Chapter Fifteen Poor People

  "Shi Langzhong, please save my grandfather, I beg of you."

  The girl wept and wailed, crying out in a voice that was almost inaudible as she kowtowed to Shi Wei without stopping.

  This young girl is only twelve or thirteen years old, and her appearance is quite lovely. With tears streaming down her face like this, she looks pitifully sad.

  Shi Wei hastily reached out and helped her up, "Miss, what are you doing? Quickly get up, please come inside."

  The old man and his grandson followed Shi Wei into the consulting room, while Master's wife Fan Peilan ushered in other patients to wait in the outer hall.

  The young girl helped her grandfather sit down, Shi Wei sat upright behind the medical case and asked: "I don't know what to call you two."

  The old man was on the verge of death, muttering incoherently. The girl choked back a sob and replied: "Grandfather's surname is Ding, my name is Ding Xiang. Grandfather is now seriously ill and can't speak. Stone Langzhong, please save my grandfather."

  "Miss Ding, don't be in a hurry, tell me about your grandfather's illness first."

  Shi Wei's tone was gentle and his attitude was kind, making Ding Xiang feel slightly more at ease.

  She wiped away her tears and said, "Grandfather's illness suddenly broke out a few days ago in the evening. As soon as it got dark, his back started hurting, and later on, his chest and ribs also started hurting together. The first few days he could still bear it, but later on, the pain was so severe that he was crying out loud and couldn't even speak."

  Shi Wei listened to his explanation, and after observing his expression, he gradually gained some confidence in his heart. After the old man took his pulse, a confident smile appeared on his face.

  This young girl, though young in years, was quite perceptive and observant. Seeing Shi Wei's expression, she guessed that he must be able to cure her grandfather's illness. Her tear-stained face suddenly lit up with surprise and delight, and she hastily asked: "Shi Langzhong, can my grandfather's illness be cured?"

  "This illness doesn't count..."

  Shi Wei was about to say that he could cure him, but the words reached his lips and stopped again. He looked up and down at the grandfather and grandson once more, and a few hints of doubt flashed in his eyes.

  He looked at Ding Xiang and asked: "Miss Ding, before you came to Ping An Tang, had you been to another doctor's house?"

  "This... " Ding Xiang seemed to have something difficult to say, hesitated for a moment, and showed a few points of shame on his face. "Not to deceive Shi Langzhong, I had taken Grandfather to Renxintang to see the doctor before, but that Shen Langzhong didn't even let us in the door, and drove us away, so..."

  Ding Xiang's response was entirely within Shi Wei's expectations, and he couldn't help but shake his head in dismay.

  "Shi Langzhong, my grandfather's illness, is there really no cure?" Ding Xiang saw his expression and immediately became tense again.

  Shi Wei said lightly: "Ding Lao Bo's illness is not a difficult or complicated case, he just has blood stasis blocking the meridians, which led to pain."

  Ding Xiang was overjoyed and hastily said: "Since that's the case, then please ask Shi Langzhong to quickly write a prescription, so my grandfather can suffer one less day of pain."

  "I haven't finished speaking yet." Shi Wei's expression turned serious, "Ding Laobo's illness is not difficult to treat, but it requires acupuncture to activate blood circulation and relieve meridians first, followed by hot compresses and massage to regulate the flow of qi and blood. Finally, decoctions and pills are used to adjust the body's qi, blood, yin, and yang. It will take at least a month of treatment before recovery, and the expenses involved are not small. I dare ask, Miss Ding, can you afford it?"

  This is the reason why Shi Wei didn't speak directly about Ding Lao Han's illness before.

  Shi Wei had thought earlier that Ding Lao Han's illness was not a rare disease, and Shen Hou Pu, that old guy's level was not as good as his own, but he should be able to cure this disease.

  The doctor with the surname Shen didn't even give Ding Lao Han a chance to be diagnosed and just sent him away. The reason was simple: treating this illness would cost a lot of money, and the two Ding ancestors were wearing clothes with patches on top of patches, clearly they were extremely poor, probably struggling to eat their fill every day, where would they get the money for medical expenses?

  Nang Xiang's face suddenly turned red, and she lowered her head to rub the hem of her clothes. Shi Wei's gaze moved down and saw that the grass shoe on her left foot was also rotten for half, and her slender toes were shrinking inward.

  She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly knelt down in front of Shi Wei again, knocking her head repeatedly and begging: "Please, Shi Lang, have mercy on me, save my grandfather, please...".

  She was in this state, startling Fan Peilan outside, entering the examination room, seeing this situation, and hastily wanting to help Ding Xiang get up.

  This little girl was quite persistent. Seeing that Shi Wei didn't respond, no matter how much Fan Peilan tried to help her up, she simply refused to get up.

  "What's going on with Yuan Zhi?" Fan Peilan asked, frowning.

  Shi Wei then told the events to his wife, Fan Peilan. After listening, her face was filled with pity and she sighed: "I think the grandmother and granddaughter are quite pitiful. Since we're not struggling financially at the moment, why don't we just waive their medical fees?"

