None of the patients had any major issues today, so Ning Zhen wrote prescriptions, and they simply needed to take their medicine accordingly.
The patients coming to see Ning Zhen today had all made appointments in advance. Ning Zhen walked over to the doorway to take a look; the time was still early and the weather was fine, so Ning Zhen strapped on a medicine basket and prepared to go herb-gathering.
Ning Zhen gave Ning Yue a few parting instructions before heading out.
The Ning family had practiced medicine for generations, possessing superb medical skills. Ning Zhen had searched out this scenic spot surrounded by mountains and clear waters to build a courtyard. Residing here, many people seeking medical help came from afar upon hearing their reputation, though whether one could actually see Ning Zhen depended entirely on luck. Just like today, Ning Zhen had gone out to gather herbs, leaving Ning Yue at home.
Ning Yue was an orphan.
Back then, Ming City was struck by a locust plague. Ning Jing, Ning Zhen's father, was returning home from a house call when someone tugged at the hem of his trousers along the way. Ning Jing stopped, lowered his head, and turned around to see a man clutching his trousers. Looking closer at the man, he was already reduced to skin and bones, the coarse hempen garment hanging loosely over his emaciated frame. The hand gripping his trousers clearly revealed the structure of the bones, his cheekbones jutting out and his eye sockets deeply sunken, while his gaze looked up at Ning Jing with a plea. Seeing this, Ning Jing reached into his pocket and handed some money to the man. The man's expression relaxed slightly; he glanced sideways, looked back at Ning Jing, and moved his lips to say something, but his voice was too faint for Ning Jing to catch what he said.
However, Ning Jing noticed the woman beside the man. The woman was likewise extremely emaciated, likely having gone without food for days. With her eyes closed and a withered face, her breathing was so faint it was nearly imperceptible. She cradled an infant in her arms. The baby's eyes were tightly shut; though somewhat thin, its lips were a soft pink, its skin delicate, and its tender cheeks possessed a faint, rosy flush. Its sleeping posture was peaceful and serene. Looking at this, an indescribable fondness welled up in Ning Jing's heart, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Ning Jing seemed to understand the man's intent. He looked at the man, who was also looking back at him. Seeing Ning Jing's gaze, the man allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch with a sense of infinite helplessness, offering a faint, pleading smile as his halting words reached Ning Jing: "Save the child... just give him a bite to eat will do..."
They say that "a healer has the heart of a parent," and curing the sick and saving lives is a doctor's vocation. Yet Ning Jing also knew that raising a child was no easy task, especially in such years of famine. Furthermore, as a physician, Ning Jing was all too aware of just how difficult it was to raise an infant.
Sensing Ning Jing's hesitation, the man pleaded in a faint voice, "The child is only a month old. His mother and I cannot hold on much longer. This child is our family's only hope. I beg you, take him in. You will be our benefactor..."
Ning Jing looked at the infant once more; the child was truly lovely. But his movements were too gentle, failing to lift the infant, and the woman actually tightened her grip slightly.
Seeing this, the man raised a hand to rest on the woman's shoulder, sighed, and said with a choked voice, "My child's mother, let go and give the child a chance at life. In this lifetime, I have failed you..."
Hearing this, the woman's eyelids fluttered. When Ning Jing went to pick up the baby again, the woman's hands lingered on the infant with reluctance, but she no longer held on stubbornly.
Ning Jing cradled the infant, bowed to the man and the woman, and said solemnly, "I will surely raise this child."
With that, Ning Jing turned and strode away with the baby in his arms.
"Ah," came a sigh from the man behind him. The man wiped away the tears at the corner of the woman's eyes, his own face already covered in tear tracks.
The infant was a boy, and Ning Jing named him Ning Yue. Ning Jing treated Ning Yue as his own flesh and blood, providing him with the exact same food, clothing, and daily necessities as his own children, while telling outsiders he was merely the child of a distant relative.
A year passed quickly, and Ning Jing welcomed another boy into the family, naming him Ning Zhen.
