"Someone causing trouble? Is someone giving Junqiao a hard time?"
Tan Qu immediately tried to get up, bracing both hands against the bed. Such a simple movement was incredibly difficult for him right now. His weak arms couldn't support his body, and he began to topple helplessly to one side. Fortunately, Yu Hai caught him.
"What are you doing?"
Tan Qu said, "I'm going to take a look, of course."
He was truly worried Qi Miao might get the worst of it.
In all his years practicing medicine, he had treated the sick and saved lives, but he had also seen every face of humanity and the world's cold indifference. Some people would grovel before him when they needed treatment, then turn around and refuse to acknowledge him once they were cured. Others—patients or their families—would see that Tan Qu looked young and mild-mannered, then deliberately try to swindle him.
What kind of decent person wouldn't charge for treatment?
The most outrageous case involved a family bringing him a corpse already mottled with livor mortis. When Tan Qu pointed this out, they refused to admit it, insisting that everyone had watched them bring a living person to him. Now that he'd killed their patient, they accused them of bringing him a corpse.
How could anyone possibly reason like that?
Tan Qu sighed. What do you want?
"A life for a life—that's only natural! You quack killed someone. You think you can pretend it never happened? If you don't want to pay with your life, then pay us money!"
"I did nothing wrong, and I didn't kill anyone. Report it to the authorities, and they can determine who's telling the truth."
The family naturally wouldn't accept Tan Qu's suggestion.
A burly, fierce-looking man riled up several curious onlookers from the village,