"Who prescribed the medicine?" Nie Qingyue asked the old doctor with a smile.
"Dr. Chen, my dear girl, your husband has been brewing this for a long time. You must drink it obediently." Dr. Li habitually stroked his beard, his tone as kind and gentle as if coaxing a child.
"I understand. Where is he?"
"I went to grind the medicine for Doctor Chen, saying I'll come see you later."
"Mmm." Nie Qingyue nodded obediently, but after the old doctor left, she couldn't stop coughing again. "What if I cough up my lungs?" Nie Qingyue thought with interest about the spoof movies she'd seen before.
It would only be a few minutes later. Just as she was laboriously pushing open the window and turning over the medicine bowl, Yan Shu walked in, looking exhausted. Could "caught red-handed" be used in this situation? Nie Qingyue smiled bitterly.
Yan Shu's expression instantly turned calm, his deep, unfathomable eyes scrutinizing her without revealing his emotions. Nie Qingyue stuck out her tongue and retrieved the empty bowl, quite certain that Doctor Yan was angry. Her repeated actions like this were truly enough to make even a Buddha lose his temper.
Seeing that he was about to turn and leave, Nie Qingyue mustered all her strength and ran over to grab the hem of his clothes. Yan Shu stopped, but did not turn around to look at her.
Nie Qingyue sighed softly, struggling to calm her labored breathing as she walked to Yan Shu. She looked up at him calmly, her eyes, dulled by illness, suddenly gleaming with their former bright and captivating light. Smiling, she spoke slowly, laboriously, yet earnestly, word by word:
"What Qingyue wants to drink is the medicine that her husband prepared herself."
For the past few days, she has been having the same dream, which is about a plague, but the location is the bustling capital city of Mojing.
Due to a pharmacological oversight, the thirteen-year-old physician, whose reputation was just beginning to rise, watched as his first patient of the same age, who had tried his medicine, died amidst the wailing of his family. After repeatedly checking and correcting the erroneous prescription, the young man widely applied it, saving the lives of the people of Mojing. The court bestowed a generous reward, and the world praised him; amidst a bright future and accolades, the precocious boy chose to become a traveling physician, offering free medical consultations throughout the land. From then on, his diagnoses became infallible, and he brought countless patients back to life.
All the scenes in the dream flashed by like a fast-forwarded camera, but the increasingly calm and indifferent smile on the boy's face was slow and profound, making one's heart ache.
Admitting mistakes and having the courage to correct them leads to a happy ending—a story that seems incredibly inspiring to most people. When Nie Qingyue first heard Murong Luo recount this outside the clinic, she was utterly horrified.
Although he was a doctor accustomed to life and death, that vibrant life had ultimately been lost because of his mistake. The world could view this with calm rationality, could find plausible reasons to explain the value of this death, but the boy could not. No matter how mature, precocious, calm, and insightful a thirteen-year-old boy might be, his heart remained clear and pure. He could allow himself to live freely and playfully in the world, he could overcome his fear and continue practicing medicine, but he could not allow himself to forget the only patient who had died because of him.
Nie Qingyue couldn't imagine what Yan Shu's reason for coming alone and hiding his identity could be besides the problematic prescription.
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Sharing hardship stems from believing in sharing happiness.
The process of waiting for recovery is grueling and lengthy, but it is truly delightful to feel one's vitality gradually returning.
Nie Qingyue was confined to the small mud hut every day, watching the sky darken and lighten. Finally, after much difficulty, she received the old doctor's approval and quickly escaped from her sickbed. She had regained about 70-80% of her strength, and although it wasn't quite a near-death experience, she felt a sense of relief at having survived a close call.
Looking at the light blue sky outside, Nie Qingyue took a deep breath and felt that her love for life had grown even stronger.
After repeated discussions and studies by the doctors, the two prescriptions proposed by Yan Shu were finally selected as the main treatment prescriptions.
"Peony bark, red peony root, rehmannia root, scutellaria root, pinellia tuber, agrimony..." She stared at the densely packed names and quantities of Chinese herbs on the two prescriptions in her hand, unable to make sense of them for a long time. But since these things could cure her, she would just follow them.
Based on the vague memory that one can acquire lasting immunity after illness, Nie Qingyue, after recovering, took the initiative to take on the task of living in the ward and caring for patients. The following days were spent constantly preparing, delivering, feeding, and changing medicine.
