Chapter 3
At noon, the medical clinic prepared some food for Huo Shu alone. The clinic was bustling with people coming and going, leaving no spare moment. The only physician in attendance was Huang Yinsheng, assisted by an elderly medicine dispenser and a young apprentice who tended to the patients.
Huang Yinsheng was too busy diagnosing and writing prescriptions to spare a hand, and he also had to look after Ji Taoyu, so Huo Shu was left to eat by himself.
The dishes were arranged on a square table by the window in the guest room, served on seven small painted plates, each about the size of a palm. They were all decorated in blue carvings, clearly part of a matching set.
Compared to the large earthenware bowls of the northwest, these plates seemed rather meager. Small as they were, the variety was plentiful. The table was completely covered, making the meal appear abundant.
Huo Shu had seen similar painted dishes in the northern frontier, but only in the tents of lieutenants or generals. They were seldom used, only brought out when civil officials visited the camp.
Such fragile items were expensive in the north, so few people used them.
However, these wares were abundant in the south. In Tongzhou, finely crafted painted dishes were not particularly costly.
The apprentice pushed open the window, and the table was immediately bathed in light. Outside was a small courtyard where a few white chrysanthemums had already bloomed ahead of time.
The sunlight fell on the table, making the food seem even more appetizing.
This was Huo Shu’s first meal since arriving in Tongzhou.
The table was set with three meat dishes: a plate of whole fish, each about two or three inches long; a bowl of roasted lamb; and another bowl of duck offal. There were also two seasonal vegetable dishes - diced lotus root and crispy bamboo shoots, along with a bowl of soup whose name he didn’t know.
He noticed the food had been brought in from outside, likely ordered by Huang Yinsheng from a restaurant.
After setting the dishes, the apprentice left. Huo Shu didn’t stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to eat the southern-style dishes - spread usually reserved for generals in the military camp.
After devouring the meal like a whirlwind, Huo Shu felt he had come to the right place.
Southern cuisine was rich, delicate, and appetizing, though his rough eating habits made him feel like a cow chewing on peonies.
[牛嚼牡丹 (niú jué mǔ dān): lit. a cow chewing peonies; fig. someone with crude manners unable to appreciate delicate things.]
In the afternoon, Huo Shu rested in his room for a while but soon grew restless.
With water everywhere here, he fetched some to wash his horse in the clinic’s stable. The stable housed only a donkey, which Huang Yinsheng used to transport herbs. Unless a family was wealthy, most common families couldn’t afford to keep many large livestock, they were expensive and required careful tending.
With nothing else to do, Huo Shu groomed his black horse until its coat gleamed, then went ahead and brushed the donkey as well.
Tongzhou was crisscrossed with flowing streams, and time seemed to slow down here.
After washing the horse, Huo Shu went out for a stroll, listening to the townsfolk eagerly discussing who had passed the imperial exams and how fortunate they were.
The streets were lively at all hours.
He wandered around until the sun began to set before returning to Huang Ji Clinic.
After a full day of work, the apprentice finally hung up the "closed" sign and began fitting the wooden door panels into place.
Huang Yinsheng, frowning, stood at the entrance with the medicine dispenser.
"Was the message delivered?"
"I asked the ox-cart driver from the village to relay it, saying that Taoyu was helping at the clinic, got tired, and would rest here overnight, returning tomorrow morning."
Huang Yinsheng nodded, hands clasped behind his back. "Good. That should keep his parents from worrying and rushing into the city at night. The village is swamped with autumn harvest work right now, and the village head has his hands full."
The dispenser acknowledged.
"I checked on Taoyu earlier, his fever has broken, but he still says he feels unwell."
Huang Yinsheng’s face darkened as he recalled the feverish ger curled up in bed. "A child his age should know better than to play by the river! What if something had happened?"
The dispenser chuckled. "Today was the exam results announcement, of course Taoyu wanted to see. He’s not the type to fool around. You know his temperament better than anyone."
Hearing this, Huang Yinsheng seemed to remember something. "I was so busy I forgot about that."
He sighed. "Whether he passed or not was already decided in the exam hall, why rush to know the result?"
"That You family boy is talented, but he’s single-minded about studying. I’ve always felt there’s something calculating about him, but Taoyu’s parents are fond of him."
"Who in Lichao doesn’t value scholars? You’re just worried because you dote on Taoyu. But our village head has sharp eyes, You Erlang passed on his first attempt!"
[You Erlang (尤二郎): Second son of the You family]
The dispenser beamed. "Now he’s a provincial graduate. Taoyu may be frail, but he’s blessed with good fortune."
Huang Yinsheng’s expression shifted from worry to surprise. "Really?"
"Huang Qi saw the list - black on red, no mistake!"
"If You Erlang has such ability, then I’ve nothing more to say."
Just then, Huang Yinsheng noticed someone approaching and cut off the conversation. "Ah, Warrior Huo is back. We were just about to prepare dinner."
Huo Shu didn’t know what they had been discussing, but Huang Yinsheng seemed in better spirits now. He nodded slightly and went inside.
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