows and responded coldly, “He probably won’t ever be able to save up enough to buy my freedom.”

Besides, even if he did manage to earn the ransom money, so what?

The Li family was so poor—if she married into it, would she have to work the fields just to help out at home?

But now, Li Jin had completely changed, becoming the little miracle doctor that everyone in town talked about.

Ling Mei had also sent her maid to carefully check Li Jin’s consulting hours, and only then pretended to be sick and asked the brothel madam to take her out.

She had only thought about seeing Li Jin in advance, with no other intentions. After all, Ling Mei had never believed that that fool Li Jin could be called a ‘miracle doctor.’

But after seeing Li Jin this time, Ling Mei changed her mind. Li Jin had indeed changed a lot; he no longer spoke so frivolously, and his words and actions carried a kind of steady and calming strength.

Especially when Li Jin had just stood up for her, showing the uniquely domineering and protective aura of a man.

But Li Jin obviously treated her just like a doctor would a patient, even calling in the next patient right away.

A bit later, there were far fewer people in the clinic.

Li Jin told Dr. Wu about the top courtesan’s pregnancy.

Dr. Wu stroked his beard and said, “Are you sure you didn’t misread the pulse?”

Li Jin shook his head: “I checked twice, and it was the same result both times.”

Although sometimes there can be errors in diagnosing a joyous pulse, someone like the top courtesan showing such a clear joyous pulse—

he would never misread that.

Doctor Wu thought for a moment and said, “It’s right that this matter hasn’t been made public.”

If the people in the town knew that the top courtesan of Piaoxiang garden was expecting, wouldn’t they all rush over to gawk? By then, who knows how many versions the storytellers would have written.

Li Jin added, “But it seems that the young lady herself doesn’t know that she is expecting.”

Doctor Wu said, “That’s not something we need to worry about. Every month, the brothel has matronesses who check each girl’s condition, usually during the first ten days of the month.”

“Wait a minute, it seems the top courtesan might have to rest in bed for a while.”

Since Doctor Wu said this, Li Jin didn’t ask any further. Whether top courtesan could carry her child to term was no longer something a simple country boy like him could influence.

As Li Jin’s consultation time came to an end, Doctor Wu went to see other patients, and Zhou Gui escorted Li Jin out the door.

Li Jin asked, “Ah Gui, which shop in town sells mirrors?”

Zhou Gui pointed the way for Li Jin: “It’s just on this street. The shopkeeper polishes the copper mirrors really well.”

Li Jin thanked him and walked in that direction.

He realized he had misunderstood. The mirror he had in mind was the kind with a glass side and a layer of mercury or tin on the back, making a very clear reflection.

He didn’t expect that this kind of mirror didn’t exist in this era.

Or rather, maybe only royalty and nobles could afford imported glass mirrors.

Ordinary people still used bronze mirrors. But bronze mirrors were fine; it was definitely better than having to fill a basin with water and look down just to see your reflection whenever someone in the house wanted to check themselves.

Even though Li Jin tried to comfort himself this way, he still felt that using a bronze mirror would probably be quite inconvenient.

But when he actually arrived at the shop Zhou Gui had mentioned, Li Jin felt like he had been slapped in the face as soon as he went in.

The craftsmanship of ancient people was truly impeccable. The seven or eight mirrors displayed on the antique shelf at the entrance were both bright and clear, with hollowed-out carvings around them.

Some mirrors had flowers and plants carved beside and behind them, while others were carved with birds and fish. 　　Li Jin also saw a relatively small mirror, about the size of two adult palms, just the right size to place on a windowsill.

The carving on the back of this mirror was somewhat different from the others; it was a pair of cranes, and it was even colored, making it look even more exquisite.

After asking the price, Li Jin felt that the price was also very exquisite.

The shop owner thought he looked familiar and spoke politely, seeming like someone who could afford it, so he became even more enthusiastic.

Li Jin picked up this mirror, his own face reflected on it very clearly.

He thought, he still hadn’t given the young man a decent gift after all this time. Maybe he should just buy this mirror.

In the end, Li Jin gave a silver coin or two and got back six hundred wen.

This mirror alone cost four hundred wen. But the shopkeeper said that all the mirrors on their antique shelf were high-quality goods, and if it didn’t reflect clearly in the future, he could come back anytime for free polishing.

Li Jin put the mirror into the basket. The shopkeeper, who had just managed to make a big sale, asked warmly, “Young man, is this for your sister?”

Li Jin shook his head: “It’s for my wife”‘

The shopkeeper immediately looked at Li Jin differently and even wanted to recommend other items from his shop, like combs.

Li Jin said, “Next time you have new goods, I will come again.”

The shopkeeper smiled and said, “That’s good. The mirrors in my shop are definitely the best in town and reasonably priced. If you need anything in the future, I can guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

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

“As I promised you last night, don’t ever say you’re not good-looking again.”

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

This kind of mirror Qin Muwen had seen before; it was carved with cranes and clouds, and it was even colored!

But that was a little toy that only the mistress of the Shangshu Mansion’s child had. He envied it back then, but could only watch longingly.

In fact, the mirror beside him and his father’s was also carved with flowers and plants, but it had been used for a long time, so it always reflected images vaguely, and his father still had to polish it himself.

It was nowhere near as bright as the small mirror, reflecting clearly.

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

In the past, when he wasn’t seeing patients at Xinglin Hall, he could return home, rest for a while, and then go water the field.

Now, after seeing patients at Xinglin Hall for an hour, he doesn’t have time to rest once he gets back; he has to hurry and water the field, otherwise once it gets dark, wolves might come down, making it unsafe.

The young man held the mirror so fondly that he couldn’t put it down. Just then, Xiao An ran over; he planned to tell Qin Muwen that a fan made of rattan strips is only a fan frame, and it only becomes a real fan once you paste oiled paper on it.

Xiao An thought, he gave the fan frame to his husband like offering a treasure, but unexpectedly, it directly made his husband laugh.

So that’s why he specifically told Ah Wen too, to avoid making the same mistake.

After all, last time even though Ah Wen taught him how to weave fan frame, it seemed like Ah Wen didn’t know that you were supposed to cover them with a layer of oil paper in the end.

When Xiao An arrived, he saw the mirror in Qin Muwen’s hand right away.

He widened his eyes: “Th-this mirror is so beautiful!”

Qin Muwen smiled, showing two little dimples, and nodded, “Mm.”

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

Although there was a hint of envy in the words, it was mostly playful teasing between friends. Xiao An thought he could see Ah Wen getting shy.

After all, Ah Wen had a soft personality and would probably get shy often.

But Xiao An quickly realized he was wrong.

Because when Qin Muwen heard his words, he instead nodded solemnly and firmly, “Yes!”

The author has something to say:
[Xiao An: ??? Why are you feeding me dog food]​

Kotha: I couldn’t update last week cause I was busy with assignment 🫠(I had to do 5 assignment in a week😭😭) anyway If you like my translation consider supporting me on Kofi ☕ love ya 💖💖