Zheng Chuan paused for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "My real name is Zheng Zixuan. When I was eight years old, my master found me. He said that adopting a girl would easily lead to gossip, and he didn't want to deal with it, so he had me dress as a boy so that I could learn hunting skills from him. My master gave me another name, 'Chuan,' which sounds more like a boy's name."
"Zixuan" is a type of daylily, also known as "forget-sorrow grass." It seems Zheng Chuan's parents named her with affection, hoping their daughter would grow up carefree. Little did they expect that Zheng Chuan would end up disguising herself as a man for so many years. Xu Zifan asked, "Do you still remember your family? Are they still alive?"
Zheng Chuan shook her head. "They're gone. That year, my hometown suffered a severe drought. My parents took me north, but we encountered bandits who killed them. I rolled down a hillside and fainted, only surviving because my master found me." She thought for a moment and said, "My master probably made me dress as a man because he was afraid of offending the bandits, since he had saved someone from them. Later, I got used to it, and that's how it is; it's very convenient."
The two sat facing each other, chatting about the past in the quiet night. The awkwardness and ambiguity vanished, replaced by a sense of peace, a trust forged through life and death. Xu Zifan realized that Zheng Chuan wasn't truly averse to talking; she simply rarely had the opportunity. Disguising herself as a man had erected high walls around her, preventing her from stepping out or allowing others in. Her lack of interaction with others naturally made her appear taciturn.
Unexpectedly, a life-or-death battle led him to discover her secret and enter her inner circle. Afterwards, the two had dinner together, and the distance between them seemed to shrink instantly. It was quite late after dinner, and Xu Zifan didn't linger. He told Zheng Chuan to get some rest and then hurried home.
He kept thinking about how Zheng Chuan would resolve the issue of her reputation after resuming her female attire. This was ancient times, not modern times; people's views were outdated and conservative. If people knew that Zheng Chuan was a woman who had been hunting in the mountains with her master and even openly selling her prey, and that she had gone into the mountains with a man like him, Zheng Chuan's reputation would surely be ruined.
Judging from Zheng Chuan's secret act of making a skirt for herself, it seems she really wants to regain her female identity. This matter must be handled carefully, otherwise even if Zheng Chuan herself doesn't care about her reputation, it won't work. In ancient times, a girl whose reputation is ruined will find it difficult to move an inch. This is an era where the village head can drown someone with just a word!
Xu Zifan kept Zheng Chuan's matter in mind. Since arriving in this world, Zheng Chuan was the person he admired and liked the most. Now that he knew about her predicament, he naturally thought about it more deeply. He lay in bed pondering for a long time before finally coming up with a reasonably suitable solution, and then relaxed and went to sleep.
He was exhausted both physically and mentally that day, and as soon as he relaxed, he fell into a deep sleep. If Shaohua hadn't woken him up, he could have slept until noon. Every morning, the second wife and her husband would take a bus to town to sell snacks, and Xu Zifan went with them this time. He also had to get medicine for Zheng Chuan, and he didn't bring Xiaolian this time. He was still a little sleepy, so he leaned against a corner in the bus and closed his eyes to rest, perfectly avoiding the second wife's insincere concern, and enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet.
This time he brought wild ginseng and went straight to Jishetang to find Doctor Tong after getting off the car. The young apprentice recognized him and immediately led him to the backyard, saying with a smile, "Brother Xu, are you here to sell medicinal herbs again today? What herbs did you dig up this time?"
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "This is good stuff, otherwise I wouldn't have come in such a hurry. By the way, my friend is a little injured, and I need to get some medicine later. Here is the prescription, thank you for your help, sir."
The apprentice took the prescription, glanced at it, and shook his head, saying, "Brother Xu, my name is Fang Mingda, you can just call me 'Mingda'." He scratched his head, embarrassed, and said, "Isn't my name a bit strange? I heard that I was weak and sickly when I was a child, and many doctors shook their heads saying they couldn't save me, but I always pulled through. Later, I fainted at the entrance of Jishetang, and my master told me to stay here and observe. He then discovered that I wouldn't get sick in places with a strong medicinal smell in the clinic, and my health actually improved. My parents said I was lucky and changed my name to this. My master also said I had a connection with this place and took me as his apprentice. I especially love medicinal herbs, but unfortunately, I don't have much talent for them, and I haven't mastered them after all these years."
He stopped and looked at Xu Zifan earnestly, saying, "Brother Xu, this is the first time in all these years that I've seen my master like someone so much. He praised you for your talent and said you'll definitely achieve great things in the future. I can tell he really likes you. Why don't you become my master's apprentice? He's truly a good master and will definitely teach you wholeheartedly."
"Mingda!" Doctor Tong came out of the house upon hearing the voice, shaking his head and saying, "Mingda, everything is predestined and cannot be forced. Xu Zifan has exceptional talent, and I can't teach him much more. We are not destined to be master and disciple, so let's not bring this up again."
Xu Zifan bowed slightly to Doctor Tong and said, "Doctor Tong, I have obtained a wild ginseng. I brought it here for you to take a look and see if you would accept it."
Doctor Tong's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he hurriedly said, "Of course we'll take it! Come in quickly!" He then instructed Fang Mingda, "Hurry up and pour some tea!"
"Oh, I'll go right now!" Fang Mingda was just taken aback by Xu Zifan getting wild ginseng, and he hurriedly ran off after regaining his senses.
