Chapter 16: Great Kindness Needs No Thanks (Part 1)

"Father, last year when I accompanied Prince Heng to the Xuandu Temple to perform a ritual for his father, it began to rain on the way back in the evening. We encountered a female Daoist seeking shelter, so I implored Mother Wang to allow her to stay the night."

As Li Sanniang spoke, she observed the expressions of the other four people present. All four were solemn and silent, waiting for her to continue.

People of this era held Daoism in high regard, believing its core philosophy of "non-action and tranquility" to be quite noble. Furthermore, Daoists of the time often moonlighted as chemists and physicians; the most famous among them was Sun Simiao, who wrote the *Essential Formulas for Emergencies Worth a Thousand Gold*.

Therefore, Li Sanniang intended to use this story as a cover, hoping to disseminate the knowledge in her mind to save more people—there was still a glimmer of hope for that.

"I found an unoccupied side room for the Daoist and served her vegetarian meals.

The next day, the rain showed no signs of stopping; in fact, it grew even heavier.

I told the Daoist that it would be better to stay another night and wait until the rain stopped the next day before heading out of the city, as no carriage driver would be willing to make the trip in such weather.

The Daoist agreed, and saying that I had a kind heart and an affinity with the Dao, she began to preach to me."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Father Li and the others became difficult to control; they all looked astonished.

It was rare for a Daoist to take the initiative to preach; usually, it was the believers who went to the temples to listen or seek guidance.

"On the third day, I saw the Daoist off and helped her call a donkey cart. Yet, I couldn't recall a single word of what she had preached to me the day before.

I didn't think much of it, assuming it wasn't important enough to remember.

It wasn't until today, when I encountered that young lad at Xianggui Ji who was suddenly choking on a piece of candy, that the voice of the Daoist preaching suddenly echoed in my mind the moment I saw his situation. I realized this first-aid method, and that is how I saved the boy."

After finishing, Li Sanniang felt very uneasy. She didn't know if this hole-ridden lie could convince the people of the Great Tang—who had yet to summarize a complete scientific system—under the cover of familial affection.

Mother Li, however, believed it completely. As a midwife, she dealt with the women of the inner courtyards daily and had truly lost count of how many deities she had prayed to; regardless of whether they were useful or not, she would always pay her respects.

"Sanniang, you have encountered a true immortal. That Daoist might well have been the incarnation of some high-ranking deity, descending to the mortal realm to find you and pass on the Daoist arts to save the world.

My child, this is a great merit, a good thing."

After speaking, Mother Li bowed toward the heavens and said she wanted to go to the Xuandu Temple to invite a statue of the deity home for daily worship.

"Mother is right. One day, our whole family should go to the Xuandu Temple to pay our respects. A method that can save lives is a great good and a great merit; we ought to go and thank the one who provided the enlightenment."

Second Brother Li echoed Mother Li's words. Because Eldest Brother Li had often gone to his master to practice martial arts since the age of ten, he hadn't spent much time at home. Second Brother Li, on the other hand, had spent more time with Mother Li while learning medicine from Father Li, and was deeply influenced by her. Although he didn't firmly believe in anything, he generally followed the "better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't" philosophy; if he encountered such things, he would pay his respects for peace of mind.

Not to mention, the Daoist faith boasted Sun Simiao, that outstanding, officially recognized medical master—the absolute ceiling for those in the medical profession.

In the end, Father Li and Eldest Brother Li were more cautious, urging Li Sanniang to keep this matter buried in her heart and not to speak of it to anyone else.

Father Li also asked if the Daoist had only passed on this one method, or if there would be other techniques in the future.

Li Sanniang could only say helplessly, "I don't know either. Perhaps there are. If I encounter such a situation again, I will know whether there are or not."

The four chatted until midnight, aligning their stories and deciding to keep Li Sanniang's miraculous encounter a secret for now, waiting until they could visit the Xuandu Temple to seek guidance from an enlightened Daoist before deciding how to proceed.

After the start of the *Fu* period, the weather grew increasingly hot. Before it was even noon, the sun was already scorching.

Li Sanniang asked Eldest Brother Li, who was on his ten-day break, to take Luzhu to the carpenter's to have a kennel custom-made for Xiao Huang. Although Xiao Huang was a local dog, judging by its mother's size, it still had a lot of growing to do.

Besides, having a kennel with a roof would provide shelter from the wind and rain, and she was counting on Xiao Huang to grow up and keep Luzhu company.

Li Sanniang stayed home waiting for news from Chen the broker; he had said last time that it would be within these two days.

Just as she was wondering if Chen would come today, the young apprentice from the front of the medical hall led him in.

Li Sanniang told Mother Li, then took her household registration papers and a small wooden box containing silver, and left with Chen.

In fact, the Great Tang originally used copper coins and silk as its primary currency. It was only after the Emperor ascended the throne that they used naval and military means to obtain large amounts of silver ore from Japan, refining it into official silver ingots locally before shipping them back to the Great Tang.

After many years, the main circulating currencies in the Great Tang were now silver and copper coins.

Li Sanniang and Chen took a donkey cart to the blacksmith's alley to pick up the former owner, then went to the Ministry of Revenue to transfer the title and pay the money for the deed.

The former owner gave the keys to Li Sanniang, and from that moment on, Li Sanniang was a person who owned a house!

