What kind of assistance did Sai Baba provide to the people of Shirdi in his early days, and did he charge for it?

In his early days in Shirdi, Sai Baba, referred to as Maharaj, resided in a dilapidated Masjid and dedicated his time to helping people. According to Chapter 0, he provided medical assistance and gave people medicines. He never accepted any money for his services. The text highlights his compassion by noting that if a patient was not being properly cared for, he would personally go and tend to them himself. It's also mentioned in Chapter 0 that he later stopped giving medicine and instead began to give Udi, or sacred ash, from which people also found benefit.