“Huh? Just this treatment actually costs thirty-one thousand?”
“Young doctor, it didn’t seem like you did all that much. Isn’t that a bit expensive?”
Hearing the old woman say this, the professional doctors in the live stream couldn’t hold back.
“Even our hospital director wouldn’t dare perform this kind of open procedure. Thirty-one thousand is too expensive?”
“That’s how elderly folks can be. Frugality becomes a habit. Actually, many health issues in the elderly stem from trying to save money.”
“This aunt reminds me of my grandmother. She refused to go get her cavities filled to save money, and eventually all her teeth rotted, so she had to get dentures.”
Qin Jiang also knew that over thirty thousand was a significant amount of money for the elderly couple.
So he patiently explained, “Ma’am, this wasn’t just random tinkering. Any procedure involving cutting is very risky.”
“Moreover, as I said, I’m the only one who can treat your husband’s leg.”
“The choice is yours: keep the thirty thousand, or keep your husband’s leg.”
When communicating with someone like the old woman, emphasizing the difficulty of the treatment was meaningless. It was better to state the outcome directly and let them choose.
Although the old woman was distressed about the money, she wasn’t unreasonable.
After a moment’s thought, she let out a heavy sigh.
“Alright then, thirty-one thousand it is. If thirty thousand can buy a leg, so be it.”
When she looked at the old man now, the previous pride was gone. Jin Cheng’s Iron Leg? More like a money-draining useless leg!
Ding.
[Detected that the host was frank with the patient, revealed the patient’s hidden ailment, and greatly assisted the patient. Task completed.]
[Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward: Pica Correction Pill.]
Looking at the system’s reward, Qin Jiang was stunned.
What in the world is a Pica Correction Pill?
It didn’t sound like a proper medicine at all.
Just as Qin Jiang was puzzled, the old woman, who had already paid, spoke up somewhat sheepishly, “Young doctor, you seem quite capable. Could you take a look at me too?”
“But about the fee… could you make it a bit cheaper?”
Qin Jiang looked confused.
“Ma’am, are you sick too?”
No wonder he asked. From observation alone, the old woman appeared perfectly healthy, without any major issues.
The old woman nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Actually, I’m not sure if it’s an illness… It’s just… I like to eat some rather strange things. If I don’t have it for a day, I feel awful all over and have no energy at all.”
Hearing this, Qin Jiang’s eyes widened.
Holy crap!
Could it be drugs?
Qin Jiang quickly brought a stool for the old woman to sit on.
“Ma’am, what exactly is going on? Please explain in detail.”
The old woman stared at Qin Jiang for a good while before speaking. “I like drinking gasoline.”
“Doesn’t matter if it’s 92 or 95, diesel or gasoline. I can tell just by drinking it what it is and which gas station it’s from.”
What?
That hardcore?
This time, even Qin Jiang was dumbfounded.
The live stream audience erupted in discussion.
“Hahaha, this old couple is something else! One is the Iron Leg of Jin Cheng, the other loves drinking gasoline. They’re both extraordinary!”
“Truly fits the old saying: ‘Those who are alike gravitate together.'”
“I’ve heard of people drinking alcohol, soft drinks, tea… but drinking gasoline? This is a first for me.”
“Being able to tough it out and drink gasoline isn’t the weirdest part. The weirdest part is she can even identify which gas station it’s from. That’s just insane.”
Seeing the old woman’s rosy complexion, Qin Jiang even began to doubt if his observational diagnostic skill had failed.
It shouldn’t be.
If the old woman really liked drinking gasoline as she claimed, how could she be completely fine?
“Ma’am, please put your hand here. Let me check your pulse.”
The old woman placed her hand on the pulse diagnosis pillow.
As soon as Qin Jiang felt her pulse, his brow furrowed.
It was just as his observation had indicated.
The old woman’s body had no major issues; she was actually quite healthy.
“Ma’am, how many liters of gasoline did you used to drink per day?”
The old woman thought carefully and said, “Not every day. That stuff is expensive; who could afford to drink it daily?”
“Probably once every two or three days, about half a bowl each time.”
“After drinking for over half a year, I really couldn’t afford it anymore, so I finally quit.”
Hearing this, Qin Jiang nodded. That made more sense.
Whether gasoline or diesel, it’s definitely harmful to the human body.
But if the amount consumed isn’t excessive, the body can slowly metabolize these toxic substances.
The old woman hadn’t drunk it for very long, and she had quit later, so now she appeared no different from a normal person.
“Quitting was a good thing. Just don’t touch it again. You seem perfectly healthy now, no issues.”
“That’s not it.”
The old woman waved her hands dismissively at Qin Jiang.
“You don’t understand. Right after I quit drinking gasoline, my whole body felt itchy and terrible. I felt listless all day, it was a living hell.”
The more Qin Jiang listened, the more something felt off.
Are you sure you were quitting gasoline?
This sounds like quitting drugs!
Qin Jiang quickly interrupted the old woman.
“Regardless of how bad it felt when you first quit, at least you aren’t drinking gasoline now, right?”
The old woman nodded.
“That’s true, I don’t drink gasoline anymore. Young doctor, do you know why?”
Qin Jiang was caught between laughter and tears. The old woman was being cryptic now.
But with elderly folks, sometimes you just have to play along.
So he put on an interested expression and asked, “Why?”
The old woman leaned in mysteriously and said, “Because I found a substitute. This stuff right here.”
Mysteriously, she pulled a small plastic tube from her pocket.
It looked like a test tube used in chemistry experiments, with a red cap, a transparent plastic body, and a label on the outside.
The tube was about two-thirds full of a tan-colored powder.
Although Qin Jiang didn’t know what it was, he had a bad feeling about it.
Before Qin Jiang could react, the old woman opened the tube, grabbed a small pinch, and put it in her mouth, her face showing an expression of pure bliss.
Qin Jiang was horrified. He even picked up his phone, almost calling the police right then and there.
The expression on the old woman’s face as she ate that powder was all wrong!
Wasn’t this the look of someone high?
Good grief, ma’am, are you coming to my clinic to get high?
It took a while for the old woman to come back to herself. She pointed to the powder in her hand and said to me with a smile, “I used this stuff to replace the gasoline. It’s much cheaper.”
Qin Jiang couldn’t help but ask, “What is that?”
The old woman said very matter-of-factly, “Oh, this is pesticide. The kind I usually use for farming.”
Holy crap, Pesticide!
Qin Jiang quickly snatched the plastic tube from the old woman’s hand. The label on it clearly read: 666 Pesticide!
