The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law

Gu Youyou was stunned for a moment before nodding and saying, "Hm? Ah! I’m opening a clinic! Colleague, why are you so happy about that, aren’t you afraid that I’ll steal your business?"

Qin Changlin was both shocked and delighted, saying, "Afraid? Not at all, I’d be thrilled if you opened a clinic in town. You don’t know, ever since my teacher returned to the town, he’s hardly ever in Jisheng Hall. I, having taken up this profession halfway, am simply like a duck being forced onto a perch. I’m scared of prescribing the wrong remedies and then having the patients report me to the county office.

If you really come, don’t open a clinic on your own. First, a new clinic doesn’t have a reputation, the neighbors won’t trust it, and besides, the silver needed... it’s not a small sum. How about this? I’ll talk to my teacher and have you join us at Jisheng Hall as a consulting doctor, how does that sound?"

This proposition somewhat tempted Gu Youyou. She suppressed the excitement in her heart and said, "Is that possible? A female doctor?"

Qin Changlin assured her, "Yes, of course, it’s possible. A female doctor is perfect, after all, many women who fall ill feel too embarrassed to seek out a male doctor, it’s more convenient for them. Only...,"

His tone shifted, revealing his dilemma, "Last time, it was temporary, and deceiving everyone by sitting behind a curtain worked fine, but if you’re going to consult permanently, sitting behind a curtain won’t do. And... in our Zhuzhao Country, female doctors are indeed a pitiful sight. Occasionally, there are female doctors with decent medical skills who wind up having no patients to treat, and in the end, they can only go to Yanliu Lane to treat the sick girls there. So generally, women don’t study medicine."

Gu Youyou raised an eyebrow, slightly astonished, and said, "Why is that?"

Qin Changlin explained, "Most medics are males, and it’s inconvenient for a male teacher to take on a female apprentice, unless it’s a wealthy family that hires a doctor specifically to teach at home. But the wealthy wouldn’t let their daughters learn these things, thinking it’s useless! Generally, female doctors are those girls from Yanliu Lane. Their skill levels are average; when they pass on their skills, they only teach how to treat diseases specific to girls! Such illnesses are inconvenient for a male doctor to treat, you see!"

After hearing this, Gu Youyou was dumbfounded; given the feudal society they lived in, it all made perfect sense.