Chapter 26: The Final Road

  Ni Dafu stroked his white beard with a rather pleased expression and said: "Except for yesterday's one, the rest have all been cured!"

  Zuo Shaoyang smiled slightly and vaguely guessed the purpose of Ni Dafu's boasting.

  "Ah, the prescription for treating a dead fetus," Ni Daifu continued slowly. "I do have one, and it's always been effective. This time is just an exception. Think about it, I've only encountered this once in over 30 years. Who knows if I'll ever come across such a difficult case again? You want me to spend ten taels of silver on a prescription that might not even be used?"

  Zuo Shaoyang finally understood why Ni Dafu was unwilling to pay this price for the prescription. His heart sank to the bottom.

  Ní Dàfū continued slowly: "So, the life-saving prescription isn't always valuable, there are many kinds. For example, frequently used prescriptions that can save lives but others don't know about, those unique prescriptions, even if it's ten taels of silver or a hundred taels, I'd buy them. But your prescription, in over thirty years, has only appeared once. To be blunt, even if Lǎo Xiǔ (I) couldn't cure this illness, how much damage would it do to my reputation? Which doctor dares to say they can cure all illnesses?"

  Zuo Shaoyang nodded and said, "What Nai Dafu said makes sense too. Alright, you're not looking to buy other commonly used life-saving prescriptions? We have them at Gui Zhi Tang. What prescription do you want to buy? I'll sell it to you! I guarantee that it's a secret recipe that no one else knows about, and I'll sell it exclusively to you! And the price will be absolutely fair!"

  Ni Daifu burst out laughing.

  "What are you laughing at? I'm telling the truth! Don't you believe I have these prescriptions? Or don't you believe this prescription works? If you don't believe me, you can try it out. If it doesn't work, I'll double refund your money!"

  "It's not necessary!" Ni Daifu's smile faded, and he stood up coldly: "Originally, if you were to sell that prescription for a few hundred coins, I would have bought it out of curiosity. But you opened your mouth too wide, asking for ten taels at first, and now you're saying you want to exclusively sell other commonly used life-saving prescriptions to me? I understand your true intentions now. Alright, I'm not interested in your so-called secret prescriptions, Left Young Master, please leave!"

  Having said that, Ni Daofu flicked his sleeve and turned around to walk away.

  "Wait!" Zuo Shao Yang caught up with him in a few steps and said urgently, "You really don't believe I have this prescription? You really don't believe these prescriptions are effective?"

  "To be honest, I really don't believe it!" Nǐ Dàifū didn't even turn around, coldly saying: "If there really was such a prescription, would your esteemed hall still lack money? Would you still need to come to my humble hall to sell prescriptions? Hahaha" As he spoke, he burst into loud laughter and strode out the door.

  Left Shao Yang is foolish, what Doctor Ni said is not wrong. This is like a bald doctor with no hair on his head telling others that he has a secret formula for treating hair loss, nobody will believe it. The only thing is that they don't know these formulas come from modern society, not from Gui Zhi Tang's formulas. But how can this be said? Even if it's said, who would believe it?

  To make people believe, you can only speak with facts! A thought suddenly popped into Zuo Shao Yang's mind, causing his whole body to shake. Although this thought was too absurd, at this point, he had no choice!

  A fellow came over and stood at the door, with his arms around him, looking at himself coldly. Zuo Shaoyang hummed a sound and stepped out of the door. He arrived in the main hall and saw Nai Daifu sitting behind an intricately carved large desk, diagnosing illnesses. He walked over, leaned forward to look at him, and said in a cold voice: "Good! Nai Daifu, I've come to prove it to you, let you see if our Zuo family's prescription has any effect, can save people!"

  Ni Daifu stroked his mustache, gazing at him coldly and said slowly: "Lao Xiu is watching!"

  The left Shao Yang brushed off his sleeves and left.

  He returned to the Guizhitang, saw Zuo Gui still sitting there with his sleeves rolled up like a wooden carving, and his sister Huixiang came over, who was in the bedroom doing needlework with Liang Shi with a worried look on her face. He walked up to Zuo Gui's face and said, "Dad! We can't just sit here waiting for death, we have to think of a way to make some money!"

  "What?" Zuo Gui slowly raised his face and looked at him. In just a few days, the wrinkles on his face had deepened and increased significantly.

  "If patients don't come to us, we have to think of ways to make money!"

  "What's going on?"

  "Peddling medicine on the streets!"

