Chapter 19: The White Tiger Star
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Fan Lihua wanted money, but Li Tian’er wanted it even more. It was only that in recent days she had forced the thought of earning money down, secretly moved by her own noble impulse to heal and save lives. Naturally, she would not agree with Fan Lihua’s suggestion.
“You have the ability to treat people, and now everyone in the village believes you’re a celestial maiden descended to earth. Charging them a little will put their minds at ease. Otherwise, people will say we’re engaging in feudal superstition.”
On her way home, Fan Lihua had already mentioned it to several village women. Before nightfall, most likely, news that Peach Blossom treated illnesses for money would have spread throughout the entire village.
Fan Lihua’s expression was so determined that continuing the argument would only damage their relationship. In any case, whether to charge for treatment was entirely up to her. Li Tian’er said nothing more and lowered her head to fiddle with the asparagus fern on the table. Chen Yunchao would probably be coming back again in the next day or two.
“You can charge or not, as you please. I can’t force you. Now that Jiang Chao is in school and Hai Chao is about to go out to work, the household expenses are greater than before. Your room has to burn coal all day long, and even the three meals a day have to be nutritious. Where is the money supposed to come from? I want to save the money Yunchao sends home each month to renovate the house. Our place needs expanding too. Otherwise, once Jiang Chao and Hai Chao marry, there won’t be anywhere for their wives to live…”
Fan Lihua sat down on the small kang and began to nag. Reasoning with a daughter-in-law was useless; all she could do was make the girl understand the family’s difficulties and give way.
Li Tian’er smiled faintly and let Fan Lihua carry on. She had never allowed herself to be bullied into anything, always acting according to her own judgment. On the rare occasions when she softened, it was only within the limits she had set for herself.
She lifted her teacup and found it empty. She had just stretched out a leg to climb down from the kang when Fan Lihua had already taken the cup to refill it.
“Peach Blossom, you don’t have to do any of the housework. Just get this little clinic of yours properly set up for me. Don’t feel embarrassed about taking money from the villagers. They have to pay when they go to the township clinic too…”
Fan Lihua set the teacup back in front of Li Tian’er and began nagging again.
It looked as though the old woman would not stop until she got her agreement today. If only a patient would arrive at once and put an end to her endless chatter.
Just as that thought crossed Li Tian’er’s mind, someone shouted from the courtyard. Fan Lihua hurriedly jumped down from the kang. Li Tian’er looked out the window and saw a young woman standing by the gate. She wore a red wool coat that reached her ankles. Even from a distance, she stood with graceful poise, filling the drab, gray surroundings with sudden vitality.
“Whose girl is that? I’ve never seen her in the village!”
Talking as she went, Fan Lihua hurried out to greet the visitor.
The Peach Blossom Immortal’s reputation had spread far and wide. It was entirely possible that someone from another village had come to seek treatment.
The girl in red drew closer and closer, and her features became increasingly clear through the window glass.
What a beauty!
It was no easy thing to make Li Tian’er call someone beautiful.
He Feng had fair, smooth skin, and her eyes seemed to hold two pools of water. Whenever she looked at someone, her gaze rippled and shifted, stirring the heart. Her hands were a healthy pink, slender and soft, with neatly trimmed nails coated in clear polish. She looked exceptionally delicate and elegant.
There was certainly no woman this beautiful in Little Crow Village.
Li Tian’er sighed inwardly once more, then released He Feng’s hand.
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To make her consultations appear more professional, she had learned the superficial forms of the traditional fourfold diagnosis. Unless a patient particularly displeased her, she would first take their pulse and ask a few questions.
“What seems to be troubling you?”
“My heart feels uncomfortable. Do you have any medicine for it?”
He Feng looked at Li Tian’er with a bright, smiling expression. It was rare enough to see a beauty like this in Little Crow Village. Even in the county town, it would be difficult to find a woman with such a distinctive air.
