Chapter 38 He is Doctor Guan
The surname Chen is further divided into the Yunyang Chen clan, the Jiangxia Chen clan, and the Shuofang Chen clan in Shangjing.
Of these three surnames, the Yunyang Chen clan was the weakest, and it was precisely because they were the weakest that they escaped the calamity and were not massacred by Grand Commandant Gao.
The head of the family was quite intelligent. He could tell at a glance that the court was weak and that staying in front of the young emperor would not bring him any benefits, and he would only be vulnerable to being harmed. So he asked to retire and return to his hometown.
He owned a piece of land on the outskirts of the capital, where he managed tenant farmers and collected rent and grain taxes. Generations of his family had left behind a large amount of clan property, with collateral relatives relying on him.
Xiahe Village is one of them. The farmland they bought later had been managed without any oversights before, and this is the first time a problem has arisen.
The village chief came in person and spoke highly of the legendary doctor Guan. He said she could kill a bear, carry back a tiger, and even catch up with a wild deer; her knife could pierce a wild boar. He subtly mentioned that the four guards couldn't even withstand a single blow from her, and even if ten, eight, or twenty more came, they probably wouldn't be of much use.
The steward then reported the matter to his master.
The head of the Chen family overheard this and summoned his son.
He was writing at his desk, and without looking up, he said, "Have someone prepare three cartloads of grain and fodder, and personally deliver them to Xiahe Village."
Chen's eldest son, who had been kneeling, moved forward two steps out of resentment and expressed his opposition in a strong tone: "Father, this lowly commoner dares to resist and even kills our family members. How can we save face by sending him grain?"
The patriarch sighed. How could he have such a stupid son? He had no choice but to be more explicit. “Keep your eyes open. If you see the tiger skin, give him these three carts of grain as a sign of respect. If you don’t see the tiger skin, have someone hold him down and deal with him. Distribute these three carts of grain among the lowly villagers as a reward for their report.”
The eldest son understood his father's plan, but the distinction between officials and commoners was deeply ingrained in his mind. He muttered to himself, "Even if he can fight tigers, he's still a brute. Is it worth Father lowering himself to befriend him like this?"
"Are you going to make enemies instead of befriending him? Why are you getting angry with him?" The patriarch was truly disgusted by his son's foolishness. He stopped writing, put the brush aside, raised his head, and questioned him repeatedly: "Ever since that filial daughter avenged herself, these wandering knights have gone mad. They're all desperate for fame, treating their lives like dirt. Do you want to be like them? To become a stepping stone in their history books? To become a laughingstock like Grand Commandant Gao?"
He was startled and quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake: "Son, I'll take care of it right away."
He quickly went out to make arrangements and personally went to Xiahe Village.
They saw a large number of refugees gathered outside the village. They were all disheveled, emaciated, and dizzy, supporting each other. Their destination was Xiahe Village.
He sent his servants to find out why so many people had gathered.
The servant took a coin and figured out the reason for the matter.
"They came here for treatment. There's a miracle doctor here who treats patients for free. He can cure any disease and even bring the dead back to life."
"That's amazing." Da Lang sneered.
He looked down on this so-called miracle doctor, thinking that someone who mingled among the lowly could hardly be a good doctor.
However, his opinion soon changed.
At the entrance of Xiahe Village, three wild boars, each weighing over 200 jin (approximately 100 kg), were bound by their four hooves. They were squealing and unable to break free.
These wild boars are incredibly strong and muscular, not at all fat. Instead, they look like fitness instructors, so agile that it's hard to imagine how they were captured alive or how their limbs were tied up.
At least when he and his friends went hunting, they never caught a wild boar alive; killing one was extremely difficult. Wild boar hides were so thick that ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate them. If they were only slightly wounded, the boar would go berserk, charging wildly with its sharp tusks, capable of knocking down even a tree.
So even when hunting, they don't challenge wild boars, but only choose to hunt deer, birds, and rabbits. They would rather face fierce wolves than hunt wild boars.
This doctor Guan is truly skilled, and he decided to treat him with respect and make his acquaintance.
"Who is Doctor Guan?" the servant shouted in his hoarse voice.
No one responded; a few people were busy at the small stall that had been set up.
A young girl was in charge of slaughtering pigs. She cut their blood vessels, gutted them, peeled off the skin, chopped the meat into pieces, threw it into a pot, added a lot of firewood, and soon a pungent, meaty aroma wafted out.
The firewood was piled high, and the pot was just an ordinary cooking pot. A woman threw in some tree bark and millet, stirred it with a large spoon, ladled out a bowl, and handed it to the groups of disaster victims queuing up in front of her.
No matter what illness they had, as long as they took this bowl of medicine, their cheeks would become rosier.
A teenager is maintaining order.
A burly man is chopping wood.
There was also a young man holding a baby.
After looking around for a while, Chen Jiadalang finally focused his attention on the boy with his hair tied up, who was lying in the rocking chair.
His attire was the best among these people; a black wooden hairpin adorned his hair, and he was wrapped in a thick white fur cloak. He huddled in the rocking chair, completely out of place with the noisy surroundings, exuding a sense of solitude.
Upon closer inspection, he had long eyebrows that reached his temples, flat double eyelids, a prominent nose bridge, lips that were a diluted, slightly watery red bean paste color, and sickly pale skin. Because he was too thin, his jawline was clearly defined, making him look unhealthy.
He has the best looks, and he's the only one among these people who doesn't do anything.
Who else could it be but him? Could it be that female butcher who squats on the street and brutally slaughters pigs?
Although he doesn't look like someone who can catch a wild boar with his bare hands, you can't judge a book by its cover. What if this is just a disguise?
Only a clever person can see through the disguise.
Chen Jia Dalang immediately cracked his whip to drive away the lowly people, and the servants cooperated.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way now!" Having eaten and drunk their fill, they naturally had the strength in their hands and immediately dispersed the long line of people in front of them.
Chen Jia Dalang straightened his clothes, walked confidently forward, and came to Gao Huan. He smiled and said, "Dr. Guan, I have long admired your name. I am Chen Jia Dalang."
Gao Huan didn't move.
He looked at Guan Zhiwei, who was focused on slaughtering a pig with her head down.
This Chen family's eldest son is obviously an idiot; she couldn't be bothered with him. She was busy slaughtering pigs; she didn't have time to kill people.
"That's right, that's right, he's Doctor Guan, famous far and wide. Remember his face." Gouya got excited and introduced him with a big smile, very eagerly.
Dogtooth thought darkly, "If you want revenge, go after this annoying Fourth Brother with all sorts of underhanded tactics."
"Is there something you need?" Gao Huan asked casually, as Chen Jia Dalang was blocking his sunlight.
Chen Jia Dalang's face began to tense up; this was far too cold.
The servant quickly introduced, "My eldest son is from the Chen family of Yunyang."
Gao Huan pondered, "I've never heard of it."
"This time, I came specifically to deliver three cartloads of grain to Doctor Guan, as a gesture of goodwill."
Gao Huan immediately changed his expression and smiled warmly: "Ah, I've heard so much about you. Please forgive me for not being able to get up to greet you. I was slightly injured while catching a wild boar."
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