Chapter 18: The Enthusiasm of the Townspeople

When Si Qingyu woke up, her head was in intense pain. She half-sat on the bed, frowning uncomfortably as she rubbed her brow.

Officer Zhang had just brought in the meal and was very happy to see that Si Qingyu was awake, “Doctor Si, you’re finally awake!”

At this time, Si Qingyu had just woken up and there was still a hint of haziness that had not completely disappeared from her eyes. She looked at Officer Zhang with her eyes half-lowered, “How long have I been asleep?”

“You’ve been asleep for almost two days! We were so scared when you suddenly fainted back then!”

“Two days…” Si Qingyu said as she got out of bed and walked to the table to sit down.

Officer Zhang placed the food in front of her, “Doctor Si, you must be very hungry. Hurry and eat something.”

Si Qingyu nodded slightly. She was indeed a little hungry. She had been busy researching the antidote these past few days and hadn’t eaten. She picked up the chopsticks, picked up some vegetables, and put them in her mouth, chewing slowly.

Suddenly, Si Qingyu’s chewing motion paused and she looked at Officer Zhang, “Where is your Magistrate Luo?”

“Magistrate Luo is handling matters in the town. Those townspeople have been cured of the poison now, but they can’t recover immediately in a short time, so the magistrate is handling this matter.”

Si Qingyu nodded and ate the food quietly.

At this time, it was lively in front of the yamen. Since the townspeople learned that it was Doctor Si who cured their “illness,” they were extremely grateful.

Each townsperson was holding various things and shouting that they wanted to give them to Doctor Si as a token of gratitude. Fortunately, there were yamen runners blocking them, otherwise they would have rushed in all at once.

“Let us go in, we want to personally thank Doctor Si!” One of the townspeople took the lead and shouted.

People began to echo, “That’s right! I heard that Doctor Si even fainted because of our matter. Let us go in and see Doctor Si!”

“Yes, yes!”

The townspeople at the back echoed one after another, and the crowd became more agitated. Gradually, it became a bit out of control, and the yamen runners began to have difficulty holding them back.

At this time, Luo Jinhua walked out and shouted at them, “Quiet down, everyone!”

Her voice was loud and had a deterrent effect. The crowd immediately quieted down and looked up at Luo Jinhua.

Seeing that they had finally calmed down, Luo Jinhua sighed and said slowly, “What Doctor Si needs most now is rest. I understand how grateful you are to her and how much you want to thank her, but these thanks can wait until Doctor Si wakes up. It’s not too late. Now your condition has not fully recovered yet, so you should go back and have a good rest first!”

Luo Jinhua was the town magistrate of Qianluo Town, so naturally her words were the most persuasive. At this time, the townspeople also calmed down a bit. They looked at Luo Jinhua and asked, “Has Doctor Si not woken up yet?”

“Not yet, so your actions like this will directly disturb her rest.”

The townspeople nodded and said they would come to see her after Doctor Si had rested well, and then they dispersed.

Luo Jinhua wiped the sweat from her brow and turned back to tell the yamen runners to clean up the yamen, then hurriedly walked back to the study. Now that the problem of the illness in Qianluo Town had been resolved, she had to write a memorial to report to the emperor as soon as possible.

She didn’t tell the townspeople that this was a deliberate poisoning, letting them assume it was an illness to avoid causing panic.

Si Qingyu was eating in the bedroom and could hear some of the noisy sounds outside. She asked curiously, “What’s going on outside?”

Officer Zhang smiled, looking at Si Qingyu with eyes full of gratitude, “The townspeople know that it was Doctor Si who saved them, so they are outside clamoring to see you!”

Si Qingyu’s eyes twitched, feeling a bit helpless as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. She was most afraid of these things and couldn’t stand their over-enthusiasm.

She suddenly thought of something and asked Officer Zhang, “By the way, have you found the person who poisoned them?”

Officer Zhang shook his head, “No, we went to investigate every household and didn’t see any suspicious people or things.”

Upon hearing this, Si Qingyu lowered her eyes. She just wanted to know where the poisoner got these poisons from. This kind of poison was not something that an ordinary person could easily obtain.

Seeing Si Qingyu’s pensive expression, Officer Zhang said cautiously, “Doctor Si, perhaps the poisoner has already left Qianluo Town. After all, staying in town after poisoning would be very disadvantageous to her. I think that person shouldn’t be that stupid.”

Indeed.

Si Qingyu felt that it made sense, so she didn’t think about it further.

In the next few days, Si Qingyu stayed in Qianluo Town and did not leave. She wanted to make sure that none of the townspeople had any discomfort after being cured of the poison.

Of course, Luo Jinhua was very happy that Si Qingyu decided to stay in Qianluo Town for a few more days. She said to Si Qingyu cheerfully, “Doctor Si, you can stay as many days as you want. Feel free to stay in my residence and treat it as your own home!” To her, Si Qingyu was equivalent to the savior of Qianluo Town, so it would be best if she wanted to stay here!

Luo Jinhua even couldn’t help rubbing her hands in secret and said to Si Qingyu, “How about Doctor Si move your clinic to our town? We can directly provide you with a place to open the clinic!”

Si Qingyu looked at her a bit speechlessly, “Magistrate Luo, there’s no need. I will be staying for a few days and then returning.”

