Soon, a doctor arrived. He was about fifty years old, vigorous and with a serious face. Uncle Cao introduced him, "Boss, this is Doctor Chen from Qianjin Hall in Yonghefang."
Xu Jiang bowed and said, "Greetings, Doctor Chen. I'd be grateful if you could take a look at this child. His leg is badly injured, and he got caught in the rain last night and has a fever."
"Don't worry, young lady. Leave it to me." Doctor Chen put down his medical box and came to the bed. Xu Jiang quickly gave up her seat to make room for him.
Doctor Chen first took the child's pulse, felt the child's forehead, and then lifted the quilt to carefully examine the child's leg. The leg was now swollen even more and slightly purple, and the condition looked more serious than last night.
"His leg is broken. It was originally reattached, but because he didn't take good care of it, it's dislocated again. I'll reattach it for him later and prescribe some topical and internal medicine to reduce the inflammation. As long as he takes the medicine on time, the child's bones will grow quickly, and he should be healed in three months." Doctor Chen tucked the child back into the quilt. "As for the cold, it's not serious. I'll add some cold-relieving herbs to the prescription, and he'll be fine after taking it."
Xu Jiang: "Thank you, Doctor Chen."
"It's a doctor's job, so don't be polite." Doctor Chen then added, "Besides taking the medicine on time, you need to pay more attention to the child's daily care. His spleen and stomach are severely damaged, and his body is weak, probably due to long-term hunger. Avoid raw, cold, sour, spicy, and oily foods. It's best to focus on warm and nourishing porridge and soup, and eat small meals frequently, not too much."
Xu Jiang nodded and said, "I'll make a note of it."
Doctor Chen rolled up his sleeves, peeled the child's leg from the blanket, and said to Xu Jiang and Cao Shu, "I'll set his bones first. You hold him down, or he'll move around in pain."
"good."
The two men stepped forward to help. Uncle Cao sat on the couch and cradled the child, along with the blankets, in his arms, while Xu Jiang held the child's other leg. Doctor Chen held the child's injured leg with one hand and, with the other, traced the bone, feeling for the bulge and massaging it without hesitation.
The child was instantly awakened by the pain and wanted to break free but was held down tightly by the three men. He opened his mouth and let out a hoarse scream that was heartbreaking to hear.
Uncle Cao's eyes turned red. He held the child tightly in his arms and soothed him gently, "Good boy, don't move. The doctor is reconnecting your leg. Just be patient, it will be fine soon."
After hearing that, the child actually stopped struggling and gritted his teeth to swallow his screams. He was sweating profusely from the pain, and the other three adults were also sweating profusely from nervousness.
"Alright." Doctor Chen finally released his legs, swayed to his feet, and said to Xu Jiang, "Find two splints to strap him on. Don't let him move for the first month, otherwise he'll suffer if he gets dislocated again."
Xu Jiang hurried to the kitchen to find two pieces of wood discarded by Uncle Cao from his work. After cleaning them, she brought them into the house and together with Doctor Chen, they tied the child up. The inevitable movement during the tying process caused the child to shiver in pain. Uncle Cao wiped the sweat off his face and coaxed him softly, as if he were his own child.
It was finally tied up and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The child's face was pale.
Doctor Chen pulled out a porcelain bottle from his medicine chest, poured out a pill, and gave it to the child. "This is a medicine to warm and nourish the Qi and blood. The child just broke out in a sweat again. Let him replenish his Qi and recover his vitality first."
Uncle Cao and Xu Jiang placed the child back on the couch. Doctor Chen packed up his medicine chest and said to the two of them, "One of you will go with me to get the prescription and the medicine."
Uncle Cao stood up and said, "I'll go with you."
Xu Jiang called him over and took out a hundred coins and put them into his hand. "Take this first, and come back for more if you don't have enough."
Doctor Chen glanced at the two of them and said, "That's enough. I'm not running a black market." Then he said to Uncle Cao, "Come with me."
Xu Jiang gave an awkward smile and respectfully escorted the man out, "Thank you for your help, Doctor Chen."
After the two left, she went back to the room to see the child, but found that he had fallen asleep again. Thinking of how he had just gritted his teeth and endured the pain, she frowned slightly, then tucked the corner of the quilt for him, sighed softly, and quietly walked out the door.
Because of the market fair held yesterday and the heavy rain overnight, the streets were muddy, so few people were out today. The bookshop was deserted, and Xu Jiang took advantage of her free time to enter yesterday's business expenses into the account, sweep the hall, and burn cork and mugwort to remove the dampness.
Even if business is slow, people cannot be idle.
When Uncle Cao came back with the medicine, she had already cleaned the bookstore inside and out. Then the two of them applied medicine and boiled the medicine for the child, and they were busy for a while.
"Boss, what are you going to do with this child?" Uncle Cao put down the medicine bowl and asked in a low voice.
"First, report to the government office and check the household registration. If they are registered, they will be sent back to their place of origin. If they are not registered, their origins will be clarified and then the government will assign them." Xu Jiang paused and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid..."
"Is the boss afraid that this child is a runaway slave from someone else's family?"
Xu Jiang's expression was slightly tense. "If he were a runaway slave, he would probably be dead if he was caught."
"Besides the wound on his leg, this child also has many bruises on his body. I imagine he's been subjected to a lot of abuse. I wonder what kind of person would be so cruel to such a child." Uncle Cao couldn't hide his heartache. This child reminded him of his own grandson who died of illness. "If he's really a runaway slave, he must have fled because he couldn't bear the abuse. Boss, the child is still so young, we have to find a way to keep him alive."
"Uncle Cao, let's not panic yet. The situation hasn't been resolved yet. Report it to the authorities first. Even if he's a runaway slave, severely injured by his master, the law requires an investigation, not to mention he's just a child." Xu Jiang consoled him, then thought for a moment before adding, "Go to the government office later. It would be best if you could get the officers to come and inspect the situation in person. Remember, try to persuade them, and look for someone who's soft-hearted, warm-hearted, and preferably new to duty."
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