"Shen Jintang!"
Gu Zhixing pushed through the crowd and rushed to her side, his clothes stirring up a cool breeze.
He knelt on one knee, grabbed her hand that was hanging in mid-air, and felt her fingertips were icy cold and trembling like the last withered leaf about to fall on an autumn branch.
"Gu Zhixing?"
Her voice was weak, and her fingers suddenly tightened, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
Dusk seeped in through the window cracks, casting a dim, yellowish shadow on her profile. But her usually bright eyes were now unfocused, staring blankly, reflecting no light at all.
"Why is it so dark..." Her breathing quickened, and she frantically grabbed his collar with her other hand. "What time is it now?"
Gu Zhixing seemed to realize something, and his chest tightened.
He raised his hand and waved it in front of Shen Jintang's eyes. The breeze from his sleeve brushed against her eyelashes, but she didn't react at all.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of his, obliquely enveloping her, while she looked up in the shadow with a bewildered expression, as if trapped in eternal night.
"Tangtang..." His voice was hoarse, and his fingertips touched her cold cheeks, feeling her trembling breaths with each step.
Shen Jintang slowly turned her head, her once bright eyes now seeming to be covered by a layer of gray, staring blankly at him, her voice so soft it was almost broken: "Tell me... what time is it now?"
Her tone was eerily calm, but Gu Zhixing could hear the despair hidden beneath, like a surging undercurrent beneath ice, ready to burst through the thin surface at any moment.
"It's now... late Shen Shi (3-5 PM)."
His throat tightened, and the rest of his words seemed to be blocked by something, preventing him from speaking.
End of Shen Shi (3-5 PM).
At this hour, it should still be daylight.
The sun had not yet set, and the afterglow still lingered. Moreover, it was only the beginning of summer, with long days and even dusk arriving slowly.
But she couldn't see it anymore.
"So you were blind?"
Someone in the crowd muttered something, not loudly, but like a drop of cold water splashed into boiling oil, instantly stirring up a murmur of discussion.
"Blind?" Shen Jintang trembled, her nails digging deep into her palms, almost drawing blood.
Her breathing suddenly quickened, and her other hand pounded wildly on the edge of the bed, the wooden bed board making a dull "thump thump" sound.
"I can't see! Am I blind?!"
Her voice was hoarse, as if she were questioning someone, or struggling to believe it.
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
Gu Zhixing suddenly grabbed a teacup from the ground and smashed it hard into the crowd.
Porcelain shards exploded on the bluestone ground, and the flying fragments forced everyone to scream and scatter.
The room instantly emptied, leaving only a mess on the floor and her suppressed, broken breathing.
The door slammed shut, shutting out the last trace of noise.
Gu Zhixing pulled the person into his arms, his back stiffening beneath his palm, his thin body trembling like a candle flickering in the wind.
He instinctively pulled his arms closer, but felt that the person in his arms was terrifyingly light, as if they would shatter if he exerted the slightest force.
"Don't be afraid." He heard his own voice was surprisingly steady, his thumb unconsciously stroking the cold skin on the back of her neck. "We'll find the best doctor, we'll definitely be able to..."
He suddenly choked up at the end of his sentence and abruptly closed his eyes.
Shen Jintang's fingers were tightly gripping his shirt, her knuckles turning bluish-white.
Amidst the soft sound of tearing fabric, Gu Zhixing suddenly bent down and picked her up completely.
The moment the weight landed in his arms, his heart clenched—how could it be so light? It was as if he wasn't holding a living person, but a dying lamp, a wisp of smoke he couldn't grasp.
The last rays of twilight slanted in through the window, illuminating her pale face.
As Gu Zhixing strode out, he vaguely felt that the person in his arms was gradually becoming transparent, as if melting into the deepening night.
"Dr. Liu from Jishetang is the most skilled in eye diseases," the landlady said, leaning against the doorframe, her thin, withered fingers twisting the faded hem of her clothes, her voice carrying the characteristic rambling of a commoner, "but the consultation fee is two taels of silver..."
As dusk settled, Gu Zhixing nodded and immediately carried Shen Jintang into the deepening night.
On the bluestone path, his boots pounded through the puddles, splashing water droplets that soaked the hem of his clothes, leaving a deeper stain on the dark fabric.
Inside Jishetang, a tung oil lamp glowed dimly.
Dr. Liu was flipping through a medical book by the light of the lamp, his reading glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and his eyes behind the lenses were slightly squinting.
Seeing the person barge in, he slowly adjusted the wick, and the flame popped up, casting a flickering shadow on the mottled wall.
"Don't be afraid, young lady." The old doctor's voice was like aged medicinal wine, warm and mellow.
His wrinkled hand gently lifted Shen Jintang's chin, his fingertips calloused from years of grinding medicine.
The silver needles flashed a cold light under the lamplight, yet moved with extreme lightness around her eyes, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
"Have you ever suffered a head injury?"
Gu Zhixing's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his voice hoarse: "I fell into the water a month ago and hit the back of my head on a reef."
“Hmm…” Doctor Liu nodded thoughtfully, and as he turned around, the copper medicine key hanging at his waist jingled. “That makes sense.”
He tiptoed to take a packet of medicine from the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. The mulberry paper made a crisp "rustling" sound as it was unfolded, and the bitter aroma of the medicine immediately filled the room.
"Take three doses of Chuanxiong, Honghua, and Danggui to invigorate the blood circulation first."
"Doctor!" Gu Zhixing pressed his hand against the counter, his knuckles turning white. "Then her eyes..."
“Young man…” The old doctor shook his head, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Shen Jintang, who was curled up in the corner, unconsciously clutching his belt. “This illness is like spring ice thawing; it can’t be rushed. Some people regain their sight in a few days, while others…”
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