Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Warning

For the wealthy, health is the most important, and even a minor ailment requires immediate medical attention and medication.

But for the poor, their health is the least valued; they save wherever they can. If they get sick, they delay treatment until there is no other choice but to consult a doctor.

Firstly, there are few doctors, and secondly, the cost of treatment is high.

Xia Wenjin has witnessed the hardships of the people and deeply feels their plight.

Changing this situation is very difficult. An individual’s power is limited, unless the Nanxia Court truly considers helping the people a national policy and ensures that illnesses are treated.

However, this is not something that can be achieved overnight. Firstly, the training of doctors takes three to five years, and once they are trained, opening a clinic or becoming a traveling doctor can earn them a lot of silver.

For the impoverished commoners, it means paying a hefty price for treatment, which they cannot afford.

“How is this an unnecessary expense? A minor illness dragged into a major one, isn’t it costing more now?” The elderly man sighed!

Xia Wenjin was pulled back into thought; this is a problem she currently couldn’t change. She asked Zhuzi, “Did your mother say several people in the village got this illness?”

Zhuzi shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

It was the elderly man who explained, “We live close to the mountains. Normally, it’s fine, but if a few days of bad rain come during summer, some miasma descends from the mountains. We live a bit far, so it’s better for us, but the villagers near the mountain inhale the miasma and fall ill. However, it’s not a serious illness, and it gets better in ten days to half a month. It’s like this every year! Just before you young nobles arrived, we had four consecutive days of rain here. After the rain, fresh mushrooms grow on the mountain, and if picked and sent to town, they can be exchanged for some silver. Zhuzi’s mother must have inhaled the miasma while picking mushrooms, which made her sick!”

Although Xia Wenjin did not approach, from Zhuzi’s mother’s complexion, there were indeed chronic ailments lingering in her, particularly in her lungs.

Inhaling miasma triggers old ailments in the lungs, making breathing difficult, which actually does make sense. However, Xia Wenjin frowned slightly.

Inside, Zhuzi’s mother felt guilty for disturbing people’s sleep in the deep night, repeatedly urging the elderly man and Xia Wenjin to return to sleep. She didn’t know Huangfu Jingchen had already ridden to town to call a doctor.

The three of them didn’t leave but sat for a while longer, and then they heard the sound of hooves; Zhuzi opened the door to see Huangfu Jingchen arriving with the town’s doctor.

Such speed made Zhuzi’s jaw drop. The town is three or four miles from the village, and going back and forth should take at least over an hour. Yet this took less than half an hour.

Moreover, he had just roughly mentioned where he lived to that young gentleman, who somehow found the place accurately.

He didn’t know that Huangfu Jingchen galloped there and back, putting the doctor on the horse. Though the doctor couldn’t ride, with Huangfu Jingchen’s care, the horse didn’t slow down. He followed closely all the way with his Qinggong.

Upon entering, Huangfu Jingchen looked at Xia Wenjin, who shook her head and shrugged, saying, “They won’t let me see!”

The doctor, over fifty years old, with a pair of goatee beards, exuded a shrewdness, and upon entering, his eyes darted around the room, probably estimating how much he could earn from this visit.

Huangfu Jingchen pushed him inside, coldly saying, “I told you your fee won’t be lessened. Check the patient first!”

On the way, he was quite irritated.

That doctor was the only doctor in town, and when Huangfu Jingchen found him, he had already slept. Upon hearing he was needed to save someone in the village, he declined in every possible way.

In the end, he even demanded an examination fee of a tael of silver, with the treatment fees to be calculated separately, and later the medicine costs would be extra.

A tael of silver in this town is like a lion’s roar; Huangfu Jingchen didn’t mind this, but the doctor’s attitude was disgusting. It took a tael of silver for him to agree to pick up his medicine chest and leave.

Huangfu Jingchen paid him the silver before going out.

The doctor protested, claiming he couldn’t ride a horse, and since they’d be riding instead of taking a sedan, he was scared in the pitch dark and demanded another tael of silver.

Seeing the doctor exploiting the situation, Huangfu Jingchen really wanted to toss him down, but Zhuzi didn’t trust Xia Wenjin, even though Xia Wenjin was skilled in treating his wounds; unknown if she was adept at treating other illnesses. Besides, if truly left here for treatment, it would delay the journey and displease Xia Wenjin. Finding a doctor to substitute was a joyful thing for all.

He endured and gave more silver.

The doctor grinned widely, biting into it with mouse-like teeth, and saw the white marks, satisfactorily nodding.

Ready to move, the doctor caused another fuss, demanding a lantern be lit, or he’d be scared.

Huangfu Jingchen become angry; this person didn’t have an ounce of the benevolence of a healer? He directly hoisted him onto the horse and patted the horse’s rump, making it run.

The man’s screams made it sound like pigs being slaughtered. Seeing Huangfu Jingchen catching up, he shouted, saying if frightened, he not only couldn’t treat the illness but demanded compensation. Also, previously given examination fees wouldn’t be refunded.

Huangfu Jingchen wasn’t bothered about examination fees or compensation, but if the man was truly frightened, it might affect diagnosis. He had to bear with it and let the horse slow a bit.

Yet this doctor wouldn’t quiet down, saying he had been frightened and needed a tael to calm down.

After getting a tael, they had already left town. On the road to the village, he deemed it too far and asked for another tael.

Huangfu Jingchen withdrew his Soft Sword in a flash, pressing it against the man’s throat, coldly saying, “I don’t think you need to go. In this dark, my sword could slit your throat and send you to Yama Hall to spend silver!”

The chilling blade gleamed even in the night, making one’s scalp numb. Huangfu Jingchen, with a presence of one who once fought in bloody battles, seemed to have the aura of Hell Shura descending. The surrounding temperature dropped noticeably.

Those greedy cherish their lives; the doctor was frightened to the point of nearly falling off the horse, pale-faced and quivering lips, abandoning his previous slyness, pleading utterly in fear, “Spare my life, hero; spare my life, great man; spare me, my lord. It’s the error of a small man who cannot recognize a prominent figure. From your magnanimity, consider me insignificant and spare me…”

Seeing the fear in his eyes, Huangfu Jingchen felt even more contempt. Such a cowardly, greedy, life-cherishing person is the kind he loathed the most. This town’s people, once sick, were all squeezed by this person. If not for the fact that he could save lives, these people are truly a waste of space!

Huangfu Jingchen waved his Soft Sword, the silver gleam in his eyes dimmed as he sheathed the sword.

He tossed five taels of silver into the doctor’s arms, warning, “If you dare have any more tricks on this journey and delay treatment, I’ll take your head off!” His gaze sharp, his voice not loud but each word was like ice.

The doctor saw the gleaming sword again and nodded repeatedly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep