Chapter 58 Consultation and Fees

“Comrade Qian Xiaolan, congratulations on passing our assessment. From today on, you are a true barefoot doctor. I hope you will serve the people wholeheartedly, just like your husband.” Qian Xiaolan excitedly took the red-covered booklet handed to her by Dr. Chen. The booklet was only the size of a palm, with the words “Barefoot Doctor Certificate” printed in gold on the red cover, and a red cross with a gold border below the words.

Opening the cover revealed a one-inch black and white half-length photo of her, with number 456 below the photo, and a large red seal of the Baima County Health Bureau in Nan Province. The second page contained the doctor’s specific information, and the third page was the seal of the issuing authority and the date of issuance – April 1, 1977. Seeing her staring at the photo again, Dr. Chen explained with a smile, “The photo was taken from your husband.

” Qian Xiaolan nodded, no wonder that man had been rummaging through her drawer last night while she was out. When Secretary Xu and Dr. Chen came, they had asked the brigade leader to lead the way. People in this era didn’t have many entertainment options, so watching the excitement and gossiping was their source of happiness. Therefore, when everyone heard that the man with glasses and Dr. Chen from the health center were looking for Qian Xiaolan, those who had nothing to do followed behind.

 They had already seen the red booklet that Dr. Chen had been holding in his hand, but they couldn’t read, so they just looked at it with a blank expression. When they heard that it was a barefoot doctor certificate, the crowd instantly boiled over. They whispered to each other, saying that their brigade would also have its own health room.

After Dr. Chen finished his business, Secretary Xu turned to Qian Xiaolan, “Comrade Qian, I’m here to see you about a personal matter. Since you gave me those needles the other day, I’ve been sleeping very well every night. Could you please give me a few more needles?” Qian Xiaolan looked at his complexion, took his pulse, and then took out her needle bag to give him needles. This time, she pricked one less acupoint than last time. Secretary Xu curiously asked about it.

 Qian Xiaolan smiled and replied, “Acupuncture needs to be adjusted according to the specific condition of the body, it’s not that the more needles you prick, the better the effect.” Secretary Xu heard this, a little embarrassed, he touched his nose, “Comrade Qian, don’t mind, I didn’t mean anything else, I was just curious.” Qian Xiaolan nodded in understanding.

After the crowd finished whispering about the brigade’s health room, they looked up and saw that Secretary Xu was very polite to Qian Xiaolan. They secretly asked the brigade leader who the man with glasses was. When they learned that he was the commune secretary, they were shocked and widened their eyes.

This secretary was the highest official they had ever seen (not counting the military), and they couldn’t believe that he had come all the way to their brigade to see Qian Xiaolan, and he was so polite to her. It seemed that her medical skills were top-notch in the commune. Then they thought about the excitement in Qian Xiaolan’s house these past few days, and immediately someone rushed home. They went home to get their consultation fees and come to see a doctor!

Just as Qian Xiaolan sent Secretary Xu and the others away, an old lady came up to her with a dried fish, “Comrade Qian, please take a look at me too, my legs hurt terribly every time the weather changes.” Qian Xiaolan brought the old lady inside, let her sit on the stool, first looked at her hands, then squatted down and helped her roll up her pants to examine her knees. “Grandma, your legs have been sick for too long, there is little chance of a complete cure. I’ll give you a few needles first to relieve the pain, and tomorrow, I’ll make some mugwort sticks, you can moxibustion once a day, and you won’t be in so much pain when the weather changes.”

 The old lady didn’t quite understand, but she heard that it could relieve the pain, so she nodded eagerly. Qian Xiaolan finished speaking and took out her needle bag, her hands moved quickly, and soon she had pricked a few needles into the old lady’s body. As she was pulling out the needles, Qian Xiaolan smiled and looked at the next person, “Aunt Wang, are you here to see a doctor too?” Aunt Wang laughed and put four duck eggs on the table, “No, no, it’s not me, I’m here to ask for someone else. I’ve heard for a long time that your medical skills are good, so I went to the county a few days ago to see my daughter, and I told her about your skills, and she asked me to ask you.

” Qian Xiaolan nodded, glanced at the people around her, and wanted to take Aunt Wang into the house to talk. But Aunt Wang was not so particular, she waved her hand directly, “There’s no need to hide it from everyone, my daughter has been married for two years and has no children, everyone knows that. She and my son-in-law have been to the hospital several times, but they are both healthy, but the strange thing is that she just can’t get pregnant.” “Since you two are both healthy, Aunt Wang, don’t worry, it’s probably just that fate hasn’t arrived yet. Tell your daughter and son-in-law not to worry, relax, go to bed early and get up early, and exercise more.”

 Qian Xiaolan comforted her. “Ah?” Aunt Wang was stunned, and suddenly leaned close to Qian Xiaolan’s ear, “You said they need to exercise more? My daughter said they do it once a night, if they exercise more, would it be several times a day?” Qian Xiaolan: “!!!” Qian Xiaolan was shocked and looked at Aunt Wang, “Aunt Wang, what are you thinking? I meant they should run and do exercises, that kind of exercise.”

 Good heavens, Aunt Wang was indeed the most straightforward woman in the whole of Xiaowan Brigade, she could even ask her daughter about this kind of thing. Hearing Qian Xiaolan’s words, Aunt Wang’s smile froze, then she clapped her hands and laughed, “Okay, okay, Aunt Wang will go to the commune tomorrow and call my daughter. You go ahead and get busy, Little Qian, I’ll take you to the island to go fishing after dinner.” Qian Xiaolan smiled and agreed, turned around and pulled out the silver needles for the old lady, and then saw seven or eight other women, before she finally rested.

Most of the people here had rheumatism. Before there was a doctor on the island, they never went to the commune hospital for a little leg pain or joint pain. Now that they knew that they had been approved by the county health bureau and the commune to practice medicine openly, they came to try it out. There was no salary for being a barefoot doctor, and since Qian Xiaolan was not a local and not a young intellectual who had gone to the countryside, she couldn’t be assigned work points. Therefore, before everyone wanted to see Qian Xiaolan, they were worried about the consultation fee, so they went to ask the brigade leader, and he gave them a rough idea. Those who were better off gave three or four chickens or ducks, those who were worse off gave a dried fish weighing about a pound, or some fish they caught, or vegetables they had grown.

Of course, if they needed medicine, they had to pay for it, because the money for medicine had to be turned over to the commune health center. The brigade leader was afraid that some people would take advantage of the situation, so he sternly warned, “Anyone who brings a few pieces of rotten vegetables or a few pieces of seaweed, if you upset Comrade Qian and there’s no doctor on the island anymore, you can all get out of Xiaowan Village!”

 Everyone heard this, those who had such thoughts quickly put them away, and honestly went home to get a pound of dried fish to give to Qian Xiaolan as a consultation fee. Chickens and ducks were so expensive, dried fish was a better deal. Therefore, Qian Xiaolan received seven dried fish and four duck eggs in one morning. Plus the consultation fees she had received for treating people during this period, she had already accumulated a total of twenty-five dried fish! Qian Xiaolan didn’t worry about not being able to finish so many dried fish, she had Su Yirou, who was short of all kinds of supplies.