Chapter 5: Pregnancy Mole

Chapter 5: Pregnancy Mole

Lin Su, hobbling on crutches and holding a meat bun in his mouth, dragged his broken legs through the entire street with stubborn determination, getting a basic sense of the prices in the Dasheng Dynasty.

In the past two years, peace and stability, coupled with favorable weather for crops, and the young emperor having reduced taxes after ascending the throne two years ago, had improved the common people's lives. Prices were cheap and stable.

Taoyuan Town in Yucheng County was located in the south, known for abundant rice production with two harvests a year. A dou of rice cost thirty-five coins, while wheat flour, because wheat was less commonly grown, was a dozen coins more expensive per dou. Pork ranged from ten to twenty coins per catty, chicken was pricier, and eggs were even three coins each, more expensive than a large meat bun. Beef was rare.

Lin Su bought half a dou of rice, one and a half catties of pork belly, a clay pot, and three sets of bowls and chopsticks, spending fifty coins.

He didn't buy oil, salt, or seasonings—first, because he had no money, and second, because he had other ways to substitute for them.

He calculated that a dou was equivalent to twelve or thirteen catties. Getting so much for fifty coins meant the purchasing power was decent.

Lin Su's mood lifted instantly. Carrying a pile of things, he slowly shuffled back to the clinic.

At the clinic.

After the medicine took effect, Fu Yun felt drowsy and fell asleep on the reclining chair in the clinic. When Lin Su arrived, Fu Yun was still asleep, so he put down his things and didn't rush to wake him.

"Brother Xu, will you be busy later?"

Xu Lei shook his head slowly. It was now early winter, the late rice harvest had just finished, and since it wasn't market day, he didn't need to row his boat to carry passengers and sell goods. Naturally, he had nothing urgent.

Lin Su had figured as much. "Then I'll trouble Brother Xu to wait here for a while."

Xu Lei simply nodded in agreement.

Xu Lei remained silent. Lin Su, full and in a good mood, found himself chatting more freely, so he struck up a long conversation with the old doctor. After waiting nearly an hour, Fu Yun finally stirred awake.

The old doctor's prescription was effective; just one dose brought down the alarming flush on Fu Yun's face.

Of course, this was also thanks to Fu Yun's years of gathering medicinal herbs on the mountains, making him strong and young with good recovery ability.

Mostly recovered from his illness, Fu Yun looked even more lively than before. His delicate eyelids fully opened, and Lin Su noticed for the first time that he had stunningly beautiful phoenix eyes.

Standard inward curve at the inner corner and outward tilt at the outer corner, double eyelids with large eyes, dark and bright pupils—limpid, spirited, and expressive. His lashes, not too thick but long, were like a thin mist shrouding a bright moon.

These eyes completely shattered Lin Su's stereotypical impression of phoenix eyes. They didn't give a sharp or aggressive feel but added a soft, clean charm and classical elegance.

No wonder he was the most beautiful character in the book.

Lin Su admired him for a long time before calling Fu Yun to say goodbye to the old doctor.

An hour of casual conversation left the old doctor with a good impression of Lin Su. As they parted, he advised, "When your husband is a little better, if his wits don't return, you can come back for another check-up. I won't charge you for the consultation. Also, even though your legs have been properly set, you should rest for a few months and avoid unnecessary walking."

Lin Su gave a proper bow with cupped hands in thanks. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll remember."

As dusk fell, Lin Su planned to rush home, before it got completely dark and they'd have to cook in pitch black. The crumbling house had no oil lamps or candles.

But fate had other plans. Just as the three of them stepped out of the clinic, they were stopped by someone.

It was a plainly dressed matron with a bamboo basket looped over her wrist. Her eyes darted furtively as she sized up Fu Yun. Lowering her voice, she held up two fingers at Lin Su.

"Want a secret recipe? Guarantees a boy child. Only ten coins. For twin boys, twenty coins."

"I could tell your young husband's pregnancy mole is very faint, so he must have trouble conceiving. It's truly pitiful, seeing you go from doctor to doctor. I'm giving you young couple a bargain. You won't find this anywhere else. Interested?"

