Yesterday’s tea leaves, he had tasted them carefully. Indeed, they were extraordinary. Even if they didn’t have a sleep-inducing effect, Imperial Doctor Du, who thought he wouldn’t get any good tea after returning to Qingzhou Prefecture, wouldn’t let go of such rare tea.
Wang Yongzhu chatted quietly with Imperial Doctor Du, asking what to be aware of for ordinary patients like Old Granny Zhang.
When Imperial Doctor Du asked about the tea leaves, she casually mentioned a couple of things and then changed the topic.
After a while, Imperial Doctor Du admitted defeat first: "I didn’t expect you, little girl, to have such a tight mouth! Tell me, what do you want in exchange for telling me where this tea came from?"
Wang Yongzhu smiled: "To be honest with you, sir, these tea leaves are this year’s new tea, and all the tea will be delivered to the Capital City. Once they become famous, they will also be offered to the palace. The production is not much, apart from the tribute, there won’t be much left."
Upon hearing this, Imperial Doctor Du felt an itch in his heart. He could definitely tell that Wang Yongzhu was not lying.
This tea was something he had never heard of in the Capital City, Cloud Mist Tea, and just hearing it made it seem otherworldly.
A clear tea produced from the high mountains of the clouds.
If it was indeed as Wang Yongzhu said, this tea was meant as a tribute, then for an old Imperial Physician who had retired to his hometown, the chances of drinking this tea would be very slim.
Seeing Imperial Doctor Du looking somewhat disheartened, Wang Yongzhu recognized an opportunity: "If you really tea, sir, we still have some at home —"
Imperial Doctor Du, who had navigated the centers of power, quickly caught on and asked, "Tell me, what do you want from this old man?"
Wang Yongzhu wasn’t shy, "I don’t have any other thoughts. I just want to learn some medical techniques from you, especially on how to take care of the elderly, dietary taboos, and the like."
Imperial Doctor Du was somewhat surprised, first because he didn’t expect Wang Yongzhu’s request to be this, and secondly, women learning medical techniques was rare.
Except for the previous dynasty, there had been women learning medical techniques with some fame, who were later summoned to serve the palace concubines and had been conferred the title of Sixth Rank Imperial Physician.
Actually, for doctors like them, it was beneficial for women to learn medicine, especially in gynecology, as women were shy, especially the wealthy and noble ladies and the concubines in the palace, who were exceedingly precious, so many ailments went unmentioned and even concealed.
Especially those requiring physical contact, like bone setting, acupuncture, and massage, it was much more convenient for women to handle.
Yet nowadays, there were no women learning medicine, and many times, because these wealthy and noble ladies were reluctant to seek medical treatment, some secret matters were inconvenient to discuss with doctors, so many illnesses, when merely described, were not as clear as when seen in person, which delayed considerable patients.
Given Imperial Doctor Du’s current age, he had almost transcended gender boundaries, so many female patients, seeing his advanced age, could still accept him.
As for others, it wasn’t as easy, especially those younger than him.
Therefore, hearing Wang Yongzhu’s words, he did not reject them outright but rather pondered.
Seeing this, Wang Yongzhu hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, sir. I only want to learn some basic medical principles, understand a few prescriptions, and know what common ailments elderly like my mother generally have, how to take care of them, and handle daily diet. I would never covet your ancestral medical techniques..."
Before she finished, she heard Imperial Doctor Du’s dissatisfied voice: "You want to learn medicine, just for this?"
Wang Yongzhu was suddenly struck by inspiration: "Of course not! I hope to learn medicine so that more women won’t delay their illnesses due to avoiding male doctors! I also hope to show everyone that women can be doctors and they can also heal and save lives!"
Her initial intent to learn medicine was for Old Granny Zhang, but she also felt that in this era, women, after falling ill, due to various taboos or being too shy to speak, were delaying their illnesses, turning small illnesses into serious ones, and serious illnesses into incurable tragedies.
It’s often said that when times are hard, one should focus on oneself, and when times are good, one should help others.
When she first arrived in this era, the Wang Family’s situation was so dire they couldn’t even fill their bellies, so the priority was to make money and support the family, enough to stave off hunger.
Now that the Wang Family’s days were better, and everyone had their pursuits, her private savings were ample, and she no longer worried about money.
She should do what she wanted and what she could do now.
Having come to this era, having come to this world for a while, she needed to leave something behind to prove her existence, right?
Of course, Wang Yongzhu knew that ideals are always perfect, while reality is always grim.
Even if she could master medical techniques, she might not be accepted or trusted, but even so, as long as she could help Old Granny Zhang, she would be satisfied.
Someone had to try, to take the first step, so others could see there was still a glimmer of hope.
When Imperial Doctor Du saw Wang Yongzhu speaking with bright, determined eyes, without any intention of evading or retreating, he was three parts satisfied in his heart.
However, he did not immediately agree but asked, "To learn medical techniques, can you endure hardship? Do you know how to read?"
Wang Yongzhu felt transported back to a classroom, answering a teacher’s question honestly, "I can endure hardship! I know some characters, not many, but I can learn!"
In her previous life, Wang Yongzhu had avoided work by learning from Wang Yongan, so she knew the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames by heart.
Nowadays, wasn’t there also Song Chongjin? After marrying Song Chongjin, to relieve his boredom, Song Chongjin had secretly brought back various miscellaneous books. In the evenings, as Song Chongjin read the classics and histories, Wang Yongzhu read travel notes and miscellaneous writings.
When encountering unfamiliar words or unclear meanings, Wang Yongzhu was not embarrassed and was very humble in seeking advice.
Song Chongjin cherished these quiet evenings spent together, where they would not disturb each other yet kept each other company.
Therefore, he was particularly enthusiastic, considering the book’s mention of ’Hongxiu Tianxiang,’ he couldn’t help pulling Wang Yongzhu to grind ink, seeing her awkward calligraphy.
He assigned writing tasks daily, having her practice scripts.
Wang Yongzhu was well aware of her shortcomings, as she had mostly typed previously, even her penmanship was average, not to mention her brushwork, so she practiced diligently every day, and her writing had become quite pleasing.
Imperial Doctor Du was slightly surprised at Wang Yongzhu’s response, not expecting a county woman to be literate?
On a whim, he picked up a medical book and handed it to Wang Yongzhu: "Randomly pick a page and read it aloud for me."