Chapter 4: The Feng Family's Adopted Daughter

Another reason was that Feng Chuchen would certainly pursue medicine in the future. With her excellent medical skills and youth, it was highly likely she would be recruited into the palace as a female physician.

In this era, female physicians were under the dual management of the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Household Department. They held official ranks, mostly eighth or ninth grade, with the highest being seventh grade.

Female physicians were mostly trained from among palace maids, though women from the common folk with exceptional medical skills could also be admitted through special exceptions.

They not only served the women of the imperial palace but also provided consultations for the female relatives of the imperial clan and noble families.

Although their status did not match that of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, it was far superior to the medical maids in the palaces of history from her previous life.

Female physicians primarily handled gynecological issues or assisted imperial physicians with them. For instance, if noble ladies had conditions that were inconvenient for male imperial physicians to examine, they had to communicate through a female physician. If any physical examination was required, it was also the female physician who performed it.

Female physicians lived within the palace or the Imperial Household Department and could only marry after the age of twenty-five. After marriage, those with good skills who were willing to continue their service could do so; these older female physicians mostly specialized in midwifery.

As a modern person, Feng Chuchen had no desire to serve in the palace. Her movements would be restricted, there were too many constraints, and one wrong step could lead to a flogging or even execution.

The ancient "political background check" was even stricter than in the modern era.

Having been to prison and possessing a criminal record, she was no longer eligible to become a civil servant.

Take Midwife Feng, for example. As a descendant of the heinous Fan clan, no matter how good her medical or midwifery skills were, she could never become a female physician. She could only serve as a government-registered midwife, working among the common people, and if the palace had a need, she would be temporarily summoned to serve.

Before she died, Midwife Feng gave the original owner two instructions: first, never become a midwife; second, never enter the palace as a female physician.

The first prohibition was because the life of a midwife was too bitter and exhausting; she did not want the original owner to end up like her.

The second prohibition was merely talk, because as a descendant of a criminal, it was impossible for her successor to enter the palace as a female physician.

Midwife Feng could never have dreamed that after her death, she might be honored by the state, allowing Feng Chuchen and her younger brother to shed the label of being descendants of a criminal.

As for offending their clansmen, Feng Chuchen was not afraid. A good clan could provide protection, but a wicked one would only exploit you.

Those clansmen were all beyond the third degree of kinship. Decades ago, after the Fan clan was arrested, the Feng clan had immediately expelled them.

Although the descendants of the Fan clan were not officially removed from the clan register, the clan had never helped them in the slightest and had even bullied them. Aside from that dilapidated courtyard, all their family property had been seized.

With the lingering goodwill from Midwife Feng and Feng Chuchen’s own planning, she and her brother were not afraid of offending the clansmen.

Of course, Feng Chuchen had also anticipated that during this special period when Midwife Feng was receiving unprecedented praise, even if she were imprisoned, she would receive the best care and have people interceding on her behalf.

As expected, she was released after being held for only three days.

Naturally, this was also thanks to Aunt Wang’s efforts in pulling strings.

Baima Village was located in the western suburbs of the capital, about twenty-some *li* from the Xihe Gate.

By the end of the *wei* hour (around 3:00 PM), the group returned to Baima Village.

The Feng residence was a courtyard house at the east end of the village, with blue bricks and a tiled roof, making it arguably the second-best house in Baima Village.

The best one belonged to Master Zhao of Baima Village.

From afar, one could see the large sign standing in front of the Feng courtyard, inscribed with a few large characters: "Swift Horses and Light Carriages, the Fengs Deliver Life."

It meant that the Goddess of Childbirth traveled by swift horse and light carriage, and the midwife was sharp-eyed and quick-handed.

Most midwives had such signs in front of their homes, somewhat like modern billboards.

Although Midwife Feng was gone, Aunt Wang was still a midwife. Since Aunt Wang was a servant of the Feng family, the sign could still be used.

Feng Chuchen stood at the courtyard gate, waiting for Banxia to light the brazier, then she took her brother’s hand and stepped over it.