Having a child? Pregnancy mole?

Lin Su's eyes searched Fu Yun's face for a moment. It was clean and fair, with no mole. Could it be the pink petal-shaped birthmark on his earlobe?

This book had a unique setting: there were men called "Gē'er" who, despite appearing male, could bear children. They were distinguished by a red pregnancy mole on their face. If the mole was faint, it meant difficulty in conceiving.

Lin Su stared at that pink mark with interest. The book had only mentioned it in passing; he didn't know what physical structure this Gē'er had. Could it be intersex?

His gaze unconsciously drifted downward. But unfortunately, Lin Su didn't have X-ray vision, so he couldn't see the secrets hidden beneath the clothes.

He shrugged. Who cared what the structure was? Why was he even thinking about it? He'd just treat him like a man.

Seeing that Lin Su wasn't biting, the woman leaned in and whispered a few more words into Fu Yun's ear. Lin Su immediately tugged Fu Yun away.

After disembarking from the boat, Xu Lei delivered the items to Lin Su's doorstep. Lin Su handed him an oil-paper package.

"Brother Xu, thank you for today. The house is a mess, so I won't invite you in. This is the boat fare."

Xu Lei glanced at the dilapidated old shack, then thought of the Lin family's blue-brick tiled house that had been lost to gambling. Deep confusion flickered in his eyes as he looked at Lin Su.

But he said nothing, nodded, and took the package. Halfway down the road, he opened it to find ten copper coins inside.

Normally, he charged three coins per person for a round trip to town—only six coins for the two of them.

The old house was two thatched rooms, with only two piles of straw serving as beds. Nothing else was tidied up.

The doors and windows were broken and drafty. The roof had large holes, and patches of evening light filtered through countless gaps. Water seeped from the wall corners, and wild grass and mushrooms ran riot.

Lin Su was grateful it was already winter, as snakes, rats, and insects had quieted down. Otherwise, he'd rather sleep in a tree than enter these two rooms.

He placed the rice and grains he'd bought on a high shelf, ordered Fu Yun to gather firewood, and built a simple earthen stove in the adjacent room.

The broken water tank in the room could still be used. After cleaning it, Lin Su filled it halfway with spring water from the mountain and brought it back to the kitchen.

The spring water flowed from a rock wall behind the house. Thanks to the superior water resources, every household in Xiaowan Village built their homes near such a spring, digging a pool below for easy water access.

When Fu Yun saw Lin Su set up the clay pot and start a fire, he came over and crouched beside him, his face showing eagerness to try.

Lin Su couldn't help but marvel at the little fool's energy. While gathering firewood, he'd seen him running all over—picking up a stick here, a branch there—and still managed to collect a large bundle, enough for two or three days.

Now he wasn't even tired, and Lin Su felt exhausted just watching him.

As the fire blazed, Lin Su evenly preheated the clay pot to prevent cracking from uneven heating.

The house had no knives, so Lin Su had asked the butcher to cut the pork belly into small pieces. Now, he placed them directly in the clay pot and rendered them over low heat.

Soon, a thick layer of lard accumulated at the bottom of the pot.

Suddenly, a hand reached out, holding four or five small, wrinkled, reddish-brown granules.

It was dried Sichuan peppercorns.

Fu Yun blinked. "Brother, put these in. It'll be very fragrant."

Lin Su raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get these?"

Fu Yun pointed to the book chest. "Underneath the chest."

Lin Su looked and found that only the top few books in the chest were medical texts. The rest were all medicinal herbs, some tools for making medicine, and even a set of silver needles.

He picked up the silver needles and shook them at Fu Yun. "Do you know how to use these?"

After the fever subsided, Fu Yun seemed less foolish than before. He nodded, then excitedly pulled out the herbs and introduced them one by one: "Bupleurum, cinnamon twig, skullcap, licorice, schizonepeta..."

The more Lin Su listened, the more familiar they sounded. Wasn't this the same prescription the old doctor had given today?