Xiao Qing excitedly kowtowed to Mu Fengqie. She had never met such a kind - hearted person as Mu Fengqie. She also made up her mind in her heart that she must follow Mu Fengqie loyally.
Mu Fengqie took Xiao Qing to the side room. Fortunately, the yard they rented was not too small. There were a total of three rooms in all. She and Jing Xunche could live in one room, and Xiao Qing could live in another without any problem.
Mu Fengqie couldn't bear to drive away such a poor parent - less little girl like Xiao Qing. Since they had met, it must be fate. Maybe with Xiao Qing as her assistant, her medical clinic could be booming.
Early the next morning, Xiao Qing got up, washed and dressed. Just as Mu Fengqie had just got up, she carried a basin of water into the room. For a moment, Mu Fengqie wasn't quite used to having an extra person in the house.
"Miss, this servant will dress and groom you," Xiao Qing said respectfully with her head down.
Mu Fengqie was taken aback and stammered, "Well... I can do it myself."
"How can that be? This is what Xiao Qing should do. Please let Xiao Qing serve you, miss. Miss let Xiao Qing stay. Xiao Qing will never forget miss's great kindness. Please give Xiao Qing a chance to repay you."
Xiao Qing also knew that Mu Fengqie and Jing Xunche were not well - off and couldn't compare with a wealthy family. So she tried to do more work. She liked Mu Fengqie and wanted to stay by her side forever.
"I'm not used to being served by others. But since I've let you stay, I won't drive you away. You don't need to serve me. Just be my assistant. I'll give you two taels of silver as monthly salary."
Mu Fengqie found that Xiao Qing was very sensible. It was obvious that though she was young, she was a careful person. Now that she had enough hands, the next step was to figure out how to keep the medical clinic running.
The town was neither big nor small. There were three or four medical clinics alone. Since hers had just opened, it naturally couldn't attract many people.
After dressing and grooming, Mu Fengqie found that Xiao Qing had already prepared breakfast. The breakfast suited Mu Fengqie's taste very well: white porridge, steamed buns and some light side dishes. Mu Fengqie couldn't help giving Xiao Qing a thumbs - up.
"You made all these, right? Sit down and eat with me," Mu Fengqie said as she sat on the stool and picked up a bun to take a bite without any ladylike grace.
Xiao Qing shook her head repeatedly. "How can I do that? It'll break the rules. Miss, you eat first. Xiao Qing will eat after you finish."
She knew Mu Fengqie was a kind - hearted person, but she couldn't be presumptuous and break the rules. How could a servant eat at the same table as the master? This was a rule set by the ancestors.
Mu Fengqie twitched the corner of her mouth. This little girl was so stubborn. "From now on, you'll eat with us. There aren't so many rules here. If you don't listen, I'll have to consider sending you away later."
Sure enough, after hearing Mu Fengqie's deliberate threat, Xiao Qing obediently sat down. But she was a bit cramped at first and soon relaxed.
After breakfast, Mu Fengqie took Xiao Qing out of the house. She was going to gather information today, see how the business of other medical clinics was, and figure out a way to get her own medical clinic up and running.
When they came to the town, Xiao Qing followed Mu Fengqie closely. Soon they came to the door of a medical clinic.
Xiao Qing was puzzled by Mu Fengqie's behavior. They had been standing in front of the medical clinic for half an hour. Mu Fengqie didn't do anything but just stood there observing the clinic. It was really strange.
"Miss, why did we come here? Are you not feeling well?" Xiao Qing asked puzzledly.
Mu Fengqie shook her head. "Have you forgotten that I'm a doctor? This is what they call 'know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat'. Only by understanding the current situation of our competitors can we make our business booming."
People kept going to the medical clinic in front of them to see a doctor. Even the other medical clinics had a constant stream of patients. Only her medical clinic was as deserted as anything.
"This servant understands. Miss is so kind. Everything will surely go smoothly for you," Xiao Qing said coquettishly.
Mu Fengqie liked this kind of flattering words the most and laughed. Then she was attracted by what was happening in front of her.
"Please take another look at my grandson. Please save my little grandson. He's only four years old! Please, doctor, save him!" an old woman holding the dying little boy in her arms cried out painfully.
But the goatee doctor in the medical clinic remained unmoved. "Not even the great immortal could save him. Moreover, you can't afford the consultation fee. You'd better go back and prepare for the funeral."
Hearing this, the old woman's eyes were full of despair. She sat on the ground crying, carefully holding the dying little boy. The little boy's face was deathly pale and looked as if he would pass away at any moment.
Mu Fengqie stepped forward and squatted in front of the old woman. "Auntie, may I take a look?"
The old woman looked up at Mu Fengqie, and hope shone in her eyes again. "Please save my little grandson. He's only four. He's so young. How could he be incurable!"
Mu Fengqie nodded. She couldn't bear to see such a little child suffer. She held the little boy's arm to feel his pulse. She initially diagnosed that it should be pneumonia caused by catching a cold and not being treated in time. Although the pneumonia was quite serious now, it wasn't beyond cure.
The goatee doctor snorted coldly, looking at Mu Fengqie with contempt and ridicule in his eyes. "What can you, a little girl, tell? I've already examined him. Do you think you, a little girl, can save him?"
Mu Fengqie hated the old man's condescending tone and replied rudely, "Just as you said, I can save him. I really don't know how this medical clinic was opened. You've lived for so many years and can't even deal with pneumonia. You're really a disgrace to us doctors!"
Mu Fengqie's words were resounding. Hearing this, the old woman was even more excited. She kept kowtowing to Mu Fengqie, begging her to save her grandson.
Mu Fengqie comforted the old woman, then took out anti - inflammatory pills and antipyretic pills from her bosom and fed them to the little boy.
Just taking the pills wasn't enough. She wanted everyone present to see the little boy wake up with their own eyes so that her medical skills could convince everyone.
She took out silver needles and gave the little boy acupuncture. After about a quarter of an hour, Mu Fengqie pulled out the silver needles. Then the little boy slowly opened his eyes and cried when he saw the old woman.
The old woman's face was streaming with excited tears. She still kept kowtowing to Mu Fengqie to show her gratitude. Everyone present widened their eyes in surprise, especially the goatee doctor in the medical clinic who couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Mu Fengqie helped the old woman up and gave the pills in her hand to the old woman. "Take these two pills once in the morning and once at night. The little boy will recover in less than half a month. If there's any problem, you can come to my medical clinic on West Street to find me."