One hundred and thirty-three
Yu Ying didn't notice any significant changes when she examined the strong man again.
After all, it was a chronic disease, and the medication had been used for a short time, so there was no difference at all. The main reason for asking him to come for a follow-up visit was to let Fu Wei understand this person's background.
Fu Wei just told the strong man that he had guessed his identity, and Yu Ying had guessed it too.
She already knew more about this era than others, and with this knowledge and some guesses, the answer was clear.
He has the strength to move mountains and rivers, and is as tall as a giant. He has an imposing aura and doesn't look like a good person. You can even see a hint of banditry in him, so she boldly guessed his identity.
——It’s related to the fierce bandits in Muyun Mountain.
Yu Ying withdrew her hand and said there was no need to change the dressing. She told him to come back for a checkup in a month. Then she said, "Go to the private room first, my dear. I'll come up after I've cleaned up."
The strong man stood up and asked, "Don't you need acupuncture?"
Yu Ying smiled faintly: "Acupuncture is done almost twice every three days. I guess it's not convenient for a strong man, right?"
The warrior looked at her meaningfully, then nodded, and then turned and walked out of the private room.
The three of them left one after another, leaving only Yu Ying and Fu An in the room.
Yu Ying put the medical supplies into the medical box. Fu An, who was standing by, glanced at the sesame cakes and asked, "Aunt, what should we do with these sesame cakes?"
Yu Ying said, "Put it here for now. My uncle will be back to get it later."
She closed the medical box, glanced at the money box on the table, and weighed the silver ingot.
Five silver ingots, each weighing ten taels.
The strong man's illness could be cured by her treatment, so the reward of five silver ingots was not too much.
Yu Ying closed the box and told Fu An, "Take good care of these things. I'll be back soon."
Having said that, he left the private room and went to the second floor.
Yu Ying went up to the second floor and walked straight to the private room on the second floor.
The large windows and doors were all closed, and the old man and his attendant were standing in front of the railing in the corridor, talking.
They didn't give the impression that they were guarding, but rather chatting, which would not attract attention.
When the two saw Yu Ying coming, the father-in-law just nodded at her without greeting her.
Yu Ying walked to the door of the private room and knocked twice. After a while, the door was opened by Fu Wei.
She looked inside and saw the strong man as big as a mountain sitting in the house.
After entering the house, no one knew what the two were talking about. Yu Ying sat down next to Fu Wei and sat quietly.
It seemed that neither of them had gotten to the point of the conversation yet, so after they sat down, the burly man narrowed his eyes at Fu Wei and asked in a deep voice, "Who am I?"
Fu Wei calmly turned over a cup and placed it in front of Yu Ying, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea. When he put down the teapot, he looked up at the strong man.
He slowly said, "Mu Yunshan, I have heard of the village master's name for a long time. Today I have the rare honor to meet him."
Upon hearing this, the leader of Muyun Village glanced at Yu Ying meaningfully, saying, "I'm afraid it's not a rare sight, but rather something intentional."
Although the leader of Muyun Village looks like a man who only knows how to use brute force, he is actually a smart man.
People who have both brute force and brains are most likely to become local heroes in troubled times.
Yu Ying was exposed. She picked up the cup, lowered her head and took a sip of tea.
The head of Muyun Village turned his gaze away and looked at Fu Wei who was standing beside him: "Tell me, what do you want to discuss with me?"
Fu Wei's lips curled slightly with smiles, but his eyes were calm and bright. "In October, we have three acres of land that can produce a year's worth of medicinal herbs for stopping bleeding and treating colds. We also have some wild herbs. I wonder if the village chief is interested?"
When Yu Ying heard this, she raised her head and looked at him in surprise.
The head of Muyun Village raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he had heard a joke, and said with a smile: "Why should I stock up on so many medicines? I am burning money."
Fu Wei: "It's the same principle as the village chief stockpiling food. More food means less worry, and more medicine means more preparedness."
The Muyun Village leader suppressed his smile and said expressionlessly, "Old Mo told me your request. I can't guarantee that others won't move, but I can guarantee that Muyun Village won't move."
After a pause, his eyes were sharp as a torch: "What do you want in return for the medicinal materials?"
Fu Wei smiled and said, "I will sell the herbs to the village chief, and he will just give me the silver."
"Is that it?" The leader of Muyun Village narrowed his eyes slightly, a little skeptical.
