The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1065 - 144: Debunking Rumors

Chapter 1065: Chapter 144: Debunking Rumors

The crowd had not yet dispersed when Dashan finished his preaching, but he seized the opportunity to stand up, planning to relocate and continue spreading the word, letting them discuss in his absence.

As soon as he squeezed out of the crowd, he spotted Bai Shan and two others.

As soon as they met, without exchanging any words, Bai Shan turned towards a quieter alley, and Dashan hurriedly followed.

The four young men met in the alley.

Bai Shan asked, "What’s going on outside?"

Dashan responded, "I was about to ask you the same thing, how many people did you really hire to spread your fame?"

Bai Shan replied, "Only you."

"That’s impossible," Dashan contested. "Since yesterday, people on the streets have been talking about this, and in some markets we haven’t even reached yet, the tale of the young prodigy doctor has spread like wildfire, becoming more outrageous with each telling."

Dashan continued, "Although I tend to exaggerate a bit, I definitely wouldn’t have made it this absurd. I thought for sure someone had duped you."

He looked knowingly at the three and said, "If you hired two groups, just say so. As long as I get my payment, I won’t hold it against you."

Bai Shan replied, "...Thank you, but I truly haven’t hired anyone besides you. Do you know who these others spreading the word with you are?"

Dashan paused, "Really, it wasn’t you who hired them?"

He looked over at Manbao and Bai Erlang.

Both nodded; hiring them was already expensive enough, hiring another group would cost a fortune.

They weren’t fools to waste so much money.

On hearing it wasn’t their doing, Dashan exclaimed, "Then it must be your friends or family who don’t understand our line of work and accidentally hired incompetents. They didn’t convey the whole story, just bits and pieces sporadically."

Bai Shan looked at him and asked, "Do you know who they are?"

"As I said, because they only share bits at a time and their presence is brief, you can’t find anyone."

Dashan had tried to locate these people, curious about who was stealing his business. He had followed some but lost track of them shortly after.

He had also inquired with the locals — none of the uncles, aunts, grandpas, or grandmas knew the person.

Dashan lamented, "You’d be better off asking your relatives or friends who might have hired someone for you."

Realizing the truth, the three exchanged glances. Mr. Zhuang certainly wouldn’t have done it without their knowledge, nor did they have such close friends here.

So, who could it be?

Manbao thought for a moment and said, "You are doing a fine job. Since they’ve already spread the word, you can just handle the debunking."

Dashan blinked, "Debunking?"

"Correct. First off, I didn’t cut open his belly; it was a surgical incision, and these two are not the same. He was bleeding internally in the abdomen, and neither acupuncture nor medicine could stop the bleeding. There was pooled blood, so we had to operate."

Dashan listened, bewildered.

Manbao continued, "Second, the blood transfused wasn’t arbitrary; it had to be compatible. One should never transfuse relatives’ blood if possible. Also, there’s a limit to how much blood each person can give. You know the bowls we usually eat from?"

Dashan nodded, still puzzled.

"A bowl that size, a person could donate about three bowls’ worth. And drawing blood isn’t done with slicing; there are syringes. You can use a knife, but I find it hard to stop the bleeding. What if you were to donate blood and die from excessive blood loss yourself? That would be terribly unfortunate."

Dashan asked, "...Who would donate their own blood to someone else?"

Thinking about how much meat one would need to replenish that blood, he certainly wouldn’t be willing if it were him.

"The last point – I’m very keen on sharing this medical knowledge. If peers want to learn, they can demonstrate their skills in exchange for learning from me."

Dashan paused, "Exchange?"

"Exactly, medical knowledge should be shared for improvement. Just pass on the message this way," Manbao said. "Though they’ve indeed made me famous, what they say is unclear and largely fabricated. Just follow behind and debunk that."

Dashan was conflicted, "But what about my payment? How much debunking is enough? You don’t know how deep their influence runs. In just one day and night, it spread through several markets."

"I’m aware," Bai Shan admitted after considering. "Just take some people out to debunk daily, repeating it two to five times in the bustle of each market. After five days, regardless of the outcomes, you can come to Changqing Alley to collect the remaining money."

Dashan’s eyes sparkled, and he eagerly assured, "Young master, rest easy. We intend to establish ourselves long-term here and won’t let you down. We can manage that in five days; not just the inner city but even the important markets in the outer city."

Manbao looked satisfied and handed over the remaining copper coins he had from a purchase, saying cheerily, "This is for a cup of tea on me."

Taking the money, Dashan beamed with happiness.

Watching him leave, Bai Erlang pointed towards the road home and asked, "Shall we go back?"

Both Bai Shan and Manbao shook their heads vehemently, swallowing hard and suggesting, "Maybe we should check out other markets to see how things are spreading?"

Considering how formidable both their teacher and Grandma Liu were, Manbao decided to delay going back.

Bai Shan agreed to stay away a bit longer, and they, along with Bai Erlang, climbed into the carriage, instructing Daji to head to other markets to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, the crowd at Jishi Hall had slowly dispersed, leaving only the patients behind.

Young Manager Zheng looked disheveled as he returned to the backyard and slumped on a chair. Shopkeeper Zheng straightened his clothes and led three doctors out to take his place.

As Young Manager Zheng watched his father reap the benefits of the situation, he sighed sorrowfully, grabbing his unkempt hair before turning back inside to tidy up.

Although the pharmacy was not a complete mess, the furniture had been significantly displaced. Shopkeeper Zheng wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or sad. After careful consideration, he appeared more pleased than anything else.

Considering Manbao’s temperament, she wouldn’t leave Jishi Hall anytime soon, especially now that a ’miraculous doctor’ had emerged there...

Just the thought made Shopkeeper Zheng very pleased.

He wondered, however, how word had spread so suddenly and widely.

Pondering, Shopkeeper Zheng summoned an assistant and instructed, "Visit the estate and ask the masters to find out what’s happening outside, who is spreading the word about Young Doctor Zhou’s deeds."

The assistant obeyed and left.

In the meantime, in the palace, the emperor, having just finished his administrative duties, burst into laughter while holding a piece of paper. Putting it away, he smiled at Gu Zhong, saying, "Alright, call everyone back. Don’t overdo it; this is good enough."

Gu Zhong smiled in agreement.