Chapter 25: Detour

  "What's wrong, Sister Wang?" Second Brother Wang came forward to greet her.

  Wang raised his head and saw that it was Wang Erge, stunned for a moment, then turned back to look at the courtyard gate, wondering if he had entered the wrong yard. —— They live next door after all.

  Wang Erge smiled and said, "You haven't come to the wrong courtyard, I'm helping you keep watch. You're not at home, only Siyan is a little girl, I'm worried she'll be scared." As he spoke, he reached out to help Wang Shi take off the basket on her back.

  Wang was very tired and did not refuse Wang Erge's help, saying: "Er Zhu, thank you for thinking of our family's Siyan. If it weren't for good neighbors like you, I, a single mother with children, would really have a hard time." As she spoke, she adjusted the sling in front of her chest.

  Wang Ergou carried a bamboo basket and followed Wang Shi into the house, walking up the steps.

  "Siyan said you entered the city." Wang Ergou was somewhat perplexed, it's so late, the capital city had closed its gates long ago, how did Wangshi get out? If he left before the gate closure, then there's no need to walk for so long.

  From the capital city to Wangjiacun, even if you walk slowly, it will take only an hour to get back. They are actually at the foot of the Imperial City and often say they are "under the feet of the Son of Heaven", with a very grand feeling.

  Wang's eyes flashed, and he hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Wang Erge's honest gaze, he told the truth: "I didn't enter the city, I went into the mountains to pick herbs."

  "Gathering herbs? So late, have you been on the mountain all this time?"

  Wang nodded, "I was looking for a very rare medicine, and I couldn't find it even after searching until nightfall. Later, I was also bitten by a snake..." As he spoke, he stretched out the arm hanging from his chest in front of Wang Ergou.

  Wang Ergou was startled and hastily said: "My family has the best medicine for treating snake venom. Wait a moment, I'll go get it!"

  "Wang stopped him, 'No need, I've already taken the antidote.' Then he smiled and said, 'You're also often going into the mountains to catch snakes. How could you not know that if you're bitten by a snake and can't take the antidote right away, you'll die? — If I had waited for you to give me the antidote now, I would have died in the mountains long ago.'"

  Wang Ergou let out a sigh of relief and said with embarrassment, "I didn't think of it for the moment." He also said, "If you want to go into the mountain again, you can call me to go together. I often catch snakes, so I'm very familiar with where there are snakes in that mountain."

  Mr. Wang was very grateful and said: "You have helped my mother and daughter too much, how can I bear to trouble you all the time?"

  The two of them stood still on the steps at the door and exchanged a few polite words.

  Wang Ergou yawned, covering his mouth and said: "You're back, I'm going to go. Siyan has already eaten dinner, taken a bath, and gone to bed early." When mentioning Sheng Siyan, Wang Ergou thought of what happened today, and after thinking for a moment, he first told the whole story to Wang Shi, "Wang Danni, today Siyan made a mistake at school. However, her teacher has already punished her, making her stay behind to copy books." He then recounted the events in detail.

  Wang listened in a daze and after a long while said: "This child, is really..." and surprisingly didn't even scold Sheng Siyan.

  Wang Erge finally felt at ease and bid farewell before leaving.

  Wang rubbed his arm that had been bitten by the snake, although the poison had dissipated, but the swollen part would take more than a month to subside.

  "It's still going to take another month before we can enter the mountain." Wang sighed and pushed open the door.

  There was no hot water in the house, so Wang's family wiped themselves with cold water, changed their clothes and went to bed.

  Sheng Siyan woke up on the second day and found that her mother, who was sleeping beside her, had a high fever.

  Sheng Siyan was startled, and quickly got out of bed to the small tea stove on the steps outside the house, poked the fire, and brewed a bowl of Chaihu decoction for Wang Shi to take to reduce her fever.

  Wang taught her medicine, starting with these simple prescriptions for fever and cough. Sheng Siyan had memorized them all and had brewed them several times, and was already very skilled at it.

  After brewing the medicine, she fed it to Wang Shi, then helped her wipe her body and change her clothes. After a busy round of tasks, it was already time to go to school for girls.

  Wang Er Ge came over to pick her up and they went to school together.

  Sheng Siyan hadn't even eaten breakfast, and besides, she had long since not wanted to go to that Rongyu Girls' School to study those hateful Four Books for Women. So she said to Wang Erge: "My mother is ill, I need to take care of her at home, I won't be going to school today. Can you help me ask for a leave from the girls' school?"

  Wang Ergou knew that Wang Shi was bitten by a snake last night, and he also knew that even if he took the antidote, he would definitely have to run a fever for several days, otherwise the snake venom could not be completely eliminated.

  "Alright. I'll help you ask for leave. Can you take care of yourself at home alone?" Wang Ergou looked at Sheng Siyan's small frame and the grass ash on her face, "Have you had breakfast?"

  Sheng Siyan shook her head, "I just helped Mother decoct medicine, I'll go cook congee later."

  Wang Ergou thought for a moment, "I'll go." He said, putting down his school bag and going to the kitchen to do chores.

  Wang Ergou's hands and feet were quick, but by the time he finished making breakfast for Sheng Siyan, it was already past school time. He grabbed his backpack and rushed towards the school, running to the door and saying: "Wait for me to come back and make lunch for you, don't eat those cold rice balls yourself!"

