Chapter 68 Is His Appearance Damaged?
After breakfast, it was just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM). After everyone had tidied up, Zhaoyutang opened its doors to see patients on time.
As soon as Cui Dacheng removed the latch, the patients waiting outside surged in like a tide. He was pushed back by the flow of people and quickly raised his voice to maintain order: "Please be patient, everyone. Don't crowd. Come in order, and everyone will be able to see a doctor!"
In the blink of an eye, the clinic was packed with people. Meng Yutong looked up and saw a dense crowd, most of them looking unwell, clutching their stomachs, clearly there for diarrhea. The number of people today was even greater than yesterday.
She thought to herself that today would probably be another tough battle. Fortunately, Ji Yun had been there to help her yesterday, taking on a lot of the work, which allowed the clinic to finish by 7 p.m.
Judging from the current situation, she'll probably be busy until late afternoon. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and said gently to the first patient in front of her, "Please extend your hand."
Just as I placed my fingertip on the pulse and focused intently on discerning it, I suddenly heard a commotion from the waiting crowd.
"I was here first! You were right behind me when we were queuing outside, so how come you squeezed in front of me as soon as the door opened?" A slightly shrill female voice rang out.
“That’s my mom saving the spot for me! Besides, who pushed you? I was standing right here!” Another loud voice retorted without backing down.
It seems the dispute arose from the order of queuing.
Upon hearing the sound, Wu Ming quickly squeezed through the crowd to separate the two. He saw a girl in a pink dress, wearing a veiled hat and a light veil covering her face, completely concealing herself. Her voice was high-pitched and thin.
Behind them was a burly middle-aged woman with a loud voice: "You think you're right to cut in line? Dressed like that, how can you be so ashamed to be seen?"
Wu Ming chuckled and grabbed the arm of the older woman behind him, trying to smooth things over, saying, "Sisters, calm down! Our Dr. Meng is very quick with his consultations; it will be your turn in a moment. We're all here to see a doctor, so don't get angry; it's not good for your health!"
Bai Zhi quickly dispersed the crowd of onlookers, poured two cups of warm water and handed them over, gently comforting them: "Yes, don't be fooled by the crowd. Doctor Meng examines quickly and carefully. Please be patient, it will be over soon."
The woman in pink, seeing the waiter busy comforting the old woman, scoffed disdainfully, "Looks fast? Who knows if they even looked carefully? Perhaps they're just going through the motions, all talk and no action!"
Bai Zhi raised her eyebrows, about to retort, but the old woman beside her spoke first, her voice loud and clear: "If you don't want to see, then leave! What are you gossiping about here for? Didn't you come here because Zhaoyutang has fair prices and a good reputation? Now you're putting on airs! If you're so capable, go to Jishetang, go to those big-name clinics on Yujie Street, and I guarantee you'll be served very well!"
"You...!" The woman in pink was speechless for a moment, her voice becoming increasingly shrill.
Bai Zhi and Wu Ming exchanged a glance, secretly giving the righteous old woman a thumbs up, but did not immediately offer any advice.
The patients waiting around, already agitated by their own discomfort, joined in the criticism as the woman continued her unreasonable behavior.
"Say less, everyone's waiting!"
"Look at that energetic voice, he doesn't look sick at all!"
The woman in pink blushed with embarrassment at the comments, and finally gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, turned away, and fell silent.
Seeing that the commotion had subsided, Bai Zhi and Wu Ming returned to the medicine cabinet and continued their work.
Meng Yutong's consultations were incredibly fast, yet highly efficient and precise. Her pulse diagnosis, questioning, and prescription writing flowed smoothly. In less than an hour, those who had initially been at the back of the line had gradually moved forward.
Just as Meng Yutong finished explaining the prescription for the previous patient to Liu Sijun, she caught a whiff of a familiar, slightly sweet fragrance. She looked up and saw the woman in pink sitting on the stool opposite her—the very same woman who had been arguing with someone earlier.
"Miss, please extend your hand." Meng Yutong's expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of anything amiss despite what had happened earlier. She proceeded with the routine task of taking her pulse.
The woman seemed somewhat tense, and after a moment of hesitation, she slowly lifted her sleeve and placed her wrist on the pulse pillow. As she moved, the veil of her hat fluttered slightly, vaguely revealing a small section of her delicate, fair chin.
She realized it herself, and immediately reached out to pull the brim of her hat down even lower. She glanced nervously to the left and right before reaching out her hand again.
