"You think they're delicious too? Master liked them, but I thought they were just average. Next time, I'll make different fillings for you and Aunt Shen to try!"
"That sounds great!" Shen Muqing replied with a smile.
After eating, Shen Muqing helped Mo Lixia chop the rest of the firewood.
"Lixia, if we don't move this wood inside, it will get wet when it rains," Shen Muqing noted.
Mo Lixia organized the split logs and shook her head. "I'm planning to turn this wood into charcoal. That way, there won't be any smoke when we burn it indoors."
"Oh? You know how to make charcoal?"
"I learned it from a book."
Mo Lixia pointed to a small earthen pit nearby. The inside was blackened from previous use. "We can burn it right there."
There were generally two ways to make charcoal. The first was the kiln method, and the second was dry distillation. Based on how the fire was extinguished, it produced either "Black Charcoal" or "White Charcoal." White charcoal was harder and burned cleaner.
Although the method she read about in the study wasn't high-tech by modern standards, in this era, it was considered advanced technology.
Since there were no proper coal kilns nearby, the earthen pit had to suffice. Shen Muqing helped Mo Lixia stack the cut logs into the pit and lit the fire. When the wood was half-burnt, they buried the pit with soil to cut off the oxygen, letting it smolder. After an hour, they would dig it out.
It was backbreaking work.
However, Shen Muqing didn't complain once. In fact, Mo Lixia barely lifted a finger; Shen Muqing did almost everything. Feeling guilty about his hard labor, Mo Lixia insisted on giving half of the finished charcoal to Aunt Shen.
When Qian Chuan saw the high-quality charcoal in the room, he assumed Mo Lixia had bought it in town.
Winter in Fucheng was harsh.
Most families couldn't afford coal and relied solely on kang (heated brick beds). Mo Lixia, however, wanted both the heated bed and charcoal braziers for extra warmth.
Today was market day in town. She needed to stock up on winter supplies. She had delayed the trip for a few days because of her master's poor health, but she couldn't wait any longer.
"Master, breakfast is ready. Please eat a little," Mo Lixia said softly. She had woken up early to cook yam and rice porridge.
She helped Qian Chuan sit up.
"Lixia... I don't have an appetite. The villagers will be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain. You should go," Qian Chuan said weakly.
"I'll watch you eat before I go. The weather is bad today... it's windy. Grandpa Li will definitely leave late," Mo Lixia insisted. She picked up the bowl and fed him spoonful by spoonful.
Qian Chuan resigned himself to eating a few bites. He looked at her and affectionately rubbed her head. He couldn't understand why his disciple always wore her hair loose or in a simple ponytail like a boy.
What he didn't know was that Mo Lixia simply couldn't figure out the complicated hairstyles of this era, and since no one taught her, she stuck to what was simple. Qian Chuan, being a man, had never thought to hire someone to teach her.
"Accepting you as a disciple in my twilight years... Heaven has treated me kindly," Qian Chuan sighed. "I haven't shamed my ancestors by letting this medical knowledge die out. Because of my own stubbornness, I didn't teach many people. So... Lixia, you must pass this on for me. Save more people from suffering."
"Master, you're doing it again."
"Heh... I am seventy-three this year. I've lived a long life. In my early years, I paused my heart and my life for one person, but I never received a response..."
His eyes drifted, lost in memory. "Some people are carved into your memory. Even if you forget their voice, their smile, or their face... the feeling you had when you thought of them never changes. All that remains is grief and regret."
Mo Lixia wanted to scold him for being so depressed, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Some wounds couldn't be healed with words.
"Master, the porridge is getting cold!"
Qian Chuan slowly took another bite. "In these few years, you have mastered my skills thoroughly. You might even be more talented than I am. I have no regrets. Just remember: in this world, things reinforce and counteract each other. Change what you can... and what I couldn't achieve, you must help me finish."
He pointed a shaking finger. "On the bookshelf in the pharmacy, there is a box. Inside is a jade seal passed down from your grand-teacher. As long as you hold that seal and go to the 'Qilin Pharmacy,' you will know everything..."
Listening to him sound like he was leaving his last will and testament made Mo Lixia's chest tighten.
After serving him breakfast, she repeatedly told him to rest and not to read anymore. Qian Chuan nodded obediently with a smile.
The village ox cart was a simple wooden flatbed that could seat seven or eight people. Because of the cold weather, a shed had been built over it, and cotton quilts were laid out for passengers to cover themselves.
When Mo Lixia arrived, the cart was already full.
As she squeezed onto the cart next to Grandpa Li, her mind was still replaying her master's words. In all these years, he had never mentioned owning a pharmacy. Why bring it up now? Something felt wrong.
"Miss Lixia? If you need to buy anything, just tell me. It's freezing today, don't get cold," Grandpa Li said, breaking her trance.
Mo Lixia looked up and replied faintly, "I'm not cold."
Grandpa Li was sixty-three years old. His life had been tragic. His wife died giving birth to their only son, Li Xingyun. The son grew up, got married, and was immediately conscripted to the border for war, leaving behind a pregnant wife.
Just as the daughter-in-law was about to give birth, news came of the son's death. Overcome with grief, she had a difficult labor and died from a hemorrhage after giving birth to a grandson.
Grandpa Li and his wife raised the grandson with great difficulty. But a few years ago, the boy ran off to the border alone, claiming he wanted to bring honor to the family. There had been no news since.
Grandma Li had cried so much over her grandson that her eyes had become cloudy with cataracts. If not for Mo Lixia's treatment, she would have gone completely blind.
"How are Grandma Li's eyes?" Mo Lixia asked.
"They are well. She can see clearly now, all thanks to you, Miss Lixia."