  Sheng Siyan felt a little amused, but also felt sweet and warm. —— The feeling of being cared for is really great!

  After finishing breakfast, Sheng Siyan also ladled some porridge for Wang Shi and fed it to her little by little.

  Wang's high fever didn't break until evening.

  She sat up in bed, feeling dizzy and very weak.

  Sheng Siyan had just finished eating the dinner made by Wang Ergou and was going to take a bath.

  Seeing Madame Wang sit up, she hurried over and asked: "Ma'am, are you feeling better?"

  Wang nodded and stroked Sheng Siyan's cheek, forcing a smile: "Much better, just no strength in the whole body."

  "It's like that. After the high fever, she will be a bit weak. I made some snake meat soup with licorice for Wang Erge, it's very nourishing for qi and blood, would you like to have a bowl, Mother?" Sheng Siyan put down the clothes in her hand and squatted beside the bed, anxiously looking at Wang Shi.

  In Sheng Siyan's memory, Wang had never been ill and always looked like a strong woman.

  This time, the sudden severe illness and the wound on her arm made Sheng Siyan a little afraid. Wang Shi was her mother, her last relative in this world, she didn't dare to think about what her life would be like without Wang Shi...

  "Are you scared?" Wang's family pinched the small apple face of Sheng Siyan, "It's nothing, it's just to dispel the snake venom, so there is a high fever. You took care of me very well, and the medicine you gave me was very effective for my condition. It seems that you actually have a talent for learning medicine."

  Sheng Siyan leaned her small face against Wang's palm and gathered her courage to say: "Mother, I want to learn medicine from you."

  "Aren't you learning from me?"

  "I was thinking of studying medicine with you all day. - No need to go to girls' school." Sheng Siyan pouted, looking wronged.

  Wang thought of what Wang Erge had told her yesterday about the incident at the girls' school, sighed and said: "Siyan, you can learn so many things in girls' school, but..."

  "I didn't learn much at all. Just those four thin books of girls' school, I memorized them on the first day. — Mother, I really don't like learning those things, they're useless. I just want to learn something useful, like studying medicine, so I can cure illnesses and save people." Sheng Siyan clenched her small fist.

  Wang smiled and said slowly, "Learning medicine is important, but learning rules and reason is also crucial. I took a look at the Four Books for Women, and many things are still very useful. You're still young and don't understand now, but when you grow up, you'll know that these things are essential, even if you don't want to follow them, you must understand them. - Know yourself and know your enemy, then you can win a hundred battles without danger."

  Sheng Siyan was a gentle and soft-tempered person. Although she really didn't want to learn those "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" nonsense, since Wang insisted, she decided to give it another try anyway.

  Wang stayed at home for two days and recovered, and was also able to work on the ground.

  Sheng Siyan went to school with Wang Ergou again.

  When she arrived at her classroom, she was shocked to find that a new classmate was sitting in the seat she used to occupy, and it turned out to be Wu Yanjuan, the elder sister of the Wu family!

  "Siyan! You're finally here!" Niu Xiaoye looked at Wu Chanjuan with great dislike, but since Sheng Siyan was punished, Niu Xiaoye also became more restrained and learned the truth of "when under someone's roof, one must lower their head".

  Sheng Siyan didn't bother with Wu Chanjuan. She smiled and said goodbye to her little friends, then sat down in the empty seat at the back of the classroom.

  Actually, for her, sitting in the back is better than sitting in the front.

  The female teacher walked in and started class.

  Today's class is a test of everyone's recitation of the first section of "Nüjie".

  "Memorize the first section of 'Seven Precepts' from 'Nüjie' within a short while. If you can't memorize it, copy it ten times." The female teacher assigned homework and began to patrol the school building.

  In less than half a stick of incense time, Wu Yujuan raised her hand and said, "Sir, I can recite it."

  The female teacher smiled and let her stand up to recite.

  "The Seven Precepts" consists of seven sections, divided into humility, husband and wife, respectfulness, womanly behavior, concentration, adaptability, and younger sister.

  "Of the weak and lowly, first. In ancient times, when a girl was born, she would sleep under the bed, play with tiles and bricks, and fast and report to her ancestors. Sleeping under the bed shows her humility, being inferior to others. Playing with tiles and bricks shows her diligence, being industrious. Fasting and reporting to her ancestors shows that she should take charge of sacrifices. These three are the usual ways of women, the traditional teachings of propriety and law. Being humble and yielding, putting others before oneself, not taking credit for good deeds, not shirking blame for bad ones, enduring humiliation and swallowing insults, always as if in fear... This is called being weak and lowly..." Suddenly, Wu Yanjuan got stuck here, she just couldn't remember the next part.

  The female teacher smiled and asked her to sit down, saying: "It's already very good, just read it two more times and you'll be able to recite the whole thing."

  Wu Chanjuan's complexion improved somewhat.

  Niu Xiaoye hummed and said: "Sir, Siyan will memorize it soon." Meaning: Wu Yanyan, what are you pretending to be a prodigy...

  Wu Chanjuan was furious and turned back to say: "Then let Sheng Siyan carry it for a while."

  Sheng Siyan didn't want to be the first to speak up, so she smiled and said: "I don't know how to recite it, Xiaoye you remembered wrong."

  ……