When Gao Fengtian arrived in Bei'an, he asked someone to investigate the identity of the baby girl.
The neighbors said they had never seen her pregnant, but one day they heard a baby crying and realized she had given birth.
No one suspected anything because the woodcutter's wife was quite plump at the time, and some women don't show their pregnancy, so even if they are pregnant it's hard to tell.
However, one thing that is quite suspicious is that I have never seen her family hire a midwife. I asked all the midwives in the town, but no one was willing to deliver the baby for the woodcutter's wife.
However, the woodcutter and his wife insisted that the child was their biological child.
This leads to a deadlock.
Gao Fengtian tried to bribe them with a large sum of money to make them tell the truth, but they were unmoved. Instead, they angrily scolded Gao Fengtian for wanting to use the money to buy their daughter, and they would not sell their daughter.
Their love for Tian'en made Gao Fengtian feel that Tian'en might really be their daughter.
The woodcutter's family was poor. If the girl he picked up was his daughter, how could he not be moved by the money he received
Only your own children will not be tempted by money.
But there is still a doubt, that is, no one has ever delivered her baby.
In this way, Gao Fengtian ran to the woodcutter's house every few days. No matter what kind of look the woodcutter and his wife gave him, he just stayed there and refused to leave.
The woodcutter and his wife finally reported the matter to the authorities, who showed Gao Fengtian the household registration, which indeed recorded that she was someone else's daughter.
Gao Fengtian was at a loss, but he was unwilling to give up, so he could only stay in Bei'an to see if there were any new discoveries.
That day, he went to Zhentou Village as usual.
Every time he came, he held a chicken in his left hand and a duck in his right hand. Although he was thrown away every time, he believed that people could not resist being tortured.
When I went to the woodcutter's house, I saw many people there. I went in to ask around and found out that the woodcutter had gotten into trouble.
It turned out that when he went into the mountains to chop firewood this morning, he saw a wild rabbit, so he thought of shooting it back for a snack. Unexpectedly, he stepped on empty air and rolled down the hillside. Although his life was not in danger, his leg was injured. He asked a quack doctor for help, but he said that his leg could not be cured and he might not be able to stand up in the future.
Neighbors came to express their sympathy, but they were all poor and could not afford to hire a doctor.
When Gao Fengtian arrived and learned of the situation, he immediately asked someone to call a doctor.
The woodcutter refused to accept treatment from the doctor he had invited and drove the doctor away.
The woodcutter's wife begged him with tears and finally he agreed to call the doctor in to see her.
However, the results given by the doctor were not much different from those given by the quack doctors. It would cost a lot of money to treat him, and even after spending the money, there was no guarantee that he would be able to stand up. He would only be slightly better than he is now.
The woodcutter's wife asked about the price of the treatment, and the doctor raised his hand and slapped it, "About fifty taels, but we can only try it."
The woodcutter's wife collapsed on the stool. Fifty taels? She didn't even have five cents. She cried and begged the doctor, "Can you make it cheaper? I'll work like a slave for you."
The doctor was indifferent, "No, the medicine is very expensive."
As a doctor, I'm used to seeing such situations. I don't know how many times I've seen such situations, let alone losing a pair of legs or a life. How could I be so soft-hearted just because a woman cried a few times
The woodcutter also cried and said, "It is incurable. It is incurable."
Gao Fengtian frowned and said to the doctor, "I'll pay for the medicine. You can prescribe the medicine first and then treat it as needed."
The doctor's face brightened immediately after hearing this. "Okay, I'll prescribe some medicine for internal and external application for two months."
"No, I won't treat it." The woodcutter shouted to Gao Fengtian, "You don't have to treat me, and I won't take your money."
Gao Fengtian said patiently, "I know what you are worried about. I will not mention Tian En's matter in the future. I believe you, okay? You must get better, otherwise, what are you going to do with them?"
"Really?" The woodcutter's wife looked at Gao Fengtian eagerly, her face somewhat surprised. She stretched out her hand and called Tian'en over and held her in her arms, as if she was afraid that someone would snatch her away.
Gao Fengtian put down the silver and said, "I'm leaving now. I'll come to see you guys in a few days to avoid anyone neglecting you."
After saying this, he glanced at the doctor and left.
Gao Fengtian did what he said and didn't show up for several days. It was only after about four or five days that he came.
He looked at the woodcutter's wound and felt that it was indeed better. It was obvious that the doctor did not delay the treatment for the sake of the silver.
The attitude of the woodcutter and his wife towards Gao Fengtian also changed slightly. That day, the woodcutter's wife cooked a meal and invited Gao Fengtian to stay for dinner.
The dining table was originally in the hall, but in order to take care of the woodcutter, it was moved into the room so that he could be taken care of at any time.
Tian'en is very well behaved when eating. He is only two years old, but he eats very seriously. If a grain of rice falls on the table, he will pick it up and eat it immediately.
"So good!" Gao Fengtian looked at Tian'en and said to the woodcutter's wife with a smile.
The woodcutter's wife looked at Tian'en with complicated emotions in her eyes.
After a long while, she asked, "What is your relationship with the man who came to my place before? He said Tian'en looks a lot like his wife."
"To be honest, he is Murong Jie, the regent of the Great Zhou. As for his wife, the regent princess Xia Zian, you have never heard of her..."
The woodcutter's wife was startled. "Xia Zian? Are you talking about the princess who came from the Great Zhou to treat our Northern Desert... Qin State during the epidemic?"
Gao Fengtian put down his chopsticks and asked, "You know her too?"
The woodcutter propped up half of his body, looking a little excited. "I know her, I know her. Who in our Qin State doesn't know her? She is our Qin State's great benefactor. If it weren't for her, I don't know how many people would have died from the epidemic. Fortunately, she developed the prescription and saved many lives. At that time, many people here also got the epidemic. When the prescription arrived, several people had already died and many were infected. Later, after taking the medicine, they all recovered."
"There is an epidemic here too?" Gao Fengtian thought about it and realized that Bei'an didn't seem to be the place where the epidemic broke out.
"Yes, when the epidemic broke out, several people from our village went to work in Kyoto. Later, they were afraid of contracting the epidemic, so they all came back. Unexpectedly, two of them had already fallen ill on the way, and when they returned here, they infected several others." said the woodcutter.
"Yes, the two sons of Aunt Xu next door were also infected, and they both recovered after taking the medicine prescribed. By the way, what happened to Doctor Xia?" said the woodcutter's wife.
Gao Fengtian sighed, "It can only be said that good people don't get good rewards. She has done so many things for the people, but she always encounters misfortunes..."
Gao Fengtian then told the woodcutter and his wife what happened before and after Zi'an was captured, but he concealed Chu Jing's identity. He only said that when she came to Kyoto to treat the epidemic, she damaged the interests of some people and offended some people, and these people wanted to retaliate against her.
"She met with an accident at the border between our Qin State and the Great Zhou. The emperor takes it very seriously. Doctor Xia has been found, but he has gone a little crazy because of the loss of his beloved daughter. Alas, God really doesn't treat good people well."
After saying this, he looked at the woodcutter and his wife, "In fact, I came here today to ask for something, but don't worry, I'm not going to take Tian'en away."
(End of this chapter)