Chapter 27: Fever, Fever [1] Smack.
Dolseok stopped fanning and slapped the floor.
"These damn mosquitoes."
"Dolseok, your turn isn't over yet…"
"Yes, yes, Young Master."
Dolseok started fanning again.
"Um, but… when will your turn come, Young Master?"
"I told you, I'm only seeing patients."
"If the patients keep piling up, then you'll just keep seeing them, won't you?"
"You do it, then…"
Summer in Joseon was literal hell.
There were no electric fans and no air conditioners, yet it was scorching hot all the same.
It was to the point that you could not live without leaving the windows open.
Window screens really are a precious invention.
Kanghyeok looked back and forth between the mosquito corpses stuck to the wall and the bites on the back of his hand.
They itched terribly.
Damn it.
It would have been nice if he had some steroid ointment.
Unfortunately, the house-call bag only had antibiotic ointment.
Something like that was no use at all on insect bites.
Though it would at least prevent a secondary infection.
"I'd die happy if I could just have one iced Americano."
Watching the number of patients finally starting to thin out, Kanghyeok muttered to himself.
Dolseok stared at him blankly.
There he goes again, saying some weird tongue-twisting nonsense. Has the heat gotten to him?
The young master was good in every way, except that sometimes he did strange things.
Dolseok turned his gaze to the brood hen tied up in one corner of the yard.
Several more came in today too, so I should make Chilhyang-gye for him.
There were many restorative foods said to be good in summer, but in Dolseok's opinion, chicken was still the best.
Taking advantage of the brief lull, he spoke to Kanghyeok.
"Young Master, how about chicken today?"
"Chicken?"
"Yes. That gentleman likes chicken too."
"That gentleman" referred to Sun-sin.
Kanghyeok found it deeply disrespectful, but there was not really any other way to refer to him.
They could not keep him in the clinic forever, so he was staying at Kanghyeok's house for now.
That meant there was one extra mouth to feed, but Seungmun did not particularly mind.
No, he liked it.
Sun-sin's learning was not limited to military strategy alone, so he and Seungmun were able to converse well.
"Good. Let Father and the servants at home eat too."
"Ah, shall I?"
Dolseok pictured the chicken coop at the main house, now almost completely full.
Every time Kanghyeok opened the clinic, he took in several chickens as payment, and before they knew it, they had unintentionally become rich in chickens.
"Yes. Every morning lately it's so noisy I could die. Let's slaughter them all while we're at it."
"Yes. Understood. Then I'll send word."
"And send some to the tavern too. The troupe members should eat as well."
"Ah, yes, Young Master."
Dolseok opened the clinic door and looked around.
"Where did everyone go?"
Because the money Kanghyeok was bringing in kept increasing day by day, they had purchased quite a few new slaves.
Naturally, Dolseok ranked highest among them, so from his point of view, he now had several underlings.
In a voice lowered with authority, Dolseok called over one of the men lingering nearby.
"Tell them at the house to slaughter some chickens. Ten should do."
"Yes."
Dolseok smiled as he watched the slave dash off at his order as if he were flying.
He seemed immensely satisfied by the fact that someone obeyed his words.
Keeping the smile on his face, he turned back to Kanghyeok.
"Young Master, then shall we close the clinic soon and head home?"
"Yes. Before that… let's stop by Elder Jeong Changgwon's house."
"Ah. Go… Young Master, there really wasn't anything like that, was there?"
"There wasn't. Want to be rolled in a straw mat?"
At the word straw mat, the nearby slaves visibly flinched.
Dolseok shuddered and waved both hands.
"No, no. I believe you. Of course I believe you."
"Go call Yeoni."
"Why Yeoni again?"
"I can't go into that room. There has to be someone to check her condition."
"Ah… yes. Understood."
Dolseok ran across to the tavern opposite them.
He did not forget to bark a few orders at the slaves remaining in the clinic.
"You lot, get the Young Master ready to leave! Haul the ox cart back to the house, and clean up!"
"Yes!"
For all Dolseok went on about straw mats, it was obvious he was still the servant Kanghyeok trusted most.
Even without direct orders, the slaves obeyed Dolseok very well.
I like that. Means I don't have to say useless things myself.
Kanghyeok slowly walked after him.
One slave came forward holding the horse's reins.
"You should ride, shouldn't you?"
"No, that's alright. I'll just walk slowly. You don't need to come along."
He could have ridden, but for short distances, walking was better.
He also hated how crowded and disorderly it got when too many people came along.
It was already hot enough. What was the point of moving around in a swarm?
And they smell a bit too…
Dolseok washed often only because Kanghyeok constantly nagged him to.
The others were not like that.
It smelled exactly like being stuck among trainee soldiers in the height of summer.
"Whew."
A single whiff was enough to make him sigh.
Though thanks to that, he did get bitten by mosquitoes much less often.
"Heave-ho."
With the very heavy-looking house-call bag in one hand, Kanghyeok stepped out of the clinic.
No one dared offer to carry the bag for him.
They all knew he did not entrust it even to Dolseok very often.
He had only just begun walking slowly when Dolseok came running back alone.
"What about Yeoni?"
"Ah, well. Since she's going there, she says she has to dress as a woman and asked you to wait."
"If a woman acts like a woman, is that called dressing as a woman?"
"Well, Yeoni is… practically a man, isn't she."
Dolseok answered with a visible shudder.
He seemed to have recalled the time Yeoni beat up the thief.
