The Lucky Farmgirl

How hard Imperial Doctor Lu has worked! That prescription has now spread all over the country, yet it has at least brought something in return.

He was promoted last year, partly due to his own work on the front lines, and partly because of that prescription. The heritage left by his ancestors was not wasted.

But this time, the process of cultivating the smallpox strain and addressing the various issues regarding inoculation were all gradually explored by him and Zhou Man.

From the end of January until now, he has stayed at the imperial manor for a full six months. During these six months, he took less than a third of the rest days. The rest of the time was mostly spent at the imperial manor.

Out of twelve hours a day, aside from sleeping and eating, he was either researching this or pondering prescriptions at the medicine hall, causing his hair to fall out in handfuls.

Because it was funded by the emperor, coordinated by the Imperial Hospital, and led by Zhou Man, he didn’t refuse to teach his colleagues from the Imperial Hospital and wasn’t stingy teaching students from the Imperial Doctor’s Bureau either. But even teaching folk doctors went a bit too far.

What does it mean to plant a tree for future generations to enjoy its shade?

It means that as a predecessor, he planted the tree so that his descendants could acquire the technology and enjoy its shade. Just like how he learned the skills left by his ancestors to enter the Imperial Hospital and further advanced with that prescription.

Manbao seemed to know what he was thinking, so after he rejected Director Xiao, she sat on a small stool with him, watching the sunset in the sky.

Imperial Doctor Lu knew this suggestion was proposed by Zhou Man. In fact, in the entire Imperial Hospital, only Zhou Man would make such a suggestion.

If it were anyone else, he would have spat right in their face, cursing them for being a toad lusting after swan meat, delusional to covet someone else’s heritage.

But because it was Zhou Man, he held back. Heaven knows how her heart works, perhaps naturally devoid of ulterior motives, so it wasn’t about coveting, it was simply what she thought.

So seeing her sit over, Imperial Doctor Lu picked up the small stool and moved to the other side, disdainfully avoiding sitting in the same row, not just the same seat as Zhou Man.

The medical assistants, who had been added to the staff and lived in the same courtyard, carefully clustered near the window to watch.

Today, some medical assistants overheard the argument between Imperial Doctor Lu and Director Xiao, and soon everyone knew about it.

However, at this moment, Director Xiao and the other imperial doctors had all left, leaving only Imperial Doctor Lu and Imperial Doctor Zhou in charge at the imperial manor.

Seeing Imperial Doctor Lu in a sulk, Manbao hesitated for a moment but did not move the stool over. According to her usual temperament, no matter where he moved, she would follow, if not to drive him mad then to make him faint with anger.

But thinking it over, she decided to let it go. Imperial Doctor Lu wasn’t young anymore, so she decided not to provoke him.

Manbao stayed put, with three zhang between her and Imperial Doctor Lu, if the courtyard were any larger, it might even rival the distance of the Milky Way across the sky.

Manbao carefully considered her words, struggling for quite a while but still unable to come up with any comforting words, so she decided to go straightforward: "What would it take for you to agree?"

Imperial Doctor Lu glanced at her and after a long silence couldn’t help but snort lightly, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, you have to let us leave some livelihood for our descendants, don’t you?"

Manbao was puzzled, "Everyone gets sick, and as long as the people of the world exist, the number of sick people won’t decrease. Even if more people become skilled in medicine, your descendants will still be able to see patients."

Imperial Doctor Lu said, "But the ladder to the heavens is only so wide. With fewer people, there aren’t too many to squeeze in with them."

He said, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, not everyone has the talent you have. For our descendants, their advantage is the knowledge accumulated by our ancestors. The most we can leave for our descendants is just a small bit of knowledge."

Manbao opened her mouth, wanting to say something like her mother would: each generation finds its own fortune.

She thought, we aren’t even sure about our own futures or health, how can we plan for the future of our descendants?

But seeing the frown on Imperial Doctor Lu’s face, Manbao swallowed those words down.

In the world, some parents are broad-minded, and naturally, there are also parents who worry to death about their children and grandchildren.

Though Manbao couldn’t quite understand their mindset, she didn’t argue but said, "Imperial Doctor Lu, the medical assistants learning about smallpox inoculation with us today, the future students of the Imperial Doctor’s Bureau, and the local medical staff who will return to the capital, they will spread the technique as well. But it will be slower by a few years or maybe ten to twenty years compared to us teaching actively today. By the time your descendants need these techniques, they might already have spread throughout the country."

Imperial Doctor Lu’s face darkened slightly.

Manbao continued, "It’s just like rice and wheat. Once people knew they were edible and could be cultivated by hand, they began to spread. Now throughout the world, in all the places we know, they plant rice where rice can grow and wheat where wheat can grow."

Imperial Doctor Lu replied proudly, "Medical skills aren’t something anyone can learn, much less master, and they are more complex than farming."

Manbao acknowledged this, "However, you must understand, medical skills concern life itself. Unlike other technical crafts, humanity’s pursuit of life has always been fervent, no matter the era. Therefore, a medical technique, if kept hidden, will lead to one of two results: either it will cease to be passed down and perish in the annals of history, or it will spread widely, known by all physicians."

Manbao’s understanding wasn’t just because she was smarter than most people, but more importantly, because of her educational lineage in medicine—Teacher Mo.

Teacher Mo, standing from a perspective of interstellar civilization, taught Manbao on his journey back to the past.

While searching for ancient prescriptions left behind by history, he knew that more things had been lost than preserved. He frequently lamented the disappearance of these medical techniques with Manbao, regretting how many things had become historical mysteries, their true meaning eluding even the most dedicated researchers of posterity.

If it were something else, Manbao wouldn’t dare to easily speak of inheritance, because, for some things, disappearance is preferable to existence, and small-scale transmission more advantageous than wide dissemination.

But this involved life-saving medical skills, especially smallpox, a historical scourge that has long been incurable. For thousands of years, nearly all physicians were powerless before it. They could only prescribe some medicine and leave the rest to fate, relying on the patient’s own endurance.

Since there is now a prescription to prevent and treat smallpox, Manbao doesn’t want such tragedies to happen again.

She said, "Imperial Doctor Lu, I think since the future will see this spread anyway, why don’t we take the initiative now and earn a good reputation?"

She tempted him, "Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be remembered in history."

Imperial Doctor Lu wasn’t very moved, "I’m not a civil official, what do I need a place in history for?"

He preferred tangible benefits.

Hearing this, Manbao felt a bit angry, about to suggest bartering, but before she could say anything, Imperial Doctor Lu sighed, "Alright, go ahead and spread it if you want."

Manbao immediately swallowed her words and curiously asked, "Why did you suddenly agree?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!