The doctor, well past sixty, took a pulse with his fingers, his expression shifting between good and bad.
When the pulse was taken again on a different wrist, his expression changed drastically.
Tian Sangui was not optimistic about the boy's condition.
Zhang stood to the side, clutching her collar with both hands, her expression changing along with the doctor's.
In the end, I followed him, and my heart ached.
The girl sat on the round wooden chair, and seeing the doctor at this moment, she felt a mix of emotions.
His eyes were dull and lifeless, and his heart was ashen with despair.
The doctor stroked his gray beard and finally spoke: "Having not eaten for many days, coupled with the cold wind at night, my body became weak and powerless, which led to my inability to look back at the sky!"
Upon hearing the diagnosis, everyone was immediately disheartened. Zhang, however, refused to give up: "Is there no other way to save him? He's still a child. It would be such a pity if he died like this!"
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the doctor's eyes, which vanished in an instant.
He stroked his beard again, his gaze drifting into the distance, lost in thought: "It's not hopeless!"
These words immediately caught the attention of Madam Zhang and the young lady, who looked at the doctor with delight, waiting for him to continue.
Tian Sangui had already guessed the outcome. Helplessly, he supported his cheek with one hand, hoping that the doctor wouldn't be too greedy and that it would be enough.
However, a seasoned veteran of the underworld would never let go of such a golden opportunity to take advantage of someone.
With a serious expression, he pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and quickly wrote on the paper.
"I'll prescribe some medicine to relieve enteritis and soothe the stomach. Take it three times a day on time. Come back for a follow-up visit in seven days. Your condition will definitely improve. After that, I'll prescribe some more medicine to improve appetite and strengthen the body. That should be enough for the child!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang and the beggar girl were overjoyed. The girl was overjoyed that her brother could be saved, and Zhang was overjoyed, believing that saving a life was a great deed and praying for her children's future good fortune.
After finishing writing the prescription, the doctor was about to hand it to the apprentice beside him to prepare the medicine.
But Tian Sangui, quick-witted and agile, snatched it away, and she examined it closely in her hand.
The first few ingredients were indeed anti-inflammatory and stomach-nourishing, but she didn't understand the next dozen or so ingredients. What did cassia seeds, goji berries, and ginger have to do with nourishing the stomach?
It was clearly a scheme to swindle money from them because they didn't know the prescription.
The doctor and his apprentice's faces darkened immediately when the prescription was snatched away by the girl.
"You rude girl! Be careful not to ruin the prescription, it's a lifesaver!"
The doctor's voice was weak and hoarse as he roared at Tian Sangui.
Seeing that Tian Sangui had reverted to his old ways at a crucial moment, Zhang felt somewhat resentful.
"San Gui, listen to me, stop fooling around, return the prescription to the doctor, and hurry up and get the medicine to save the person!"
The beggar girl longed for a prescription. Although he was her benefactor, saving her younger brother's life was more important.
She turned around and knelt at Tian Sangui's feet, crying out, "Miss, please return the prescription to the doctor! Once my brother recovers, my brother and I will serve you like slaves to repay your kindness!"
Tian Sangui's face immediately darkened. He disliked her behavior the most, always kneeling down and dragging people onto a moral high ground for public opinion.
Tian Sangui wasn't as soft-hearted as Zhang Shi. She leaned down and said seriously, "Of course you don't care if it doesn't cost you money, but saving your brother isn't a reason for me to be a sucker!"
Tian Sangui disliked this woman from the bottom of his heart, and today he had been pushing the mother and daughter to the brink of despair.
They still don't know what's good for them and are pressing them again.
If it weren't for Zhang's sake, she would have stormed off on the spot.
Only after hearing Tian Sangui's words did she realize that she had disregarded her benefactor's feelings in order to save her brother, and had forgotten about the deception she had committed.
"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault, please don't blame me, Miss!"
Tian Sangui ignored her; if she liked to kneel, let her kneel.
Before Zhang could speak, she blurted out her own words.
"Old doctor, although I don't understand the medicinal ingredients in the prescription, as a cook I know how to cook a few dishes and am familiar with ingredients like cassia seeds, goji berries and ginger, and I have quite a bit of knowledge about their effects."
Upon hearing this, the old doctor's previously angry and dark face turned from black to red, eventually returning to the color he had shown when taking the pulse.
His hands, placed under the table, were trembling slightly.
His eyes darted away, and when he exchanged a glance with the medicine boy, who was also looking away, they both saw the panic in each other's eyes and didn't know how to react.
