Chapter 901 Two Paths, the First Path and the Second Path.

Dong Ling frowned as she thought about Li Daniu and Cui'er, who were suffering from two very different patients, Gan Niangzi and Feng Niang. Her lips were tightly pursed, and it was clear to anyone that she was pondering the differences and similarities between the two.

"Okay, I'll think about it slowly when I have time."

Come on, you've all had a busy day, let's go to a restaurant and have a good meal together.

Li San Niang took the people from the maternity ward that was providing free medical consultations in Chang Le Fang, along with the constables and soldiers patrolling outside their tent, to a restaurant they had booked in advance for a good meal.

Li San Niang did not return home that night; instead, she found an inn in Chang Le Fang and went to sleep there.

Li San Niang had a good plan. For the first ten days of the free clinic, she made a point of inspecting various places, identifying problems, and solving them.

Incidentally, patients who were difficult to treat and were seen by doctors at the maternity clinic during the free clinic were then given a more thorough diagnosis and treatment at the main maternity clinic.

As the free clinic began, the day quickly turned hot.

In the large courtyard of the maternity ward in Yongpingfang, all kinds of flowers were in full bloom, truly a feast for the eyes.

More than ten days later, Gan Niangzi finally made up her mind. The purse in her arms contained all her savings, and her right hand held that of her beloved Feng Niang. The two stepped into the maternity ward. After explaining the situation, someone led them into the courtyard.

Feng Niang remained the same. Looking at the nameless yellow flowers blooming in the courtyard, she said to Gan Niangzi beside her, "Mother, look, they are so beautiful."

Gan Niangzi's face was dark and bluish-black under her eyes, and she had become much thinner in just over ten days.

Little Feng Niang had no idea how Gan Niangzi had spent the past few days.

Lady Gan cried herself to sleep day and night, her heart filled with inner turmoil. With only her mother and daughter at home, Lady Gan had no one to confide in or discuss things with.

That's how I ended up looking like this.

Looking at the innocent and lovely Feng Niang, Gan Niangzi forced a smile and said to Feng Niang, "That's forsythia. After it blooms and bears fruit, it can be used as medicine."

Li San Niang was not in the main hall of the maternity ward today; Chen Yanfu was the one who received Gan Niangzi and Feng Niang.

Li San Niang had already explained Feng Niang's condition to Chen Yanfu in detail, so when Chen Yanfu looked at Gan Niangzi and Feng Niang, she went straight to the point and said, "If you agree to the maternity ward treating Feng Niang, then we need to sign a contract in advance."

The signing of this contract was something Li San Niang had arranged long ago, since Feng Niang's condition was special and not as easy to cure as other people's illnesses.

In previous years, when the Imperial Medical Academy held free clinics, there were always people who were blinded by greed and risked their lives just to extort a few coins from the Imperial Medical Academy.

Even in Chang'an, the heart of the Tang Dynasty, not everyone living there was wealthy, nor were they all willing to take the right path to live a peaceful and prosperous life.

Therefore, based on its experience with free clinics every year, the Imperial Medical Bureau had long since developed a complete set of procedures.

Li San Niang simply added or subtracted some details from these regulations based on the special characteristics of the maternity ward.

"You can go back to the neighborhood and have the neighborhood head or a trusted literate person take a good look at this contract. If you have any questions about any clause, we can discuss it together."

If you feel there are no problems, sign it and come early tomorrow. Medical Inspector Li will come to examine Fengniang.

Looking at Feng Niang, who was demurely eating a pastry beside her, Gan Niangzi turned to Chen Yanfu and said directly, "I trust the maternity ward. There's no need to find someone to examine me. I'll sign the papers now."

However… I…

Lady Gan took out a purse full of loose silver from her bosom. "This is all I have. I wonder how many times Fengniang can take her medicine?"

Chen Yanfu stared blankly at the exquisitely embroidered purse for a moment before slowly smiling at Madam Gan and saying, "Because Feng Niang's illness is rare, Medical Supervisor Li instructed that Feng Niang's medicine should be paid directly through the maternity ward."

A while ago, Zhongli Wenlian, the wife of Zhongli, donated a large sum of money to the maternity ward. Part of that money was specifically used for people with special illnesses who came to the free clinic.

There's no need to pay for the medicine and consultation. If you're grateful, madam, you can always visit Zhongli's shop whenever you need anything."

With her mouth agape in astonishment, Madam Gan could hardly believe it. "So, I don't need to spend any money?"

After signing the contract, Gan Niangzi carefully inquired about the locations of Zhong Li's shops. She then thanked Chen Yanfu profusely and agreed on a time to bring Feng Niang to the maternity ward the next day. Only then did she happily leave the maternity ward hand in hand with Feng Niang.

Feng Niang's matter has come to an end, and the free clinic is also nearing its conclusion, but Li San Niang is still extremely busy, and her waist seems to have shrunk a bit more these past few days.

So, what exactly is Li San Niang busy with?

She was busy preparing for the recruitment of students for the maternity clinic. Li San Niang had already mentioned the recruitment at the beginning of the physician exchange conference.

Now, after much planning, Li San Niang thought that if one thing needed to be done, then three things should be done at once, so that they could all be done at once.

Therefore, the maternity ward not only needed to recruit female doctors, but also a large number of female doctors and midwives.

This was exactly what Madam Qiu, who lived on the same street as the Li family in Changshoufang, had inquired about when she brought gifts to their door a while ago.

In recent years, the new-style midwives from the midwifery school built by Li San Niang have indeed gained a lot of reputation in Chang'an for delivering babies. Therefore, Li San Niang is not worried about recruiting midwives.

In previous years, many women who were already midwives would come to the maternity ward to learn for several months, receiving proper instruction from the female doctors there. Once they passed the exam, the midwives would be issued a certificate by the maternity ward, allowing them to earn money by delivering babies under the ward's name.

Female doctors are easy to find; most of them are women from families that have been collecting and processing medicinal materials for generations, or women from families of medicine merchants who come to them for help.

After all, the female healers in the maternity ward are there specifically to accompany the female doctors, and they are all there to serve the female doctors and patients. Selecting them from families with a long history of exposure to medicinal herbs is the most direct and convenient approach.

However, there are also women from ordinary families who want to do this kind of work. When the notice was posted outside the maternity ward, many people came to inquire about it.

But where does the problem lie?

That naturally applies to the recruitment of female doctors. The first way to train a female doctor is like Li San Niang and Chen Yan Fu, who have studied medicine since childhood and have talent. After more than ten years, they can naturally diagnose and prescribe medicine for people.

The second path is to think like Li San Niang: open a women's medical school, take in girls as students from a young age, teach them slowly, and select them layer by layer. After seven or eight years, there will be a group of capable female doctors.

During this period, Li San Niang was busy with the first road.