Chapter 321: Chapter 321: The Patient Who was Picked Up
Seeing the children leave plunged Liu Zheng once again into deep thought.
If adults can lie, then children should hardly ever lie.
One child lying, two children lying, that could be dismissed. But now, with so many children, their accounts all exactly the same, there was no room for lies.
What in the world was going on?
Liu Zheng was at his wits’ end.
Why would a cremated person suddenly reappear in this village?
And that vagrant he saw today, the one he thought was a madman, why did the same thing that happened to the old man last time happen to him?
Liu Zheng began to entertain a bold hypothesis.
Now, the same ambulance had taken away the vagrant. What would they do with him after that?
Would they cremate him immediately?
And then? After cremation, would that person appear again in the village?
Just thinking about these things was enough to give Liu Zheng the creeps, he even felt a real chill up his spine.
"Boss, time to settle the bill."
He couldn’t think anymore, if he kept on, Liu Zheng couldn’t fathom what he might come up with next.
"Dr. Liu, no need to settle, this meal is on me."
"How can that be possible? Your small business isn’t easy, and although the children don’t eat much, you still served us over a dozen dishes. I saw them all."
"It’s just a few dishes, what’s the big deal? Two days ago, my eldest fell ill. If not for Dr. Liu’s timely treatment, I fear what could’ve become of them by now."
"Saving lives is my duty, so it has nothing to do with this. Just tell me, how much does it cost? If you really want to thank me, you can give me a discount."
"Well then, just give me 100 yuan."
"What? 100 yuan? Are you joking? With over a dozen dishes, mostly meat, how could it only be 100 yuan?"
"Dr. Liu, like I said, if you’re willing to pay, then 100 yuan is enough. Otherwise, you don’t have to pay anything, consider it my treat for you and the kids."
"Thank you so much."
As he spoke, Liu Zheng took out 100 yuan from his pocket. Then he saw the boss turn away and leave.
Liu Zheng was well-liked in the village; wherever he went, people were always so warm towards him.
It could be said that Liu Zheng had become an indispensable and very important person in this village.
Liu Zheng saw the boss busy at the counter and quietly took out another 200 yuan from his pocket, placed it under the plate, and then left at ease.
It was a small-scale business, and even with a discount, it could not be this much. He just topped up another 200 yuan based on the value of the food.
"Dr. Liu, finished with your meal?"
Just as he left the restaurant, he saw a middle-aged man cycling past.
"Hold on."
As the man cycled past him, Liu Zheng seemed to notice something, then briskly walked up to him and pulled the man off the bicycle.
"Dr. Liu, what’s wrong?"
The man was curious and turned to look at Liu Zheng.
"How long have you been like this?"
"What? How long have I been like what? What are you talking about?"
"Don’t you feel anything? The corner of your mouth is starting to droop, and your left cheek is swelling up. Don’t you feel that?"
"What? Drooping? Swelling? Dr. Liu, don’t scare me. I’m just an ordinary farmer, I can’t handle such worry right now."
"No, you really have a problem. Tell me, have you caught a chill or been in a draft lately?"
"If you put it that way, I suddenly remember something. Last week, I went hunting in the mountains. The night turned cold, so I didn’t dare descend the mountain. The next day I had a headache, indeed I had been in the cold wind all night."
"That’s it, these are the early signs of a minor stroke. If you keep this up, you could end up with a major stroke, and it won’t be so simple then."
"Dr. Liu, you’re not scaring me, right? What do you mean, stroke? Then, then what should I do now?"
Initially, he hadn’t taken the matter seriously, but after hearing Liu Zheng’s advice, he suddenly became nervous, his voice even trembling.
"Lucky for you that I noticed it. Otherwise, by the time you’d show symptoms, it would be too late. Here’s what we’ll do: hurry over to my clinic with me. I’ll give you some medicine, then for the next few days don’t go anywhere, just rest at home for three days and take the medication as directed. That should cure you."
"That’s great, Dr. Liu, you’re like a living god. Who knew that you could tell just by looking? Alright, I’ll go with you right now. Dr. Liu, hop on the back of the bike; I’ll take you there."
Liu Zheng nodded and then returned to his clinic with the man.
As the sky gradually darkened, he prepared some of his own remedies for the man, who then left the place.
Liu Zheng heaved a sigh. Truly, the difference between health and illness is often just a moment’s thought.
The night before, you might be lying in bed just fine, but who can say if when waking up the next day, you’ll still be able to see the sun?
Over the past few years, Liu Zheng had become accustomed to dealing with life and death, but still, he retained an indelible sense of compassion.
Perhaps because he had treated too many patients recently, he began to feel drowsy even before darkness fully fell.
Standing at the clinic’s entrance, he looked outside. It was now 7:00 PM, and the village households were busy preparing dinner.
Liu Zheng had eaten a lot for lunch, so he felt no hunger at all.