  Fan Peilan was naturally kind-hearted and now had a sympathetic heart.

  Shi Wei is not that kind of good person, but he's also not a heartless person. Besides, with his current financial situation, the money for treating Ding Lao Bo isn't a big deal to him. It's just a small act of kindness and virtue.

  But what he was worried about wasn't this little bit of money in front of him.

  Shi Wei pulled Fan Peilan to one side, "This isn't a matter of how much money is involved. If we waive her medical fees today, it's equivalent to setting a precedent. In the future, those who can't afford medical treatment will come flooding in; how are we going to deal with that then?"

  This remark from Shi Wei stopped Fan Peilan in her tracks. As someone who had read a few books, she should have been able to discern the pros and cons of the situation.

  Those who come to ask for free diagnosis, if we don't charge a diagnostic fee, will get a bad reputation of being heartless. But if we waive the fee, it's like having no bottom line. We're running a medical clinic, not a charity. How are we going to make a living in the future?

  After hearing these few words, Fan Peilan has become much more rational, but looking at Ding Xiang's pitiful appearance, she really can't bear to do it.

  Just then, Ding Xiang suddenly lifted her head, with tears in her eyes, and looked at Shi Wei: "If Master Shi is willing to save my grandfather, I, Ding Xiang, am willing to sell myself as a slave to Master Shi to repay his great kindness."

  As soon as this was said, Shi Wei was slightly startled, and before he could speak, Pan Peilan had already turned from worry to joy: "Our medical hall's business is getting better and better, and we're just short of a few servants. I think this Ding girl is also a clever person, why not just buy her too, it's a win-win situation."

  The mistress is not unreasonable, nowadays the mistress alone bears the household chores and also helps in the clinic, it's indeed tiring. As the family economy has improved, it's time to add a maid to share the burden with the mistress.

  That Dingxiang looked at Shi Wei, fearing she would refuse, saw that his expression seemed to have a hint of consent, and hastily rushed to his side, hugging his leg and saying: "Shi Lang, don't despise me for being young, I can do all sorts of household chores like chopping firewood, carrying water, washing clothes, and cooking."

  "Come on, I think this kid is a hard worker, just agree already."

  Fan Peilan also persuaded from the side, although she was the mistress of the house and the nominal owner of Ping'an Hall, but after all, she was a woman who had to rely on Shi Wei for a living. In the big and small matters inside and outside the medical hall, it was necessary to get Shi Wei's consent before anything could be done.

  Seeing the little girl's clever appearance and pitiful state, Shi Niang had already spoken up, so Shi Wei said: "Since our household is short of a helping hand, let's just buy her then."

  Shi Wei nodded slightly, and Fan Peilan's face showed a relieved expression. Ding Xiang was overjoyed to the point of tears, knocking her head three times on the ground, "Thank you, Shi Langzhong, for your great kindness and virtue. I, Ding Xiang, will definitely repay you by being loyal and diligent."

  Shi Wei hurriedly helped her walk away and comforted her with a gentle smile.

  That old man Na Ding was extremely poor, and his family only had this one granddaughter. He thought that the Shi Wei family was a kind household, and although his granddaughter would be sold into slavery, at least she could eat her fill and wear warm clothes, unlike following him in poverty and hardship.

  Then Old Man Ding also nodded in agreement, wrote a contract on the spot, pressed his handprint and seal, and formally sold Tingxiang to Shi Wei as a maid.

  The deal was settled, and Shi Wei immediately wrote a prescription, grabbed the medicine, and devoted himself to treating Ding Lao's illness.

  After Shi Wei's treatment, in just a few days, Ding Lao Han's illness began to take a turn for the better.

  Shi Wei then thought of Old Man Ding having no one to take care of him, so he allowed Ting Xiang to stay home and take care of him until Old Man Ding recovered from his illness before coming back to Ping An Tang to work.

  Unconsciously, ten days have passed, and on this evening, Shi Wei returned from the Xiong Mansion. He couldn't help but accompany Xiong Qingye in drinking some wine again. When he got home, he only shouted "Shifu ni wo hui le" (I'm back, wife!) before entering his own room and collapsing onto the bed.

  Just as he was belching, the door creaked open and Shi Wei thought it was Fan Peilan coming in, asking him if he had eaten yet. But when he looked up, he got a fright.

  It was not Fan Peilan who came in, but rather Ding Xiang, holding a basin of hot water.

  "Clove? Aren't you supposed to be taking care of your grandfather at home, how..." Shi Wei was three-tenths drunk and slightly dazed.

  "Grandfather's illness has improved a lot, and he won't wake up in pain in the middle of the night anymore, so Grandfather asked me to come back early and do some work."

  She walked over to the bedside with a wooden basin, put down the steaming hot water, and without saying another word, helped Shi Wei take off his shoes.

  "What are you doing?" Shi Wei was taken aback and instinctively pulled his foot back.

  There will be four updates today, and two more this afternoon.