In Qingyang Town, there was a pharmacy called "Renxin Tang," boasting a history of over a hundred years. For any ailment in the surrounding ten-mile radius, people would come here for medicine, and its reputation was excellent.
Xiao Fei, clutching a tael of silver, headed straight for Renxin Tang.
Even in his dazed state, he could sense many ill-intentioned gazes constantly appraising him.
He could only grip his wood-chopping knife tightly, treating anyone who approached him as a potential attacker.
His appearance along the way had frightened many children into tears.
Fortunately, the public order in Qingyang Town was relatively good; apart from the Zhu family, few dared to rob openly on the streets.
It was only when he stepped into Renxin Tang that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The physician on duty was a kind-faced, white-haired elder, surnamed Huang, known as Doctor Huang. Upon seeing Xiao Fei enter, he sized him up from head to toe.
"Young man! You're here for treatment, aren't you? Come here, let me take a look!"
In diagnosing illnesses, doctors practiced the four methods of diagnosis: observation, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation. An experienced doctor could deduce most of the problems with just a glance, let alone Xiao Fei's tattered clothes that barely concealed his flesh, and were covered in bloodstains.
Xiao Fei walked up to the doctor and unbuttoned his shirt.
Doctor Huang showed no sign of disdain due to his ragged state, leaning in to examine the wounds.
"Hiss!"
Even though Doctor Huang had been practicing medicine for many years and was accustomed to life and death, upon seeing Xiao Fei's body covered in wounds, he still drew in a breath of the early spring air.
"Young man, your willpower is commendable. For someone suffering such severe injuries, compounded by worsening fever, they would have long collapsed and been unable to care for themselves."
"Xiao Hengzi, come here and help me clean all his wounds!"
"Right away!"
A youth of fourteen or fifteen emerged from the back of the pharmacy and led Xiao Fei to a room in the back, instructing him to lie down on a straw mat. He then began to clean his wounds with cool boiled water.
Initially, Xiao Fei found it very painful, but gradually it became numb, and finally, he drifted off into a hazy sleep.
When he woke up, he found himself lying on a clean bed, his limbs wrapped in bandages.
He didn't know how long he had slept. His wounds no longer hurt, emitting a cool sensation, along with a slight tingling.
"This patient in this room has been unconscious for three days and still hasn't woken up!"
"Master is too kind. This person looks like a refugee who can't even afford medical fees. We treated his injuries and now have to feed him porridge daily."
"It seems Master will have to bear significant losses in medicinal materials this time."
"You girls, stop gossiping! A doctor's heart must be benevolent; this is the ancestral instruction of the Huang family!"
"..."
The chatter of several women's voices drifted in from outside the window. Xiao Fei realized he had actually been unconscious for three days and three nights.
He slowly got up from the bed. Although moving his wounds still caused some pain, he felt much better than before.
Xiao Fei secretly marveled at the medical standards in this world.
Even if he were to compare it to Earth's 21st century, with its highly developed natural and life sciences, facing injuries like his would require debridement, suturing, drainage, anti-inflammatory treatment, and antibiotics. The recovery speed might not necessarily be this fast.
His consciousness entered his spatial dimension. The bracken ferns within the space had grown into a lush green patch over these past few days, but they had all matured and were no longer edible.
Pushing aside the leaves, he found a small amount of tender sprouts remaining, which should be edible for a few more days.
Bracken ferns were not always available; only the tender sprouts that emerged during their germination phase were edible.
Fortunately, he still had wolf meat. That wolf meat had been roasted all night and then hung in the space, and was now completely dried. If he ate sparingly, it would last a long time.
Xiao Fei walked out of the room and into the pharmacy's main hall. Doctor Huang was sitting on a chair, drinking tea.
"Young man, you're awake!"
"Thank you, Doctor Huang!"
Xiao Fei quickly walked over and cupped his hands in thanks.
"May I know the total medical expenses?"
Doctor Huang picked up an abacus and began to calculate with a clattering sound. After a moment, the noise stopped.
"A total of three guan!"
Doctor Huang glanced at Xiao Fei's utterly ruined single-layer garment and shook his head.
"Never mind! Never mind! I'll only charge you the cost of the medicinal materials. You can pay 1500 wen."
Xiao Fei only had the one tael of silver he obtained from selling wolf pelts, which converted to one guan in copper coins. He was still short by 500 wen.
