Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 89: Chapter 48: Rumors Provoke Trouble

“Lady Changsheng, did you throw out Old Lady Wang again?” one person asked in disbelief, hesitant to believe it.

As everyone ran, they nodded in a dazed manner, confirming that she had indeed thrown her out!

“Lady Changsheng, that’s… that’s incredible…” the person wiped the sweat from his forehead, struggling to find a word to aptly describe Lady Changsheng.

Who in the business of running a medical hall hasn’t encountered a medical dispute a few times? How do they handle it?

With lowered heads and compromised dignity, pleading for understanding, offering apologies, not to mention compensating with silver at the cost of their reputation. The public might talk for a while, but it fades. However, as doctors, tirelessly treating patients, if they can’t earn the respect and remuneration they deserve and must act so lowly just for temporary peace, is it they who are mistaken, or is it Lady Changsheng?

Whether it was right or wrong, the people’s hearts in Liuzhou City unanimously stood behind Old Lady Wang.

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“You know about Lady Changsheng from Gu Family Medical Hall, right? She brought Butcher Wang back to her house and even threw his parents out.”

A few people enthusiastically gossiped around a vegetable stall.

“Exactly, I heard that Lady Changsheng is not an easy one to deal with. She held onto Butcher Wang and even demanded Old Lady Wang sell everything to raise the ransom money.” A woman, holding a child with one hand and a vegetable basket with the other, joined in.

“Butcher Wang was injured so badly, Doctor Liu said he was beyond saving. I heard that his intestines were spilling out of his stomach.”

“True, Gu Family Medical Hall took him in, and made him sign a life-or-death contract saying that whether he lived or died, it wasn’t their responsibility.” A woman shopping for vegetables scoffed while picking through some chives, “That’s not all, when Old Lady Wang knocked on the door demanding her son, Lady Changsheng didn’t hesitate to throw her out.”

“They say she’s committed all sorts of vile deeds like robbing and killing, and yet the government does nothing.”

“The government? You must be joking. With the County Prince’s Mansion backing her, she probably wouldn’t even fear the Heavenly King.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, realizing it’s advantageous to have backing. Even Mo Wu fears her—who else could challenge her?

Poor Old Lady Wang, falling victim to such viciousness, alas…

Xiao Cui, holding a vegetable basket, firmly held onto an outraged Dong Lei, who was about to step forward to argue. She softly persuaded him, “Xiao Leizi, don’t be impulsive. Our lady has never cared about such gossip.”

“Should we just let them slander her like this?” Dong Lei, dissatisfied, glanced at Xiao Cui. “Sister Cui, you can’t be like this. My mother says a woman’s reputation is of utmost importance.”

“But what they are saying isn’t wrong,” Xiao Cui scratched her head, considering that their lady did in fact do those things, didn’t she?

“There’s always a reason why our lady acts as she does. As maids, we must defend her,” Dong Lei dodged away, shaking off Xiao Cui’s hand and stormed up to the vegetable stall, hands on his hips pointing at the gossipers and began to scold, “Gossips! If you dare speak ill of my lady again, I will sew your mouths shut with a needle just like she sewed up Butcher Wang’s stomach!”

Those engaged in conversation were startled, and one of them unclearly spoke up, “Who is this?”

“That’s Lady Changsheng’s maid,” someone familiar whispered an explanation.

“Oh, I see, thinking who it was, such deep loyalty between master and servant, coming here to fight on behalf of your master.”

Xiao Cui, who had followed Dong Lei, anxiously pulled at him. “Xiao Leizi, let’s go back. Lady is waiting for the fennel dumplings you made.”

“Hold on, I’ll go make them right now.” Dong Lei turned back to look at Xiao Cui, glanced at the vegetable basket, then turned back to the group. “Unappreciative fools, my lady is a good person, an extremely good person!”

“A good person? Being a doctor, saving lives is your duty. What has she done? If she is a good person, then there are no bad people left in the world.” A disdainful old lady snorted. “Big deal, thinking highly of yourself because you have support. The whole town speaks this way. If you’ve got the guts, try sewing everyone’s mouth shut in Liuzhou City and see! Killing someone even after receiving gifts, huh!”

Xiao Cui watched as Dong Lei seethed with anger, and although she knew he wasn’t good at arguing, in a moment she couldn’t hold back and stepped forward to shout, “Who said my lady killed anyone? Did you see it? Did you see it?”

Pointing accusingly at each of them, Xiao Cui still unsatisfied, bitterly said, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Butcher Wang is lying just fine in our medical hall’s backyard, his body warm and breathing. Where has our divine doctor killed anyone? You dare babble here; aren’t you afraid the wind might blow your tongues away?”

“He’s still alive?” Some were disbelieving.

“Not dead for now, but who knows whether your curses will kill him,” Xiao Cui scoffed, pulling Dong Lei away.

When they reached home, the anger was still visible on their faces.

Gu Changsheng, while sorting Panax Pseudoginseng in his hands, looked up in confusion, “What’s the matter? It was just going out to buy groceries, why do you look like you’ve touched explosives? Who provoked you?”

