Zhen Zhu hastily lifted the curtain, bent down, and whispered in Cheng Danruo’s ear, “Miss Cheng, there’s a bit of trouble. We need you to come over to Chufang Pavilion.”
Cheng Danruo guessed that one of the young ladies had met with an accident, and asked, “What exactly happened?”
“I think… she said she can’t move her hand,” Zhen Zhu replied. “Please take a look.”
Cheng Danruo nodded, pulled out the acupuncture needle, and said, “Let’s go.”
Chufang Pavilion was a two-story building on the other side of the lotus pond, offering a panoramic view of the entire lake. The Gu family often held banquets there to enjoy the scenery.
Gu Lan-niang had prepared tea and refreshments early, planning to entertain the other young ladies there.
By the time Cheng Danruo arrived, quite a number of people had already gathered in the modestly sized pavilion. Madam Gu and Lady Huang were both there, along with a few other official’s wives whom she did not know.
“Sister Cheng is here,” Gu Lan-niang said, waiting outside. As soon as she saw Cheng Danruo, she hurriedly pulled her inside and explained, “Miss Liu fell and her shoulder is both painful and swollen. I thought that since you know how to treat broken bones, you might also know what to do. After all, she’s a young lady, and it’s not convenient to call a male doctor.”
Cheng Danruo nodded and followed the maid inside.
The young lady who had previously tried to make things difficult for her was now sitting on the couch, sobbing. “Mother, it hurts so much. I can’t move my hand at all. Am I going to be crippled?”
Her mother held her close. “My dear, don’t cry. The doctor will be here soon.”
Madam Gu had already spotted Cheng Danruo and quickly called her over. “Dan-niang, come quick and take a look at Zhen-niang. What exactly is wrong with her?”
She then explained to the other ladies, “We’ve already sent for Doctor Jin, but he won’t be here that soon. Zhen-niang is in such pain – it’s always good to have someone look at her first.”
Cheng Danruo first observed Liu Zhen-niang and noticed that her shoulders looked visibly asymmetrical. She asked, “When you fell, did you brace yourself with your elbow?”
Gu Lan-niang quickly answered, “Yes, she caught herself with her hand.”
Cheng Danruo said, “I need to feel it with my hands. It might hurt a little – bear with it.”
Liu Zhen-niang turned her head away. “I don’t want to!”
“Be good,” her mother said, holding her close, and asked anxiously, “Is it serious?”
“Let me take a look.” Cheng Danruo gently supported her arm, noticed the obvious squared-off shoulder, and felt below the collarbone, where she could detect the humerus bone. “Miss Liu, I need to bend your arm and have you place it over your shoulder. You must bear with it.”
After completing the shoulder abduction test, the elbow could be brought close to the chest, but the palm could not reach the opposite shoulder.
“It’s just a dislocation,” she said calmly. “Would you like me to try reducing it?”
Madam Liu hesitated. “Are you sure you can do it?”
Cheng Danruo replied, “You can also wait for Doctor Jin to arrive – it’ll just hurt a little longer, that’s all.”
Madam Liu looked at Madam Gu, who understood her concerns and said, “Doctor Jin is fifty-six – there’s no issue with that either.”
“No!” The one who objected most vehemently was Liu Zhen-niang herself. “Mother, I don’t want any strange man touching me.”
Madam Liu asked, “Will reducing the dislocation require physical contact?”
Cheng Danruo answered honestly, “I don’t know whether Doctor Jin will need to or not, but if it’s me, of course I will.”
Since the young lady was unmarried, it was only proper to be cautious. Madam Liu did not hesitate long and said, “Then let’s have you try first – be gentle.”
With the family’s consent, Cheng Danruo had nothing more to say. “Please prepare some water for me.”
The maids brought warm water and attended to her as she washed and dried her hands.
She walked over to the couch and said, “Miss Liu, you need to relax. If you’re too tense, it will be very easy to fail.”
Liu Zhen-niang’s cheeks were streaked with tears as she grumbled, “It’s not you who’s in pain.”
“Relax.” Cheng Danruo assessed her muscle tension. “This is the most appropriate method. For an ordinary family out there, they’d just give it a kick and be done with it.”
Liu Zhen-niang’s eyes widened. “You – don’t you dare!”
“Relax.” Cheng Danruo’s expression was neutral, revealing neither approval nor displeasure. “Take a deep breath. Follow me – breathe in, good, hold it, now slowly exhale. One more time.”
Once she shifted into her professional mode, her tone carried an unmistakable air of authority. Liu Zhen-niang, both pained and frightened, had tears in her eyes but received no support from her mother.
With no other choice, she had to follow along, breathing in and trying her best to relax.
