Volume 2 Chapter 15: Who can pity the weak?
There were not many dishes on the table. Lin Jianlan opened the lids of the bowls one by one, and the aroma immediately filled his nose. The dishes were all quite exquisite. He thought that Mrs. Wan had put a lot of effort into making them for her daughter. The rice in the bowl was something he had never seen before, and it was slightly green. Lin Jianlan brought it to Wan Xiu and said, "Ah Xiu, you are too weak. You should eat more."
Wan Xiu's pale face was faintly flushed. She took the spoon and lowered her head to eat slowly. However, she finished less than half a bowl. She pushed it aside, picked up the silk handkerchief and wiped her mouth gently, smiling: "I always feel that my appetite has been poor. Today I ate more than usual."
Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "She only eats so little at each meal, no wonder she is so thin and weak." But he did not show his worry, and joked, "You are so enviable for having Madam Wan as your mother. Which dish is not sought after by everyone in the world? Only you can eat it every day, but you always say you have no appetite. You really don't know how to appreciate what you have."
Wan Xiu also smiled, lowered her head, and gently wiped the edge of the bowl with her porcelain-like hands. Lin Jianlan said, "Ah Xiu, what's wrong with you? Why don't you even have the strength to walk?"
Wan Xiu said slowly, "I don't know what the disease is. I just haven't had much energy since I was a child. My mother told me that I would often ask to be carried after walking a short distance. My parents thought I was just being spoiled, but when I was seven or eight years old, they found that I really couldn't walk. If I fell or tripped, my bones would probably be broken, and if I got a little scared, I would faint. Then they realized that I might have some strange disease. They invited famous doctors from all over, but none of them could give a definite diagnosis. They did prescribe a lot of medicine."
Lin Jianlan listened to her and realized how much suffering she had endured since childhood. However, her tone was very calm and indifferent, without any complaints. She must have been accustomed to such a life, and for a moment she could not think of any words of comfort.
Seeing that he was frowning and looked quite sad, Wan Xiu smiled and said, "Oh, why are you saying these things? Mr. Lin, I sent someone to get those books from the inn since you left Jinzhou. I also never allow others to touch the things you left in my house, for fear that they would be taken away by some bad people." When he said this, his voice lowered, probably because he was still feeling guilty for what his parents had done that day.
Lin Jianlan said hurriedly: "Luckily I have you, otherwise I really don't know what to do, those books...ah!" His face was full of joy, he stood up quickly and took a few books and said: "These books were selected by Uncle Qing from the books left by my father. Uncle Qing saw some strange symptoms in my meridians that day, so he took out some medical books and pharmacopoeias. There are quite a few rare books in them. Although I don't know any medical skills, I can slowly search in them. Maybe there are some folk remedies that have not been circulated in the world!"
Wan Xiu was not as excited as him. She just smiled calmly and said, "Actually, I think it's good like this now. I have no worries and can talk to Master Lin like this. I... I have also fulfilled one of my wishes."
These words revealed a hint of girlish sentimentality, and both of them felt a little embarrassed when they said them. Lin Jianlan was stunned for a moment, then he put away the books and said, "A Xiu, it's getting late, I have to leave. If everything is fine, I will come to see you every night. Take care of yourself." Seeing Wan Xiu nodded, he jumped out of the window again.
Over the past few days, Lin Jianlan came to accompany Ah Xiu at night, but he no longer stayed too late. He just exchanged some medical books that he had not read before returning to his residence. After practicing, he would look through the books all night. In a blink of an eye, he had read through all the books and had written down a pile of densely packed notes.
Lin Jianlan closed the last book, gently pressed it on the scattered notes, pushed the door open and went out. A cool breeze blew on his face. The flames behind him suddenly jumped, and the papers on the table made a rustling sound. A few drum beats were faintly heard from the drum tower in the distance. After a moment, four clearer clattering sounds were heard from the night watchman patrolling on the nearby street. It turned out that it was already the fourth watch.
Lin Jianlan sighed softly, his face was full of disappointment. These days of hard work and searching had not yielded any results. Symptoms such as "weak limbs, brittle bones that are easy to crack", "weak and powerless, prone to convulsions", "unable to bear long journeys, intolerant of labor, fainting after a slight shock, and often broken bones after a slight fall" were all found in the book. They were very consistent with Ah Xiu's condition and corresponded to a common symptom, which was called "rickets" in the folks. The treatment was also quite simple and not a difficult disease. It was nothing more than "bone nourishment", "dietary matching, no need for medication", "not suitable for long-term bed rest, slow walking gradually effective", etc. It was just like the Liaodong saying "you are what you eat". But Wan Jianhong was the head of the branch of the Kuangyi Gang, and Madam Wan was married from the "First Chef" family. From childhood to adulthood, how could Ah Xiu lack anything in food and drink?