“Lady, you don’t know what people outside are saying about you; it’s infuriating.” Dong Lei slammed the vegetable basket onto the stone table, pouting and complaining.

“Mouths are on them, they can say whatever they love; it’s not like we lose a piece of flesh.” Gu Changsheng said indifferently, then looked at the two fuming people, raised his hand to point, and said with a face full of disbelief, “You two, you didn’t get into a fight, did you?”

Xiao Cui and Dong Lei looked at each other and lowered their heads.

Gu Changsheng understood, “I guessed right, huh? With you being so delicate, and still picking fights?”

“I just couldn’t stand it, why should Lady tire herself to save others, and they still talk like that?” Dong Lei, unconvinced, pulled Xiao Cui closer, “Sister Cui couldn’t bear it anymore, letting them gossip about Lady like that.”

Xiao Cui nodded in agreement. While Lady may not care, rampant gossip was never a good thing.

“Oh, look at you all feeling wronged.” Gu Changsheng put down the Panax Pseudoginseng, laughing proudly, “Look, after yesterday’s disturbance, there isn’t a single soul daring to seek treatment at the medical hall today. Lady is actually enjoying the peace. You really think free clinics are easy? With one patient after another, there’s no time even for a tea break. Lady was just worrying about how to stop altogether.”

“But with the rumors spreading like that, who will come to our medical hall in the future?” Xiao Cui resisted, the Lady just doesn’t care about anything.

“What’s there to fear? We have a hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver as our base, we could survive idly for generations.” Gu Changsheng said, pointing a finger towards the sick room where Butcher Wang lay, “Besides, once the one lying inside recovers, even if your Lady is the most wicked, there will still be people who come to buy their lives.”

Butcher Wang was indeed strong as an ox; having been a butcher, he regained his pulse significantly in just one day, and he even woke up briefly before lapsing back into unconsciousness. It was no wonder, a strong man who lost so much blood would naturally be weak.

Xiao Cui and Dong Lei exchanged glances again and decided to each busy themselves with their tasks.

Gu Changsheng didn’t mind them; he continued sorting Panax Pseudoginseng, planning how many fennel dumplings to eat to satisfy his craving.

While Butcher Wang was recuperating and no one else was willing to come to her for treatment, Gu Changsheng busied herself with Panax Pseudoginseng. She wanted to make the best hemostatic medicine, preparing to perform a surgery on her son!

She was making all the necessary preparations to remove that burdensome fibroma from her son!

“Lady, Lady, Old Lady Wang is here again.” Uncle Song ran over from the front yard, panting and unable to resist coughing twice.

“Uncle Song, how many times have I said it? Your health isn’t completely recovered yet. Usually, you seem calm and capable of shouldering responsibilities; why do you go into a panic like you’re on fire whenever something happens?” Gu Changsheng put down the Panax Pseudoginseng, dusted off her hands, and walked towards the front yard.

Seeing this, Uncle Song hurried to the back courtyard to find Xiao Cui and Han Qiu, as they couldn’t let Lady face these matters alone again, or the medical hall might truly be finished, leaving not a shred of reputation!

When Gu Changsheng arrived at the main hall of the medical hall, Uncle Song and the others also ran in.

The hall was already packed with people, with Old Lady Wang at the forefront, sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum, while Wang’s wife anxiously tried to calm her down but was pushed away. Slapping her thighs and wailing, “You death-courting wretch! You’ve been charmed by that witch too, signing what, a life-death contract? You just can’t wait for my son to die sooner so you can remarry…”

“Mother-in-law, what are you talking about? Lady Changsheng said there’s still hope, didn’t she?” She was desperate to save her husband; other doctors had already told her to prepare for the worst, how could she just watch her own man die? Regardless of who, as long as someone could save her husband, she would do anything.

Though Wang’s wife was domineering, she wasn’t inherently bad at heart.

“Save? What capabilities does she have? People have been carried in for a day now, and she won’t let us see him, what’s she up to…” Old Lady Wang glared at her, continuing to throw her tantrum.

Gu Changsheng coldly glanced at the hall filled with people, nonchalantly blew on her nails, “What’s this? Playing the game of numbers today?”

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Wang’s eyes darted around and stopped yelling, beginning instead to wail loudly. She had brought so many people; there was no need for her to speak out.

Indeed, seeing her cry so pitifully, someone couldn’t stand it and confronted Gu Changsheng with a rebuking face, “Lady Changsheng, you took the patient in, but it’s been a day now. Whether he’s dead or alive, at least let us see the body.”

“Exactly, holding onto someone like this, what does that look like?” another person chimed in.

“Lady Changsheng, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have backers. All us neighbors are watching; there hasn’t been such unreasonable bullying. Since when does a medical hall detain people?”

The crowd began whispering among themselves, saying all sorts of things, mainly about her, Gu Changsheng, having treated someone to death and now detaining the body.

Hearing more and more, Wang’s wife felt colder inside, surrending to despair, and she too collapsed on the ground and began to cry.

“Oh my poor son, you’ve been killed by this witch, perfectly fine when you went in, and now neither alive nor dead to be seen…” Old Lady Wang slapped her thighs, tearing at her throat, wailing loudly.