Ignoring their interesting expressions, Tian Sangui continued dismantling the road.
"Cassia seeds and goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys, clear the liver and improve eyesight, and relieve symptoms such as headaches and dizziness. How can they possibly have anti-inflammatory and stomach-nourishing effects?"
"And as a doctor, don't you know that cassia seeds are not suitable for those with qi deficiency?"
Those present were stunned, especially the doctor and the apprentice, who trembled as they tried to remain calm.
"And then there's ginger, which is quite remarkable. It has antibacterial and detoxifying properties, and it's also great for stimulating the appetite. But the problem is that ginger is a stimulating food. If a weak person eats it, it can damage the gastric mucosa and lead to premature death."
"Old doctor, tell me, how is prescribing medicine any different from murder?"
Tian Sangui raised his voice and slammed the prescription down in front of the doctor, startling everyone in the back of the room.
As soon as he entered, he could tell that this girl was not easy to fool, but he felt that she was too young to compare with his decades of experience, so he decided to take the gamble.
Unexpectedly, he underestimated her, and this girl humiliated him to his face. It was truly shameful.
Seeing that the doctor was speechless and that there were soon more and more patients to see, the young apprentice knew it was not wise to let Tian Sangui cause trouble here for too long.
She forced a "bright" smile and said, "Miss has a good eye. Our husband is old and may make some mistakes. We will rewrite the prescription."
The young apprentice glanced at the unconscious boy, then smiled apologetically.
"He is too weak to need so much medicine. Just do what you said before, sir, and get some anti-inflammatory and stomach-soothing medicine. I'll go get the medicine right away!"
After saying that, without waiting for Tian Sangui's reaction, he hurriedly ran to grab the medicine.
Tian Sangui kept her eyes fixed on the young apprentice, silently counting the medicines he was picking.
If there's one more thing, she has plenty of ways to deal with him.
Having been a shrewd person all my life, how could I possibly be fooled by these unscrupulous businessmen? If word got out, people would laugh their heads off.
Watching her daughter bravely and calmly expose their treacherous scheme, Zhang felt nothing but admiration and pride for Tian Sangui.
The beggar girl was utterly ashamed. She had almost misunderstood her benefactor, and now she didn't know how to face her.
Holding her younger brother, she stood aside, listening to Tian Sangui make the decision.
Having learned his lesson, the young apprentice dared not do anything sneaky again. He neatly packed the medicine packet and jogged over to hand it to Tian Sangui.
Tian Sangui kept a straight face and calmly accepted it.
He glanced at the humble-looking apprentice: "What's the price?"
He asked in a cold voice.
Intimidated by the imposing manner he had just displayed, the young apprentice carefully considered his words and cautiously stated the price.
"One hundred and fifty coins..."
Seeing Tian Sangui's eyes widen, before the last syllable of his sentence was even finished, the quick-witted apprentice immediately continued.
"However... my master was in the wrong just now, so I will take his place and only charge you 120 coins!"
That's more like it. Weighing the medicine packet in my hand, I figured the price of these herbs wouldn't be much different from what I'd pay in town.
Then, his wide-eyed stare slowly returned to normal, and he took out a string of copper coins from his sleeve, counting them one by one to make enough for the medicine boy.
He held onto the money tightly, and the young apprentice looked up at her in confusion.
Tian Sangui's small face loomed larger, his watery eyes narrowed in a warning: "If someone takes your medicine and doesn't improve, or even dies..."
The drawn-out tone suddenly turned cold.
"I will definitely come back and smash up your clinic. The county magistrate has eaten my cooking. Based on that relationship, I don't think he'll let me go to jail!"
The doctor was so frightened that he slid off his chair and collapsed under the table.
The young apprentice's hand trembled as he took the money, and the copper coin fell to the ground without him noticing.
His lips trembled, and he stammered, "No...I wouldn't dare...I wouldn't dare to deceive you, young lady..."
Tian Sangui smiled gently, released his grip on the silver coins, and patted the boy on the shoulder.
The young apprentice seemed to feel the weight of a thousand pounds, and unable to bear it, he finally collapsed to the ground with a thud.
It took Tian Sangui a long time to recover. His clothes were soaked with cold sweat. Ignoring his own condition, he hurriedly went to help the old doctor up.
Judging from his frightened state, it was clear that the patient would not be able to see him that afternoon.
I ran to the door, closed the doors and windows, and finished work early.
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