"That's it. According to the market price, the market price of annual medicinal herbs and wild herbs is different. The village chief might as well listen to it before making a decision."
"Wait a moment." The head of Muyun Village called out for a pause, then called out to the door, "Mr. Shi."
After a while, the old man opened the door and walked in. After closing the door, the leader of Muyun Village said, "Sit down and listen too."
The old man called Mr. Shi sat down next to the leader of Muyun Village. Mr. Shi, who was not tall to begin with, looked like an adult and a child sitting next to the leader. The contrast was sharp and a bit funny.
"Go on." The sturdy man looked at Yu Ying, obviously knowing that the one who knew the price of the medicinal materials was not Fu Wei, but her.
Yu Ying turned to look at Fu Wei, and only spoke after he nodded.
"The price of medicinal herbs has increased due to the epidemic this year. The current market price for freshly harvested herbs is five to ten wen per jin, and after drying, it's fifteen to thirty wen."
"Wild herbs are priced in three grades. The middle and lower grades are priced by the jin (approximately 500 grams), and the latter by the liang (approximately 200 grams). Fully dried, they cost 38, 48, and 15 wen per liang (approximately 200 grams). More precious herbs like ginseng and ganoderma lucidum are priced according to their age and at the clinic's own price."
Yu Ying always kept an eye on the prices of medicinal herbs, so she could easily tell them off the top of her head. But after a moment's thought, she added, "Of course, there are also semi-dried ones. Although they're cheaper than fully dried ones, they're not easy to preserve. I wouldn't recommend buying them if you need a large quantity. And I'm talking about the current price. I can't say for sure whether it will be cheaper or continue to rise by the end of the year. It's up to the village chief to decide."
The head of Muyun Village looked at Mr. Shi and said, "Mr. Shi, please calculate how many herbs are needed."
Fu Wei interrupted: "Wait a minute."
The three of them looked at him, and Fu Wei spoke slowly, "Add 30% to these prices."
The head of Muyun Village was stunned: "But you want to give me 30% of the business you asked me to do?"
Fu Wei smiled and analyzed methodically, "The village chief can purchase the medicinal herbs all at once, eliminating the need for more manpower to travel to various counties to collect them. Furthermore, there's no need to risk going to various locations to purchase them and deal with the cumbersome process of obtaining road permits. Next year, the medicinal herbs from the several slopes can also be given priority to the village chief."
The leader of Muyun Village was silent and thoughtful for a while, as if he was calculating whether the price of this batch of medicinal materials was worthwhile.
By the end of the year, local tyrants will have noticed something was wrong and will naturally start purchasing food and medicinal materials in large quantities. By then, the price of medicinal materials will not be at this level anymore. The price will get higher as time goes by, and may even double by the beginning of the new year.
Now that there are suitable channels, there is no need to go to great lengths to obtain passes from the county governments along the way, nor do we dare to stay in one place for too long. Therefore, the collection of medicinal materials and grain takes a long time, and it is also accompanied by dangers. What Fu Wei said is indeed correct.
When he looked up again, he nodded: "Okay."
Turning to look at Mr. Shi.
Seeing that they already knew their details, Mr. Shi didn't hesitate and said directly, "Of course, the more the better."
"Do you want all the medicinal herbs and wild herbs grown on the three acres of land in a year?" asked the village chief.
Mr. Shi said, "Annual herbs are not as effective as wild herbs, but given the situation in our village, this kind of herb is acceptable."
The head of Muyun Village nodded: "Okay, I understand."
Then he turned to look at the couple across from him and said without beating around the bush: "I want all the three acres of medicinal herbs. I'll take as many wild herbs as I can get. You can tell me the deposit and delivery time."
Yu Ying said, "The harvest from three mu of land isn't very large. After drying, I estimate it will only yield eight or nine hundred kilograms of herbs at most. I planted the more expensive kind, which is 30% higher, so it's 39 kilograms per kilogram. People in the village also pick mountain herbs, and some people send them to the clinic. Right now, I have a thousand kilograms of mid- and low-quality herbs, and the best ones should be around 60 to 70 kilograms. These are my stocks."
"Okay, I'll take it if there's any stock. I'll send someone disguised as a drug dealer to collect it as soon as possible."
After the discussion, Muyun Village Chief looked at Fu Wei and restrained his sharpness when talking to him: "Old Mo said that if you guess my identity, let me say hello to you on his behalf."
Fu Wei smiled and said, "I'm fine. Please ask the village chief to say hello to Uncle Mo."
