The cruel little princess

When Erni was about to reach the door of the clinic, she pinched herself hard and squeezed out a few tears in pain. She quickly ran into the clinic. There was no one in the clinic. Only the old doctor who was sitting in the clinic had to clean up the table and go back to work. She saw a little girl running in hurriedly. There were tears in the corners of her eyes, which showed that the matter must be very urgent! So he paused the work in his hands, "Little girl, what's wrong? Don't cry, talk slowly!"

When Erni heard this, she realized that she couldn't speak slowly, so she had to make it short. "My father went hunting in the mountains today and encountered a wolf. He fought desperately with the wolf and was bitten by it. I want to get some medicine for him! Please save him!" As she spoke, Erni pretended to kneel down to the old doctor.

"Oh, this won't do, girl! This won't do! Don't worry, I'll take the medicine box and go with you to treat your father! Where is your home?" The old doctor asked while quickly packing up the medicine box.

"No, it's too late! I don't live in town. I came here on my own this afternoon. My father is still lying at home!" She said this, secretly apologizing to her father in her heart. "My father was bitten by a wolf. Please prescribe some medicine to treat the external injury and stop the bleeding! I'll take the medicine back and boil it for my father to take. If he doesn't get better, I'll bring him back here tomorrow morning for you to see him. I'm afraid you won't be able to come back after curfew after seeing my father!"

The old doctor saw that it was indeed getting late, and the round trip to the town would take at least an hour. Judging from the girl's condition, she must have run here. He couldn't run that fast with his old arms and legs! Anyway, since it was a wolf bite, not a venomous snake, the wound wouldn't be poisonous, but it would bleed. I'll prescribe some astringent and hemostatic medicine, and then some hemostatic powder and ointment for external application.

He lowered his head and fiddled with it for a while, "Little girl, is your father's wound big or small?"

"?" Erni paused in her sobs, thinking to herself, this...my father didn't mention the size of the wound! Why didn't this old doctor ask according to my father's instructions?

"The wound is not small!" Erni first used her hands to gesture a wound as big as a bowl, then thought for a moment and retracted her hands. "It might be this big! The bite is deep! Doctor, please give me some hemostatic powder or something!" No matter what, Daddy asked for more hemostatic powder and antipyretics. "Give me more antipyretics! My dad said he feels a little feverish! Give me more! Thank you, doctor!" If Erni's dad were here, he might say, "Thank you, my daughter, the wound you gestured with could send your dad away!"

Fortunately, the old doctor didn't pay close attention to her gestures. He just thought the little girl was frightened by seeing her father injured. So when he heard Erni say that her father's wound was large and deep, he took some more hemostatic powder, five sets of fever-reducing herbs, and nimbly took five plasters. "After taking it back, first spray the wound with strong liquor, then sprinkle more hemostatic powder, and then apply the plaster to the wound to stop the bleeding. Boil three bowls of water into one bowl of fever-reducing herbs, and let your father drink it. After two hours, if the fever doesn't go down, boil another set of herbs for him to drink. You must pay more attention tonight. After all, a high fever can be fatal! It would be best if you bring your father here tomorrow after tonight, and I will treat him again. Don't be careless!" The old doctor gave careful instructions one by one.

"Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor!" Erni thanked him repeatedly.

"It's just that this hemostatic powder is a bit expensive! Little girl, you..." The old doctor held the medicine in his hand, not knowing whether to hand it over. After all, he was just a doctor in the clinic, and this clinic was not owned by his family. What if the little girl had no money and he gave her the medicine, wouldn't he be scolded by his boss?

"Oh, doctor, I have money. My father gave me money. How much do these medicines cost?" Erni opened the small cloth bag that she had been holding tightly in her hand.

"The total is five taels and seven cents." The old doctor calculated that it would cost six taels of silver, but seeing that the girl had a difficult time, he decided to charge her the cost price.

"Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor!" Erni kept repeating her thanks, with nothing else to say. She counted out the silver from her small cloth bag and handed it to the old doctor. The old doctor put it in the cash box and locked it. He handed Erni the medicine, and she took it and ran away. The old doctor was amused. This little girl must have a good relationship with her father. I hope her father is safe.

Erni took the medicine and ran away. When she was about to run to her father, she passed by an old woman who was about to close her stall and go home. The buns from her shop smelled delicious! Erni walked over and asked, "Grandma. Do you have any more buns? I'm hungry and I want to buy some." The old woman opened the lid of the steamer, "Yes, there are more! There are vegetarian buns and meat buns. What do you want?" "I can smell the aroma of meat buns. I want meat buns! How much is one?" The old woman looked at her greedy look and couldn't help but be amused by her. "Meat buns are two cents each. I'm about to close my stall. If you want more, I'll give you three for five cents." "Thank you, Grandma! Give me three... No, give me six! My father might have eaten them all!" She counted out ten cents and handed them to the old woman. Erni's voice was loud and clear, and she silently heard her father talking about how she was a big eater...

Erni took the buns and ran around the corner to find the family's oxcart. "Dad, I'm back!" She held up the medicine bag. "Hemostatic powder, fever-reducing herbs, and plasters. The doctor took them all. It cost five taels and seven qian of silver. I passed by a bun stall and smelled the delicious meat buns, so I bought some for you. They're a little pricey, though. I spent ten qian!" Erni rambled on, afraid her father would say she was spending too much.

Erni's father took the meat bun, what else could he do? Eat it! Even if he didn't have the twenty taels of silver from selling the wolf skin, he still had to repay his benefactor. But let this silly girl be nervous for a while, she actually loudly advertised outside that her father was a big eater! Although it was true, he shouldn't say it so brazenly. Doesn't he have any face? Erni's father took the meat bun and ate it in big mouthfuls while thinking. "Erni, you should eat quickly too. It's getting late, let's go back now. Hurry up, tomorrow morning Dad will go up the mountain with you!" Erni's father gestured for Erni to sit on the ox cart, and then drove the ox cart slowly towards the outside of the town.

No matter how hard they tried, it was still dark when they got home. But that was just in time, as it would save them from being seen and questioned. Erni's father found the backpack at home and put everything they would need for tomorrow in it - hemostatic powder, plasters, and herbs for reducing fever... well, they had to be boiled into medicine to take with them. "Erni, Erni!" He called out twice, and Erni appeared at the door with a fire stick in her hand. "What's wrong, Dad? I'm boiling some hot water for you to soak your feet!"

"Er Ni, we can't bring this fever-reducing herbal medicine over tomorrow. My benefactor can't make the medicine himself. You should get up early in the morning and make it. We can put it in a bamboo tube and take it over."

"Okay, I got it!" Erni reached out to take the medicine bag and took it to the kitchen.

Bring a large bamboo tube with more water and dry food. Oh, I just heard Erni say we need to bring some wine. Isn't it common knowledge that injured patients shouldn't drink alcohol? Why is this old doctor asking for alcohol?! Is this doctor any good?! But I can't ask anyone else about this, lest I arouse suspicion. All I can say is that Erni's unclear expression caused her father to misunderstand...