Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 385: Journey Afar (Part 2)

Cough, cough, cough!

The caravan stopped for a break, and as soon as Sun Guangbai got off the carriage, he was choked by the dust and coughed incessantly.

Shanxing quickly approached and reached out to pat Sun Guangbai’s back. Sun Guangbai dodged while coughing: "I’m fine, a few coughs and it’ll be okay. Go rest over there."

A trace of disappointment flashed across Shanxing’s clear black eyes. However, she was used to Sun Guangbai’s aloofness, nodded in response, and went over to Lin Huiniang and the others.

Sun Guangbai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to marry and start a family, so he had to keep his distance from all women to avoid any misunderstandings. Especially with Shanxing, it wasn’t that he despised her background, but he felt that, being seven or eight years older than Shanxing, it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of a young girl.

Doctor Sun, sitting in the carriage, saw this scene and instinctively glanced at his own son.

Who would have thought that with such a silly demeanor, there would still be girls who like him?

After resting for half an hour, the group ate some dry food, drank water, and the caravan set off again.

Sun Guangbai, sitting in the carriage, had nothing to do, so he poked his head out to look at the scenery outside, occasionally expressing admiration. Doctor Sun, annoyed by his son’s noise, said with a stern face: "The journey to Pingzhou will take about a month. The road is long; find something useful to do and don’t waste time."

"There are medical books in the box and the ancient prescriptions for treating plagues that you and your siblings have compiled. Read and memorize them."

Sun Guangbai felt stressed: "We’re on the road, and the bumpy carriage ride makes reading medical books harmful to the eyes and body... Father, please don’t glare at me; I’ll read and memorize the prescriptions right away."

Without his sister’s banter, he didn’t know how many scoldings he’d have to endure on this journey.

Sun Guangbai sighed inwardly and obediently picked up the medical book to read.

Doctor Sun wasn’t idle either. He set up a small table in the carriage and took out a fine charcoal pencil and a bound booklet.

Sun Guangbai secretly peeked at what his father was doing while memorizing prescriptions. After a while, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Father, are you writing a medical book?"

Doctor Sun grunted, his hand never stopping, meticulously drawing the shape of an herb.

Studying medicine is no easy task. There are only a few top apricot families in Da Liang, with medical skills passed down through generations. Ordinary people who wish to become doctors must apprentice for over ten years before they can practice. Folk doctors in rural areas, with unrefined skills, dare to practice after learning a few prescriptions.

The medical books available in the market are limited to just a few.

"I’ve always wanted to write a medical book," Doctor Sun said casually after writing for half an hour, putting down his charcoal pencil for a brief rest. "When I was in the Prince Mansion, I was quite free and wrote a little. This time, traveling to Pingzhou, the journey is long, and there’s plenty of free time on the road to organize some prescriptions."

"If there’s an opportunity in the future to have the medical book printed and spread, that would be my life’s greatest wish."

Sun Guangbai looked back innocently: "If Father has such a wish, you should tell the Commandery Princess. With her generosity, she would certainly agree. Why are you looking at me like this? Your son doesn’t have such great ability."

Doctor Sun’s mouth twitched, and he suddenly felt the urge to discipline.

Unfortunately, in the rush, he hadn’t brought the family rules with him. Otherwise, he could have taught this rebellious son a lesson right now.

Sun Guangbai sensed the long-missed threat in his father’s familiar gaze and quickly smiled ingratiatingly: "Father has been writing for so long; you must be tired. Why not get off the carriage for a walk?"

Doctor Sun nodded slightly and got off the carriage.

At this time, they hadn’t yet left Nanyang County, and the road was quite peaceful. Doctor Sun strolled slowly for a while, then turned to speak to his son, only to find there was no one behind him.

Upon further inspection, he saw Sun Guangbai in the distance, laughing and joking with a few trusted aides, holding a piece of braised beef from who knows where, eating with delight.

Doctor Sun, filled with anger, thought that this rascal son of his didn’t even think of his father when there was good food.

"Sun Junyi," a personal soldier laughed and nudged Sun Guangbai, "Doctor Sun is looking for you!"

"He’s not really looking for me; he just wants to scold me again." Sun Guangbai didn’t even lift his head, continuing to eat happily, "Don’t mind him, I’ll finish this beef to satisfy my craving first."

The personal soldiers were all amused, laughing heartily.

Sun Guangbai served as a military doctor in the Personal Guard Camp, being easygoing and humorous, loved interacting with the soldiers. Miss Sun was actually more skilled in medicine, but being a young lady, the soldiers didn’t feel comfortable approaching her. If they caught a cold or faced difficult male issues, they naturally sought out Sun Guangbai.

"Sun Junyi must be really hungry!" another personal soldier laughed, offering a small packet of pork jerky: "This pork jerky was personally made by Bao Er, it’s very fragrant. Keep it for snacking."

Sun Guangbai didn’t stand on ceremony, thanked him with a grin, and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

The caravan set off again; Sun Guangbai, like presenting a treasure, took out the packet of pork jerky from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Doctor Sun, whose face was stern: "This is pork jerky given to me by the personal soldiers, Father should try it."

Doctor Sun’s mood slightly improved. He took the pork jerky, opened it, tasted a piece, and nodded in satisfaction: "The taste is quite acceptable."

Sun Guangbai grinned: "As long as Father likes it."

A packet of pork jerky could soothe his father’s mood, allowing him to avoid some scoldings and beatings, which was quite a good deal. Once they finished this packet, he’d ask the personal soldiers for more.

With Ruyi’s calculations in his mind, Sun Guangbai pretended to earnestly pick up the medical book, humming a ditty in his mind.

Doctor Sun, after eating two slices of pork jerky, continued his meticulous writing of the medical book. For a rare moment, the father and son shared peaceful time together.

Sadly, these peaceful days didn’t last many. By the fourth day, the carriage was frequently filled with Doctor Sun’s resonant scolds.

"Where has all your medical book reading gone? Two days of reading and you still can’t remember; is your brain filled with water!"

"I just remembered one auxiliary medicine wrong..."

"In practicing medicine, how can you get prescriptions wrong? Even auxiliary medicines can’t be wrong! Copy this prescription ten times to improve your memory. Next time, I’ll break your leg."

"Copying it ten times is too many; would five times do?"

"Twenty times!"

Sun Guangbai, with a sour face, held the pen and copied the prescription.

The personal soldiers outside the carriage all lowered their heads, stifling laughter.

Those sitting in the carriage behind, including Lin Huiniang and others, also started laughing.

"Who would have thought Doctor Sun to be such a strict father?" Lin Huiniang quietly laughed, "Usually, he seems quite affable, but when scolding Sun Junyi, he’s full of energy."

"Isn’t that the truth? Sun Junyi is quite jovial in front of others, but in front of Doctor Sun, he turns into a pushover, not daring to make a sound."

All the ladies chatted and laughed, except for Shanxing, who remained silent.

During the break, Shanxing quietly got off the carriage and went over to Sun Guangbai’s carriage.