The doctor is heartless
Wang Chunsheng arrived faster than expected.
An elderly man in his fifties or sixties, carrying a medicine box across his shoulder, rushed over, his brow beaded with sweat. Before he could even catch his breath, he took out silver needles and began inserting them into acupoints such as Shenmen, Shaohai, and Guannei.
Then he took out a small jar of dark-colored medicinal soup and poured it into the old man's mouth.
The old man's tightly furrowed face gradually relaxed.
Lin Yi stood motionless, her eyes lowered, like a child who had accidentally broken a porcelain plate.
"Alright, young lady, don't stand here anymore, go home," Wang Chunsheng advised.
"I'll wait until he wakes up before I leave."
"Once he wakes up, you won't be able to leave."
Lin Yi did not answer and remained standing in the same spot.
Wang Chunsheng could only shake his head helplessly.
The onset and resolution of chest pain were rapid. With the help of Wang Chunsheng's superb acupuncture skills, the old man opened his eyes in no time. Although he was a little weaker than before, his eyes still shone brightly.
"Hmph." He opened his eyes and saw the three people surrounding him. He looked around with a cold smile, showing no intention of thanking them.
Previously, Lin Yi would have been furious, but now she was like a deflated balloon. Ultimately, the sudden illness was inextricably linked to her.
The old man fixed his gaze on Wang Chunsheng's face: "It's just a few packets of medicine, isn't it? I don't care about it!"
"It's pitiful that at my age, I still have to be humiliated by a few young kids who haven't even grown up yet."
Lin Yi pursed her lips and listened in silence. She was in the wrong first, but she could endure even the harshest words today.
The old man did indeed return the medicine packet, angrily shoving it into Big Eyes' arms. "Take it now!"
Lin Yi thought that if she sincerely apologized again, the matter would be over.
Unexpectedly, the old man turned around again, looked Lin Yi up and down, and finally looked at Wang Chunsheng: "I didn't take the medicine, you give me the full amount of the medicine money back."
"What did you say?" Lin Yi thought he had misheard. The medicine was clearly being given to him for free, and instead of accepting it, he was supposed to pay him extra?
"Furthermore, I'm just letting myself have this attack for nothing. I can't let this go without paying at least two taels of silver."
Wang Chunsheng squinted at him with disdain: "Why don't you just rob it?"
The old man clutched his chest, then casually lay down on the ground. "Are you going to give it to me or not?"
Wang Chunsheng sat down on the spot and stared at him. "I have no money."
The old man gestured with his chin toward where Lin Yi was standing, and said meaningfully, "You poor doctor don't have it, but someone else does."
Wang Chunsheng frowned: "I had Erhei deliver the medicine; it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Whether it's related or not is up to you to decide?" The old man's weak body had not fully recovered, and he suddenly raised his voice and coughed.
Seemingly feeling there was nothing more to say to such a person, Wang Chunsheng struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the ground. "Erhei, leave his medicine here, we're going back."
The big-eyed younger brother, nicknamed Erhei, put down the three packets of medicine, picked up the rest of the herbs, and headed to other people's houses.
The old man sat up, picked up his cane that had fallen to the side, and banged it against the packets of medicine, his eyes filled with suspicion. "Stand there, who knows what you're up to? Have you mixed anything into the medicine?"
Wang Chunsheng glanced at the setting sun and sighed inwardly, "Some people don't know when to back down. Today, things might really come to a head."
"If you're worried, you don't have to eat it."
“Hey—” The old man was taken aback by his words, but then he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. “I knew it—it’s all an excuse. You just don’t want to treat us. You’re just making up some reason to get rid of everyone. If the disease is really contagious, how dare you still treat us?”
"I'm not going to fall for your tricks. Just you wait, I'm going to tell everyone about this. What kind of quack doctor are you? I'll show them all your true colors!"
"Say what you will, when have I, Wang Chunsheng, ever been afraid of gossip?"
Wang Chunsheng grabbed one of them with each hand and was about to leave with Erhei and Lin Yi.
Lin Yi pulled her hand away from his. "After all that talk, you just want money, right? Here you go." She took out a purse from her waistband, pulled out two pieces of silver, and placed them at the old man's feet. "Two taels of silver."
The old man happily picked it up, put it to his mouth and took a big bite, only stopping when he hurt his teeth.
"There's nothing wrong with this medicine. I advise you to take it on time, otherwise you'll catch a disease, not only will you feel unwell, but you'll also trouble others." Lin Yi looked at him coldly.
The old man didn't bother to listen to what she was saying and casually replied, "I know, I know."
Looking at his greedy expression, Lin finally said, "Since you've taken the money, don't make things up and spread rumors, otherwise..."
"What else can I do?" she didn't finish her sentence. What else could she do? Get her money back, or hire someone to beat him up?
Lin Yi suddenly realized that he had been too naive in the first twenty years of his life. He thought he was independent because he had few family ties, but when he tried to do something on his own, he always messed things up and dragged others down with him.
She forced a smile at the two people waiting outside the door, but the smile wasn't pleasant. "Let's go."
However, the two did not move immediately, and looked at her as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.