  A traditional Chinese doctor who carries a medicine box and travels through the countryside, visiting villages to treat illnesses, also known as "itinerant doctor" or "rural doctor", commonly referred to as "bell doctor".

  "What? Bell doctor?" Zuo Gui was stunned for a moment, smiled bitterly, and slowly lowered his head again.

  Li's wife in the house heard it and hurried out. Li said: "Zhong'er, this plan may not work!"

  "Why?"

  "Your father is at this age, still wandering around in the streets, and it's such a cold winter..."

  "I'd like to try my luck and practice medicine on my own, but I'm too young and people don't trust my skills! They only believe in Father, who's an old master. If he's willing to swallow his pride and provide door-to-door service, it's better than just sitting around waiting! Besides, the deadline is approaching, and that Zhao San Niang is a ruthless person who won't give us any more extensions. By then, we'll have lost our pharmacy and will end up wandering the streets as beggar doctors anyway! Father doesn't want to go to my sister's husband's house, so why not take action in these two days, earn some money, and rent another room to settle down? Can't just spend New Year's Eve sleeping on the streets, can we?"

  Zuo Gui's body shook, thinking that his son was indeed telling the truth. He slowly lifted his head, but if he really had to carry a medical box and walk around the streets as a doctor, at his age, it would be somewhat difficult for him to swallow his pride.

  "Father! Can't hesitate anymore, are you ashamed of being a doctor? Don't forget Hua Tuo and Bian Que, those great doctors were also once street performers! What's there to be ashamed of? If you feel embarrassed, just follow me from afar, I'll carry the pole and ring the bell to attract customers. When someone comes for treatment, you can come over and examine them. This should work, right? I'm young and have thick skin, I'm not afraid of losing face."

  When Zuo Shao Yang first graduated from university, he had been job hunting everywhere. At the beginning, he was also embarrassed, but after a few experiences, his face skin became thicker. Moreover, being a street doctor, not stealing or robbing, making a living by labor, what's shameful about it? It's different from those peddlers who go from village to village.

  Zuo Gui's heart was moved, he glanced at Liang Shi and his daughter, then looked around the empty medicine shop. Yes, if they continued to wait like this, after the 30th of the lunar new year, even if they were swept out, they would have to think of a way to make a living. They couldn't rely on their son-in-law, and he didn't have any other skills, so wouldn't he end up carrying a medical box and wandering around as a street doctor? It was all the same road, better to leave early than late. He looked at Zuo Shao Yang and said: "Street doctor... does anyone come to see you?"

  "How can there be none? Father, you even saved a woman in labor that Lian Hui Min Tang couldn't cure yesterday. With this kind of skill, people will come to ask for your medical help!"

  As soon as he mentioned this, Zuo Gui's heart suddenly warmed up. He thought that being a doctor was just treating boils, injuries, colds and coughs, which wouldn't be difficult for him. Moreover, he had even solved the difficult case from yesterday, so it must have been the protection of the gods. So, he finally made up his mind, swallowed hard, stood up and said: "Alright! Let's go around the streets as doctors!"

  Li knew that this road would have to be taken sooner or later. She just couldn't make the decision for them. Seeing Zuo Gui nodding in agreement, her heart was filled with sorrow, but also a glimmer of hope. Choking back tears, she said: "Master, I'll prepare your travel clothes!"

  The doctor's kit was simple: a banner with the words "Doctor" written on it, a medicine box with common medicines, and a small bell.

  When treating patients, Dr. Ling mainly treats common diseases that require quick results. It's best to make them into pills or powders, which can be sold directly and taken without decoction. This way, people will buy and take the medicine only if it works, so there is no need to carry a lot of medicine, but it's better to have a complete set.

  Li found a long piece of white cloth, and Zuo Gui picked up his brush and thought for a moment before saying, "What should be written on this banner?"

  "Make it sound more mysterious, and people will be curious. Hmm... just write: Specializing in treating wind-cold coughs, diarrhea, boils and pains, infertility in men and women, as well as various difficult and complicated diseases!"

  "Will it be too long?"

  "This is concrete! Others can understand it, you want to write in a flowery way, ordinary people won't know what it means."

  Zuo Gui Dao said: "That makes sense!"

  Angelica said: "Writing a book that specializes in treating all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases, isn't this statement a bit too big?"

  "It's all about being mysterious, good at promoting oneself, and these few words must be written separately on the back, so they're eye-catching! Besides, even Master Ni of Huimin Hall couldn't cure this illness, but Lao Tzu did, isn't that a difficult case? This isn't something we can brag about, is it?"