After working hard for a few days, he found the same symptoms and treatments, but they were so common that it was unbelievable. Lin Jianlan couldn't help but feel frustrated and thought to himself, "What's the difference between this and getting nothing?"
Lin Jianlan walked back to the house in a depressed mood and saw a few pages of paper that were not pressed properly and were scattered on the ground. He picked them up one by one and found that they were all filled with the treatment methods he had copied down. They were basically the same. One of the pages was specially copied: "There is a seafarer coming from the east, who said that there are ten-foot-long fish overseas. Kill them, take out their liver and gallbladder, and take them to cure the disease. But does cartilage disease require so much trouble? Just treat it as a joke." With a wry smile, Lin Jianlan piled the papers together and threw them into a dustpan without even looking at them.
However, he was still worried, so after resting himself up a bit, he meditated and practiced as usual. At lunchtime, he rushed to the inn and begged the innkeeper to make a thick soup with bones. Hearing that it would take some time to cook it to the right temperature, he chose a seat by the window and waited slowly.
Lin Jianlan knew that the taste of this soup would not be even a fraction of what Madam Wan cooked, but perhaps the more particular the people were, the less likely they would eat such coarse food. He was hoping for a lucky break, and in the evening, the shopkeeper put the soup in a clay pot and carefully packed it in a cotton bag. Lin Jianlan immediately hugged it to his chest and flew out in a flash, leaving the shopkeeper dumbfounded. He secretly exclaimed in his heart, "Oh my god, flying around like a god!"
When they arrived at Wan Xiu's residence, the soup was still boiling hot, but beads of sweat were already appearing on Lin Jianlan's face. Wan Xiu saw him holding something like a treasure, slowly peeling open the bag, and lifting the lid of the earthenware jar inside, and a burst of white steam immediately came out.
Lin Jianlan said shyly, "I asked someone to make some soup for me. It's not as tasty as your mother's, but it might help with your condition."
Wan Xiu was stunned and silent for a moment before she filled a bowl. After slowly drinking it, she looked up and smiled, "Is this bone soup? It's quite different from what my mom makes. It has a unique flavor and is delicious."
Lin Jianlan said: "Really? I didn't expect you to taste it right away."
Wan Xiu smiled and said, "Well, she often cooks for me. The dishes she eats are more or less made with some bone soup."
Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "As expected, the disease they invited the doctor to treat before was also osteomalacia. Alas, there is no such thing as luck in the world. If I can think of it, how can others not know it?"
Seeing the disappointment on his face, Wan Xiu said softly, "Mr. Lin, my condition is already like this, you must not waste your energy on it anymore, you... leave Chang'an as soon as possible."
Lin Jianlan exclaimed, "Ah!" He thought to himself, "Mrs. Wan clearly told her that day, why didn't she ask me to take her to see a doctor? If she really asked me, what should I do?" He was stunned for a moment, but heard Wan Xiu say, "Master Lin, what's wrong?"
Lin Jianlan came back to his senses and answered casually, "I have some things to do in Chang'an. I just thought that women walking around in the martial arts world would wear a bamboo hat or something like that to cover their faces in order to avoid trouble. But I've never seen someone like you, who stays like this all day and refuses to even show your fingers."
He had asked casually and had not expected Wanxiu to answer, but he saw Wanxiu frowning and his expression changed drastically. It seemed that this question was very difficult to answer. Just as he was about to explain, he heard Wanxiu whisper, "Mr. Lin, there is a reason why I have been like this all day. If you want to know, don't come at this time tomorrow. Come here before dawn and I will tell you, okay?"
Hearing her firm tone, as if she had made a great decision, Lin Jianlan was a little surprised, nodded and said, "In that case, I will come to see you tomorrow morning." After that, he wrapped the jar and went out through the window again.
Wanxiu stared at the bamboo forest outside the window, swaying in the wind and making slight sounds. It was like a sculpture, motionless. After a long while, she sighed softly and lay tiredly on the table. A thick layer of wax was slowly accumulating on the candlesticks on the table. Two maids pushed the door open, as if they were used to it. They helped Wanxiu to the bed, closed the window, and drew the curtain before leaving.
