The physician arrived quickly, a small old man with a goatee.
He carried a large medicine box, hurriedly following Xiaotou to the thatched cottage.
Uncle Changshun lay sideways on a hard wooden bed, his waist covered in large patches of bruised blood.
The stabbing pain felt like needles, making cold sweat drip down his forehead.
He had been gritting his teeth to endure, but now that the tension had eased, the discomfort surged.
Seeing his father crying out in pain, Xiaotou's eyes were filled with intense hatred:
"That damn Wang Laizi! When I master my skills, I'll make sure he pays for this!"
Xiaotou's mother, Aunt Zhou, overheard this and angrily scolded:
"Are those ruffians someone you can mess with? If something goes wrong, how would your father and I live, seeing a white-haired person send off a black-haired one!"
Xiaotou heard this and shrank his neck, staying silent.
"That punch of mine should make him stay down for three to four days,"
Bai Qi said, his eyelids drooping, thoughts swirling.
Wang Laizi and Yangquan, one using people to bait Ghost Pattern Fish, the other exploiting fishermen to meet quotas.
A collusion of interests existed between them.
In a few days, perhaps Yangquan might have to come forward.
"I should hone my fishing skills to a master level early on, to better the odds of catching prized fish.
Whether it's for building connections with the Silver Sand Carp or getting Yangquan's coveted Ghost Pattern Fish.
We can get them all!
That changes our status!"
Bai Qi pondered, as more skills reflected through the ink technique emerged.
Fishing, water combat, copying books, identifying herbs, stance training...
These nearly filled his time, leaving little energy for anything else.
That's why Bai Qi considered partnering with Uncle Changshun for fishing.
It not only ensured livelihood and allowed him to save money but also repaid the favor of lending rice that saved his life.
Additionally, it reinforced the image of someone who knows how to repay kindness.
A win-win-win situation!
Later on, as his reputation gradually spread,
Bai Ahqi would become a prominent figure in Black River County!
If he had money, he could gather fifty or so loyal men, becoming a local bully.
Fishery, Chai Market, these livelihood-drawing places.
In those days, that's how families started.
"If I make a name as 'Timely Rain,' 'Hu Bao Yi,' or 'Bai Qilang, who always repays favors.'
The whole eight hundred miles of Black Water River would be mine to roam freely?"
Bai Qi thought to himself.
No matter where he went, someone would bow and greet him as brother, presenting silver and women.
Such treatment was truly exhilarating!
...
...
"Bring a basin of hot water, we need a sweat towel for a compress,"
the goateed physician put down the medicine box to examine the injuries.
He lightly pressed the bruised swollen area on Uncle Changshun, frowning slightly, then turned to retrieve a small bottle of medicinal liquor for treating injuries.
"Alright!"
Aunt Zhou nodded hastily.
Before the physician arrived, Bai Qi had already instructed her to prepare hot water.
It would surely come in handy soon.
"Doctor, how badly injured is my father?"
Xiaotou asked anxiously, seemingly helpless,
"Fortunately, he didn't fracture any bones,"
the physician softly said, stroking his goatee:
"Apply the medicinal liquor several times a day, and have him lie in bed to rest, um, avoid labor, seven or eight days should recover."
Uncle Changshun looked displeased, seeing the approaching winter; as the breadwinner, he couldn't afford to rest.
The physician also understood that with such a meager household living in a thatched cottage, proper rest might be difficult.
Thus, he didn't say much, only instructed Aunt Zhou to soak a coarse cloth towel in hot water, wring it dry, and apply it to the injured area.
He then handed two bottles of medicinal liquor to Xiaotou, advising:
"Use it twice a day, rub gently, don't press too hard."
After the physician finished speaking, Bai Qi said:
"Doctor, how about prescribing a remedy, and grab some herbs that promote blood circulation and reduce stasis, like olivary seed, Shen Jin Grass, poria, white atractylodes… it could speed up the healing process."
The goateed physician was slightly surprised, not expecting Bai Qi to know about medicinal remedies:
"Preparing a decoction is certainly possible, but the cost…"
He hadn't mentioned it due to understanding Uncle Changshun's situation.
Most of these humble folks rely on homemade remedies.
Affording a prescription, let alone the herbs, was out of the question.
Bai Qi took out two strings of large coins from his purse:
"Is this sufficient?"
The goateed physician accepted them:
"There's a surplus; it's more than enough."
His home visit fee, along with two bottles of medicinal wine and several packs of herbs, totaled around five or six hundred coins.
"For the remainder, Doctor, please give me some more Qianghuo, Jingjie..."
Bai Qi smiled as he spoke.
He happened to need these herbs for refining power.
This goatee-bearded physician was quite honest, seeing Uncle Changshun's family was impoverished.
