A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

"A high price?" Yang Hu put down the ledger. "How high?"

Shopkeeper Sun held up one finger and whispered, "The deposit is this. Fifty taels. An additional tip will be given after the treatment is complete!"

Fifty taels!

Even though Yang Hu had seen some of the world, he only raised an eyebrow slightly.

This number...

That's enough to cover the living expenses of the entire thatched village for a year!

"Who is that old man from in the city?"

"His surname is Zhou, he's one of the top grain merchants in the city," said Manager Sun. "Half of the grain shops in the city are his territory. He's also related to the government. This guy has been sick for half a year, consulted all the doctors in the city, and taken hundreds of doses of medicine. He's become skin and bones, but his belly is getting bigger every day. He has no appetite, can't sleep well, and is always barely breathing. The doctors in the city say it's 'bloating,' but the medicine they prescribe is completely useless."

Yang Hu didn't respond, his eyes drooping as he fiddled with his fingers on the table.

His limbs were thin and his belly was distended; he could not recover for a long time.

He had seven or eight parts of an idea in mind.

In my previous world, this disease wouldn't have been too difficult to diagnose.

Nine times out of ten, it's because something is growing inside her!

It's not just ordinary bloating or an upset stomach; it's something really troublesome!

I remembered.

Outside that ditch, the water was plentiful, and villagers often went there to catch fish, bathe, and feed livestock.

The dangers in that water are invisible and inedible, but they splash onto you, and over time, they accumulate on your liver and stomach.

By the time they are born with a swollen belly, it is often three to five years later.

This illness can't be cured with ordinary medicine; you need to use some strong drugs to first get rid of the "worms" and then slowly regulate the body.

Unfortunately, his herb garden was missing a few crucial ingredients from the potent insecticides he used to kill insects!

Changshan, areca nut, and a kind of thunderball that grows deep in the mountains and forests!

"Can it be cured?" Manager Sun asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

"I haven't seen him yet, so I don't know if he can be cured," Yang Hu said unhurriedly. "However, there's still a chance."

Upon hearing this, Manager Sun's eyes widened immediately.

"So, are you willing to go to the city?"

Yang Hu didn't rush to speak.

After seeing off the profusely grateful Manager Sun, they returned home.

Several women were present.

"Fifty taels for a consultation fee, that's enough for one of the wealthiest people in the city." Lu Rou held the abacus, tempted yet afraid to give in. "Husband, if you cure him, our medicinal herb garden will be..."

How could Yang Hu not be tempted?

Curing one of the city's wealthiest men would cost only fifty taels of silver, which is just the beginning.

In the future, which of the city's high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and tycoons will not have some strange or unusual illnesses?

If his reputation truly spread into the city, he would have truly established himself in this remote region! That would be a stepping stone that a country doctor could never achieve in his entire life!

But the bigger the opportunity, the more carefully you need to see the pitfalls ahead.

"I know this is a huge opportunity!" Lu Rou interrupted him, her gaze fixed on Qin Ying. "But the city is different, this poor place! Can the Zhou family possibly have connections with the government? Who knows who's behind the government...?"

He paused, then continued, "And another thing! Qin Ying's identity can be kept secret in the village, but once she's in the city, with so many eyes watching, it won't stay hidden for long! What if she runs into an old acquaintance? Would that be a curse or a blessing?"

The room fell silent.

Qin Ying's face also darkened.

She knew that she was now a "dead person" who couldn't see the light of day.

Yang Hu's entry into the city and his fame should have been a great joy, but because of himself, he had many worries.

"I'll stay," she said, her voice icy. "Whether you go to the city or not doesn't matter. I'll just stay in the village by myself; nothing will happen to me."

"Nonsense." Yang Hu refused without even considering it: "Leaving you alone in the village, there's that barbarian in the woodshed, and the traitor hasn't been caught yet. If I leave, who will take care of you?"

Qin Ying was taken aback.

