The sun was about to set, but the weather was still very hot and humid.
"Wang Qianqian, what nonsense are you spouting in front of my cousin?" Seeing Wang Qianqian complaining to Song Yueying, Song Rumeng was the first to jump out and warn her.
“My cousin is a village doctor, so it’s only natural for us to come to her for medicine.”
"Furthermore, you only say that we don't believe what you say, but why don't you explain why we don't believe what you say?"
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Wang Qianqian was furious at Song Rumeng’s shamelessness. “When Dr. Song was in the fields, she said that she would no longer take a single work point from the brigade.”
"If villagers want to see her for medical treatment, they have to pay for it themselves."
“You come to get medicine but refuse to pay for it yourself. There’s no such thing as taking advantage of others like this.”
Wang Qianqian was a sent-down youth, and her relationship with the villagers was neither good nor bad. Song Rumeng's warning had no effect on her; she said whatever she wanted.
“You…” Song Yueying did say those words, but Song Rumeng didn’t believe she would actually dare to do it.
She walked up to Song Yueying in a few steps, pointing at Wang Qianqian. Song Rumeng's tone was filled with anger, "Cousin, is this the good apprentice you've taken in?"
“I am your cousin, we are family. Instead of teaching me your medical skills, you teach a educated youth who has no connection with us or even our village.”
"Once she learns your medical skills and returns to the city, who will remember you? Who will still consider you their master?"
"You're being incredibly foolish by teaching her medicine now!"
In the end, Song Rumeng was utterly disappointed in her son.
As Song Rumeng approached, the smell of her sweat hit Song Yueying, who took a step back. When Song Rumeng spoke, she took another step back to create distance.
First, he couldn't stand the smell of Song Rumeng's sweat, and second, he didn't want to be sprayed with Song Rumeng's saliva.
"Why are you dodging?" Seeing Song Yueying take two steps back, Song Rumeng felt rejected and became furious. "Do you think I'm going to eat you?"
"Stay away from me, you smell too much sweat." Song Yueying waved her away with a look of disgust.
I thought to myself, "You can't eat me, but you can suffocate me with your fumes."
"Song Yueying, don't go too far." Song Rumeng's face turned green with anger. She didn't just feel disliked; she was genuinely disliked by Song Yueying.
"Who doesn't sweat on a hot day? You're covered in sweat yourself, so what right do you have to complain about me?"
"Doctor Song means..." Wang Qianqian was about to refute Song Rumeng's words when Song Yueying raised her hand to stop her.
"Who told you that Qianqian is my apprentice?" Song Yueying changed the subject, looking at Song Rumeng as if she were a fool.
Wang Qianqian's heart skipped a beat. Did Doctor Song mean... he had changed his mind? He wasn't going to teach her medicine anymore?
"You lectured her on medicine in front of the whole village, wasn't that just to take her as your apprentice?" Song Rumeng felt that she was increasingly unable to understand Song Yueying's way of doing things.
When they were in the fields, it was clearly she who taught Wang Qianqian how to sew, and so many people wanted to replace Wang Qianqian, but she refused them all.
Now she's asking who told her Wang Qianqian was her apprentice. If she wasn't her apprentice, why was she teaching Wang Qianqian medical skills?
Song Yueying is hypocritical, extremely hypocritical.
"Is teaching her a little bit of medical knowledge the same as taking her as an apprentice?" Song Yueying frowned and asked, throwing the wooden stick in her hand behind the door frame.
Too lazy to waste any more words with Song Rumeng, she looked at the old people and children outside. Their faces were red from the sun; they would definitely be a shade darker by tomorrow morning.
Song Yueying asked, "I only have one question for you: are you going to buy the medicine or not?"
Song Rumeng was the first to object, "Cousin, you are the village doctor of our brigade. It is your responsibility to treat the villagers and prepare medicine for them. How can you take money from the villagers?"
"Do you know that taking money is considered buying and selling for profit? That will get you arrested..."
"If you can't learn, shut up and get lost." Song Yueying, unable to bear it any longer, kicked Song Rumeng aside to cool off. "I've put up with you for a long time."
Only after leaning against the wall could Song Rumeng steady herself. She turned around and stared blankly at Song Yueying.
She kicked her, how dare she?
As the saying goes, old people become shrewd, and the elderly men turned a blind eye to Song Yueying's violent behavior. The children, on the other hand, quickly hid behind the nearest elderly person, peeking out and looking at Song Yueying timidly.
Wang Qianqian stood beside Song Yueying with her head down, glancing at her every now and then. Her eyes would sometimes sparkle, and sometimes become obscure and complicated.
Seeing that Song Rumeng had finally shut up, Song Yueying thought to herself, "Indeed, violence is the fastest and most effective way to solve problems."
