Chapter 203: Just what I feared most came to pass.
Sister Ling's expression changed, and she immediately stepped forward to stop him: "Dr. Zhou, you've only seen a dozen or so people, but we have more than a hundred in total!"
"Haven't I seen enough? More than a dozen people have only seen the doctor and are unwilling to receive treatment. If I keep seeing them, will anyone be willing to receive treatment? Since no one is willing to receive treatment, then there is naturally no need for me to see them anymore."
Zhou Mujiao said coldly, "Your lives are your own. Whether you want to live in pain or comfort is your own choice. Our choice as doctors is to treat patients who want to live longer and live better."
"That's right, that's right. If you don't want to get treatment, there's nothing we can do. Some of you might be able to recover simply by taking your medication on time and in the correct dosage. We've clearly explained the difference between treatment and no treatment to you, without any concealment or deception. Now that you've all given up on treatment, what can we do? Are we supposed to let Lord Chen and the others hold knives to your throats and force you to see a doctor?"
As Jinling spoke, she packed her things. Her princess-like temper flared up again, and she almost slammed her hand on the table, saying, "How dare you! How audacious!"
There weren't many things on the table, and they were quickly put away. Amu and the others came to clear the table.
Before leaving, Zhou Mujiao said, "Wuqi Village is wonderful, like a paradise, but no place in this world is absolutely safe. We can come in today, and others can come in tomorrow. People's mindsets also change. Even if Wuqi Village is the best in the world, there will always be people who want to go out and see the outside world. When they want to go out but can't, and are not accepted by the outside world, it is a devastating blow to anyone."
She looked deeply at Sister Ling: "That's all I have to say. Take care, everyone."
Zhou Mujiao turned around first. Just like when they arrived, the large group of people left in a lively manner.
There were some medicines on the ground, as well as some snacks and trinkets for children, and a dozen new sets of children's clothes in the basket.
Sister Ling touched the fabric above her head, looking at the four women surrounded by a large group of men. A thought struck her, and she quickly said to Aunt Fang, "Aunt Fang, I think she's right. We can stay in Wuqi Village for the rest of our lives, but Xiao Nian and Xiao En can't. We don't know what the world will be like decades from now. If they go out into the world then and are treated like monsters, they'll probably blame us for not fighting for them today."
Aunt Fang and Sister Lian exchanged a glance, then turned to look at the women in the village, whose eyes were full of trust in them.
Aunt Fang gritted her teeth and said, "Xiaoling, stay here and don't move. Xiaolian and I will bring the person back."
"We all angered them so much that they left. If we're going to invite them back, we should all do it together."
Just as Zhou Mujiao and her group rounded the bend and saw a desolate area, they heard hurried footsteps behind them. Lord Chen glanced back furtively and whispered, "Dr. Zhou, they've caught up. They didn't bring any weapons, so they've probably regretted it and want to ask you to go back. Should you make things difficult for them before they go back? Otherwise, they might regret it halfway through their consultations and make you work for nothing."
"They have made their choice and will not easily change it."
"Only a man's word is his bond; women are fickle—"
“A man’s word is law, but that law has legs,” Zhou Mu said with a smile. “What’s right in front of us is that most of these women were abandoned by the men who swore on their wedding day that they would take care of them for the rest of their lives.”
Lord Chen touched his nose, wanting to say that it was a minority, but after thinking about it, he chose to keep quiet.
He had heard some rumors that the shrewd and unyielding Zhao, who could persuade even the emperor, was actually no match for Doctor Zhou in debates. Even the top scholar who had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations could not out-argue her. So who was Chen Qiyang?
Zhou Mujiao accepted the villagers' sincere invitation and moved into the village. Zhao Yunjing also arrived in Jiangnan three days later.
A torrential downpour hit Jiangnan, soaking the group to the bone.
They could have entered the city before the downpour, but when they passed through a village outside the city, Zhao Yunjing saw that some farmers' grains were getting wet, so he went down to collect them. In the short time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the rain came.
At first, the raindrops were like soybeans, falling one by one. But by the time they entered the city and arrived at their lodging, the rain was starting to sting. After Zhao Yunjing had taken a bath and changed into clean clothes, hail began to fall outside. Hailstones the size of babies pelted down, leaving small craters in the ground.
Hu Peiran, who was accompanying them, was a little worried: "Brother Zhao, with this much rain, the farmers simply can't go to the fields. If it keeps raining for three to five days, won't they miss the planting season?"
If they miss the planting season, their efforts will be in vain, and they will have to wait another season to promote rice.
Zhao Yunjing was prepared: "As long as there is no flood, we should not miss the sowing period. Even if it is ten or fifteen days late, we can still sow and cultivate the rice. Peiran, we have cultivated more than one type of rice. There is plenty of rain in Jiangnan and the temperature difference is not very large. As long as we harvest the rice before winter comes, it will be fine."
Daliang is a vast area, and there is no fixed time for sowing. As long as it is not too far past the solar term, there is still hope. Therefore, even in the same village, some people will plant early and some will plant late, which is why there is a distinction between early rice and late rice.
However, the transition from torrential rain to large hailstones took only half an hour, and judging from the sky, it seemed that the rain was likely to get heavier.
Hu Peiran glanced at the flowerbeds outside, which had been ravaged by hail, and thought to himself, "I hope the rain stops tomorrow, and I hope there won't be any flooding."
But there's a saying: what you fear most is what will happen.
Zhao Yunjing slept through the night, but before dawn the next day, he was woken up by Shuisheng: "My lord, something has happened!"
Zhao Yunjing was still asleep when he heard this and reflexively sat up. He sat there for a couple of seconds before opening his eyes and immediately locking his gaze on Shuisheng: "What happened? Is it about Ajiao?"
"It's not that the lady is in trouble, it's that something has happened outside the city! My lord, it rained all night yesterday, and this morning the prefect of Tongchuan came to inform us that all the farmland outside the city was flooded, many houses collapsed, and countless people are missing!"
The rain outside shows no signs of stopping; in fact, it's getting heavier. I'm afraid that in another half hour, even the inner city will be flooded.
Just as Shui Sheng had this thought, footsteps sounded outside. It was Hu Peiran, who was running and putting on his clothes as he ran: "Brother Zhao, something terrible has happened! The water is flooding in! Look!"
Indeed, while Zhao Yunjing and Shuisheng were talking, a layer of water had already accumulated in the courtyard outside. When Zhao Yunjing looked over, he felt that the rain was getting heavier and heavier.
"Shuisheng, take some people and fix the drainage in the yard so it doesn't get clogged. Otherwise, call the others over and we'll have a meeting first."
The others had been traveling for more than half a month and were finally able to get a good night's sleep, so they slept soundly. When they were woken up, they almost lost their temper, but when they heard that the courtyard was flooded and Zhao Yunjing was going to call a meeting, they didn't have time to complain and rushed over in their undergarments.
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