Being a medical officer is not easy. You still have to look at other people's poop.
Jiang Sheng's face was all bitter. He was secretly thinking that he should persuade Fourth Brother to change careers.
Meanwhile, Wen Zhiyun's expression remained unchanged as he followed Zhao Dazhu to take a look at the chamber pot. He nodded and said, "The stool contains red pus and blood, it's dysentery without a doubt."
Dysentery, also known as diarrhea, is generally manifested by unceasing diarrhea. In severe cases, it can also be fatal.
Zhao Dazhu also knew a little. After hearing this, his face turned pale. He almost knelt before Wen Zhiyun and pleaded, "Little medical officer, please save my dad!"
Wen Zhiyun picked up his brush and wrote a prescription, "Three qian of white peony root, two qian of angelica root, one and a half qian of coptis root, one qian of agarwood..."
As he continued to write, he frowned.
In recent years, times had been hard and the medicines in the medical hall were not exactly complete. For example, there was no agarwood left. If they wanted some, they would have to go to the county to buy it.
But the Zhao family was not the kind of family who could afford to go to the county to fetch medicine.
"Little medical officer, why did you stop writing?" Zhao Dazhu did not understand.
Wen Zhiyun put down his brush and shook his head. "The medicines in this prescription, just one day's dosage would cost a hundred wen. To fully cure the illness, he would have to take it for at least seven days."
Seven days, that's seven hundred wen.
For a peasant family who resented having to break a copper coin into two halves to spend, it was considered a large sum of savings.
The Zhao family members were stunned. Zhao Dazhu cried bitterly while Old Master Zhao resigned to his fate and closed his eyes.
"It's all because of you, old geezer. I told you not to eat that rotten meat but you just had to eat it. Now you've eaten your life away..." Madam Zhao wailed.
"Dad...Dad..."
Everyone cried out in anguish. They wavered between saving him and not saving him, torn between hunger and conscience.
If only there was a cheaper cure.
Wen Zhiyun closed his eyes in thought. Suddenly, he recalled coming across an ancient book that recorded a folk remedy for curing dysentery.
He opened his eyes and said sincerely, "I have a folk prescription, but I've never used it myself. You can try it if you don't want to spend money."
"Mince garlic cloves and mix well with white sugar. Take it before breakfast and dinner for seven to ten days."
Garlic cloves were cheap. White sugar was a little expensive but they should have some at home.
The Zhao family's cries gradually subsided as they started looking for garlic and sugar.
Seeing this, Wen Zhiyun picked up his medicine box and stood up.
Zhao Dazhu still had some tact. He ran over to send Wen Zhiyun off. "Little medical officer, if my dad feels discomfort again, I'll come looking for you."
He had no choice since there was no other medical officer within ten li.
Wen Zhiyun nodded. "I'm at the broken temple at the village entrance."
Zhao Dazhu was extremely grateful and stuffed five wen into his hand.
For a destitute peasant family, being able to give five wen was very good already.
Wen Zhiyun handed it all to Jiang Sheng without keeping a single coin.
Jiang Sheng weighed the five copper coins in his hand, then gave three back to Zhao Dazhu. "Big brother, our consultation fee is only two wen. Medicine costs extra."
This was an extremely cheap price. Zhao Dazhu was very grateful. He kept waving from afar.
The four children slowly walked back to the broken temple.
On the way, Zheng Ruqian was puzzled. "Five wen for a consultation isn't expensive either. Why return three wen?"
Jiang Sheng smugly said, "Silly second brother, fourth brother has just started his practice. Of course the fees have to be low enough for them to feel reassured."
If they had studied economics, they would know this was a thin profit but quick turnover business model.
Zheng Ruqian nodded slowly in realization.
On the way, they greeted some villagers they knew.
Jiang Sheng would bounce up to wave his hands. "We're going to treat Uncle Zhao's illness! Uncle Zhao is sick!"
"My brother can treat illnesses. He's so capable!"
"Uncles and aunties, please take care of your health in this cold weather!"
Zheng Ruqian's observant eyes noticed them carrying some mushrooms. They had just returned from the foot of the mountain.
At this time of the year, mushroom yield was low but there were still some.
