Rebirth: My 80s

Chapter 1156: Merit Soup

Those born before the 1980s will definitely remember that there was such a group of people.

They cultivate their own land at home during the day, and at night they carry a simple wooden medicine box, wear straw sandals, and go from village to village to treat local rural residents.

They themselves were rural people and their medical skills were not very advanced. Judging from the medical qualifications of later generations, many of them could even be called quacks.

Lin Xinjia led a thin middle-aged man with dark skin, wearing a liberation cap and a washed-out cloth suit of the same color, along the stairs to the small living room on the second floor.

Li Jiankun said, "Please sit down." The thin middle-aged man sat down on a single-seat leather sofa with confidence. He sat upright, with his back straight and his eyes not looking to the side.

Lin Xinjia personally poured him a cup of tea and said, "Doctor Tong, please have some tea."

The barefoot doctor named Tong Xiaohua thanked him and took it with both hands.

The four words "barefoot doctor" may seem to have a derogatory connotation at first glance, but in fact, this type of people who would be labeled as quacks by many people who do not know the truth in later generations, have a particularly high-sounding and honorific title in rural areas of this era.

It was the barefoot doctor.

From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the end of the 1950s, our medical resources and conditions were extremely tight, especially in the vast rural areas. When rural people fell ill, they basically had to delay and wait to get treatment.

"Drag" means procrastination, not caring about it at all and letting the disease run its course; "wait" means waiting, waiting for death to come.

It's not that rural people are so ignorant that they dare to ignore illness and life and death. There is really no other way. If the place is closer to the city, it would be easier as they can go to the city for medical treatment. Otherwise, in most cases, they can only do this or find some heard-about folk remedies for treatment.

Therefore, many people died of illness in rural areas at that time, especially newborns. There is a data that the neonatal mortality rate once reached 30% during that period.

What is this concept?

It indicates that one out of three or four babies will die in infancy.

All this was due to the lack of medical resources in rural areas at that time. Without doctors and medicine, diseases ran rampant.

You have to remember that at that time we had a total population of more than 700 million, and 600 million of them lived in rural areas.

This situation changed in the 1960s under the personal care of the teacher. Following his great call, a group of people emerged in the countryside. Some were local rural people, while others were educated youth from the city who went to the countryside to work. Most of them started from scratch, overcame various difficulties, studied by reading books, practiced acupuncture on themselves, and thus mastered basic medical knowledge with great difficulty.

Rural people are very busy and have to work in the fields during the day. In addition to doing their own farm work, barefoot doctors also have to carry medicine boxes, climb hills and go to the fields to popularize epidemic prevention knowledge for the villagers. Regardless of whether it is sunny or cloudy, day or night, if a villager is infected with a disease, the barefoot doctors have to rush to the field in the rain and snow, under the moonlight, and on the muddy country roads.

At that time, rural people were very poor. When they went to see a doctor, they were most concerned about how much money was needed rather than the condition of the disease. Barefoot doctors would often tell them that they didn’t need to pay, but in fact, they paid out of their own pockets…

An extremely lofty belief inspires them.

It was precisely this group of "quack doctors" who did their best to save the lives of more than 600 million rural people between the 1960s and 1980s. In fact, they can be regarded as real doctors in New China.

It is respectable to have excellent medical skills, but if one does not have the heart to save the world, it is inferior.

People should not forget such a group of "quacks".

As Li Jiankun, who is also a rural person, has no prejudice against barefoot doctors. However, there are always bad apples in any group. If it is indeed the man in front of him who caused Teacher Lin's poisoning and death by reckless medical treatment, Li Jiankun, as his brother-in-law, must demand payment for this debt.

"Doctor Tong, I want to confirm a few things with you."

"You said."

"Have you ever treated my brother-in-law?"

"I have."

"Can you tell me more specifically how you treated it and what medicines you used?"

"Lin Yun has had poor health since he was young. I have treated him many times. I remember when he was about ten years old, he had dysentery. Our family was poor and could not afford western medicine, so I went to the mountains to collect herbs for him."

Tong Xiaohua looked at Li Jiankun, suppressed his anger and said, "I know what you want to know. You suspect that I cured Lin Yun to death. After the Lin family became rich, medical treatment and medicine were not an expense at all. Why would they bother to look for a half-baked person like me? Regular large hospitals are of course better. I will push them over if they come to me.

"Before, Lin Yun brought back some IV drips from the hospital and asked me to give him an injection. After three days, he still didn't get better. I asked him to go to the hospital again, but he obviously didn't go. The villagers and his uncles, aunts and aunts believed in the miracle doctor in the town more..."

Li Jiankun interrupted him, "Miracle doctor?"

"If you just ask around, you'll know that it's a myth that cancer can be cured. Although I, Dong Xiaohua, am not an educated person, I know that since modern medicine has diagnosed a disease as cancer, it means that it is difficult for human power to save the patient. A clinic or a doctor in a small town dares to say such a thing... Ha."

