Using Violence to Suppress Violence

 

“Doctor, may I inquire about a young man named Chen who was just brought in? We would like to see him,” Jing Yi anxiously and politely asked the doctor in the reception hall of the medical clinic.

 

“Yes, we have such a person. Who are you to him?” The doctor asked cautiously.

 

With the principle of benevolence in medicine, they couldn’t afford to worsen the condition of the patient who was brought in unconscious.

 

“I am his boss, he works in my shop. I’m Jing Yi from the Jing Family Hot Pot Restaurant,” Jing Yi explained.

 

“Oh, you’re Boss Jing. Come with me. We arranged for him to recuperate in the backyard. Shan Yao, keep an eye on the shop for now,” the doctor instructed his assistant, leading Jing Yi and the others to the backyard.

 

Compared to the inpatient area, the medical clinic’s backyard was used for the recovery of seriously injured patients or those in a confused state of consciousness.

 

“Jiawen!”

 

Upon entering the room where Chen Jiawen was, they saw him lying on a bed, pale, his clothes disheveled, as if he had rolled on the ground. There were even black footprints on the hem, and most notably, his head was wrapped in bandages stained with white blood. He appeared semi-conscious, looking miserable.

 

Jing An and Dongiang had never seen such a scene. Jing An couldn’t help but cry out loudly, his voice choked up, while Dongjiang, usually composed, was no longer calm and walked quickly to check on Jiawen.

 

At this moment, the doctor, who had followed them in, spoke up, “Quiet! Let the patient rest. You’ve seen him; that’s enough. There is a medicine boy watching over here. Let’s step outside and talk in the courtyard.”

 

Jing Yi also approached Chen Jiawen, observed his face, and found that despite his bad complexion, his breathing was relatively stable. Except for the head injury, other parts didn’t show signs of bleeding. He felt half relieved.

 

But he wasn’t completely at ease. In ancient times, internal injuries were not easy to treat. He quickly followed the doctor to the courtyard to inquire about Jiawen’s condition.

 

“Doctor, how is Jiawen’s injury?” Jing Yi asked.

 

“This young man has various bruises all over his body, likely caused by a beating. Fortunately, he hasn’t suffered damage to his internal organs, which is considered lucky. There are two more severe injuries: one on his left knee and one on his head. The knee injury isn’t a big problem; I’ve applied medicine, and with ten days to half a month of rest, it should heal. But the injury on his head…” The doctor hesitated in his words, and Jing Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, “How about the head injury? Don’t worry about the cost of medicine, we’ll cover whatever it takes. Just focus on healing him!”

 

Upon hearing this, the doctor thought that Boss Jing was indeed different from others and continued, “The head injury is the most severe. When he was brought in, they said blood was flowing all the way, and his current unconsciousness is likely due to excessive blood loss. He is stable now, but we must use precious medicinal herbs for the follow-up recovery to avoid potential risks. If Boss Jing doesn’t mind, I’ll diagnose him again when my senior comes back from his visit. We can then discuss and provide a prescription.”

 

Jing Yi didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately, “Certainly, prioritizing Jiawen’s health is essential. Thank you both, doctors.”

 

Saying this, Jing Yi left Jing An and Dongjiang to watch over Jiawen. He then instructed Steward Tong, to accompany the doctor to settle the consultation fee and medicine expenses.

 

To his surprise, the doctor waved his hand and said, “No need. When Blacksmith Jiang brought the patient, he already paid a deposit of five taels of silver, which hasn’t been used up yet.”

 

Jing Yi then realized that he had encountered the blacksmith at the Ice Nectar Pavillion. He was robust and intimidating, but unexpectedly, he had the courage and kindness to help. Not only did he assist in saving a life and delivering a message, but now he had unhesitatingly covered a deposit of five taels of silver.

 

Thinking about it, Jing Yi decided that once Jiawen stabilized a bit more, he would repay the five taels of silver today and express his sincere gratitude on another day.

 

In Jing Yi’s view, Chen Jiawen’s injuries seemed to result from a workplace incident. Jiawen was a well-mannered young man who usually stayed out of trouble. The only possible reason for his current predicament was some trouble caused by the business dealings of Jing’s family.

 

Whether it was a simple attempt by local ruffians to rob him or a premeditated attack against the Jing family’s business, Jiawen was now caught up in trouble, and Jing Yi was determined to get to the bottom of it.

 

“Husband!” a call interrupted Jing Yi’s thoughts, and he looked up to see Chuxia approaching.

 

“Chuxia, why did you come over?” It wasn’t even three o’clock yet, well before Chuxia’s usual off-duty time. No one in the house should have been gossiping and worrying him like this.

 

Chuxia, being someone who shared a bed with Jing Yi, could instantly tell from his expression that something was amiss. He explained, “No one came to find me. The Ningxia Pavillion is restocking tomorrow, and I thought the account book was at home. I came back to get it. How’s Jiawen doing?”

 

Jing Yi, relieved, patiently explained Jiawen’s situation and reassured him, “He’s stable now, no major issues. Just needs to recover. Since something happened in our territory, our family will definitely handle it.”

 

Chuxia nodded heavily, his eyes slightly red and sour. It reminded him of the time when his father was attacked at the Liu family’s place. He felt helpless back then.

 

Seeing this, Jing Yi immediately understood. It was a shared painful memory for both families. “Darling, don’t worry. Both our families are no longer as vulnerable as we used to be.”

 

“Yeah,” Chuxia responded softly, burying his face in Jing Yi’s neck, his voice carrying a hint of tears.

