Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“You are too polite,” Wang Yao said as he raised his glass and downed all the wine in it. In regards to these people, he sincerely admired them.
“Dr. Wang, you can rest assured that we’ll pay for the entire cost of the treatment,” Cheng Haidong said.
He had once heard Su Zhixing mention that the herbs Wang Yao used to treat the seriously ill were very expensive. He had just seen the magical effect with his own eyes. Such an effect was worth any price.
“For such warriors, I will treat them free of charge and will not receive any money,” Wang Yao replied.
The charge of treatment should also be decided according to the patient and the matter.
“Thank you!” Cheng Haidong was stunned. He quickly downed all the alcohol in his cup.
Both the guests and the host were happy during the meal. They had already drunk the four bottles of wine they had brought. Wang Yao had also drunk a lot. Cheng Haidong wanted to go and get a few more bottles, but Wang Yao refused. He could see that Dr. Fan was almost drunk and starting to stutter.
“I didn’t expect Dr. Wang could drink so much,” Cheng Haidong said. “Are you a big fan of alcohol as well?”
“Sir doesn’t usually drink at all,” Zhong Liuchuan said.
“Oh,” Cheng Haidong replied in surprise.
He had thought Wang Yao had drinking as a hobby and wanted to get him two boxes of good wine to roughly express his gratitude. Unexpectedly, he didn’t like alcohol. He had to think of something else.
After dinner, the four of them went home. Wang Yao and Zhong Liuchuan had extraordinary physical fitness. That amount of alcohol was nothing to them, so they walked fast. Cheng Haidong and Dr. Fan walked relatively slowly. Within a short time, the distance between the four had widened.
“What do you think of Dr. Wang, Dr. Fan?” Cheng Haidong asked.
“His medical skills are extraordinary,” Dr. Fan replied.
“Is that it?” Cheng Haidong was stunned.
“Yes,” Dr. Fan said.
“I think his medical ethics are also very high,” Cheng Haidong said.
“Yes, they… They’re not bad.” Dr. Fan was stuttering a little.
His head was spinning and felt heavy. That bottle had been a strong liquor with more than 50% alcohol content. He had almost drunk an entire bottle of it, which was more than his usual amount. It was mainly because he had been eating delicacies for a few days and rarely got to drink such good alcohol. He had unconsciously drunk more than he could handle. It was considered good if he could hear five out of 10 of the words the man beside him was saying. He didn’t feel like replying either.
“Dr. Fan?” Cheng Haidong asked.
Plop! Dr. Fan fell and sat down on the ground. He tried to stand up, scrambling on his hands and feet, but he ended up lying on the ground. His posture was indecent. Seeing this, Cheng Haidong hurriedly pulled him up.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Great alcohol!” Dr. Fan raised his thumb. His little pinky stuck out as well.
He had drunk too much.
“Let’s go. I’ll support you as we walk.” Cheng Haidong went forward to help him.
“There’s no need. I’m fine,” Dr. Fan said as he reached his hand out to push him away.
That little move made him fall into the grass patch beside the road.
Cheng Haidong hurried over and fished him out. Dr. Fan’s head was in the soil. It had rained in the afternoon, so the ground was muddy. He was covered in mud.
“Are you alright?” Cheng Haidong asked.
“I’m… I’m fine, bah! What is this?” Dr. Fan mumbled.
“Alright, let’s hurry back,” Cheng Haidong said.
Afraid of another accident, he grabbed Dr. Fan and half dragged, half shoved him back.
When they returned and Nurse Li saw Dr. Fan’s condition, she asked, “What happened to him?”
“He drank too much and fell in the ditch,” Cheng Haidong said. “Take a look at him and see if he has injured himself.”
“Yes, I got it,” Nurse Li said.
After parting ways with Zhong Liuchuan in the village, Wang Yao went up Nanshan Hill. He thought, The men in the army can sure drink.
After drinking a bottle of hard liquor, Wang Yao was fine. His alcohol tolerance was quite unusual.
He picked up a Taoist scripture and began to read it. He didn’t go to bed until after 11 p.m.
The next morning, the weather was a little gloomy, but the cool wind was blowing, causing him to feel very refreshed.
The wounded soldier had awoken and felt much better. Dr. Fan and Nurse Li were checking him. Cheng Haidong stayed by and watched.
“Well, he’s better than yesterday,” Dr. Fan said.
“I feel a lot better than yesterday,” the soldier said.
