Denghuaxiao

Chapter 240 Holding Hands
The snow in southern Jiangsu stopped for several days.

After Lu Tong woke up, the medical officers were ecstatic.

What seemed like an incurable disease and a candle that was doomed to go out, actually took a turn for the better at the last moment.

The medical officers recorded this in the medical records, and decided to summon all the medical officers of the Medical Academy to study this case after returning to Shengjing after the epidemic relief was over. Perhaps it could become a major medical case in the future in Daliang's history.

Many people came to see her every day, and everyone came to feel her pulse and ask about her condition. Lu Tong had been a doctor for so many years, and this was her first time to be a patient. At first, she was a little curious, but later she gradually found it difficult to cope with it.

Li Wenhu and Cai Fang came once. The medical officers did not announce Lu Tong's visit to the public. The two did not know that Lu Tong had been experimenting with medicine for many years. They just thought that Lu Tong had a relapse of an old illness. When they came to visit her, they talked to her about the recent epidemic in southern Jiangsu.

"…The epidemic has been contained, and everything has been stable in the plague center recently." Cai Fang cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Lu Tong. "Thanks to Officer Lu for going up the mountain to find the golden tannins, which bought time for the patients. Now the red wood vines from Pingzhou have been transported to southern Jiangsu, and Chief Doctor Chang and Commander Pei have also ordered people to immediately find golden tannins from other places and send them here. The most dangerous time has passed."

Lu Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Wenhu scratched his head and smiled embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Doctor Lu. When I first came here, I looked down on you. I thought you were just good at talking like those people from Shengjing before. I didn't expect that the doctors from Shengjing were really good! I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you!"

Lin Danqing came in from outside holding a medicine bowl, and snorted when he heard this: "No matter how bad the Imperial Academy of Medical Officers is, they still have to take the nine subjects on the red list of the spring examination... Do you think those sleepless nights you stayed up when you entered the school were just for nothing?"

After saying that, he bumped his shoulder past Li Wenhu, walked past the two of them, put the medicine bowl on the small table in front of the bed, and gave them an unpleasant look.

Li Wenhu and Cai Fang looked at each other, then walked out of the room awkwardly and closed the door.

"What's wrong?" Lu Tong asked.

"I've told them not to bother you. We are watching over the epidemic in southern Jiangsu. You haven't recovered yet, so you should get more rest. But these two come to bother the patient for no reason. Aren't they annoying?"

Lin Danqing always greets people with a smile on her face. Lu Tong rarely sees her being so impolite, so she couldn't help but smile.

"Stop worrying about the epidemic." Lin Danqing held the medicine bowl in front of Lu Tong with a handkerchief as a cushion. "Everything has been fine recently, Sister Lu. You are not the only doctor in the world. There are many talented medical officers here. You should at least trust the talents selected by the Imperial Medical Bureau in the spring examination. If you continue like this, how can others put their faces? It's so embarrassing."

Lu Tong took the medicine bowl, lowered his head and drank it, put the empty bowl aside, and nodded: "That makes sense. After all, my life was saved by the genius medical officers."

When he said this, Lin Danqing became proud.

"Oh," she waved her hand in mock humility, "It's all because of the recipe from our ancestors. We just stumbled upon it by accident."

That "blood transfusion" prescription used very bold poison, which was difficult for ordinary people to withstand. It was a way to survive from death. At that time, Lu Tong had lost her breath and everyone was in despair. However, who knew that she would be able to recover after being broken.

"However, it is also thanks to the golden tannin you brought back." Lin Danqing thought for a while, "If I hadn't seen the golden tannin, I wouldn't have thought of this recipe from our ancestors."

The last ingredient in the "blood exchange" recipe is golden tannin, which is used to detoxify the body. However, golden tannin is not available in the Central Plains, and even if we go to other places to search for it temporarily, there is not enough time. The golden tannin that Lu Tong brought from Luomei Peak was originally intended to replace the red wood vine that was infected by the epidemic in southern Jiangsu, but it solved the urgent problem at this time.

"But," Lin Danqing was puzzled, "Golden Tan likes heat and fears cold. How can Golden Tan grow on this mountain when it's snowing?"

Lu Yan smiled faintly.

She also thought that the golden tannins would never grow on Luomei Peak, and that the seeds had long since withered and died in the muddy ground between the mountains. She never expected that the disappointed dream of her childhood would sprout again many years later.

The antidote grows on Luomei Peak.

The antidote ultimately saved her.

Fate is twists and turns, but it always leaves a glimmer of hope when there is no way out.

There were two knocks on the door, and Ji Xun's voice came from outside: "Doctor Lu, it's time to give the acupuncture."

Lin Danqing stood up: "I'll go out first and come talk to you later."

Lu Chen nodded.

Ji Xun walked in carrying a medical box.

The "blood transfusion" technique was performed by Chang Jin, Lin Danqing and Ji Xun. Lin Danqing was good at gynecology, while Ji Xun was better at acupuncture. After Lu Tong woke up, it did not mean that she was completely cured. It only meant that most of the poison in her body was removed. She still needed to continue to detoxify and carefully recuperate in the future.

