Denghuaxiao

Chapter 231 The Past Repeats

There was a heavy snowstorm at night.

Strong winds blew up heavy snow, and the ruined temple was almost blurred in the vast sky and earth, leaving only a faint shadow.

Lu Tong hurried to the plague center, and just as he reached the door, he heard Cuicui's heart-wrenching cry.

"Dad, dad——"

The patients who had gathered in the plague clinic and laughed joyfully during the day were now all silent, their faces filled with despair under the dim light.

Lu Tong lifted the curtain and as soon as he walked in, he smelled a strong smell of blood.

Ding Yong was lying on the couch, his face had turned a strange blue color, and his two arms hanging by the bed were covered with shocking large purple spots, and he was spitting blood.

Medical officers on both sides were holding his hands, and the gushing blood had dyed the mattress beneath him red.

Cuicui knelt beside the bed, crying until her voice became hoarse. When she saw Lu Tong come in, she rushed to her.

"Doctor Lu," she cried, "What happened to my father? He was clearly getting better, and his red spots had disappeared. Why did he suddenly become like this?"

Lu Tong looked at Ding Yong lying on the couch, but before she could say anything, the next moment, Cuicui suddenly knelt down two steps forward, lowered her head, and kowtowed to her.

"Cui Cui——" Lin Danqing came over and pulled her.

Cuicui refused and stubbornly pulled at the hem of Lu Tong's skirt, as if she was grabbing the last straw.

"Doctor Lu, please save him. I, I can sell myself to you. I can do anything. Please save my father. I can do anything—"

She howled and slammed her forehead heavily on the cold and damp ground of the plague center, and blood spurted out in an instant.

Lu Tong was suddenly shocked and couldn't help but take a step back.

For a moment, it seemed like I was back many years ago.

It was also during such heavy snow and severe winter weather that she met Yunniang when she was desperate. She knelt down and kowtowed to her, willing to exchange her life for her family's chance of survival.

Life is unpredictable and unpredictable. At this moment, fate exerts its terrifying and strange power. The weak and reckless girl from Changwu County in her childhood suddenly overlaps with the helpless and pitiful little girl suffering from the epidemic in southern Jiangsu. She becomes Yunniang, the "Bodhisattva" who is relied on by others.

Yunniang's face vaguely appeared in front of me.

The woman looked at her with a smile and touched her face gently.

"Give up, Xiao Shiqi, you can't save anyone."

Cuicui's voice became more and more sad, and Ding Yong, who was unconscious on the bed, seemed to be awakened by the crying. He struggled to stand up, looked at Cuicui with love, and then shouted with a gasp: "Take her away--"

"Dad——" Cuicui walked forward crying.

"Don't let her see it." He turned his face away with great effort, not wanting his daughter to see the blood gushing out of his mouth. "Don't let her see it... Don't let her see it..."

The man's eyes bulged out due to the pain, veins on his forehead were exposed, and he tried his best to suppress his groans, but the blood gushing out of his mouth made his forbearance even more tragic and horrified.

Cuicui was taken out by the medical officer. Seeing his daughter leave, Ding Yong breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his grip on the mattress.

"Ding Yong, Ding Yong!" Chang Jin tried to give him acupuncture, but it was no use now.

Lu Tong half-knelt in front of Ding Yong's bed, cleaning the blood that kept gushing out of his mouth and nose. The blood was like a bright red spring, gushing out and could not be stopped.

A hand suddenly grabbed Lu Tong's wrist.

Lu Tong looked up and Ding Yong looked at her pleadingly.

"Doctor Lu," he said intermittently, "I only have Cuicui as my daughter... They say you are the best doctor and the best doctor in Shengjing. Cuicui likes you the most. Please cure her... Let her live, let her survive..."

In a trance, Lu Tong's eyes gradually warmed up, and she held Ding Yong's hand: "She will be alive."

"it is good……"

Hearing this, Ding Yong smiled with relief. Perhaps the pain blurred his mind, and he gradually became confused. He held Lu Tong's hand and said, "Girl, Dad is leaving... Don't, don't always think about Dad. Dad once told you that people should look forward and not keep thinking about unhappy things. In the future, you must study hard and live a good life. When you get married, Dad is watching you in heaven. You must live to be a hundred years old... In the next life, Dad will still weave grasshoppers for you..."

