My domineering ex-husband is living off his wife in ancient times.

Chapter 148: A Great Fortune Awaits

“Okay, I’ll listen to Master.” Cheng Ruoan smiled obediently.

She was still hoping her master could give her a cheap and effective frostbite cream recipe. No matter how busy she was, she had to make time to make her master happy, right?

Dr. Hu then gave Cheng Ruoan a lesson on the prescriptions and acupuncture points she had provided for her homework. During this time, he also took the opportunity to check on how well Xiao Mian'er was memorizing the "Collection of Herbs".

Cheng Ruoan originally wanted to buy a younger girl, train her to study medicine from a young age, and keep her in the Cheng family for any eventuality.

But he accidentally learned that Xiao Mian'er had also read a medical book since she was a child, so he told Dr. Hu about it and asked if Dr. Hu could take Xiao Mian'er with him when he was giving him lessons.

Dr. Hu took some time to test Xiao Mian'er and felt she was capable of handling the child, so he asked Cheng Ruoan to bring her along for lessons.

"Little Mian'er, you need to memorize these medicines first. Later, I will teach you some simple ailments and the prescriptions you need will basically use these medicines."

Dr. Hu, just like a modern professor, highlighted the key points for Xiao Mian'er.

"So many, can you memorize them in five days?"

"Yes, yes."

"Then in five days I will teach you to identify some simple ailments and how to prescribe medicine."

Little Mian'er was naturally extremely grateful.

These government slaves, who would never leave their place of exile for their entire lives, were often bought by their masters but never given important positions, let alone taught any skills.

The Cheng family has always treated them very well, and they still give them so many opportunities. Xiao Mian'er feels that she would give her life for the Second Miss.

After class, Xiao Mian'er accompanied Cheng Ruo'an back to the courtyard to change clothes. Cheng Ruo'an asked her how she felt about her first day of Dr. Hu's class.

Who knew that Xiao Mian'er could memorize pharmacology much faster than she had before.

Cheng Ruoan sighed enviously, "It's so good to be young."

"Nonsense, the second young lady is still very young."

Cheng Ruoan raised an eyebrow.

Oh, Xiao Mian'er's tone is getting tough now?

Xiao Mian'er blushed, whether from anger or embarrassment, she said, "Second Miss, please don't be offended. I didn't mean to talk back to you, it's just... my Second Miss is the best in the world!"

Cheng Ruoan thought she was cute and reached out to pinch her chubby cheeks.

"From now on, you don't need to refer to yourself as a servant at home. I don't like hearing it from you, Second Miss."

"Okay, Miss Second."

After Cheng Ruoan changed into clothes suitable for meeting elders, she took Xiao Mian'er and followed Doctor Hu out.

As they walked out the door, they passed by a pastry shop and saw Cheng Ruotong and Xiao Cuier packing up to close. A sign that said "sold out" was already hanging on the door.

Meanwhile, Li Dongjia was still there, sitting at the tea stall across the street, watching Cheng Ruotong and Xiao Cui'er busy in the shop with a sinister look in his eyes.

Xiao Mian'er noticed it too; the man's eyes clearly showed he was up to no good.

She leaned close to Cheng Ruoan's ear and asked, "Second Miss, should I go and remind the Eldest Miss?"

Cheng Ruoan relaxed her slightly furrowed brows and nodded.

"Go on, hurry up and catch up."

"Yes."

The little girl was fast on her feet, and Cheng Ruoan and Doctor Hu caught up with her before they had gone very far.

The master and apprentice were talking about the box of Bo needles, and Cheng Ruoan listened in a daze.

"Master, are you saying that box of Bo needles belonged to my great-grandmother? And has been passed down for sixty years!?"

"Yes, your grandmaster passed it down to my master, my master passed it down to me, and it has been exactly sixty years since then. Ah, time flies."

The box of needles was in Cheng Ruoan's medical kit, and she felt as if the kit weighed an ounce.

No one knew about Dr. Hu's background; he didn't say anything himself, and Cheng Ruoan didn't ask either.

