Chapter 21 Healing

The group placed the old lady on a straw mat in the backyard.

It's fortunate that their backyard is big enough, otherwise it might not be able to accommodate a leprosy patient and the others who need to keep their distance from leprosy patients.

"What do we do now?" Gu Xiaoshun asked, looking at the old woman on the ground.

"Go wash your hands first," Gu Jiao said.

The three of them washed their hands with water and soap.

Afterwards, Xiao Liulang went into his room, picked up a pen, and wrote down a prescription.

Gu Jiao stood behind him and asked softly, "What is this?"

When Gu Jiao arrived here, although she inherited the original owner's memories, the original owner was illiterate, so she did not recognize the characters of this dynasty.

"The prescription," Xiao Liulang said.

"What is this character?" Gu Jiao asked, pointing to the first character on the prescription.

"Earth." Xiao Liulang read, "Earth bone skin."

"What about this one?" Gu Jiao continued pointing downwards.

"Sophora flavescens, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, Asarum heterotropoides..." Xiao Liulang read the prescription aloud, following the direction Gu Jiao pointed.

Gu Jiao looked very serious, as if she were really learning to read. Although it was a bit inappropriate, Xiao Liulang didn't think much of it.

"How did you come across a prescription for treating leprosy?" Gu Jiao asked in confusion.

Xiao Liulang paused for a moment and said, "My elder brother also contracted leprosy. A barefoot doctor prescribed him an ancestral remedy, and I saw with my own eyes that my brother's condition improved after drinking it."

The original owner overheard him mentioning that his brother had leprosy. The original owner was simple-minded and didn't understand what leprosy was, so he didn't take it to heart and didn't mention it to anyone.

Feng Lin knew about this. It was because Xiao Liulang's elder brother had contracted leprosy that he was also shunned by the villagers, which is why he left his hometown to study in Qingquan Town.

On the way, the two met unexpectedly. After asking about each other's identities, Feng Lin realized that the other person was his childhood neighbor. However, Feng Lin's family had moved away, and they hadn't seen each other for many years. Both of them had changed a lot. If it weren't for the fact that their names and household registrations matched, Feng Lin wouldn't have recognized him at all.

"If you got better, why did you pass away?" Gu Jiao asked.

Xiao Liulang lowered his eyes and said, "The news of his leprosy got out, and he was arrested by the soldiers and taken to Leprosy Mountain. Not long after, he died on the mountain."

I see.

Xiao Liulang said, "Her symptoms are very mild now, similar to what my brother had when he was young. With proper treatment, there may be a chance of recovery."

Gu Jiao already understands the prescription. It is indeed the right medicine for the symptoms, but the effect is very slow. It can only delay the development of leprosy. It is still difficult to cure it.

However, Gu Jiao didn't say anything.

Feng Lin took the prescription: "I'll go get the medicine!"

Xiao Liulang instructed, "Remember to go to different pharmacies."

Feng Lin paused for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "I understand!"

They couldn't let anyone see that this was a prescription for treating leprosy, otherwise they would be exposed.

“I’m going too!” Gu Xiaoshun said.

"What are you going to do?" Feng Lin didn't want to go with him.

Gu Xiaoshun raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm wary of you reporting me to the authorities!"

Don't think he didn't hear; this guy just now persuaded his brother-in-law to send his sister to the leprosy mountain!

Feng Lin rolled his eyes.

If Xiao Liulang hadn't touched the old woman, he would have definitely reported it to the authorities. But since Xiao Liulang had already touched her, if he went to report it to the authorities, wouldn't he be arrested along with Xiao Liulang?

Regardless, Gu Xiaoshun was adamant about following him, so Feng Lin had no choice but to take him along.

Taking an oxcart was out of the question, as it would be dangerous if word got out. So the two walked to all the pharmacies in town and returned about an hour later with all the medicinal herbs and a medicine pot.

Gu Jiao took the medicinal herbs to the kitchen to brew them.

While waiting for the medicine, Gu Jiao asked Xiao Liulang, "Why are you back? I heard that Gu Dashun has moved to the dormitory."

Xiao Liulang told Gu Jiao about the collapse of the dormitory.

Sure enough, Gu Jiao thought to herself, but looked somewhat surprised: "Luckily you're all alright."

Xiao Liulang gave her a deep look.

It was too cold in the backyard, so Gu Jiao cleaned up the small shed where the grain was stored, moved a bamboo bed inside, and laid out cotton quilts, which could be considered a bed by now.

"You all go out, I'll feed her," Gu Jiao said to the others.

"Sister, you have to be careful," Gu Xiaoshun said worriedly.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Gu Jiao dismissed the group and quietly took out the small medicine box hidden in the basket.

Xiao Liulang's judgment was correct. This patient was indeed in the early stage of leprosy, and she had sparse leprosy, with few skin lesions and low infectivity. As long as she received appropriate treatment, she could fully recover without any sequelae.

But her coma was not caused by leprosy, but by overexertion; her clothes were torn, and her shoes were worn out...

Gu Jiao couldn't help but think of the soldiers she had encountered in town. Could it be... that she was the patient who had escaped from the leprosy mountain?

After the old lady regained some consciousness, Gu Jiao took out dapsone and rifampin from the medicine box and gave them to her, along with a special drug from the research institute.

As for the bowl of Chinese medicine, she fed some to the old lady, but the old lady seemed to particularly dislike bitter medicine and spat it all out with a look of disgust.

"Grandma, where are you from?" Gu Jiao tried to ask the other person's background so that she could be safely sent back.

As a result, the old lady glanced at Gu Jiao calmly, snorted, and fell asleep.

Gu Jiao: "..."

Gu Jiao finished packing her things and went to the backyard to wash her hands first.

"Sister!" Gu Xiaoshun, who had been waiting in the backyard, greeted her. "Why did it take you so long to come out?"

"The old lady drinks her medicine slowly, so I fed her for a little longer," Gu Jiao said casually.

"Cough." Gu Xiaoshun looked around and asked in a low voice, "Sister, can she really be cured? I heard that leprosy is incurable."

Gu Jiao smiled faintly: "Don't worry, it can be cured."

Gu Xiaoshun had never heard of leprosy being curable, but for some reason, he believed it when his sister said it.

If his sister says it can be cured, then it definitely can be cured!

It was getting late, and Gu Xiaoshun and Feng Lin should head back.

Before leaving, Feng Lin secretly said to Xiao Liulang, "Brother Xiao, I know you are a chivalrous person and can't bear to see someone die, but I still have to remind you that leprosy is incurable. Before the villagers find out, send the person away as soon as they wake up."

He couldn't blame Xiao Liulang for doing something wrong, because it was this same Xiao Liulang who saved him from the fire at the post station without even recognizing him.

Brother Xiao is such a chivalrous and righteous person.

"Also, keep an eye on that shrew. She has a lot of contact with the patients, just in case..."

“She has a name,” Xiao Liulang interrupted Feng Lin.

Feng Lin was taken aback and looked at Xiao Liulang with a puzzled expression.

To be honest, Xiao Liulang wasn't the kind of person who would become warm and friendly after spending a lot of time with someone. He always carried an aura that kept strangers at bay. If it weren't for the life-saving grace he had received back then, Feng Lin would probably have thought that he was just an extremely cold-hearted young man.

But he increasingly felt that Xiao Liulang was treating that wicked woman differently lately.

Brother Xiao...you've changed!!!

(End of this chapter)