Whether or not Chapter 13 will be understood, and what does it matter?
In the evening, Lin Xili went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare dinner for Grandma Huo.
Grandma Huo pushed her out of the kitchen: "Go for a walk, don't stay cooped up in the house all the time, or your worries will turn into black spots. Come back for dinner later, you promised to wash the dishes."
Lin Xili couldn't refuse, so she didn't go and drive the newly bought electric car.
She wandered aimlessly along the cobblestone streets, the first time in years she had strolled around so aimlessly.
In Hong Kong, her life was filled with the invisible pressure of her work as a forensic pathologist and her family, like a spinning top that never stops.
They don't have the time or the inclination to leisurely browse shop windows and pick out their favorite little items like ordinary girls.
She looked at the hand-woven products, dyed fabrics, and bamboo ware with local characteristics and found them novel. When she saw something that caught her eye, she bought it on a whim. It was a relaxing experience she had never had before.
"Help! Someone has fainted!"
"Oh dear, he's foaming at the mouth, is he having an epileptic seizure?"
"Call 120 immediately!"
The crowd quickly gathered, and panicked whispers rose and fell.
Lin Xili's instinctive reaction was to avoid trouble. She was not a clinician, had no experience in treating living people, and did not want to attract attention.
She instinctively took a half step back, preparing to go around the area.
However, their feet seemed to be nailed to the ground.
A middle-aged man, around fifty years old, was lying on the ground, his body twitching slightly, and there was indeed white, foamy discharge around his lips.
The crowd shouted "epilepsy," but Lin Xili noticed some easily overlooked details—the man's face was flushed, with a slight urticaria-like rash, and his breathing seemed somewhat rapid and difficult.
The professional ethics of a forensic pathologist, that keen insight into abnormal physical signs and the instinct to investigate the truth, are deeply ingrained in her bones.
She may not be able to cure people, but she can examine, observe, and analyze.
The inner struggle lasted only a few seconds.
She took a deep breath, pushed through the crowd, and walked quickly over.
"Excuse me, I'm a doctor," she said in a deep voice.
In such an emergency, a clear identifier can gain trust and cooperation more quickly.
She crouched down beside the man, ignoring the surprised and uncertain looks around them.
Instead of taking his pulse or performing CPR, she did something that surprised everyone—she extended her index finger, quickly dabbed a little bit of the foam from the man's lips, and brought it close to her nose to smell it.
A very faint, almost imperceptible almond scent!
This discovery sent a chill down her spine.
Combining the man's flushed face, rash, and signs of difficulty breathing, a highly probable diagnosis formed in her mind.
She immediately looked up and clearly addressed the panicked crowd, "This isn't epilepsy; it's severe food allergy-induced toxic shock, likely accompanied by laryngeal edema. He needs immediate adrenaline resuscitation, otherwise he's at risk of suffocation. Waiting for the county ambulance might be too late. Does anyone have a car? Get him to the clinic quickly!"
Just then, a deep and familiar voice sounded behind her: "What's going on?"
Lin Xili turned around and saw that Huo Nanchen had also arrived at the edge of the crowd at some point.
He had clearly just come home from get off work, his brows furrowed as he looked at the situation on the ground and at her squatting there.
Before Lin Xili could answer, some townspeople who recognized Huo Nanchen immediately chimed in, explaining, "Dr. Huo, you've come at the right time! Old Li suddenly collapsed and is foaming at the mouth. This young lady says it's food poisoning and an allergic reaction!"
Huo Nanchen's gaze quickly swept over the patient on the ground, then landed on Lin Xili, his eyes deep and filled with a faint hint of surprise.
“My car is right next to me!” a town resident shouted.
"It's too late, use the police cars!" another voice rang out.
Upon hearing the news, Captain Li from the town's police station rushed over. He acted decisively and immediately directed the auxiliary police officers accompanying him, "Quickly, help lift the person into the police car, turn on the siren, and take them directly to the emergency room of the health center!"
"I'll call the health center to prepare," Huo Nanchen said to Captain Li.
Captain Li: "Then I'll have to trouble Dr. Huo!"
Finally, under Captain Li's command, everyone worked together to lift the unconscious middle-aged man into the police car.
The siren blared sharply as the car sped off toward the health center.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, they discussed the thrilling scene that had just unfolded, with many casting curious and admiring glances at Lin Xili.
In the end, only Lin Xili and Huo Nanchen remained at the scene.
Huo Nanchen looked at her and asked, "Are you a doctor?"
He had just clearly heard her assessment of the illness, which was more than just common sense.
Lin Xili calmly replied, "No."
Huo Nanchen gazed at her, recalling the understanding she had shown when she asked about iodine-131 earlier.
Recalling her aloofness and composure, so out of place with her surroundings, and her precise, even somewhat daring, method of judging by smelling the vomit just now…
A professional image gradually became clear in his mind.
"Are you a forensic pathologist?" he asked confidently.
Lin Xili was taken aback, not expecting him to guess so quickly.
She nodded, not denying it: "Yes."
Huo Nanchen's face showed a knowing expression, and he continued to ask, "Because of hyperthyroidism and trembling hands, you were temporarily suspended from your duties?"
Lin Xili was genuinely surprised this time.
He wasn't told about her suspension, but based solely on the fact that she was a forensic pathologist and suffered from hyperthyroidism, he quickly and accurately deduced her current situation.
This man is not only confident in his medical skills, but also possesses remarkable observational and logical reasoning abilities.
She looked at him, neither admitting nor denying, but the silence itself was an answer.
Huo Nanchen did not press the matter further.
He simply said, "Your diagnosis was very accurate. Food allergy caused laryngeal edema, and the mortality rate is very high if not treated in time. You saved his life."
After saying that, he nodded slightly to her as a farewell, then turned and walked towards the parking lot.
He was probably worried about the patient's condition, so he drove back to check on him.
Lin Xili stood there, watching Huo Nanchen's tall figure disappear around the street corner, the evening breeze ruffling her hair.
I had a strange feeling in my heart.
In this unfamiliar town, her hidden identity, thanks to her ingrained professional instincts, was unexpectedly and easily discovered by him.
He learned that she was a forensic pathologist and that she had been suspended from her duties.
So, would he also understand her hesitation and desperate gamble when she chose iodine-131 because of this?
Lin Xili shook his head. As for whether he would really understand, what did it matter?
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