Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2373 Excessive Medicinal Gas Can Also Harm People

After exchanging information about their identities, Xiao Jianfeng gradually sensed a lot of goodwill from Bian Mu.

"If you're using crutches, could you manage to stand up and walk a few steps on your own?" Bian Mu asked with a smile.

“It was alright a few years ago, but now I’m not as strong as I used to be. However… I can still manage to go to the bathroom by myself while in a wheelchair. Sigh! Three generations of us have lived a miserable life. There’s no going back. I might not be able to get out of bed by this time next year…” As he said this, a look of sadness and sorrow appeared on Xiao Jianfeng’s wrinkled, yellow face.

"Judging from your tone of voice... at least you still have some energy left. Shall we take your pulse first?" Bian Mu said politely with a smile.

"Oh! That would be wonderful, but... it's a pity you have such great skills, but my illness is incurable, and my family is poor... well..." The old man sighed deeply several times before finishing his sentence.

He smiled and didn't say much. Bian Mu took a wooden stool, an old-fashioned one, made of solid wood and quite heavy. He sat down next to the wheelchair and immediately took Xiao Jianfeng's pulse.

……

"If I told you you're alright, would you believe me?" Bian Mu said with a smile.

Startled and overjoyed, Xiao Jianfeng was momentarily speechless.

"You really have some skills?! You mean... there's still a cure?!" Xiao Jianfeng's lips trembled slightly as he said this.

"Let me guess a few things first, and see if we can match up! You worked really hard at the factory before you retired, let's just say you were a typical factory worker!"

"Pretty much, pretty much... Back then, things were pretty good at the factory. I didn't want to go home after get off work every day. It was so exciting!"

"You're truly remarkable! The reason Lijin City is so prosperous today is all thanks to the hard work of you seniors. There's a saying from the old days, have you heard of it?"

"That depends on what aspect it is. I'm quite ignorant; I don't know anything about anything except work."

"You're too kind! When the pharmacy hires apprentices, shop assistants, or helpers, we never hire bachelors. We only hire people with families, preferably harmonious ones. All other conditions are negotiable, but this one is non-negotiable!" Bian Mu explained with a smile.

"Oh... I've never heard of that before! No wonder my Xiaoyu can't find a suitable job. She's a pharmacy student, and she's always working in a supermarket, having to put up with people's attitudes. Sigh! I'm getting off-topic. So why is that?"

"Medicinal fumes! Pharmacies are like that! They're immersed in medicinal fumes all day long. It sounds good on the surface, right? It's good to have some medicinal fumes on your body to prevent all kinds of diseases! But actually, that's all layman's talk. Medicinal fumes can indeed have benefits in moderation, but working in that kind of environment year after year, back in the old days when people generally didn't have enough to eat or wear, if the excess medicinal fumes can't be dissipated in time, those employees will get sick sooner or later. As for what kind of disease they get, that depends on which part of their body is the weakest. The medicinal fumes suppress the pathogenic fumes, making the disease worse, and once they get sick, they won't get better!"

"Huh?! Is that so?! Then I... the medicine's effects are too simple... and it's been accumulating in my body for a long time without any way to expel it?! It's slowly making me sick?! But... my wife is such a good person! Our family has always been very harmonious... so what?!" Xiao Jianfeng was a little confused.

"A harmonious marriage is only one of the necessary conditions. Besides, what era were you in when you got married? At least you had enough to eat and wear! Moreover, your factory was doing very well back then! You were living a good life. I looked around the area in front of and behind the building just now. Back when you were building this kind of building, people in other neighborhoods were arguing and fighting over a few bungalows, right?"

"That's true, that's true! I didn't expect you to know so much about the past at such a young age... Does that mean I can stand up again once I've expelled most of the illness from my body?!"

Smiled and nodded gently. Overjoyed, Xiao Jianfeng quickly asked, "The price of Chinese medicinal herbs has gone up quite a bit! Several courses of treatment must cost a lot of money, right?"

"I mainly use acupuncture, so I don't usually need to take decoctions. I might need to take some decoctions in between acupuncture, but they are just common household medicines that don't cost much."

"That's great! Would it be too much trouble for you?"

"Let's start today, just one needle!" With that, Bian Mu got up and walked to the corner sofa, taking out a needle case from his backpack.

Just then, the thin woman from before helped an old lady out of the small bedroom.

"Please have Auntie sit down first. You've come at the right time. Help me help Old Xiao lie down on the sofa for a while. I need to get an acupuncture."

"Grandpa! You really believe him?!" After a slight hesitation, the woman instinctively asked her grandfather.

"Of course! What else can we do?! Sit here and wait to be paralyzed in bed and become a burden to you?! We have no choice! Besides, Dr. Bian is the top doctor right now, so stop nagging! Help your grandma sit down!" Xiao Jianfeng scolded his granddaughter a few times and told his wife to sit down and not say anything more.

……

Bian Mu first inserted a needle into the "Zhiyang" acupoint on her lower back to raise her Yang energy, and then sat down to wait for the needle to come out.

Amidst the laughter and conversation, Bian Mu briefly inquired about the factory's recent situation.

"It's clear you're not only a skilled doctor, but also a shrewd businessman. You're no ordinary person. Besides, you're our family's savior, so I'll be frank. Ma Zi isn't a bad person, nor is he greedy, and he's far from being a womanizer. His wife is beautiful, and his two children are excellent students, each one a star! He's outwardly respectable, with all the necessary qualifications and a respectable background, but... well, he's a bit vain and obsessed with saving face. When it really matters, he's not very capable. In terms of technology and management, he hasn't learned much that truly makes him successful. To be honest, while his employees outwardly respect him, they don't really respect him! In layman's terms, he has no real skills, and his thinking is rather outdated. He just follows whatever's popular in society. The factory won't be any better under his management!" Lying on the sofa, Xiao Jianfeng didn't realize his body temperature was dropping lower and lower. However, he felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and he felt incredibly relaxed. In that instant, he gradually realized that he had encountered a benefactor.

Moved, Xiao Jianfeng naturally spoke his mind.

"So... what's the situation with the employee representatives?"

"Sigh! We always say that the eyes of the masses are discerning, but that's both true and false. You don't know, our factory is actually quite strange. Don't underestimate Ma Zi just because he's not very capable; he's at least decent. The other colleagues aren't much better, but they all listen to this workshop director surnamed Sha's nonsense and are always going against Ma Zi. They don't do any real work and just cause internal strife. Don't laugh at me, but actually... our factory was ruined by its own people..."

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu was immediately taken aback.

"From what you're saying... neither side is reliable?!"

Xiao Jianfeng nodded vigorously, his chin resting on the sofa, looking somewhat comical.

Bian Mu believed that what Mr. Xiao said was mostly true, and so, a bold idea gradually emerged in his mind...