Chapter 70
"It was the same when I saw you last time."
Qingyun took out a syringe and was drawing medicine from the ampoule when he heard this. He looked towards the bed. The room was dimly lit; the candlelight was not like modern light bulbs and did not illuminate the room well, so he could not see the other person's expression clearly. He could only discern some sadness in that blurry face.
These past few days, she's had a fever and has been having recurring dreams. In her hazy dreams, she chases after her elder sister's red, maple-leaf-like skirt, but the shawl always slips through her fingers. Perhaps her hands are too small, or perhaps she lacks the strength, but the sister's figure remains forever in front of her. Her throat tightens, and the sound of a scream gets stuck inside.
I really want to ask myself if my older sister will ever come back, and if she will ever think of me again.
Song Chaohua was frail and had lived alone in the huge palace since she could remember. Although her mother was favored, she never saw her, saying that she was ill and not in a good mood to meet people. The only one who would look for her was her eldest sister.
I don't know where to begin. I've thought countless times about whether I was the one who was abandoned, but then I realize there was no abuse, no disrespect, only endless loneliness. Perhaps as the eldest sister born when my father and mother were at their most loving, I deserve the most special favor.
Perhaps it's because she doesn't like to talk or express her feelings, unlike her other siblings, that's why she's like this.
Coming to her senses, she saw that figure through the gauze curtain that half-covered her vision. It was the same figure that had appeared during her most painful and distressing time. Perhaps at this moment, she could finally let go of the complex emotions she had been feeling.
Song Chaohua didn't want to recall those memories anymore.
Although Qingyun sensed the change in the other person's tone, he didn't know what to say for a moment. In the end, he could only say, "You will get better."
But leaving their residence, I felt a sense of emptiness. Their demeanor and tone of voice were just like the way my family members left in my memory—so peaceful and serene.
She had just finished getting ready and hadn't even stepped out the door when she heard hurried footsteps. A group of people rushed in, and the man in front of her was panting heavily, his chest heaving. Qin Yao had searched several places before finding out that Qingyun had already returned to the manor. He first gave a proper bow and then said, "The lord is ill and needs your immediate medical attention."
Upon hearing this, Qingyun didn't rush to leave. Instead, she put down the medicine box she was carrying. "Song Chaoyun?"
"It is Lord Song."
Qingyun frowned slightly. "The medicine is delivered on time every day..." She seemed to realize something halfway through her sentence. They weren't stupid; the medicine was right there, why didn't they use it? Now that Qin Yao had to make a special trip, they must have encountered something even more troublesome.
Without further ado, she thought to herself, "Could it be that the plague virus has evolved to develop drug resistance? If so, I'm in trouble."
Although it was an extremely urgent matter, Qingyun still had to arrange things here. When Song Chaoli saw Qin Yao appear, she thought something had happened to her elder sister and hurriedly asked what he was doing there. Upon hearing that it was just Song Junwu who was ill, she was relieved and thought to herself that the girl had finally met her end.
Qingyun repeatedly urged the two of them to take precautions and not to contract the plague.
Qingyun couldn't ride a horse, so he drove the donkey cart to the village outside the city. Along the way, he kept checking with the other party to confirm Song Junwu's current condition. Unlike the others, even after several injections, he didn't get better and his condition was getting worse. He didn't have many symptoms, but he had started talking nonsense. However, just hearing what the other party said couldn't completely confirm what was going on. Everything had to be seen in person.
Because Song Junwu's illness was different from others, he was placed in a small room alone. Facing the cold wind in the darkness, he could only see the faint light from the torch in front of him. For some reason, Qingyun's emotions were somewhat complicated.
When they arrived in the village, it was already past midnight. Song Chaoyun was still busy and not there. With a soft creak, before she could fully push open the wooden door, she heard a vomiting sound coming from inside. Qingyun stopped and waited for the servants to finish tidying up before going in.
Instantly, a wave of heat rushed towards her. Looking at the bed, she saw the veins on the man's face suddenly tighten, his brows furrowed, his lips pale but his complexion ruddy. Seeing that he was covered with several layers of quilts, she unconsciously frowned slightly. The servants, seeing this, hurriedly said that Lord Song was afraid of the cold, and the person in front of him was shivering.
Qingyun didn't speak upon hearing this, but instead lifted the blankets. She saw that although the man was slightly hunched over with his arms crossed and in a cold posture, he was looking up at the ground like a soldier standing at attention, with his posture resembling that of a mummy, except that his legs were bent a little. The man seemed to have noticed something, and his brows furrowed even more, but he still didn't speak, as if he was enduring something.
Looking around, there was only a small candle emitting a dim light, and judging from Song Junwu's appearance, he seemed afraid of making noise.
