Chapter 25

When Hu Xiaotian was urgently treating the old man's injuries, the rain grew heavier and heavier, his clothes were completely soaked by the cold rain, yet Hu Xiaotian was oblivious, fully focused on the treatment.

At first Xu Zhengying and those servants thought Hu Xiaotian was just momentarily impulsive to meddle, but when they saw his focused expression and resolute gaze, they somehow felt an illusion, as if a golden halo had enveloped Hu Xiaotian bathing in the wind and rain, the radiance of humanity.

Xu Zhengying held up an oil-paper umbrella, mostly flattering and a bit moved, shielding Hu Xiaotian's head; seeing Hu Xiaotian's practiced bandaging motions, he couldn't help but feel curious—this guy seemed quite the expert, could he really know medicine? Thinking again, it seemed unlikely, wasn't he just a clueless idiot half a year ago, only just regained his reason and consciousness? Yet in these six months, how did he learn to compose poetry and couplets? Where did he learn such a bona fide bone-setting technique? The more Xu Zhengying thought, the more puzzled he became: is this kid a genius or a blockhead?

After Hu Xiaotian stabilized the old man's fractured left leg, he suddenly realized that this feeling of wanting to save someone from the bottom of his heart had been long absent; seeing the old man trapped, he even forgot his present identity, his mind at that moment holding only one thought: to save people. Once he finished the emergency treatment, he then remembered that he was clearly a wanton, wicked playboy—such sudden friendliness and care should not appear on him. Although he strove to escape that past life and the influence of his previous existence on this one, some things arise from the heart, just as he had once unhesitatingly leapt into Cuiyun Lake to save Tang Qingxuan; a doctor's benevolent heart, respect for life, had long been fused into his blood.

The old man, full of gratitude, looked at Hu Xiaotian and said: "Thank you, sir……"

Hu Xiaotian smiled; the patient's thanks were already the best gift to him. He stood up, and in the eyes of those servants, the image of this wicked youth had never before loomed so large, yet they absolutely did not believe this young master had suddenly turned into a Bodhisattva-hearted one; recalling that this fellow had been an idiot for sixteen years, they guessed his brain must have miswired some strand, for him to act like a good person—surely he was ill, seriously ill!

At that moment a carriage arrived at the scene, but it was a doctor summoned by Xu Zhengying's subordinates from the nearby clinic Yiyuantang; Yiyuantang is one of Kangdu's three major medical halls, housing many renowned physicians on staff; speaking of Kangdu's three major medical halls, they are Xuantian Guan, Qingniu Tang, and Yiyuantang; among these three halls, some have been selected for the Imperial Medical Institute, and Xuantian Guan wields the greatest influence—over the past fifty years, national medical saints have emerged in succession, yet Xuantian Guan's threshold is high, only officials and dignitaries are seen; compared to Xuantian Guan, Qingniu Tang and Yiyuantang are much more approachable, and in the capital there are also many branch clinics; nearby Yangliu Ying even has a branch of Yiyuantang.

Summoned by the Vice Minister of Revenue, Yiyuantang naturally dared not delay; even Yiyuantang's second-in-charge Yuan Shiqing personally rushed over, and when they arrived at the scene they found that the old man had already been rescued from under the wagon wheels and given proper care.

Yuan Shiqing first went to greet Xu Zhengying, then came to the old man's side and felt his pulse, first determining whether the old man's pulse was steady.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The injury is in the left thigh's femur, with no additional internal or external injuries; the fracture ends are not completely broken nor displaced; I first gave him a simple fixation."

Yuan Shiqing examined the old man's left leg; from the fracture treatment and splint binding alone he could tell this was definitely the work of a professional; he nodded and had his two accompanying disciples lift the injured old man onto the carriage, preparing to first send him to Yiyuantang for further treatment.

Yuan Shiqing cupped his hands toward Hu Xiaotian and asked: "May I dare ask your esteemed name, sir?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Hu Xiaotian!"

Yuan Shiqing racked his brains but could not think of a doctor named Hu Xiaotian in this capital; Kangdu's famous medical halls are only a few, and outstanding youngsters among them are exceedingly rare; he then asked: "May I ask which medical hall you usually practice at, Master Hu, and under whom did you study?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "I'm not a doctor!" He told Yuan Shiqing: "You all take good care of that old man; don't worry about the consultation fee—just come to my mansion for however much you need!" After saying that, he gave a glance to Liang Da Zhuang and those servants, then, surrounded by the crowd, boarded his own carriage; before departing he waved to Xu Zhengying as a farewell, leaving the remaining cleanup to Xu Zhengying to handle.

After this ordeal, Xu Zhengying's clothes were also soaked through by rain; he secretly blamed Hu Xiaotian for meddling—clearly a stranger old man, why interfere? But since he'd already gotten involved, this matter seemed something he had to see through to the end; that was also why Xu Zhengying had summoned the people from Yiyuantang.

Yuan Shiqing came to Xu Zhengying's side and respectfully said: "Sir Xu, rest assured, we will certainly treat that old man well." From his words it was obvious he was selling a favor to Xu Zhengying.

