RPAGF Chapter 358 Finding a Doctor
Chapter 358 Finding a Doctor
The midwife standing nearby suggested, "I'm the village midwife, and I've been delivering babies for over ten years. Let me in; I might be able to lend you a hand."
Upon hearing that the midwife had over ten years of experience in childbirth, the old man immediately nodded in agreement.
"Alright, you come in with me. The rest of you, hurry up and go to the kitchen to boil water. Be quick about it."
The doctor found a set of medical scalpels and a sharp pair of scissors, took out gauze, and handed it to the midwife.
"Do as I say in a moment."
The midwife nodded repeatedly. Although she was unsure, the doctor had finally agreed to treat Ya'er, so she would do whatever the doctor said.
Ya'er lay on the bed, her face as white as paper, her eyes tightly closed, on the verge of death.
Seeing that the person was about to die, the two felt a pang of anxiety. The old man, despite his limp, strode to the bedside and reached out to take Ya'er's pulse.
Her body was cold, her breath was weak, and her pulse was extremely weak and intermittent; she was on the verge of death.
"Open her mouth."
The old man released Ya'er's wrist, rummaged through the room and found a half-sized wooden box. Opening it, he pulled out a whole, very large ginseng root, which he had clearly treasured for many years.
The midwife was stunned. She never expected that the old woman would not only agree to treat Ya'er, but also be willing to offer such a valuable treasure as ginseng.
Although he was eccentric and refused to treat high-ranking officials and the wealthy, it must be said that he was kind-hearted.
She had heard that ginseng could prolong life. If a patient was on the verge of death, a thin slice could be cut off and the person's life would be kept alive. If a skilled doctor treated the patient, the person could be pulled back from the brink of death.
With this wonderful thing, Ya'er and the baby in her belly are saved.
This man looked ordinary and came from an ordinary family, yet he was so willing to take out such a precious treasure, something that ordinary people would never even see, to keep Ya'er alive. This really opened her eyes.
The old man cut off a piece with a knife and put it into Ya'er's mouth. Seeing the midwife holding Ya'er's mouth open and standing there in a daze, he couldn't help but frown and remind her.
"What are you standing there for? Quickly grab a sheet and cover her with it. She's a woman in labor; how can I watch her give birth in front of everyone?"
"Oh, I'll cover her up right away." The midwife quickly covered Ya'er with the sheet.
With ginseng slices in her mouth, Ya'er gradually regained consciousness and felt much stronger. She was covered in cold sweat and trembled uncontrollably from the pain.
"How come I'm still...not dead?"
The old man snorted, "If you want to accept your fate and die, you'll have to ask me if I agree. With me here today, you can go ahead and try to give birth as many times as you want. I definitely won't let you die along with your unborn child."
Ya'er was surprised that the doctor said such confident words. Was she dreaming?
"Doctor, I know I'm not going to make it. You don't need to say comforting words. If possible, I hope you can see if there's any hope for the baby in my belly. I hope you can save my child so that I can leave it for Xiao Shi to continue his lineage."
The doctor raised an eyebrow and said, "What kind of time is this to be talking nonsense? Don't you trust my medical skills?"
With a ginseng slice in her mouth, Ya'er's breathing gradually became more stable, and she spoke with more strength than before.
The midwife had been delivering babies for many years and couldn't stand hearing such words, so she encouraged Ya'er.
"Ya'er, think about the baby in your belly. He must look like you and Xiao Shi. He'll be well-behaved, obedient, and lovable. Can you really bear to leave this world and Xiao Shi and the baby?"
This old man is a highly skilled doctor, and he's even willing to use extremely precious ginseng on you, which shows he truly has a way to save you and your child. For Xiao Shi's sake, you must stop. Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman; if you grit your teeth and pull through, you'll surely be blessed with good fortune after surviving this ordeal.
Ya'er seemed to have taken it to heart, and a sudden glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
The old doctor took out a set of silver needles and quickly inserted them into several acupuncture points on her body.
As if the strength that had been lost from the weak, powerless and in great pain had returned to Ya'er, she actually began to give birth with great effort.
The two people in the inner room finally breathed a sigh of relief!
Because of the door, the sounds inside the room were not very clear to everyone.
The people outside paced back and forth in the courtyard, all very anxious. Xiao Shi, in particular, kept pacing back and forth, spinning around in circles like a top.
"Xiao Shi, calm down. You're giving me a headache by pacing around like this."
