"Regret?" Zhang Jiantang sneered!
How could he regret?
If he let this kid talk nonsense in front of the mayor, the mayor might really believe there was an epidemic. He would regret it then. He needed to quickly get rid of this kid.
Not charging for treatnt? Here to ruin the business?
The patients also said, "Leave quickly, what are you still doing here? Be careful or you’ll get beaten!"
Xia Wenjin turned to leave when suddenly a strong man hurriedly ca running from the east road. His eyes were anxiously scanning around, and when he spotted Xia Wenjin, his eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over, shouting loudly from afar, "Little brother, little brother, I’ve found you..."
The voice was so loud, it startled the whole street.
The patients inside Doctor Zhang’s clinic also looked over, and soone whispered, "Isn’t that Liu Dahai from our village? Does he know this outsider as well?"
anwhile, the strong man Liu Dahai had already sped over, grabbing Xia Wenjin’s arm urgently, saying, "Little brother, it’s my fault for not listening to you. Please forgive and co look at my wife’s illness!"
His appearance was terrifying—his hair was disheveled, eyes bloodshot, clothes wrinkled, and his face sared with sweat and dust, suggesting he hadn’t slept all night and had rushed over here.
Many people were surprised by his words.
Liu Dahai, who was in such a hurry, was looking for this young outsider for a consultation?
Soone from his village imdiately said, "Dahai, are you mistaken? Doctor Zhang is right in the clinic, why are you looking for a young lad?"
Liu Dahai glared at the words "Doctor Zhang’s Clinic" with a fierce look, gritting his teeth, "He’s just a quack who drains people’s savings; seven days ago, he took all our family savings for treating my father, and not only did my father’s illness not improve, it got worse. Three days ago, I begged him to look at my father again, but since I had no money, he kicked out."
His appearance was already disheveled, and with that fierce look in his eyes, he was quite frightening. However, when a person is worried about their family, people would sympathize rather than be afraid.
Especially after hearing his words, everyone understood—they all knew Doctor Zhang was like that, recognizing only money, not people.
Soone said, "Even if you’re not seeing Doctor Zhang, what’s the point in seeing this little trickster?"
Liu Dahai’s eyes widened, "Who’s the trickster? Did he cheat you out of your money or your land? I don’t have a penny, but this young lad voluntarily treated my dad yesterday without charging a cent! Have you ever seen such a trickster? Are you blind?"
When Xia Wenjin saw Liu Dahai, her heart sank. Only one night and Liu Dahai’s wife had beco ill? She hurriedly asked, "What about the child?"
Liu Dahai said, "When my wife got sick today, she imdiately cried and said she regretted not listening to you and urged to send the child to her uncle’s place. I first sent the child there and then ca to find you."
Xia Wenjin anxiously said, "Let’s walk and talk!"
Both imdiately quickened their pace to leave.
The people in the clinic exchanged glances at each other; Liu Dahai’s words confird one thing—the young man could indeed treat illnesses and he truly did not charge money.
Moreover, from his words, it seed the youngster had predicted sothing, but Liu Dahai didn’t believe it, and it happened to co true after just one night, which is why Liu Dahai rushed over.
Seeing everyone silent, Zhang Jiantang knew what they were thinking. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Everyone trusts so much that I deeply feel we’re like one big family. So, today, the consultation fees are half off! Those who are sick, co for a consultation; those who aren’t, hurry on ho!"
The patients had co for Zhang Jiantang, and hearing that the fees were halved, they were very pleased and quickly queued up for his treatnt.
Zhang Jiantang sneered in his heart, challenging him? Doesn’t he know a strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake?
Xia Wenjin paid no mind to Zhang Jiantang’s petty thoughts. She asked Liu Dahai, "What’s the situation?"
As they walked, Liu Dahai explained, "Little brother, my wife told what you said about the red spots yesterday... Little brother, I also have red spots on my body. My wife is sick—will I get sick too? Is there dicine?"
It turned out that after angrily chasing away Xia Wenjin yesterday, his wife tried to persuade him with a few words, but he was too stubborn to listen.
Plus, with Uncle Liu’s condition worsening and needing care, he was even more impatient to listen.
At midnight, Uncle Liu began coughing up blood again. While the couple was nursing him at the bedside, suddenly the wife started coughing, spitting blood on the ground, and fainting right after.
This scared Liu Dahai into a panic; he hurriedly carried her back to the room. He was exhausted from taking care of two patients and didn’t sleep a wink all night.
As dawn approached, his wife woke up, and the first thing she did was grab his hand and urge him to send the child to her uncle’s as quickly as possible.
Thinking of Xia Wenjin’s words and the word "contagious," Liu Dahai beca even more alard.
After delivering the child to his uncle’s, he imdiately went to find Xia Wenjin. Soone said this young outsider was lodging at Uncle Kuang’s, so he ran over there, and Auntie Kang told him Xia Wenjin might be at Doctor Zhang’s clinic, sending him rushing to town.
Having no horse, he ran all the way, several miles from the village to the town.
The horse was ridden by Huangfu Jingchen; Xia Wenjin and Liu Dahai were on foot, both quickening their steps.
In their hurry, they arrived at Liu Dahai’s house, where his wife had fainted again. There was a bloodstain on the floor in front of the bed, clearly from more blood she had coughed up.
Liu Dahai was extrely worried. After seeing Xia Wenjin inside, he quickly went to the east room to check on his father.
Xia Wenjin took the woman’s pulse; her pulse was much more chaotic compared to yesterday, her breathing sluggish and unstable. Xia Wenjin unbuttoned her clothing, and upon her chest, the red spot had grown to the size of a pea.
Overnight, it had doubled in size.
The growth rate of these red spots was too fast.
After adjusting the woman’s clothes, Liu Dahai ca over.
Xia Wenjin said, "Let see the red spots on you!"
Already inford about the red spots by his wife, Liu Dahai looked quite somber, but being the head of the household with both his father and wife ill, he couldn’t collapse.
He opened his shirt, and at the heart, a red spot the size of a fingernail was glaringly conspicuous.
Xia Wenjin’s heart sank; yesterday the woman said his red spot was the size of a soybean, and now it was a fingernail—at this pace, the strong man would also fall ill by tomorrow.
How many families in the village were like this? How many families in the town were like this?
Liu Dahai’s family had no savings; seven days ago, Doctor Zhang took everything for treating his father. Without money, Doctor Zhang wouldn’t see them, leaving Uncle Liu’s illness unattended. Now if two more fell ill, a family of three, who would take care of them all if they were sick?
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