Chapter 177 The Scholar Who Ate Noodles at Her Shop
Jiang Ling instinctively shielded Xiao Ran and Xiao Yi behind her.
Seriously? You got robbed on your first long trip?
But isn't it too hasty to use broken sticks as equipment for these six people?
Jiang Ling glanced at the long sword in the guard's hand and felt somewhat reassured.
Cheng Fang also stood up. He looked at the group of refugees, his tone cold and authoritative:
"Do you know whose path you're blocking? How dare you act so recklessly on the official road? You're tired of living!"
Ordinary people wouldn't dare approach such a luxurious carriage and mounted guards. Yet, there was this group of reckless refugees!
"Miss Jiang, step back and let me deal with them!"
He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Jiang Ling; such reckless people could only disappear from the Great Yu Dynasty!
Before Cheng Fang and his group could make a move, the refugees suddenly knelt down with a thud.
This unexpected move stunned everyone.
Zhao Jingxing frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group of emaciated refugees, and said in a deep voice, "What tricks are you playing? What exactly do you intend to do?"
The leader of the refugees was a man around forty years old. Although his clothes were tattered, he spoke with some coherence. He kowtowed, his voice trembling with tears:
"My lord, please understand! We are not bad people, but we have no other choice! We don't want food, and we dare not offend you, sir. We only beg you to have mercy and give us some medicine! There is a young man over there who has been seriously injured, and he is... about to die!"
Everyone present was stunned.
Zhao Jingxing took a step forward, his tone softening slightly: "What tricks are you playing? What do you need the medicine for? If you're trying to trick us into selling the medicine, don't blame us for being impolite."
"I'm not trying to scam you for medicine! I really am dying!"
The man quickly waved his hand and turned to shout to the two refugees behind him, "Quick! Bring Zhou Langjun over here!"
The two refugees responded, turned and disappeared into the bushes. A moment later, they came forward carrying a stretcher that was barely made of branches and rags.
A young man lay on the stretcher, his face ashen, his eyes closed, his lips cracked, barely breathing.
Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat troubled.
If the refugees asked for food, they absolutely could not give it to them, because giving food in private would attract more refugees. They did not have enough manpower this time, and Miss Jiang was also with them, so they could not get involved in this mess.
But what the other party asked for was medicine. As fellow citizens of the Great Yu Dynasty, how could we stand by and watch them die?
Zhao Jingxing carefully considered his words before speaking, "We've come to pick someone up, and we didn't bring any medicine. I have a few taels of silver here; you can take it to a nearby doctor, and it should be enough to treat your injuries."
He was about to take out his money when Jiang Ling stopped him with her voice: "Wait."
Jiang Ling didn't want to cause trouble while she was out, but when she saw the man on the stretcher, she realized that he was the scholar who had eaten noodles at her shop.
At the time, I thought he was playing a role-playing game.
Sell him instant noodles as plain noodles.
Jiang Ling walked quickly to the stretcher, took a closer look, and exclaimed in surprise, "It really is him!"
"Miss Jiang, do you know him?" Cheng Fang walked over and couldn't help but ask when he noticed Jiang Ling's strange look.
Jiang Ling nodded. "He is a scholar who went to the capital to take the imperial examination. He ate noodles at my shop a few months ago."
How did he become a vagrant?
Logically speaking, families that can afford to send their children to school should have some wealth, so they shouldn't be in such dire straits.
Jiang Ling looked at his ankle. Blood was seeping from it, and the edges were black and ulcerated, emitting a foul smell. It was obvious that he had been injured by a rusty animal trap.
He was already in a coma with a high fever.
Was he injured in an animal trap?
“Exactly!” The leader of the refugees nodded quickly.
"Zhou Langjun went up the mountain to try his luck in finding some food for us, but he accidentally stepped into an animal trap... When we found him, he had already passed out..."
Seeing that he has been injured for many days, if it is delayed any longer, his life may be in danger.
Even if you give them money to find a doctor, given that he's already in a coma, the doctor might not be willing to treat him.
Jiang Ling sighed. No matter what, they were acquaintances; she couldn't just stand by and watch someone die.
She turned to Cheng Fang and said, "Young Master Cheng, I have medicine in my carriage. I'll go get it and treat him."
Cheng Fang paused for a moment, then nodded. "Do you need any help?"
"No need, I can do it myself."
Just as Jiang Ling finished speaking, Xiao Ran chimed in from the side, "Sister Jiang, let me help."
Jiang Ling didn't say anything, but quickly walked to the carriage and took out the medicine box containing modern medical supplies.
She first took out a fever reducer and gestured to a woman among the refugees to help feed it to the scholar.
Next, she took out iodine, cotton swabs, gauze, bandages, and even a small but sharp set of surgical scissors and tweezers.
Jiang Ling carefully unwrapped the tattered cloth wrapped around her ankle, and when the wound was revealed, even the guards gasped.
His ankles had many bloody holes from being bitten by animal traps, the edges of which were festering and black, and covered in dirt.
She carefully cleaned the wound with a sterile cotton pad. Having gained experience from her previous surgery on Zhao Shiying, she was much more skilled this time.
With Xiao Ran's help, the wound was cleaned up in no time.
Next, she took out a sealed vial and a disposable syringe.
“Miss Jiang, this is…” Zhao Jingxing looked at these unprecedented things and couldn’t help but ask.
"His wound got dirty, and he probably got tetanus. Just reducing the fever and bandaging it isn't enough; he needs this injection. It will prevent the wound from festering."
As she spoke, she stuck the needle into the scholar's arm.
Recently, she was forced to learn a lot of medical knowledge, and she remembered that the medical books explained it this way.
Cheng Fang watched intently the whole time, not daring to ask any questions.
Besides his lack of medical knowledge, His Highness the Crown Prince had instructed him before he came that if he saw anything strange in Miss Jiang's shop, he should not ask too many questions, let alone delve into them.
Throughout the entire process, the refugees kneeling on the ground didn't dare to even breathe.
Although they had never seen this treatment method before, seeing the girl's confident expression reassured them considerably.
Such a noble lady condescended to treat Mr. Zhou; this alone is impeccable.
After doing all this, Jiang Ling cut the sterile gauze into a suitable size, wrapped it around the scholar's ankle, and secured it with tape.
"Alright, the medicine has been given. His fever should break in about half an hour." Jiang Ling handed the remaining fever reducer and anti-inflammatory pills to the leading man.
"Take two pills of this medicine a day with warm water, and remember to change the gauze on the wound every day. There's a post station an hour ahead; you can go there and find a place for him to rest."
Jiang Ling took out another piece of silver and gave it to him, saying, "Use this silver to buy him some good food to help his wounds heal."
The leader of the refugees led his men in kowtowing several times to Jiang Ling, saying, "Thank you, young lady! Thank you for saving our lives! We...we have nothing to repay you with, so we can only kowtow to you!"
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