The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

Chapter 130

Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: thornling

After arriving at the nearest village, Lin Dan had the driver wait at the entrance. She held her bell, walking and peddling her services, "Treating the sick! If any family has an illness, call me and I will come treat it. If I can't cure it, I won't take any payment."

The bell rang and she shouted all the way through the village. When the villagers saw that she was female, and also very young, they hesitated. But once they heard that if she couldn't cure the illness, they wouldn't have to pay, they finally tentatively called out to stop her. She didn't refuse anyone who came; whoever called, she would go to their house to treat the sick. If she met a rogue who wanted to take advantage of her, she would knock them out with a single slap, no need for extra words.

The villagers saw that she was formidable and did not look down on her as much as they did before.

Lin Dan looked at several patients in succession, all of whom had minor illnesses, such as headaches and internal heat, which were not at all difficult to treat. She would prescribe medicine, and those who had time and money could go to the apothecary in the city to fill the prescription. If they didn't have time or money, she would personally go to the mountains to collect the herbs, process and package them, and send them over the next day.

It was very costly to see a doctor and buy medicine. A random pack of herbs for treating colds would cost half a tael of silver, which was unaffordable for a common household. But Lin Dan only asked for a dozen copper coins, which was no different from giving it away for free. When the people in the village saw that she charged so little, they all came to see her whether or not they were ill. In any case, she said it herself, if she couldn't cure it she wouldn't charge them.

Lin Dan had expected this to happen, but she didn't mind. What she lacked most now was experience, and the accumulation of experience depended on continuously practicing medicine. The more people that came to her, the happier she was, so she would never turn them away. No matter whether you were sick, as long as she had the chance to take a look at your pulse, she would learn something.

The pulse of a healthy person was distinct from the pulse of an ill one; patients with the same symptoms might also have different pulses; yet patients with different symptoms might have the same pulses.* In the process of interacting with these people, she learned many things that she wouldn't learn merely by reading, and she also got a taste of the profound joy of being a doctor.

*Text originally read "patients with the same symptoms might also have different pulses; yet patients with different pulses might have the same symptoms," which means the same thing.

When evening fell, she wrote down the names and addresses of several households before leaving, not fully satisfied. Due to inadequate preparation, she did not bring medicine with her, so she still had to bring it over tomorrow after filling each prescription. Fortunately, most everyone only had minor aches and pains, and could afford to wait. But from now on, she had to learn how to pick herbs herself, process them herself, and carry some commonly used medicine for emergency use. Otherwise, it would be like today: obviously, she knew how to treat the patients, but she didn't have medicine for them to use and had to drag it out for another day and a half.

If she mastered massage and acupuncture techniques, she could treat people on the spot, even without herbs, instead of being restricted by place and time. Thinking of this, Lin Dan touched the silver needles hidden at her waist, a fire burning in her heart.

At the You hour,* the two guards punctually waiting at the west gate saw the swaying ox cart and let out a huge sigh of relief in their hearts. They had previously been duped by Lin Dan and forgotten common sense. It was only after she left that they realized that in fact, they could have left one person to protect her and have the other search the city. They didn't have to both leave at the same time. If something had happened to Lin Dan during this time, the general would never have spared the two of them!