 

Now, with fewer people needed at the medical clinic, Jing Yi sent steward Tong to handle tasks, and he went with Chuxia to arrange work at the cooling beverage shop. He reported Jiawen’s condition to his father and learned that both Doctor Gu and Doctor Cen were highly skilled doctors with reliable medical ethics who often conducted charity clinics in the countryside.

 

Completely reassured, Jing Yi wasn’t afraid to spend money; he feared encountering unreliable doctors.

 

Doctor Cen was more experienced that Doctor Gu and usually took a look at the patients admitted in the afternoon.

 

After a brief rest, Doctor Cen came to examine Chen Jiawen. He carefully examined, smelled, and questioned Jiawen’s condition, then inquired about the first aid measures and subsequent treatment administered by Doctor Gu. Taking his prescription, he carefully considered it, modified two or three ingredients, and handed a new prescription. This Doctor Cen was different from him; although both were skilled doctors, Doctor Cen was more shrewd and astute, not causing dislike. It was no wonder their clinic was so well-run.

 

“My junior’s prescription is fine, but since Boss Jing isn’t short of money, I’ve changed three more precious ingredients. The difference is that my junior’s prescription can restore normal life for him in about two months, with no recurrence of symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, or nausea. On the other hand, my prescription, though a bit more expensive, can guarantee that after one and a half months, not only will there be no sequelae, but he will also be better than before. The former costs around twenty taels, and the latter about thirty-five taels.”

 

He spoke while observing Jing Yi’s expression. Seeing him readily opting for the better medicine, he nodded in satisfaction and instructed the medicine boy to prepare the evening medicine.

 

Seeing this, Jing Yi thought, “Well, the medicine is already prepared. They seem to understand my character. It’s okay; it’s effective if it works.”

 

Later on, the medical clinic was bustling with people. Jing Yi instructed Xiao An to stay at the clinic to look after Jiawen in the evening. He also told Dongjiang to inform Jiawen’s family that he wouldn’t be returning home today, citing duty at the shop.

 

This well-intentioned lie was a necessary measure. Everything could be discussed once Chen Jiawen woke up.

 

Jing Yi, accompanied by Chuxia, went to repay the five taels of silver to the blacksmith Jiang. He made arrangements with him to express gratitude properly when Jiawen’s health improved. Without disturbing them any further, Jing Yi returned home.

 

“Xiao Yi, what’s really going on? Did blacksmith Jiang’s people see anything?” In the backyard, Jing’s father couldn’t wait and asked Jing Yi, who was taking a break.

 

“Father, please sit first. Let’s talk over some tea.” Now that Jing Yi knew Jiawen was fine, he wasn’t in a hurry. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

 

“Father is anxious. Which group of ruffians did we offend?” Jing’s father asked impatiently.

 

“Blacksmith Jiang’s people didn’t see the assailants. It was his second apprentice who found Jiawen in a secluded alley. No one else was there at the time, and Jiawen was already lying in a pool of blood. They quickly took him to the clinic. That’s the simple version,” Jing Yi said, squinting his eyes.

 

Calling it simple wasn’t entirely accurate. First, the ice cream vendor’s route didn’t include a secluded alley, and Jiawen wouldn’t go there without a reason. Without scouting the location beforehand, it wouldn’t be possible to know about this relatively discreet alley.

 

Second, there were clear signs of a struggle at the scene, and the footprints were extremely chaotic, indicating it wasn’t a one-on-one confrontation. Based on Jing Yi’s military experience, he could tell there were at least three or more assailants.

 

Lastly, although it seemed like a robbery for money and ice cream, there were several ice creams left at the scene, and the outer packaging was intentionally crushed. It didn’t look like they stole it to eat or sell for money. Instead, it resembled a grudge.

 

Jing Yi’s current speculation was that it wasn’t a simple case of ruffians robbing for money. However, these analyses didn’t need to be shared with his family, causing unnecessary worry.

 

He would ask for specific details once Jiawen woke up, and fortunately, Doctor Cen mentioned he would regain consciousness tonight, and his condition would likely improve by tomorrow.

 

The next day, Jing Yi and a determined Chuxia visited the clinic to check on Chen Jiawen.

 

“Brother Jing! I’m sorry; I messed things up! They took away the money and ice cream! I’ll compensate!” Chen Jiawen, a teenager of fourteen or fifteen, was teary-eyed. Seeing Jing Yi made him both apologetic and wanting to complain.

 

“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault! Moreover, this is a work-related injury. You don’t need to compensate. Just focus on recovering; there’s no need to worry about medical expenses or your family. Just call me Brother Jing; it’s not an empty title.” Jing Yi comforted him, wanting to pat his head like he did with his younger brothers. He raised his hand but stopped when he saw Jiawen’s head wrapped in bandages, then awkwardly withdrew it.

 

Hearing this, Chen Jiawen felt even more like crying, desperately holding back his tears. He hadn’t cried even after getting beaten up yesterday, but today his eye sockets seemed unusually shallow.

 

“How do you feel now?” Jing Yi asked.

 

“Much better, Brother Jing. Just a bit dizzy.” Chen Jiawen replied.

 

“Well, that’s normal. The doctor said it’s because you lost quite a bit of blood. But don’t worry; in two months, you’ll be bouncing around again.” Jing Yi reassured him, not daring to promise too much time, leaving some leeway.

 

“Yeah, Doctor told me that too.” Chen Jiawen felt relieved. His worries from when he first woke up were now gone. Brother Jing and the others had arranged everything for him, and he was immensely grateful.

 

“If you’re feeling okay now, let’s talk about yesterday’s situation. We can’t let this beating go without retaliation. In this day and age, reporting to the officials won’t bother them much,” Jing Yi said.

 

“We can only fight fire with fire, right?”