Chapter 180

"Fine, that is my final warning," the representative said angrily, but he still signed off, granting the other party the status of non-citizens. Once they received the documents for everyone in the family, they proceeded to the registration desk to become citizens of Red Earth City.

At the desk, a scholar was seated, surrounded by soldiers assisting him. This scholar was the first citizen who had moved from another city to receive the medicine.

He wasn’t concerned with threats from others. Moreover, he had no intention of trading or worrying about buying food. As a valued scholar, he would be respected wherever he went. Even if he didn’t want to sell, when he wanted to buy, people would sell to him.

This confidence made him unafraid to relocate his family, unlike other villagers who had to think long and hard before making such a decision.

"I have brought my family to request residence in Red Earth City," said the citizen.

"Hmm, but according to the rules, you must first own land in Red Earth City," the scholar replied. This rule had been stated by Mu Heng himself, so anyone wanting to move cities should have been aware of it.

This rule was in line with the practices of other cities, which did not want to care for or protect the interests of those who were not citizens or who did not pay taxes. Therefore, when forced to sell their land, they had enough money to buy new land in Red Earth City, where land was also cheaper.

"May I purchase land?"

"Yes, of course. Here is a map of the available land. You can inspect it with the soldiers first and then decide which plot you want to buy," the scholar advised.

The citizen nodded in agreement and soon returned with a map marked with black charcoal to use as a symbol.

"Scholar, this is the land I wish to purchase." After arranging the land purchase, they took the family registered as citizens of Red Earth City to receive the medicine first. Since they did not yet have their own house and only had purchased the vacant land, officials arranged for them to stay in the hospital for the time being.

These townspeople, no! It should be said that everyone was unfamiliar with the concept of a "hospital." If it weren’t for Yueqian’s initiative to build it, there would likely be no hospital at all.

This hospital was a relatively large place, with separate sections for patient accommodations, general medical treatments, a secret room for medicine preparation, a library for research and study, and a section for training the hospital staff.

Although it wasn’t as perfect as a real hospital, it was quite a decent place. Everything was well-organized, giving a sense of cleanliness and safety. There were only a few severely ill patients in this hospital, mostly elderly people who could do nothing but rest.

After being led to their room, they were allowed to stay for the night, so they didn’t have to sleep exposed to mosquitoes and bugs like the previous nights.

"Father, will we be cured tomorrow?" A small child asked his father hopefully. His body was very weak, and he couldn’t sit up by himself, so his mother helped him lie down.

"Yes, don’t be afraid," the father said earnestly. His face was also full of fatigue, clearly showing that they had gone through tough times.

"Luckily, those people kept their word. Our family received the medicine, otherwise..." the middle-aged woman said, her face still looking uneasy. She had been opposing the move all along while her husband handled the relocation.

Who started the rumor that they didn’t actually have medicine? She feared that even if they moved to Red Earth City, they might be treated differently. In the end, the medicine might turn out to be just a false promise.

Luckily, it wasn’t a false promise... and luckily, her husband had made a decisive choice in the end. Otherwise, she didn’t know what would become of their children tomorrow.

Originally, the husband and father didn’t want to say much, but seeing his wife still harboring doubts about Red Earth City’s intentions, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"From now on, we are citizens of Red Earth City. We don’t need to fear their schemes anymore. Besides, I told you from the start that the governor of Red Earth City didn’t seem deceitful. He protects the interests of his citizens and must be an honest person."

"But... fine." The middle-aged woman wanted to say more, but in the end, she remained silent. Her strong opposition to joining Red Earth City had already worn her husband out. If she continued to be stubborn or overly suspicious, it might bore him even more.

At worst, he might take the children away from her, divorce her, or even bring a new wife into the house. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became, tightening her grip on her child’s hand.

The middle-aged man understood what his wife was thinking. He sighed, feeling exasperated, thinking, "Women are like this, so annoying and tiresome, incapable of any proper thoughts." Just then, he noticed a woman in a light-yellow dress approaching.

"I shouldn’t have to remind you how important cleanliness is. Whether it’s the patient’s accommodation or your workplace, you must take turns cleaning continuously. Otherwise, this place could become a source of disease outbreaks," a serious voice said.