Doctor Tong shook his head. "My apprentice is naive and doesn't think things through. You two will be spending time together from now on, so you'll have to teach him a thing or two."
Although Doctor Tong said this, his eyes were full of affection, showing that he really liked this little apprentice. Xu Zifan followed him into the room and said with a smile, "Mingda is filial and kind, a rare and good nature."
Dr. Tong sighed, "He's had a tough life. He's been with me since he was a few years old. At first, his parents would come to see him, but after they had a new baby, they came less often, and the family ties gradually faded. Two years ago, they moved elsewhere. I asked Mingda about..."
They left him a small house and then left, saying that Mingda and I had a deep bond as master and disciple, and they couldn't bear to force him to go. Besides, they didn't know where they had taken Mingda to settle down, or which clinic he might be better off in. While that was true, it was ultimately because their bond was too weak that they were so willing to leave. I'm getting old and my health isn't very good; I don't know how many more years I can take care of him."
Xu Zifan hadn't expected such a lively and innocent boy to have such a story behind him, and he certainly hadn't expected Doctor Tong to suddenly bring it up. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Does Doctor Tong want me to teach Mingda how to conduct himself in society?"
Doctor Tong nodded, stroking his beard, and said, "I see that you are different from others. You are more composed than a young man. You are always well-thought-out in everything you do. Since you are going to be the accountant here for a while, how about you teach Mingda for me? This child has a very good character. You can treat him like a younger brother. You will definitely not lose out."
Xu Zifan didn't know why Doctor Tong had such confidence in him, but Fang Mingda was a likable kid, and Doctor Tong's request wasn't difficult, so he nodded in agreement.
Doctor Tong relaxed his brow and smiled, then pointed to the small bamboo basket Xu Zifan was carrying and asked, "You dug up some wild ginseng? How old is it?"
Xu Zifan took out the small cloth bag, unfolded it, revealing a wild ginseng root inside, complete with its roots and stem, and said, "It's about thirty years old. Doctor Tong, how much silver do you think it's worth?"
Just as Doctor Tong was marveling at how well Xu Zifan had dug up the medicinal herbs, he heard a vulgar remark. He looked at him with a wry smile and asked, "Are you really that short of money? Why? There are still six months until the imperial examination. There's no rush to save money, is there?"
Xu Zifan shrugged and said helplessly, "I came to town to work, but I'm worried about my parents and sister. So I wanted to use this ginseng to exchange for some money to buy a small house to settle down. Otherwise, why would I sell the ginseng? It's a good thing."
Fang Mingda happened to be bringing over tea when he heard what he said and saw the wild ginseng. He exclaimed in surprise, "Such good ginseng must be worth seventy or eighty taels of silver, right? Brother Xu, you're selling ginseng just to live in town? I live alone in my house. You can just move in with me. It's just sitting empty anyway, and I get quite bored living alone. By the way, my house is just across the street from the clinic, very close."
Doctor Tong also advised, "Mingda's place is quite nice. If you feel bad about it, you can give him some rent. To be honest, if you're in a hurry to buy a house, you won't find anything good. There are few houses for sale to begin with, and even fewer that are comfortable to live in. It's all about luck. You might as well stay with Mingda first, and then take your time looking at houses. Buy one when you find something suitable. Maybe you'll have more money left over. As for this ginseng..." He examined it carefully again and said, "It's perfectly preserved and in excellent condition. I can send it to the prefectural city to sell to a wealthy family. How about this, I'll give you a round number, one hundred taels of silver. Sending someone to the prefectural city also has costs and risks, so this price is quite high."
Xu Zifan had learned about the prices of various medicinal herbs when he sold them last time. He thought that selling them for eighty taels of silver would be about right, but he didn't expect Doctor Tong to directly ask for one hundred taels. It was clear that Doctor Tong really treated him like one of his own and had no intention of haggling over the price. Xu Zifan naturally nodded in agreement, "Thank you, Doctor Tong. One hundred taels of silver can solve a lot of my problems. From now on, I can relax and concentrate on studying medicine and preparing for the imperial examination."
Doctor Tong smiled and nodded, then stood up and carefully picked up the wild ginseng. "I'll go and put the ginseng away first. If you need anything, ask Mingda to help you. Mingda can also get you the money."
"Okay." Xu Zifan stood up and watched him leave. Fang Mingda smiled and said, "Shall we go get the medicine now? I also got some tiger bones and tiger penis. I plan to make medicinal wine. We need quite a few things."
Fang Mingda looked at him with admiration. "Brother Xu, you're really amazing. No wonder Master likes you so much. Why don't you come and stay at my house? Master often says, 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black.' If I stay with you often, maybe I can become more capable, and Master won't have to worry so much."
After Fang Mingda finished speaking, he chuckled and asked, "Did Master say I was stupid just now? I really like medicinal herbs, I like the smell of them, and I feel that I have a special affinity with them, but I just can't learn medicine well. I still can't treat patients. I am quite stupid."
Xu Zifan shook his head. "Everyone has their own strengths. Learning to dispense medicine can also help people. You don't necessarily have to be a doctor. Moreover, the most important thing about a person is their character. I think you are very good. There's no need to belittle yourself."
"Thank you, Brother Xu. I wish you had come to work sooner."