It seemed like there were thousands of words to say, but in the end they just turned into a sneer, which was full of deep helplessness.

Dong Xiaohua tried to explain this truth to the villagers more than once. Although he was not scolded, he did hear a lot of rumors.

Such statements as "I am not a good doctor myself, so I am jealous of others", "If everyone goes to the town to see the miracle doctor, he will lose a good income every year", "People always change", and so on.

Li Jiankun frowned and asked, "So my brother-in-law went to the town to find a so-called miracle doctor to cure his illness?"

"Why are you asking me this? Don't you know better?"

Li Jiankun looked at Lin Xinjia, who shook his head, indicating that he was not aware of the situation.

In fact, this incident made Lin Xinjia feel very guilty. He even thought that he had an unshirkable responsibility for Lin Yun's death. If he had come back more often, if he had paid enough attention, if he had taken some time to arrange for Lin Yun to go to Gangcheng for treatment, Lin Yun would most likely still be alive and well.

He didn't know that Li Jiankun also had the same mentality.

But it all comes down to one thing: the information they received said it wasn't that serious.

Li Jiankun once asked his sister about this matter. His sister said that it was pneumonia caused by a cold. She went to a big hospital, saw a doctor, and got medicine. The doctor did not force her to stay in the hospital. She also said that the doctor said that Teacher Lin was in poor health and needed to be recuperated slowly.

Just hearing these words, who would think of big problems?

But only now did he realize that the "doctor" his sister was talking about was not the same person.

Li Jiankun felt a little resentful that he had misheard at the time and did not inquire carefully.

Based on the current investigation, the doctor at the big hospital mentioned above should not be at fault.

And the doctor behind is probably trying to kill people for money!

Although his sister's current condition was not suitable for asking certain things, Li Jiankun still planned to talk to her in order to get to the bottom of the matter.

She undoubtedly knows the details best.

After asking Lin Xinjia to send Dr. Tong away, Li Jiankun came to the master bedroom on the second floor. His sister was lying on the bed with a dark complexion and dull eyes. His old mother was guarding the bedside. His younger sister and Hongyi were deliberately telling her interesting stories, but they did not arouse her interest at all.

Motioning to Miss Shen to take her younger sister out first, Li Jiankun sat down next to his old mother on the edge of the bed, leaned over to hold his sister's cold hands, and asked softly, "Sister, I heard that my brother-in-law went to the town to see a doctor?"

Li Yunshang's cracked lips moved as if she said "hmm".

Li Jiankun was very embarrassed and didn't know how to communicate with her in this state. After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice: "I went to the Municipal People's Hospital and consulted Dr. Kong Jinsong. I just want to understand, a disease caused by a cold, it's not that I haven't treated it before, how can it be... fatal?

"Doctor Kong told me something strange. He said that when my brother-in-law was sent for emergency treatment that night, his lips were black. Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, smell, listening and palpation. He said that he and several other doctors agreed that this might be a symptom of poisoning.

"Sister, did my brother-in-law see any other doctors for treatment? Did he take any other medicine?"

Li Yunshang, who was originally in a daze, regained some life in her not-so-beautiful eyes. She stared at her brother and asked, "Are you saying that your brother-in-law took the wrong medicine and was poisoned to death?"

"It's not impossible."

"Yes! Yes, woooo... I actually think that medicine is weird, but they all say it's fine. People with cancer are also treated this way. They say that he is a miracle doctor, a living Bodhisattva who saves the dying and the wounded..."

I listened to my sister crying and telling me the story in bits and pieces.

The process of Teacher Lin’s subsequent treatment pieced together a complete scene in Li Jiankun’s mind.

At that time, because Teacher Lin had been to the Municipal People's Hospital twice for treatment but his illness was still not cured, some village elders who were related to the Lin family suggested that Teacher Lin go to the Fu Lu Shou Medical Clinic in the town.

People said that the doctor Pang Fusheng was so great that many people from other places came to him for treatment. Even many people with cancer were cured by him.

Lin Yun said at the time that it was definitely an exaggeration.

Li Yunshang, who still hadn't learned the local dialect and didn't know much about it, felt the same way.

Unable to resist the instigation and promises of their elders, the couple decided that it would be okay to go and have a look. The journey was much closer than going to the Municipal People's Hospital and it would not waste time.

Besides, Lin Yun’s illness wasn’t a serious one, so he thought that someone who could run a clinic would be able to cure it, and it was in line with his wishes to receive medical treatment nearby.

So the couple came to the town's Fu Lu Shou Hospital and met Dr. Pang Fusheng, who was known as a miracle doctor. After examining Lin Yun, Dr. Pang Fusheng said that it was not a serious illness, but said that Lin Yun was weak and evil spirits had entered his body. If he wanted to cure it completely, he needed to be patient and recuperate slowly.

