19 Why didnst you run faster then? (1/2)

”It was a mistake,” Ren Xiaosu explained with a smile. ”This is the first day of work for our nurse, so she doesn't know the exact procedures yet. Come, let's continue suturing. Big Sister Xiaoyu, treat it as sewing clothes.”

Xiaoyu was not afraid of blood. Frankly, everyone in town was used to seeing people die all the time, so it wasn't such a big deal when they had to face minor injuries like these. Besides, she really enjoyed her current job. It wasn't that she liked seeing blood, but that she liked being a ”useful” person.

It was common knowledge in town that everyone had to be useful in the current environment as it was full of hardship and difficulties. Useless people would get abandoned sooner or later. This was the simplest logic for deciding who to live around.

Xiaoyu was unsure if Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan would abandon her due to her uselessness, but she knew that she couldn't just do nothing and leach off of them.

When she heard Ren Xiaosu tell her to stitch up the wound like she was sewing clothes, her confidence grew and her stitching motions became much more consistent.

Furthermore, Ren Xiaosu was still holding down that man by his arm, so it made it easier for her to put her sewing skills to good use.

When the suturing was almost finished, Xiaoyu said to Ren Xiaosu, ”There's still some difference between stitching up a wound and sewing clothes. When sewing clothes, the thread should stay hidden in the clothes as far as possible so that it won't be visible. But for the suturing of a wound, the thread should not be left inside and has to be reverse stitched. However, that makes it look quite ugly.”

The three patients became incredibly uncomfortable. The more Xiaoyu said, the more flustered they became.

When Xiaoyu finished suturing, Ren Xiaosu took out a small porcelain vial and applied the medicine onto the first patient's wound. ”My medicine is very precious, but I will not overcharge you for it. I'll just charge you the same fee as the clinic does, 600 yuan. I believe all of you should be able to afford it.”

The price of a cotton-padded jacket was around 600 yuan. However, these workers' salaries per month were probably at around 2200 to 2800 yuan. This made the price of the goods sold relatively expensive to their salaries earned. But all of this was due to a supply and demand issue. The aristocracy in the stronghold could not wish more for these people to earn as little as possible for the rest of their lives. In that way, they would have to keep working earnestly for the aristocrats.

Besides, these workers could not just drop everything and leave since they would not be able to survive in the wilderness. The aristocracy relied on this to exploit the refugees.

In the opinion of the aristocracy, it was already nice that they did not make the refugees pay protection money to them when they were living under the protection of the stronghold. But that was only because they felt that protection racketeering was below them.

The reason Ren Xiaosu could get by in the past without needing to go to work at the coal mine was because he only needed to hunt three sparrows a month to earn more than the majority of workers. Even if he did not manage to hunt three sparrows, he could scrimp and save and still be able to lead a normal life.

These were abnormal times, and people tried resisting it at the beginning. However, they all failed.

…

Ren Xiaosu was right that the three men could afford the fees. After the black medicine was applied to the wound of the first patient, his pain immediately stopped. He paid up very willingly as the fee would have been the same if he went to the clinic to treat his injury.

When the patient who had just been treated was about to leave, Ren Xiaosu said amiably, ”Shouldn't you be saying thanks now that you've been treated?”

The man shuddered and quickly turned his head back and said, ”Thank you!”

Ren Xiaosu nodded in satisfaction. However, when he had a look in the palace, he was startled to find that he did not gain any additional gratitude tokens!

Ren Xiaosu thought, 'Are patient-doctor relationships these days all as tense as that?! I've treated your wound, yet you won't even give me a sincere thank you?!'

Immediately, Ren Xiaosu heard the voice from the palace informing him that he had completed the quest. ”Quest complete. Awarded 1.0 Strength.”

The quest to successfully treat one patient was finally complete. He did not expect the palace to award him with another 1.0 Strength increase. It was also one of the things that Ren Xiaosu desired most at this moment. After all, whoever had the bigger fist won.

The voice from the palace intoned again, ”Quest: Successfully treat two patients.”

Eh, so this was a repeatable quest? When the first quest was completed, another quest of a higher difficulty would appear.

Weren't there two patients in front of him right now?