She thought that by asking to keep it, she was reducing her burden. But to her surprise, his first thought was, "Who cares about you?"

For some reason, her heart, which had been cold and hard, softened a little.

"Young Master, I don't think we're in a rush," Lu Yan said gently. "That old man's illness has dragged on for so long, what's another ten or fifteen days? Let's get the potent medicine ready first, then settle things in the village. We'll have an explanation for the traitor and the live fish in the woodshed. Wouldn't it be safer to discuss moving to the city after things are stable here?"

She didn't utter a single word.

Yang Hu glanced at her, adding another note to his mind. This young lady from the Duke of Lu's mansion was even more capable than him.

"Yan'er is right." He nodded. "I'll send a message to Manager Sun, saying I've taken on the illness. Hopefully, the medicine will be ready and we can get to the city within half a month."

"So, in these past two weeks..." Liu Ye listened for a while, then straightened her neck and interjected, "Gathering herbs? I'll go. You said you needed strong herbs, I'll go deep into the mountains to find them for you. I dare to go even deeper into Eagle Beak Cliff."

Yang Hu looked at her and smiled.

"Okay, you'll get your share then."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye's ears turned slightly red, and she turned to play with her bow and arrows.

That's how it was settled.

The gates to the city have been opened a crack; once the medicine is prepared and the people are settled, we can set off.

The deposit of fifty taels was delivered by someone from Manager Sun the next day.

Yang Hu dared not keep this money to himself.

He took out half of it and asked Liu Da to buy the medicine and tools needed for treatment.

They also added two large stoves and two bamboo racks for drying medicinal herbs to the herb garden.

The remaining money was used to increase the wages of the women who were helping out, and some rice was also distributed to their families.

The money was handed over, and then immediately spent.

As Lu Rou kept the accounts, she clicked her tongue and said, "Husband, the fifty taels haven't even warmed up yet."

"Money, if you hold it in your hand, it's dead; it only comes alive when you take it out." Yang Hu said, hands on his hips, "Where you spend it, you'll earn it back ten or fifty times over later."

Yang Hu was busy in front of the county town, and each day became more hectic.

Following Yang Hu's list, Liu Ye went up the mountain twice and even managed to find the hard-to-find Lei Wan. However, her little hands had a few new scars. Yang Hu pressed her hands and applied ointment, and she couldn't help but mutter a few words about "showing off".

Yang Hu was not idle either.

It will take at least three days and at most half a month to get to the county town; the affairs in the village cannot be delayed.

The people in the woodshed were to be looked after by Brother Stone, while Lu Yan and Lu Rou were to be in charge of the matters in the herb garden. Then he gave another instruction, telling Qin Ying, "You just got stabbed and your wound hasn't healed yet, so don't try to be a hero."

Only after all these arrangements were made so meticulously did I feel at ease.

With half a month to go, the medicinal herbs are almost ready.

However, just as Yang Hu began to plan his trip to the city...

A heart-wrenching sound echoed from the east side of the village:

Stone Brother rushed into the yard covered in mud, his face completely pale.

"Dr. Yang! Something terrible has happened!" Brother Stone cried, trembling. "On the east side of the village, Old Qian's family and Widow Li's family have been sick for several nights in a row. They're vomiting and having diarrhea, burning up with fever, and they're practically delirious!"

"I heard... I heard there are a few people in the next village with the same problem!"

Yang Hu suddenly stood up.

Vomiting and diarrhea, high fever, several families were affected overnight, and the disease even spread to the neighboring village.

These symptoms sent a chill down Yang Hu's spine.

It's currently summer and autumn, and the warm, humid weather makes people more susceptible to this kind of illness.

One after another, village after village, if they can't control it, their thatched village and the neighboring villages will probably be wiped out as well.

Therefore, the day of his arrival in the city, even the big customer who paid fifty taels of silver had to postpone it.

His face also fell a little.

It's not a common illness.

This is the pandemic.