Chapter 8: Hospitalization

“Ouch, don’t rush! To be honest, I really like this place—a paradise on earth. Tsk, tsk, the name is well chosen. How about this: two hundred taels, I’ll give you two hundred taels, deal?”

Song Jinxiu: “Eight hundred taels.”

Goat Beard: “That’s too much, three hundred taels.”

Song Jinxiu frowned: “Seven hundred taels. No less.”

Goat Beard: “Four hundred taels.”

Song Jinxiu: “Six hundred taels is my bottom line.”

Goat Beard: “Fine, I’ll give you five hundred taels. That’s a sky-high price.”

Song Jinxiu sighed: “Alright, deal.”

Song Jinxiu tucked the five hundred taels into her pocket as she left the pawnshop. Goat Beard watched her retreating figure, unable to understand how he had managed to part with five hundred taels.

But then, glancing again at the crystal ball of the paradise on earth, a smile immediately clouded his eyes.

Song Jinxiu approached the ox cart. Song Chunsheng anxiously asked, “How much did you pawn it for?”

Song Fuquan also came over and asked, “Did you pawn it?”

Song Jinxiu first nodded at Song Fuquan, then held out her palm and shook it at Big Brother.

Song Chunsheng asked with his eyes: Fifty taels?

Song Fuquan was shocked and said: Five taels?

Song Jinxiu nodded. “Mm, let’s hurry to the physician’s clinic.”

Song Chunsheng’s leg was indeed in serious condition. Three senior physicians at the Li family physician’s clinic conducted a consultation and unanimously agreed that amputation was necessary to save his life.

Song Jinfang and Xiaodi cried bitterly, Song Fuquan sighed deeply, and Song Chunsheng stared blankly.

Was it true that the worst had finally come?

Song Jinxiu refused to give up. “Physician, if my older brother’s swelling goes down, wouldn’t it be possible to set the bone and treat it? Why must it be amputation?”

A young physician explained, “His leg has been neglected for too long. If he had come two days earlier, there might still have been a chance.”

Two days earlier? Could it be that Brother’s leg had been swollen for several days already? Song Jinxiu looked at her older brother in shock.

Song Chunsheng gave a bitter smile. “It started swelling five days ago, but it wasn’t this bad. Yesterday…”

After Father’s kick yesterday, the whole leg looked like a blown-up pig bladder, and later he barely even felt the pain anymore.

The young physician continued, “If the swelling in his leg doesn’t go down soon, it will quickly turn black. Without amputation, the entire leg will rot, and he will fall into a coma—ultimately, he won’t survive.”

Song Jinxiu anxiously asked, “Then hurry and give him medicine to reduce the swelling!”

The young physician sighed and patiently explained, “Physicians are not immortals. We don’t have any miracle cures. It’s not something you can just say and the swelling disappears. Even with the best medicine, it takes time. But your brother’s leg… I’m afraid it’s not looking good.”

“Wuwuwu, Big Brother, I don’t want you to die, wuwuwu.”

Song Jinfang cried so hard her nose was running. Song Qiusheng trembled alongside her.

Song Jinxiu couldn’t bear to watch and pulled her aside. With a “tzila,” she tore off the hem of her own shirt and wiped her tears and runny nose.

After all, there wasn’t even a tissue in sight here.

Her action made the little girl stare at her in a daze, only quietly sobbing, having forgotten to cry outright.

Song Chunsheng glanced at his fragile younger sister and younger brother, then sighed, “How much will the amputation cost?”

The young physician glanced at their worn clothes and said, “It will probably be around twenty taels.”

Twenty taels—Song Chunsheng thought that was still acceptable. After all, they now had fifty taels, didn’t they?

Spending twenty taels meant he could stay alive. Although he wouldn’t be able to do heavy labor anymore, at least he could watch over his brothers and give courage to his sisters.

“All right, I agree to the amputation.”

“Wait,”

Song Jinxiu looked intently at her brother’s leg.

Though the leg was dark purple and shiny, it hadn’t yet turned the black of necrosis.

“Big Brother, it’s not the final moment yet. We can’t give up.”

She pleaded again with the physician, “Physician, what if we use the best medicine? Can my older brother’s leg be saved? Don’t worry, our family has money.”

Hearing this from a girl dressed in patched clothes, everyone showed a faint, sympathetic smile.

