Chapter 20: Heading to the Capital

As they were speaking, Auntie Wang returned.

She was carrying a large wooden basin, her face etched with exhaustion.

Auntie Wang was thirty-nine years old, tall and thin, a very brisk and efficient woman.

Having just finished a delivery and been exposed to the "unclean air," she could not enter the house directly.

She spoke to Feng Buji, who had come out to meet her, "Young Master, hurry inside. Stay a bit away from your Auntie."

Banxia hurried to boil water and carried a large wooden tub into the woodshed. After bathing and changing her clothes, she finally entered the main house.

Feng Chuchen personally poured her a cup of sugar water. "Thank you for your hard work, Auntie Wang."

Auntie Wang smiled and said, "I heard on the way here. That old fossil Feng dared to go to the yamen to frame the Eldest Sister and the Young Lady; he deserved the beating."

She placed ten red boiled eggs on the table, then produced a small one-tael silver ingot and two one-qian silver nuggets, placing them on the table as well.

"The Second Madam of the Qi family went into labor yesterday afternoon and gave birth to a daughter at the end of the Chen hour today. The delivery was smooth, and both mother and child are safe. The Qi family paid two qian in delivery fees. I stayed with them for ten days, and they gave me an additional one tael as a reward."

Every time Auntie Wang performed a delivery, she had to hand over a portion of her earnings, split sixty-forty. The employer took sixty, and Auntie Wang took forty.

Feng Chuchen put away the small silver ingot, then stood up to give her another two qian in silver and eighty copper cash.

In this era, one qian of silver was equivalent to one hundred copper cash. Proportional to the split, the employer's share would be seven qian and twenty copper cash, while Auntie Wang's share would be four qian and eighty copper cash.

Auntie Wang shook her head. "The Eldest Sister is gone. Until the Young Lady and Young Master can stand on their own feet and support the household, I will hand over all the money I earn."

Feng Chuchen disagreed. "The family has land and surplus money; we don't need you to support us, Auntie Wang."

Auntie Wang insisted, "My life was saved by the Eldest Sister, my skills were taught by her, and I eat and live in this house; this house has always protected me. Over all these years, I have managed to save six strings of cash and twelve taels of silver. It is enough for my old age..."

Moved by Auntie Wang's kindness, Feng Chuchen still refused.

Auntie Wang knelt down. "I am a servant. If my masters give me nothing, I have no choice. Young Lady, I want to do my part so that the Eldest Sister in heaven can rest easy. When she left, her greatest worries were the Young Master and the Young Lady, fearing you would suffer..."

Feng Chuchen stood up and helped her up. "If the family truly runs out of money in the future, I will tell you plainly, and then you can take the money to support the household."

Feng Buji was also deeply moved. "Thank you, Auntie. Sister is right, there is still money in the family. If I live a long life, I will definitely take care of you in your old age."

Auntie Wang doted on Feng Buji the most. Her eyes suddenly narrowed as she cupped his small face, looking at him closely.

"Heavens, the Young Master's complexion is much better, and he's even put on some weight. I was only gone for eleven days; how has he changed so much?"

Feng Buji said joyfully, "These days, Sister has been giving me bloodletting and acupuncture, and even changed my medicine twice. Oh my, Sister's medical skills are incredibly good."

His illness had truly improved; it was time to praise his sister.

Feng Chuchen did not dare take all the credit for herself. Her treatment certainly played a role, but such a significant improvement in such a short time wouldn't have happened otherwise.

The theory of "repaying a debt" sounded idealistic, but the facts before her eyes left no room for doubt.

She said, "I am not that amazing yet; the Eldest Aunt also deserves credit."

Auntie Wang also thought of Midwife Feng's theory of "repaying a debt."

She said, "In that case, the Young Master will surely grow up safely. Sigh, the Eldest Sister was so pitiful; she lived only to repay a debt and never enjoyed a single day of happiness herself."

She then asked, "Has Guo Daya come to work as a maid here?"

She had heard Banxia mention it just now but hadn't seen her yet; they said she had gone up the mountain to chop wood.

