Those years when I was cannon fodder

Chapter 11

She Wants to Live

"No, the prescription is right here," declared Third Madam, carefully producing a slightly yellowed piece of paper.

Chu Yu reached out to take it, but Third Madam pulled it back. "I couldn't give it to you initially. You're still young, and I thought I'd keep this prescription for myself. However, I can make a copy for you."

Chu Yu was speechless.

Observing Third Madam as she retrieved pen and paper to transcribe, Chu Yu leaned in and discovered that the characters were simplified Chinese, which she recognized. Relief washed over her.

But she found it peculiar. "Mother, Doctor Xu returned from the capital city. Why doesn't he use special fonts?"

"Oh, you mean those complex and hard-to-remember traditional characters? They are usually reserved for special occasions," explained Third Madam, her face lighting up with a fond reminiscence.

"When your father went to the capital city, he mentioned that the nobles there enjoyed using those intricate characters. He even wrote a love poem for me using those characters."

"I wanted to respond with a poem of my own, but alas, those characters were too challenging for me to learn."

"When I was your age, I attended a village private school for a few years and learned many simplified characters. However, when it came to those complex characters, I was completely gobsmacked."

Third Madam sighed. "So, you must study diligently. Not many people, like Mr. Mo, are proficient in complex characters. Your father paid a great price to acquire a skilled person as your teacher."

Chu Yu's mouth twitched. It seemed they were simply following a trend.

Her father was quite fashionable.

But it became a burden for her and her sisters. It seemed her elder sister and second sister would also have to learn this special font.

Chu Yu didn't even consider it traditional Chinese characters.

Traditional characters were much simpler than this. She remembered studying traditional characters and classical Chinese for a while to understand some original versions of traditional Chinese medicine.

She preferred to call this special font "Oracle Bone Script" or "Primitive Script." No matter how retro or ancient it appeared, she didn't care much for it.

Confirming that Third Madam's transcribed prescription was identical to the original, Chu Yu took it and excused herself. "Mother, I'll go to the study to study. I won't disturb you."

In the study, Chu Yu compared the prescription and confirmed that Third Madam's version was correct.

The additional medicinal ingredient was called Zijing.

It was an herb Chu Yu hadn't encountered in this lifetime.

The person who prepared the pills for her and examined her pulse was Doctor Xu.

If it were two different people, there might be a chance of a mix-up in the prescription.

However, Would Doctor Xu, a retired imperial physician from the capital city filled with intrigue, make such a mistake?

Unless someone informed him that Chu Yu's remaining poison had already been cleared.

She only needed some health-preserving medicine.

Perhaps he even specifically instructed not to change the medicine casually due to her delicate health, to avoid any conflicts. After removing Zijing, it was indeed a prescription that promoted health and strengthened the body.