Lin Jianlan went out at dawn. He had hardly slept all night and had been thinking all night. He had made up his mind that even if Doctor Cheng had any plans against Taoist Duanmu, if Ah Xiu asked, he would take her to see the doctor. Although his current martial arts skills were not as good as Doctor Cheng's, he could still resist for a while. Mo Dan should be a good assistant. If something unexpected happened, the trick could be avoided. It seemed that Ah Xiu's illness could not wait any longer, so he could only take a risk.
Although his mind was full of complicated thoughts, his steps were fast. Lin Jianlan was thinking all the way and he arrived there before he knew it. He saw that the window had been opened, but the curtain had not been rolled up. He gently lifted a corner and looked inside. He saw Wan Xiu had already sat by the window, still dressed as usual, wrapped tightly. She also turned her head to look at him and said, "Master Lin, I have sent those two girls away. You can come in from the main door over there."
Lin Jianlan remembered that he had jumped in through the window, which was quite indecent. His face flushed, and he turned around and walked to the front door. As expected, no one was there. He pushed the door open and walked to Wan Xiu and said, "This is the first time I've entered this room through the door. Seeing you like this, I remember that you were dressed like this in Jinzhou that day, and you imitated your mother's words to hide from the guards."
Wan Xiu was silent for a long time before saying, "Master Lin, do you want to know why I am always like this? "
Lin Jianlan said hurriedly: "I was just asking casually yesterday, Ah Xiu, you don't have to take it so seriously."
Wan Xiu shook her head, lifted the black veil on her wrist, and stretched out the window. Lin Jianlan didn't know what she was going to do, and stood there confused. He saw Wan Xiu's face getting paler and paler, her lips were bitten tightly, becoming more and more bloodless, and sweat was pouring down her face. Her wrist trembled slightly at first, and Wan Xiu tried to hold it with her other hand, but still couldn't stop it. Gradually, her whole body began to tremble, as if she was enduring great pain.
Lin Jianlan was startled at this and jumped up hastily to pull open the curtain, but he couldn't help but let out a soft cry. Wan Xiu's slender hand exposed outside was exposed to the sun and was already red and swollen. Lin Jianlan pulled the hand in and took a closer look. He saw a bunch of blisters on it. He felt guilty and distressed, and said, "A Xiu, you..." but he could no longer speak.
Wan Xiu let out a light hiss of cold air and tried to smile, "You asked me that day if I had never seen my own appearance. I had seen it when I was a child, but I don't know since when, when the sun shines on me, it feels like being burned by fire. The pain is secondary. All the places that are exposed to the sun are red and swollen. My parents went around looking for famous medicines, and only then did I recover a little, but because of the blisters, my face has many spots. It is very different from before."
At this point, Wan Xiu's eyes were already filled with tears, and it was unknown whether it was due to the pain or the sadness of the past. Lin Jianlan felt uncomfortable after hearing this, and he closed the curtain carefully, saying, "A Xiu, it would be fine if you just told me, why do you have to hurt yourself and suffer like this?"
Wan Xiu sniffed and smiled, "What's the big deal? Since then, I have been dressed like this, not daring to see the light at all. This is the first time I have experienced this feeling in the past few years. I miss it a little bit."
Lin Jianlan knew that she was actually in great pain in her hands and heart, but she was still pretending to be strong and joking with him. For no reason, his heart tightened and he choked up and said, "You are still trying to be strong. Where is the ointment to treat this burn?"
Wan Xiu pointed to a cabinet beside the bed and said, "The second one is the one with a green bottle on the right."
Lin Jianlan hurriedly took it, unscrewed the cork, dipped some with his hand, and felt the coolness of his fingertips. With his other hand, he no longer cared about etiquette and pulled Wan Xiu's injured hand over. He lowered his head and gently applied it. He heard Wan Xiu whisper, "Later, I thought, although I can't bask in the sun, I can always feel the cool breeze at night and look at the moonlight. Daddy and mommy love me so much, it's good to continue like this."
As soon as he finished speaking, a drop of water dripped onto the hand that was applying the medicine. Lin Jianlan looked up in surprise and saw Wan Xiu looking at him with tears in her eyes. She said intermittently: "But now I know you guys, and I can't help but envy Sister Man . Why am I so unlucky to have these two incurable strange diseases? Alas, maybe I did something bad in my previous life. If I could be like Sister Man, even for one day, one hour..." At this point, tears were already rolling down, and some of them dripped onto Lin Jianlan's hands, which could still feel a hint of warmth.
