Qing Yang brought in the ginseng and aconite soup she had prepared. Seeing that Zhao Boyong's expression had eased slightly, she said softly, "Master, the medicine is ready."
Jin Shanyao gestured for her to hand it to Zhao Boyong's family, "Let them feed him."
"I'll do it, I'll do it," Madam Zhao quickly took the medicine bowl and used a spoon to feed Zhao Boyong the medicine little by little.
After drinking the medicine, Zhao Boyong finally recovered. Madam Zhao handed the bowl to the servant, stood up, and waved her gratitude to Jin Shanyao.
"Thank you so much, young lady, for saving my son's life. It was terrifying! I almost lost him."
Madam Zhao took a deep breath, gazing at the Jin Shanyao, her voice filled with expectation, "Miss, do you think my son's illness can be cured completely?"
Jin Shanyao took the handkerchief Qing Yang handed her, wiped her hands, and said gently, "This is congenital; he needs to rest. He must take his medicine on time, avoid overexertion and staying up late, and absolutely must not get angry."
Madam Zhao said with regret, "My son is smart and ambitious, and he has always excelled in his studies. I was afraid that he would be under too much pressure, so I specially transferred him from the capital to Qingzhou Prefecture."
Who knew that Green Mountain Academy was full of hidden talents? He was surpassed by a child in his first exam. I advised him several times not to stay up late studying, but the child just wouldn't listen.
His second exam results were even worse, dropping him to third place, while the second-place student was younger than him. The two exams caught him completely off guard.
To regain his place, he studied day and night, which caused him to fall ill. If I had known Green Mountain Academy would be like this, I would never have let him transfer there.
Now things are really messed up; Boyong at odds with them, refusing to switch academies no matter what, determined to prove them wrong.
Jin Shanyao subconsciously turned to look at Meng Anci, only to see him standing there, stunned.
Meng Anci initially only wanted to test the top candidate's abilities, but unexpectedly, he easily surpassed them.
He thought Zhao Boyong hadn't performed well, so he put all his effort into his second attempt. He did put all his effort into it, but Zhao Zhiyuan wasn't letting up either. As a result, the two of them took the top two spots.
If he had known Zhao Boyong's heart condition was so serious, he would have been better off getting third place. Getting third place is much harder than getting first; knowing yourself and your opponent is crucial to securing your position.
Zhao Boyong reached out and tugged at Madam Zhao's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking, but Madam Zhao had been holding back her words for a long time, and coupled with her son's competitive nature, she couldn't suppress her urge to confide.
"I asked around, and those two kids are named Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan. They both ranked fourth or fifth in the preliminary examination. You know, these two kids should have put their energy into the official examination hall instead of wasting it all on the academy's minor exams."
After she finished speaking, she noticed that Old Medicine Zhou was giving her meaningful glances, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Old Medicine Zhou coughed twice and whispered, " Meng Anci is Shopkeeper Jin's nephew. He's right behind you, staring straight at you."
Madam Zhao was startled and slowly turned around, only to see a handsome little boy standing behind the crowd, smiling at her.
She glanced at Meng Anci, then at her son who was covering his eyes, unwilling to face her, and inwardly cried out in alarm... She had revealed everything about her son; what was she going to do?
Jin Shanyao had already seen through everything. She patted Madam Zhao's shoulder to comfort her, "It's better to be blunt than to be malicious... As the saying goes, comparisons are odious."
If you're always comparing yourself to others, when you look back on your deathbed, all you'll see are other people's shadows. Wouldn't that be a wasted life?
After Jin Shanyao finished speaking, she secretly felt smug... Her damn knowledge was truly outstanding.
Madam Zhao and Zhao Boyong were taken aback, thinking that the girl seemed like a nice person, but why did her words sound so harsh?
However, Madam Zhao was extremely grateful. After paying the consultation fee, she helped her son onto the carriage and hurried back home.
Silence fell over the carriage. After a long pause, the driver finally spoke, "Madam, I've met Shopkeeper Jin of the Anzhi Hall."
"Oh? Where did you meet her?" Madam Zhao had heard of the Anzhi Hall's reputation before. She had seen that Jin Shanyao was young and assumed that she was not as experienced as the Old Medicine Zhou doctor Zhou. So, she went to see the Old Medicine Zhou as soon as her son fell ill.
Unexpectedly, Old Medicine Zhou was at a loss and brought them to the Anzhi Hall... This back-and-forth trip only delayed things.
The servant recalled the scene of meeting Jin Shanyao and said with a smile, "When the young master was taking the imperial examination, I was waiting for him outside the examination hall. Shopkeeper Jin gave me a divination at that time. It was very accurate."
She only glanced at me before saying I had no brothers. At that time, she had pulled a piece of cloth and sat on the ground, arguing heatedly with the old man next to her. She looked like a charlatan no matter how you looked at her, but it turned out she was a truly capable person.
Madam Zhao nodded, "She truly has real skills... Even the doctors in the capital were helpless with Boyong's illness, but she only needed a few acupuncture needles to bring Boyong back to health."
Remember, if the young master has another episode, send him directly to the Anzhi Hall...
"Sigh... Madam, rest assured, I will definitely take good care of the young master."
After the Zhao Household left, Old Medicine Zhou approached Meng Anzhi and asked, "Did you understand?"
Meng Anzhi nodded, "I understand. You didn't understand."
Old Medicine Zhou coughed twice, feeling his face burning. "I didn't see it clearly. Can I borrow your notebook to take a look?" That's how all medical students are; whenever they encounter a new medical technique, they want to learn it.
"Okay. I'll finish organizing it later and have Xiaosi bring it to you."
"I'm not in a hurry... I'll watch you tidy up," he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down at the desk.
Meng Anzhi glanced at the sky. "Are you sure you want me to write now?"
Old Medicine Zhou nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation, and said, "I'm afraid you've forgotten, so let's summarize it while it's still fresh in our minds."
Meng Anzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Okay, I'll write it now." As she spoke, she took out her notebook and began to record the acupoints on the wooden figure, one by one.
Old Medicine Zhou, holding paper and pen, stood beside Meng Anzhi like an apprentice, learning with exceptional seriousness. He waited until all the silver needles accurately landed on the corresponding acupoints on the wooden figure.
Meng Anzhi then called over Jin Shanyao, "Auntie, do you think I've needled the acupoints correctly?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "All correct. But pay attention to the pressure and order of the needles."
Meng Anzhi and Old Medicine Zhou nodded in unison. Jin Shanyao stared at Old Medicine Zhou and teased with a smile, "Shall I have Qing He prepare a room for you?"
Old Medicine Zhou's face flushed red instantly, and he hurriedly put away his notebook. "Then, then I'll be going now. Anzhi, if you encounter a similar case again, send someone to call me, and we'll administer the acupuncture together, ah..."
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Meng Anzhi's response, he hurried home under the moonlight.
He treasured the few sheets of paper that Anzhi Hall had written down, keeping them close to his chest, afraid of losing them.
Old Medicine Zhou walked through the pitch-black night, occasionally letting out a silly laugh that sent chills down one's spine.