The patients were roughly divided into two categories: those with high fever and coughing up blood, like she had before, and those with abnormal lumps on their bodies. Administering internal and external medications, changing dressings, and delivering meals, she had barely finished her work in room one before rushing off to room two. Although she couldn't save every patient's life, the results were much better than Nie Qingyue had anticipated. The plague progresses rapidly and kills quickly; the fact that most patients' conditions had eased and gradually improved within a few days was already the greatest stroke of luck in such a short time.
Inspired by Nie Qingyue's personal example, many recovered patients voluntarily took on the medical and nursing work in the ward. New patients continued to arrive from time to time, but in small numbers, finally allowing Nie Qingyue a little free time.
The old doctor's perpetually furrowed brows finally relaxed a few days ago, and he smiled as he poured Nie Qingyue a cup of tea: "Girl, you must be very busy right now. Go back to the clinic; we can take care of things here."
Nie Qingyue had just taken a sip of tea when she choked, coughing until her face turned red. She quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no need. I'm fine here. I have a lot of things to do."
"You don't want to go back, do you? Girl, did you have a fight with your husband? I haven't seen you two exchange more than a few words these past few days." The old doctor stroked his beard, looking thoughtfully at her embarrassed expression.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Shu walked in carrying a bowl of medicine. He raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw Nie Qingyue and the old doctor looking at each other.
Nie Qingyue turned her head and unexpectedly met Yan Shu's calm gaze. She quickly lowered her head to concentrate on drinking her tea. Glancing at Yan Shu out of the corner of her eye and seeing that he showed no sign of leaving, she put down her teacup, tossed a sentence to the old doctor, and said, "I'm going to room number three to change my dressing," before fleeing. As she walked past Yan Shu, she could almost hear her own heart pounding erratically.
Only the Divine Physician Yan remained, facing the old doctor with an expression that said, "I knew it," leaving him both amused and exasperated.
"Young man, if you two have a disagreement, just be generous and give in, and it will pass. This girl is a good one, cherish her." The old doctor sighed, reminiscing about his own past, as he gave the young man this advice.
"I'm afraid it's more than just awkwardness." Yan Shu looked at Nie Qingyue's retreating figure, his tone helpless, but a smile appeared on his lips, clearly pleased with himself.
Half a month after the medication was confirmed, the epidemic was basically brought under control.
However, it is not something that can be completely eradicated in one or two months. Daily inspections and reports must not be relaxed in the slightest. In addition to the treatment and protection in the wards, continuous and regular disinfection and epidemic prevention are also carried out both indoors and outdoors.
The aroma of the atractylodes and mugwort mixed with realgar and angelica was unexpectedly rich and fragrant, which Nie Qingyue found very invigorating. After being busy for so long, her body, which was just recovering from a serious illness, could not hold up, and she was eventually sent back to the clinic by the doctors on the grounds that she was too slow.
Next door to the clinic lived an elderly woman surnamed Chen. A few days ago, she saw Nie Qingyue shivering in the wind, so she rushed to make her a new cotton-padded coat in two days. Nie Qingyue initially refused to accept it, but the elderly woman, speaking loudly, insisted on putting it in her hands, saying it was a thank-you gift for taking care of the villagers in the clinic. Thick cotton wadding was carefully and evenly sewn into the scarlet floral cotton fabric, and it felt warm and substantial to the touch.
The small cotton-padded jacket fit her perfectly, and Nie Qingyue gratefully accepted it, though feeling rather helpless. The doctors in the room kept calling her "maid," and almost the entire village knew she was a fake "gentleman." The next day, she simply tied her hair into braids and took the rural route.
That evening, the village chief prepared some food and drink at the clinic as a token of the village's gratitude. The dishes, while not extravagant, were made with high-quality ingredients. There were eggs from the Zhang family, aged wine from the Li family, the culinary skills of the Chen family's second sister, and cured meat from the Wang family. Although large gatherings were not advisable due to the ongoing pandemic, this table of food represented the entire village's heartfelt and sincere appreciation. It was a simple yet earnest expression of gratitude, albeit somewhat rustic.
Nie Qingyue was about 70-80% full when she saw Yan Shu being called over by the doctor at the next table. She took the opportunity to wrap herself tightly in her floral cotton-padded jacket and run out to feel the cold wind.