Ning Zhen was born with stunning looks, his skin as white and translucent as snow. Back when Ning Zhen was just born, the first time Ning Yue saw him, Ning Zhen's eyes curved like crescent moons, his little face flushed red, and he grinned broadly with his hands folded across his chest, looking utterly adorable.
When Ning Zhen was one and Ning Yue was two, the two of them would clasp their chubby little hands together and giggle foolishly, wandering into every nook and cranny of the old Ning family residence.
"The flowers are blooming, aren't they fragrant?" Ning Yue picked a flower and handed it to Ning Zhen. Ning Zhen held it under his nose to sniff it, then wrinkled his nose. "This doesn't smell like the last one." "Look quickly, so many clouds in the sky, they're so pretty." Ning Yue lifted his little head, his eyes sparkling with a bright luster, and said to Ning Zhen. "Mm, very pretty, it looks just like Father's medical box." Ning Zhen also lifted his little head, a look of serious earnestness written all over his face. "That one looks like ginseng, that one like licorice, that one like platycodon, that one like capillary wormwood, that one like stonecrop, and that one like self-heal." Ning Zhen watched with rapt fascination.
Later on, Ning Zhen and Ning Yue studied books together. Still later, they learned medicine together.
In fact, ever since he was babbling in early childhood, Ning Zhen had been exposed to medicine alongside Ning Jing, showing a deep interest and natural talent for it.
By the age of fifteen or sixteen, Ning Zhen's medical skills were already on par with Ning Jing's, and he had committed all the medical texts in the Ning residence to memory.
On one occasion, Ning Jing went out on a house call, and it happened that Ning Zhen was at the clinic. A patient arrived with a severe condition. Ning Zhen examined the patient and inquired about the situation. Drawing out his silver needles, Ning Zhen administered acupuncture, and the patient was cured.
From that day on, rumors spread quietly that Ning Jing's younger son possessed extraordinary medical skills. Ning Zhen's reputation in Ming City grew louder and louder by the day.
Ning Yue kept Ning Zhen company. Although Ning Yue's medical skills were not quite as consummate as Ning Zhen's, through constant immersion, he was a master in his own right.
At eighteen, Ning Zhen went out of the city to gather herbs. Before him lay an expanse of open terrain near a mountain, with a small stream flowing not far off and a delightful landscape. Ning Zhen instantly felt refreshed and invigorated. Far from the hustle and bustle of the secular world, living here would surely gladden both body and mind; studying medical texts here would undoubtedly be thoroughly gratifying; and gathering with good friends here would be one of life's greatest joys. Ning Zhen grew profoundly fond of this place.
A courtyard was built in the scenic outskirts where the mountains met the water. Two young men lived within the courtyard: Ning Zhen and Ning Yue.
Ning Zhen possessed brilliant medical skills and would go up the mountains to gather herbs in his spare time. Many people seeking medical help came upon his reputation. If Ning Zhen was at home, he would treat patients immediately. If Ning Zhen was out and Ning Yue was home, they would either schedule another appointment, or—for patients who urgently needed treatment or were pressed for time and unwilling to make another trip—Ning Yue would treat them himself.
The courtyard was kept impeccably clean and tidy. Ning Yue was a very diligent person. In his spare time, Ning Yue enjoyed reading books or stretching his limbs to practice martial arts. Compared to Ning Zhen's obsession with medicine, Ning Yue's reading interests were much broader, and he enjoyed all kinds of books. Whenever the mood struck them, Ning Zhen and Ning Yue would also spar a few moves against each other. Ning Zhen loved playing the flute and frequently held a Jade Flute in his hand. Ning Yue loved playing the zither, and whenever leisure permitted, the sound of the zither would drift through the air, lingering among the flowers and the willows.
Ning Zhen disliked commotion, and aside from two or three close friends who came to visit, there were no idle visitors to disturb them. Ning Yue maintained an indifferent attitude toward this, facing everyone with a smile regardless of who they were.
Just like today, Ning Zhen had gone out herb-gathering, leaving Ning Yue at home. Ning Yue was idly flipping through a medical classic. Although he had read it many times over, Ning Yue still carefully perused it word for word. Every time he read it, he always gained numerous insights different from before.