"And a woman should at least have a little flesh on her. She's way too skinny…"
Kanghyeok only nodded at Dolseok's slander.
From a Joseon person's point of view, it seemed Yeoni was not especially considered beautiful.
Even the Pyeonsu, whom he saw now and then, had been harsh in his assessment of her looks.
Her face is a little dark, sure, but her features are sharp, and her figure is slim.
Compared to her, Dolseok was almost pitiable to look at as the same species.
And Makbong was not even worth mentioning.
"There they are. Makbong's coming too. Does that bastard do nothing but loaf around all day?"
"Don't be too hard on him. He may be the busiest one among us."
"Him? He only naps all day."
"He doesn't sleep for no reason."
Kanghyeok suppressed a laugh as he recalled Makbong's part-time work.
By then Yeoni approached and bowed in greeting.
With her hair neatly done, she looked unmistakably like a woman.
"Young Master, I'm sorry for being late."
"No, it's fine. But why did Makbong come too?"
"Well, one thing led to another."
"Fine, whatever."
Even if he did not say it, it was obvious Makbong had come along to protect the Pyeonsu's daughter.
Surely if something happened, he wouldn't only protect Yeoni.
Kanghyeok was his benefactor too, so Makbong would not simply ignore him.
Even after treating the Pyeonsu, Kanghyeok had continued to look after them in various ways.
Just today, had he not sent them chicken?
If one was human, one had to repay kindness.
"Alright, let's go."
Changgwon's house was not very far from the market.
As long as they were not sneaking around to avoid patrols, it did not take long to get there.
Being the tallest, Kanghyeok spotted Changgwon's house first.
"We're here."
"Lord Changgwon must be home, right?"
Yeoni murmured uneasily.
Standing on tiptoe, Kanghyeok peered into the house.
"Who knows. The horse is tied up."
"Then he must be there."
"Probably. You'll have to pretend to be a medical woman."
"Oh, honestly. Because of you, Young Master, I end up doing everything."
Yeoni sighed.
Originally, a medical woman was a kind of professional position attained by clever state-owned female slaves who were taught medicine.
As with all books in that era, medical texts were written in classical Chinese, so medical women also knew some basic characters.
Which meant she had to act somewhat educated.
For Yeoni, who had spent her whole life learning only tightrope walking and martial arts, it was a miserable task.
Still, it was fortunate that Changgwon's attitude had changed completely.
"Oh, has Kanghyeok come?"
He greeted him so warmly it was as though some hidden son had returned home.
Compared to the beginning, it was enough to call it a world of difference.
As expected, nothing works better than healing someone's child.
Smiling, Kanghyeok lowered his head.
"Yes, Sir."
"Yes. You've worked hard."
"How is the patient?"
They had long since learned each other's names and faces.
But Kanghyeok still feigned innocence.
There was no reason to tell the truth now.
"Thanks to you, she has greatly improved. Truly a ghost-like skill."
"We still need to keep checking her condition. I brought a medical woman."
"Yes, yes. Please take a good look. I'm truly grateful."
"It's nothing."
"The Busa has summoned me separately, so I need to go out… take your time with your work before you leave."
"Ah, understood."
Changgwon mounted his horse and rode out.
Taking with him one servant to hold the reins.
He really did seem to trust Kanghyeok completely now.
Enough to leave his daughter behind and go.
Though Kanghyeok already knew it, Changgwon's household was truly poor.
Yeoni said with a relieved expression,
"Then it seems the only ones left are the patient and one maidservant."
"I see. Good. Let's go in together."
"Ah, yes."
Yeoni opened the door first and headed into the room.
Since they had already become acquainted, Yeoju welcomed her warmly.
Kanghyeok followed Yeoni in, then turned back.
"Makbong and Dolseok, keep a good watch."
"Yes, Young Master."
Unlike Makbong, who answered crisply, Dolseok tilted his head.
"Young Master, don't do anything strange."
"Makbong, hit that bastard once."
"Yes."
"Ow!"
While Dolseok cried out, clutching his head, Kanghyeok entered the room.
"Greetings, Young Master Baek Kanghyeok."
A face white as snow, thick hair even without a gache, red lips, and neat white teeth.
Yeoju, a classic beauty, was sitting upright with perfect composure.
"Right. How are you feeling?"
"Much better, thanks to you."
"Good. Yeoni, shall we take a look?"
"Yes."
Yeoni carefully removed Yeoju's beoseon.
The reddish swelling that had once covered her leg was gone, and only a pale, slender foot remained.
"It looks very good."
"Yes, good. At this point, I probably don't need to come again. Congratulations. You're all healed."
Kanghyeok laughed heartily and rose from his seat.
Just as he was about to leave the room, Yeoju called out to him in a low voice.
"Young Master."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I heard a rumor."
"What rumor?"
"A rumor that a divine physician has appeared in the market, treating patients in astonishing ways no one has ever seen."
Since it was clearly a description of himself, Kanghyeok let out a small laugh.
Yeoju accepted his smile and continued.
"I would like to see it for myself. How you treat people, for such rumors to spread."
"You want to see? Your father won't sit quietly if he hears of it."
"Do you know why the Busa called for him today?"
"No."
He did not particularly care.
Kanghyeok looked at Yeoju with an indifferent face.
"My father has been put in charge of the education at the new hyanggyo. He will likely be staying there for several months."
That was rather tempting news.
If so, then the risk was almost gone.
But the biggest problem still remained.
Shaking his head, Kanghyeok looked at Yeoju and asked,
"Even so… why should I let you into my clinic?"
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