Qingyun asked someone to go out first, then took out a small flashlight from inside the room. She lifted Song Junwu's eyelids and saw that his pupils were of different sizes and were trembling. Just as she was looking closely, he suddenly started convulsing. Seeing this, she quickly held him down, thinking that this was indeed different, and judging from the situation, it seemed to be very serious.
She first took the person's temperature and found that it was over 40 degrees Celsius. However, she did not dare to administer any medication, since the exact nature of the illness was still unknown. Just as Qingyun was about to help the person up to see if they were still conscious, she felt that the back of their neck was stiff and the muscles in the back of their neck were tightly taut.
While Qingyun couldn't be certain about the symptoms mentioned earlier, the moment she touched this spot, an ailment immediately came to mind. She tried to press the man's head against her chest, but Song Junwu, who had practiced martial arts for many years, had very developed muscles. Not only could she not press him down, but he seemed to be in particular pain because of her action.
Seeing this, she didn't dare to delay and quickly moved the man's leg, lifting it up, "Does it hurt? Song Junwu, do you feel pain?"
The man reacted the moment she moved her leg, but still didn't speak. Qingyun then made a judgment: Song Junwu had a complication of plague, a brain model of plague. After the bacteria invaded the bloodstream, they further broke through the brain barrier, infecting the brain and spinal cord, causing purulent meningitis. This indicated that the infection was already systemic.
Ordinary antibiotics are no longer effective; we must use chloramphenicol, an antibiotic that can directly enter the central nervous system. Moreover, the patient must now have intracranial hypertension and vascular edema.
It would be a lie to say Qingyun wasn't panicked about a condition that warranted ICU admission in modern times. She took a deep breath; this life was now completely in her own hands. Could she save him? But now wasn't the time to think about that. She had to compose herself and get to work.
First, administer chloramphenicol immediately, then combine it with gentamicin to control the systemic infection. Next, administer intracranial pressure-lowering drugs, indwelling needles, micro-injection of cypermethrin, generator, ventilator, etc. Once these are in place, surround the bed with a simple cloth. First, administer 20% mannitol to lower intracranial pressure, combined with dexamethasone to reduce the inflammatory response. To prevent hypoproteinemia, additional human serum albumin should also be administered.
The fever subsided immediately, allowing the person to calm down.
After finishing all this, it was already broad daylight. Qingyun hadn't had an IV inserted much yet, and it took several attempts to finally get it in. She couldn't help but admire herself. Her body relaxed, and she sat heavily in the chair, calming herself down. The cardiac monitor kept beeping, and her blood pressure hadn't come down yet because she was only taking medication now. Looking around, she realized she had practically moved a small ward over. Looking at the points in her account, she carefully calculated that she should be able to hold out for a while longer.
I feel like I could apply for a nursing job when I go back.
System: [Didn't you say these people were virtual beings? Why are you wasting so much time and resources trying to save them?]
Qingyun really wanted to call this child heartless. No matter what, the person standing in front of him was a living, breathing person who could breathe, speak, and think. Could an NPC think? Could a virtual person speak?
"Let me see the medication guidelines again." She only had a vague understanding of these things, but she knew that medication should be used with caution. Although it was a last resort, it was better than doing nothing. Not taking medication meant certain death, but with medication, there were at least two options: one, overdosing or underdosing, which also meant certain death; two, using the medication correctly and recovering, which was a gamble, and perhaps even a bicycle could turn into a motorcycle.
"Song Junwu, whether you survive or not depends on your fate." I have done my best.
Because the things used here couldn't be seen by anyone, Qingyun personally oversaw the operation, not allowing anyone to enter. Even meals were delivered to the door for her to pick up. She also brought in another small bed and slept there.
Song Chaoyun was truly puzzled and couldn't understand why Qingyun would go to such lengths, having a man and a woman alone in a room together, which would only make Qingyun's previous situation worse.
“If you have no intention of marrying him, you can simply ask someone else to take care of you. Why bother?” Song Chaoyun’s voice came from the other side of the curtain. The two were sitting together, but their eyes were covered by a curtain.
"If you get sick yourself, who can save you?"
That's true. If she were also infected, no one would have the equipment to save her, let alone herself. She would probably succumb to her instincts and wouldn't even want to move.
But what could I do? I just suddenly felt that I couldn't give up on him.
"What difference is there between men and women among doctors? Even a gynecological expert can see a woman giving birth, so how can I, a woman, not treat illnesses and save lives?"
Song Chaoyun understood this principle, but she was afraid that others would make a fuss about it. If her father found out, he would inevitably say something to her. She could even foresee those rumors and gossip.
"Even I can't go and take a look?"
Not only was Song Chaoyun forbidden from going in, but Qingyun also told people not to get close to the area within a few meters of the room, for fear that people would hear the beeping of the monitor.
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