His body did not feel as heavy. His breathing was much smoother, and his mind was clearer. He almost felt as if he had been reborn.
“Take your medicine,” Dr. Fan said. “Take the antidote powder once a day, in the morning, and the regathering soup three times a day.”
He turned to Cheng Haidong and asked, “Captain Cheng, can we keep some of this medicine?”
“No!” Cheng Haidong replied without hesitation.
He knew what the doctor wanted to do. He wanted to take it back to test the ingredients of the medicine and copy it.
“Just think about it,” Dr. Fan said. “If we succeed in getting the composition of this medicine, our soldiers might be free from the threat of this terrible poison.”
“Why don’t you just ask Dr. Wang about it instead of using that method?” Cheng Haidong asked.
In his opinion, it was no different from stealing, which was breaking through the bottom line of morality and despised by others.
Dr. Fan was speechless. The atmosphere in the room instantly became awkward.
“Alright, I’m done checking on him,” Dr. Fan finally said. “There is no problem.”
Dr. Fan and Nurse Li left the room.
“Captain, they had good intentions,” the soldier said.
“Their utilitarianism is too strong,” Cheng Haidong replied.
“I should thank Dr. Wang well,” the soldier said.
“Yes, we should thank him well,” Cheng Haidong said. “Su Zhixing and Meng Wushuang were also saved by him.”
“Was it the same poison?” the soldier asked.
“Yes, the same one,” Cheng Haidong replied.
“Can it be determined that it is from the same armed force?” the soldier asked.
“We can be sure that it was from the same armed forces and, most likely, you guys were injured by the same person,” Cheng Haidong said. “If you guys hadn’t had to protect me, you would not be injured.”
“You’re being pretentious by saying that,” the soldier said with a smile. “I just want to recover quickly and go to the battlefield to avenge those comrades who have died!”
The clinic was open as usual. There were not many patients, at least when compared with the past few days.
At about 9 a.m., Pan Jun came arrived at the clinic. He was off duty and had come to help.
“Ah, Master, didn’t it rain here yesterday?” he asked.
“There was some light rain in the afternoon, just enough to wet the land,” Wang Yao said.
“There has been heavy rain in the county,” Pan Jun said. “Many places were flooded, and a man was swept away by the river.”
“That’s a pity,” Wang Yao said.
“He had wanted to fish, but the water current was so strong that it took him away,” Pan Jun said.
That kind of situation happened almost every year. Whenever there was a flood, big fish would come out of the reservoir that was flooded. Some people liked to take the opportunity to catch some fish. As a result, their lives were often in danger. The water and fire elements were merciless.
The few people in the clinic all had leg and foot pain. Pan Jun was able to help them. Wang Yao was able to be more relaxed and less busy.
When no one was around, Wang Yao began to teach Pan Jun how to identify traditional Chinese medicine, which was the most basic ability of a pharmacist. There were now more than 2,000 kinds of known traditional Chinese medicine, and 100s of them were frequently used. Wang Yao first taught him to identify common Chinese medicine.
At noon, Pan Jun didn’t go back. He ate at Wang Yao’s house.
In the late afternoon, after the clinic had closed, Wang Yao went to the courtyard to check on the wounded soldier.
“Yichuan, this is Dr. Wang,” Cheng Haidong said.
“Hello, Dr. Wang, thank you for saving my life,” the soldier said.
“You’re welcome,” Wang Yao said with a smile. “Just lie down. Talk less and regain your spirits.”
Looking at his appearance and listening to his voice, he seemed to be much better. Wang Yao took his pulse, which was steady. His life was no longer in danger. After checking the wound on his chest, it had already begun to heal and scab after one night. The medicinal power of the ointment for continuing life was amazing.
“Well, you’re fine,” Wang Yao said. “You can probably get out of bed in a few more days.”
“That’s great,” Cheng Haidong said.
“I’ll go back now,” Wang Yao said. “If you need anything, ask Liuchuan to find me.”
“Yes, thank you so much,” Cheng Haidong said.
He followed Wang Yao out and asked to have dinner with him, but he was refused. He returned to the room and discussed something with Zeng Yichuan, who was lying on the bed.
“I want Dr. Fan and Xiao Li to go back,” Cheng Haidong said. “We only need one soldier to take care of matters here.”
“Yes, I agree,” Zeng Yichuan said. “It’s not convenient for them to be here.”
“OK, that’s settled then,” Cheng Haidong said. “We’ll ask them to go back tomorrow.”
