Because he was too tired, after paying one month's room fee, Zhu Ping'an ordered a plate of side dishes and two steamed buns and ate them quickly. Then he took a hot bath in a wooden tub and went to bed to rest early.
Zhu Ping'an was sleeping soundly here, but he didn't know that his name had already spread in the small area near the inn.
As scholars and students, they all like to drink wine, recite poems and compose essays. While having dinner in the lobby, someone read out the poem "Once bitten by a snake, I heard birds singing everywhere" written by Zhu Ping'an at the Ten-Li Long Pavilion in a mocking tone. Then the whole lobby was filled with laughter. When someone accidentally said that the talented scholar who was bitten by a snake and heard birds singing was sleeping soundly in the woodshed, the lobby was filled with laughter again. Zhu Ping'an's name spread in a small area near the passenger station.
Zhu Ping'an, who was sleeping soundly, didn't know about it. Of course, even if he knew, he would just laugh it off.
In the early morning of the next day, a faint morning glow appeared in the eastern sky, and it was still dark and gloomy.
The students who had been drinking and writing poetry all night were now immersed in dreams, but the woodshed of the inn had been pushed open. Zhu Ping'an, dressed in a blue robe and with a schoolbag slung over his shoulder, looked refreshed and energetic. He walked out with a black wooden board in his hand, closed the door, and walked out leisurely.
After leaving the inn, there were few pedestrians outside, and Huaining County had a unique flavor in the frost and fog.
In ancient times, people paid great attention to fortune, and most county towns were built near mountains and rivers. Huaining County was no exception. It was built along a river called Pangjiang, and the river water was brought into the city through a moat.
Zhu Ping'an walked towards the river on the bluestone slabs, found two adjacent bluestones by the river, placed the black wooden board on the taller of the bluestones, lifted his robe and sat on the lower bluestone, took out the brush and bamboo tube from the cloth bag across his body one by one, and began his compulsory course every morning.
Training in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, Zhu Ping'an dipped his brush in clear water and splashed ink on the river bank filled with frost and fog... ...
After the fog dissipated and the sun rose, Zhu Pingan put away his brush and black board, and took out a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals with Zhu Xi's annotations from his bag, and read it with great interest. Zhu Xi was a very interesting person, a person with a serious inner and outer difference. Without mentioning the things between him and Su Shi, it is clear that he advocated the preservation of heaven and the destruction of human nature while going to brothels to comfort fallen women. Oh, he had so many wives and concubines that they could not fit at one table. However, to be realistic, Comrade Zhu Xi's understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics was still at a very high level, otherwise how could it become the imperial examination textbook that the emperor respected.
"Look, a sour scholar, hahaha..."
In the early morning, the young girls and wives who came to the river to wash clothes and pound rice couldn't help laughing when they saw the young man sitting on a rock by the river reading a book without noticing that his long robe had gotten wet.
Not going out of the front door or the back door, this was the requirement for the ladies of noble families in ancient times. Ordinary people did not pay so much attention to it. Of course, the separation between men and women was much stricter than it is now, and men and women could not be alone. However, with so many young girls and wives together now, they are not afraid of gossip at all, and they have become bolder. Seeing the honest appearance of Zhu Ping'an, they could not help laughing, and some bold wives even teased Zhu Ping'an with words.
"That little scholar is reading so seriously, but is he reading a book about a man and a woman fighting?"
"Hehehe..." The daughters-in-law who came through the personnel department laughed one by one.
Of course, there were also unmarried girls who were so embarrassed that their faces turned red, and they chased after the bold daughter-in-law to find fault with her.
Zhu Ping'an was embarrassed by these people. It wasn't that he was embarrassed by the words of that bold wife. How could he, who had watched countless movies in modern times, be embarrassed by words of that magnitude? But he didn't have the habit of reading in front of so many young girls and wives. He was not a monkey in a zoo.
"Morning."
So Zhu Ping'an put away the poetry and books, took the black wooden board, greeted those young girls and wives from a distance, and then got up and left.
"Ah, don't go, you haven't answered yet, have you?"
There was a sound of women's laughter behind me.
After the frost and fog dissipated, Zhu Ping'an had a hazy impression of Huaining County. The moist bluestone roads, the clear waters of the Pangjiang River for boating, and the tall city walls made of blue bricks and white stones combined together were full of poetry.
Following an enticing aroma, Zhu Ping'an found a snack bar on the street, ordered a bowl of tofu pudding and two pot stickers, and the store also gave him a small dish of homemade pickled vegetables, which he ate with relish.
A pinch of coriander was sprinkled on the tofu pudding, and then poured with the store’s secret seasoning, which made it look delicious. The pot stickers had the aroma of pork, and the side dishes were crisp and refreshing, and tasted great.
The only flaw is that the owner of the store is not a tofu beauty, but an auntie.
By the way, I often see plots in modern novels where the male protagonist meets a tofu beauty, a wine seller beauty, or even a pork beauty. How come I haven't encountered one in more than eight years in the Ming Dynasty
Despite his regret, Zhu Ping'an still left with a full stomach.
After eating and drinking his fill, Zhu Ping'an found a few passers-by and asked for directions, then turned left and right along the street.
On the way, he spent one penny to buy a bag of fine snacks and asked the store to wrap them in red paper. He then bought some fruits from another store and put them in a bamboo basket, then walked in the direction pointed by the passerby.
After walking and searching for about half an hour, Zhu Ping'an arrived at his destination - Baicaotang.
This is a big pharmacy, more than five times bigger than the one in Kaoshan Town. There are people coming and going in the pharmacy, and there are six doctors sitting in the pharmacy.
Zhu Ping'an walked in carrying some fruit and snacks. An apprentice from the pharmacy came over and asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you want to see a doctor?"
Zhu Pingan shook his head, bowed and replied, "No, I am from Xiahe Village, Kaoshan Town. Eight years ago, I was lucky enough to be saved by the miraculous doctor Hu. My parents work in the fields all day and are unable to come and thank you. I am deeply sorry. Today, I come to thank the old doctor Hu."
The apprentice thought for a moment and said to Zhu Ping'an, "Then wait a moment, I will go ask my mentor."
It turned out that this apprentice was actually the apprentice of the old doctor Hu. After the apprentice finished speaking, he walked to the back of the pharmacy. After about a quarter of an hour, the apprentice returned.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time. My master said he doesn't remember this matter and asked you not to take it to heart." The apprentice came back and told the old doctor Hu what he said, and added, "In fact, my master has saved countless people and has encountered this situation many times. Please don't take it to heart. Please take the things back with you. My master never accepts gifts."
Zhu Pingan stood there thinking for a long time, then took out a ten-liang silver note from his sleeve and said, "Old Doctor Hu's style is admirable, but I am also uneasy. Let's put this note in the pharmacy to pay for those patients who have no money to buy medicine. Although it is not much, it is my heartfelt gift."
The apprentice did not dare to make the decision, so he went to report to his master. After a while, he came back and told Zhu Ping'an that his master agreed.
The miracle doctor who never accepted gifts was willing to accept the meager ten taels of silver for those who had no money to treat their illnesses.
He is truly a miracle doctor who is dedicated to saving people.
Zhu Ping'an is full of admiration for the medical quality and ethics of the old doctor Hu. If modern hospitals can have one tenth of the medical quality and ethics of the old doctor Hu, the doctor-patient relationship will not be so tense.