Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

When Dr. Yang got home, he told his wife about it. "Donghua, I have to go to the prefectural city tomorrow. I may not be back for a few days. You can handle things at home."

"Honey, spring planting is just around the corner, what are you doing in the prefectural city?"

"I just went to the Lu family to see a doctor, specifically for the second son of the Lu family. They said he was coughing so badly that it was unbearable. I went there but I couldn't see how bad the cough was. I took his pulse but couldn't find anything wrong. So you're saying my medical skills are bad? Are the doctors in the county town also bad?"

I told them I couldn't do anything about it, and if they couldn't find a good doctor in the county town, I suggested they go to the prefectural city. So they asked me to go with them, and I couldn't refuse. They didn't want me to make a wasted trip, so they provided food and lodging, and even gave me 50 coins a day.

If you can't manage everything by yourself at home, ask for help. Don't exhaust yourself.

"Okay, I understand."

"Didn't Lu Tongsheng go to study in the county town? How come he suddenly fell ill? I haven't heard of him being sick for several years. Judging from what you're saying, his family is taking it so seriously, so it seems his illness is quite serious."

"Probably so. You absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this, understand?"

"Yes, I know."

The next day, Doctor Yang arrived at the Lu family with a small bundle on his back. The two brothers, Lu Yunzhou and Lu Yunping, also carried bundles on their backs, and the three of them walked together toward the place where the oxcart was parked at the village entrance.

The villagers were quite surprised to see Lu Yunzhou. "Lu Tongsheng, why are you back? Aren't you studying in the county town anymore?"

"I've been away from home for a month, and I've come back to see my parents."

"Eldest son of the Lu family, are you going to send your younger brother to school? Oh, where is Doctor Yang going? He's carrying a bundle; is he going on a long trip?"

"Ah, I'm going out to take care of something."

"Judging from your condition, you won't be back for a day or two. If we get sick, where will we go for treatment?"

"The town is far away, so you can go to Liujia Village to find Doctor Wu. Their medical skills are quite good."

"Tch, Liu Family Village? We're not going there. The whole village is so stingy. They even hide their charcoal-making secrets. Are they afraid we'll learn how to do it? We're rich, we won't let them make money from us."

Dr. Yang didn't want to go with this group of women. He didn't care if they went or not; did they care about his money? If he had money, he could go to town or the county seat—no one would stop him.

When the oxcart arrived in town, Lu Yunzhou and his companions immediately switched to horse-drawn carriages to go to the county seat. Once there, they visited various clinics and consulted doctors about renowned physicians in the prefectural city. The doctors, knowing his condition and that he was the most talented man in Lingshui County, generously shared their knowledge and recommended the doctors they considered to be skilled.

Lu Yunzhou thanked the doctors and asked one of them to write a medical certificate so he could go to the government office to get a travel permit. With this, he would save himself a lot of trouble.

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Lu Yunzhou led them to the yamen to obtain travel permits. When Clerk Yang saw that Lu Yunzhou had produced a certificate for a student in the imperial examinations, he immediately processed it for him.

"Lu Tongsheng, when will you be returning?"

"We went to see a doctor, and we don't even know what's wrong with us."

"Alright then, I'll give you half a seven-day period. If you can't return by then, have the doctor at the clinic issue a certificate and go to the government office to renew your travel permit."

"Very well, thank you for your care, Registrar. I will remember your kindness."

"Of course, of course. Young talents like Lu Tongsheng are rare talents in our Lingshui County. He will surely rise to great heights in the future."

"You flatter me, sir. I will not disturb you any longer while you are handling official business. Farewell."

Registrar Yang was very polite, saying it was good to make friends with people like him, because if one day he really rose to prominence, today would be a good turn of events.

Lu Yunzhou immediately took the two to a carriage shop to hire a carriage and headed straight for the prefectural city. Lu Yunping looked at his younger brother's demeanor, tone of voice, and the calm and composed way he dealt with people, and admired him greatly, just like a rich young master.

