The night breeze was a bit chilly.
Shulan has been busy ever since she started her shift.
Previously, Wang Yaozhi helped with the acupuncture, but now she's all alone, so she's naturally much busier.
Fortunately, it was within a controllable range. Many people endured it as much as possible, and only raised their hands when they really couldn't stand it anymore.
Many people with milder symptoms felt much better after taking a few doses of the medicine.
By candlelight, Shulan helped an elderly man relieve his pain by giving him acupuncture. After putting away the needles, she instructed him, "Drink more warm water."
They keep boiling water there, adding a little salt to it, to prevent patients from becoming dehydrated after sweating profusely.
The old woman thanked him and was about to rest when she saw Qu Ming, dressed in armor, striding towards her: "Doctor Wang."
Behind him, a man who looked like a farmer was holding a young woman in his arms.
Even in this dim light, one could see that the woman's face was contorted in pain, her head was covered in sweat, and she was groaning softly.
When Shulan saw her pregnant belly, her heart sank. She pointed to the bed she was going to rest in and said, "Go over there."
The man carried the pregnant woman over quickly.
Shulan turned and followed the man, explaining, "Dr. Wang has gone to rest; I'm on duty today."
While Shulan was busy here yesterday, Qu Ming didn't see her perform acupuncture treatments. He clearly didn't trust her medical skills; after all, the lady didn't seem reliable, and she wasn't even seventeen.
But seeing that Wang Yaozhi's three apprentices had all gathered around, looking eager to learn, he shut up.
Watching the man place the woman on the mat, he stepped forward, took her pulse, and asked, "What's wrong?"
The man choked up, "In the afternoon, Hua Niang said her stomach was a little uncomfortable. I didn't expect that in the evening, she would suddenly feel unwell and even bleed."
Shulan said to the three people who had gathered behind her, "This pregnant woman has malaria, but the good thing is that it is tertian malaria, and the symptoms are much milder than other types of malaria. It is advisable to use Er Chen Tang without the orange peel, and add raw atractylodes, areca nut, and dichroa febrifuga to expel phlegm first, and add a little pangolin scales to open the meridians."
Wang Yaozhi's three disciples, namely the eldest disciple Huang Qi, the second disciple Jian Qiu, and the third disciple Chen Xiang, all have names related to Chinese medicine, which makes her feel very close to them.
Because their siblings are also named after traditional Chinese medicine, their eldest brother is named Shu Xinyi, their second sister is named Shu Muhe, their third sister is named Shu Baiqing, their fourth brother is named Shu Lingxiao, and even their cousin is named Shu Yuzhu.
Why are they all Chinese herbal medicines, while I am called Shulan?
It was because my grandfather's old friend, the Taoist Qingyu, had divined my fate and said that I must be named with the character "Lan" (兰), otherwise I would die young—although I did live to the age of twenty-eight.
But thinking about it, isn't it precisely because she was given this name that she came into this world and became Xie Shulan?
Putting aside her past memories, she watched Chenxiang write a prescription.
He took out a silver needle and said to the three of them, "The pregnancy is unstable; we should prioritize protecting the pregnancy."
She treated the pregnant woman by inserting silver needles into acupoints such as Sanyinjiao, Zusanli, and Guanyuan.
He explained to the three men, "This can help nourish the kidneys, strengthen the body's foundation, warm the kidneys, and invigorate the spleen."
Huang Qi and the others quickly nodded to indicate that they understood.
The pregnant beggar girl pleaded tearfully, "Doctor, please save our child."
This is their first child, and they have been eagerly anticipating his arrival.
Shulan said, "All I can say is that I will do my best to help you keep your child, but you have to be prepared."
Even though it was hard to bear, she still told the truth: "Having malaria during pregnancy can easily lead to miscarriage, premature birth, or stillbirth. I can't guarantee that I will be able to keep this child, but I can say that I will do my best."
She's not a god; malaria is a deadly disease, so there's no way to guarantee anything.
The man, with his head bowed, spoke up: "Doctor, please prioritize Hua Niang's health. We can have another child later, as long as Hua Niang is well."
Hua Niang turned her face away and cried.
It's heartbreaking to see. People are fleeing famine during a year of disaster, and then they get infected with disease. It's not easy for anyone.
Especially when they thought of their deceased relatives, their eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing everyone's low spirits, she finally couldn't bear it and said, "Don't be sad. Hua Niang is in good health. You will have many children and much happiness in the future. Moreover, if this child is destined to be with you, he will stay here."
An elderly man also spoke up: "Dr. Shu is very skilled. Don't be too sad. Being sad is bad for your health. Maybe the child can be saved."
"Yes, thank you, Dr. Shu, thank you everyone." The man regained his composure first.
He knew that at this age, when even adults couldn't guarantee their survival, the birth of a child wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Later, when their family's financial situation improves, it wouldn't be bad to have more.
Once you figure it out, you'll cheer up.
Seeing that they had calmed down, Shulan stopped the injections and prescribed medication to prevent miscarriage: "Take the medicine three times a day on time, and make sure the pregnant woman gets the necessary nutrition."
The man smiled bitterly, after all, it was good enough to have enough to eat, let alone any nutrition.
Shulan thought that everyone should take good care of the pregnant woman during this period. At the very least, she should have an egg or meat soup every now and then.
But she can't guarantee that she won't say it out loud.
Meanwhile, the pregnant woman brewed the medicine, drank it, and fell into a deep sleep.
Shulan checked her pulse twice more and found that it had stabilized considerably, which relieved her.
Hearing the sound of clapping, one knows it is already past 1 AM.
Seeing that everyone was already asleep, no patients were in pain, and the rest area was occupied, I could only huddle in a corner and rest with my eyes closed.
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