When the eldest son of the family, Old Master Lin, picked up his chopsticks, everyone at the table began to reach for the plate of fish without prior arrangement.
That fish looks horrified! Is it going to be devoured right after being served?
*
As the day passed, Lin Musheng still did not wake up amidst the eager anticipation of the doctors and his family.
The atmosphere at home became somewhat somber.
Only Old Madam Xu was a bit of a troublemaker. She would jump three feet high in the main room, making veiled accusations and cursing everyone as if they owed her something.
She had stayed behind precisely to watch the drama unfold, and now she had her wish fulfilled. She utterly denigrated Doctor Ma, calling him "just a quack doctor who swindles money," and cursed Old Master Lin as "blind as a mule, taking his mother-in-law's kindness for granted." She said things like, "He didn't trust her, his own family, but instead believed the nonsense of some outsider doctor, not only breaking her heart but also causing her son-in-law's death..."
They really hurl all sorts of nasty insults.
Lin Momo, hiding in the side room, was thoroughly tormented by the little old lady.
She thought to herself that it was fortunate there were no outsiders at home at night, and that Grandpa Lin lived far away and couldn't hear anything, otherwise this old woman would probably have been kicked out by Uncle Lin and the others.
The treatment did not achieve the desired effect, so Dr. Ma did not leave the next day and continued to give acupuncture to the unconscious Lin Musheng.
Fortunately, Lin Musheng woke up just after the acupuncture treatment and as Dr. Ma was removing the gauze to change the dressing on his injured leg.
Dr. Ma finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought to himself, "If you don't wake up soon, my reputation will be ruined by you."
If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't bear to see your precocious daughter lose her father at such a young age, I would have gone back to the county town after getting my acupuncture treatment yesterday. I wouldn't be here putting up with your unreasonable mother-in-law's nonsense.
He who eats another's food is bound to do so.
Dr. Ma ate the two dishes that Lin Momo had specially prepared yesterday, and felt embarrassed to leave halfway through treating the father.
After his initial reaction, Doctor Ma called out to Lin Momo, who was brewing medicine by the stove, "Girl, your father is awake!"
Lin Momo didn't go to gather firewood today; she had a premonition that Lin Musheng might wake up today.
It seems her precognitive abilities are truly amazing!
"Awake?" Lin Momo subconsciously stood up, wanting to go over and check on her.
Her reaction wasn't slow, but she still couldn't outrun Lin Sanya. In the blink of an eye, she pounced on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), excitedly calling out, "Father, Father, you're awake!"
Lin Musheng, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), looked blankly at the people gathered around it.
He may have been asleep for too long, and he was still a little disoriented when he first woke up.
Lin Momo stood behind Lin Sanya for a moment, then returned to continue brewing the medicine. Finally, she no longer had to force-feed the medicine, which was not only time-consuming and laborious, but also resulted in more spillage than drinking.
Lin Sanya was so excited that her shouts were quite loud, and soon they attracted the Xu mother and daughter, as well as Lin Zhiqiang and his two companions, who were in the main room.
As a result, the two of them pushed her aside as soon as they arrived.
Lin Momo then asked Lin Sanya to go to the old house and greet Old Master Lin.
Originally, Master Lin came with Doctor Ma, but he was called away by his uncle's son, Shi Tou.
"Father, father, you're finally awake! You have no idea how I've been living these days!" Xu Shi wiped her eyes, her voice trembling with a mixture of sorrow and joy as she complained to her husband.
Lin Zhiqiang's eyes reddened as well, moved by the somber atmosphere his mother had created. He opened his mouth and said, "Dad, that's great! You're finally awake!"
"It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake!" Madam Xu wiped her eyes with her sleeve and murmured, "All my vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting these past few days have finally paid off."
What a hypocrite! She doesn't even feel guilty saying those things!
Dr. Ma quickly changed Lin Musheng's dressing and squeezed out of the room.
Seeing that the medicine was ready, Lin Momo quickly put out the fire and chased after it.
"Dr. Ma, my father was able to wake up this time thanks to you so much," Lin Momo sincerely thanked him.
Dr. Ma said nonchalantly, "You don't need to take it to heart. Treating the sick and saving lives is simply our duty as doctors."
"Dr. Ma is not only an outstanding doctor, but also a person of high moral character."
"Ha, you little girl, are you trying to flatter me? I'm not buying it. No matter how many nice words you say, the cost of the medicine and the consultation fee must be exactly what it should be, not a penny less!" Doctor Ma's gloomy expression vanished, replaced by a smile.
Aren't you going to eat?
You don't look like yourself at all.
Even though her little trick was seen through, Lin Momo wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, "Of course, it can't be less. We've already felt guilty because we haven't been able to entertain you properly these past few days due to our limited resources. Besides, this medicine is from the clinic. How could we let you go through all this trouble and not be able to pay the bill when you get back?"
"Just name a number, and we'll have it ready before you return to the clinic."
Lin Momo's poise and grace made Doctor Ma, who had unintentionally brought up the cost of the medicine, seem slightly embarrassed.
Then he remembered that he was leaving today and would inevitably have to talk about the cost of the medicine. He thought it would be better to bring it up now and give the other person some time to prepare. "Last time I prescribed six doses of medicine, each dose costing nine hundred coins. The cost of acupuncture and wound medicine was four taels and six mace, which comes to exactly ten taels."
"Okay. This medicine will be finished in three days. Why don't you prescribe a few more doses? Oh, by the way, my father has woken up now. Shouldn't we change the prescription?"
"You little girl know quite a lot."
Doctor Ma joked for a moment, then stroked his beard and pondered before saying, "The reason your father has been asleep for so many days is because his body was already severely weakened. It's best to continue taking this prescription for a while longer to properly replenish his body's deficiencies. As for the injury to his leg, the bone has been set, and now it needs time to heal. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, so it's best not to move him for the next month. After a month, he can use crutches to walk around a little, but remember not to fall."
"Before you leave, I'll leave you some wound medicine so you can change it every other day."
"Also, during your recovery period, it's best to eat some nourishing foods, such as eggs and some meat."
Given the Lin family's situation, they probably can't afford anything better.
Lin nodded silently and said, "Yes, I've noted it all down. Then please calculate the cost of the medicine as well, and I'll give it to you together."
Just then, a group of people burst into the courtyard, with Old Master Lin leading the way.
Lin Momo breathed a sigh of relief; anyone who didn't know better would have thought someone had come to cause trouble.
She looked behind Old Master Lin again, and lo and behold! It was Uncle Lin and his son, Aunt Wang holding her grandson, and behind them were her cousin-in-law, Shitou, and Lin Yue'er.
Well, the entire eldest son's family has come out!
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