So he only took two bottles of medicinal wine and didn't seize the chance to make more money.
He was considered very conscientious.
The good thing about rural villages and towns is that they all do business with familiar customers.
Shops that shortchange or sell inferior products often don't last long.
The goatee-bearded physician nodded:
"So, young master is a practitioner. I have a clinic at Huichun Hall. I will prepare these herbs for you, and please come to get them tomorrow."
As the saying goes, medicine and martial arts are often intertwined.
Practitioners good at martial arts often know how to treat bruises and injuries.
Some specially formulated medicinal wines even work better than those in medical halls.
After sending off the goatee-bearded physician, Bai Qi returned to the straw hut, greeted by the extremely anxious family of Uncle Changshun.
"Ah Qi."
Uncle Changshun leaned on the bedside, his lips pale and murmured:
"Thanks to you this time. About the money... I'll repay it soon, and add two liters of rice as interest, let Xiaotou write you an IOU!"
The honest fisherman couldn't think of anything good to say, only offering the most sincere promise.
"Talking like this feels awkward, Uncle Changshun.
When my brother and I were starving, it was your family's two bowls of rice that helped us survive. This life-saving favor, I always remember."
Bai Qi showed a gentle smile, as if he was still the friendly Bai Ahqi.
"Just two bowls of rice. Anyone would give them... Ah Qi, it's important to calculate clearly. Life is hard for everyone, I can't take advantage of you for nothing."
Uncle Changshun was stubborn, and Bai Qi didn't insist further, instead shifting to the main topic:
"I've recently developed good swimming skills and found several fruitful fishing spots in Datian Bay and Niu Jiaotuo.
The old saying goes, 'With good soil, a wall is easy to build.' My brother is too weak to help with fishing. Alone, I can cast the net three or four times a day, catching over a hundred pounds of good fish.
Xiaotou is about to apprentice at the Martial Arts Hall, and you should know that practicing martial arts is demanding and expensive.
Earning only seven or eight hundred coins every few days is already falling short for me."
Accompanied by Xiaotou, Aunt Zhou stood awkwardly by the wall, listening like a story, eyes wide:
Three to five days, seven to eight hundred coins earned?
Is this still considered little?
Ah Qi is so promising, so capable!
The most skilled fisherman in Black Water River might not have such lucrative earnings!
"Renting a fishery boat and net is too costly, not worth it.
I'm thinking of partnering with Uncle Changshun. My family's skiff, combined with your awning boat, would easily net four or five hundred pounds of catch daily.
By then, we'll split the earnings 60-40.
Since I've found the fishing spots, I'll take 60%.
Uncle Changshun, you contribute work and labor, counted as 40%. How does that sound?"
Bai Qi spoke confidently, enunciating clearly and logically.
Unlike an inexperienced, stuttering fisherman.
Beside him, Xiaotou looked bewildered, feeling Ah Qi seemed so unfamiliar, like a young master from a rich family.
He had once watched from afar through the Martial Arts Hall's door.
Those young men in tight outfits were all as confident and spirited as Ah Qi was now.
The difference was, their confidence came from their background.
Ah Qi, how has he changed so much?
"40%?"
"What, Uncle Changshun, do you think it's too little?"
"No, no, no, Ah Qi, the fishing spots are yours, I'm just providing labor, not worth that much! I'll take only 20%!"
Uncle Changshun waved his hand as if dreaming, feeling a strong surreal sensation.
Like being accustomed to suffering, suddenly having money drop into his lap.
Feeling both frightened and thrilled, afraid of missing the chance.
"Then let's split it 70-30, any less would seem I'm not doing things fairly, and others might gossip.
Besides, Xiaotou going to the Martial Arts Hall will need a lot of money in the future."
Bai Qi's voice was steady, decisive, exuding determination.
Uncle Changshun, who wanted to further reduce, didn't dare say more:
"Alright, my wife and I can both fish. That awning boat will join your fishery, and I'll be your long-term worker!"
'Transitioning,' means the fisherman merges his boat with another's.
Uncle Changshun essentially handed over his entire livelihood to Bai Qi.
Showing determination!
Aunt Zhou chimed in:
"Ah Qi, you're so ambitious, excellent at fishing, in a few years you'll marry a good family's daughter, your father would be comforted in heaven seeing that..."
Uncle Changshun's face turned stern, interrupting:
"What nonsense! Ah Qi will be a martial artist lord in the future, doing this fishery is just to give us a meal. How can he fish for life!"
Aunt Zhou awkwardly laughed and quickly shut her mouth.
"Fishery?"
Bai Qi's lips curved into a smile, thinking:
"As for myself, does this count as leveling up from 'fisherman' to 'fish stall owner'?
Should I be called, big store owner? Sounds like someone not very reputable."