LWDC Chapter 140

Chapter 140 – The Doctor in the Black Cloak

Chapter 140 – The Doctor in the Black Cloak

Chapter 140 – The Doctor in the Black Cloak

A stormy night, a corner of a massive estate, within an old white building.

“Doctor Ning has arrived!”

As the door opened, rainwater, driven by the strong wind, soaked the old wooden floor of the first floor. Two figures entered with the wind and rain. The first was a youth whose cloak was already half-drenched; behind him, a tall man carried a bag and was also draped in a large, heavy black cloak, effectively shielding him from the wind and rain.

When the man pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing black hair, dark eyes, and a sharp expression that couldn’t conceal his handsome and delicate features, it was none other than Ning Fei.

Whether it was his imposing aura or the stark and striking contrast of his appearance beneath the black cloak, the young man who had come to greet Ning Fei was stunned. He stood motionless, speechless.

Ning Fei coldly asked, “Where is the patient?”

“On the second floor!” The youth who had fetched Ning Fei quickly stepped forward, guiding him towards the stairs. The one who had been stunned hastily followed, repeatedly explaining, “The Church’s doctors have already seen him, but they said that besides taking medicine and changing the external application daily, there’s nothing else they can do. Emil has to endure it himself…”

Ning Fei didn’t reply, not even glancing at him, and it was unclear if he had even heard him. The trio quickly reached a room on the second floor. Upon entering, the small room contained not only the person lying on the bed, but also two others who seemed busy with something. Those two also looked to be around ten years old, young and handsome, but their faces were filled with worry.

Ning Fei scanned the room, placed the leather bag on a wooden table, and removed his cloak: “Don’t crowd in here, leave one or two to answer my questions, the rest of you get out.”

At his words, the younger ones left, leaving only a youth who looked to be sixteen or seventeen, introducing himself as Yafan.

As the room fell silent, Yafan fidgeted uneasily, asking, “Doctor Ning, Emil, he…”

“How old is he?” Ning Fei interrupted Yafan, pulling on gloves from his bag as he asked, “When did he get injured?”

Yafan thought for a moment: “Fourteen years old! He was probably injured the night before yesterday, and was sent back before dawn. The sheets he was wrapped in were covered in blood, it was terrifying! He was also burning up and delirious, talking nonsense. So we rushed to ask for the Church’s doctors. But those doctors don’t care about the lives of people like us. They came, glanced at him, prescribed some medicine at random, and left.

“After using the medicine, the bleeding basically stopped by today during the day, but there is still some oozing. However, Emil’s fever still hasn’t subsided, and he’s in unbearable pain, especially when he goes to the bathroom, it’s so painful that he faints. He has barely eaten or drunk anything for two days, if this continues, we’re afraid he…”

He spoke in a jumbled manner, even a little incoherently, but Ning Fei understood.

“I need to examine the wound.” Ning Fei’s hands were now covered in thin gloves, as he gestured, “Lift the blanket, and then bring the lamp closer to give me light.”

Yafan immediately stepped forward, carefully helping to lift the blanket, and then bringing the black and yellow greasy lamp closer to illuminate the area.

Ning Fei leaned closer, carefully scrutinizing the wound. It was gruesome, but Ning Fei’s expression was extremely calm and composed, and the mangled flesh didn’t elicit the slightest ripple in his eyes. As his gloved hands touched the area around the wound, the youth on the bed trembled violently.

“Endure it.” Ning Fei’s voice was cold, but also commanded obedience, “You’re like this just from a touch, what will happen during debridement? If you want to live, endure it, and try to stay conscious.”

“I’ll be fifteen next month.” The youth lying on the bed suddenly spoke, his voice weak, “I want to live. I can be released when I’m twenty. I still have family at home…”

“Let’s talk about living until tomorrow first.” Ning Fei interrupted him, continuing his palpation.

Yafan couldn’t bear to look at the ghastly scene under the blanket, and turned his head slightly away.

*

As dawn broke, the rain stopped, and Ning Fei left the house.

The carriage that had brought him was still the one that took him away. The black carriage slowly drove out of the side gate of the estate, unnoticed. Or rather, the early-rising servants who did notice were already used to it.

“Emil, is he really going to be okay?” The youths in the house looked at the medicine Ning Fei had left behind, and hesitated, “Emil was screaming so miserably before, was Doctor Ning torturing him or treating him? Doctor Ning seems so cruel, everything about him is black. And the things he used are so terrifying, animal intestines, addictive herbs, needles roasted over fire… aren’t these the things demons use?!”

“Doctor Ning is already the most dedicated doctor we could find to save us. You think he looks like a demon, then do you think those glamorous nobles, those gold-robed, white-clothed clerics, look holy and gentlemanly enough? What did those people do to us, and how does Doctor Ning treat us?” Yafan frowned in rebuttal, “Do you know that Emil’s area has already… torn to the point of leaking! Doctor Ning personally cleaned up the blood and rotten flesh, and then personally sewed it back up. You—including me—wouldn’t even dare to look at it! And that herb that’s addictive when used too much is already helping Emil with the pain, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to endure the doctor’s stitching.”