The head of the Muyun Village nodded, then looked at Yu Ying beside him and said, "My headache needs the female doctor to pay more attention to it."
Yu Ying nodded.
In order to avoid any accidents, Yu Ying and Fu Wei left the teahouse first.
After leaving the teahouse, the two slowed down their pace and walked towards the clinic.
Yu Ying asked, "Why did you think of selling the herbs to that person?"
Fu Wei smiled and said, "Selling it to him can earn me some extra money. Secondly, I'm doing them a favor. Although the Fu family used to have a good relationship with Uncle Mo, so many years have passed. Although they will help him a little because of their past relationship, they will still feel insecure after receiving help for free."
After saying this, he stopped and turned to look in the direction of the teahouse, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed: "Since we will have some dealings in the future, if we show weakness from the beginning, we will be the weaker party later. It is better to start from an equal position."
*
In early August, Muyun Village sent people to purchase medicinal herbs.
The inferior ones weigh more than 700 kilograms, the medium ones weigh more than 400 kilograms, and the good ones weigh more than 80 kilograms.
The total amount of silver received was less than 100 taels, and after deducting various costs, the profit was at most half.
After the people from Muyun Village weighed the items one by one in front of the teahouse and handed over the silver, they said, "Doctor Yu, may I have a moment to talk?"
Yu Ying nodded, and the two of them entered the teahouse and went into the private room where she had been seeing patients.
After taking their seats, the person disguised as a drug dealer said, "Doctor Yu previously told my boss that he would come for a follow-up consultation every month. However, my boss is very conspicuous. If he goes into the city too frequently, he might attract attention. So, my boss would like to ask Doctor Yu to come for a consultation once a month. The place he visits is not too far, and a round trip of one day is enough."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying frowned slightly.
The man continued, "Of course, the boss has also said that he will send someone to escort Madam Yu during the few days of the consultation. Food, lodging and transportation will be fully covered. The consultation fee is five taels per visit. Madam Yu, please consider it carefully."
Five taels of silver was an extremely generous consultation fee. Perhaps they were afraid that she would not dare to see the patient. Moreover, their status was special, so compared to taking the risk of going into the city, these five taels of silver was a good deal.
Although Yu Ying was short of money, she would not rashly agree to it just for the sake of money. After a moment of contemplation, she said politely, "I can't give you an answer right now. Let me think about it."
"Of course. The boss is not in a hurry to get a reply from Doctor Yu. There are still ten days until the month ends. Someone will come to contact Madam Yu in ten days. Madam Yu can make a decision then."
Yu Ying agreed.
After saying this, the man added, "Besides this, the boss also asked me to give Madam Yu's husband a reminder."
Yu Ying was stunned: "Reminder?"
The man nodded and said seriously, "The boss has received news that someone spent five hundred taels to buy Fu Langjun's legs on the street."
Yu Ying's heart suddenly sank, and her face instantly became solemn.
What is coming will eventually come.
"The boss has already sent people to investigate the source. He also asked Mo Lang to lead a few brothers to Yu County. If they find anything wrong, they will take action, but Fu Langjun still has to be careful."
Yu Ying nodded solemnly: "Thank you for the reminder."
After saying goodbye to that person, Yu Ying was worried about two things.
The secondary thing is money, and the main thing is Fu Wei’s safety.
Ever since Fu Wei said he would stop pretending, she knew this day would come. And if Huo Minzhi knew his legs were healed, how could she possibly let him go?
*
In the evening, Yu Ying took out all the money she had earned in the past few months. There were two boxes of different sizes. The big box was heavy and one could feel the weight when it was placed on the table.
When the big box was opened, it was filled with copper coins that had already been strung together. It was already seven-tenths full.
The other box contained silver.
When Fu Wei returned to the house from the study, he saw her standing in front of the table, staring at the two boxes of silver in a daze. He walked over, gently hugged her from behind, and asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking about?"
Yu Ying said, "I just did a careful calculation. The two hundred taels of silver we have now can buy more than four hundred dan of grain. Even after this calculation, I still feel it is not enough."
Hearing this, Fu Wei let go of her, walked up to her, and looked at her seriously: "What do you want to do?"
Yu Ying told him what happened today.
"The leader of Muyun Village asked me to go out for a medical consultation. The round trip takes about two days, and the fee is five taels of silver per visit."
Fu Wei frowned: "Do you want to agree?"