Cheng Danruo held her wrist with one hand, had her bend her elbow, and with the other hand grasped the elbow, guiding it into abduction and traction, then externally rotated the upper arm, adducted it, and brought the elbow close to the chest.
Then, with a crisp popping sound, the joint was reduced.
“Does it still hurt?” she asked.
Liu Zhen-niang gently moved her arm and suddenly exclaimed in delight, “It doesn’t hurt anymore! Mother, it doesn’t hurt!”
“Thank heavens.” Madam Gu let out a sigh of relief. “Bring some cherry curd and kumquat water for Miss Cheng to have.”
Cheng Danruo had been busy for over an hour, back and forth, and was also tired. The hostess was so gracious that she could hardly refuse. She expressed her thanks, took the refreshments, and savored them slowly.
The cherry curd was essentially cherry shaved ice – ice cubes, sugarcane syrup, cheese, and cherries served in crystal-like cups. It was sweet and refreshing, undoubtedly one of the most luxurious treats in ancient times.
The kumquat water was a boiled drink made from sliced kumquats, sweetened with honey – also pleasantly sweet.
The sugar intake greatly alleviated her fatigue. She let out a sigh of relief, yet still felt rather puzzled: Had Madam Gu gone through all this trouble just to have her treat a woman?
Uterine prolapse was not a rare condition – most working-class women suffered from such symptoms, and a skilled midwife would probably know how to treat it.
Why had she been sought out?
After settling Madam Liu, Madam Gu instructed the maids that once Doctor Jin arrived, he should be brought in immediately for a follow-up examination. Then she invited Lady Huang to the side hall for tea.
Once the tea was served and the pleasantries exchanged, they got down to business.
Madam Gu said, “Madam Chen, I won’t hide it from you – there is a rather delicate matter on which I would like to hear your thoughts.”
Lady Huang was taken aback. “Please, do tell, Madam Gu.”
Only then did Madam Gu explain the whole situation.
Lady Huang held her teacup, looking most surprised. “You wish to invite Dan-niang to the capital to help regulate Madam Yan’s health?”
Madam Gu nodded and explained, “She is both your relative and a young lady from a respectable family. If I truly had no other recourse, I would not dare make such a request.”
“That aside,” Lady Huang mused, “the Yan family… is it the Yan family from Haining? The family of Grand Tutor Yan?”
“Precisely.” Madam Gu elaborated, “Master Zizhen is my nephew’s tutor. His ancestral home is in Haining, but both his parents have passed away. Currently, Madam Yan resides in the capital with her eldest son, while Master Zizhen is lecturing in Jiangnan.”
She said earnestly, “Though the couple lives apart, they share a deep and devoted affection for each other. Upon hearing that his wife’s health was ailing, he entrusted me to seek out a female physician who could gradually help restore her well-being.”
Xie Xuanying helping his teacher alleviate his worries was certainly a good thing, but since Cheng Danruo was an unmarried young woman, for the sake of her reputation, Madam Gu did not mention her own nephew and instead presented it as Yan Hongzhi’s own intention.
Besides, given his age, even his grandsons were not much younger than Cheng Danruo, so there was little need for undue caution.
Lady Huang was silent for a moment.
“If your family finds it inappropriate, I shall decline on your behalf,” Madam Gu said, reading the situation and sensing there was room to negotiate, yet she deliberately spoke with a note of self-reproach. “Alas, I was perhaps too hasty in bringing this up.”
Only then did Lady Huang reply, “Though Dan-niang is staying with my family, she is not a Chen by blood. This matter must be discussed with my husband and with her own consent.”
Madam Gu smiled slightly. “Of course.”
The two women exchanged a few more pleasantries, when a maid reported that Doctor Jin had arrived, and they hurried over.
Doctor Jin asked a few questions from behind the curtain, stroked his beard, and said, “It was only a dislocation. Now that it has been restored to normal, there is no longer any cause for concern.”
The Liu mother and daughter both heaved sighs of relief.
Doctor Jin added, “For the next few days, you must be careful – do not exert the arm. If it dislocates again, it will become a recurring issue.” He was a seasoned old physician, with white hair and beard, and spoke slowly and deliberately – his words carried immense authority.
Madam Liu asked many concerned questions before finally seeing the doctor off.
By then, it was time for the gathering to disperse.
Madam Gu saw the guests off with her two daughters. To the Liu mother and daughter, she said, “I’m sorry for the poor hospitality.” To Lady Huang, she said, “We didn’t get to fully enjoy ourselves today – when the weather cools down another day, let’s go climbing together.” To the others, she was equally tactful: “I shall certainly attend when your daughter has her coming-of-age ceremony later this month.”
