CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 107 THOUGHTFUL

Xu Tingzhen thought carefully: "I should check the General’s old wound."

Song Xian responded but hesitated to remove his robe.

The room suddenly became quiet, and Xie Liangchen snapped out of her thoughts, realizing Mr. Xu was about to examine Song Xian’s wound. She stood up and walked out, closing the door behind her quietly.

Song Xian watched the figure leave, his lips almost forming a slight smile; he had thought she would stay.

When he first returned here, she seemed to say that she would study medicine and become someone useful to him; it seems that was merely talk.

Once Song Xian took off his robe, Xu Tingzhen saw the grotesque scar on Song Xian’s shoulder blade.

Xu Tingzhen asked, "How did it happen?"

Song Xian replied calmly, "A long spear pierced through."

Xu Tingzhen nodded: "The injury damaged muscles and bones; even after healing, it would leave ailments." Zhenzhou was now under Song Xian’s defense, and rumors about him could be heard even in the towns.

Xu Tingzhen asked, "Was it during the battle at Yizhou?"

Song Xian nodded.

To reclaim Yizhou City, Song Xian fought against a hundred, with blood and flesh strewn across the battlefield. Both sides spent three days clearing the bodies post-battle.

However, the battle at Yizhou could not be what Song Xian referred to as a lesser event.

Xu Tingzhen shifted his gaze to look past Song Xian’s shoulder and indeed found a long scar stretching down from the shoulder as if it intended to cut off the entire right shoulder.

This injury was obviously more severe.

Now Song Xian was merely in his twenties, with scars densely covering his right shoulder; it’s no wonder she noticed abnormalities.

Xu Tingzhen signaled Song Xian to tidy up his robe.

Xu Tingzhen said, "General Song, your chronic condition shouldn’t be taken lightly. My mentor once taught me acupuncture and the use of pig fat; using them frequently can be beneficial for this ailment."

Song Xian looked at Xu Tingzhen and thanked him: "Sorry for troubling you, sir."

Xu Tingzhen replied, "I’ll prepare the medicine and send it to the General."

After diagnosing the pulse, Song Xian left the room, leading Chen Zigeng and others to the open ground to practice archery, while Xie Liangchen entered to tidy up the medicine box.

"Sir," Xie Liangchen inquired softly, "Is General Song’s injury serious?"

Xu Tingzhen sat on the chair, having no need to hide anything from her disciple, yet she didn’t directly answer Xie Liangchen’s question but rather said, "That old man might be disappointed again."

The person who could earn the title "old man" from Mr. Xu could only be Mr. Dongli.

Looking at the puzzled Xie Liangchen, Xu Tingzhen said, "From the pulse, his energy is stagnant; over time, his energy and blood will inevitably become sluggish, compounded by persistent ailments. Though he can still lead troops in battle now, by thirty-five, that right arm will only have the strength to hold chopsticks."

Xu Tingzhen did not continue, yet Xie Liangchen understood very well.

Xie Liangchen asked, "Now that Sir has diagnosed the condition, will early treatment lead to recovery?"

Xu Tingzhen shook his head: "The stagnation unresolved, constant battles every day, no medication can cure the root but only the symptoms."

Concluding, Xu Tingzhen sighed: "Everyone has their own fate! I’ll prepare some pig fat, and you can give it to General Song; using it regularly can at least alleviate discomfort."

Xu Tingzhen closed her eyes, as Mr. Dongli always mentioned Song Xian before her. The one he admired, unfortunately, was not in good physical condition. Such a person, no matter how capable, could likely not achieve what Mr. Dongli wished to see.

Xie Liangchen served Xu Tingzhen to rest before leaving the room.

Old Mrs. Chen, along with several women, had already cleared the dishes, noting that the remaining food wasn’t made by Miss Chen.

Cooking so well isn’t necessarily a good thing; it truly wastes supplies.

However, fortunately, Miss Chen cooked today; otherwise, what would they serve General Song? The coarse food they make?

Seeing Xie Liangchen head towards the kitchen again, Old Mrs. Chen naturally said, "All done, don’t go in there. Everything is tidied up. Go watch them practice archery! I’ll cook tomorrow. You should follow Mr. Xu to the Familiar Medicine Institute."