A beautiful face was hidden behind a cloth mask, which everyone in this hospital wore. The governor’s furen, who was now teaching, had said that it would help reduce the spread of certain diseases. And, of course, prevention was better than cure.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes/yes, teacher," everyone responded in unison. After that, Yueqian walked over.

She looked at an old man sleeping soundly. Beside him was a light-yellow flower, actually an herb that helped with relaxation.

"This flower can assist patients in some ways. Does anyone here remember what kind of flower this is? This is knowledge I recently taught," Yueqian pointed to the pale yellow flower, waiting for t for the person who had just learned to recall.

"Um, is it the Golden Pothos flower?" One woman, who seemed to remember, said. Yueqian nodded and encouraged her to continue. The other party then slowly explained its properties, sometimes remembering and sometimes forgetting parts. Yueqian, of course, helped fill in the gaps where needed.

After discussing the properties of the flower, Yueqian unexpectedly tossed a copper coin to the other party.

"This is a special reward." After she tossed the coin, the student, who answered correctly, was so delighted that she almost jumped for joy.

Seeing such a monetary reward for a correct answer surprised the onlookers. They hadn’t expected the governor’s furen to be so extravagant with money. However, it was also good for those who received the money. It seemed this wasn’t the first time the governor’s furen had  given out money as rewards, like an emperor.

Observing that everyone learning from her had small bags by their side, seemingly for collecting reward money, he felt increasingly exasperated with women, thinking they needed to be controlled well, or they could ruin a family.

Yueqian glanced around, gave a few more instructions, and then noticed the newcomers. She raised an eyebrow slightly before leading her students over.

"Are you the citizens who just moved here?" The beautiful woman asked upon reaching them.

Although she was a little surprised that she guessed correctly, there wasn’t anything particularly admirable about it. Nonetheless, as a new resident and the governor’s furen, the middle-aged man felt it necessary to stand up out of courtesy.

"Respect to the governor’s furen of Red Earth City."

"Respect to Fu..." The wife began to stand up too, seeing her husband do so, but Yueqian didn’t wait for them to finish speaking. The beautiful woman raised a white, jade-like hand to signal them to stop speaking. This made the middle-aged woman pause.

"There’s no need for that. Didn’t you hear what the staff said before you entered the hospital? Once inside here, outside titles and ranks don’t matter. Only skill and ability do. You may call me Medical Teacher, and these others are assistant doctors," Yueqian introduced herself again.

She had adapted the hospital policies from her previous era, applying them here. It didn’t matter what someone’s position was; if they were sick, they needed treatment. When patients arrived together, considerations should be made as to who can be treated more easily or who has more severe symptoms. One cannot prioritize based on wealth; all must be based on the medical necessity of the patient’s condition.

This idea was something Yueqian greatly respected. It wasn’t easy to implement, but if it could be done, it would be beneficial. Naturally, it had to start with her as the governor’s furen. If everyone continued to call her the governor’s furen, what good would that be? Her current role was as their teacher, so patients should also call her teacher.

The middle-aged man, although he began to respect her thoughts, still held some prejudice. He didn’t show it, merely nodding, changing his form of address, and sitting down as Yueqian had instructed.

A small figure approached, making her way to the weak son. She checked his pulse before instructing the staff to examine him.

"How should this child be cared for? This is a basic symptom. All of you who have studied should know," Yueqian asked. A man responded.

"His body is very fatigued. It seems he hasn’t had enough rest. The Golden Pothos flower might help with this." Hearing this, Yueqian nodded, and even the boy’s father nodded in agreement.

Living in a foreign place without a proper bed, how could the children get enough sleep? Not to mention the long journey and their weakened bodies due to the epidemic. They had waited so long, afraid of being deceived. It was no wonder the child was so exhausted by the time they received the medicine.

However, Yueqian didn’t stop there."Does anyone have anything to add?" This time, everyone looked at each other. They could only think that the child needed good rest. The Pothos flower, used for the elderly, could also be used for children. So, what else could be the issue?