Don't disturb me, I won't be a concubine

After the greetings, Imperial Physician Zhang introduced the doctors who volunteered to come to Chen Yuanshi one by one.

Dong Jiafu was standing at the back. She was the only woman among the group of men. And under such special circumstances, Academician Chen had actually noticed her a long time ago.

When it was her turn, before Imperial Physician Zhang could speak, Court Envoy Chen asked in surprise, "Why is there another girl here? Which doctor brought his family with him?"

Doctor Zhang quickly explained, "This is Miss Dong. She is studying medicine with Doctor Tan. She has been providing free medical treatment to the victims since the beginning. She knew that there was an urgent need for help here, so she rushed over to help."

After hearing this, Chen Yuanshi was even more surprised. He looked at Dong Jiafu, whose face was covered with silk cloth, and said, "This girl looks like she is only in her teens. How can she treat patients at such a young age?"

Doctor Tan said, "Don't underestimate her young age, she is the most talented doctor I have ever seen. Although she cannot see patients on her own now, she will be able to do so in a few years. She has made great achievements in massage and acupuncture, and her medical skills have improved a lot during the free medical treatment for the disaster victims."

When talking about Dong Jiafu, Doctor Tan's face was full of pride.

"Doctor Tan has really found a treasure. It's rare to find a woman who is so interested in studying medicine."

Facing the praise, Dong Jiafu said calmly: "I have only studied medicine for a short time, so I dare not show off my skills in front of you. If I do something wrong in the future, I hope you seniors will be generous with your advice."

"Okay, we are all here to control the plague. With your arrival, I believe we will be able to defeat the plague!" Envoy Chen, who has been overwhelmed by the number of newly infected people in recent days, has seen hope again.

Then, Envoy Chen explained the situation of the plague in detail. In the past few days, fourteen victims had died and the number of infected people had increased to seventy-two. The dead were taken out and buried deep, while those infected with the plague were placed in a separate tent, with only the imperial physician coming in and out every day to treat them.

Envoy Chen showed them the protective measures currently being taken in the camp and the medicines given to the infected.

When they arrived at the tent where the plague-infected people lived, Envoy Chen stopped and said, "Since you have just arrived, I will not take you in. Change your clothes tomorrow and be ready. I will then tell you about the situation inside."

At noon, the soldiers cooked rice in a big pot and distributed it to the victims.

Here, whether they are from Jingzhao Prefecture or the Imperial Hospital, they all eat the same food as the victims.

Now that Cui Qiyan and the imperial guards had arrived, Lieutenant General Xu wanted to arrange for someone to make an extra dish for them, but was stopped by Cui Qiyan.

"Your Majesty asked us to come here to do things, not to cause trouble. These rice and vegetables are delivered from the city every day. The quota is limited, so don't ask for special treatment."

"Yes, sir, I was inconsiderate." Lieutenant General Xu hesitated, considering his status as the prince of Duke Dingguo, and said, "The food in the camp is really simple, sir, I'm afraid you won't be used to it."

"Now is not the time to worry about these things, as long as we can eat it, it's fine."

The dining tables were placed outside, but the victims seldom ate at the tables. They either took their food into the tents to eat or just sat nearby.

The table was very long, so Cui Qiyan ate together with the imperial physician and the newly arrived doctor.

The soldiers brought the food, a bowl for each person, with corn at the bottom of the bowl and some vegetables on top.

Lieutenant General Xu looked at the people at the table and said, "The conditions in the camp are limited. I am sorry to have troubled you all."

Doctor Fan held the bowl and sighed, "After the flood, there was a plague. It is a great favor from the emperor to have a meal."

Everyone kept silent and finished all the food in their bowls.

After the meal, everyone was busy. Cui Qiyan arranged for the imperial guards to be on duty, Doctor Fan and Doctor Tan went to discuss the prescription for treating the plague with the imperial doctors, and the rest of the people, including Tan Hao and Dong Jiafu, went to other tents to see if there were any victims who needed medical treatment.

Dozens of people lived in a tent, which was fumigated to prevent infection. When the victims sitting on the wooden bed saw Dong Jiafu and others coming in, they just raised their eyelids, their eyes were empty, and there was no expression on their faces.

Seeing this, Tan Hao was stunned for a moment, then he said loudly: "We are new doctors. If you feel uncomfortable, you can come to us for treatment."

No one responded to his words. The victims turned their heads and went back to sleep, while others were scratching the lice off each other's heads.

Several people had to come out and go to other tents, but the victims' reactions were almost the same.

After the turn, Tan Hao couldn't help but let out a long sigh, "What's wrong with these people? Why are they so indifferent and have no reaction at all?"

Doctor Xiaoye shook his head, "I don't understand. This is the first time I've encountered something like this."

"Could it be that he doesn't trust our medical skills because we are young?" said another young doctor.

Puzzled, Tan Hao simply said, "Don't think about it. It's not needed here. Let's go and help the hospital prepare medicine."

Dong Jiafu followed them, and on the way back she suddenly caught sight of a child sitting alone at the edge of the camp. She turned around and walked towards the child.

The child had his back to her. She walked around to the front and found that he was a boy of four or five years old, with his sleeves and trouser legs torn.

The boy was holding a branch in his hand and teasing a snail on the ground. When the snail finally crawled away, he used the branch to pull it back to its original place, and then watched it intently as it continued to crawl farther away.

The boy's exposed arms and calves were very thin, black and covered in mud.

Dong Jiafu squatted down in front of the boy and asked softly, "Why are you playing here alone?"

The boy looked up at her, then quickly lowered his head to look at the snail without answering her question.

Dong Jiafu quietly watched the snail move slowly with him. When she saw the snail crawling to the side again, she deliberately said, "Oh, it's going to run away. Let it come back quickly."

As expected, the boy used the branch to get the snail back just like he did before.

"If you don't let it go home, its mother will be worried," said Dong Jiafu.

"It also has a mother?" The boy finally spoke, looking at her with a pair of ignorant eyes.

"Of course, it has a mother just like us."

"But I don't have a mother..." The boy's tears fell immediately, leaving a trail of tears on his face.

"What about your father?"

"They said my parents are dead... wuwu..." The boy cried even harder.

Dong Jiafu reached out and touched his messy hair. "I'm sorry, sister didn't know that I made you sad. Please don't cry, okay?"

The boy wiped his tears with his clothes, whose original color could no longer be seen. When he lifted the hem of his clothes, Dong Jiafu saw that there were wounds on his knees. They were scratches, and it looked like they had been there for a day or two. The blood had coagulated and mixed with dirt on his knees.

Dong Jiafu pulled his hands over to look at them, and sure enough, both of his palms were also injured and swollen.

While the boy was stunned, Dong Jiafu blew on his palm and asked, "Does it hurt?"