Chapter 6: Zhao Sixi

These past few days, Si Qingyu felt quite helpless. The reason was that Li Tianyang would always run over to her place whenever he had nothing to do.

He would always bring some delicious food or fun things to give her. Whenever Si Qingyu coldly spoke to him out of impatience, he would start shedding tears in front of her, making it impossible for Si Qingyu to get angry at him. When Si Qingyu ignored him, he would just sit there by himself, staring at her with a silly smile, which made Si Qingyu’s scalp go numb.

Finally, today Li Tianyang didn’t come over to her place. Si Qingyu could at last calm down and quietly do her own things. She really had no way to deal with him; his skin was truly thick.

While Si Qingyu was reading a book in the medical clinic, a little girl came in supporting a woman. Si Qingyu looked over with her tall eyes and recognized them as the mother and daughter from a few days ago.

“Physician Si, I brought my mother here to change her medicine,” the little girl said softly to Si Qingyu, seeing that she was reading a book.

Si Qingyu put down the book and had the little girl help her mother sit down on a chair. Si Qingyu walked over and carefully examined the wounds on the woman’s body. The abrasions were already mostly healed, and only the sprained knee had not yet recovered.

Si Qingyu prepared a few doses of medicine for her and told her to take them on time.

The woman looked at Si Qingyu with a face full of gratitude, using her hand to gesture “ah, ah” to Si Qingyu while making muted sounds.

Si Qingyu calmly looked at the little girl, who translated, “My mother says thank you, Physician Si.” Having said that, the little girl lowered her head with a darkened expression and said, “My mother can’t speak…”

She secretly looked up at Si Qingyu, who nodded slightly, her expression still cold and detached, without showing any unusual reaction. The little girl breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: Physician Si is indeed different and won’t look down on them like those other people.

Si Qingyu wiped her hands with a handkerchief and asked casually, “How did your mother get injured?”

The little girl scratched her head timidly and said, “That day, my mother and I went up the mountain together to cut bamboo. Later, my mother accidentally misstepped and rolled down the small hill…” Having said that, she had a look of lingering fear, and then looked at Si Qingyu with gratitude. “Fortunately, there was Physician Si. Otherwise, I really don’t know what my mother would have done.” Yes, if they had to rent an ox cart to rush to the capital, the journey would be so long, and who knows how much suffering her mother would have to endure along the way.

Si Qingyu felt that the little girl’s eyes were looking at her as if she were some kind of deity, with reverence overflowing from her eyes.

Si Qingyu didn’t feel that she had done anything to deserve such respect. To her, this was nothing more than her duty. She had studied medicine, so naturally, she was supposed to treat patients. It was just that simple.

The little girl took out that worn money pouch from her bosom and carefully took out five copper coins from the pouch with her hand, which was yellowed due to malnutrition, and gave them to Si Qingyu. Si Qingyu felt that the money pouch was already empty and there might only be a few coins left inside.

Si Qingyu didn’t take the copper coins. She was a bit curious. “How do you maintain your livelihood usually?”

Hearing Si Qingyu ask this, the little girl’s hand holding the copper coins froze slightly. She slowly retracted her hand and looked at the tips of her shoes with her head lowered, mumbling, “We are not people from the town. We are from a village outside the town. We usually go up the mountain with my mother to cut bamboo and weave baskets to sell in town…” Having said that, she looked at her mother with a sad expression. “After Mother was injured, I stayed at home to take care of her, so…” So the income was even less than before. She didn’t say it out loud, afraid that Physician Si would look down on them for not being able to afford the fees.

“Then why don’t you come help me at the medical clinic instead?” This was Si Qingyu’s goal.

The little girl suddenly raised her head, seeming to not believe what Si Qingyu had said. The woman on the side also looked at Si Qingyu with a shocked and confused expression, thinking she had misheard.

Si Qingyu’s cold face had a slight curve at the corner of her mouth. Seeing her reaction, she probably wouldn’t refuse. She continued, “You come help me at the medical clinic, and I’ll give you five silver taels per month as salary. How about it?” Five silver taels were enough for an ordinary family to live for three or four months.

The little girl still had a shocked expression and even stuttered a bit, “But, but I don’t know anything…”

“I can teach you. I can teach you medical skills, and I also have some medical books you can take back to read.”

The little girl was even more shocked. Generally, doctors would only pass their medical skills to their own descendants to inherit. No doctor was willing to pass on their lifelong learning of medical skills to outsiders. She asked a bit incredulously, “Physician, Physician Si, are you really willing to teach me? Can I learn?”

Si Qingyu found her disbelieving expression a bit amusing. “I said you can, so you can.”

Seeing the little girl’s overjoyed and tearful appearance and the woman’s reddened eyes as she expressed her gratitude to Si Qingyu with “ah, ah” sounds, Si Qingyu’s cold brows softened a bit. She didn’t take their medicine fees and told the little girl to deduct it from her monthly salary. She also asked for the girl’s name.

“My name is Zhao Sixi. Physician Si can just call me Sixi from now on! Thank you, Physician Si! Really, thank you so much!” she said, choking up a bit.

Si Qingyu told the little girl to wait until her mother’s foot was a bit better before coming to work. The little girl kept agreeing, and then supported the woman as they left the medical clinic.

After seeing them off, Si Qingyu’s mouth curved up slightly, feeling a bit happy. Suddenly, she caught sight of a figure out of the corner of her eye. Her pupils subconsciously constricted slightly, and the upturned corners of her mouth stiffened, a trace of coldness in the depths of her eyes.

The person walked over with a leisurely and elegant stride, as if each step was calculated perfectly, not too much or too little, like a beautiful scenery. Finally, he stood in front of her, his phoenix eyes burning with deep love. He said, “Ziliang, long time no see.”

Ziliang was her courtesy name, and he was the person she didn’t want to see.