Xu Zhengying said: "Regarding the consultation fee……"

Yuan Shiqing laughed: "Sir Xu, rest assured; your affair is Yiyuantang's affair." The implication was that they would take not a single coin—someone like Xu Zhengying, who holds real power as a financial official, usually can't even manage to curry favor, so now that they have the opportunity, how could they possibly ask him for money?

Xu Zhengying secretly thought, "You're being sensible," as he prepared to leave, Yuan Shiqing added: "Sir Xu, just what sort of person is that Master Hu? It seems he has studied bone injuries quite a bit." An expert's move reveals whether they have skill; Yuan Shiqing could infer from Hu Xiaotian's handling alone that this young man must be versed in the medical arts.

Xu Zhengying furrowed his brows; he was genuinely puzzled—according to his previous notion, Hu Xiaotian was merely a pampered, ignorant playboy, yet today at Shuiyue Pavilion, Hu Xiaotian's displayed wisdom and learning had already made him look anew, even to say it was shocking would not be an exaggeration. But Hu Xiaotian's performance also left him unable to fathom: when he beat the Qiu brothers at Shuiyue Pavilion, acting unreasonably and bullying with power, even Xu Zhengying thought this fellow went too far in bullying people; yet in the blink of an eye, he turned into a skillful, benevolent great good person, encountering a stranger old man, he was willing to brave the rain to rescue him—those unaware might even think he was a relative of theirs. This kid's temperament is so complex and changeable, truly hard to grasp; perhaps even his own father doesn't know what his son is like.

Xu Zhengying gave a wry smile and said: "He's the son of the Minister of Revenue, Lord Hu—how could he possibly know any medicine?"

Hearing Xu Zhengying say that, Yuan Shiqing wore an expression of utter disbelief; he first gaped with his mouth wide open, then shook his head and said: "How could that be?" No matter what, Yuan Shiqing could not believe Hu Xiaotian lacked medical knowledge; a person who doesn't understand medicine could not possibly perform emergency fracture treatment with such precision—this is truly beyond belief.

Good news stays at home, bad news travels a thousand miles—just as Hu Xiaotian had returned to the Secretary's mansion, he saw Hu An leading a group of people rushing out from the manor in panic, for the news of his fight at Shuiyue Pavilion had already spread back; Hu An, fearing he would suffer a loss, had therefore gathered more than ten servants, preparing to rush to Shuiyue Pavilion to help.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian return safely, Hu An finally relaxed, and naturally there was no longer any need to go help.

Hu Xiaotian returned to his own room, took a hot bath, changed clothes, and then saw a maidservant bringing in a bowl of ginger tea that had just been boiled, with steward Hu An following behind.

Hu An smiled and said: "Young master, drink some ginger tea; you got soaked in the rain—be sure not to catch a chill."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, picked up the ginger tea and drank it, then lifted his head to glance at the maidservant, discovering her appearance was ordinary; he noticed a very strange phenomenon: although the Secretary's mansion should have dozens of maidservants and elderly women, not one among them left a deep impression on him—indeed, not even an average-looking person; generally their looks were below passing standard. By rights it shouldn't be this way; recalling the novels and dramas he'd seen, every wealthy household's maids were like clouds of beauties, yet the overall appearance of the old Hu family's maid squad was rather dreadful—let alone needing a disaster-bringing beauty like Qiuxiang, at least they should have a charming maid like Xichun or Qingwen? But then he thought, he himself wasn't a lovesick Baoyu, so he couldn't demand too much of the maidservants.

Although he had merely given her a straightforward glance, the maidservant's heart was already pounding wildly; knowing she had been assigned to serve the young master for half a year, this young master had never even given her a proper look before, yet today he had examined her face several times—could it be that her appearance had finally moved him? In wealthy households, few maidservants are content with their station; everyone dreams of one day flying up a branch, achieving the inspirational arc of a maid rising to become a mistress; realizing this ideal requires gaining the master's favor—if not the old master, then the young master; that maidservant was still somewhat clever and promptly made a bashful response, her eyes flashing with what she considered a seductive glow.

Seeing the maidservant's affected coyness, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh; this laugh made the maidservant's face flush.

Hu An said to the maidservant: "Xiangning, you have nothing to do here!"

The maidservant grunted assent, unwillingly retreated, and just before leaving she furtively threw Hu Xiaotian a flirtatious glance—an opportunity hard to come by, even a little maid possesses great wisdom; sadly, Hu Xiaotian had no reaction to her glance.

After the maidservant had withdrawn, Hu Xiaotian said: "Steward Hu, have I offended you in any way?"

Hu An, having some understanding of this young master's temper, hurriedly stepped forward and lowered his body even more: "Young master, what prompts you to say that?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "The servants around me—each one uglier than the next; I don't demand breathtaking beauty, but at least they should be pleasing to the eye. Look at the quality of these maidservants, this caliber… is it my aesthetic that's off, or yours?"