Finally chasing her granddaughter away, Old Mrs. Chen inspected the kitchen.

There was nothing left.

The oil needed to be bought, the coarse grains needed buying, and if there’s extra silver, some meat should be purchased.

"Grandmother." Xie Liangchen’s voice suddenly rang from behind Old Mrs. Chen.

Old Mrs. Chen’s skin immediately prickled with goosebumps, why was her granddaughter back?

Xie Liangchen stood by the earthen stove and began to light a fire.

Old Mrs. Chen cautioned, "What are you doing now?"

With nimble hands, Xie Liangchen replied, "I’m making Sanqi Tea for General Song to take back."

Seeing it was for General Song, Old Mrs. Chen looked outside: "Did Mr. Xu diagnose a condition?"

Xie Liangchen nodded: "Mr. Xu said General Song has some old ailments needing attention."

"Then this can’t be ignored," Old Mrs. Chen said, "General Song is young and has a promising future ahead; nothing is more crucial than his health."

Xie Liangchen agreed with her grandmother: "I think that when spring comes, we should rebuild the stove and buy a large pot from the blacksmith so we can stew more at once."

Old Mrs. Chen turned angrily, thinking why even a big pot wasn’t enough to fuss over?

Xie Liangchen said, "We should move the Kitchen God to a new home, right? Grandmother says health is paramount, and to stay healthy, first, one must eat well."

Old Mrs. Chen dropped what she was holding and hurriedly walked outside; she couldn’t listen to her granddaughter’s words lest she unwittingly agrees and finds herself in trouble.

She realized, as expansive as the sky was, her granddaughter’s ambitions were just as vast, never seeing an end.

Song Xian and Chen Zigeng, along with others, returned from archery practice, finding Xie Liangchen waiting in the courtyard.

"General, have some tea!"

It wasn’t too early now; having some tea to soothe the throat, it was time for Song Xian to leave. He reached for the tea and, upon bringing the bowl to his lips, caught a faint medicinal scent.

Song Xian quickly looked at Xie Liangchen, who stood smiling beside him.

"General, this is Sanqi Tea," Xie Liangchen explained, "It’s not bitter, just slightly sour."

If he doesn’t drink, it would seem he’s avoiding bitterness and sourness. Song Xian thought briefly and lifted the bowl again.

Tasting it, he immediately frowned; it wasn’t slightly sour but particularly sour, uncertain of the ingredients used.

Yet under many watchful eyes, Song Xian finished it in one sip.

Xie Liangchen was very satisfied and continued: "I have brewed some more for the General to take with him; the cold weather won’t spoil it. Drink all within two days, heat it before consumption."

Song Xian was about to refuse when Xie Liangchen added: "We don’t have sugarcane syrup at home. If the General finds it sour, he can have someone add some syrup to it."

Song Xian looked up at the rosy-cheeked girl before him, her lightly spoken words cancelling all his refusals.

Understanding Sanqi’s ability to invigorate blood circulation, Song Xian considered that Xie Liangchen made the tea specifically for him after hearing Xu Tingzhen discuss his old ailment? Reflecting on this, he raised his eyes towards Xie Liangchen.

Their gazes met, and Xie Liangchen placed the earthen pot on the table before Song Xian.

The girl’s eyes were clear, seemingly without other thoughts.

Song Xian instructed Chang An: "Take it." In consideration of her genuine intention to heal him.

Chang An replied, "Thank Miss Xie for the trouble."

Xie Liangchen advised, "This is top-quality Sanqi; the tea recipe is rare."

Chang An assured, "Don’t worry, Miss, I’ll definitely heat it for the master to drink."

Song Xian stood and bid farewell to Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Yongsheng: "Sorry for the disturbance, I’ll visit the old lady again another day."

Old Mrs. Chen quickly said, "General, please don’t say that. We are more than happy to have you visit Chen Family Village; we don’t know how many people envy us for having the General stay for a meal. Please visit whenever you have time."

As the group chatted while walking outside, Xie Liangchen initially intended to follow her grandmother but met Song Xian’s gaze before leaving the village.

Did Song Xian want to speak with her?