Lu Tong stared at him blankly.

"Daddy's good daughter..."

He murmured, "I must...live well..."

The skinny hand covered with purple spots suddenly dropped down. She tried to grab it, but it was empty.

"father--"

A heart-wrenching cry of pain came from behind.

That moment seemed to grow very long.

The little girl broke free from the doctor's hand and rushed to the bedside, howling over and over again: "Dad, Dad, please get up and look at me, Dad, Dad, please look at me..."

"Don't go, don't leave me alone..."

The mournful cries echoed throughout the entire inn and were soon drowned out by the wind and snow outside.

Lu Tong wanted to pull her up, but Cuicui suddenly turned her head and looked at her fiercely.

"Didn't you say that doctors are there to save lives?"

"Didn't you say we wouldn't die?"

Cuicui grabbed her dress and asked unwillingly, "Didn't you say that the wick bursting was a sign of great happiness, and that Dad and I would be fine?"

"Why did my father die?" she cried. "Why did he die?"

The girl pushed hard, causing Lu Tong to stagger and be supported by someone behind him.

Lu Tong turned around and Pei Yunying let go of her hand and looked down at her with a frown. He must have just arrived and didn't have his sword on his waist.

Cuicui let go of the hand that was clutching the hem of Lu Tong's skirt, fell to the ground and burst into tears.

Lu Tong's heart ached. He could no longer stay here, so he turned around and strode out of the plague center.

"Sister Lu——" Lin Danqing shouted.

Pei Yunying turned around and followed.

Lu Tong walked very fast.

Outside the door, the wind was strong and the snow was heavy. Outside the dilapidated temple in southern Jiangsu was pitch black. As she walked, she gradually began to jog, as if she did not dare to look back at the small, sad dilapidated temple behind her, for fear of looking back again.

There is a lot of suffering in the world, and she realized this a long time ago.

She has always been a merciless monster who came only for revenge. Opening a clinic and being a doctor are just means of revenge. She doesn't care about doing good deeds or saving the dying and the wounded. Apart from revenge, she doesn't care about anything else in the world.

But at this moment, just at that moment, how much she wanted to save him.

How she wanted to save them.

Just like how Yunniang saved my parents back then.

The little girl's happy voice still echoes in my ears.

"Grasshopper! For you, Doctor Lu. Daddy and I have been feeling much better these past few days. Daddy said that we will be able to leave the plague center soon. When next spring comes, you will be able to accompany me to the creek to catch crabs."

The voice gradually faded away and turned into the man's last lingering feeling.

"Girl, Daddy is leaving... Don't, don't keep thinking about Daddy. Daddy once told you that people should look forward and not keep thinking about unhappy things. In the future, you must study hard and live a good life. If you get married, Daddy will be watching you from heaven. You must live to be a hundred years old... In the next life, Daddy will still weave grasshoppers for you..."

"Daddy's good daughter..."

"You must...live well..."

The noisy sound followed her and echoed in her mind. She ran forward aimlessly, not knowing where to go, until someone grabbed her from behind and forced her to stop.

"Lu Tong." The man called her name.

Lu Tong was in a trance.

"Lu Tong." He called again, his voice louder than before, as if to wake her up completely from her daze.

Lu Tong raised his head blankly.

Pei Yunying stood in front of her, staring at her closely, and asked in a cold voice: "Where are you going?"

As if a basin of cold water was poured over his head, Lu Tong suddenly came back to his senses.

This is southern Jiangsu, not Changwu County.

Ding Yong died and she couldn't save him.

Lu Tong suddenly lost all the strength in his body and swayed, and was supported by Pei Yunying.

Pei Yunying looked at her.

Her face was extremely pale, her lips were completely bloodless, and her eyes were empty. She looked even more dangerous than Cuicui just now. She looked shaky, as if she would melt away in the next moment.

The young man lowered his eyes for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and hugged her.

Snow is flying in southern Jiangsu, the north wind is howling at night, in the dark snow and the fierce wind, the embrace is full of warmth.

Lu Tong huddled in his arms, his hand gently patting her back, again and again, as if to comfort her, but it made Lu Tong's eyes red in an instant.