There was no dedicated purification room in the house, so whenever they needed to bathe, they would carry the large wooden tub into the kitchen.

After bathing, Feng Chuchen wiped her hair in front of the bronze mirror.

The girl in the mirror had willow-leaf eyebrows that slanted upward, moist almond eyes, a pert nose, well-defined lips, and a slightly square chin, still carrying a hint of childishness.

Her face was full of collagen, fresh and tender like an unopened flower bud.

This body would only turn fourteen on the sixth day of the eighth lunar month this year.

It was just that her skin was slightly dark, and there were a few small red pimples on her forehead and the sides of her nose, which somewhat obscured the brilliance of this face.

Ignoring those two flaws, she was an absolute beauty with no dead angles.

Coincidentally, there was a small red mole in the center of her eyebrows, only the size of a sesame seed.

In her previous life, she had the exact same mole in the same spot, even the same size.

Her appearance and temperament were somewhat similar to her past life, especially when she pursed her lips.

Her best friend in her past life used to say she had both feminine grace and masculine heroism, a bit like Lin XX; the way she pursed her lips was enough to make even women fall for her.

In her past life, she thought it was an exaggeration, but this face truly exuded a clear beauty through its heroic spirit... Feng Chuchen was very satisfied with this image.

This body was tall and thin, estimated to be around 1.65 meters. Although she had started her period, she might still grow a bit more.

She hoped she wouldn't exceed 1.70 meters.

In ancient times, her current height was considered quite tall for a woman; anything over 1.70 meters would be too much.

Her name was "Chuchen," which, while written with different characters than her past life's "Chuchen" (meaning 'dust-free'), sounded the same.

This must be fate.

If she took good care of herself from now on, her skin would become fairer, she would gain the right amount of weight, and once the pimples were gone, she would surely be even more beautiful.

Before Feng Chuchen had finished drying her hair, Feng Buji entered the room and squeezed into her arms.

"Sister, I miss Great Aunt."

His voice was choked with sobs.

The little boy was much thinner and shorter than children his age. His small face was fair and delicate, with long, narrow, double-lidded eyes and a straight little nose. Ignoring the few scratches on his face, he was a very handsome and refined little boy.

Feng Chuchen hugged him and comforted him, "You still have your sister. When Great Aunt left, she was most worried about you. You must live well, grow up healthy, and make Great Aunt and our parents on the other side rest easy."

Although the original owner was an adopted daughter, her bond with her Great Aunt, her adoptive parents, and her brother was very deep. If she hadn't overheard the villagers gossiping, the original owner would never have known she was a foundling.

When the five-year-old original owner heard the villagers' talk, she cried as she went home to ask her Great Aunt, and only then did her Great Aunt tell her the truth.

That year, in the middle of the eighth lunar month, on a clear and bright morning, Great Aunt and Aunt Wang were returning home from delivering a baby in a neighboring village. As they passed by a large rock, they suddenly heard the crying of an infant...

Midwife Feng walked over and saw an infant lying beside the large rock.

The infant was wrapped in a piece of tattered cloth. After Midwife Feng picked her up, she immediately stopped crying and looked very beautiful.

Inside the wrapping cloth was a note, scrawled with a few crooked characters: "Fifth year of Jianzhang, eighth month, sixth day, at the second quarter of the *chen* hour."

Midwife Feng guessed that the child's family must have been unable to afford to raise her and had abandoned her there; the note contained her birth time.

Midwife Feng loved the child very much, and thinking of her younger brother, Feng Qiu'en, who was twenty-six and still childless, she brought her home.

Feng Qiu'en and his wife both loved the child and adopted her, hoping she would bring a younger brother along.

Because she was found in the morning (*chen*), they named her Chuchen.

Under the care of Midwife Feng and the Feng Qiu'en couple, Feng Chuchen grew up healthy and happy.

When she was eight, her adoptive mother really did give birth to a son. The child was born half-dead, but the whole family was still overjoyed and raised him with great care.

Wishing for him to be free of disasters and illnesses, they named him Buji (No Illness).