Having dealt with Song Rumeng, Song Yueying looked at the old man and child outside. She spoke slowly and deliberately, "Headache, dizziness, thirst, flushed face, and confusion."
"These are all symptoms of heatstroke. If your family members happen to have these symptoms, then they have heatstroke."
"Heatstroke is not a very serious illness in its early stages, but it can be fatal if it gets severe. If it is not intervened and treated in time, the condition may gradually develop into coma and limb convulsions."
"Of course, coma and limb convulsions are mild; severe cases can lead to multiple organ failure."
"Fortunately, heatstroke is not contagious."
"But the elderly and children have weaker immune systems than adults, and they are more likely to suffer from heatstroke if they stand in the sun for a long time."
"I have medicine here to treat heatstroke. Drinking a bowl of it will cure the illness. I can go back to the fields tomorrow to earn more work points."
"Five cents a bowl, no bargaining or credit."
After saying that, Song Yueying stopped looking at the old people and children and turned her attention to Wang Qianqian. "Qianqian, if someone wants to buy medicine, tell them to go home and bring a bowl to put it in."
"If you pay the money and deliver the goods at the same time, you won't need to come into the yard; it's noisy."
"Okay," Wang Qianqian replied in a clear voice.
But Song Yueying could still see the gloom in her expression. She didn't ask now, thinking she would ask Wang Qianqian what was wrong after they went into the courtyard.
Seeing Song Yueying about to enter the courtyard, even though Song Rumeng wanted to beat her to death, she could only soften her tone and plead, "Cousin, please, for the sake of us being family."
"Could you give me a bowl of medicine first so I can take it home for my mom to drink?"
"Don't worry, I definitely won't default on my debt or extend credit. I'll give you the money when I bring the bowl back."
As she spoke, Song Rumeng's eyes gradually reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry. It was as if Song Yueying was an ungrateful wretch if she didn't agree to her request.
"No one can break the rules I set." Song Yueying was too lazy to watch her performance any longer and turned to walk into the courtyard.
Song Rumeng squinted at Song Yueying's back, her anger making her want to go crazy and even more want to pounce on her and bite Song Yueying to death.
He gritted his teeth silently, then turned and walked towards the next room.
The children couldn't understand the interaction between Song Rumeng and Song Yueying, but the older folks did. Even though Song Rumeng was Song Yueying's cousin, she didn't gain anything from it.
They, as outsiders, won't gain any advantage.
That's how people are; since no one benefits, there's no complaining. I thought of Song Yueying saying that they were exposed to the sun for extended periods, and their chances of heatstroke were higher than adults.
They all went home.
Wang Qianqian watched the departing people, her heart filled with mixed feelings, and she sighed repeatedly.
"Qianqian, why are you sighing?" Song's mother was holding two peaches and had just walked behind Wang Qianqian when she heard her sigh, so she asked casually.
"Auntie, why did you come out?" Wang Qianqian turned around and looked at Song's mother.
"Here!" Song's mother smiled and spread out her hands, showing Wang Qianqian the two peaches in her hand. "These are wild peaches that Xiao Yingzi and Xiao Qi picked from the mountain. I brought them here for you to try."
"Don't let the fact that they're wild peaches fool you, they're incredibly sweet."
"No, no, it's not easy to pick peaches on such a hot day. I won't eat them; I'll save them for Doctor Song." Wang Qianqian waved her hands repeatedly in refusal.
“They picked a lot, and Little Shadow can’t finish them all.” Song’s mother grabbed Wang Qianqian’s hand and put the peach in her hand. “Don’t underestimate these small peaches, they are very sweet.”
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Wang Qianqian had no choice but to thank her, "Thank you, Auntie."
"Don't mention it," Song's mother said with a smile, then asked, "Why were you sighing just now?"
Wang Qianqian thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth, "I just don't understand. A bowl of medicine only costs 50 cents, and you won't even pay that? Don't your own family's lives matter?"
“Life is definitely more important than money. Some people just can’t understand it for a while.” Song’s mother patted Wang Qianqian’s hand. “Alright, I’m going back to wash the peaches.”
"Okay." Wang Qianqian looked down at the two wild peaches in her hand, deeply moved.
She ate one herself and put the other in her shirt pocket, intending to take it back to her husband, Wang Aimin.
Not long after, Song Rumeng returned with a bowl, walked up to Wang Qianqian, and threw a five-cent banknote at her.
Wang Qianqian subconsciously reached out and grabbed the money, then stared blankly at the five cents in her hand.
My aunt was right.
She took the money and the bowl and headed towards the kitchen. Soon she came out carrying a bowl of reddish-brown medicine, walking very carefully to avoid spilling it.
