Chapter 629 - 327: First Diagnosis
Zheng Changhe was an honest man and quickly comforted Juhua. "If it’s lost, it’s lost. We can only say we had bad luck. That little girl was probably scared, otherwise she wouldn’t have run off. Doctor Qin, did your master beat her after she got home?" He thought the girl must have been terrified to run away, which meant the medicine was something special, and he worried she would be punished for it.
Seeing he was still worried Yun Ying would be beaten, Qin Feng’s expression grew somber. He said softly, "My master... he has already passed away."
Although everyone had been angry, the atmosphere had been lively with talk and laughter. But hearing Qin Feng say his master had died, they all fell silent, unsure for a moment how to comfort him.
Qin Feng was quiet for a moment, then offered a small smile. "He was over seventy, which is a ripe old age. He sensed his time was coming, so it wasn’t a surprise."
Zheng Changhe breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good, then. We’re simple folk and don’t know what to say, but when the elderly reach their time, they must go. We of the younger generation just have to accept it."
Qin Feng nodded. He then spoke with the others about Master Yun’s medical skill and reputation. When they learned he was the sage of medicine in Jing Country, they all sighed in admiration. Juhua, for her part, became even more determined to find a way to make Qin Feng stay.
After the meal, Qin Feng rested briefly before heading to Li Changliang’s home—he and Liu’er had already moved into their renovated house—to examine Liu’er. Huai Zi and Juhua accompanied him.
As expected, after checking Liu’er’s pulse, Qin Feng told them that her condition was not life-threatening. He explained that her weakness stemmed from a miscarriage, but this recent pregnancy had been lost because someone had poisoned her. After she lost the baby, a residual poison remained in her system. In a small place like this, no one would have been able to treat her, and Liu’er would never have been able to have children again. However, Qin Feng’s medical skills had advanced to another level in recent years, so this illness was no problem for him.
He skillfully performed acupuncture on Liu’er, then wrote a prescription. He instructed Li Changliang to go to the market early the next morning to buy the herbs, adding that he would come by again to give Liu’er another treatment and teach him how to brew the medicine.
When he was finished, he looked at Liu’er and Li Changliang, who were crying with joy, and at the happily smiling Juhua and Zhang Huai. ’Liu’er has been sick for so long, and her condition seemed dire, but it’s actually not difficult to treat,’ he thought. ’Juhua, on the other hand, looks fine, but her situation is the truly dangerous one.’
Li Changliang, a rough man, was crying like a child and looked as if he wanted to kneel before Qin Feng. He hadn’t dared to hope for more; he only wanted Liu’er to live and stay by his side. But now Doctor Qin had come, and his Liu’er would soon be as lively as ever and could even bear him children. How could he not be overcome with emotion?
Having been in his care for these past days, Liu’er had come to realize he was different from the rugged coarseness of men like Qingmu and Zhang Huai. Toward her, he was as gentle as spring water, and her heart had long since been captured by him. Her feelings for Qingmu back then had been a hazy infatuation full of longing, but Li Changliang made her feel a real, tangible love—honest, simple, yet as intense as fire. It was an intoxicating feeling for a woman who had suffered so much.
Li Changliang cried with Liu’er for a while before Juhua and Huai Zi’s comforting words helped him stop. A cold glint flashed in Li Changliang’s eyes. He would not let the person who dared to poison Liu’er get away with it, even though she was no longer with the Tang family.
Liu’er understood what he was thinking. She quickly grabbed his hand and shook her head. She didn’t want any more trouble; she just wanted to live her life in peace. If Li Changliang got dragged into this, she would truly have no hope left.
When Qin Feng and the other two took their leave, the couple walked them a long way down the road before turning back.
Juhua leaned against Huai Zi, walking in the hazy moonlight and feeling the gentle breeze on her face. She was in an excellent mood. She said to Qin Feng, "Doctor Qin, you have no idea, but when Liu’er was divorced and sent home, she nearly died. For you to have cured her is a truly virtuous deed. I haven’t had much contact with doctors before, but seeing you bring Liu’er back from the brink of death has made me realize how extraordinary and sacred your profession is."
Qin Feng smiled faintly. "Didn’t you save Little Shitou, too? And as for Liu’er, if you hadn’t first comforted her and helped her recuperate, I’m afraid she wouldn’t have made it this long. In truth, you should be the one credited with saving her."
Huai Zi nodded in agreement. He also felt that Juhua had saved Liu’er.
Juhua laughed. "It was just a lucky guess. I don’t know anything about medicine; I was just fumbling in the dark."
Qin Feng said softly, "Even if you were fumbling, you fumbled in the right direction. Juhua, I’ll check your pulse later and see how well you’ve cared for your body all these years, just so we have a better idea. I’ve noticed you’re quite good at managing your diet; I’m just not sure how well you’ve applied it to yourself."
Huai Zi was overjoyed to hear this and said quickly, "Yes! He should check, so we know where things stand. Juhua, walk a little faster. The sooner he can check you, the sooner Doctor Qin can rest—he traveled all day and still had to treat you all. He must be exhausted."