Ding Yong's dark face suddenly changed, turning into his father's face, and then vaguely turning into his mother's voice and his brothers and sisters' instructions...

She had been thinking about what her family would say to her if they could see her again, what instructions they would give her, she guessed countless possibilities, maybe they wanted her to seek revenge, maybe they wanted her to endure and live in peace. But now, in the death tonight, she could vaguely see a clue.

The last words the father struggled to say to his daughter before he died turned out to be: live well.

If her parents and siblings could see her for the last time, this is what they would say.

Live well.

People should look forward.

She closed her eyes and tears fell unexpectedly.

……

The snow in southern Jiangsu continued all night, and the sky gradually turned pale.

In the early morning, Ding Yong's body was taken to the execution ground.

Ding Yong died a few days after taking the new medicine. The peach blossom spots on his body had faded mostly, but they suddenly deepened on this unexpected night.

A corpse infected with the plague could not be kept in the plague center for long. Cuicui ignored the medical officer's dissuasion and insisted on following the execution ground. She saw with her own eyes that Ding Yong was buried and a small grasshopper was placed on the grave.

The black soil of the execution ground was mixed with white snow, and graves of all sizes were mixed together. Those with families were willing to erect a tombstone, but most were just buried anywhere, becoming one with this damp land.

Lu Tong stood in the snow, looking at the distant peaks, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

It was as if she had returned to many years ago when she came down from Luomei Peak and was looking for a fresh corpse for Yunniang at the execution ground.

From the initial discomfort to gradual numbness, she thought she had long been accustomed to this land. She never expected that when she stood here again, she would still be moved by the sadness of the world.

The world is cruel.

She stood at the execution ground for a long time.

Until Cuicui was taken back to the plague hospital by the medical officers, until all the other medical officers had gone back, and frost and snow fell from the sky, she stood there alone, as if she would stand here until the end of time.

An umbrella was held overhead.

Luo Xue was blocked outside the umbrella eaves. She turned around and saw Pei Yunying standing in front of her.

He didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly, as if he understood her confusion at the moment, and tilted the umbrella towards her head.

The umbrella was not big enough to accommodate two people. The snow escaped from her and hid on her, falling all over his shoulders and body.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Lu Tong heard his own voice.

He saw everything about her loss of composure after Ding Yong's sudden death last night. She didn't sleep all night, so he stayed with her all night.

Pei Yunying glanced at her: "Are you okay?"

"What can happen to me?"

"Don't be so stubborn, Lu Tong." His expression became quiet, as if he saw through her. "You are obviously very sad."

He still has the same insight into people's hearts as always.

Lu Tong turned around and walked forward: "General, you'd better not stay here any longer. This place is full of corpses of those infected with the plague. Even though most of them have been burned and buried, staying here for too long may still be harmful to your body. Leave early." The person behind her grabbed her wrist.

Lu Tong stopped.

Pei Yunying frowned and looked at her for a long while. Without saying anything, he put the umbrella in her hand and said, "Take it."

Lu Tong nodded to him, took the umbrella, and gradually walked away.

Pei Yunying spoke only after the woman's figure could no longer be seen in the snow and wind: "Qingfeng."

Qingfeng, who was far away, stepped forward.

"Keep an eye on Lu Tong. Something is wrong with her."

Qing Feng was a little confused.

Lu Tong was always calm and indifferent. Just now, when she was burying Ding Yong's body at the execution ground, she did not show any comfort even though Ding Yong's daughter burst into tears. She really did not know what was wrong.

In the snow, Pei Yunying said nothing.

Something is wrong with Lu Tong.

Last night she looked dazed and empty, like a cloud that was about to dissipate and not know where to go. If he hadn't pulled her back in time, who knows what would have happened.

The last time I saw her like this was during the Nuo ceremony, after Qi Yutai's death.

It's really worrying.

……

Ding Yong’s death caused the plague center, which had previously shown signs of life, to suddenly become silent.

"Despair" is the "disappointment" after "hope".

It's even scarier.

However, death is not merciful because of its tragedy. On the third day after Ding Yong left, Cuicui began to fall ill.

Perhaps it was because children's bodies were not as strong as those of adults, or perhaps it was because Ding Yong's death was too much of a blow to Cuicui. In any case, Cuicui's illness was even more severe than her father's.