Cheng Ruoan had always assumed that Doctor Hu was a wandering physician who treated patients wherever he went, and that he would casually accept apprentices whenever he came across one, since he had never mentioned the matter of a formal apprenticeship ceremony.

She thought she was just someone Dr. Hu had casually taken in, but who knew that Dr. Hu would give her the Bo needles passed down from his sect.

Cheng Ruoan used to cry and complain every day that studying medicine was too hard.

But Dr. Hu really didn't make her suffer too much.

It's only been a few months, and I'm already taking her out for medical checkups...

Yes, when Cheng Ruoan arrived at the second courtyard of Dr. Hu's old friend's house, she learned that Dr. Hu had brought her there to help an old lady with her medical examination!

In the front yard, Cheng Ruoan followed Dr. Hu to pay respects to his old friend, Mr. Zhang.

Although neither of them gave Cheng Ruoan much information, Cheng Ruoan sensed that the simply dressed Mr. Zhang had an extraordinary air about him and must be a retired official of the imperial court.

Furthermore, the rank will not be low.

What intrigued Cheng Ruoan was that Mr. Zhang looked to be only in his thirties. At that age, let alone retiring, many scholars had not even passed the imperial examination. Why was Mr. Zhang retiring so early?

The Zhang family is very low-key; their house is just a large two-courtyard residence, but once inside, the exquisite lifestyle of the Zhang family is evident everywhere.

The entire house has only two courtyards, but every step reveals a new scene. All the furniture is made of century-old wood, but the set of tables and chairs in the flower hall must cost at least a thousand taels of silver.

Furthermore, Cheng Ruoan knew a little about flowers. She also noticed that the few pots of clivia that the servants of the Zhang family were tending to would cost six figures in modern times. In ancient times, cultivating orchids was even more time-consuming and laborious, so the price would only be higher.

Someone so low-key and from a well-off family couldn't possibly have been dismissed from office by the emperor, could he?

So, it was Mr. Zhang who fired the emperor?!

Cheng Ruoan stayed close to Dr. Hu, listening to him and Mr. Zhang chatting happily, and she didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

She had finally managed to wait until her master let her out, and had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Doctor Hu say:

"Go and check the pulse of my old friend's mother in a little while. You already looked at her pulse diagnosis this morning in class, so be bold and confident. Don't panic when your master isn't here."

Cheng Ruoan: ...

"No, Master, you're really going to let me go alone to treat the old lady?! I... I've never treated anyone before!"

"Oh, it's just to check your pulse for peace of mind, nothing will go wrong!"

“But that’s Madam Zhang! You yourself said she’s an old lady from the capital. I’m just a country bumpkin. If I offend such a distinguished person, I…”

"That's why I'm waiting for you in the flower hall. Mr. Zhang and I are both here. No matter how unhappy the old lady is, she won't do anything to you. Go ahead without worry."

The maid leading the way stopped at the hanging flower gate. "Doctor Hu, please stop here. Second Madam Cheng, please come in with me."

Dr. Hu held his hands, smiling kindly, "My dear student, keep it up!"

Cheng Ruoan: ...

I learned the phrase "cheer up" from her.

She could only force a smile and greet the old lady's head maid with a wry smile: "Please lead the way, young lady."

Although she was called an old lady, Madam Zhang was only fifty years old.

Moreover, the old lady's illness was not serious; to put it bluntly, it was just menopausal syndrome.

She felt unwell, had a bad temper, and suffered from insomnia to the point of sleeping less than two or three hours a day. She was also reluctant to seek medical help and refused to let a male doctor examine her.

Mr. Zhang even specially found a female doctor from the capital to treat her, but after seeing several doctors, Madam Zhang was furious, and her illness was still not cured.

Left with no other choice, Mr. Zhang sent the medical records compiled by the female physician to Doctor Hu.

Originally, they wanted to have Doctor Hu come over to take the pulse through a thread, but Cheng Ruoan suddenly appeared.

Dr. Hu could only smile and push his apprentice forward.

Watching Cheng Ruoan carrying his medical kit, looking dejected, Dr. Hu stroked his beard and smiled.

"You're still not happy, you little monkey? A great opportunity awaits you!"