The clinic was crowded, and the warm air from the small stove made her feel somewhat dazed. She figured it would be better to take a walk after dinner to clear her head. Nie Qingyue mentally made excuses for herself as she strolled around under the soft moonlight.
During that meal, she completely lost her appetite, her mind preoccupied with how to subtly minimize contact with Yan Shu at the table. She must have been delirious with illness to do something like that that day; ever since she recovered, the thought of it made her want to disappear. That's why she used the excuse of caring for a patient to stay in the ward and avoid seeing him.
"Ugh, so annoying." Nie Qingyue rubbed her head and found a random spot to stay put.
Yan Shu had just warmed a pot of wine for the doctors in the kitchen when he returned to find Nie Qingyue gone from the banquet. More than half a month had passed; a young woman's normal shyness should have long since passed, especially since his wife was hardly a woman. Recalling that day, Yan Shu smiled and pushed open the door to look for her.
If the prescription he formulated this time based on the patient's condition hadn't been so similar to the erroneous prescription from ten years ago, he wouldn't have come to this village and buried himself in studying the pharmacology and properties of the medicine for so long without participating in the diagnostic discussion. If Nie Qingyue's constitution hadn't been exactly the same as that of the drug test subject who died ten years ago, he wouldn't have hesitated so much before finally using another doctor's medicine first.
If it were anyone else, he might have immediately switched to the original prescription. But perhaps, as she said, concern clouded his judgment. If the scene from ten years ago were to repeat itself on her… he didn't want to think about it.
"Isn't Madam afraid of losing her life?"
When he told her the truth and the possible serious consequences, Nie Qingyue's expression was quite intriguing.
There was a sense of surprise, but more than that, there seemed to be a feeling of understanding and relaxation.
She relaxed her brows and winked mischievously, "Of course I'm scared." Her eyes gathered shimmering water, as if holding the last breath of life, and the smile on her lips was captivating and bright.
She then reached out her slender arms to encircle his neck, and quickly placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth while standing on tiptoe. He was somewhat unaware of what was happening, most of his senses still lingering on the light, butterfly-wing-like touch on his lips.
Before she could even process what had happened, Nie Qingyue had already wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and murmured, "Compared to death, does my husband know that a woman fears loneliness even more?"
"So?" He raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
“So,” she paused slightly, tilted her head, and looked up at him with a smile, her tone like that of a willful and capricious woman demanding her lover’s promise, “If Qingyue dies, please go with Qingyue, my husband.” She was originally a woman of gentle and easygoing nature, but at this moment her bright eyes shone with an intense brilliance of great joy and sorrow, and deep affection.
The room was quiet and peaceful, with only the biting north wind howling outside the window.
Her last words kept replaying in my mind, seemingly frivolous yet revealing an unusual seriousness.
"If Qingyue dies, please let your husband go with her."
Such a promise, if taken lightly, is merely a word or two of careless talk; if taken seriously, it becomes the price of a lifetime of entanglement.
The woman before him had only risked their lives, placing complete trust in his medical skills to reassure him about using the medicine and free him from all burdens. This extreme escape route, a life for a life, ironically addressed the root of his inner turmoil. He would not repeat the regrets and mistakes of ten years ago; if they failed, they would go together.
She stood silently, looking directly into his eyes, her smile clearly revealing a confident certainty that things wouldn't come to this. Yan Shu, gazing into her earnest and composed bright eyes, suddenly found himself unable to look directly at her.
Perhaps, trust is more than just believing who can save whom in times of trouble.
Rather, it's about being able to walk out of danger together with that person.
It has nothing to do with romantic love; it's just that the biggest prerequisite for daring to make such a promise—that kind of unreserved trust—is that one is willing to risk one's life. For a moment, I even felt that it didn't matter.
Yan Shu walked along the quiet village road, enjoying the cool breeze and carrying a warm yellow paper lantern.
As expected, I spotted the figure a few meters away, leaning casually against an old tree trunk with no regard for decorum. She was wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket, a common sight among village women, and had her hair in two braids. If it weren't for the fact that it was night and there was no one else around, one might mistake her for a girl from the village at first glance. There was no trace of the radiant and captivating charm she had displayed that day.
