Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 249 - 243 Three Minutes of Poison

Back in the car, Heizi took out a cigarette and lit it, but the sight of it immediately brought Wang Jian’s words to mind. What rotten luck. He took a fierce drag from the cigarette before flicking it out the open window. Quit smoking? It’s not that easy.

Heizi frowned, staring at the nearby courtyard he had just left. This Doctor Wang really has some skill. He completely played me and made me almost forget my purpose. Before I even knew what was happening, Wang Jian was already leading me out. The smell of herbal medicine in the clinic was overwhelming, and I couldn’t tell if the Ginseng King was even there. Since the soft approach didn’t work, does that mean I have to use force?

Feeling a burning sensation in his lower abdomen, Heizi fell silent. Damn it, how am I supposed to make a move now? This isn’t right...

Still, Heizi didn’t have the guts to tell Lu You about the situation directly. If Lu You had to come himself, the consequences would be even more severe. So, Heizi just sat there in the car, waiting. Time without cigarettes felt like an eternity. He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until Wang Jian finally finished up and came out of the courtyard.

By then, most of the villagers had gone home for dinner, and the streets were nearly empty. Occasionally, one or two people could be seen sitting on small stools at their doorsteps, eating from their bowls while enjoying the mountain scenery.

Heizi followed Wang Jian all the way to his doorstep, making no effort to hide as he walked directly up to him.

"Doctor Wang... I’m sorry," Heizi said, approaching Wang Jian and taking off his sunglasses. "I’m actually here to retrieve something that belongs to my boss."

Wang Jian was taken aback. Hearing the noise, Xu Qian came out of the courtyard. Seeing Wang Jian with Heizi and not understanding the situation, she asked, "Is this your friend?"

Wang Jian glanced at Heizi, then at Xu Qian, and finally nodded. Of course, he knew Heizi was up to no good. What kind of patient follows his doctor home and starts a conversation with ’I’m sorry’? But since his sister-in-law was there, Wang Jian chose to de-escalate. "He’s a patient of mine, and he has something to discuss with me. You go inside first. I’ll be right there."

Wang Jian behaved as usual, and Xu Qian, unsuspecting, returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Only after Xu Qian had left did Wang Jian turn to Heizi and say, "You’re here for the Ginseng King, aren’t you?"

"Hmm?" Heizi was caught off guard by Wang Jian’s directness. "How did you know?"

"To date, I’ve only had run-ins with two groups of patients who wanted to cause trouble," Wang Jian said, counting on his fingers. "The first was Li Long and Zhao Hu, and the second is you."

"The first time they came to see me, they actually tried to kidnap me," Wang Jian laughed. "The next time they showed up, they were covered in blood. If they hadn’t found the Ginseng King, Zhao Hu would be dead. Because of that, they gave me the Ginseng King," he recounted. "Believe it or not, at first, I didn’t even realize they had given it to me. It was my junior apprentice who found what Li Long had left behind while cleaning the clinic. Later, they sent someone to tell me that people would definitely come looking for me because of this Ginseng King..."

Wang Jian shrugged and looked at Heizi. "I just didn’t expect anyone to come so fast."

Heizi was silent. He had chased down high-interest loans in the past and had encountered all kinds of debtors when collecting: people who pleaded poverty, people who cried and wailed, people who fought back with knives, and even those who threatened suicide. But he had never met anyone like Wang Jian.

Heizi was unsettled, pausing for a long moment before continuing, "Since you already know, I don’t need to say much more. That Ginseng King from Li Long and his friend—my boss needs it to save his life, so I have to take it back. If you’re not willing..."

He was about to issue a threat to make Wang Jian understand the consequences, but to his surprise, Wang Jian spoke first. "Alright, just wait. I’ll go find it for you."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and shouted toward the house, "Qianqian, do you know where I hid that medicine I put away earlier?"

"I know," Xu Qian’s voice called from the house. "What’s wrong? Do you need me to get it for you?"

"Yes!" Wang Jian laughed. "I told you someone would come for it."

Hearing this, Xu Qian glanced at Heizi, then nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll go get it. You two should come inside and sit. It’s windy out here."

As she untied her apron and headed inside, she didn’t forget to add, "I have soup simmering on the stove. If you hear it start to boil, go check on it."

Wang Jian replied, "Go on, don’t worry. I’ll watch it." Then he turned to Heizi and asked, "Why don’t you come in and sit for a bit? Have some tea?"

Seeing Heizi’s strange expression, Wang Jian smiled. "You don’t need to be so wary. I’m right here; I’m not going to run off. I knew from the start that the Ginseng King belonged to someone else, so I never touched it. I was just waiting for someone to come claim it. If I’d known who it actually belonged to, I would have returned it myself long ago."

"I’ve been in this game a long time, but this is the first time I’ve met someone like you," Heizi said with a bewildered look. "That’s the Ginseng King. Even if you don’t use it yourself, you could sell it for over ten million, no problem. To someone who desperately needs it, it could even be priceless."

Wang Jian led Heizi to a couple of stools in the yard and sat down. Hearing Heizi’s words, he laughed out loud. "Because I’m not greedy."

"I have no need to bring that kind of trouble on myself over a single ginseng root."

As he spoke, Wang Jian added a warning, "Since your boss wants a Ginseng King like this so badly, he must be critically ill. His body must be failing, and he needs something like this to hang on to life. But I have to warn you, a Ginseng King like this is extremely potent. Taking it might not prolong his life; it might kill him instead."

"What do you mean by that?" Heizi asked, puzzled.

Wang Jian shook his head and explained, "There’s a saying in Chinese medicine: ’All medicine is three parts poison.’ But this ’poison’ doesn’t mean it’s literally venomous or toxic."

Heizi had always taken the saying literally, so Wang Jian’s interpretation piqued his interest. Knowing Wang Jian was highly skilled in medicine, he was eager to learn more. "Then what does it mean?"

"In Chinese medicine, we focus on the medicinal properties of herbs, which are used to either stimulate or inhibit certain functions depending on your body’s condition. When a sick person takes medicine, its effect isn’t just to strengthen their body; it can also strengthen their illness," Wang Jian said. "Does that make sense?"

Heizi nodded subconsciously. "You mean, it strengthens both the good and the bad parts at the same time."

"Exactly," Wang Jian smiled. "That ’three parts poison’ refers to how it also strengthens the unhealthy parts of the body."

"So, while the medicinal properties of this Ginseng King are powerful, I’m afraid your boss won’t be able to handle it," Wang Jian said with a sigh. "If that ’poisonous’ aspect causes his body to collapse completely, then no amount of nourishment will do a damn bit of good."

Although Heizi didn’t understand medicine, after hearing Wang Jian’s explanation, he suddenly felt that taking the Ginseng King back might not be such a good idea after all. Unfortunately, the matter was out of his hands.