Three days later, patients with plague-like symptoms appeared in Ping'an Town. They fell ill quickly, almost all at night, and by the time they arrived at Tianming Medical Clinic, they were all on the verge of death and beyond medical help.

Li Tianlang's luggage was all packed, and the carriage was waiting at the door of his house.

Suddenly someone came to report that many patients had come to the clinic, and the existing doctors could not find the cause of their illnesses or prescribe any medicine.

"I have to go back, Mother. You take them and go first." Li Tianlang said goodbye to Wang Shi before leaving.

Wang didn't want him to go. Since he had already left, everything here had nothing to do with him anymore.

But she knew in her heart what kind of person her son was. No matter how much she said, she couldn't persuade him to abandon his patients and just leave.

He was born with the compassionate heart of a bodhisattva, and should have become a doctor to save lives and heal the wounded.

When Li Tianlang arrived at the clinic, the situation was terrible. The clinic was packed with people, standing, sitting, lying down, in all sorts of positions.

"The miracle doctor has arrived! We're saved!" someone shouted, and then everyone joined in, the crowd erupting in cheers.

Li Tianlang quickly entered the consultation room, fully dressed, ready to see patients.

Due to the special circumstances, the patients no longer lined up to register as before; they all crowded together without any order of priority.

Tian Qi helped the shop manager arrange for the patients to maintain good habits, queue in an orderly manner, and improve the efficiency of the consultation.

"Your clinic is still so cold-blooded. What time is it? Shouldn't the seriously ill be given priority? You put those who came early but aren't that serious in front, and those who are about to die in the back. Do you want to save people or do you want to wait until they die before pretending to save them?"

Those at the back of the line immediately became restless, intending to cause trouble.

Tian Qi followed behind his teacher and had seen all sorts of situations. He would nip any troublemaker he saw in the bud.

“My husband turned back from the road to Kyoto. If you are not satisfied with our rules here, you can choose to leave. There is no need to waste your time here. I am just following the rules. Don’t tell me that rules are dead but people are alive. Everyone’s life is precious. If you want to go forward, you have to see if the people in front of you agree.”

Tian Qi's words were convincing.

The people in front echoed this sentiment, shouting, "Yes, if you want to see a doctor earlier, then you should come and line up earlier. We, the people in front, are not obligated to give up our place for you."

Upon hearing this, the people behind had no choice but to wait obediently.

Throughout the morning, the number of people queuing up did not decrease but increased. Their symptoms were very similar. Li Tianlang prescribed a formula based on his past experience and gave it to the patients. A few people's symptoms were relieved after half an hour, especially the fever symptoms subsided quickly.

However, some people, after taking the medication, not only did not experience any relief from their symptoms, but their nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms actually worsened.

Li Tianlang, together with the doctors in the clinic, went through medical books to seek a better solution.

Not only was the clinic in a state of chaos, but the pressure on the county magistrate's office was also gradually increasing.

"Your Honor, you are our magistrate, and now your son is ill. Shouldn't you take care of him?" A large crowd knelt in front of the yamen.

"Sir, please save my family of three. I really have no money for medical treatment."

Zhao Anling looked at the people on the ground, calling him "father" and "mother" and crying that they had no money for medical treatment. He was completely overwhelmed.

It's a joke. They come to him because they can't afford medical treatment, but what can he do? He's just a lowly seventh-rank official, and the government office is as clean as water, as poor as a beggar's pocket.

He really has no idea how to solve this problem.

"You all go back first. I will go back and draft a memorial to ask the Emperor for a solution." Such a big matter naturally requires the Emperor of the country to come up with a solution.

The people below didn't want to leave, but they had no choice but to go, so they left reluctantly.

The next day, another group of people arrived in front of the government office. In addition to those from the previous day, there were also some newcomers, which indicated that more and more people were getting sick.

They all need money for medical treatment.

I need money to buy medicine.

Zhao Anling was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. His memorial to the throne had not yet been replied to. The emperor was far away and he didn't know when he would be able to get a reply. He could wait, but the patients couldn't.

"Sir, he's dying." Lu Deming saw a person collapse, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The crowd panicked and descended into chaos. Some people, being easily frightened, even fainted.

"It seems we have no choice but to find a way to save ourselves. Quickly write a notice to mobilize all the merchants to donate, no limit on the amount, the more the better." Zhao Anling had a sudden inspiration. Since the imperial court had not allocated funds, they would start by raising funds themselves. There would always be some people with great love for the people.

He had high hopes, but after a day's work, he only managed to raise a total of one hundred taels of silver, ninety of which went to DouDou's tavern.

"The DouDou Tavern you're talking about is opened by Yuan DouDou?" Zhao Anling couldn't believe it.

“Exactly.” Lu Deming led his men to various shops. When they heard it was a donation, they all complained about how difficult it was to do business, how they were losing money every year, and how their shops were so poor they were about to close down. They had no money to give out. Some gave a little, but it was only fifty or sixty coins at most, which was about the same as giving alms to beggars.

"There are no fewer than a hundred merchants in Ping'an Town, and Dou Dou Tavern is just a drop in the ocean among them, yet she is so generous. This shows that her character is many times better than others." Zhao Anling regretted his previous attitude towards Dou Dou. She was not only beautiful, but also had an extraordinary demeanor and could be called a heroine among women.

"Alright, for those shops that didn't donate, find a reason to shut them down." Zhao Anling's eyes were cold; he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to thoroughly clean up the mess.

Not soliciting donations shows they have no good intentions, but that's a minor issue. What's more important is that they don't respect the county magistrate.

Soon, more than a dozen shops in Ping'an Town were sealed off, the reason being that there were serious criminals wanted by the imperial court inside the shops, and the shops could not open until the criminals were caught.

Yuan Doudou sat in the tavern, watching people come and go outside, but no one came in to drink or eat. She guessed they were all going to the clinic to see a doctor.

She recalled a past outbreak, a widespread epidemic where anyone who came into contact with a patient would inevitably be infected.

Perhaps this time it was a similar situation, so she immediately took Huang Rong to make protective masks for everyone and posted a notice at the door that the business was closed. During this period, everyone should stay at home for quarantine, which would be good for everyone.

"Sister Dou Dou, won't we get sick if we wear masks?" Huang Rong was wearing a pink mask made from scraps of fabric from home, stuffed with cotton.

Yuan Doudou wasn't sure either; masks aren't a cure-all, they can only provide some preventative protection.

"It's better than nothing, I suppose."