On the little girl's delicate arms, large peach blossoms were mottled and had turned purple.

Purple cloud spots.

Cuicui's condition worsened.

In the plague hospital, the medical officer drew the curtain and was feeding Cuicui some medicine.

The girl had a look of pain on her face, her body was soaked with sweat, and she kept complaining about the pain in her bones.

Lin Danqing held her down while she was moving restlessly and gave her some energy-boosting medicine, while Ji Xun and Lu Tong were giving Cuicui acupuncture.

One by one, golden needles pierced into Cuicui's body, but the girl's breath was still gradually getting weaker.

"No, her body is getting colder and colder, and her pulse is getting weaker and weaker." Lin Danqing was sweating, "Lu Tong, Ji Xun, give her more needles."

More golden needles pierced into Cuicui's body.

She began to tremble rapidly, calling for her parents.

Lu Tong half hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Hold on."

"You have to live," she said, "your parents want you to live the most."

As soon as the words came out, Lu Tong himself was stunned for a moment.

Soon, she came to her senses and continued speaking in Cuicui's ear.

"You are alive, which is what your parents hope for."

Cuicui seemed to understand, and her trembling gradually subsided.

"It's getting better," Lin Danqing said happily, "Don't stop, keep going—"

Behind the curtain of the plague inn, the lights were on all night, until the sky gradually brightened and Cuicui's pulse finally stabilized.

Lin Danqing wiped the sweat from his forehead and took off his wet coat. "I was scared to death."

She yawned, sat down on the floor of the plague room, and said with her chin in her hand, "Let me rest for a while." However, within a few breaths, when I looked at her again, she was already fast asleep.

She was so tired.

None of the patients made a sound to disturb her. Lu Tong covered her with a blanket and walked out of the plague center.

It was already early morning, and there was a rare ray of sunlight today. The faint light seemed to be obscured by the thick clouds, and a rift of golden red could be seen through, through which one could seem to catch a glimpse of the shadow of the sunrise.

Ji Xun came over from behind.

After a busy day, he had a hint of fatigue between his eyebrows and eyes. He rubbed his forehead and said, "Cui Cui's condition is not good. Most of her body has purple spots."

Even if he is saved now, there is not much time left.

"I know." Lu Tong said, "But the new method has been proven to be unusable."

"I have an idea." Ji Xun looked at her, "If we use the new prescription for her, we can delay her condition for a few more days. If we don't use the new prescription, she may die at any time in these few days."

Lu Tong looked at him and said, "The new prescription is not appropriate. Ding Yong died of poisoning after using the new prescription. Doctor Ji, you know better than me."

Ji Xun shook his head, "It's not the new recipe that's poisonous, it's the Houbian in the new recipe that's poisonous. If we can find an antidote for Houbian, there may be hope."

"What do you want to say?"

"Use the new prescription. The poison of the thick and flat grass is a heat poison. I want to try the red wood vine." He said.

Lu Tong was surprised: "There is no redwood vine in Southern Jiangsu, and perhaps there is no redwood vine in Pingzhou either."

"The chief physician has sent a message to Pingzhou, perhaps we can buy a few days. Doctor Lu, we don't have much time to wait."

Ji Xun has always been cautious. When she used Hong Fangxu in Jin Xianrong's medicinal materials in the Medical Officer's Court, he reprimanded her. Now this method is very bold, and she seems to have become the cautious person. It is ridiculous to change her position.

"Somewhat adventurous."

"For patients, every ray of hope must be fought for."

He is actually right.

"It's a pity that Pingzhou is still far away from southern Jiangsu," Ji Xun sighed, "I wonder if Cuicui can survive until that day."

This melancholy sigh still echoed in Lu Tong's ears until she returned to the dormitory.

Only the thick and flat poison can be cured...

Lu Tong sat down at the table. As soon as he sat down, a shriveled grasshopper jumped into his eyes.

Lu Tong was startled.

It seemed as if she saw again Ding Yong's honest smiling face and Cuicui's joy when she gave her grasshoppers.

She stared at it for a long time before lowering her head to get paper and pen.

The new prescription used by Ding Yong was rewritten on the paper. Lu Tong's eyes fell on the three words "red wood vine" among the piles of medicinal materials.

