PFC Chapter 83 This is a great physician.
Chapter 83 This is a great physician.
Wang Zhihuan looked at him; although the young man hesitated, he ultimately agreed. Wang Zhihuan could completely understand this.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes, and he reached out and patted Zhou Xia's shoulder: "Okay. Then stay."
Your master gave you a good name, Banxia—this herb is poisonous, but if processed properly, it can be a life-saving medicine.
The same applies to doctors; the knife and medicine in their hands, used correctly, can save lives; used incorrectly, they can harm them. Your master is a wise man.
He turned to look at the old man, Uncle Zhou: "Uncle Zhou, you should stay too. There are a few empty rooms in the backyard; they'll provide shelter from the wind and rain."
Once the injured have recovered, if they wish to return to the Taihang Mountains, I will cover their travel expenses; if they wish to stay, there is no shortage of work at the farm.
Zhou Bo was speechless and knelt down again with a thud, but Wang Zhihuan caught him with quick reflexes.
Zhou Xia stood to the side, watching this scene. Her Adam's apple bobbed, and she lowered her eyes, standing properly to the side as if she wanted to etch every detail of this moment into her heart.
Just then, Si Zi slipped out of her sister's arms at some point, walked up to Zhou Xia, looked up at her, took out a piece of candied fruit wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve, and tiptoed over to hand it to her.
"Honey, you're crying. Here's something sweet for you, don't cry."
She held up her little finger and said earnestly in her childish voice, "From now on, you'll live at Guoguo's house. Sizi will protect you, and no one will dare to bully you. Pinky promise."
Zhou Xia squatted down and looked at the little girl in front of him, who was only three or four years old but was seriously trying to make a pinky promise with him.
He extended his little finger and gently hooked it with hers, his voice warmer than ever before: "Okay, pinky promise. Thank you, my little lady."
Chang Le stood under the tree, watching this scene, her eyes overflowing with tenderness.
She looked up at Wang Zhihuan, who was packing his medicine box with his head down, as if everything that had just happened was just an ordinary thing—taking in a boy who had traveled a thousand miles to seek medical treatment, saving a wounded person who was on the verge of amputation, and settling down a family of complete strangers.
But for her, this was precisely the most unusual thing.
She has seen too many people's kindness as condescending charity, conditional exchange, and favors bestowed after weighing the pros and cons.
His kindness was natural, like breathing, without any conditions attached.
She suddenly remembered what he had said before—if you see someone who is hungry, give them a bite to eat; if you see someone who is sick, help them get treatment if you can.
It wasn't because you were calculating what he could give you in the future; it was simply because you saw it, and you happened to have the ability, so you lent a hand.
At the time, she had some doubts, thinking it was just an idealized self-description. Only after seeing it with her own eyes today did she realize that every word he said was true.
Meanwhile, Li Zhi, sitting on the stone bench, was also quietly watching all of this.
He grew up in the palace and saw countless people come to plead with his father—some for official positions, some for their lives, and some for mercy.
Those people knelt on the ground, uttering words of gratitude, but in their hearts they harbored calculations and fear.
He had never seen anyone like Zhou Xia before—traveled thousands of miles, disheveled, standing in front of an unfamiliar courtyard, his eyes showing no calculation, no fear, only a sliver of desperate hope.
Wang Zhihuan opened the door without asking a single question.
Li Zhi lowered his head, looking at his blurry reflection in the teacup, and suddenly felt a stirring in his chest he had never felt before.
He couldn't explain what it was, only that the door wasn't just open to the boy seeking medical help.
The notification sound from the Merit System rang out quietly as Wang Zhihuan finished packing his medicine box and turned to brew medicine for the injured.
[System Notification: The host has used strong liquor to treat a critically ill patient and taken in a homeless healer and his apprentice, demonstrating benevolence and compassion, and accumulating profound merit. Merit Points +200.]
Wang Zhihai didn't stop walking; he only glanced at the items briefly. He knew he had a long way to go before he could exchange them for anything else, so he decided to store them for later. He then continued walking towards the kitchen.
The evening breeze rustled through the jujube tree, gently lifting the lingering smoke from the stove.
The entire farm is enveloped in the most basic human kindness.
…………
On the thirteenth day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Zhenguan, it was still dark.
Zhou Xia woke up.
He lay on the wooden bed in the side room of the backyard, staring at the roof beams above his head for a long time.
He slowly recovered, and to be honest, he didn't know what force had allowed him to hold on until now.
To be honest, if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn't have any confidence at all that he could reach his destination.
From next door came Uncle Zhou's low cough and the creaking of the bed as his son turned over.
Zhou Xia sniffed and sat up.
He washed his face before going to bed last night and then collapsed. He was still wearing the same coarse cloth short coat he was wearing yesterday, with dark brown stains on the cuffs left by the dried pus and blood of the wounded. The cuffs were wrinkled.
The smell was extremely unpleasant, but compared to the physical fatigue, even the most unpleasant odor was insignificant.
He went to the well to draw water, and paused for a moment—
There were ready-made wooden buckets by the well, and the water in the buckets was clear, unlike when he had to walk half a mile to fetch water from the stream in the Taihang Mountains.
After washing his face, he took off his short brown robe, rubbed it a couple of times, and hung it to dry on a bamboo pole behind the house.
He was squatting shirtless by the well, wondering what he should do this morning, when a sound came from the direction of the front yard.
It wasn't the sound of pots and pans clattering.
It's the sound of a plane cutting through wood, a muffled, repetitive sound, accompanied by the rustling of sawdust.
Zhou Xia dried her hands and walked towards the front yard.
Wang Zhihuan squatted under the jujube tree, one leg kneeling on the wooden board, pushing a plane in his hand.
Wood shavings rolled out from the planer's cut and swirled onto the ground.
A saw, chisel, ink line, and several pieces of wood marked with charcoal sticks were spread out beside him, piled up haphazardly.
Hua Hua squatted at the other end of the wooden plank, the tip of her tail resting on the edge of the wood, while Hui Hui lay on the stone table. Both cats stared at the back and forth movements of the plane, turning their heads as if watching some very interesting trick.
Wang Zhi heard footsteps, looked up at him, and said, "Awake? There's porridge in the kitchen, help yourself."
Zhou Xia didn't move. He squatted down, looked at the timber, and asked, "Master Wang, what are you doing...?"
"Make two beds, a table, and a few stools for Uncle Zhou and the others."
Wang Zhi put down the plane and wiped the planed surface with his hand. "They slept in that room last night. The bed board was made of two old door panels put together. It was okay for one night, but not for long-term living."
Zhou Xia opened her mouth, her Adam's apple bobbed, but she couldn't say anything.
He recalled that yesterday, when Wang Zhihuan opened the courtyard gate and saw the injured man on the oxcart, his first words were, "Bring the man in first"—not asking who he was, how he got hurt, or whether he had any money.
This person had only known him for less than a day, and didn't even know if he would cause trouble, yet he had already started making furniture for Uncle Zhou and his family.
This shows that he is a great physician.