Chapter 16: Killing the Patient

What deep hatred must there be to poison someone so insidiously?

Su Wan frowned. She was missing a few ingredients for the medicine she collected and needed to go to town to buy them.

Mother Gu prepared breakfast and placed it on the table, calling out to Su Wan, “Ah Wan, come and eat.”

“Alright,” Su Wan responded. As the sun gradually rose, she prepared to head to town early.

After tidying up her room, she packed the chicken mushroom into a basket and carried it on her back. She approached the square table in the main hall, where her bowl contained an egg pancake, and in the middle of the table was a sea bowl with several wild vegetable pancakes.

Su Wan picked up a wild vegetable pancake, took a bite, and was about to tell Mother Gu she was going to town when she overheard Mother Gu whispering to Gu Huaizhi.

“Jingyun is still young, and not going to school, what should we do?” Mother Gu was anxiously fretting.

Gu Huaizhi coughed a few times: “Send him to the town to study.”

“The medicine you take costs a sum of money, Wan Wan needs to eat fine grains, and she needs to eat meat every few days. Where do we get the money to send him to town?” Mother Gu gritted her teeth and said, “If it really doesn’t work, you can teach him at home.”

“I’ll take care of second brother’s matter.”

Su Wan listened briefly, then walked out and waved to Mother Gu in the kitchen, “I’m tired of eating eggs. You can have them. I’m going to town and won’t be back for lunch.”

Mother Gu was startled and quickly put a bamboo tube of water into Su Wan’s basket, “Come back home early.”

“Okay.” Su Wan smiled brightly, waved her hand, and left with light steps.

Gu Baozhu and Gu Jingyun stood by the door, their dark eyes fixed on Su Wan’s retreating figure, and their little faces filled with unease.

Will sister-in-law return after she leaves?

Su Wan didn’t know what was going on in the little ones’ minds as she walked for about twenty minutes to Xihe town.

The small town was full of ancient charm, with horse carriages, ox carts, and mule carts weaving through the bustling crowd.

The vendors were calling out loudly.

Su Wan truly felt that the world in the books was real, and every paper character was a living, breathing person.

Her gaze filled with curiosity, she wandered around looking for a medical hall.

There were people gathered in front.

Su Wan saw a plaque above the door with the words “Xinglin Medical Hall.”

She walked towards the crowd.

An old man with gray hair lay on the ground, his face turning blue and unconscious.

Doctor Zhou of the medical hall knelt on the ground performing acupuncture on the old man. After a while, he pulled out the silver needles and said, “Is the patient’s family here? He has died suddenly, and cannot be saved.”

Upon hearing this, the onlookers all stepped back in dismay.

Someone looking for trouble said, “He just fell down, and he was still breathing when you started the acupuncture. Could it be that your needle killed him?”

“The Xinglin Medical Hall has only been open for a dozen years, how can it compare to the century-old establishments?”

“In the future, when looking for a doctor, better avoid these small medical halls.”

Everyone criticized him one after another, and the poor old man had no relatives to defend his injustice.

Doctor Zhou was sweating profusely and explained: “This is a sudden death. Not just the medical halls in this small town, but even those in the county city couldn’t cure him.”

He was anxious, knowing he couldn’t save him, but as a doctor who saves lives, he still got involved in this troublesome matter.

Since this person couldn’t be saved, his reputation would be ruined.

Doctor Zhou’s straight back bent down.

Someone stood out to uphold justice and said: “You have to pay with your life for killing someone. What kind of medical hall are you running? Don’t think that just because this old man has no relatives, you can get away with it. If you don’t turn yourself in, we will send you to the officials!”

“Who said he’s dead?” Su Wan squeezed out from the crowd, glanced at the old man on the ground, and with a furrowed brow said, “This doctor has kept him hanging on by a breath!”