"Nie Qingyue, Nie Qingyue, how could you do such a thing?" The night breeze carried the woman's low murmurs from ahead. Yan Shu saw Nie Qingyue burying her face in her hands, looking annoyed, and immediately smiled.
He hung the lamp askew on a low tree branch and sat down beside her leisurely.
Sensing someone beside her, Nie Qingyue glanced up at them, then turned away expressionlessly. When she glanced back, her face had changed to one of shock.
"Could you be any slower in reacting?" Yan Shu chuckled as she moved to leave, then swiftly grabbed her arm.
Nie Qingyue was caught in a dilemma and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "...Yes."
"You're not afraid of death, so why are you so afraid of seeing me, Madam?"
"...No way." He was forcing an unnatural expression.
He stretched out his arms and gently encircled her slender body, trying to soften his tone to help her relax: "It was just a kiss, you should have been able to avoid it for half a month, madam."
After hiding for half a month, the taciturn man blushed and finally spoke honestly: "It's not just because of that."
"Hmm, what else is there?" Yan Shu coaxed gently.
Nie Qingyue stared at his handsome profile for a long while, then said, "I can't tell you."
Looking down at the eyes of the person in his arms, dark and bright, blinking as if hiding many secrets, Yan Shu's expression was thoughtful. A playful thought suddenly arose in his mind, "If my wife feels embarrassed, I don't mind making amends." Before he finished speaking, a sharp pain shot through his waist. He sighed inwardly, "She's recovered so quickly."
Nie Qingyue's cheeks were still slightly flushed, but she grinned triumphantly, withdrew her wicked hand, and nodded obediently and innocently: "Thank you, husband, I've made up for it."
The nature of things has now been seen.
Have you ever been moved by something eternal?
As the intense sunlight of the early morning after the rain pierced through the clouds and poured down, countless rays of light, measured in light-years, slowly converged along their unchanging paths, instantly filling the sky and illuminating the entire landscape. Nie Qingyue unconsciously covered her mouth. Her outstretched hand could not grasp even a sliver of light; its pale golden hue flowed like water across her pale palm, swift yet gentle.
Compared to the vastness of heaven and earth, human life is always too short, which is why the ancients held an almost devout reverence for nature, which has endured countless ages. Even Nie Qingyue, at that moment, almost believed in miracles. That immense power that transcends thousands of miles of rivers and streams is the only existence that will never be extinguished, through the changing seasons and the passing years.
The eyes, which had been staring directly at the powerful light source, could no longer withstand the dazzling brilliance before them. It wasn't until Yan Shu's large hand covered their vision that they felt a burning pain and tears welled up in their eyes. The afterimage of the red-hot light and shadow still flickered in their darkened vision.
Nie Qingyue sighed with some satisfaction and pulled down Yan Shu's hand that was covering his eyes.
"There really was a sunrise." She smiled and rubbed the tears that had welled up in her eyes.
Just an hour ago, she was huddled in the corner of the bed, shivering slightly under the cold quilt, with the small stove a few steps away burning low and about to go out. But Yan Shu suddenly pushed open the door and entered quietly at this moment of utter silence, relighting the stove.
The warm orange light slowly spread out, and Nie Qingyue, huddled in the corner of the bed, watched Yan Shu set up the stove as if he was about to leave, and gently called out to him.
Yan Shu was somewhat surprised to see that her eyes were clear and she seemed to have not slept all night: "Can't sleep?" The hand peeking out from under the blanket was as cold as melting snow. Although he knew that she was weak, her low body temperature was really unexpected.
"Hmm." Nie Qingyue unconsciously moved closer to the source of warmth. Perhaps it was because it was getting closer to the depths of winter and her body was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, or perhaps it was because the wind and rain had gradually subsided overnight, but she had been unable to fall asleep since nightfall.
"Does my husband come in to add firelight every night?" Even when she was tossing and turning in her sleep, she would never sit up towards the door. Yan Shu was always very quiet and made no sound. She only remembered that every time she vaguely opened her eyes, the warm, soft light in the room had never gone out.
"Hmm." "Wouldn't that mean I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully?"
"I just come in to check on things every day when I wake up." Yan Shu pulled back the quilt, which was only slightly warm, and hugged her. "This... so early." Nie Qingyue's eyes widened.