Yu Ying nodded: "I've thought about it and decided to go on a house call. Of course, I'll have my eldest brother and sister-in-law accompany me."
Fu Zhen takes a day off every month, which is just right.
If she goes out for medical consultation, she cannot be alone.
Fu Wei was silent for a moment, but ultimately didn't try to dissuade her from going. He simply said, "Although we have medicinal herb business dealings with Muyun Village, and Uncle Mo and his men are also from Muyun Village, they are bandits after all, so we must be vigilant."
After that, he added, "I also have a period of rest. When the time comes, I will adjust according to your outpatient treatment and go with you."
Yu Ying nodded and continued, "Besides that, I have an idea. I would go to the county seat once a month to make an outpatient consultation. I would only see one person a month, regardless of gender, and the fee for one consultation would be ten taels. Even if the fee was higher, I wouldn't make a second outpatient consultation. I would target people with power or wealth."
Fu Wei was stunned: "Are you sure?"
Yu Ying: "Of course I am sure. I am short of silver now. Besides, there are many more people with silver in the county seat than in Yu County. They really don't take ten taels of silver seriously. What they care about is being special and having face."
"It just so happens that I'm a bit famous now. Compared to other people traveling far to see me, my home visits give them more face. Besides, my high fee and low frequency of visits can highlight their uniqueness."
VIP services have always been the best choice for wealthy people.
Poor people will shop around before buying a meat bun, while rich people will only go to the best restaurant to book a private room and order a meat bun. What they care about is not the money, but the environment and atmosphere.
"But how did those people know that you were going to see a doctor in the county seat?"
Yu Ying had already thought it through and responded, "I'll write to Doctor Wu at the Renshan Hall in the county seat and ask him to recommend me to the director. If I can get a sign at the Renshan Hall that says I can be an outpatient clinic, that'll be all that matters."
Yu Ying was not worried that the director of Renshan Hall would refuse.
Last year's epidemic made her famous, and as a woman, she opened a clinic, which has long been talked about. I heard some people talking about her when I went to the county seat before.
Besides, Fu Wei had been in the limelight in the prefectural governor's office before, and some powerful people knew that he used to make wheelchairs. Now that the news that she had cured his legs had spread, his reputation naturally rose to a higher level.
It would be good to have a famous doctor running the clinic, as it would improve the clinic's reputation and attract more customers. In this case, naturally, he would not refuse.
"Do you agree?" Yu Ying looked at Fu Wei and asked seriously.
If a couple wants to go a long way together, they must discuss things with each other often and not be too secretive.
Of course, Yu Ying also has her own persistence. If his reasons for persuasion are not sufficient, she will not compromise.
Fu Wei smiled and said, "You support me in my own affairs, so how can I not support you?"
Hearing this, Yu Ying also smiled, but the smile only lasted for a moment. She seemed to remember something and her expression became serious.
"I have already said the secondary things, but I still have something more important to tell you."
Fu Wei was surprised: "Isn't this an important matter?"
Yu Ying hummed, then continued, "The person who came to collect the medicine today relayed what the leader of Muyun Village said, saying that someone on the road paid five hundred taels..."
She lowered her head, her eyes fell on his legs, and her voice sank: "I want to buy your legs."
Hearing this, Fu Wei only raised his eyebrows slightly, not surprised at all: "There is nothing surprising."
After all, when she said she would heal his legs, he knew this would happen.
"He also said that the village chief has sent people to investigate, and Mo Lang and his men will also come to Yu County to keep an eye on the matter."
Fu Wei smiled and then said, "Let me show you a few things."
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, removed the hidden arrow from his arm and placed it on the table. Then he took the dagger tied between his legs, the medicine powder, and the crutch that Fu Wei usually carried when he went out. He grabbed the handle and pulled hard, and actually pulled out a sharp weapon.
Yu Ying stared at the things on the table in a daze for a long time.
Fu Wei said, "I have already made preparations to deal with it. The magistrate also knew that I would be in danger, so he allowed me to bring these in and out of the yamen."
He spoke in a gentle, soothing voice, "I'm no longer controlled by others like I was the first time my leg was broken. Now I'm free again, my legs have healed, and I was once a lieutenant in the army, so I still have the ability to protect myself."
Yu Ying was full of thoughts.
In the book, Fu Wei was disabled all his life, so there was no scene of buying a pair of legs for five hundred taels, and there was no clue as to who would take action and when.
Although he said he had the ability to protect himself, she was still worried as long as the Huo family did not fall.
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