Shui Sheng and the others were also worried, but seeing Xiao Shi rubbing his forehead like a headless fly, they were quite helpless. They all understood Xiao Shi's feelings, because no one could remain calm in this situation.
Inside the house, Ya'er bit her lip, her mouth full of blood, and her whole body covered in sweat.
"Push harder, faster...push harder."
Ya'er bit her lip and began to push. The midwife quickly exclaimed, "Oh, the head is showing! We can see a little bit of the head! Good child, push a little harder!"
Ya'er trembled all over in pain. She gritted her teeth and, in rhythm with the old man, exerted force little by little.
"They're out, they're out..."
"Wow……"
Suddenly, a clear cry rang out in the room.
The child's loud cries were like a life-saving charm, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. The people outside who heard the child's cries breathed a brief sigh of relief.
Ya'er lay on the bed, feeling as if all her strength had been drained, and drifted off to sleep, her breathing steady.
The old man removed the silver needles from her body one by one, took her pulse, and found that her pulse was gradually stabilizing. Only then did his solemn face relax.
"Alright, she's made it through this hurdle."
"It's a girl! That's wonderful! Mother and daughter are safe!"
The midwife wrapped the baby in a brocade quilt, tucked the quilt around Ya'er, thanked the doctor profusely, and then left the room with a smile.
Xiao Shi had heard the baby crying and was eager to see how Ya'er and the baby were doing, but they dared not act rashly because of the old man's authority.
He peered through the crack in the door, listening intently to the sounds inside. He could vaguely hear the midwife laughing. He couldn't wait any longer and pushed the door open, just as he came face to face with the midwife who was carrying the baby and preparing to leave.
The midwife carried the baby out; the tiny, wrinkled infant in the swaddling clothes had its eyes closed and its face slightly purple, suggesting it had been confined in the womb for a while. It was a tiny bundle...
Since it's not yet time for labor to begin, the baby's hair is sparse and yellowish. He's already asleep, looking a little ugly but also petite and adorable.
Xiao Shi glanced at the child casually, then walked past the midwife and the baby and ran inside.
"Hey, Xiao Shi, your wife worked so hard to give birth to your daughter, aren't you going to hug her?"
Qingchuan and Shuisheng gathered around and asked about Ya'er's condition.
"Auntie, how is Ya'er?"
The midwife said with great pride, "Thanks to the old man's willingness to treat her, and... and my help, Ya'er and her baby are safe and sound. When we get back to the village, I'll definitely tell everyone about it."
The group was immediately overjoyed and praised, "The old man's medical skills are indeed superb. As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush. Although the old man lives in an alley, his unparalleled medical skills will surely be remembered for generations. No wonder there is an inscribed stone tablet in front of the old man's door. We were too anxious to look at it carefully just now."
"That's right, that's right, the old man's medical skills are truly remarkable."
The group excitedly gathered around the midwife to look at the baby, all thinking that the child was very delicate and cute. Wu Yu, in particular, was envious of the newborn baby, as his fiancée, with whom he had already been engaged, was not yet married.
Xiao Shi rushed to the bedside and was terrified to see Ya'er lying there motionless with her eyes closed.
He cried out in a sob, "Ya'er... what's wrong? Open your eyes and look at me! It's me, Xiao Shi. You safely gave birth to our child. Please open your eyes and look at me and the baby, sob sob sob..."
Xiao Shi reached out and gently stroked his wife's face, touching the sweat on her skin. He couldn't help but burst into tears.
The burly man knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, completely oblivious to the midwife's words to Qingchuan: "Mother and daughter are safe."
The old man packed up his medical tools and carefully stored away the remaining ginseng. He heard Xiao Shi crying, and his brows furrowed, showing some impatience.
"What are you wailing about? You're going to cry yourself to death. Your wife is fine. She's just too tired. She was exhausted from giving birth and couldn't hold on any longer, so she fell asleep. You should be happy that both mother and daughter are safe. When you get home, go to the market and buy her some good food to help her recover. Take good care of her and make sure she has a proper postpartum period. She'll be healthy again in the future."
Xiao Shi was stunned. He murmured, "Ya'er is alright? Mother and daughter are safe?"
When he came to his senses, he was overjoyed and burst into tears, immediately kneeling down and kowtowing to the old man.
"Grandpa, you saved Ya'er. You have done a great favor for our family. I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. You are a good person and deserve to be praised."
