Chapter 40 I Can Cure Diseases
Shi Taishou saw that the man shrank back in fear and dared not say a word, so he cleared his throat again and spoke with a smug look on his face.
"I'm Shi Taishou, the chief steward of the Fan family in Qingshui Town. I've come here today to seek medical advice and medicine at a substantial price. My master has a strange disease and an extremely itchy stomach. Anyone who can provide a folk remedy or a cure is welcome to come to the Fan residence."
As soon as the words fell, the onlookers started talking about it.
"This guy is crazy. If his master is sick, he should go to a doctor. Why would he post a notice in our remote village? This is bullshit!"
"That's right. It was so noisy that I thought the monkey trainer had arrived. I didn't even finish my work."
"We don't have anyone here who can treat illnesses. We do have a pig butcher and horse castrator, but he hasn't been home lately!"
The villagers laughed again.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Butler Shi, how much can your master give? He won't default on the debt, will he?"
Shi Taishou's eyes widened. "What nonsense are you talking about? Master Fan is a wealthy man, so how can he be short of money? Let me tell you, Master Fan said that whoever can cure his disease will be rewarded with 20 taels of silver."
He said, waving his hand at the servant behind him, "Hurry up and post the notice."
When the villagers heard this, there was another uproar.
"My goodness, you are indeed a wealthy man. You gave me twenty taels of silver at once. This is enough for my family to eat for two years."
"That's right, it's okay to eat meat every meal."
"Okay, stop daydreaming. Mr. Fan from Qingshui Town is a notorious stingy person. Can he really give me twenty taels of silver? I don't think it's possible."
"You're right. Mr. Fan is treacherous and vicious. Last year, I worked as a laborer for him for half a month. He agreed to pay me ten cents a day, but when they finally settled the bill, they only paid me fifteen cents. Are you saying I misheard? He's just lying. How can I get paid only one cent a day? He's clearly bullying me!"
"He's such a big mouth, how can you go to reason with him? Now he's got a strange disease, it's karma, he deserves it!"
"Yes, that's right, he's just too wicked!"
Chen Qingqing knew from the villagers' discussions that the rich man surnamed Fan was not a good person.
I don't want to bother with this trivial matter, but doctors are kind-hearted.
Regardless of the character of Mr. Fan, as a doctor, she should put curing diseases and saving lives first.
Besides, there is a reward of twenty taels of silver. It does not violate my wish to study medicine and can also solve the difficulties of my family. Why not do it!
She asked Shi Taishou loudly, "Is your master really willing to pay twenty taels of silver?"
"Of course it's written in black and white. Who would dare to go back on their word?" Shi Taishou squinted his eyes and glanced at Chen Qingqing. "Why, you little girl, dare to question my master's character?"
"I dare not, I just want to confirm."
Shi Taishou ignored her and shouted at the onlookers in a hoarse voice, "Everyone, tell each other, if anyone wants to earn these twenty taels of silver, just take down the notice and go to Fan's house."
After saying this, he waved to the servants on his left and right, "Let's go to the next village."
"etc."
Chen Qingqing called out to Shi Taishou who was about to turn and leave.
The onlookers were stunned and looked at Chen Qingqing.
Shi Taishou paused and turned around with some confusion, "What's going on? Do you have anything else to do?"
Chen Qingqing said seriously, "I can save your master's life."
"What? You?" Shi Taishou looked Chen Qingqing up and down with contempt and sneered, "Are you crazy because of poverty, you little girl? How dare you say that you can treat illnesses? Let me tell you, this is not a joke. If something goes wrong, you will be sued."
Chen Qingqing looked indifferent. She was a medical genius who was proficient in both Chinese and Western medicine. It was just an extremely itchy stomach. How could it be difficult for her?
She raised her brows with confidence, "I'm going to treat the injury. If I can cure it, I'll pay you. If I can't, I won't charge you a penny."
When the villagers who were watching heard what Chen Qingqing said, they were instantly in an uproar.
"Oh, isn't this the girl from Chen Zhanshan's family? I remember that his family has been farmers for generations and no one has studied medicine. How can she say that she can treat people's illnesses?"
"That's right. Who knows what this girl is up to? The wealthy Fan in Qingshui Town is not someone we ordinary people can afford to offend. If anything goes wrong, he could bankrupt you."
"Yeah, this Qing girl's family has had a hard time. I heard that a few days ago, the old lady of the Chen family kicked Chen Zhanshan out and made him live alone. She also wrote a letter of severance, completely cutting off all ties with her eldest son's family."
"It's better to break it off. Old Mrs. Chen is so biased. In order for her youngest son to pass the imperial examination, she spent all the family savings on her third son."
"Who says it's not true? Old Lady Chen has set her sights on her own granddaughter for fifty taels of silver. She wants to sell Qing girl to the town's butcher Li as a concubine. Everyone in the surrounding area knows that Butcher Li is a notorious beast. How can anything good come from marrying him? This is like pushing a beautiful girl into a pit of fire!"
"That's true, but in this day and age, isn't it just suicide to separate and live alone?"
"It's death anyway. I wouldn't want to marry my daughter to a beast."
"Yes, in my opinion, Qing girl is desperate and is looking for a cure. Her family is starving and she is chasing after the twenty taels of silver. If only the blind cat could find a dead mouse and really cure Mr. Fan, she won't starve to death in the future."
"Just forget it. This money is not so easy to earn. If the treatment fails, she will be skinned alive if she doesn't die."
"You're right. Who knows what Qing girl is thinking? Maybe she's just being impulsive, or maybe she's just missing a trick."
“…”
Shi Taishou wanted to get angry, but then he thought that his master was eager to seek medical treatment and repeatedly told him that as long as anyone was willing to try, regardless of gender, age or status, he should take them home.
Why not let her give it a try? If she is cured, he, as the housekeeper, will have made a great contribution and will naturally receive benefits.
Having made up his mind, he chuckled, "Young lady, since you are so sure that you can cure my master, I am naturally happy. May I know your name?"
Chen Qingqing said calmly, "Chen Qingqing, if you want me to see a doctor, we can leave now."
"So you're Miss Chen. My surname is Shi, and I'm the housekeeper of Mr. Fan's family. You can just call me Housekeeper Shi."
"Okay, Butler Shi, let's go!"
Shi Taishou's eyes flashed, and he turned to look at the big locust tree behind him. "No hurry, no hurry. Since Miss Chen said she can treat illnesses, then go and take down the notice. With this, we both have proof. If something unexpected happens, we can find a place to complain."
Chen Qingqing understood what he meant and smiled calmly, "Okay, no problem."
After she finished speaking, she strode forward and tore down the notice...
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