Hearing her say this, Luo Jinhua was a bit disappointed, but she didn’t force it, “Alright, then Doctor Si, please stay for a few more days. If there’s anything you need, just tell me directly.”

Si Qingyu nodded.

Suddenly, Luo Jinhua changed the subject, “Doctor Si, why don’t you go out for a stroll with me? You haven’t toured our small town yet!”

Si Qingyu thought for a moment. That would be good. She had been cooped up in the residence for quite a few days, “Alright then, sorry to trouble you, Magistrate Luo.”

“Hey! What trouble is this? Doctor Si, don’t be so polite with me!” Luo Jinhua laughed heartily while patting Si Qingyu’s shoulder with her hand.

Si Qingyu felt a bit uncomfortable with such intimate actions, but she didn’t say anything and just gave a faint smile.

At this time, Qianluo Town was very different from the Qianluo Town that Si Qingyu saw when she first arrived. Now this kind of peace and liveliness was their way of life.

Unfortunately, Si Qingyu underestimated her own influence. Although some people had not seen her before, as long as one person recognized her, it would become a lively scene.

The townspeople surrounded her in layers, while Luo Jinhua beside her had already been squeezed to the periphery.

Si Qingyu looked at the enthusiastic faces of the townspeople with a headache. They surrounded her, smiling and enthusiastically stuffing things into her hands.

“Doctor Si, have you been resting well these days?”

“Doctor Si, I have eggs here. Take them back to nourish yourself!”

“What nourishment can eggs provide! Doctor Si, take this old hen back to make soup and nourish your body!” Saying that, they wanted to directly stuff the hen into her hands.

“Doctor Si, have you taken a husband? My child just came of age! He’s so handsome!”

“My child is also handsome!” …

Si Qingyu listened to them talking non-stop about this and that. Her brow began to feel irritated. She raised her hand to block in front of her, her voice a bit loud, “Everyone, everyone, can you quiet down for a moment?”

However, in the midst of the noisy voices, Si Qingyu’s voice was directly drowned out. The townspeople still kept pushing things towards her, their enthusiasm rendering her helpless.

“Quiet!” In the end, Luo Jinhua’s shout from the periphery brought the scene under control, and everyone looked at her.

Luo Jinhua parted the people and walked to Si Qingyu’s front. She turned to face the townspeople, “Doctor Si can already feel everyone’s gratitude. Why don’t you let Doctor Si speak first?”

The townspeople also seemed to realize that they had indeed been overly enthusiastic just now and couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed. One of them said, “Doctor Si, whatever you want to say, just say it directly!”

“Yes, yes, whatever you want to say, just give the order! My child is really so handsome!” After saying that, they didn’t forget to add a sentence at the end.

Si Qingyu was helpless. Looking at them, her voice was as cold and clear as spring water, “I appreciate everyone’s good intentions, but I cannot accept everyone’s favors, because I myself am a doctor, and what I did was nothing more than my responsibility as a doctor. There’s no need for everyone to be like this.”

Luo Jinhua on the side also spoke up, “Doctor Si has also been exhausted these past few days. While Doctor Si is in Qianluo Town, I will take Doctor Si to tour our small town, so everyone can have that intention, but now you should go about your own business.”

It would be good to be able to stay in Qianluo Town for a few days! The townspeople nodded happily and no longer forcefully handed her the things in their hands. They all expressed that they would send them to Magistrate Luo’s residence at that time and insisted that she recuperate.

Si Qingyu nodded with a faint smile. As long as they didn’t force anything onto her, it was all negotiable.

Seeing the townspeople finally disperse while talking and laughing, Si Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Jinhua looked at her teasingly from the side, “Doctor Si, you see how enthusiastic the people in our small town are? Don’t underestimate yourself. You are now equivalent to the life-saving benefactor of our town!” After saying that, she brought her face closer to Si Qingyu’s a few inches in a secretive manner, “How about it, Doctor Si? Why don’t you move your clinic over here?”

Si Qingyu gave a wry smile and still shook her head, “No, I can’t stand this kind of enthusiasm.”

Luo Jinhua had long expected her rejection. Her eyes were filled with a smile, “Then, does Doctor Si want to find a husband here and take him back? The men in our town are all very handsome.” Her words carried a suggestive tone.

Si Qingyu glanced at her coolly, “Magistrate Luo is thinking too much. I don’t have any such thoughts.” After saying that, she took a step forward first.

Luo Jinhua followed behind, “Why not? Doctor Si has an extraordinary appearance and medical skills. You can marry any kind of husband you want. Could it be that Doctor Si plans to live alone in the future?” Even she didn’t believe it when she said it.

Si Qingyu nodded indifferently. She indeed planned to live alone.

Luo Jinhua felt it was a bit unbelievable. She couldn’t imagine that Si Qingyu truly had such thoughts. After all, in this era where one could have three husbands and four concubines, which woman didn’t want to be surrounded by men on both sides?

Living alone and growing old alone was not a good idea.

Luo Jinhua rubbed her chin, thinking that perhaps Si Qingyu’s cold and impersonal personality made her not experience the benefits of this aspect, so she said such things. As Doctor Si’s friend, how could she let her be like this!

Luo Jinhua decided to introduce the portraits of all the unmarried men in town to Si Qingyu. Hmm, there would always be someone she liked!

Si Qingyu on the side didn’t know Luo Jinhua’s thoughts at this time. If she knew, she would probably pack her luggage and leave directly without a second word.