Chapter 700 Free Clinic (Part 3)
After Manbao finished his lunch, he pulled out the needles from the patients whose time had come for treatment, and then boiled them in boiling water. He then let Zhou Lijun pick them up with tongs to dry them before continuing to use them.
Manbao continued to see the patients. At this time, the patients were still mostly elderly women, and the youngest had given birth to several children. They didn't care much about men's gazes. When they saw the male patients next door pointing at them, they not only let them look openly, but also turned around and pointed at them, and laughed.
In the end, the male patients next door blushed and became embarrassed and angry.
A fierce woman spat at them and said, "See if you dare to bully me like this, as if you have never seen a man before."
Manbao remained calm and composed, looking completely uneasy. However, Zhou Lijun blushed slightly, then his face became even more serious, as if he wanted to keep strangers away.
Some patients needed to take medicine immediately and then observe their symptoms. She had to get the prescription and bring the medicine back to boil it, and also help Manbao wash the used needles. She was very busy.
The aunt and niece worked until the sun set. Then a gong and drum hanging at the foot of the mountain sounded, and yamen runners shouted everywhere that today's free clinic was over. They asked everyone to go home and line up again tomorrow.
But most of the patients in the queue did not leave, obviously intending to stay all night.
Some people also left, but before leaving, they would squeeze in someone else first, so that even if they left, their trip would not be in vain.
The doctors finished seeing the patients they were currently seeing. Ahem, after examining them and prescribing medicine, they asked the medicine boy to pack up the medicine boxes and leave.
This was the first time Manbao saw so many patients independently, and he was a little dazed when he put away the things on the table.
The oldest doctor, Doctor Ji, was quite energetic. He glanced at Manbao and said with a smile, "You must be tired. Here's the medicine bag. Go back and take a bath. You'll be even more tired tomorrow."
Today's fatigue will be reflected physically and mentally tomorrow, so tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are the most difficult. Once you get through the first three days, the rest will be less difficult.
Manbao took the medicine bag and asked, "Doctor Ji, how come you are okay?"
Doctor Ji smiled and said, "This isn't my first time. Okay, go back now. I'm getting old and can't hold on any longer."
Shopkeeper Old Zheng was even worse than the other two. He was kneading some medicine while being supported by a medicine boy as he walked towards the carriage. He said, "It's been a long time since I've seen a patient like this. I'm so tired."
Daji pulled the carriage and waited on the side. After Manbao climbed up, he opened a food box in the corner. Inside was a hot meat pie. Manbao exclaimed and asked, "Daji, how did you know we were hungry?"
Manbao gave one to Zhou Lijun and then touched and chewed another one.
Daji smiled and said, "The young master asked me to go back and get them. I thought it would take too long to go back, so I bought a few at the city gate."
"Where are Shanbao and the others?"
Daji: "At the place where I get the medicine."
Manbao spread out his arms and legs and sat there unhurriedly. "It will surely take a long time for them to arrive. Daji, do you still have any water?"
Daji then handed in a water bag.
The aunt and niece ate some bread and drank some water, and waited until they were almost yawning before Bai Shan and Bai Erlang helped Mr. Zhuang down.
Manbao quickly helped Mr. Zhuang into the car. Mr. Zhuang sighed and said, "I haven't been this tired in a long time."
Manbao quickly opened the food box and let him eat the meat pie.
Mr. Zhuang took one, glanced at the four people who were exhausted, and said with a smile: "Not bad, not bad, it looks like it has grown a little bit."
Four people: ...How much can it grow in just one day?
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were so tired that they could hardly lift their hands and had no desire to speak. Zhou Lijun was also tired, so he didn't want to talk either.
Instead, Manbao became more energetic. She pulled Mr. Zhuang aside and started chatting with him, telling him about the strange illnesses and some interesting things she had seen today.
Mr. Zhuang ate the meat pie quietly, looked at the eldest disciple, then looked at the other two disciples, and sighed in his heart. Why on earth did he want to speak?
Manbao talked all the way, and only stopped talking when he got home, still unsatisfied. He then took out the medicine bag and handed it to Aunt Rong, saying, "Put it in the water and boil it. Everyone can take a bath tonight."
Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but say, "You finally did something that a doctor should do."
Manbao: “Ah?”
Bai Erlang walked past her with his head hung, unable to speak. Bai Shan floated past her and said, "You talk too much!"
Manbao frowned, but before she could say anything, Zhou Lijun walked past her and asked, "Aunt, aren't you tired?"
"I'm tired!" Manbao said, "I'm very tired, but being tired doesn't affect my speech."
The others showed her through their actions that being tired did affect conversation. No one was in the mood to talk, so they took a bath and then climbed into bed to sleep, without saying a word all night.
When she went to the free clinic again the next day, Manbao found that there seemed to be more patients queuing on her side than yesterday, and some of them were young wives and girls, who were mixing in the queue with their heads down.
Some came with their faces covered, and were then pulled into the queue by some old women. The old women in the queue then went out and walked to the end of the queue.
Manbao ordered someone to get some hot water while he took a curious look at it.
Zhou Lijun put down his things and said, "Aunt, I'll go ask around."
Manbao nodded, "Don't let anyone cut in line. If you have an emergency, you can come forward."
Zhou Lijun agreed and walked down the line. When he came back up, he said, "Aunt, I asked around. Those people are all acquaintances. They're either my daughters, my daughters-in-law, or my nieces, nieces-in-law, and so on. Anyway, they're all relatives."
She leaned close to Manbao's ear and whispered, "They didn't want to see a doctor at first, but they heard there was a female doctor with good medical skills, so they came. Aunt, they praised your good medical skills."
Manbao became proud, raised his chin and said, "Thank you, I will work harder."
Zhou Lijun: "...as long as my aunt is happy."
There are many more patients of other age groups among the patients who came today, and their symptoms are becoming more complicated.
Manbao never thought there was anything wrong with seeing a doctor when he was sick, but when he received the third patient, a young girl, he saw that she had a sack on her head with her entire face almost buried in it. When she spoke, she had to be concerned about the man in the medical tent next to her speaking very quietly, and Manbao had to prick up his ears to hear her.
She frowned, stood up decisively, and called to the two strong maids standing by, "Move the tables and chairs into the clinic. I want to see patients inside. Go get a large curtain and cover the door."
The maid was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the girl hiding under the sack, saluted quickly and retreated.
Another one stepped forward to help move the tables and chairs into the medical tent.
The girl shifted uneasily. Manbao sat down again, smiled and waved at her, saying, "Come in and sit down. We'll talk inside."
The maid who came to get the curtains came back quickly. She took out two curtains and fastened them to the door with a high stool. When the two curtains were pulled, they not only blocked the sight of the men next door, but also blocked the sight of the female patients waiting in line behind.
The nervous girl relaxed a lot, and her voice became louder as she described her illness. She wiped her eyes quietly and said, "...I don't know what kind of bug it is, but it hurts like fire, and the more I scratch, the more it comes. Now my chest is all red and covered with blisters. I'm so scared."
Good night
(End of this chapter)
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