Meng Yutong glanced at her face, which was covered by a veil, and for a moment, she let out a very soft, almost imperceptible laugh.
She immediately lowered her eyes and gently placed her slender fingers on the woman's wrist to feel her pulse.
Then, she slowly raised her head, her expression solemn, her tone calm and serious: "Young lady, judging from your pulse, you have indeed contracted the diarrhea currently prevalent in the city. However, your condition is different from others; the pathogenic factors are stagnant in the Yangming meridian, attacking your head and face. Furthermore, because you are prone to anger and irritability, this has exacerbated the pathogenic heat. If you do not receive appropriate treatment and proper care as soon as possible, you may suffer damage to your appearance."
"Disfigurement?!" Upon hearing this, the woman's body stiffened abruptly, and she even forgot to feign a high-pitched voice, crying out, "Don't try to scare me with nonsense! I... I only had diarrhea twice, how could... how could it affect my face?!"
The voice carried a hint of innocence and purity, but upon closer listening, it also revealed a sharp and sarcastic edge.
It is indeed Meng Yurou.
Even Bai Zhi, who was preparing medicine nearby, immediately understood. She was so startled that she stopped using the medicine scale in her hand, looked up at Meng Yutong with her mouth wide open.
Meng Yutong simply smiled slightly and shook her head almost imperceptibly at Bai Zhi, signaling her to calm down.
Through the light veil, Meng Yurou saw a slight smile on Meng Yutong's lips, a smile that, in her eyes at that moment, carried a strangely chilling meaning.
Alarm bells rang in her mind. What was she laughing about all of a sudden? Could it be that she had discovered her identity and was deliberately trying to harm her? Was that alarmist talk just now really true? Could it really damage her appearance?
She recalled that just the other day, her mother, Aunt Qin, had somehow found her an ancient beauty remedy, personally brewed a bowl of thick soup, and instructed her to take it every day, confidently guaranteeing that it would make her skin as white as snow, radiant, and youthful forever. She always listened to her mother the most, and immediately drank the bowl of soup without leaving a drop.
Unexpectedly, after only one day of taking the medicine, she began to experience a dull pain in her abdomen. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a normal discomfort. However, the symptoms not only did not subside, but also caused her to suffer from diarrhea for the past two days, leaving her feeling weak all over.
She then realized with alarm that she might have contracted the rampant diarrhea disease.
Meng Yurou was terrified. She had long heard that this illness was dangerous, with severe cases causing persistent high fever and delirium, which was quite frightening.
Aunt Qin panicked, but unfortunately, the old lady had gone to the estate outside the city and was not at home, so she was at a loss. She originally wanted to take her daughter to one of the most famous medical clinics on Imperial Street for treatment, but after inquiring, she learned that those clinics not only charged exorbitant fees, but were also always packed with people, making it impossible to get close to them.
Seeing that Meng Yurou's symptoms were worsening, Aunt Qin was desperate and sought any treatment. She heard that there was a clinic on Peach Blossom Street that not only had fair prices but also had a doctor with excellent medical skills, so she dragged her daughter there.
However, as soon as the mother and daughter arrived at Peach Blossom Street, they looked up and saw the three large characters "Zhaoyutang" on the plaque of the clinic. They suddenly realized that this was the clinic opened by Meng Yutong. They looked at each other in bewilderment and hesitated to move forward.
As they hesitated, a surge of people behind them pushed and shoved them to the back.
Meng Yurou immediately wanted to return home. She absolutely could not give Meng Yutong the opportunity to humiliate herself! Just a few days ago, she had mocked Meng Yutong for spending her days among the filth of the sick, fearing that she might bring illness to the household, and had made a scene to stop her from returning home.
Who would have thought that no sooner had Meng Yutong left than she contracted the disease and even went to the other party's clinic for treatment... It was extremely shameful!
However, since they had already come all this way, how could Aunt Qin allow her to go back so willfully? So she told Meng Yurou to go back to the carriage and put on a veil to cover herself, while she waited in line outside. After much persuasion, she finally managed to convince her daughter to stay.
Meng Yurou steadied herself, convinced that Meng Yutong must have discovered her identity and was unwilling to treat her sincerely, so she was spouting lies and alarmist rumors! Her beautiful appearance could not possibly be harmed by a bowl of beauty soup! Her aunt would never harm her!
