219 Nobody Is Forcing You
Dachuan’s mother and elder brother waited for Zhao Chuchu to finish treating the child before coming out of the house.
The village chief, suspicious of Zhao Chuchu being a swindler, was shocked to see the two of them.
Dahai, in particular, had already looked dead earlier, but now he looked as if he had come to life, and his whole spirit and temperament were different.
“Dahai, are you all right already?” The village chief asked sharply.
Dahai shook his head. “Not entirely, but it’s better than before. Uncle, Mrs. Xie is a good doctor. We have to trust Mrs. Xie. As long as she cures us, we can all live.”
“Mrs. Xie, are you really able to cure us and save Heyang Village?” The village chief looked sideways at Zhao Chuchu.
Xie Jun said first, “Of course it’s true. My brother used to be blind. Then he was cured by Chuchu. If you don’t believe me, you can visit our village and ask around. Then you will know how good Chuchu’s medical skills are!”
The village chief knelt straight down and kowtowed heavily. “Mrs. Xie, I beg you to save Heyang Village. We don’t want to die. We want to live!”
Zhao Chuchu was caught off guard and hurriedly went forward to help the village chief up. “Initially, I came here because I was entrusted by someone to treat you. Don’t worry. As long as you are not already dead, I should be able to save you.”
The village chief burst into tears. “Are you telling the truth, Miss?”
“Yes, I’m telling you the truth. I promise you.” Zhao Chuchu nodded thoughtfully. “But I still need your cooperation. Don’t worry. A man has already paid for this for you. His name is Qiao Heting.”
Zhao Chuchu told them her patron was Qiao Heting.
She thought he would take the blame for her should anything go wrong in the future.
Now Zhao Chuchu did not want any confrontation with the imperial court for now.
After all, there was the Great Prince watching over her.
“Qiao Heting, who is this guy?” The village chief was puzzled because he had never heard of this name.
“Just think of him as a man trying to do a good deed every day.” Zhao Chuchu said, “Your town will get better. The imperial court will not kill you. You’re in lockdown because they are still unsure if the disease will infect others.”
“Will it be passed from person to person?”
“No, so don’t believe in the rumors. Chief, now go and call all the people in your village to come here. I’ll treat them one by one. For those who can’t walk, carry them over.”
“Okay, I’ll go now.”
The village chief turned around and ran.
But in the meantime, Xie Heng had convinced half of the villagers to come to Dachuan’s house. The remaining half hadn’t gone because they had yet to arrive.
With the village chief’s persuasion, it was much more efficient.
One by one, villagers from Heyang Village came to Dachuan’s house.
Their reaction was the same as Dachuan’s mother and the village chief. When they saw the young Zhao Chuchu, they all expressed doubts about Zhao Chuchu’s medical skills.
Because the doctors they had seen were at least middle-aged, when they saw Zhao Chuchu was so young, they immediately became suspicious.
“All stand in line, one by one. Take turns for the treatment. You may leave if you have any doubts. My sister is not a very good-temper person. Make sure you don’t regret it by then.” Xie Jun walked up to the crowd and tried to maintain order with a great deal of dignity.
Probably because Xie Jun was too good-looking or because Zhao Chuchu stood there looking at them with a powerful aura, the villagers finally did not say anything terrible about Zhao Chuchu or Dachuan.
Although they knew they were waiting for death, even the village chief advised them to take a shot. Now that the handsome boy said what they were hoping for in their hearts, they could not help but operate under the hope that Zhao Chuchu could really cure them.
In fact, Zhao Chuchu had already determined that all the people in this village were suffering from schistosomiasis.
But she did not get lazy and prescribe medicine directly, but still checked their pulses one by one to determine if they had other diseases besides schistosomiasis.
Even so, Zhao Chuchu was rather efficient.
Xie Jun was helping out, fanning Zhao Chuchu and wiping her sweat without complaint.
By the time Xie Heng returned, Zhao Chuchu had already treated a third of the villagers.
He went up and sat down beside Zhao Chuchu, helping her distribute medicine or write prescriptions.
Not everyone’s constitution was suitable for those medicines.
Most people in Heyang Village had severe conditions that required surgery.
Zhao Chuchu talked to them about it beforehand.
Like those people in the town, they strongly reacted when they heard about the surgery where one’s abdomen had to be cut open.
“Is she really saving lives? Can a person still live after being cut open?”
“Is she really Doctor Miracle? I have never heard of anything like this.”
“After all this drama, is she trying to kill us? She must be sent by the imperial court to kill us!”
Zhao Chuchu was speechless.
Xie Heng spoke coldly, “How hard is it to kill you? If my wife does not come to Qiaoyi Town, you all have to die sooner or later. Did she waste so much time and resources just to kill you? If you want the treatment, stay. If you don’t, leave. No one is forcing you to do anything. What do your lives have to do with us?”
Xie Heng came with an imposing presence, emitting the aura and majesty of a king.
As the former grand secretary, the villagers of Heyang Village could never live with an attitude like that.
Moreover, Xie Heng’s stern look made them believe that even if they really died in front of him, he would not care.
“What my husband said is exactly what I wanted to say. If you believe me, stay. If you don’t, then leave. But I’ve said it before. If you leave now, even if you regret it afterward, it’s useless. Even if you kneel and beg me, I won’t give a damn!” Zhao Chuchu said indifferently.
Dachuan said anxiously, “This is how some people in town are cured. The government’s men are outside Qiaoyi Town. Why would Mrs. Xie do this to you? Since she is Doctor Miracle, isn’t it normal for her to have her own ways of treating people that we haven’t heard of?”
The people looked at each other, not daring to say anything and not daring to leave.
Finally, it was the village chief’s son who was the first to come forward. “Mrs. Xie, I believe you.”
After a pause, he looked at the village chief. “Father, even if I didn’t make it, it’s my destiny. Please don’t blame Mrs. Xie…”
“Bullshit, stop saying things like that. I said I can save you, and I mean it!” Zhao Chuchu interrupted him, “Although you will feel more pain during the recuperation period. It’ll only last for half a month, saving you the problem for decades of pain down the road.”
“Mrs. Xie, I believe in you. Please save me.”
Zhao Chuchu looked at him and nodded, then said to the others, “Those who are willing to stay, stay. Or you can leave. It’s up to you.”
In the end, only five stayed, and the other eight left.
The village chief tried to persuade them, but in the end, they left anyway. He let out a long sigh.