Li Yunshang thought it made sense.

Lin Yun knew that traditional Chinese medicine did have the concept of evil spirits entering the body.

Then the couple followed the doctor's advice and bought a medicine called "Gong De Tang".

"…The way to take that medicine is so strange. Doctor Pang told me to drink a lot of water after taking it. I asked how much to drink, and he said to keep drinking until I couldn't drink any more. After Lin Yun took one dose, he had vomiting and diarrhea. Doctor Pang said it was normal and that it would help the toxins in the body be excreted. The villagers also said it was the same…"

Li Jiankun's face was as gloomy as water, but he quickly calmed down. He comforted his sister and asked her to lie down and sleep, saying that he would definitely get to the bottom of the matter.

The next morning, Li Yunshang's black Crown sedan appeared in Wanbao Town.

The town is neither big nor small, with two streets running across it. The intersection is crowded with people. The Fu Lu Shou Medical Clinic is located on the south side of the intersection, and the people gathered are all facing that direction.

At the entrance of the clinic, a large iron pot was set up. Two strong young men were taking turns stirring a pot filled with a thick milky white soup. The air was filled with a complex and incomprehensible smell of medicine.

"What are you doing! Line up, line up... Hehe, you go first."

Li Jiankun brought Fugui and went straight to the door of the clinic through the crowd.

If Li Jiankun, who was well-dressed but had a shameful face, could still make many people feel unhappy, then when they turned around and saw Fugui, who was two meters tall and as strong as a mountain, they dared not speak out.

However, the people in the clinic do not tolerate this kind of queue-cutting behavior.

A girl with short hair stopped the two of them at the entrance of the clinic and said calmly with her chin raised: "Go back and line up."

Li Jiankun took out a wad of money from the lining of his brown leather jacket. Amid the girl's astonished expression, he pulled out a bill and stuffed it into the slanted pocket on the side of her floral jacket.

Although the fourth set of RMB was issued in 1987, to this day, there are still many people who have never seen the "Old Man's Head", let alone a stack of brand new Old Man's Head.

That's a millionaire!

The girl bent down, giggled, and made an invitation, "Please come in, both of you."

Although Li Jiankun and his partner entered the clinic first, the girl ran faster than them. With her arrangement, Li Jiankun was able to quickly jump the queue to see the miraculous doctor Pang Fusheng.

When Li Jiankun walked in, there was a row of people lined up in the corridor, and their faces naturally looked unsatisfactory.

In the room, behind a red lacquered five-drawer table sat a middle-aged man in a white double-breasted shirt and a finger-long goatee. When he saw Li Jiankun, who was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, he stroked his beard with his hand, looking quite like an immortal.

Li Jiankun said expressionlessly: "I am ill, and I came here because of your reputation."

Pang Fusheng stroked his beard and smiled, "I can see that."

Li Jiankun narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses and spread his hands, meaning what the next procedure would be.

Pang Fusheng motioned for him to sit down in the armchair of the same color opposite the five-drawer table.

Li Jiankun did as he was told and asked, "Do you want me to take your pulse?"

Pang Fusheng sneered, shook his head, and began to ask him what was wrong with him.

"I felt restless, as if there was a fire burning in my heart. I was shaking all over the past two days..."

After saying these three sentences, Pang Fusheng showed a look of understanding and began to write the prescription.

"What disease do I have?" Li Jiankun asked.

"Internal disease, excessive liver fire, which causes the five internal organs to become dry and astringent. I have a prescription that specifically treats this disease."

Li Jiankun took the prescription. The handwriting on it was even more illegible than that written by old Chinese doctors in big hospitals. He couldn't recognize a single word.

"how to use?"

"Orally, twice a day. Remember to drink plenty of water after taking it. The more the better."

Li Jiankun said "OK", got up and left. He came downstairs to the place where medicine was dispensed. He saw the girl in the floral shirt. Li Jiankun spread out the prescription in his hand, showed it to her, and asked, "Do you know her?"

The girl shook her head, then smiled and whispered: "No need to know each other, they are all 'merit soup'."

After saying that, he pointed to the door.

What was cooked in that big pot was actually the merit soup, but it was a semi-finished product. After Li Jiankun paid fifty-six yuan, he got two bottles of finished merit soup.

After leaving Fu Lu Shou Medical Clinic and walking two minutes back to the Crown car, Li Jiankun handed two bottles of medicine to the driver Xiao Zhang and said, "Take them for testing. I want to know what the main ingredients are."

He is now completely certain that this so-called miracle doctor Pang Fusheng is a liar.

Sadly, there are a lot of scammers like this these days.

The anger was suppressed in his heart before he exposed Pang Fusheng and demanded the debt from him.

Li Jiankun wanted to obtain solid evidence, and secondly, to find out what poison killed Teacher Lin.

People cannot die without knowing the reason.

What's more, he is such a good person.

What’s more, they are his relatives!