Song Rumeng said fiercely, "You'd better pray that this bowl of medicine can cure my mother's illness. Otherwise, I will definitely go to the commune to report you for buying and selling counterfeit medicine."
After uttering those threatening words, without waiting for Wang Qianqian to explain, Song Rumeng took the bowl of medicine and turned to leave.
Then, one after another, elderly people and children came to buy medicine with money and bowls.
As darkness fell and it became clear that no one was coming to buy medicine anymore, Wang Qianqian sat on the doorstep counting the money she had collected that day. A shadow fell over her, blocking the last glimmer of light.
"Medicine, five cents a bowl." Wang Qianqian looked up, and immediately smiled when she saw the person's face. "Aimin, what brings you here?"
Then she saw Wang Aimin holding the baby, and her smile grew even brighter and gentler. Wang Qianqian quickly got up from the threshold and happily touched the baby's little hand.
"I brought my little daughter to pick you up and take you home together." Wang Aimin held the baby and looked at her tenderly.
"Okay, okay." Wang Qianqian's happiness was palpable. "Wait for me a little longer. I'll take the money to Doctor Song, and then I should be able to go home."
Wang Aimin nodded.
Wang Qianqian gently rubbed her little girl's forehead before happily running into the yard. Wang Aimin didn't follow her in; he understood the principle of not entering someone else's yard without permission.
Wang Qianqian found Song Yueying in the main room. Two kerosene lamps were lit in the room, and she was sitting at a square table sorting out herbs.
As she handed the money to her, Wang Qianqian casually asked, "Where's Auntie?"
“She and Qi Yanjue are making dinner in the kitchen.” Taking the money, Song Yueying looked at the small bills, some with loose change and some with loose change, and was immediately a little shocked. “Have you counted them?”
“I counted it, it’s six yuan and fifty cents in total,” Wang Qianqian replied.
Six yuan and fifty cents, and the herbal soup was sold for fifty cents a bowl, yet thirteen people suffered from heatstroke. Song Yueying frowned, her fingers unconsciously rubbing against the money.
This can't go on!
When the harvest season is in full swing, if one person collapses, there's one less person to work with, let alone thirteen people collapsing in a single day. And this is just today; who knows how many people will collapse tomorrow?
The captain is bound to go crazy.
"Dr. Song, Dr. Song." Seeing Song Yueying clutching the money without speaking, Wang Qianqian called her twice. Receiving no response, her heart began to pound.
She couldn't help but wonder if she had miscounted or made some other mistake.
If she were alone here, she wouldn't be in a hurry. If she miscounted, she would recount; if she made other mistakes, she would correct them. But today, her daughter and husband are still waiting for her outside.
Song Yueying snapped out of her daze the moment Wang Qianqian called out the first time, but she didn't move.
Seeing her anxious expression, he asked, "Are you in a hurry?"
"No, there's no rush," Wang Qianqian hurriedly shook her head in denial, her face paling slightly. She was afraid that Song Yueying's next words would be, "You don't need to come tomorrow."
Seeing that Wang Qianqian's face had turned pale, Song Yueying really didn't understand what she was thinking.
She wouldn't tell the truth when asked, and then suddenly remembered smelling a faint milky scent earlier. Song Yueying understood, "Is your little girl outside?"
Wang Qianqian's eyes widened in surprise. How could Doctor Song know that her daughter was outside if she hadn't gone out?
Could it be that Dr. Song overheard her talking to Aimin?
Just then, a deep, pleasant voice came from outside, "Why is Wang Zhiqing still inside? Your Wang Zhiqing is holding the child and waiting for you at the door."
As they spoke, Qi Yanjue entered the main room and placed a bowl of soup in front of Song Yueying. He said gently, "Mom said dinner won't be ready for a while."
"Let me bring you this bowl of soup first."
"Thank you." Song Yueying smiled at Qi Yanjue, then stood up, took out four five-cent bills from her hand, and handed them to Wang Qianqian.
Wang Qianqian looked at Song Yueying with a blank expression, not knowing what she meant.
“These two yuan are rightfully yours, take them,” Song Yueying said.
"No, no, no, I don't want it, I don't want money." Wang Qianqian waved her hands, took a step back, and looked like she was about to cry. "Don't give me money."
“Dr. Song, it’s alright if you don’t want to take me as your apprentice. Maybe I’m just too clumsy to meet your standards.”
"I just wish you would let me stay here and do odd jobs for you."
“You are the savior of my daughter and me, and I hope to repay your kindness in some way.”
Song Yueying was taken aback, but then she understood what Wang Qianqian meant. She thought that Wang Qianqian's refusal to acknowledge her as her apprentice meant that she was unwilling to teach her how to treat external injuries.
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