Feng Chuchen said, "Yes, I gave her a new name, Shaoyao. With her here, the house is much safer. I'll have Uncle Guo come over another day; Auntie Wang, you can go to the yamen with him to process the servant contract."

Auntie Wang said, "The Guo family is a grateful one; they are good people. Let's make it the day after tomorrow. I have to go to the Qi residence the day after tomorrow to act as a midwife."

A smile spread across her face. Being a midwife for a wealthy family earned more than a standard delivery.

Feng Chuchen said, "Buji and I are going to the capital together to buy some medical books, and then we will go to Dechun Hall to see Old Doctor Fang and ask him two questions. These days, I have been studying every day, and it feels as if my mind has suddenly opened up; my memory is exceptionally good.

"Many medical principles make sense the moment I see them... In the future, when I earn money treating people, Auntie, take me with you when you do deliveries. If we encounter a parturient woman or an infant in need of medical aid, I can help save them."

Only the Eldest Aunt knew how good the original owner's medical skills were. Now that the Eldest Aunt was gone, Feng Chuchen would be the one to decide just how good they were.

Auntie Wang looked Feng Chuchen up and down.

Ever since the Young Lady woke up after being pushed down the cliff by Feng Qi, she had changed. Her mannerisms were more composed than before, and her gaze seemed much colder, yet her eyes were filled with tenderness and care when she looked at the Young Master.

The girl hadn't changed; it was just that too many things had happened recently, causing her to grow up rapidly.

Auntie Wang said with relief, "The Eldest Sister used to say the Young Lady was intelligent and had a talent for medicine. You must remember her words, Young Lady: when entering a delivery room, use a cloth to cover your face so you don't catch any bad luck."

Ancient people believed childbirth was "unclean." Feng Chuchen did not believe this, but she knew she couldn't change ancient perceptions immediately.

"Yes, I understand."

She then added as if casually, "Sister Jinniu died from a difficult labor. If Auntie Wang had been home, she and the child might not have died. In the future, I want to open a maternity and pediatric clinic. Not only will I hire doctors to treat patients,

"But I will also hire several experienced midwives like you, Auntie Wang, to be on staff to save more mothers and infants."

Auntie Wang laughed. "Little lady, you are thinking too simply. I've lived this long and have never heard of a woman being a resident doctor, let alone opening a medical clinic."

Feng Chuchen said stubbornly, "Man can change his fate."

Later, she would look into whether the Imperial Academy of Medicine had any explicit rules forbidding women from opening medical clinics.

At dusk, Shaoyao returned with a large bundle of firewood, her basket also containing some mushrooms and wild fruits.

Hearing that Auntie Wang had returned, she hurried over and performed a formal curtsy. "Auntie Wang, can you teach me 'waist-massaging'? I have great strength and a steady stance; if I learn it, I can earn some money too."

Auntie Wang nodded. Those large hands weren't suited for deliveries—the fingers couldn't reach where they needed to—but waist-massaging was a good idea.

The next day, Feng Chuchen sent Shaoyao home to tell Guo Lei to come to the Feng house at the Chen hour tomorrow to travel to the capital by carriage.

Auntie Wang had to arrive at the Qi residence before the end of the Si hour, so they had to depart early.

Shaoyao went home happily, wearing her new clothes.

She had desperately wanted to give her other set of clothes to her mother, but she didn't dare take them for fear her parents would scold her.

Seeing her new clothes and hearing what she had been eating every day, San Ya cried with envy.

"In this family, when there's good food, they think of the younger brother; when there's good news, they think of the Eldest Sister..."

Guo Lei said joyfully, "In the future, when there's good news like this, we'll think of our San Ya."

Shaoyao also said, "When I earn money, I'll bring it back to buy you candy."

At the beginning of the Chen hour the next day, Feng Chuchen, her brother, Auntie Wang, and Guo Lei set off for the capital in the donkey carriage belonging to Feng's second uncle.

The Guo family lived in the mountains, so Guo Lei had left his house at the end of the Yin hour and had only just arrived.

The donkey carriage first dropped Auntie Wang at the entrance of the Qi residence before heading to Dechun Hall.

(End of Chapter)