The youths timidly said, “Then, Emil will be okay, right?”

“Doctor Ning said that if he can endure it, he can survive. ‘Sometimes, the difference between life and death is just that last breath,’ those were his exact words.” Yafan sighed, “But Emil should only eat liquid food for the next few days. Even so, going to the bathroom will still cause him unbearable pain. All of this, he has to bear on his own.”

“Can’t he continue using that pain-relieving herb?”

“He can, but we have to spend money to buy it. We can’t afford much in the way of consultation fees, and Doctor Ning is already doing us a favor by helping with the minor surgery, and he only left a little of each medicine.” Yafan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it, “But he gave me a list, and we can go to the shops outside and buy according to the list.”

The youths crowded around to read it, saying, “If the manor’s pharmacy has it, maybe we can plead with the apprentices there to get some at a low price.”

“Yes, let’s each try our best to get them later. Since Emil is a member here, we should help each other, otherwise, we will truly be isolated and helpless.” Yafan waved his hand, “Alright, let’s follow the previous arrangement, taking turns taking care of Emil, and the rest of you should hurry up and rest. It’s almost dawn, and there are still a pile of things to do during the day.”

“The daytime is fine, it’s the night we’re afraid of. Another bunch of nobles will come to seek pleasure, and I don’t know who among us will be tormented to the point of being half-dead again…”

One of the youths muttered, causing everyone present to fall silent. They were either numb or knew that resentment was useless, and dispersed in the stagnant atmosphere.

*

Ning Fei returned home and slept until noon.

When he woke up, Ning Fei faintly smelled a fragrance in his room. When he left his room and stood on the second-floor corridor, the fragrance became even more noticeable.

“Doctor Ning, you’re awake!”

A brown-haired, short-haired youth stood downstairs calling to him, “Aunt Ollie used the meat you brought back yesterday to cook a pot of meat sauce! You didn’t wake up in the morning, so she’s been keeping it warm for you. Come down and eat!”

Ning Fei looked at the large basin he was holding in both hands: “You washed my cloak again? I told you not to wash it.”

“Didn’t wash it, just brushed it off, wiped it down. I wanted to take it out to dry while the weather’s still nice, otherwise, who knows when it will rain again.” The youth smiled, “I’ll come back right away after hanging it up, I’ll serve you rice!”

After speaking, he ran off with the basin. Skinny arms and legs, but he seemed to have endless energy.

This twelve-year-old youth was “picked up” by Ning Fei at his doorstep.

To be precise, it was a girl.

Well, this child is actually a girl, but her hair is cut very short and messy, and her skin is dark and rough, so pretending to be a little boy before puberty isn’t too difficult. She also collapsed at Ning Fei’s doorstep on a rainy night. Ning Fei let her in to take shelter from the rain and have a cup of hot tea. Ning Fei didn’t stay with her, and just told her to leave when the rain stopped. But somehow, this girl stayed here, automatically becoming Ning Fei’s “little helper”, using her labor to earn the right to eat and live in Ning Fei’s house. She worked hard and was clever. Ning Fei happened to have only an old woman, Ollie, who came to cook regularly, and hadn’t found anyone else to clean the house or do similar tasks, so he acquiesced to the girl staying.

Anyway, this small house, although said to be divided into upper and lower floors, is actually not large in total area. Plus, Ning Fei’s requirements were not high, and a little helper was enough to manage things.

As for the girl wanting to conceal her gender, Ning Fei didn’t care and didn’t bother to expose her. Even when the girl said her name was “Shalai,” Ning Fei didn’t think it was her real name.

Lunch was eaten by Ning Fei and Shalai together. Ollie, who cooked, packed a portion of the dishes to take home with Ning Fei’s permission. Before leaving, Ollie pulled Ning Fei aside and whispered, “That Shalai, his hands aren’t clean.”

Ning Fei didn’t answer for a moment. Ollie thought he didn’t believe her, and added an explanation: “Really. I remember the things in the kitchen, and you wouldn’t touch them, Doctor Ning, so Shalai must have taken them. It’s fine if he only steals things from the kitchen, but what if he also steals other important items from you, Doctor Ning? These little rascals of unknown origin are often members of those thief gangs. He alone might not be able to do anything to you, but if he brings in his accomplices, you’ll be in danger. You must be careful!”

Ning Fei smiled: “Okay, I understand. Don’t worry about it, just pretend you don’t know.”

Aunt Ollie didn’t quite agree with his attitude, but Ning Fei was the employer, so Ollie could only leave dejectedly.

Ning Fei returned to the dining table. Shalai was waiting for him to eat, and had prepared the cutlery and wine for him. The child was still a little puzzled: “Was Aunt Ollie okay?”

“It’s nothing.” Ning Fei replied casually, sitting down calmly to eat.

He had already noticed that Shalai was a petty thief. They were just things used for livelihood, so let her take them. He could afford to support this hardworking little thief.

Anyway, he already knew how rotten this world was. It was already a common occurrence for children from the bottom of the social hierarchy to survive by petty theft.

He was back for a “vacation,” not to complete debt collection or correct the world, so he could just live however he wanted.

——————–

This volume talks about Ning Fei’s past!

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