Chapter Thirty-Nine: Misfortunes Never Come Singly

When Qiu Huichun finished taking his younger brother's pulse, Zhou Zhi, his face full of concern, hurriedly asked, "How is my brother's illness?"

Qiu Huichun's expression remained calm as he replied serenely, "It's nothing serious—just a fever caused by accumulated food and water. I'll give him a few massages and some herbal medicine; he'll recover in a few days."

Zhou Zhi and his elder sister, Zhou Luyun, both exhaled in relief. Their anxiety subsided now that their younger brother was out of danger.

At this moment, the middle-aged man and the portly elder had not yet left, clearly waiting to hear Qiu Huichun's diagnosis of Zhou Shaocheng. Hearing Qiu's words, they too looked greatly relieved.

The middle-aged man smiled, cupping his fists to Zhou Zhi once more. "Since your younger brother is all right, I can rest easy and take my leave."

With that, he pulled his father along, and the two of them stepped out the door.

Only then did Zhou Zhi have the leisure to observe the middle-aged man carefully. The man had dignified features and an air of authority. From what he had seen earlier, the man was deeply concerned for his elderly father—clearly a model of filial piety.

Moreover, the man's attire was of good quality, showing he came from a well-off family. Yet, he had treated Zhou Zhi, someone of modest means, with respect. This alone spoke volumes: he was not one to scorn the poor or curry favor with the rich. By this measure, Zhou Zhi thought the man was quite decent.

Watching their departing figures, Zhou Zhi suddenly remembered something and called out, "Brother, please wait a moment!"

He hurried after them as he spoke.

"Is there something else, young man?" The middle-aged man turned and asked gently.

Zhou Zhi spoke earnestly, "I have some advice for your father, sir. The bloodletting treatment just now can only relieve the symptoms for a while. He'll need to adjust his habits in the future. First, he should eat less meat and greasy foods. Second, he must exercise more and strive to lose weight before he can truly regain his health."

Though Zhou Zhi was not a physician, he had cured the old man's illness, which made both father and son trust him completely. The middle-aged man nodded eagerly, expressing his heartfelt thanks to Zhou Zhi.

The old man, however, looked displeased at the suggestion that he should eat less meat, and said nothing.

Having explained everything, Zhou Zhi returned to the main hall.

Qiu Huichun was vigorously massaging Zhou Shaocheng's abdomen, while the boy grimaced in pain, his discomfort evident.

Just a short while ago, his younger brother had his eyes tightly shut. Now they were open, a sign that Qiu Huichun was indeed skilled at treating minor ailments like fevers and headaches.

After working for some time, Qiu Huichun finally clapped his hands and announced, "All done! The food and water stuck in his belly have been dispersed by my massage. When you get home, don't let him eat much. I'll prescribe a few herbal remedies, and he'll be fine."

As a rural doctor, he kept common herbs at home. He quickly fetched them and handed them to Zhou Zhi. "The prescription is included. Since you can read, just follow the instructions. Also, the earlier gentleman paid your consultation fee, so I won't charge you."

Zhou Zhi hurried to thank Doctor Qiu.

But Qiu Huichun stopped him, his face darkening. "You made me look bad just now! The illness I couldn't cure ended up in your hands, hmph!"

However, he quickly softened and smiled, stroking his beard. "But I really should thank you. You cured them, and they left satisfied."

He looked puzzled and continued, "There's something I still don't understand. What exactly was the illness the old man had? Why did bleeding cure him?"

"High blood pressure!" Zhou Zhi replied without hesitation.

Then he realized that such a term probably didn't exist in the Ming dynasty, and Qiu Huichun would not understand, so he patiently explained, "To put it simply, the old man ate meat for years and barely exercised, so his blood became thick, some of it even sticking to his blood vessels. That's why he felt dizzy and his vision blurred. If left untreated, he could die at any time."

He refrained from mentioning that high blood pressure could cause strokes or heart attacks—Qiu Huichun would not understand, especially given the rudimentary state of Ming dynasty medicine. Besides, Qiu was just a rural doctor and knew little beyond his practice.

Still, by telling him this much, Qiu would be able to treat similar cases in the future. After all, cases of high blood pressure were extremely rare in Ming China.

Qiu Huichun pondered for a long while before nodding. Suddenly, he asked, "Zhou Zhi, how do you know all this? I've been a doctor for years and have never heard of it."

"Well..." Zhou Zhi faltered.

He considered claiming he had a dream or met a sage, but those explanations sounded too far-fetched. He decided to say nothing more.

Alas! He had spoken too much today. Being someone who had traveled through time was no easy thing—he had to be careful at all times.

Zhou Zhi diverted the conversation. "I only know a little about that one illness. As for anything else, I know nothing at all."

Qiu Huichun was a clever man; his earlier lack of jealousy and continued kindness proved as much. Of course, the generous consultation fee Zhou Zhi received from the middle-aged man may also have helped. Since Zhou Zhi wouldn't say more, he didn't press the issue.

Qiu was not worried that Zhou Zhi would steal his livelihood, for Zhou Zhi had been helpless with minor ailments like Zhou Shaocheng's. This proved his claim of knowing only about the old man's illness was true.

Although Zhou Shaocheng still had a fever, he was clearly more energetic than when he arrived, which pleased and reassured Zhou Zhi and Zhou Luyun. After a few more words with Qiu Huichun, Zhou Zhi took his leave, carrying his little brother home.

Their mother had been worried sick about Zhou Shaocheng. When Zhou Zhi and his siblings returned, even though Shaocheng was still weak, he was obviously improved, bringing a smile to her face. Learning that Doctor Qiu had not accepted a fee made her even happier, and she was full of surprise and praise for Zhou Zhi.

Following Doctor Qiu's instructions, they gave Zhou Shaocheng almost nothing for supper, administered his medicine, and put him to bed.

Their father, Zhou Tie, was away on corvée labor, so their sister Zhou Luyun moved back home to stay with their mother. Both insisted that Zhou Shaocheng sleep with them at night, to make it easier to care for him. Fearing his mother would exhaust herself, Zhou Zhi took on the task of caring for his little brother at night.

Throughout the night, Zhou Zhi woke several times to check the covers and feel his brother's forehead. What unsettled him most was that Shaocheng's low fever persisted all night, and by morning he was burning with a high fever.

At dawn, Zhou Zhi hurried to consult Doctor Qiu again, who reassured them confidently that as long as Shaocheng finished the prescribed herbs, he would recover. The family had no choice but to trust him and hope for the best.

Three days later, the herbal medicine was finished, but Shaocheng still alternated between low and high fevers, his condition unchanged.

During that time, Zhou Zhi tried every physical cooling method known in later times, but none made a difference.

News of Shaocheng's illness spread quickly. In just three days, everyone in the village knew. Behind closed doors, people whispered, "It's been days and he still isn't better. Alas! Looks like the Zhou family's child is gravely ill. Perhaps the burial grounds at the village's western edge will soon..."

Medical knowledge in the Ming dynasty was rudimentary, and it was not uncommon for children in the village to die young.

Could it be that Shaocheng's illness truly had no cure? What were they to do?

A pall of gloom hung over the entire family.

As if things weren't bad enough, that very morning Zhou Zhi discovered that "Old Master Horse" in the stable was suddenly listless, eating very little, and suffering from diarrhea. This only added to Zhou Zhi's distress.

The Zhou family was living proof of the saying: misfortune never comes alone.