Chapter 203 Can't Hold On

The master quickly came out with a medicine box. Hu Xin'er couldn't help but ask, "Who is in this painting?"

"This is my first wife." The master showed a nostalgic look.

This painting has turned yellow, showing its age. Although the painting skills are average, it is full of emotion and depicts the woman's expression very vividly.

Hu Xiner thought to herself that it would be a bad idea to bring up his sad story, because judging from his expression, it was obvious that his first wife had passed away.

She changed the subject: "I haven't asked for Master's name yet?"

The master just smiled and said, "Just call me Old Man Dou."

"You and Doctor Dou..." Hu Xiner couldn't help but have some associations when she heard the name.

Although old man Dou was old, he ran to the hospital for treatment very quickly: "That kid is an orphan. I picked him up when he was 14 years old. He insisted on taking my last name, and I had no choice."

Hu Xiner nodded thoughtfully.

It was boring on the way down the mountain. Old man Dou was old and liked to nag. She asked him that question before, which made him feel a little sad, so he started talking about some past events.

"Girl, I have some experience treating madness," he murmured. "My wife and I once had a daughter, but she drowned in a lake when she was young. She's been mad ever since, and that madness is incurable. One day, when I failed to see her through, she hanged herself with a white silk scarf."

I am a doctor, but I can't save my lover. How sad it is!

Hu Xiner was very sad when she heard this. She thought that Lu's mother and Mu Qing were in the same situation.

He is obviously powerful, wealthy, talented and good-looking.

But he was swept up in the undercurrent of the capital city all his life, and his life was not even as free as that in the remote countryside.

Old man Dou kept chattering all the way, and when he arrived at the Lu family, there was no surprise on his face, as if he had just walked into a small farmyard.

This was in stark contrast to the somewhat reserved manner of Doctor Dou when he first arrived.

It can be seen that he had some real skills, and before he retired, he must have visited wealthy families.

Hu Xiner did not dare to be negligent, and the servants looked at him with expectant and hopeful eyes. After all, the older a doctor gets, the more popular he is.

Doctor Dou could easily soothe the sick mother Lu, so wouldn't his master...

There was a lingering smell of medicine in Lu's mother's room, as well as the staleness that is unique to an old person's room.

It seemed to have sensed the danger to the owner's life, so even the priceless silk curtains and rosewood furniture could not block the rotten and dull smell.

Hu Xin'er advised, "You'd better ventilate the room more often on weekdays. Even if the old lady doesn't want to, you should find time to let the house get some sunlight. This will make people feel better."

The maids agreed.

By this time, Old Man Dou had finished taking her pulse, and a complicated expression appeared on his face: "The old lady's condition is indeed serious."

It only said it was serious, but didn’t say it was incurable!

Hu Xin'er asked hopefully, "Master Dou, as long as you have a way to cure my mother's illness, even if it's the most precious medicinal herb in the world, I will find a way to find it!"

Old Man Dou waved his hand: "I'm just an old man, I don't know how to use those precious herbs."

"Then what do you need?" Hu Xiner's face lit up with joy, there's hope!

Old Man Dou said slowly, "I've been practicing medicine for many years and have developed a unique treatment method: oral medication plus acupuncture to stimulate specific acupuncture points. Some patients have regained their consciousness after a few months of my treatment."

The maids were so happy that they wanted to kowtow to him: "Thank you, old immortal! If you can really cure our old lady, we will reward you handsomely!"

Old Man Dou waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't kneel yet. The old lady's condition is serious. I dare not guarantee it. I am only 80% sure!"

Eighty percent? This is a terminal illness that even imperial doctors can't cure! And yet there's an 80 percent chance of success.

Hu Xin'er was very excited when she heard this. "What do you need? I'll ask someone to prepare it right away! Can we start the treatment today?"

"But..." Old Man Dou changed the subject, "This treatment is very powerful, so some people are cured, but some people can't make it. Their meridians go backwards halfway through the treatment, and they go crazy and die."

In other words, if you can survive it, you can be cured; if you can't, you will die.

Isn’t this nonsense!

The maids knelt halfway and stared at him blankly.

Old Man Dou said helplessly, "That's why I told you not to kneel yet! The old lady has loyal servants like you, which shows that she has accumulated virtue and done good deeds throughout her life. If you are willing to take the risk, I will naturally do my best."

"Please allow me to think about it." Hu Xiner also fell into deep thought. If she couldn't be cured, Mother Lu could at least continue to live like this, sometimes lucid and sometimes crazy.

But if you treat it, there is a 50% risk of death.

What's more, Old Man Dou only has an 80% chance. What if Mother Lu happens to be that 20%?

When it comes to human lives, how can she gamble so easily?

Old Man Dou looked at everyone's faces and sighed, "You should think about it for a while. The old lady's illness is not very urgent anyway. Just take good care of her. It won't be too late to come to me when you have made up your mind."

After he left, Hu Xin'er stood by the bed and looked at Lu's mother for a long time. The maids were arguing beside her, which gave her a splitting headache.

She walked out of the room with heavy steps. It was already time for dinner, but she felt as if there was a huge stone pressing on her heart, making it very heavy.

Not only did I not want to eat, I even felt like retching.

She knew that this was a physiological reaction caused by excessive mental stress.

She was like this when Mu Qing just fell into a coma. Later, the princess asked the imperial physician to take her pulse, and the doctor said that she was worrying too much.

Now that even the eldest princess and Erdong are not around, the burden of the entire Lu Mansion is heavy, as if it fell on her all at once, making her dizzy and having difficulty breathing.

Unknowingly, she had reached Mu Qing's door. She walked in and sat in front of Mu Qing's bed, watching him struggling in his sleep and smoothing his brows.

A tear suddenly fell on his face.

"My husband, I really don't know who to discuss such a big matter with."

Even though she tried her best to remain calm, Hu Xiner's tone still trembled slightly.

"Mom is sick, and you are sick too. The eldest princess ran away in anger, and my aunt and the others couldn't find anyone." She paused here, and a smile uglier than crying appeared on her face.

The person on the bed was still sleeping, but with her comfort, he seemed calm and peaceful.

"How can I save you?" She choked and repeated this sentence over and over again.

She took out the piece of Yunjue jade that Mu Qing had pawned: "Do you remember this piece of jade? It was from your dagger. You pawned it to pay the ransom for me. I asked someone to buy it back secretly. I wanted to give you a surprise, but now..."

The servants stood in front of the room in silence, and only heard the sad voice of the young lady who had just entered the room.

"Mu Qing, please wake up quickly... I really can't hold on any longer..."