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墨書 Inktalez
"No way! This is absolutely impossible! The child was nearly lifeless when brought here! How could they possibly be saved?" The Old Doctor stepped forward and grasped the child's wrist.
The pulse, which had been weak yesterday, had gradually become stronger after a night’s care. The child's complexion had also improved significantly, and the high fever had subsided.
The doctor clicked his tongue in amazement, and his gaze towards her changed.
Mo Xier, exhausted after a long night, finally smiled slightly at this moment and said softly, "This is what I should do! In my dictionary, there is never a word for 'impossible,' only 'unwilling.' No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, I will strive to overcome them!"
Night Star, who had entered behind the Old Doctor, heard this and stepped forward to carefully examine the child's condition. Even he, an outsider, could see that the child was clearly much better.
This woman continually surprised him, making him increasingly reluctant to let go. Her somewhat haggard face also made him feel a pang of sympathy.
Seeing Night Star, she could not contain her excitement and bounced over to his side, instinctively tugging at the hem of his clothing while smiling and saying, "Since I was able to save one, does that mean I can save everyone here?"
The man shook his head slightly, dousing her enthusiasm with cold water. "There are too many sick people here; you can't possibly take care of them all by yourself."
The Old Doctor took her prescription and nodded in agreement. "Your prescription is clearly tailored to his constitution. You can take his pulse now because there are few patients. Once more come in, you won't be able to attend to each one individually."
What they said made perfect sense, and her previously excited mood instantly dampened as she stared blankly at the child before her.
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she said, "It's okay; as long as I modify a few ingredients in the prescription, I can make it suitable for everyone. It will just take longer to show effects! But at least it can address the urgent situation."
In recent days, the Plague had spread rapidly and was nearing uncontrollable levels. If it truly reached that point, even more lives would be lost.
Though this method seemed crude, it was still worth trying and aligned with their purpose for coming here. Without delay, she quickly wrote down the modified prescription and instructed the clinic's staff to prepare the medicine urgently for all the sick patients.
During this time, she and Night Star followed Liu Qiankun outside to inspect the conditions of the patients.
Unable to resist her pleas, he ultimately agreed to her request. At that moment, her compassion was fully realized; her thought was that saving one more life mattered greatly—how could they afford to be careless?
Initially thinking that the clinic's patients were already numerous enough, seeing the sick scattered throughout the city filled her with unease.
Compared to those in the clinic, the patients outside were even weaker and in greater danger due to lack of timely treatment. Among them, children from poor families and women were more susceptible due to their weaker immune systems and higher rates of infection.
The plague was rampant, and not only were there many patients, but the number of dead was so high that they could not be buried in time. Many bodies were piled together, forming a small hill that was shocking to behold.
"Why aren't their bodies being dealt with in a timely manner?" she turned to ask Liu Qiankun, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry.
Lord Liu was momentarily taken aback but quickly responded, "With so many bodies, how can we bury them in time? We can only wait until the plague passes before dealing with them."
His answer was what she had expected; the customs of ancient society were not open-minded. Everyone thought about burial for peace, and naturally, no one would consider cremation.
However, they did not realize that piling up bodies would only make the plague more rampant. To completely resolve the plague, these bodies must first be dealt with.
It was still early spring, and the temperatures were not hot yet, so the bodies might not decompose quickly, but they still posed a threat and could not be left to accumulate like this.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she said softly, "But these bodies must be dealt with; only then can we control the plague."
"But handling the bodies will take some time; it cannot be done in a short period," Liu Qiankun hesitated, constantly glancing at the man behind him, as he was the one who could make decisions.
"I do have a way to quickly dispose of these bodies," she said, her eyes lowered even further. She was uncertain if it was appropriate to voice her thoughts.
Seeing her hesitation, Lord Liu said, "Since you have a method, why not share it so we can discuss it and make a decision quickly?"
Her gaze shifted between the two of them before she spoke in a low voice: "Burn them!"
With determination in her voice, as soon as she finished speaking, Lord Liu inhaled sharply, his expression clearly falling.
"Are you joking? If we really cremate these bodies, how will we face the villagers?" Lord Liu's face was serious and clearly disapproved of her idea.
Night Star remained silent but his eyes conveyed everything.
