First Position

Chapter 18: Quite Simple

"Brother, actually, this isn't too bad," Yan Liuyuan said with a smile. "Regardless of its effect, at least there’s money to be made."

Ren Xiaosu frowned. He lowered his voice and replied, "Is this really about making money? How many sincere thanks can you really get from this?"

Ren Xiaosu had it all figured out. Relying on such a function to sell medicine, the chances of receiving heartfelt thanks were far slimmer than curing someone's illness. Only people like Old Wang, desperate for a little spring in their lives, would bother offering a thank you. Was his goal really just to make money? No, he needed gratitude too. Without gratitude, there would be no "black medicine."

With a slight hint of anger, Ren Xiaosu continued, "If I were to heal someone, the people in town would greet me politely. But look at that young man in the clinic—how many lives has he lost? No one says a thing. Why? Because he's the only doctor in the town!"

"You're right, brother," Yan Liuyuan agreed, lowering his gaze in deference. Truth be told, he didn’t mind; he knew they were starting to become wealthy.

"And the most important thing is," Ren Xiaosu added, "If I were to heal someone, people would call me 'Dr. Ren' when they see me. But if I'm just selling medicine, what would they call me behind my back? 'Hey, the guy selling the medicine...' It's clear the social status is not the same!"

Yan Liuyuan finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, his laughter echoing through the hut. "Brother, you've got quite the drama in you."

However, what Ren Xiaosu didn’t know was that the medicine he sold to Old Wang was never used by him. After all, Old Wang still hadn't found a lover... The bottle that contained the black medicine was nothing extraordinary—just an ordinary little porcelain bottle from the town. Originally, the bottle for the black medicine was made of glass, with intricate craftsmanship. Ren Xiaosu was worried that the bottle might raise suspicion since no one in the town sold such bottles.

The porcelain bottle was passed from Wang Fugui to the town's managers, the ones who had come from the refuge barrier. Wang Fugui thought Ren Xiaosu didn't understand the value of the black medicine, but he did. Who needed the medicinal properties of the black medicine most? The men in town? Not really. Although the men in town could barely make ends meet and some were thin, they worked every day. Even though they were lean, their health was surprisingly good. As long as they kept moving, their metabolism and bodily functions remained in good condition. The ones who truly needed this medicine were the "noble" figures from the refuge barrier.

Wang Fugui, with his sly grin, handed the black medicine to the manager sent from the refuge barrier. The manager knew its value, and their job was to monitor the town's movements. He was aware of the incident from last night when the Iron Head licked the medicine. But the manager didn’t use it himself. Instead, he returned it to his superior that evening. Eventually, the small black medicine bottle disappeared into unknown hands.

Ren Xiaosu remained unaware of any of this. He simply traded another gratitude coin for a bottle of black medicine, had Xiao Yu fetch a piece of white burlap from the town, and stitched the words "Clinic" in large characters using black thread. Below that, he embroidered "Specializing in treating knife wounds, a healer's kind heart" in smaller characters. And so, the clinic opened.

While stitching, Xiao Yu asked Ren Xiaosu if she should embroider the words "Miraculous Hands Reviving Spring," but Ren Xiaosu quickly refused. He was a bit sensitive about the word "spring" now...

Ren Xiaosu’s life gradually fell into a routine. He would gather herbs in the morning, sit in his hut running the clinic during the day, teach survival classes at night, and then study using Yan Liuyuan’s notes. Though his clinic had no business, he still had to be present. What if a patient came? Xiao Yu couldn’t handle it alone.

He longed to sit in a bright, spacious classroom like Yan Liuyuan, but he couldn't abandon Xiao Yu and the others. Someone in the family had to make a sacrifice.

The next day, Ren Xiaosu sat in his hut, resting with his eyes closed. Xiao Yu was sitting behind him, sewing. Sometimes, Xiao Yu sighed, remembering how the brothers never once repaired the holes in their clothes, and now they had accumulated so many...

At that moment, a man ran down the dirt road, his arm bleeding. Ren Xiaosu’s eyes brightened: "If you don't treat that wound, you might die."

But the man didn’t even look at Ren Xiaosu. At this point, everyone instinctively thought of the clinic for treating injuries. After all, it was more authoritative. And since people referred to Ren Xiaosu as "the guy selling medicine," rather than "the one treating knife wounds," his reputation still hadn't fully taken shape.

Then, a familiar voice echoed in Ren Xiaosu’s mind: "Mission: Treat one patient."

Ren Xiaosu stood up, dejected. "Sorry."

Before Xiao Yu could respond, Ren Xiaosu ran out, and less than a minute later, he returned, carrying the injured man.

"That doctor from the clinic is a swindler," Ren Xiaosu said kindly to the man. "I carried you here to save you, understand?"

The man, who had lost a lot of blood, had no strength left. He nearly collapsed under Ren Xiaosu’s grip. At that moment, two more men ran toward them, both wounded.

Ren Xiaosu froze. "Did you guys get into a fight?"

The injured man explained, "No, the boiler in the factory exploded! We’re the lucky ones, still able to run back. Some others... didn’t make it."

Ren Xiaosu silently nodded. In these times, if someone was injured in a factory, no one would take the time to help them heal. Their main concern was, if you died, your belongings would be up for grabs.

"Come, Xiao Yu, sterilize the needle," Ren Xiaosu said. Although he wasn’t worried about infections, he still needed to give the patient the proper care.

Then he went back out again, and when he returned, he had two more injured men with him.

Ren Xiaosu, using his hands and legs, held them down. The three men, utterly exhausted from their injuries, realized they wouldn't be able to break free. They knew Ren Xiaosu could treat their wounds, but it had become a habit to run to the clinic. Now that they couldn’t move, they gave up and stayed still.

Xiao Yu put down her sewing and took the needle she had used to stitch clothes. She heated it over the fire. Since the needle was long, she could hold it by the end, avoiding burning her hands.

"Are we stitching right away?" Xiao Yu asked timidly.

"Yes, just like stitching clothes," Ren Xiaosu said with a smile. "It’s quite simple."

Gathering her courage, Xiao Yu began stitching one man’s wound. The sound of sizzling filled the air as a foul smell of burnt skin rose.

The man, trembling, asked, "I understand the sterilizing part, but could you wait until the needle cools down before stitching?"