the healer, who was tired, overworked, and not cruel, but had allowed the pressure of running the clinic to make him forget that poor families sometimes needed help rather than another bill. Bai Li did not threaten him. She asked to see his records and offered to arrange a supply of common medicines through Mount Hua's medical hall. The healer's embarrassment was plain. He explained that the clinic had been short of money for months and that he had begun asking for payment in advance because he feared the town would be unable to keep the doors open.