Lu Tong walked to the table and sat down. Ji Xun put down the medical box and took out the golden needle.

"Doctor Lin has changed the medicine for you. Are you feeling any pain today?" Ji Xun asked.

Lu Tong shook his head: "No."

Ji Xun took the needle, Lu Tong lifted her sleeves, and the golden needle slowly pierced into the flesh. Ji Xun's eyes fell on the scar on her arm.

The scars crisscrossed and looked like ink marks on the thin arms. When the fingertips passed over them, they were rough and uneven.

Ji Xun suddenly felt a little dazzling.

The subordinate paused and said, "You have a special physique now. Ordinary wound medicine is useless to you. Even after the blood transfusion, the medicine used is very strong. Continue to recuperate, and your body will slowly return to its previous state. At that time, the medicine will be effective for you. I will prepare a new scar removal medicine for you."

Lu Tong was a little surprised that Ji Xun would take the initiative to tell her this, and then said, "It doesn't matter, it's not really important."

Ji Xun paused, said nothing, and continued with the acupuncture.

Gradually, there were fewer and fewer golden needles on the flannel. When the last golden needle pierced in, he withdrew his hand, rolled up the flannel, and was silent for a while. Suddenly, he said, "Doctor Lu, when we first met in southern Jiangsu, was the poison you were poisoned by the Cold Silkworm Rain?"

Lu Tong was stunned for a moment before nodding: "Yes."

Ji Xun’s heart tightened.

Lu Tong's document recording the drug trial reactions shocked everyone who knew about it.

Ji Xun later flipped through the entire booklet, and when he saw the page about Han Canyu, he suddenly felt that the symptoms looked familiar. He then suddenly remembered that when he and Lu Tong first met on Sunan Bridge, he had felt her pulse and discovered that she was poisoned, so he took her to the inn to detoxify for half a month.

At that time, she should also be working as a medicine man.

No wonder Lu Tong refused to go to the clinic when he wanted to take her there. Later, when he asked her where her parents lived in the inn, she refused to tell him. It was just that he was only concerned with curing the disease at that time and had no intention of understanding her past experiences. He thought that leaving a piece of white jade to cure her was already considerate and thoughtful.

Now I begin to regret it.

He regretted his indifference in his youth, ignoring the deeper sadness in her eyes. If he had been more careful at that time and noticed a little clue, he might have discovered the truth about the other party's drug testing and avoided her tragic fate, instead of missing her by a centimeter.

"I'm sorry." He said, "If I had asked you one more question..."

Lu Tong was a little surprised.

"Doctor Ji has helped me a lot." She said, "If not for this, the poison I was poisoned with wouldn't have been cured so quickly."

Ji Xun felt more and more uncomfortable.

"When you first entered the Medical Officers' Institute, I misunderstood many things about you. I was not able to distinguish right from wrong."

He remembered how he reprimanded Lu Tong for the incident with Jin Xianrong and Hong Fangxu, and how he talked to Lu Tong about the use of medicine and poison in the pharmacy many times. He had always disapproved of Lu Tong's overly aggressive and overbearing approach to medicine, but now it seemed that he had all the answers.

She was different from the students in the Imperial Medical Bureau who were carefully taught by their teachers.

She had no teacher at all.

He was just a scarred medicine man used for drug testing.

A child who was used as a drug testing tool later grew up to be a doctor with outstanding medical skills. The effort she put into it can be imagined. Her tenacity and perseverance are touching, and her silence is also pitiful.

pity.

He was startled, as if he had belatedly realized some subtle thoughts of his own.

Lu Tong said, "Doctor Ji, don't blame yourself. That's all in the past. The most urgent task is to deal with the epidemic in southern Jiangsu. Now that the epidemic is improving, we should be very busy next."

Ji Xun looked at her.

The woman had clear eyes and a clear brow. She looked calm when she spoke to him, and was no longer as cold and indifferent as before.

Lu Tong seems to be different from before.

It was as if she had walked through the gates of hell and let go of many things. She became lighter and softer, and when she faced him, she was as comfortable as facing a friend.

He was somewhat relieved, but for some reason, a slight sense of loss flashed through his heart. He didn't know what to say, so he just kept silent. After the acupuncture was over, he took back the golden needles, gave Lu Tong a few more instructions, and then left with the medical box on his back.

The room became quiet again.

Lu Yan sat at the table.

As the night deepened, the candle on the table flickered. She stood up, walked to the window and opened it.

A cold wind blew in.

Since she woke up, she was locked in the house every day and not allowed to go out. Chang Jin was afraid that she would be blown by the wind and frozen by the snow. After staying in the house for a long time, her limbs became a little stiff.

Lu Tong thought about it, picked up a lantern from the corner and went out.

I took only two steps when a voice came from behind me: "What are you doing so late?"

She turned around and saw a person coming out from under the tree in the yard.

It was late at night. The lanterns illuminated a small area under their feet. Pei Yunying walked out from the dark shadows. His handsome features looked particularly soft under the dim light. He walked up to her, frowned and looked at her for a while, then took off his coat and put it on her.