The old man shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Sigh, I'm already this old. Fame and fortune are all just empty titles to me. If I could, I would prefer that this leg could be restored to its original state."
Xiao Shi didn't dare ask the doctor what happened to his leg. After all, the old man was a doctor with superb medical skills. He should have been able to treat his leg injury himself. But for some reason, he was left with a disability. Perhaps something serious had happened back then.
When the old man opened the courtyard gate and saw them, he noticed that they were riding in a carriage and that the landlord, Shuisheng, and Wu Yu were wearing clothes made of expensive fabrics. He immediately refused to treat Ya'er and even told them to leave.
It's likely that the old man's leg injury is related to those high-ranking officials, wealthy families, and powerful clans. If those people really did break his leg and cause him to become disabled, it's understandable that the old man would feel resentful.
The old man's expression softened, and his attitude was no longer as cold as before. He said indifferently, "Since you've all come to me for help, I can't just stand by and watch you die. Besides, you're not high-ranking officials or dignitaries. In principle, I only help those who are suffering."
No wonder he has been practicing medicine for many years and still lives in such poverty. He only saves the poor and suffering people. Where would he earn money for medical treatment?
The old man sighed and said, "It's done. You can carry the person onto the carriage and go back now. The adult is stable and the child is healthy. With a few days of rest, both the adult and the child will have a rosy complexion."
Xiao Shi was so happy that he cried, and snot was bubbling from his nose. He quickly kowtowed again.
"Thank you, sir. I will certainly follow your instructions."
The midwife placed the baby in Xiao Shi's arms and pulled Xiao Shi up by the arm. But Xiao Shi's legs went numb and he almost fell over.
"Xiao Shi, you have to hold the baby tight. You can't afford to drop yourself, the baby is very delicate." She couldn't help but give him a few words of advice.
"Okay, I understand. This is the daughter that Ya'er gave birth to for me. From now on, she and Ya'er will be my two eyes. I will definitely treat them well."
The midwife couldn't help but laugh, then felt a little envious. This young man was different; he knew how to be considerate. Her husband, with his bad temper and stubbornness like a mule, had never said anything sweet to her in all his life.
Ordinary people have to pay the doctor a consultation fee and medicine fee when they go to a clinic. Xiao Shi brought people to the doctor's door to ask for help. The doctor's medical skills were superb and he pulled his wife and daughter back from the brink of death, and his wife gave birth to a daughter smoothly. Logically speaking, he should at least pay the old man a consultation fee.
However, the situation was urgent at the time, and Ya'er and her unborn child were in imminent danger. They were in such a hurry that they forgot to bring any money with them.
Now that I have nothing, what should I do?
Lin Qingchuan, who was standing nearby, was quick-witted. Before Xiao Shi could speak up out of embarrassment, he quickly took out his purse, took out two silver ingots, and stuffed them into Xiao Shi's hand.
He whispered, "Xiao Shi, the old man saved Ya'er and the child's lives. We should give him more treatment fees, since he only treats poor people and doesn't earn much. He lives such a poor life."
Our expression of gratitude will also help some of the elderly. This money is a bonus in addition to the wages we gave you in advance. You worked hard and are an honest person; we were just giving you some extra money anyway.”
Fearing that Xiao Shi might be reluctant to pay two ingots of silver for the consultation fee, Lin Qingchuan gave him the silver as a reward, letting him pay the consultation fee himself.
If it was a loan to Xiao Shi, then Xiao Shi would have to repay it. Judging from his family's circumstances, I'm afraid his family couldn't even scrape together two ingots of silver.
He had experienced hardship, so he knew what it was like to be penniless and unable to move an inch.
Unexpectedly, the master was willing to give him two ingots of silver to pay for the consultation. He said it was a reward, but the master was just trying to save face for him. In reality, he was paying for the consultation. Where can you find such a good master?
Xiao Shi felt a surge of emotion, his eyes suddenly reddened, and he immediately bowed to Lin Qingchuan.
"Master, it is my great fortune to meet such a good person as you. As long as I live, I will work for you and faithfully follow you to help you cultivate the medicinal herb fields."
Lin Qingchuan smiled and said, "Sure, as long as you're willing to work with me and can keep working, I'll welcome you even if you're seventy or eighty years old."
Once a person gets over fifty, their body becomes less capable of working day by day. If they continue working until they are seventy or eighty, they are no longer working; they are simply relying on their employer for old age.