The eldest physician, Doctor Li, glanced at her. He had seen too many cases where family members were willing to sell everything just to save their loved ones.

If the renowned Divine Physician Feng were brought in, and several hundred or even a thousand taels of silver spent on the finest medicinal ingredients, maybe the leg could be saved.

But looking at these children, managing to raise twenty taels just to save a life with amputation likely meant plunging into deep debt.

Yet seeing the girl’s pleading eyes, he thought, very well—when all else fails, you do what you can.

He examined Song Chunsheng’s leg once more and instructed, “Give him a compound decoction, both orally and applied externally. Observe for two days and see how it goes.”

In truth, in his heart, the physician knew the boy’s leg couldn’t be saved. The swelling was cutting off blood circulation; amputation was only a matter of a few days—whether sooner or later.

He had seen many cases like this.

Then he told the apprentice, “Use the medicines from the western storehouse. Save where you can.”

Save the money and prepare for the amputation.

With the senior physician’s word, Song Chunsheng was admitted to the Li family physician’s clinic and began conservative treatment first.

Song Fuquan went into town to buy them some coarse grain cakes, which made Song Jinxiu feel quite guilty.

Embarrassed, Song Jinxiu said, “Brother Fuquan, we’ve been so focused on my brother’s leg that we didn’t even think to treat you to a meal, and you had to spend your own money. How much did it cost? I’ll pay you back.”

“What are you saying? Given your situation right now, how could I possibly ask you to pay?”

He ate his cake while saying to Chunsheng, “Big Brother Chunsheng, you stay here and get treated first. I’ll head back now. Don’t worry about the money—I’ll ask Grandpa to think of a solution.”

If he didn’t leave soon, it would be dark by the time he got home.

Song Chunsheng said, “Alright, take your time going back. As for the money, we still have enough for now. Don’t let Grandfather Lizheng worry.”

After seeing Song Fuquan off, Song Jinxiu began preparing the medicine herself.

The physician’s clinic had someone who specialized in decocting medicine, but it cost extra.

The senior physician saw that the siblings had no adult with them and felt pity. So he took care of them, letting them prepare their own medicine to save some money.

Knowing that the siblings were looked down on because of their worn clothes, Song Jinxiu didn’t respond. If she had to decoct the medicine herself, so be it—they weren’t incapable.

But when she opened the medicine package, she frowned.

Although she wasn’t a physician, in her previous life, she had a senior apprentice brother from a traditional Chinese medicine family, and she had even secretly grown some rare herbs in her space.

So through this exposure, she could recognize good and bad herbs.

The medicine from the Li family physician’s clinic, while abundant in quantity, was made up of scraps and leftovers, greatly reducing its efficacy.

Displeased, Song Jinxiu carried the medicine package to the front hall.

By this time, the attending physician on duty had changed, so Song Jinxiu went to find the apprentice in charge of dispensing the herbs.

She placed the medicine package on the counter and asked, “Young man, I told you I wanted the best medicine. Why is this all just scraps and leftovers? These herbs do have some effect, but it’s too slow. My brother’s leg urgently needs anti-inflammatory medicine.”

At that moment, Song Jinxiu suddenly paused.

Anti-inflammatory? She actually had anti-inflammatory medicine in her space.

It had only been a little over a day since she arrived here. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact she had crossed over, and on top of that, so many bizarre things had happened all at once.

Her worry for her older brother’s leg was intense. She vaguely sensed that some of the original owner’s emotions still lingered in her body.

Under the pressure of all these crises, she had instinctively known to rush him to the hospital when he fell ill—but had forgotten just how vastly different the medical conditions here were compared to her past life.

Without another word, Song Jinxiu picked up the medicine package and left.

The apprentice glanced at her retreating figure and shook his head with a smile.

From the look of that package, he immediately knew what was going on.

The herbs bought by the Li family physician’s clinic had to go through a selection process before being put on the shelves.

The leftover scraps from the sorting were collected to be given to the poor who couldn’t afford proper medicine.

In fact, if used in larger quantities, these scraps could still be fairly effective—but the price was much lower. For those truly without money, they were even given free of charge.

Judging by the girl’s clothes and the package she was carrying, it was clear the medicine was probably given without charge.

The young girl walked off halfway through speaking—perhaps she had thought of this herself.

After all, who’s going to turn down a steamed bun just because it’s a little burnt?