Lu Tong asked: "Why are you here?"

"I came to see you," he sighed, "but I didn't know there was someone in your room. I didn't want to disturb your conversation, so I waited here."

Talk?

Lu Tong was stunned: "Doctor Ji, come and give me acupuncture."

"Oh," he raised his eyebrows, "but when he left, he was distraught."

Lu Chen: "..."

She didn't know where the word "distraught" came from, Ji Xun was clearly normal.

Pei Yunying glanced at her, lowered his head to button her coat tighter, and asked, "So, where are you going?"

"It's too stuffy in the room. I want to go out for a walk."

It was already late, and even though it wasn't snowing, the winter nights in southern Jiangsu were exceptionally cold.

She also felt that her suggestion was a bit excessive. The next moment, a hand suddenly reached out and held her hand.

The hand was long and warm, with distinct joints. It held her hand. Lu Tong looked sideways, but he seemed to be unaware. He just said, "It's a bit boring. Let's go."

Lu Tong was stunned for a moment, but he had already taken her hand and walked forward.

There were guards on duty at the gate of the courtyard. When they saw the two of them come out, they bowed their heads and saluted. Their eyes fell on their clasped hands, with a strange look on their faces.

Lu Tong felt a little embarrassed and tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly.

She was silent for a while, gave up struggling, but the corners of her lips twitched imperceptibly.

The light from the lanterns fell on the ground, and the snow was illuminated by a layer of warm and glittering light. The surroundings were bright. When the shoes stepped on the ground, there was a crisp "rustling" sound. There was a cold wind, and she wrapped herself in his large coat and felt very warm.

Lu Tong lowered his eyes.

Pei Yunying had been guarding her during the days of going up and down the Luomei Peak.

As if frightened by her illness, he stayed by her side all the time. After she woke up, Lin Danqing whispered something in her ear.

"I used to think that the commander of the Palace Front Department was so high and mighty that he was not afraid of anyone. But I didn't expect that he would be so embarrassed when he panicked. I think that if anything happened to you, he would not ask the medical officer to be buried with you as written in that outrageous picture book..."

"…He should be willing to be buried with his own body."

Lu Tong couldn't help but look at him.

The young man walked in the snow. The night was like smoke and fog, soaking his heroic and handsome eyes. They were no longer as cold as before, but as gentle as the tear she saw after she woke up.

That warm tear like a raindrop.

Noticing her gaze, Pei Yunying lowered his eyebrows and looked over, but Lu Tong turned his head and looked away.

He paused, a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, but his tone was light: "Watch the road."

She lowered her head and deliberately stepped on a small stone. Her body tilted and he held her hand firmly.

Pei Yunying groaned and looked at her with amusement: "Did you do that on purpose?"

"No."

He was speechless, not caring about her deliberate mischief, and held her hand even tighter.

Lu Chen didn't speak.

When we reached the end of the road, we were almost at the ruined temple where the execution ground was. Now that the plague had been moved away, there was only a solitary light at the entrance of the ruined temple. Looking in the direction, we saw the direction of Luomei Peak. The moon shone over the snow, casting a layer of luminous light on the snow.

Lu Tong stopped walking.

The thatched hut in the dream seemed to be the same as before, but when I looked at it now, it was not as heavy as before, as if a lot had been unloaded.

"Lu Tong," Pei Yunying's voice came from the side, and he said, "There is something I'm curious about."

"what's up?"

After a moment of silence, he said, "I saw Mo Ruyun's tombstone on the mountain. When did she die?"

There are seventeen shocking graves in the wasteland on Luomei Peak. She carved the word "mentor" on the tombstone, but she was clearly a tool for Mo Ruyun to test drugs.

Intricate and confusing.

Lu Tong's heart moved and he looked up at the person next to him.

He lowered his eyes, and Su Nan's hazy night was reflected in his eyes. His tone was soft, but his questions were sharp.

"Two years ago." Lu Tong replied.

"So, you came down the mountain after she passed away?"

"Yes."

He nodded slightly: "I see." and didn't ask any more questions.

It seemed like he was deliberately avoiding this question.

The wind was blowing quietly, and Lu Tong looked into the distance. In the night, Luomei Peak was just a series of tall shadows, like an impenetrable haze covering the sky above southern Jiangsu.

She always forced herself to forget the things of the old days, but tonight was different, perhaps it was because his lowered eyes were too gentle, or perhaps it was because the cloak draped over her shoulders was exceptionally warm, she was not chilled by the wind and snow, so she felt relieved and calm.

"You once asked me if I was afraid when I killed Ke Chengxing." Lu Tong suddenly spoke.

Pei Yunying was startled.

That was long ago, when he already knew the secret of her revenge, and she had avoided the temptation he had casually asked her.

"No."

The long-awaited answer made him frown suddenly. Pei Yunying looked at her: "Lu Tong..."

She raised her eyes and looked into the distant depths of Luomei Peak.

"Actually, the first person I killed was not Ke Chengxing."