224 Opening the Market
At this time, a circle of villagers had already gathered. Before Sun Kang and the others could even get close, they heard an anxious man's voice.
"Old Zhou, Old Zhou, don't scare me! Iā¦ I just planted my crops a little over the boundary into your land. Is it necessary to get so angry? Wake up! As long as you wake up, we can split the crops I planted on your land, half for each family. How about that?"
This kind of quarrel was very common in rural fields.
Farmers relied on the land for their livelihood; its importance surpassed everything else. Without land, there was no food, and supporting a family became a problem.
Therefore, every family valued their land greatly. Neighboring fields were divided by boundary markers, usually a stone or a wooden stake, which looked unremarkable on the surface. Most of the stone or wooden stake was buried deep in the ground and couldn't be moved. This clearly marked the boundary between two families' fields, preventing anyone from planting crops beyond their border or harvesting another's crops.
However, even with these markers, there were always some greedy individuals who would harvest others' wheat or deliberately plant their crops over the boundary line.
Consequently, villagers frequently quarreled over such matters in the fields.
"Everyone, make way! The physician is coming!"
Some villagers saw Sun Kang and his companions approaching and shouted. Everyone turned their heads and quickly made way.
After the crowd parted, the scene within became clear.
A middle-aged man lay motionless at the edge of the field, appearing as if he had passed away.
Another man was squatting beside him, talking to the person on the ground.
"Physician, please take a look," someone in the crowd said to Sun Kang. "He seems breathless and motionless. Can he still be saved?"
The fainted man's wife was petrified by these words.
Ignoring the villagers' murmuring, Sun Kang went straight to the patient and squatted down. He first checked the man's pupils, then felt for a pulse in his neck.
Then, he took the man's wrist to check his pulse.
At this, the surrounding crowd dared not speak loudly, their voices dropping to whispers.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Physician, how is he? Can he be saved?"
Sun Kang ignored him. His fingers moved slightly on the man's wrist as he said to Zhao Zhitong, "Young girl, bring me a silver needle."
"Okay!"
Zhao Zhitong, who had been watching intently, immediately opened the medical kit.
"Can he be saved?"
"Who knows? I just checked him; he wasn't breathing. It doesn't look good."
The onlookers murmured amongst themselves.
The afflicted man's wife was terrified, sobbing uncontrollably nearby.
Zhao Zhitong glared at those speaking ill-omened words, "Hush! Quiet down! Don't disturb my grandfather while he's diagnosing."
As she spoke, she skillfully retrieved a silver needle from the medical kit and handed it to Sun Kang.
Sun Kang took the silver needle, glanced at the other man involved in the dispute, and said, "You, come here. Help him sit up, then pry his mouth open and pull out his tongue."
"Ah, me?" The man was taken aback.
Sun Kang said angrily, "What are you dawdling for? Do you want to save his life or not?"
"Oh, oh, I'm coming right now."
The man, startled, hesitated for a moment before hurrying over. He squatted down, helped the patient sit up, and pried his mouth open.
At the same time, Zhao Zhitong took out a piece of linen cloth.
Sun Kang took the silver needle and pricked the man's extended tongue. Dark blood immediately flowed out, and Zhao Zhitong's linen cloth proved useful to catch it.
Once the blood was released, the man who had been motionless on the ground gasped for breath and slowly opened his eyes.
A wave of astonished gasps rippled through the crowd.
"He's awake! He's really awake! It's a miracle!"
Hearing the praise for her grandfather, Zhao Zhitong's small face beamed with pride. Of course, her grandfather was amazing!
Sun Kang put away the silver needle and said to the man's wife, "Later, give him a few sips of a tonic soup to invigorate his blood and replenish his qi. He'll be fine then."
"I'll write you a prescription. Go to my house to get the herbs. The ingredients are common, and I have them all at home, so you don't need to make a special trip to the county town."
"Yes, yes." The woman was immensely grateful. She was about to kneel and thank him, saying, "Thank you, Doctor Sun, for saving his life!"
Sun Kang quickly stepped aside, preventing her from kneeling, and urged her to rise. "Saving lives and healing the sick is the duty of us physicians," he said humbly. "There's no need for thanks."
With that, Sun Kang quickly wrote a prescription for a blood-invigorating and qi-replenishing tonic and handed it to the woman's child, telling him to take it to get the medicine.
The other villagers also helped, supporting the awakened man back to his house.
After the family paid the consultation fee, the crowd gradually dispersed. Sun Kang then looked at Zhao Zhitong, who was beside him.
Seeing her face full of eager curiosity, he chuckled and explained, "That man suffered a sudden qi stagnation. Congealed blood accumulated in his head and couldn't disperse, causing him to faint and lose consciousness. Now that the bad blood has been released, he's fine."
Zhao Zhitong nodded her small head, her words sweet as honey, "Grandfather, you're so amazing! I want to become a physician as skilled as you in the future!"
Her earnest and ambitious expression amused Sun Kang.
He stroked his beard and chuckled. "Alright, Grandfather has faith in you. However, I'm just a humble village physician. In the future, young girl, you must strive to become an even more skilled physician than your grandfather."
Zhao Zhitong's heart instantly swelled with ambition.
Chatting and laughing, the grandparent and grandchild returned home shortly after.
Zhao Zhitong couldn't sit still for a moment. Once back home, she again pestered Sun Kang, asking him all sorts of questions.
Only when it was almost dark did Zhao Zhitong head home with her Eldest Uncle.
That night, as she lay in bed, Grandpa Bai finally found an opportunity to ask, "Young girl, you have enough Merit Points. Do you want to open the market?"
Without a second thought, Zhao Zhitong replied, "Open it, open it!"
Grandpa Bai said, "Then I'll open it now."
Zhao Zhitong waved her hand dismissively. "Mhm, mhm, go ahead, open it."
A little while later, Grandpa Bai spoke again, "Young girl, it's done."
Zhao Zhitong blinked, then blinked again. Why don't I feel anything different?
Grandpa Bai said, "Send your consciousness into the space and take a look."
Zhao Zhitong obediently sent her consciousness into the space and then let out an impressed "Wow!"
The space had expanded a little. Next to Grandpa Bai's study, a small wooden hut had appeared.
A plaque with two large characters hung on the small wooden hut: "Market"...
The hut's wall had a large window, through which she could see that the interior was completely bare, with nothing inside.
Zhao Zhitong circled the small wooden hut and, finding nothing, couldn't help but feel she'd been tricked. She asked doubtfully, "Grandpa Bai, this is the market?"
Grandpa Bai stroked his beard and chuckled, "Of course it is. Could it be a fake market?"
Zhao Zhitong glanced at the so-called 'Spiritual Spring,' which was only the size of a millstone, then at the square Spiritual Field that could only grow three plants, and finally at this so-called market. ...
The spring was barely a puddle, the field was hardly a patch, and this market wasn't worthy of the name! She felt utterly deceived.
Seeing Zhao Zhitong's spirits visibly deflate, Grandpa Bai continued to coax her, "Young girl, don't look down on this market just because it's small. It might be tiny, but it has everything you need."
Saying this, he walked into the small wooden hut, approached the window, and asked, "Young girl, what kind of goods would you like to see?"