Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 243 - 237 Spin-off ’Doctors have limits, kindness has limits

"My master showed me my own helplessness," Wang Jian said. "I realized the suffocating feeling in my heart when I walked out of that corridor came from my inability to change anything.

"But... I later found out that after he took me away, my master secretly went back, gave them some money, and even found them a place to stay.

"My master is a Taoist. Even though he has left the Daoist Temple, he can’t help but offer medical aid whenever he encounters such situations. To him, it’s just a matter of saving people.

"After that first stop, he taught me that while doctors may not be saints, saving a life also means healing the heart. Whenever we can, it’s not enough to simply treat the disease. We also have to consider the patient’s environment and even their mental state. Only then can we truly get to the root of the illness."

Wang Jian continued speaking, a gentle smile on his lips as he reminisced.

When Xu Qian had met Master Xu Changqing before, she hadn’t thought the old man was anything special. Now, however, she saw him in a completely different light. It was as if he had suddenly grown in stature, all because... this Taoist was truly a good person.

Still, Xu Qian had her doubts. "But if you help people like that, you and your master can’t possibly help everyone."

"Exactly. That’s why my master also taught me that while a doctor’s heart must be benevolent, benevolence itself has its limits."

"Later, my master took me somewhere else."

「...」

After that, Wang Jian followed Xu Changqing to other regions. They didn’t go to any big cities. Instead, they sought out the smallest, most remote places that lacked hospitals. They even visited some strange military camps...

But what Wang Jian really wanted to tell Xu Qian about was a village that couldn’t even be compared to Paigou Village.

Although both were mountain villages that lived off the land, this particular village was situated between the mountainside and the summit. Getting in or out meant climbing a cliff that was nearly vertical. As someone who grew up in the mountains himself, Wang Jian found the experience particularly memorable. He also lived in the mountains, but his village’s paths were gentle and the infrastructure was well-developed.

In this village, the government had helped replace the old handmade stone path with a steel Heavenly Ladder, but it was still difficult to climb. Yet, the young man who came to greet them scampered up it as if he were walking on flat ground.

For a moment, Wang Jian even wondered if his master had brought him to the legendary Shu Mountain to meet some powerful expert of cultivation arts. Otherwise, how could they move so swiftly up the sheer cliff face, practically flying toward the village nestled between the mountainside and the summit?

But it turned out they were just ordinary people. It was simply a case of practice makes perfect.

When they arrived in the village, Wang Jian discovered that Xu Changqing was deeply beloved by the villagers. From their scattered remarks, he learned that the steel rungs embedded in the cliff face outside had been installed because Xu Changqing had helped find people to build them. In other words, Xu Changqing had already come here and treated these villagers long before the current Heavenly Ladder was built.

Because of this, the moment Xu Changqing arrived this time, he was surrounded by people. A group of elders grasped his hands, their eyes red with tears as they thanked him.

"I was just passing by!" Xu Changqing later explained to Wang Jian, though the explanation felt somewhat weak.

This time, it was Wang Jian’s turn. Xu Changqing didn’t intervene at all, simply watching from the side as Wang Jian went to work. His master was reassured, but it was Wang Jian’s first time treating so many people in a row, like holding a clinic session.

Wang Jian was on edge the entire time. He had to shout to be heard by the hard-of-hearing elderly until his throat was parched, but he didn’t dare stop for a drink. Many villagers had old leg injuries from climbing accidents, making it difficult for them to get around. This meant he had to run back and forth between the mountainside and the summit, making house calls to each family, yet he never dared to utter a single word of complaint.

When it was finally over and Wang Jian allowed himself to relax, he nearly collapsed from sheer exhaustion. But after the exhaustion came a feeling of profound elevation. He felt a joy unlike anything he had ever known before, something he had certainly never experienced in a classroom.

Xu Changqing asked, "Tired?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Wang Jian shook his head. "Not tired."

Xu Changqing asked again, "Thirsty?"

Only then did Wang Jian realize his head was drenched in sweat and his lips were completely dry. He nodded. "A little, yes."

Xu Changqing handed him a water-filled gourd. "It’s mountain spring water from the villagers."

"It’s incredibly sweet!" Wang Jian took a sip, then began to drink deeply. "This is so much better than any drink from a supermarket."

"Hahahaha." Xu Changqing finally asked, "Do you know why I didn’t go all the way with my good deed and just have them all move down the mountain?"

Wang Jian paused his drinking and looked at his master. Xu Changqing was gazing at the scenery below as he spoke softly, "This is their home. They don’t want to leave, and I am powerless to make them...

"I cannot move mountains or fill seas. I cannot turn stone into gold. And I certainly can’t just move the entire village down to a city and ignore all the consequences.

"It’s far too complicated. Even if every single villager agreed to move, would the people in the city below welcome them?

"I am just an old practitioner of Chinese medicine, an old Taoist, an old man.

"A doctor’s heart is benevolent, but even a benevolent person has their limits."

「...」

"Xiao Jian, you’ve found a good master. Master Xu is a good man," Xu Qian said softly. "People can’t do good deeds endlessly. And as doctors, there have to be limits; you can’t help with everything. After all, you’re doctors, not philanthropists. There’s a difference."

"Mmm." Wang Jian smiled, happy to hear her say that. He added, "A doctor must have their own standards. You do your best to treat patients and save lives, never giving up until the very end. But you can’t just hand out kindness indiscriminately. I understand that principle."

Speaking of which, Wang Jian recalled what had happened on the mountain earlier that day with Chairman Kang, and he told her about it. He then started venting about what Chairman Kang had said to the patient’s family. "I even made a point to warn Chairman Kang about it afterward.

"Making absolute promises to patients without even knowing their condition, like he did, is bound to cause trouble for him sooner or later.

"In fact, some hospitals have entire departments dedicated to helping doctors manage communication with patients.

"Once he starts working in a hospital, he’ll probably understand. Curing the patient’s illness is a hundred times more valuable than spouting pleasantries. A doctor can be blunt, but if they tell the truth and successfully cure the patient, they’ll still be met with gratitude. Conversely, if you say too many nice things but fail to deliver—whether it was an honest mistake or not—you will only end up hurting both the patient and yourself.

"Hope is not something to be given out lightly, and neither is kindness."