230: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (Twenty-Two)

The scent of herbs became a new, faint signal within Rat Alley.

After Aunt Zhang pulled her head back inside, that hint of bitterness seemed to linger in the turbid air of her room; coupled with the steady silhouette of the youth brewing medicine, it lightly tugged at her heart.

She had her own chronic issues with waist and leg pain that flared up on rainy days, hurting so much she couldn't sleep all night.

The physicians she'd seen either prescribed medicine that was deathly expensive or simply shook their heads, saying her 'Numbness Syndrome' was difficult to cure.

This boy from the Su Family... does he really know a bit about herbs?

She didn't dare ask immediately. One of the greatest lessons life at the bottom had taught her was not to owe favors easily, and even more so, not to easily trust a sudden display of 'skill.'

Who knew if it was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse?

However, a few days later, when Su An's coughing completely subsided and he could even go outside to help his brother with some light chores, the minds of those in the alley who were similarly tormented by illness began to stir.

The first to come to the door was Aunt Zhang herself.

That afternoon, her waist pain flared up again. It hurt so much she broke out in a cold sweat, leaning against the door of her shack for a long time, unable to move a step.

It happened that Xu Yuan was returning, carrying half a basket of freshly dug wild vegetables and several stalks of roots that even he couldn't name, but which he judged by experience and scent to have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing stasis.

"Aunt Zhang, what's wrong?"

Xu Yuan stopped in his tracks.

"...Old problem, my waist."

Aunt Zhang gritted her teeth, her face pale.

Xu Yuan looked at her posture and complexion, then asked a few questions: the specific location of the pain, whether it was an ache or a stabbing pain, if it radiated to her legs, and when it started getting severe.

Aunt Zhang answered them one by one, feeling somewhat surprised by how detailed the youth's questions were; it didn't seem like he was just asking casually.

"Please wait a moment." Xu Yuan set down his basket and turned back into the house. He emerged moments later, holding a paste made of crushed leaves that emitted a pungent scent. "Try applying this to where it hurts most. It might feel a bit hot or stinging; just bear with it. Do you have any strips of cloth at home? Use them to secure it."

He didn't say "it will definitely be cured," nor did he mention money.

Aunt Zhang took it skeptically and did as he said. After the herbal paste was applied, it felt icy at first, but then it indeed began to burn fiercely. The pain seemed to be suppressed somewhat by this burning sensation. She leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Young Brother Su..." she said softly, her thanks much more sincere this time.

"You're welcome. This treats the symptoms, not the root cause. You shouldn't always bend over to work, and when you have time, use a hot towel to compress it." Xu Yuan gave a few instructions, then picked up his basket and went back inside.

The next day, the pain in Aunt Zhang's waist had eased by more than half. Although she knew the problem couldn't be uprooted, being this comfortable was already a rarity. She didn't make a fuss about it, but the look in her eyes had changed.

However, the news still spread silently, like sewage flowing down a gutter.

First, it was Old Man Li from the end of the alley, who had been coughing for over half a year. He came trembling to ask if there were any 'grasses' to treat a cough.

Xu Yuan gave him a handful of Heartleaf Houttuynia and a few Wild Mint leaves, teaching him how to boil them in water for drinking.

Then it was the wife of the Liu family from the front, carrying a child who wouldn't stop crying due to sores and boils; she came to seek help with red eyes.

Xu Yuan used crushed Dandelion and Bitter Herb Leaves for a topical application and told her to pay attention to the child's hygiene.

The 'treatments' he provided were all extremely simple, nothing more than wild weeds found everywhere, combined with some basic 'requirements': wounds must be washed clean, drinking water must be boiled and then cooled, and trash shouldn't be piled at the door to attract flies... These things, which would be common sense to modern people, were nearly like fairy tales in Rat Alley.

Water is so precious, and he wants us to boil it before drinking? If we don't pile trash at the door, where should we pile it? Wild grass can actually cure illnesses?

But as it happened, those who followed the instructions saw their conditions improve to varying degrees.

The coughing became lighter, the boils slowly subsided, and the frequency of diarrhea decreased.

The reputation that 'Young Brother Su knows some herbs' spread by word of mouth among the poorest and most hopeless group of people in the alley.

Most who came to find him were the elderly, the weak, women, and children. Unable to pay a consultation fee, they could only bring a few vegetable buns they were reluctant to eat themselves, a few copper coins they'd scavenged, or simply a shame-filled word of thanks.