However, with many villagers, each family only managed to pick a dozen or so. Eating them wouldn't make a meal while selling them was not worth a trip.
"Jiang Sheng, what are the villagers doing with the few mushrooms they picked?" He couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Sheng thought about it. "Keeping them to dry and sell as preserved goods next year."
That was what Auntie Zhang's family did.
"But preserved goods are not as popular as fresh wild mushrooms right?" Zheng Ruqian and Jiang Sheng had seen dried goods being sold at the marketplace. The fresh wild mushrooms they picked always sold out first.
Only when they ran out would people buy the preserved ones.
"Everyone knows that. But picking just a few mushrooms a day, no one will buy them fresh either." Jiang Sheng answered honestly.
Just as she finished speaking, her eyes lit up as she looked sharply at Zheng Ruqian.
Zheng Ruqian was even more excited, like a hound discovering fresh droppings. "If we pool together all the mushrooms the villagers have and bring them to sell, won't that be enough to sell?"
Jiang Sheng stared with her mouth agape, nodding repeatedly. "We can earn the money and distribute it to everyone!"
"No." Zheng Ruqian shook his head. "Why would they just give us their mushrooms and wait for us to sell before getting money? We should buy their mountain produce first before selling it."
Buying first, then selling, that's how profit is made.
Previously, everyone thought that since I picked it, I should sell it, pure earnings.
But when they couldn't pick any, earnings would become zero.
Whereas buying first before selling, as long as the selling price is higher than the buying price, there is profit to be made.
"Can you guarantee the selling price will be higher than the buying price?" Jiang Sheng asked earnestly.
Zheng Ruqian wanted to say he couldn't guarantee it. But looking back at his older and younger brothers, one studying martial arts, one studying medicine, one copying books, leaving only himself as a useless fool.
At this moment, even with thousands of fears, Zheng Ruqian could only grit his teeth and nod. "I can."
Jiang Sheng nodded seriously and thought seriously.
After half a pot of tea, she fished out twenty copper coins from her pocket and stuffed them into Zheng Ruqian's hand. "Second brother, I support you."
A thousand words could not compare to a simple "I support you".
Zheng Ruqian's eyes brimmed with hot tears. He gripped the warm twenty copper coins tightly, promising himself in his heart that he must earn money, he must work hard, he must not remain a useless fool.
In the next few days, everyone focused on their own tasks quietly.
Fang Heng practiced martial arts bare-chested. Wen Zhiyun looked through medical books. Xu Mo copied books. Only Zheng Ruqian made a valiant effort to collect mushrooms.
As a major figure in the ten li village, Jiang Sheng was enticed by Zheng Ruqian's "50% profit share" to bring him to buy goods from each household.
The first stop was Auntie Zhang's home.
As the only woman in the entire Ten Li Village who had shown Jiang Sheng kindness, Jiang Sheng respected Auntie Zhang deeply in her heart. To her, Auntie Zhang was like a mother.
Outside the Zhang residence.
Jiang Sheng tiptoed to hook the door latch without knocking yet.
There were already sounds from within the yard - a woman's muffled sobs and cries, together with a few curses. "Zhao Zhiqiang, you beast. Let me go, let me go."
Jiang Sheng froze. She quickly knocked on the door loudly and shouted, "Auntie, Auntie Zhang!"
The sounds from the yard vanished instantly.
Shortly after, the wooden door of the Zhang house opened. Auntie Zhang stood at the door looking disheveled as she fished out a steamed bun from her shirt. "Are you hungry, little Jiang Sheng?"
Jiang Sheng shook her head, wanting to say she wasn't hungry.
But Auntie Zhang insisted on shoving the bun into her hands, speaking urgently. "Go back quickly, child. It's cold, hurry back."
"Auntie, are you okay?" Jiang Sheng asked blankly, having a bad feeling.
But Auntie Zhang did not answer. She latched the door shut.
Fortunately, there were no more sobbing sounds from within, only the man cursing and complaining.
"Giving food to that little wild seed again. How dare you give away my stuff as you wish, ***...that's just..."
The rest faded into silence.
Not because the people inside stopped talking, but because a pair of hands covered Jiang Sheng's ears.
"Don't listen." Zheng Ruqian moved over and whispered. "Jiang Sheng, let's not listen to this."