Wang Chunsheng disagreed, saying, "You shouldn't have given him the money. If you give him money today, more people will use this as an excuse to ask for money again and again."
"You don't need to worry about that. I gave them the money, so they will come looking for me. It won't involve you."
Wang Chunsheng shook his head: "It's not that I'm afraid of being implicated by you. Even if you are extremely wealthy, don't go looking for trouble."
“Sir, I didn’t think that much.” Lin Yi lowered her eyes, her voice sounding muffled. “We all know that you seek medical help not for reward but out of kindness, but even if you did nothing, even if you are upright and honest, people’s words are still a fearsome thing…” She lived in modern times and knew all too well how powerful public opinion was. Those blindly following words were like an avalanche, gradually drowning and destroying those who originally had good intentions.
“You meant no harm, there’s really no need to prove anything, but I can’t think of a better way… I just know that I can’t let those who are trying so hard to save lives be disheartened.”
Wang Chunsheng was taken aback by her words and paused for a moment before laughing, "What's this about feeling heartbroken? They say doctors are benevolent and dedicated to saving lives, but how can a doctor practice medicine with a heart?"
"You need to be ruthless enough to have the most ruthless heart in the world in order to be able to grasp the pulse, insert the needle, and look at the impermanence of life with a cold eye."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi suddenly remembered her first forensic medicine class.
The elderly professor, with his silver hair, had spent his entire life as a forensic doctor. After retiring, he came to teach at the university. His dim eyes revealed a gentle tenderness born from a life of experience and wisdom.
He asked his students a question in the very first class, and Lin still remembers it to this day.
He asked: "Why do you all want to study forensic medicine? Don't talk about lofty ideals, I want to hear the most genuine reasons."
One of the boys laughed and said it was because forensic doctors earn money, have good benefits, and don't have to scheme against each other while dealing with dead people every day.
The old professor smiled, revealing his newly fitted, snow-white dentures.
He listened to the various reasons for their choices and affirmed each one's reasoning. But at the end, he said, "I believe that everyone's choice has its own logic, even if they can't explain it. Not being able to explain it is itself a logic. But from the moment you chose this industry, you need to remember one thing."
"Forensic medicine involves both law and medicine; neither can be dispensed with. The results of your examinations are not only the identification of the deceased's injuries and identity, but also the basis for judgment. From the existing details, you meticulously unravel the mystery, analyze and distinguish, and reconstruct the truth. In this process, you may feel anger, pain, or fear. But no matter what you feel, remember two words—indifference. Indifference to your own feelings, indifference to the deceased's ordeal. Because what you are reconstructing is not only the truth about the dead, but also the truth about the living."
"What you see is often the darkest and most hidden corner of the world, the most terrifying human heart. What you bear on your shoulders, besides your own professional ethics, is the hope of the living."
"What that student just said, about not scheming against others, is difficult to achieve in any industry."
"Which doctor doesn't want to focus on treating and saving lives? But the doctor-patient relationship has always been complicated. Some have been led astray by greed, and some have even died from medical disputes. As a forensic doctor, I also face these problems, and there is even pressure from various unexpected sources."
"The pressure comes from the deceased's family, from pressure from superiors, from the opportunism of lawbreakers, and from the depths of your own heart."
"All you have to do is use the knowledge you've learned in class to reconstruct every scar on the deceased's body, then put away your useless emotions and wait for the law to judge the perpetrators."
"Although it is difficult, I still hope that you can be both clear in your conscience and virtuous in your conduct."
In a way, Lin Yi is lucky. She studied forensic medicine for six years, only witnessing the so-called darkness through case studies, never experiencing the temptations of profit, the uncertainty of the future, or the existential questioning her professor spoke of. Now, she is no longer a forensic student, forever severing ties with the profession, yet she seems closer to those things than ever before. For now, she is merely an observer, only beginning to glimpse the world; perhaps one day, she will experience it firsthand.
The old professor's figure and words on the podium gradually faded away, and his illusory figure gradually overlapped with Wang Chunsheng, who was standing in front of her at this moment.
It's hard to remain untainted. Lin Zhi hoped that when she truly had a clear conscience but faced undeniable accusations, she wouldn't be alone. Just as someone would patiently explain truths she'd never heard before, someone would be willing to stand up and say a word or two in her defense. Putting herself in someone else's shoes, how could she possibly stand idly by when she saw someone being maliciously speculated about and misunderstood?
"Treating the sick and saving lives cannot be just about saving lives." Lin Yi said with a wry smile, "I was too naive and thought things were too simple."
Wang Chunsheng reached out to pat her shoulder, but then withdrew his hand due to their gender differences. "Young people are prone to impulsiveness. Once you decide to do something, you must bear the consequences yourself. Xinglin Garden is my choice, so you don't need to bear the consequences."
Lin Yi bowed and said, "...Qing has learned a lot. Actually, I came to see you today because I have a favor to ask."
Wang Chunsheng smiled and said, "Tell me about it."
"I originally had something to ask of you, but after seeing you, I realized that my previous thoughts were too naive." Lin Yi gently clenched his palm, as if he had made up his mind. "I want to make a deal with you."
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