Xu Yuan refused no one. This was exactly what he needed: points of contact, observation samples, and the initial accumulation of trust.

He treated every 'consultation' as a miniature social survey, asking about the illness, but also about family situations, sources of livelihood, and views on the current state of affairs.

His attitude remained calm throughout, neither condescending nor overly enthusiastic, more like a neighbor boy who was willing to listen and happened to know a few folk remedies.

Days slipped by one by one in this scent mixed with the bitterness of herbs, the stench of sewage, and the faint glimmer of hope.

Xu Yuan's 'medical practice' gradually developed a routine. Every day, there would be one or two, or even three to five people with faces full of sorrow or pain, carefully finding their way to the door of his shack—which was still dilapidated but seemed to have acquired a slightly different atmosphere.

Aunt Zhang became the most enthusiastic 'introducer.'

Whenever her waist pain flared up, she would come to Xu Yuan for that pungent herbal paste. Over time, she became something like a half-assistant, helping to maintain order or using her voice with its heavy accent to nag the new, skeptical patients: "Trying it doesn't cost money, Young Brother Su has real skill!"

This afternoon, Aunt Zhang brought over a dark-skinned, lean man. He was an apprentice at the blacksmith shop at the alley entrance, named A Niu.

His left hand was wrapped in a rag so dirty its color was unrecognizable, with dark red and suspicious yellow pus faintly showing through. He had a fever, and his eyes were somewhat vacant.

"Burned it while smithing. It wasn't a big deal at first, but he mindlessly covered it with a handful of incense ash, and who knew it would rot like this..." Aunt Zhang explained in a low voice, her eyes full of sympathy. "The shop doesn't care. If this drags on, I'm afraid this hand will be ruined."

Xu Yuan signaled for A Niu to sit down and unwrapped the foul-smelling cloth strip.

The wound was at the webbing between the thumb and forefinger—a bloody mess. The edges were red, swollen, and shiny, while the center had already ulcerated and was oozing pus. It was indeed infected.

"Have you been feeling hot and cold these past few days, with a heavy head?" Xu Yuan asked, his hands moving non-stop as he went to get fresh water and a stone mortar for grinding medicine.

A Niu nodded feebly, his voice hoarse: "Yes... no energy in my body, I can't even lift the hammer anymore."

Xu Yuan didn't treat the wound immediately. Instead, he turned around and poured half a bowl of yellowish liquid from a coarse clay jar in the corner.

"Drink this. It will help bring down your fever and steady your mind."

A Niu looked hesitantly at the bowl of suspicious-colored water. Aunt Zhang urged from the side: "Drink it quickly! Would Young Brother Su harm you?"

Xu Yuan calmly added: "It's brewed from Dandelion, Honeysuckle Vine, and a bit of Wild Mint to clear internal heat."

Only then did A Niu take it and drain it in one gulp. The taste was bitter, but after swallowing, there was actually a hint of coolness in his throat.

Next, Xu Yuan used warm water that had been boiled, cooled, and mixed with a bit of salt to carefully wash the rotting wound on A Niu's hand.

The salt water stung so much that A Niu bared his teeth and broke into a cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound. He just watched this youth, who was several years younger than himself, move with an incredible steadiness.

After washing away the pus and blood to reveal the bright red wound, Xu Yuan applied the already prepared paste of crushed Dandelion and another broad-leafed herb with a unique scent. Then, he loosely bandaged it with a cleaner old cloth strip.

"The cloth strip needs to be changed every day. Before changing it, wash your hand and the wound with that salt water from earlier. I'll pack some of this herbal paste for you; change it once a day." Xu Yuan gave very detailed instructions. "Don't let it touch water for these few days, and don't use heavy force. The fever hasn't fully subsided yet, so drink a bowl of this soup every morning and evening." He pointed to the other clay jar.

"Thank... thank you, Young Brother Su." A Niu looked at his clean and tidy hand, then at the two jars of medicine, a look of difficulty appearing on his face. "I... I have no money..."

"No rush." Xu Yuan waved his hand, signaling him to sit and rest, while he himself picked up a small notebook and a piece of charcoal pencil. "Your name is A Niu? How long have you worked at the blacksmith shop? Are there many others like you who get injured in the shop?"