Chapter 292: Why Study?

Chapter 292: Chapter 292: Why Study?

At the mention of Jishi Hall, Xin Ziqi’s expression didn’t change noticeably, but his voice grew slightly colder.

"They’re curious, alright. That Wang Shun has approached my patients more than once to ask about it. He knows people are willing to come to Yide Hall because my stitches don’t hurt, but he’s unaware of the local anesthetic. He just attributes it to my suturing technique. The Jishi Hall in Yeyang is indeed a general practice, skilled in all departments, but the branch here in town is far less comprehensive. They aren’t skilled in orthopedics, for one, so there’s no reason for them to compete with me on that front. Or perhaps they just don’t think it’s worth their while."

Ji Huan let out a breath. "It’s for the best if they look down on us. We can lay low and quietly make our fortune. Although this... is bound to attract attention eventually. But until we find a foolproof plan, or a patron more powerful than the Bai Family, we should try our best to avoid being the tree that stands tallest in the forest."

Fortunately, Xin Ziqi was still level-headed and not completely consumed by hatred.

"I’m aware of the risks and won’t act rashly. Besides, even if this medicine does eventually attract the Bai Family’s attention, it’s not as if we’ll be without options. The Xin family may have fallen, but the connections and goodwill we accumulated over generations still remain... I also recently became acquainted with a person of high standing from the capital. Don’t worry."

Ji Huan didn’t ask who the noble from the capital was. Instead, she gestured toward the front hall. "That new doctor... is he one of those connections?"

Xin Ziqi’s expression relaxed.

"His name is Liu Xinglin. He was the only apprentice my father ever took on from outside the family. After my father’s... incident, I was despondent for some time. He was the one who kept Yide Hall running then. But in the end... it couldn’t escape its fate. The attendants, the accountant, and the resident doctors were all poached by Jishi Hall. He refused their generous offer and, as a result, was ostracized by Jishi Hall and other allied clinics. To make a living, he had to become a traveling doctor in the countryside. I only just recently managed to get in touch with him... With the new equipment workshop starting up and the first products just launching, I’m stretched too thin, so I asked him to serve as the resident doctor here."

After hearing the whole story, Ji Huan was filled with admiration.

’He didn’t betray his master, didn’t compromise his principles, couldn’t be bought with money, and wouldn’t yield to coercion. No wonder they say you can’t judge a book by its cover.’

While the two of them spoke, Ji Mingfang sat quietly to the side. Even though he was completely lost, he didn’t interrupt.

It was Xin Ziqi who finally broke the silence and asked, "And this is?"

Ji Huan set down her teacup and took the opportunity to introduce them.

"To be honest, I came today to ask you to take a look at my cousin, to see if anything can be done for his leg."

Xin Ziqi’s gaze fell upon Ji Mingfang once more.

Ji Mingfang quickly stood up and gave him a cupped-fist salute, his expression somewhat awkward.

"Is it an old injury?" Xin Ziqi asked.

He couldn’t see any sign of injury on Ji Mingfang, nor was there any trace of pain on his face. It had to be an old wound.

Ji Mingfang nodded. "My leg is a bit... Yes, it’s from when I was a child..."

Xin Ziqi paused for a moment, surprised, but said nothing. After asking which leg was injured, he had Ji Mingfang sit down and remove his boot and sock. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Though embarrassed, Ji Mingfang did as he was told.

It didn’t require a close look to see the pronounced curve in his right leg from the back of his knee to his ankle.

Xin Ziqi began to press and feel along the leg, his brow furrowing slightly.

Seeing this, Ji Huan already had a good idea of the outcome.

But Ji Mingfang, caught in the moment, couldn’t see it. His eyes were fixed intently on Xin Ziqi.

"Doctor, c-can my leg still be treated?"

Xin Ziqi didn’t beat around the bush. He just shook his head. "I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do."

The reason was just as Ji Huan had predicted: no matter how skilled a bone-setter, they couldn’t straighten a bone that had been broken and had set improperly more than a decade ago.

Ji Huan saw it clearly. The moment Xin Ziqi spoke, the twin flames of hope burning in Ji Mingfang’s eyes were instantly extinguished. Utterly, without a single lingering ember of warmth.

Leaving Yide Hall, the two of them walked in silence to the memorial archway to wait for a cart.

Few people were heading back to the village in the afternoon, so they were the only two passengers on the oxcart.

The journey passed in silence.

When they got off at the village entrance, Ji Mingfang still remembered to hand the fare to Uncle Niu.

One walking behind the other, they turned onto the small path leading to West River Gully.

Halfway there, Ji Mingfang stopped.

"Want to talk about it?" Ji Huan asked.

They found a grassy spot by the river and sat down.

"I—" After staring blankly for a moment, Ji Mingfang finally spoke.

"I had actually already accepted it, but... I still can’t help but feel resentful."

If nothing had triggered it, perhaps this resentment would have stayed buried in his heart for a lifetime, fooling others and maybe even himself.

But after he started helping out at Ji Huan’s house, he saw Dabao. He saw how such a little boy could already write so beautifully, and something deep inside him suddenly awoke.

He had secretly looked at Dabao’s practice book; there were many characters in it that he didn’t recognize.

The few characters he did know were ones he had picked up by watching from the side as Ji Qingshan checked Ji Liantang’s homework.

And the most complex characters he had ever learned to write were those of his own name.

It wasn’t just that he couldn’t compare to Ji Liantang; he couldn’t even compare to Dabao.

No, he was even worse off than Hu Ximei.

Hu Ximei, a girl, had also started learning to read...

When Hu Dacheng cried and threw a fit about not wanting to go to the village school, Ji Mingfang’s heart ached.

That was a beautiful dream he had once never dared to imagine, a dream he could never ask for.

He was envious, he was miserable, but he also knew that studying was not in the cards for him in this life.

It wasn’t until he heard from Hu Dacheng about the miraculous transformation of the homeless man that a wild hope suddenly took root...

"It wasn’t a wild hope," Ji Huan interrupted him, her tone serious. "How could wanting to better yourself be a wild hope? If it were me, I would have taken the chance, too. Success would be wonderful, but there’s no shame in failure. Things can’t get any worse, can they? At least by trying, you won’t have any regrets."

"That’s what I thought, too. Last night, lying in bed, I kept telling myself over and over not to get my hopes up. If you don’t hope, you can’t be disappointed. But..."

Ji Mingfang lowered his head, his voice filled with self-mockery.

"Now I feel like a complete joke. Maybe... Ms. Kang was right. What’s the use of having ambitions higher than the heavens? I was fated to be a lowly creature."

At that moment, Ji Mingfang even began to feel hatred.

He hated himself for not being able to just be a content farmer, for insisting on coveting things he shouldn’t.

He desperately wanted to extinguish that desire. He thought he already had, long ago. But for some reason, whenever he saw a book or smelled the scent of ink, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, a restless stirring that came from deep within his bones.

’But I’m already a cripple!’

The doctor said so ten years ago, and Doctor Xin was saying the same thing now.

There was no longer any possibility for him to get better.

’What’s the point of studying, then?’

These words, filled with grief and indignation, were like a raw outburst. For a moment, it felt as if the sensitive, withdrawn Ji Mingfang of the past had returned, and the cheerful young man who had emerged over the last six months had been nothing but an illusion.

Ji Huan listened quietly, giving him enough time to compose himself.

When she judged he was ready, she finally spoke, asking him a single question.

"Why do you love to read?"