Her words were tailored to each person, warm and thoughtful – truly a remarkable skill.
Yet even after all the guests had left, matters were not yet concluded.
Madam Gu first asked her daughters a few questions, then ordered reports on the day’s minor affairs – those who had broken plates or bowls were fined, and those caught slacking off were disciplined.
She was busy all the way until lamplighting time before she finally had a moment to rest, but then she sent for Xie Xuanying to come see her.
Xie Xuanying entered the room and offered his greetings. “Aunt, I trust you are well.”
Seeing his cool expression, Madam Gu found it rather amusing. “You were startled today, but it’s all over now.”
Xie Xuanying pressed his lips together.
The incident of Liu Zhen-niang’s fall actually had a hidden backstory.
It so happened that a group of young ladies had come ashore after boating on the lake, still not ready to call it a day. Spotting a rockery by the water’s edge with a pavilion atop it, they decided to go up and rest their feet for a while.
There was no objection to this, and Gu Lian-niang led them up.
However, the pavilion stood on high ground. Beyond a short row of bamboo groves was the wall separating the inner and outer courtyards – beyond that lay the outer compound.
Xie Xuanying knew that Madam Gu was hosting guests today and would not have entered the inner courtyard of his own accord. But since Master Gu had summoned him on business, he had to leave the guest quarters and head to the study in the front courtyard – and this was the nearest route.
As luck would have it, just as he walked past, the young ladies were gazing into the distance from their elevated vantage point.
One of them, a girl of about ten, was at that age where she was neither quite a child nor yet fully grown. Catching sight of a handsome figure strolling slowly past beyond the wall, she blurted out without thinking. “Who is that? He’s so beautiful.”
Though all well-bred young ladies knew to keep their distance, they were human after all, and could not possibly let rigid precepts govern every moment of their lives. Liu Zhen-niang, for instance – pampered and spirited at home, bold and willful by nature – could not help but crane her neck for a look.
The other young ladies were curious too, jostling and squeezing against one another, more or less all stealing glances despite themselves.
And once they looked, they found it hard to look away.
Some felt their hearts flutter like startled deer, others blushed scarlet and turned away -in any case, they were all flustered and agitated, pushing and shoving in their confusion. In the commotion, one girl stumbled slightly and bumped into Liu Zhen-niang, who was standing on tiptoe.
“Ouch!” She fell, instinctively bracing herself with her hand.
Her shoulder was dislocated.
“It hurts so much!” She wailed, throwing the others into even greater panic.
This minor commotion carried beyond the wall. Xie Xuanying turned his head, saw the pavilion in chaos, and immediately furrowed his brow before walking away.
Later, when he sent someone to inquire and learned that a young lady had injured her hand, he was even more troubled.
However, in Madam Gu’s eyes, none of this was anything to fuss over.
Youth was at its prime, and it was only natural for young hearts to be drawn to beauty -everyone had once been that age. So this time, she neither blamed Gu Lian-niang for leading the girls up to the pavilion, nor did she reproach anyone. Instead, she reassured her nephew. “Miss Cheng was there and had it treated in no time. It was nothing more than a false alarm.”
Xie Xuanying raised an eyebrow.
“The prescription she gave was exactly the same as what the previous doctor had ordered,” Madam Gu said. “This shows that although she is young and inexperienced, she has been immersed in medicine since childhood. Treating common ailments should not be difficult for her.”
Xie Xuanying relented reluctantly. “I’ll trust your judgment.” Yet he did not seem optimistic. “But I doubt Vice Commissioner Chen’s family will be willing to let her go.”
Madam Gu, however, said, “That is not necessarily the case.”
She carefully analyzed the situation for her nephew. “The moment I saw them today, I knew there was room for negotiation. Vice Commissioner Chen’s nine-year term is nearly complete – he will likely have to go to the capital around year’s end. When that time comes, he’ll need to make connections everywhere. If he can send a relative into the Yan household, that gives him one more avenue. I recall that Master Zizhen’s eldest son currently serves in the Ministry of Revenue – am I right?”
Xie Xuanying nodded, a faint trace of disdain flickering in his eyes.
Madam Gu noticed and smiled. “Even a man’s own daughter might be sent into the palace to seek wealth and status – let alone a distant relative. Keeping her at home as little more than a half-servant is far less valuable than forging a good connection.”
Xie Xuanying gave a cold laugh. “My teacher’s household is not a stepping stone for their ambitions.”
He frowned, looking somewhat concerned. “And what of that Doctor Cheng’s character? If she too is the sort who fawns over the powerful and seeks advancement, then better to have no one at all than someone unworthy.”
