"Doctor Qian, are you awake?"
"Brother Liu, I'm up," Qian Chuan responded from inside the room.
A short while later, a sturdy man walked in carrying a basin of hot water. Upon seeing the little girl standing there, he paused.
"Doctor Qian… Eh? Who is this?" Liu Dashan asked, looking at Mo Lixia with curiosity.
"This is a child I found in the mountains yesterday," Qian Chuan explained calmly. "She's now my disciple. Little one, hurry and greet Uncle Liu."
Mo Lixia stepped forward and bowed politely. "Greetings, Uncle Liu."
"Oh… Well… Congratulations to Doctor Qian!" Liu Dashan smiled broadly. He placed the hot water down but didn't pry further.
After washing up, Qian Chuan produced a few pieces of silver from his robe and handed them to Liu Dashan.
"Haha, Brother Liu, I still need to trouble you. Please go to the village and hire some strong laborers to build two rooms on the left side of this house. With another person in our household, we need more space."
Mo Lixia didn't know the exact purchasing power of silver in this era, but seeing Liu Dashan's hesitation, she guessed it was a significant sum.
"Doctor Qian, this is too much! We won't be able to use it all!" Liu Dashan tried to refuse.
Qian Chuan insisted, pushing the silver into his hands. "Brother Liu, take it. My disciple just arrived and needs daily necessities. Her clothes and bedding also need your attention. I'm still recovering, so I'll have to rest for a while."
Liu Dashan knew Qian Chuan's temper. The doctor had helped his family immensely over the past few years.
"Alright. After dinner, I'll go make the arrangements," Liu Dashan agreed, planning to buy the best quality items for the little girl.
After Liu Dashan left to prepare breakfast, Mo Lixia turned to the elder.
"Master, thank you."
Qian Chuan glanced at her and saw the genuine relief on her face. "Since I am your Master, this is my duty. Don't thank me, just go wash your face!"
Breakfast was simple: steamed rice, white buns, and a dish of fatty meat with cabbage.
It wasn't surprising. In this era, fatty meat was a luxury, and people believed it was good for the sick.
"Master, you should avoid this fatty meat. It's not good for your health."
Before Qian Chuan could pick up his chopsticks, Mo Lixia spoke up. "I saw some medicinal pills in the pharmacy last night. I'll fetch them for you."
She hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a clean bowl, and skillfully picked out all the fatty meat from Qian Chuan's bowl, leaving only the cabbage.
Although Qian Chuan wasn't entirely happy about losing his meat, he knew she was right. He sighed internally. How did I end up with such a strict little manager? Did I dream about having a disciple all night?
"Where did you learn about those medicines?" he asked.
"I smelled the aroma of Chicken Gut Herb," Mo Lixia replied. She knew this herb was effective for heart conditions.
Qian Chuan nodded, satisfied.
After breakfast, while Mo Lixia washed the dishes, Liu Dashan returned with seven or eight strong villagers to start the construction. It was impressive how efficiently things moved in this village.
Since Qian Chuan was weak and bedridden, he left everything for Liu Dashan to handle.
A few days later, a village woman brought clothes for Mo Lixia. They were hand-me-downs from children in the village, slightly worn out, but Mo Lixia didn't mind. They were far better than the strange, oversized robes she had been wearing.
In the evening, Liu Dashan's wife even boiled hot water and helped Mo Lixia take a warm bath.
Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, Mo Lixia noticed a small red birthmark on her left earlobe. Thankfully, it wasn't on her face.
Days passed, and the two new rooms were finished. Liu Dashan even arranged for the Carpenter Meng family to furnish the new home, including a small vanity for the girl.
Lying in her new bed, Mo Lixia felt like she was dreaming, yet everything was incredibly real.
She wondered if this place was Earth in the past, or a parallel dimension? The culture and language were strikingly similar to ancient China.
Fortunately, I met Master, she thought. Without him, a poor orphan like me would have been eaten by wolves or captured by bandits.
If she were unlucky, she might have ended up as a maid in a brothel or a slave. Thinking of this, Mo Lixia shuddered.
During the noisy construction days, Qian Chuan had asked Mo Lixia to read medical books by his bedside. He wanted to test her knowledge.
Mo Lixia knew exactly what Qian Chuan was thinking. Playing the role of a seven-year-old, she dared not reveal too much.
The text was similar to Traditional Chinese characters. She pretended to struggle with the complex ones. For simpler herbs, she told Qian Chuan everything she knew. For rarer herbs, she held back.
However, she was amazed by some herbs she had never seen in modern times.
There was "Cooling Grass," which grew in freezing mountain depths—a potent antidote for fire poison. There was also "Blood Dragon Ginseng," a legendary herb for longevity. Mo Lixia couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of this ancient world.
Qian Chuan, on the other hand, was ecstatic.
He thought he had picked up a genius! whenever he pointed something out, this little disciple understood immediately and could even draw inferences. She was far sharper than any apprentice he had ever seen.
However, Qian Chuan discovered that his new disciple knew nothing about acupuncture or pulse diagnosis. He wasn't surprised; she was still young, after all.
Mo Lixia gradually settled into her new life.
She learned that this country was called the Great Imperial Dynasty, and it was currently the 35th year of the Hongchang Era.
They lived in Quling Village, near Chuliang Town in Fucheng County. The village was situated behind Mount Pei.
Mo Lixia remembered the mountain she had crossed—the one with the giant snake.
Qian Chuan told her a secret about that mountain.
"That mountain used to be deserted because of a giant snake. No one dared to approach it," Qian Chuan said with a smile. "When I arrived, I bought the entire mountain for just ten taels of silver."
Mo Lixia's eyes widened. Ten taels? That's practically stealing!
"The snake is spiritual. It recognizes its master," Qian Chuan said proudly. "It didn't attack me because of fate. Now, I am the owner of Mount Pei."
Mo Lixia looked at his happy expression and realized he had made a massive profit. According to him, Mount Pei was a treasure trove filled with rare medicinal herbs that no one dared to harvest.