Meng Yutong observed her expression calmly and then asked slowly, "Have you been feeling chest tightness and discomfort these past two days, as if you have some unresolved pent-up emotions? Do you have a bitter taste in your mouth, poor appetite, and feel soreness and weakness all over your body in the afternoon?"
Meng Yurou was shocked; everything she said was absolutely correct!
She was immediately enraged and stood up abruptly, shouting, "You're talking nonsense! You don't know anything about medicine! You must be doing this out of spite to get revenge!"
Just then, there was a slight commotion at the entrance of the clinic, as if someone had entered. Those in the waiting crowd who recognized the person spontaneously made way for him.
The man walked steadily around the crowd, approached slowly, and finally stopped beside the consultation table.
Bai Zhi and Wu Ming called out at the same time, "Physician Ji."
Meng Yurou froze upon hearing the voice, her previous arrogance instantly diminishing. She instinctively clenched her sleeve, her mind racing: Physician Ji? Could it be Ji Yun? Why is he here?
For a moment, she felt so guilty that she didn't dare to turn around and look.
Until Ji Yun calmly walked past her and moved to Meng Yutong's right. Liu Sijun, with great foresight, immediately gave up his position, since he could only copy the prescriptions himself, while Ji Yun could be of much greater help.
Ji Yun sat down calmly beside Meng Yutong, his gaze sweeping over Meng Yurou, who was stiff-necked and outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.
His voice was deep and slow, revealing no emotion: "If the young lady has any objections to Dr. Meng's diagnosis, she may ask me, Ji, to examine her on her behalf."
After hesitating for a moment, Meng Yurou finally sat back down under Ji Yun's cold gaze, and reluctantly stretched out her wrist again.
Ji Yun raised his hand and placed it on her wrist to check her pulse, concentrating intently, remaining silent for a long time.
This long silence truly panicked Meng Yurou. She couldn't help but lower her voice and timidly ask, "Physician Ji... what's wrong with me?"
Ji Yun withdrew his hand, his expression slightly solemn. He pondered and said, "The young lady's pulse is thin and rapid, indicating that damp-heat evil is accumulating in the middle jiao and invading the Yangming meridian. Doctor Meng's words are true. If not treated properly, there is indeed a risk of... facial swelling and dull complexion, which may damage her appearance."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yurou's face drained of color instantly, and she hurriedly asked, "Then...how should it be treated? My face absolutely cannot be damaged!"
Ji Yun did not answer immediately, but turned to look at Meng Yutong beside him.
Their eyes met, and a clear look of surprise flashed across Meng Yutong's eyes. She hadn't expected that Ji Yun, who had always upheld medical ethics and was meticulous and upright, would cooperate with her so much.
She deliberately threatened him because she had recognized his identity. But Ji Yun—the last time she treated Sun Guifang, she had exaggerated the harmful effects of croton seeds and had been righteously reprimanded by Ji Yun—yet today…
Ji Yun caught the surprise in her eyes, and a barely perceptible smile flashed across his own. The smile was faint, spreading across his face like melting snow, cool yet gentle.
He asked in a gentle tone, "Doctor Meng, what do you think is the best way to treat this condition?"
Meng Yutong suppressed the strange feeling that welled up in her heart. She felt that Ji Yun seemed a little different from before. His aloofness seemed to have melted away a bit, and he had become... somewhat approachable?
Meng Yutong composed herself and said, "The most important thing for this illness is to rest quietly. You need to stay in a room alone, away from wind and oil. You must not go out for a month to avoid catching a cold and aggravating the condition. Your diet must be light, mainly consisting of porridge and side dishes. Avoid all meat and fish, especially sweet cakes, oily and roasted foods, and raw and cold fruits."
The foods she mentioned were Meng Yurou's favorites. She added at the end, "It is even more important to avoid being agitated, angry, or sad, as these are all detrimental to one's health."
Meng Yurou listened, stunned and still finding it hard to believe. She subconsciously looked at Ji Yun again, and seeing his gentle expression, her heart softened. With a glimmer of hope, she asked softly, "Physician Ji, is it really... necessary to be so strict?"
But as soon as she finished speaking, the rare gentleness on Ji Yun's face vanished instantly, replaced by his usual cold and aloof demeanor, as if the momentary tenderness was just her illusion.
Ji Yun's voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable air of authority: "Doctors have the hearts of parents, and Dr. Meng's words are all golden advice. If you wish to be safe, young lady, you must strictly follow the doctor's orders and not take any chances."
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