To be fair, this prescription is indeed very bold. The poison of the thick and flat thorn is difficult to cure, and an excessive amount of antidote will immediately eliminate the toxicity. This means that it is even more difficult to balance the properties of the drugs. If other poisons are used, it will only increase its toxicity.

In the end, Ding Yong was unable to eliminate the poison.

The medicinal materials brought from Shengjing and the herbs sent by Pei Yunying from nearby Qishui have all been examined one by one. All that can be used have been used, but the efficacy is still not good.

There are no other herbs in southern Jiangsu.

Akagi vine...

It will take five or six days to ship from Pingzhou, the nearest place.

Lu Tong frowned and looked out the window.

Outside the window, in the snow and wind, the faint red color of Luomei Peak can be seen faintly.

There are many herbs on Luomei Peak, and she used to use them often. Unfortunately, they are all highly poisonous and cannot cure the poison of Houbian.

However, Akagi Fuji...

Lu Zhen's heart moved.

Wait, she seemed to have missed something.

……

The next day, the medical officer's quarters were quiet. In the early morning, before dawn, Lu Tong got up early.

In the next room, Lin Danqing was still asleep. Lu Tong carried the medical kit on his back, pushed the door open and walked out.

It was still early in the morning, and the medical officer who had been on duty at the plague hospital last night had not returned to replace him. The yard was cold and gloomy. Lu Tong walked into the yard with a lamp in his hand, and heard a "creak" as the door of another room in the yard opened.

Lu Tong turned around in surprise.

At this time, the medical officers should still be resting, and even if they got up early, they would not get up so early.

She wanted to see who the other person was, but the person who came out was really unexpected.

"Pei Yunying?"

The snow was not heavy in the early morning, and in the falling snowflakes, he was dressed neatly and looked calm, as if he was waiting for her here on purpose.

"Why are you sleeping here?"

The guards' quarters were not here. Pei Yunying came out from the medical officer's quarters.

"I suddenly felt unwell last night. I was afraid I would get sick suddenly, so I asked Doctor Chang to change the room."

Lu Chen's heart sank.

The answer was so easy, but the reason was so absurd, he obviously made up a reason at random. But why did he sleep here? He couldn't have guessed what she was going to do and waited for her here in advance.

Could he read minds?
"What about you?" The young man glanced at her and asked with a half-smile, "Where are you going so early?"

"The plague center." Lu Tong answered quickly, "I'm a medical officer on salary exchange."

"Oh," Pei Yunying nodded and looked at her, "Go to the plague center, bring a medical box, a cloak, a bamboo basket, a shovel..."

He sneered: "Why don't you just hire a carriage?"

Lu Chen: "..."

"Doctor Lu, you don't want to go up the mountain, do you?" Pei Yunying's eyes fell on the shovel she was carrying.

Lu Chen was silent.

Yesterday she asked Chang Jin if he could take someone to Luomei Peak.

Before Chang Jin could speak, Li Wenhu on the side strongly opposed it after hearing his words.

"Luomei Peak is very big," Li Wenhu said, "and the mountain road is steep. Not to mention when it snows, even when it doesn't snow, few people are willing to go to that barren mountain. Only those whose families have died dump their bodies in a mass grave. There is a large mass grave on the mountain. I heard that because there are so many dead people, the plum blossoms bloom especially brightly. It's scary."

"The mountain is blocked by heavy snow right now, so we can't go there. Once you enter the mountain, you can't get out." Li Wenhu looked at her suspiciously, "Doctor Lu, do you want to take the medical officers up the mountain? I advise you to give up this idea! There are only a few medical officers. If they die on the mountain and can't be rescued, they will die."

The voice beside her broke her thoughts.

"It's snowing on the mountain, and the road is difficult to travel. It's a hundred times more dangerous than usual. Do you want to die?"

Lu Yan looked at him.

He stood in front of her, with a smile on his face but a serious tone, as if he was warning her seriously.

Lu Tong said: "I have a reason why I have to go."

He frowned slightly.

The falling snow danced silently between the two of them.

He stared at Lu Tong for a long time. After a while, Pei Yunying nodded: "Let's go."

Lu Tong was startled: "What?"

The young man took the heavy shovel from Lu Tong's hand and said calmly, "I'll go with you."