After resting at home for a few days, Mo Lixia brought over a dozen boxes of the plum blossom balm she had made to the pharmacy. Today was the day she had agreed to meet Mutong and Yufu to help Mutong with her weight loss.
As soon as Lixia entered the shop, she saw the newly hired physician, Dr. Hu (Hu Zhiyuan). Although he was only seventeen or eighteen, he had a mature demeanor. According to Mo Yan, Hu Zhiyuan was not from the Capital. He came from a family of doctors, but because he was born to a concubine, he had no right to inherit the family business. He had come to the Capital to take the Imperial Medical Exam but failed. Too ashamed to return home, he decided to find work in the Capital and try again next year.
"Young Master," Dr. Hu greeted, bowing as Lixia entered.
"No need for formalities, Dr. Hu. Just call me Doctor Mo. Have you adjusted to the work these past few days?"
"Very well. I am grateful to Doctor Mo for taking me in and providing accommodation."
"It is your own medical skills that secured your place here. There is no need to be humble."
Lixia wasn't used to Dr. Hu's excessive politeness. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she went to the backyard.
Pediatric Innovations
Since her friends hadn't arrived yet, Lixia and her maids spent the time making pills. The pharmacy's sales of pills had been excellent recently.
Treating common colds and fevers with pills was much easier than boiling bitter soups, especially for children. Feeding medicine to a sick child was a nightmare for most parents.
Noticing the increasing number of parents buying pills for their children, Lixia decided to make a special batch. She had Hongshang buy honey to reduce the bitterness and adjusted the dosages specifically for pediatric use. These covered common ailments: runny noses from heat, fevers, seasonal flu, measles, scarlet fever, diarrhea, indigestion, enteritis, and mouth ulcers.
These seemed like minor illnesses, but in ancient times, a delay in treatment could be fatal. High fevers often led to meningitis or death. Lixia recalled her grandmother telling her that in the Republican era, only two or three children out of eight might survive to adulthood. It must be even worse in this ancient era.
Lixia was meticulous with the dosages. Too little would be ineffective; too much could harm the child or build resistance. For infants and toddlers, she created medicinal plasters (patches) for fevers, diarrhea, and indigestion. They just needed to be applied to the skin—no swallowing required.
"Miss, can these plasters be stored for long?" Xiqiu asked as she cut the gauze, while Hongshang applied the herbal paste.
"Not for too long."
"But since we just started, sales might be slow. What if we have leftovers?"
"If we can't sell them, we'll give them away to patients just before they expire. Or, if someone buys medicine, give them a few sheets as a gift. It serves as promotion and prevents waste."
"Miss, that's a brilliant idea!"
The Girls Arrive
"What brilliant idea?" Yufu's voice rang out from the entrance.
"Mutong, Yufu, you're here!" Lixia looked up, her hands still mixing the dark, sticky paste.
The two girls approached curiously. "What is that? Don't tell me that's what Mutong has to apply for weight loss?"
Mutong frowned, pouting her lips in worry.
"Haha, you guessed wrong, Miss Yang. These are medicines for children," Lixia laughed.
"What kind of medicine?" Mutong peeked over.
"For fevers, coughs, diarrhea... you don't even need to eat them, just stick them on!" Xiqiu boasted.
"That convenient? No more bitter soup?" Yufu asked.
"Exactly," Lixia said, wiping her hands. "Do you have any relatives with small children? I can give you a few to try. Help me spread the word."
"Actually, my little nephew has a cough. My sister-in-law has been chasing him around the courtyard trying to feed him medicine all day," Yufu replied.
"Great. Xiqiu will pack some for you later." Lixia washed her hands. "Let's go inside."
The Maids' Gossip
As Lixia led her friends to the inner courtyard, she stopped and pointed at the unfinished plasters. "You girls finish this up, then come find us."
Mutong and Yufu instructed their maids, Miaoning and Shiqian, to help Xiqiu and Hongshang.
Left alone, the four maids smiled at each other and got to work.
"Xiqiu, your mistress is so good to you," Miaoning remarked. "She takes you everywhere and even lets you sit while she stands. Sometimes it looks like you two are the young ladies!"
"You don't know our Miss," Xiqiu beamed. "She treats us like family. At first, she wouldn't let us do anything! We thought she hated us."
"It's true," Hongshang added. "She folds her own blankets, organizes her clothes, and even washes her own undergarments. The laundry matron thought she had done something wrong!"
"I envy you two so much," Shiqian sighed.
"Don't be ungrateful," Miaoning scolded playfully. "Miss Yufu treats you well too."
"Of course she does, but I can still be envious!"
"We are lucky to have good mistresses," Miaoning whispered, leaning in closer. "Do you know Micui, Miss Beiye's maid? The other day, I saw her sneaking into a pharmacy. I asked the shopkeeper later what she bought."
"What was it?" the others asked eagerly.
Miaoning paused for dramatic effect. "Trauma medicine for external injuries."
"So what?" the others scoffed.
"Wait! The shopkeeper said she had too many needle marks on her body for the medicine to be effective. She just had to endure the pain."
The three girls stared at her in horror.
"Do you think... Miss Beiye did that?" Miaoning whispered.
"No way," Xiqiu clicked her tongue. "You can't judge a book by its cover, but surely Miss Beiye isn't that cruel?"
"The human heart is unpredictable," Hongshang muttered.
"Maybe Micui tried to seduce Prince Su and got caught?" Shiqian speculated wildly.
"As maids, we must know our place," Hongshang said firmly. "Coveting the master's things is a taboo. I would rather marry a servant than become a concubine to my Miss's husband. At least as a servant's wife, I can still serve my Miss every day."
The other three nodded in agreement. "Hongshang, you are right."
"Still," Miaoning mused, "even if Micui made a mistake, using needles to punish her is too cruel. Miss Beiye seems so gentle and elegant... it's terrifying."
"If that's true, Miss Beiye is too dark. We must be careful not to let her bully our mistresses in the future."
The four maids reached a consensus to protect their ladies.
The Acupuncture Session
Inside the master bedroom of the inner courtyard, Mutong looked around in confusion. "Li'er, aren't we doing weight loss? Why are we in the bedroom?"
"Mutong, I'm going to perform acupuncture on you," Lixia grinned mischievously. "Unless you want to undress in the outer hall? It's quiet, but I can't guarantee my medicine boy won't run in!"
"You... Li'er, you are bad!" Mutong blushed furiously, realizing she was being teased.
"Acupuncture! I want to see Li'er use the needles!" Yufu said excitedly. "Come on, Mutong, don't be shy. Didn't we bathe in the hot springs together last year?"
"That's different!"
"How is it different? You take clothes off for both!"
Lixia laughed silently behind them. Mutong hesitated for a long time, slowly removing her outer robe, then stopped again.
"Oh, hurry up, Princess!" Yufu urged impatiently. "Why are you so shy? We are all girls. If you are this squeamish now, how will you handle the wedding night with Young Master Jiang?"
Mutong hadn't expected such bold words from Yufu. Her chubby face turned into a ripe red apple instantly. "Yufu!!" she roared in embarrassment.