Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It seemed that curing him in 10 days was not an easy thing for the patient to accept. He got the herbs, paid the fee, and left. The patient looked distracted and unconvinced. He didnât take Wang Yaoâs words seriously.
Wang Yao had seen those looks many times on his patients, who came to see him after hearing about the amazing things he did. However, they became skeptical and didnât take him seriously when they saw how young he was. Eventually, most of his patients were convinced once they became better after being treated by him and taking his prescriptions. Most of them felt better in a short time. Of course, there were exceptions. Some patients didnât follow Wang Yaoâs instructions or forgot to take the decoctions after they had been to the clinic. Their conditions became worse.
The fourth patient was not from Wang Yaoâs village. He was wearing sunglasses. His condition was different from the others. His left eye was damaged from alkali liquor.
Wang Yao noticed that the patientâs left eye was full of blood and had started to become cankerous. âWhen did you hurt your eye?â
âAbout a week ago,â the patient said.
âDidnât you go to the hospital right away?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, I didnât pay much attention to it at first,â the patient said.
âWhat brings you here?â Wang Yao asked.
People with such a condition typically went to a hospital emergency department. Most clinics wouldnât accept patients like him because his eye probably wouldnât get better with the application of some medication.
âWell, I heard you are a good doctor, and it doesnât cost much to get treated here,â the patient said after hesitating for a moment.
âDoesnât cost much?â Wang Yao smiled. He thought that was probably the reason why the man came to see him.
Thatâs because you havenât come across those who spent millions here, he thought.
High-quality items that had a minimal cost usually didnât exist in the world.
âI can treat your eye condition, but the fee is quite high,â Wang Yao said.
âHow much?â asked the man, who was in his 40s.
âAt least $1,000,â Wang Yao replied.
âThat much?!â The patient was shocked. âCan you charge less?â
âWell, how much do you think your eye costs?â Wang Yao asked with a smile.
Knock! A person came into the clinic.
âHello, Dr. Wang.â It was Pan Jun.
âHello, Pan Jun, donât you have to work today?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo. Iâve got something to deal with at home,â Pan Jun said. âOtherwise, I would have come a bit earlier. Do you have a patient?â
âYeah. Come here and take a look at his eye,â Wang Yao said.
After examining the patientâs eye, Pan Jun said, âWow! This is serious. What happened?â
He was in charge of a hospital emergency department. The patients visiting his department were briefly treated before being transferred to other departments. Most patients attending the emergency department had issues requiring immediate medical intervention, such as an injury caused by motor vehicle accidents or sudden passing out.
Pan Jun had come across more than one patient with an eye injury. One of the patients had an eye stabbed by a steel wire dropped from a machine. He was blinded by the steel wire. The hospital briefly treated his eye before transferring him to the eye clinic in Dao. Therefore, occupational health and safety were very important.
âHis eye was injured by alkali liquor,â Wang Yao said. âWhat would the doctors do to him if he was in your hospital?â
After taking a closer look at the manâs eye, Pan Jun replied, âHe has to be admitted to the hospital. Surgery is not necessary at this stage. He can have a few injections first to see how he goes.â
âWho is this?â the patient asked.
âHello, my name is Pan Jun, head of the emergency department of the Peopleâs Hospital. Dr. Wang is my teacher,â Pan Jun said with a smile.
The patient was in shock. âAre you kidding me? A senior doctor from the Peopleâs Hospital has become a student of a young doctor here?â
Pan Jun laughed.
âOh well, it doesnât matter.â The patient didnât take Pan Junâs words seriously.
âHow much would it cost for him to get treated in your hospital?â Wang Yao asked.
âThat is hard to say,â Pan Jun said. âThe cost of a routine examination after admission plus the fee for the bed and medication would be at least $2,000 a week.â
âAre you doing a two-man comic show?â the patient sarcastically asked. âWell, I think I should leave now. Thank you.â
The patient stood up and was about to leave when Wang Yao said, âThatâs fine with me. Have a good think about it. You should go to the hospital immediately. Otherwise, youâll be blind in one eye.â
âOK,â the patient said.