“If it’s an ailment of the heart, then I really don’t have any medicine for it,” Li Tian’er said seriously, sensing that the other woman was joking. There were always people who came to test her medical skills, but she never took offense. In this world, belief made things real, while disbelief made them vanish. There was no need to waste time with those who did not trust her.
“Immortal Maiden, don’t take it seriously. I was only joking.”
He Feng turned her face toward Fan Lihua and glanced at her, clearly signaling that she wanted the older woman to leave. Fan Lihua normally would not watch her daughter-in-law treat patients, but today she wanted the girl to start charging for consultations. Since her daughter-in-law was too embarrassed to explain it to a patient, Fan Lihua had to make matters clear herself.
She had been worrying about how to bring up the subject of payment with the villagers. Now a visitor from out of town had arrived—and a young woman at that. It would be much easier to broach the subject with her.
Once charging for treatment had become established, her daughter-in-law would have no chance to object. It was impossible to charge one patient and treat another for free. If word got out, it would ruin their reputation and destroy their signboard.
“You’re from the city, aren’t you, dear?” Fan Lihua asked with a broad smile.
He Feng arched a brow. “Yes. You have a very sharp eye, Auntie.”
From the moment she had entered Little Crow Village, people had turned their heads to stare and lingered to watch her, whispering that she was a city girl. She was already used to it.
“Seeing a doctor in the city must be expensive, right? My daughter-in-law doesn’t charge much. As long as it isn’t anything serious, she can cure you for ten or twenty yuan.”
So Fan Lihua had already set the price for her.
Li Tian’er did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“Ten or twenty yuan? That’s not too expensive, I suppose.”
He Feng rolled her eyes, her impatience with Fan Lihua plain to see.
Having achieved her purpose, Fan Lihua smiled at He Feng and went out, closing the door behind her.
“That was your mother-in-law?” He Feng asked, watching Fan Lihua’s back disappear into the main room before turning to Li Tian’er.
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“I don’t know how to treat an ailment of the heart,” Li Tian’er said, slowly sipping her tea.
“Elder Sister Immortal Maiden, I know heart ailments can only be cured with the right remedy. I came to see you about a gynecological problem…”
The fire in the stove had made the room stiflingly warm. He Feng tugged at the collar of her red wool coat, but still felt hot, so she simply took it off and laid it on the edge of the kang.
Li Tian’er watched her, waiting for her to continue.
He Feng tugged the black turtleneck down slightly from her neck. Her cheeks were flushed like peach blossoms, her expression shy yet coquettish. Seeing that Li Tian’er only looked at her calmly, as though it were not at all strange for a young woman to suffer from a gynecological complaint, she cleared her throat and smiled before speaking.
“You’re an immortal maiden. You should be able to cure any illness, shouldn’t you?”
“…”
Li Tian’er was not pleased to be given the title of immortal maiden. In her mind, such women were usually older village matrons who pretended to possess supernatural powers in order to deceive people.
“You can tell me what’s wrong. There may be other patients coming later.”
If she did not urge the girl along, the consultation would drag on for ages. Even if no other patient came, a chance to lie down and rest for a while would be welcome. Li Tian’er tapped her index finger lightly against the little kang table.
He Feng hesitated no longer. She was not a particularly bashful woman to begin with.
“The old folks say that a woman like me is a White Tiger Star who brings misfortune to her husband. I’m sure you must have some way to cure me.”
Li Tian’er had never heard the term White Tiger Star before. She had seen white tigers, certainly. Confusion flickered in her eyes, but she did not ask about it aloud. When a patient spoke, questioning their words in return could make them feel uneasy.
Li Tian’er’s silence made He Feng nervous. Her breathing grew cautious and shallow.
“Immortal Maiden, is my problem incurable? I’ve tried all sorts of folk remedies to make hair grow there, but it only looks worse and worse. I’ve rubbed the skin raw, and now it’s changed color.”
He Feng’s voice turned tearful.
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