Frühlingsreise

Kapitel 82

The cloaked doctor seemed to understand her meaning and said, "Here's what we'll do. I'll stay here for three days. If you need anything during those three days, you can find me."

As he spoke, he stood up. The shopkeeper hurriedly asked about the consultation fee. He smiled slightly, his face still covered in dust, but his smile was as lovely as an orchid and as sweet as musk. "The plums are very good; they can be used as payment for the consultation fee."

He stayed in town that night.

The plums tasted really good; he hadn't had an appetite in a long time, yet he ate several plums in a row. The inn in town was very simple; the room only had a bed, a table, and a chair, and the oil lamp was dim. He washed his face under that dim light. The next day, he went to work as a resident doctor at the town's pharmacy.

This has always been his way of life. He doesn't charge a consultation fee, only a small fee for each consultation, and he only stays for two or three days. Most pharmacy owners, seeing his skillful methods, would welcome him.

Three days later, the old man from the tea stall came with his daughter and grandson. As soon as he entered, his daughter knelt down and said, "Thank you so much, doctor! My child's condition has indeed improved."

“Her in-laws are preparing to take them back,” the old man said, his eyes stinging. “The miracle doctor really saved two lives.” His daughter had been depressed because of this, growing thinner every day. Now he finally didn’t have to worry anymore; even in the afterlife, he could see his daughter’s mother. He couldn’t help but kneel down before the young people in the hall.

"Please rise, sir." The young man helped him up. "Continue taking the medicine for another three months to cure this illness completely. Since you're all better now, I'll be going now."

The pharmacy owner was unwilling to let such a good doctor slip away, and repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay: "From now on, we'll split the consultation fees 50/50—no, you get 70% and I get 30%, okay? I also have a house that I can give you, sir, so you can settle down here..."

"I have other things to do," the young doctor said.

He left that day anyway.

Later, Gejiadian kept this story as a legend. People said that he was actually a deity descended to earth, otherwise why would he use plums as payment for a consultation? Ah, it's probably that the old man's plum tree became a spirit and came to repay its master's kindness.

By the time people said that, he had already traveled a long way. He had walked many roads, and finally one day, he took off his black cloak.

Patients don't care if his hair is white or not; they only care about his medical skills. So he probably doesn't need to care either.

Chapter 161

You don't need to worry about it, right?

Thus, a legendary doctor with white hair and a youthful face appeared on the official road between Suzhou and Hangzhou. Before he even entered Hangzhou, there were already patients waiting for him.

He took out the loose change he had earned from seeing doctors along the way and counted it. It totaled one hundred and twenty-three taels, which might not be enough.

If you look at just one big client, he could get much more than this, but he's been traveling all over the place and only earning these small amounts of money.

Although there are some difficult and complicated cases, most of them are minor symptoms such as dysentery and high fever.

Why bother with minor ailments that we usually consider a waste of time? Because someone once said, "Whether it's a major or minor ailment, it's still an illness, and patients suffer the same way. Doctors save lives, so why should they bother with major or minor illnesses?"

"Yes, I see patients, not diseases." He walked into Hangzhou carrying his not-so-full purse. "I'll always remember that."

As night fell and lanterns were slowly lit, he hadn't walked far when he was suddenly pulled into an alley and a knife was pressed against his back.

"Hand over the money." The robber's voice trembled, and his body seemed to tremble as well.

You're a newbie, aren't you?

He had been robbed along this stretch of road before, but he remained calm, saying, "I have no money."

"You have it, you have it! I watched you count the money! Give it to me now! Now!" The robber shouted, but didn't actually move. Was he afraid the man would retaliate while he was taking the money bag? No, he was trembling all over, his face contorted in the dim light, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Quick...give me the money, give me the money...give me the medicine...give me the medicine..."

He was already out of his mind, his hand holding the knife flailing wildly. He dodged quickly, but was still cut by the blade. Meanwhile, the robber himself was slashing his own arm repeatedly, yelling "Ahhh!"

He snatched the robber's knife and placed his fingertips on the robber's pulse. Had he ingested opium? The world calls it a panacea, and many have lost everything because of it. The robber was already out of his mind; something reached out and bit him, causing him excruciating pain, yet he couldn't shake it off.

Blood flowed out, and the man swallowed uncontrollably. The young doctor's vision gradually blurred, and his body leaned against the wall, slumping down limply.

I woke up at the Hua family's house.

His destination was the Hua family, but he never expected to arrive there in this way.

He had never been to the Hua family before, and he only realized this after seeing Hua Qianchu.

He wasn't familiar with Hua Qianchu, but he was more familiar with Qianye. However, these twin sisters looked as if they were carved from the same mold, and both possessed stunning beauty.

The one who rescued him was Yan Shengjin, the steward of the Hua family. He was gentle and calm, and handled matters flawlessly. The robber had already escaped when he woke up, but Yan Shengjin still managed to find him. The robber's surname was Liu and his given name was Kun. His ancestors had some savings, but they were all squandered in his hands. He had no choice but to commit crimes. When he was caught, he had already resigned himself to his fate and said, "I have offended you, young master. I deserve to die."

He waved his hand lightly, not intending to do anything to him. Liu Kun, naturally relieved, quickly retreated, but then suddenly realized something was wrong, "Stop!"

Liu Kun stopped, his heart pounding. He had snatched him, bitten him, and even slashed him with a knife. How could he get away so easily?

He placed his fingertips on Liu Kun's pulse, his brows furrowing slightly. "You've taken some kind of miraculous medicine, haven't you?"

Chapter 162

"I only ended up like this because I touched that medicine." Liu Kun said with deep regret.

But... the pulse under the fingertips is balanced, meaning there is no more poppy toxin in this person's body.

He suddenly looked up. "Who healed you? Where is that person?"

If he hadn't witnessed this person's attack last night, he would never have imagined that anyone in the world could have the ability to cure poppy poisoning overnight, leaving the patient completely unharmed. Could he have imagined it yesterday? No, no, the wound on his hand was still painfully reminding him that yesterday wasn't a dream.

Liu Kun was bewildered. "Who is it? Who will deal with me?"

"Didn't you go to see a doctor yesterday?"

"Young master, where would I get the money to see a doctor!"

Liu Kun didn't seem to be lying, and he couldn't do anything about it, so he waved him away. In the afternoon, accompanied by Yan Shengjin, he found the location where he had been robbed the night before.

The traces of blood were still there, but now there was a ring of ants and mosquitoes around them, all of them stiff.

The snow in the center trembled.

The next day, Yang Luoxue summoned Liu Kun and gave him a bowl of medicine.