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 didn't take Wang Yao's 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 didn't 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 didn't follow Wang Yao's 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 Yao's 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 patient's left eye was full of blood and had started to become cankerous. "When did you hurt your eye?"
"About a week ago," the patient said.
"Didn't you go to the hospital right away?" Wang Yao asked.
"No, I didn't pay much attention to it at first," the patient said.
"What brings you here?" Wang Yao asked.
People with such a condition typically went to a hospital emergency department. Most clinics wouldn't accept patients like him because his eye probably wouldn't get better with the application of some medication.
"Well, I heard you are a good doctor, and it doesn't cost much to get treated here," the patient said after hesitating for a moment.
"Doesn't cost much?" Wang Yao smiled. He thought that was probably the reason why the man came to see him.
That's because you haven't come across those who spent millions here, he thought.
High-quality items that had a minimal cost usually didn't exist in the world.
"I can treat your eye condition, but the fee is quite high," Wang Yao said.
"How much?" asked the man, who was in his 40s.
"At least $1,000," Wang Yao replied.
"That much?!" The patient was shocked. "Can you charge less?"
"Well, how much do you think your eye costs?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.
Knock! A person came into the clinic.
"Hello, Dr. Wang." It was Pan Jun.
"Hello, Pan Jun, don't you have to work today?" Wang Yao asked.
"No. I've got something to deal with at home," Pan Jun said. "Otherwise, I would have come a bit earlier. Do you have a patient?"
"Yeah. Come here and take a look at his eye," Wang Yao said.
After examining the patient's eye, Pan Jun said, "Wow! This is serious. What happened?"
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.
"His eye was injured by alkali liquor," Wang Yao said. "What would the doctors do to him if he was in your hospital?"
After taking a closer look at the man's eye, Pan Jun replied, "He 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."
"Who is this?" the patient asked.
"Hello, my name is Pan Jun, head of the emergency department of the People's Hospital. Dr. Wang is my teacher," Pan Jun said with a smile.
The patient was in shock. "Are you kidding me? A senior doctor from the People's Hospital has become a student of a young doctor here?"
Pan Jun laughed.
"Oh well, it doesn't matter." The patient didn't take Pan Jun's words seriously.
"How much would it cost for him to get treated in your hospital?" Wang Yao asked.
"That is hard to say," Pan Jun said. "The cost of a routine examination after admission plus the fee for the bed and medication would be at least $2,000 a week."
"Are you doing a two-man comic show?" the patient sarcastically asked. "Well, I think I should leave now. Thank you."
The patient stood up and was about to leave when Wang Yao said, "That's fine with me. Have a good think about it. You should go to the hospital immediately. Otherwise, you'll be blind in one eye."
"OK," the patient said.
"What does he mean?" Pan Jun asked.
He was surprised to see the patient leaving. He could tell that part of the tissue in the patient's injured eye had become inflamed. The patient needed immediate intervention. Otherwise, he would be blind in one eye.
"He doesn't trust me," Wang Yao said.
"$1,000 is absolutely ridiculous," the man murmured after leaving the clinic. "The other guy is the head of an emergency department. Seriously? Why didn't he say he was a specialist from Beijing. Do I look like a fool?"
Maybe I should go to the hospital? the man thought.
"$1,000 to treat his eye is not expensive at all," Pan Jun said after Wang Yao had told him what happened with the patient.
"I also didn't think it was expensive, and he would get better immediately," Wang Yao replied. "But he didn't trust me."
"I think he'll regret it," Pan Jun said.
"Everyone has the right to choose the treatment they want," Wang Yao said. "Can I leave the next patient to you?"
"No problem," Pan Jun said with a smile.
Meanwhile, in the most luxurious hotel in a city of southern Yunnan, the man sent by Hou Shida's mother was meeting with Dr. Wu, one of the King Pharmacist's students.
"Are you ready to go, Dr. Wu?" the man asked.
"Yes," Dr. Wu replied.
To be honest, he had seen many rich people, but this man was different.
"Can we leave tomorrow?" the man asked.
"Sure," Dr. Wu said.
"That's great. I can't wait," the man said.
Although he didn't 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.
"This is Beijing?" Dr. Wu asked in a low voice as he looked down at the old and busy city.
"Yeah, it this your first time to visit Beijing?" the man asked.
"Yes," Dr. Wu replied.
"Welcome," the man said.
"Thank you," Dr. Wu said.
It was hot and busy in Beijing.
"Gosh, it's so hot here," Dr. Wu said as he walked out of the airport.
"It is hotter here than in your hometown," 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 didn't have a good first impression of Beijing. Although it was big and busy, he soon got into a luxurious car with air conditioning.
"Shall we go see the patient?" the man asked.
"Sure," Dr. Wu said.
The car was moving slowly on the congested roads.
"Sorry, it is peak hour now," the man said.
"That's fine. I don't get the chance to see so many cars," Dr. Wu said.
To be honest, this was his first time to experience such a bad traffic situation.
"Is this city even inhabitable?" 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. "This city overwhelms me."
"Sorry, what did you say?" the man asked.
"I feel overwhelmed here," Dr. Wu said. "People living here must be very stressed. The city is so fast-paced."
"Really?" the man asked. "You are probably right. Can you feel it in the car?
"Yeah, I can feel it as well as see it." Dr. Wu pointed at his eyes.
It took them nearly two hours to get to a hospital.
"Is this the hospital?" Dr. Wu asked.
"Yeah, are you familiar with it?" the man asked.
"I've heard about this hospital," Dr. Wu said.
"The patient is inside," the man said.
The two of them entered the hospital and met with Ms. Li, who had been waiting.
"Ma'am, this is Dr. Wu, one of King Pharmacist's students," the man said.
"Hello, Dr. Wu. Thank you for coming all the way here." Ms. Li was trying to be as polite as she could since she was a member of a prestigious family.
"You are welcome, as long as we both get what we need," Dr. Wu honestly said.
"Good," Ms. Li said with a smile. She liked honest people.