"If I weren't at my wit's end, would I have thought of this method? These deceased individuals carry the plague; leaving them here is equivalent to having a source of infection. How can we control the plague like this?"
She spoke convincingly, yet both men still could not accept her suggestion.
"It doesn't matter if you don't accept it; I am merely offering a suggestion. I am just someone who knows a bit about herbs; my duty is to treat and save lives while you are the ones who can make decisions."
Her words were exceptionally righteous, yet not without reason.
"Let's wait a bit longer. First, let someone distribute your prescription for everyone to take, and then we'll decide based on the situation."
Just as the atmosphere fell into a stalemate, Night Star finally broke the silence and made a decision.
She knew that further discussion would be futile; this matter had to be resolved by the two of them. So she said no more and continued forward, directing people to carefully bring back the more severely ill villagers for treatment at the clinic.
Afterward, the man did not follow her back to the clinic but continued onward with Liu Qiankun to check on conditions in more remote areas, while she returned to the clinic ahead of them.
After a busy day of caring for one patient after another, time passed unusually quickly. When she looked up at the sky again, it had already darkened.
Looking out from the clinic's entrance, she could only see a faint glimmer of candlelight. At that moment, Yonghe City resembled a ghost town, so silent it felt eerie.
The two men who had left in the afternoon still hadn't returned, but she had no extra time to worry about them. After handling the last batch of patients, she rubbed her sore lower back and walked unsteadily to sit on a bench in the clinic's yard. She slowly closed her eyes to relieve the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.
Suddenly, a figure blocked the light in front of her. Instinctively raising her gaze, she met Night Star's eyes and was momentarily taken aback.
On his slightly indifferent face, she clearly saw a hint of fatigue. Without thinking, she patted the space beside her and softly said, "You've been busy all day; you must be tired. Why not sit here for a while?"
He did not decline and sat down next to her. For a moment, neither spoke, creating an awkward atmosphere.
With her hands clasped on her lap, her smile froze slightly. Unable to bear the silence any longer, she initiated a conversation. "Do you know? I took care of many people today!"
However, it was evident that his interest lay elsewhere. His response was met with continued silence. After all, being a woman, her bold attempt at conversation without receiving a reply left her unsure whether to continue speaking.
"Why did you propose such a suggestion today?"
Just as she contemplated whether to turn and leave, his deep voice sounded near her ear. Startled, she turned her gaze toward him; his eyes revealed no emotion at all, as if he hadn’t just asked that question.
Even so, she carefully explained her reasoning but dared not meet his gaze directly; there was an air of guilt about her that was unlike her usual self.
"Why are you afraid to look me in the eye?" Night Star was perceptive and immediately caught onto her unease without leaving any room for evasion.
With a light sigh, she slightly raised her gaze to meet his eyes. In that moment of eye contact, it felt as if the air was filled with the sound of their gazes colliding.
"Because I know that the suggestion I put forward today may seem inhumane to you. After all, you value burial as a form of peace. But the current situation does not allow for that. Why can't you adapt?"
Night Star immediately seized on the flaw in her words and questioned, "You? Don't you care about that? Or are you implying that you are different from us?"
Her words caught in her throat, and she bit her tongue in regret, realizing how thoughtless she had been. When did he become so astute? Had she simply never noticed before?
"Since I can propose this suggestion, it naturally means my thoughts differ from yours!" She awkwardly tried to justify herself, her facial expression becoming somewhat stiff.
"Have you considered how to persuade the villagers? They are the root of the issue."
Fortunately, he did not linger on this point, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. After hearing Night Star's question, she began to ponder.
Burning the bodies would certainly require the villagers' consent; otherwise, it would be inhumane. If they were to burn them privately and incite public outrage, it would be disastrous.
"Perhaps we can reason with them. They are not so rigid that they cannot change. To survive, they might agree." But as soon as she spoke, she quickly shook her head, denying her own words.
"The concept of burial is deeply ingrained in their hearts; it's not easy to persuade them." The words spoken by someone beside her echoed her earlier thoughts.
"But there will always be some who agree!" Suddenly, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, her eyes brightened. She excitedly grasped his arm and raised her voice slightly, "We just need to make use of those people!"
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