In this world, silver and copper coins were used interchangeably, their relationship somewhat akin to that of whole currency and change.
A tael of silver was only a small piece, whereas a guan of copper coins weighed seven or eight jin.
The two guan his second sister had earned from selling herself last time, when combined, weighed over ten jin. He couldn't hide it, making him an easy target, and he was beaten after it was stolen.
Xiao Fei, mustering his courage, reached into the bundle of dry grass he had carried on his back. His eyes narrowed, but in reality, his consciousness entered his spatial dimension, retrieving a silver ingot.
"Doctor Huang, I only have one tael of silver now. Could I owe you the remaining 500 wen? I will definitely repay it in full later!"
Xiao Fei felt a flush creeping up his neck, his face reddening.
"Certainly, but you'll need to write an IOU first!"
Doctor Huang agreed without hesitation. He had seen such situations many times; most people never managed to repay their debts.
Fortunately, his Huang family had some assets and could afford the loss, so he wasn't too concerned.
The principle of "Renxin" (benevolent heart) in medicine emphasized treating the sick and saving lives. Of course, if he encountered a wealthy patient, he wouldn't mind asking for a higher price to cover his losses.
When Xiao Fei left Renxin Tang, he had an IOU in his pocket, still carrying the bundle of dry grass.
A bundle of dry grass had become almost standard equipment for refugees, serving many purposes.
After three days, the people who had been watching him had mostly dispersed.
Of course, a few persistent ones remained. As Xiao Fei walked out of Qingyang Town, he was immediately stopped by several ragged individuals.
Xiao Fei glared at them, his eyes about to spew fire. Simultaneously, he drew his wood-chopping knife from his waist, pointing the blade at them, adopting a stance ready to fight to the death.
"Big-Eared Li! It's you again."
The leader had prominent ears, known as Big-Eared Li. The others were from the same village as him. Relying on their numbers, they dominated the refugee camp.
It was these people who had robbed him of his rabbit meat and pelt last time, and stabbed him in the leg, causing him to die once.
It was also these people who had stolen the two guan his second sister had earned from selling herself and had beaten him severely.
Unfortunately, he was alone and outnumbered, unable to seek revenge. Whenever he saw Big-Eared Li's men from afar, he could only avoid them in advance.
"Hahaha... Xiao Fei, you really are lucky to be alive!"
Big-Eared Li stared at Xiao Fei with his small, triangular eyes, a sinister look on his face, his smile not reaching his eyes.
"We heard you made a windfall and got a tael of silver!"
"We are all country folk. We've lived for decades and have never seen what silver looks like. Can you show it to us so we can broaden our horizons?"
The men who had stopped Xiao Fei, some armed with daggers, others with clubs, all joined in the taunting.
"That tael of silver was all spent at Renxin Tang to treat my injuries. I'm even in debt to Renxin Tang for 500 wen now. Here's the IOU."
Xiao Fei said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded IOU, unfolding it.
"I can't read, you know. How would I recognize your blasted IOUs?"
"Your worthless life is worth spending a tael of silver to treat?"
Despite his words, the men believed him by two or three parts, as someone had seen Xiao Fei staggering into Renxin Tang that day.
"You can inquire about this matter. Right now, apart from this still-sharp wood-chopping knife, I am truly penniless."
Xiao Fei spoke with a mix of softness and firmness. If it came to a real fight, he might be able to injure one or two of them with his knife.
However, the temptation of a tael of silver was too great for these men. To dispel their greed, he threw the bundle of dry grass from his back at their feet.
Then, he took off the single-layer garment he was wearing, stripping himself bare. Holding the knife in one hand, and the clothes in the other, he shook them repeatedly in the air. Apart from a little dirt and sand, there was nothing else.
"Alright! Alright! Stop shaking!"
"You say your worthless life cost so much money at once? You didn't even leave me a single copper coin."
Big-Eared Li was somewhat exasperated, as if Xiao Fei had spent his tael of silver, lamenting it with great pain.
"Now get lost! Such a small thing, not even fully grown, dares to flaunt itself in front of me."
Finding no profit, Big-Eared Li no longer wished to risk a fight with Xiao Fei unnecessarily.
Xiao Fei quickly put on his clothes and turned to leave rapidly.
At this moment, he really wanted to say something like "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," but making threats easily led to beatings, so he decided to endure it a while longer.