Chapter 439: Chapter 439: It Is Only Natural to Get Paid for Treatment
So Gu Jiaojiao fired off a series of questions. "What are you feeling? Can you feel your legs? What does it feel like?"
Based on her past life’s medical techniques and experience, she could roughly predict the outcome.
But she had, after all, mixed in a bit of spiritual spring water when preparing the medicine, so she wasn’t entirely sure what stage of recovery Mu Ziquan’s legs were in.
Mu Ziquan’s voice was choked with an emotion he couldn’t suppress. "Pain. The soles of my feet hurt. There’s also an aching, swelling sensation. My calves feel a bit swollen, too, and numb at the same time."
"That means you can start practicing taking steps tomorrow. Keep this up for another two months, and you should be able to walk normally."
"Divine Doctor, am I... standing on my own, or are they still holding me up completely?" Mu Ziquan asked uncertainly.
This was the first time in over three years that he felt like his legs were actually his own.
After his legs had been paralyzed for more than three years, he had long since accepted his fate. He thought that even if he didn’t die, he was destined to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He would never return to those dashing, high-spirited days of the past, even though Gu Jiaojiao had once promised he could make a full recovery.
He had never held out much hope, but at this moment, he was filled with boundless hope for the future.
"Mu Shan, Mu Wu, you can try to let go slowly," Gu Jiaojiao ordered.
Mu Shan and Mu Wu were, at the end of the day, two simple brutes, and they were especially obedient to Gu Jiaojiao.
So, the moment she finished speaking, both men let go at the same time. Thankfully, Mu Ziquan could feel his legs and was able to balance himself so he didn’t fall.
The two brutes even chuckled and said, "Divine Doctor, look! The young master is standing on his own."
Without a second thought, Gu Jiaojiao kicked out at them, then quickly moved to support Mu Ziquan.
She scolded them angrily, "I told you to let go *slowly*. Who told you to let go so fast? What would you have done if he had fallen?"
"Divine Doctor, don’t be angry. It’s fine. I’m used to these blockheads being so reckless, so I wasn’t going to fall."
A rare smile appeared on Mu Ziquan’s face. Although the pain had him drenched in sweat, he was incredibly happy inside.
He was happy he could stand, but also happy that Gu Jiaojiao was worried about him. Even if it was just a doctor’s compassion for her patient, his heart felt as sweet as honey.
"Do you two think that just because your young master can stand, you won’t need this Divine Doctor anymore and can stop listening to me?"
"Divine Doctor, we absolutely didn’t mean that. It’s just that whatever we do, we’re used to... speed," Mu Shan explained sheepishly.
"As long as the Divine Doctor has a use for me, no matter how long from now, I will always listen to you," Mu Wu said earnestly.
"I will also always listen to the Divine Doctor. If my legs become fully healed, I’m willing to be your legs for a lifetime."
Mu Ziquan said it subconsciously. After saying "for a lifetime," he regretted it. ’Will the Divine Doctor be annoyed with me?’
But Gu Jiaojiao didn’t catch the nuance in his "for a lifetime" and teased him with a light laugh.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at you. You’re usually so cold and quiet. How did you get so smooth at sucking up to this Divine Doctor?"
"I’m speaking from the heart! I swear, I’m not sucking up," Mu Ziquan said, patting his chest.
"That’s enough for today. Starting tomorrow, practice standing for forty minutes in the morning and evening.
Once your legs are completely under your brain’s command, you can start walking.
You have to remember, rehabilitation is a very difficult process. Because your brain’s perception of the pain in your legs isn’t that clear,
controlling them will be extremely clumsy. Every time you practice standing and shifting your weight, you’ll have to endure immense pain for just a tiny bit of progress.
Sometimes, it might even feel like you’re not making any progress at all. This huge effort for such slow progress...
...can feel like a form of torture. It’s when people’s mental state is most likely to collapse. It all comes down to your willpower."
Gu Jiaojiao kept talking to distract Mu Ziquan. She supported him with one hand, letting him stand on his own for about twenty minutes.
"Whoa, Mu Ziquan, you can stand?!" Li Xiaoliang exclaimed in surprise.
When he and his grandfather walked into the Mu Family’s home, the sight of the man who was supposed to be in a wheelchair now standing on his own two feet shocked him so much he couldn’t control his reaction.
"Standing up is no big deal. In another month or two, he’ll be walking normally," Gu Jiaojiao said nonchalantly.
"It’s all thanks to the Divine Doctor’s exquisite medical skills. If my grandfather had met you sooner, he wouldn’t have had to suffer so much."
"It’s not too late now. As long as your payment is in place, I guarantee a cure."
As Gu Jiaojiao spoke, she rubbed her right thumb and index finger together, looking like a complete money-grubber, which made Mr. Li beam with amusement.
A flicker of a smile crossed his eyes. He found he couldn’t feel the slightest bit of annoyance at such a pure love for money.
Demanding money for treatment actually suited him just fine. After all, a favor owed to him was much harder to come by than money.
The Divine Doctor was Old Han’s sworn sister; it was impossible for her not to know her own status. And yet, she chose money!
What Mr. Li didn’t know was that when Gu Jiaojiao had saved Mr. Han, it was on the front lines. Seeing the situation back then, how could she have had the heart to ask for money for the treatment!
She ended up becoming his sworn sister instead, and to this day, Gu Jiaojiao felt she had gotten the short end of the stick.
When she took on Mu Ziquan’s case, although Old Mu also followed Mr. Han’s lead and called her "sister," Gu Jiaojiao still insisted on a treatment fee.
That’s why she didn’t care how powerful Mr. Li was or how high his status was. Getting paid for medical treatment was only right and proper.
Mr. Li was a man of the world. He saw the expression on Gu Jiaojiao’s face that clearly said, ’I’m getting paid for this treatment; I’m not taking a loss again.’
He laughed out loud. "Haha, Jiaojiao, if you can cure all my ailments, just name your price."
"Easy, easy. When the time comes, Mr. Li can just pay what he sees fit. Let’s start with the acupuncture first." Gu Jiaojiao’s eyes crinkled as she smiled like a blooming flower.
Mr. Li didn’t stand on ceremony. He followed Old Mu into a guest room in the Mu Family’s home, took off his clothes, and lay down himself.
"Well now, the Old Leader can take his own clothes off today?" Yesterday, he had looked like death warmed over.
But that last part, Old Mu only dared to think, not say out loud.
"Hah, the Divine Doctor’s acupuncture is truly unrivaled. To tell you the truth, old man, I slept straight through to the morning last night."
"In that case, your poison must be under control. So why did you still look so sickly when you first came in?"
Old Mu asked in a low voice. He guessed that Mr. Li didn’t want others to know his poison could be cured.
"I can’t bring trouble to you and the Divine Doctor. We’ll have to change the location for the next acupuncture session."
Gu Jiaojiao happened to overhear Mr. Li’s words as she entered. She held out a newly developed bottle of medicine pills to him.
She said in a placid voice, "Mr. Li, this is a new, improved medicine. It can cure the poison in your body, and its effectiveness in treating heart disease far surpasses any other drug on the market."
Mr. Li stared at the bottle in Gu Jiaojiao’s hand, unable to stop himself from licking his lips as a flash of ecstasy crossed his eyes.
"You... your antidote was a success? Does that mean it can be mass-produced?" Mr. Li was so excited that his form of address changed.