This younger brother completely overturned his perception. Was this still his own brother? It seemed that he was indeed doing very well in the county town, and it was only a matter of time before he made a name for himself. He was very approachable at home and treated his older brother well, but he had a lot of complaints about his sister-in-law. However, it didn't matter. With him mediating between them, his brother would gradually accept him after the baby was born.

As they sat in the carriage, Lu Yunzhou asked Doctor Yang, "Doctor Yang, of the doctors recommended by the clinic, which one do you think we should see first?"

"The most recommended doctor is Dr. Cheng from Fu'an Hall. I'm sure everyone recognizes his medical skills. Why don't we go to Fu'an Hall first? If he can cure you in one visit, we won't need to look for anyone else."

"Dr. Yang and I have the same idea. We can reach the prefectural city before dark, find an inn to settle down, and then seek medical help early tomorrow morning."

The carriage sped along, and the driver didn't want to travel in the dark—what if they encountered bad guys? The passengers were being jostled quite a bit. "Lu Yunzhou lifted the curtain, sir, could you please slow down? It's so bumpy, it's shaking my heart and lungs out!"

"It's getting late. If we don't hurry, we'll have to travel in the dark, and if we run into robbers again, that would be troublesome."

"There are still robbers on the way from the county town to the prefectural town?"

"It happens occasionally; one such incident occurred before the Lunar New Year."

Lu Yunzhou stopped talking and told the driver to handle it himself. Saving his life was the most important thing; what was a little suffering?

Upon arriving in the prefectural city, the coachman asked them, "Where are you all going?"

"Go to Fu'an Hall."

The driver took them directly to the entrance of Fu'an Hall. After they got out of the car, they saw that Fu'an Hall was a very impressive medical clinic with people inside consulting doctors.

The three of them looked inside, and then Lu Yunzhou led them away. "Doctor Yang, brother, let's find an inn to stay in first."

It was the first time any of them had been to the prefectural city, and they were completely unfamiliar with the place. Finally, they spotted an inn along the street, and the waiter warmly welcomed them inside. "Please come in, esteemed guests. Would you like a meal or a room?"

"Checking in at a hotel."

"Superior room: 500 coins, includes meals and hot water; standard room: 300 coins, includes hot water but not meals; dormitory room: 50 coins, nothing is provided."

"Two standard guest rooms."

The three followed the waiter upstairs to the second floor, where they were given two adjacent rooms. "Please come in, gentlemen. Please let us know if you need hot water."

The group had been jostled around quite a bit in the carriage today, feeling like their bottoms weren't even their own anymore, and their backs were aching and sore. "Dr. Yang, you can stay in one room, and my brother and I will stay in another. Let's rest for a while before going out to eat."

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Yunzhou and his group went out onto the street, which was quite lively. They sat down at a noodle stall and said, "Boss, give me three big bowls of noodles."

"Gentlemen, what kind of noodles would you like? We have shredded pork noodles for 15 coins, meat sauce noodles for 20 coins, braised noodles for 12 coins, and plain noodles for 8 coins. What would you like?"

"Dr. Yang, brother, what kind of noodles would you like to eat?"

"We're fine with anything, as long as we're full."

"Three large bowls of shredded pork noodles, please."

"Okay, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

Soon, three large bowls of noodles were served, steaming hot, with shredded meat and glistening noodles. The noodles not only contained shredded meat but also cabbage, and looked quite appetizing. "Brother, I can't finish it, so I'll share some with you."

"Brother, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you can't even finish this bowl of noodles. No wonder people call you weak scholars. If you can't eat, where will your strength come from? Look how thin you are. If your body isn't strong, you'll definitely get sick easily."

"Hurry up and eat, don't say you can't finish. Take care of your health so you'll have the energy to study."

Dr. Yang chuckled, "Scholars don't exercise much and have small appetites. You can't force them to eat more; doing so will only harm their health."