However, there was a complication regarding the rental.

It had been agreed that she would rent the house near Qinglian Academy. Chen had gone back to contact the servant the owner had left in Chang'an, but when the servant heard it was to be rented to a woman who had divorced and returned home with a daughter, he refused, saying his master intended to rent it to a scholar.

The "scholar" here did not refer to an ordinary family, but to the male descendants of generations of farming and scholarly households.

After hearing Chen's explanation, Li Sanniang didn't feel too bad. Although the social atmosphere of the Great Tang was upright and inclusive, one had to allow people their own preferences.

She thanked Chen and gave him a generous red envelope, saying that the property in the blacksmith's alley would not be rented out for now and would be left for later.

When Li Sanniang returned home, the Li family was waiting for her for lunch.

Because the weather was getting hotter, the Li family now ate breakfast and lunch in the main hall, and dinner in the courtyard, where there was a slight breeze and it was a bit cooler.

Under the jujube tree in the courtyard, Li Sanniang saw a decent-sized wooden house. Luzhu and Xiao Huang were sitting in front of it, presumably admiring Xiao Huang's new home together.

Eldest Brother Li raised his eyebrows and said, "It didn't cost much. Uncle Li Tian said it was made from the scraps left over from the furniture he makes for others. It didn't waste much wood, so I just paid for the labor. It was quite fast; I was there for less than an hour and it was done.

I see Xiao Huang likes it. I gave the remaining money to your sister-in-law for household expenses, as you suggested."

"Sorry to trouble you, Eldest Brother. Even on your break, you have to help your little sister with the child and handle chores."

Eldest Brother Li waved his hand; they were one family, so there was no need for such talk.

He called Luzhu to wash her hands for lunch. Little Luzhu followed Li Sanniang to eat with reluctance, though Xiao Huang didn't mind leaving its little friend, as it was already happily devouring its lunch of rice bran mixed with potatoes.

Just as they sat down and before they could pick up their chopsticks, Second Brother Li mentioned that while Li Sanniang was out today, a servant from the Qian family had come to deliver a calling card.

The card was from Qian Xiuran, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The servant who delivered it was very polite, bringing four types of gifts and praising Li Sanniang, then praising every member of the Li family from Father and Mother Li down to the four little ones and little Luzhu. Second Brother Li said he had accompanied him for a pot of tea and had never heard so many nice things in his life.

The card stated that they would visit in three days to express their gratitude, and requested that Li Sanniang be present. Master Qian, Mistress Qian, and the young Master Qian would all be coming.

When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, earth covers it. Even if the Li family worried that associating with officials in such important positions might bring trouble, being timid was not the Li family's style; being open and generous was better.

Mother Li and Eldest Sister-in-law were a bit unsure, as such families who were particular about their food and drink rarely had dealings with commoners like them. They didn't know how to host them properly, and were worried that if they didn't do it well, they would lose face for the Li family and be laughed at.

In the end, Li Sanniang said they should just prepare some slightly better tea; there was no need to puff themselves up to look bigger than they were. If the Qians looked down on them, it would be at most this one time, and there wouldn't be any future dealings.

Mother Li felt they still needed to prepare better. Since the card said they would stay until the early afternoon, it meant they would be eating at their home. Regardless of the formalities, they should prepare some good dishes. Mother Li thought about hiring a famous cook from the ward who specialized in wedding banquets to come and prepare a feast, which would be the best hospitality they could offer.

After her nap, Li Sanniang took Luzhu to see Second Sister-in-law and the baby. Sure enough, after a few days of breast milk, the baby had transformed from a wrinkled little old man into a fair and chubby young master.

Second Sister-in-law's constitution seemed good, and after cleaning the area with alcohol, Li Sanniang saw that the episiotomy incision was healing well, with only a small knot that hadn't fully closed.

Li Sanniang thought it would be best to craft all the production-related instruments from the kit rewarded by the task system; she would definitely need them in the future.

A worker must sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well. For Li Sanniang, who had received Western medical education in the modern era, handy and effective medical instruments were very important.

After chatting with Second Sister-in-law for a while and seeing that the baby needed to nurse, Li Sanniang left with Luzhu.

Little Luzhu was still persistently talking to the baby, hoping her little brother would grow up quickly—faster than Xiao Huang—so they could play together.

Haha, it seemed that with Xiao Huang for company, Luzhu had become much more lively.

During lunch, Li Sanniang told the family that she had bought the house in the blacksmith's alley and the title had been transferred.

After a few words of congratulations, Father Li said that after the Qian family's visit, he would go with Li Sanniang to the Ministry of Revenue to register as a female head of household.

Mother Li also said that when they were free in a few days, they would go see the house together, clean it up, and see what needed to be added to make it livable.

Three days later, amidst the eager anticipation of the dozen members of the Li family, Master Qian, accompanied by Mistress Qian, the young Master Qian, and over a dozen servants, arrived at the door of the Li family's medical hall, *Bencao Tang*, in a carriage.

It is extremely hot today. I checked the calendar; today is the start of the *Fu* period.

A senior colleague from another department, whom I knew well due to work and who had been at the company for over ten years, is leaving.

I really didn't expect it; it surprised me.

I just wondered, how many more years can I work at this company...

Thanks to Xiangying Rujiu for the second time for casting 5 recommendation votes, thank you very much!

(End of chapter)