âWhat does he mean?â Pan Jun asked.
He was surprised to see the patient leaving. He could tell that part of the tissue in the patientâs injured eye had become inflamed. The patient needed immediate intervention. Otherwise, he would be blind in one eye.
âHe doesnât trust me,â Wang Yao said.
â$1,000 is absolutely ridiculous,â the man murmured after leaving the clinic. âThe other guy is the head of an emergency department. Seriously? Why didnât he say he was a specialist from Beijing. Do I look like a fool?â
Maybe I should go to the hospital? the man thought.
â$1,000 to treat his eye is not expensive at all,â Pan Jun said after Wang Yao had told him what happened with the patient.
âI also didnât think it was expensive, and he would get better immediately,â Wang Yao replied. âBut he didnât trust me.â
âI think heâll regret it,â Pan Jun said.
âEveryone has the right to choose the treatment they want,â Wang Yao said. âCan I leave the next patient to you?â
âNo problem,â Pan Jun said with a smile.
Meanwhile, in the most luxurious hotel in a city of southern Yunnan, the man sent by Hou Shidaâs mother was meeting with Dr. Wu, one of the King Pharmacistâs students.
âAre you ready to go, Dr. Wu?â the man asked.
âYes,â Dr. Wu replied.
To be honest, he had seen many rich people, but this man was different.
âCan we leave tomorrow?â the man asked.
âSure,â Dr. Wu said.
âThatâs great. I canât wait,â the man said.
Although he didnât manage to convince the King Pharmacist to do a home visit in Beijing, he managed to get his student. It was better than nothing.
It was nice the next day. A plane soared into the sky and headed to Beijing.
âThis is Beijing?â Dr. Wu asked in a low voice as he looked down at the old and busy city.
âYeah, it this your first time to visit Beijing?â the man asked.
âYes,â Dr. Wu replied.
âWelcome,â the man said.
âThank you,â Dr. Wu said.
It was hot and busy in Beijing.
âGosh, itâs so hot here,â Dr. Wu said as he walked out of the airport.
âIt is hotter here than in your hometown,â the man said.
The weather in Beijing was very different from the small town where Dr. Wu was from. It was burning hot in Beijing. Dr. Wu felt he was breathing fire into his lungs. It was a very unpleasant feeling.
Dr. Wu didnât have a good first impression of Beijing. Although it was big and busy, he soon got into a luxurious car with air conditioning.
âShall we go see the patient?â the man asked.
âSure,â Dr. Wu said.
The car was moving slowly on the congested roads.
âSorry, it is peak hour now,â the man said.
âThatâs fine. I donât get the chance to see so many cars,â Dr. Wu said.
To be honest, this was his first time to experience such a bad traffic situation.
âIs this city even inhabitable?â Dr. Wu asked as he was looking at the tall buildings made of concrete. The trees along the street were decorated just enough to add some color to the city. He wondered if the place was a city or a huge jail. âThis city overwhelms me.â
âSorry, what did you say?â the man asked.
âI feel overwhelmed here,â Dr. Wu said. âPeople living here must be very stressed. The city is so fast-paced.â
âReally?â the man asked. âYou are probably right. Can you feel it in the car?
âYeah, I can feel it as well as see it.â Dr. Wu pointed at his eyes.
It took them nearly two hours to get to a hospital.
âIs this the hospital?â Dr. Wu asked.
âYeah, are you familiar with it?â the man asked.
âIâve heard about this hospital,â Dr. Wu said.
âThe patient is inside,â the man said.
The two of them entered the hospital and met with Ms. Li, who had been waiting.
âMaâam, this is Dr. Wu, one of King Pharmacistâs students,â the man said.
âHello, Dr. Wu. Thank you for coming all the way here.â Ms. Li was trying to be as polite as she could since she was a member of a prestigious family.
âYou are welcome, as long as we both get what we need,â Dr. Wu honestly said.
âGood,â Ms. Li said with a smile. She liked honest people.