Chapter 22 Feeding Medicine
All four of them were aware of the seriousness of the matter, but although they didn't say it aloud, they tacitly kept it a secret.
Gu Jiao told Gu Xiaoshun not to come here for the next few days. Although the early stage of leprosy with low viral load is not very contagious, there is still a certain risk.
Gu Jiao didn't go up the mountain to pick mushrooms again, and stayed at home to take care of the old lady for a few days.
Perhaps because she took good care of her, the old lady woke up completely on the third day at noon. She was no longer confused, but her mind seemed a little off.
When Gu Jiao asked her who she was, she stared at Gu Jiao with wide eyes; when Gu Jiao asked her where she lived, she still stared at Gu Jiao with wide eyes.
Could it be Alzheimer's disease?
"Do you remember what illness you had?" Gu Jiao continued to ask.
The old lady was still staring with her eyes wide open.
Gu Jiao was at her wit's end.
It seems that this old lady not only doesn't remember who she is, but she has also completely forgotten about her illness.
Actually, it's better to forget. Gu Jiao can keep an eye on her and prevent her from going out, but she can't prevent the villagers from coming to her door. If the old lady accidentally lets slip about the leprosy, she, Xiao Liulang, and Gu Xiaoshun, who are in close contact with her, will suffer as well.
As for how to settle her in the future, that's a matter for later. The most urgent task is to cure her and make sure no one finds out that she had leprosy.
With that in mind, Gu Jiao picked up the medicine pot and went to brew medicine for the old lady.
You must take the medicine in the medicine box, including the traditional Chinese medicine, otherwise the secret of the medicine box will be exposed.
When the old lady saw Gu Jiao carrying the medicine pot, she turned her face away in disgust.
Gu Jiao vaguely heard a resentful groan. This old lady has quite a temper.
The medicine needed to be simmered over a low flame for half an hour. While waiting for the medicine to be ready, Gu Jiao took out her small medicine box and checked it.
She's used a lot of medication lately and hasn't had a chance to properly take stock. She needs to check how much of her medicine she has left and which ones she can no longer use casually.
She was dumbfounded after the examination.
She suddenly found a new bottle of the anti-inflammatory medicine she had finished, an extra tube of antibacterial ointment, and several other medications that she couldn't remember when she had put them in.
Gu Jiao stared at the motionless medicine box, stroked her chin, and fell into deep thought.
As the end of the month approached, the academy held another exam.
Gu Dashun entered the elite Class A with the halo of being the second-best freshman, and he indeed lived up to expectations, performing exceptionally well. In this exam, he once again came in second place.
Master Chen was very pleased, but Gu Dashun's face showed little joy.
Master Chen thought he was blaming him for not winning first place, so he patiently comforted him, saying, "You and Hanzhi are both outstanding students. Hanzhi is two years older than you and started learning earlier, so he has been studying for several years longer than you. You don't need to worry about your current results."
Gu Dashun was not worried about that. The student named Xu Hanzhi was only slightly outstanding because he had studied for a few more years than him, but he was very confident that Xu Hanzhi's talent was not as good as his own.
However, his ambitions did not stop there.
He came here hoping to become the dean's personal disciple, and he hoped the dean could become his teacher.
Since the last time, he has written many good articles, which Master Chen showed to the dean one by one, but the dean has never summoned him again.
"What's wrong? Is there something else?" Master Chen noticed that he seemed hesitant to speak.
Gu Dashun thought for a moment, then mustered up his courage and said, "I heard that the entrance exam questions were set by the dean. I wonder if the dean has any plans to take on disciples?"
"Indeed there is." After thinking about it, Master Chen realized what was going on, but unfortunately, the dean's preferred candidate was not Gu Dashun.
Gu Dashun saw a hint of regret in Master Chen's eyes, and his heart sank: "Is it Xu Hanzhi?"
“It’s not him.” Master Chen shook his head. “This matter is not completely settled yet, so don’t ask about it for now. Even if you can’t be the Dean’s disciple, the Dean will still take time to mentor outstanding students in the academy.”
How can these be the same? One is to inherit the dean's mantle, to be the dean's successor, and to gain not only knowledge, but also the dean's connections.
However, providing arbitrary guidance is far too weak.
He was from a poor family and dreamed of soaring to great heights. If he wasn't good enough, it would be fine, but he had enough to be noticed by the dean.
How could he accept this?
Gu Dashun wanted to ask more questions, but Master Chen refused to say anything more.
Zhongzheng Hall.
The dean looked at Xiao Liulang, whose features were cool and aloof, and said gently, "What have you decided?"
Xiao Liulang said calmly, "You want to be third to last too?"
In this exam, Xiao Liulang ranked third from the bottom. This wasn't because he improved by one place, but because Gu Xiaoshun came in last.
The dean cleared his throat and said, "I won't make things difficult for you. Here's what we'll do: go back and think about it for a few days. Don't rush to give me an answer. I'll be at the academy until the end of the year. Come back and give me your answer whenever you've figured it out."
For the dean to say something like that, it shows great sincerity.
Although Tianxiang Academy is just a school in a small town, its dean was once ranked first among the four great talents of the capital, and his reputation and talent are beyond doubt. If it weren't for a change in his family, he wouldn't have left the capital to teach in a small town like Qingquan.
Of all the students he had met, Xiao Liulang was the first one who truly inspired him to take on as his personal disciple.
"You want him that badly? Aren't you afraid you can't handle this troublemaker?"
After Xiao Liulang left, the old man in plain clothes behind the screen gave a faint hum.
The dean bowed to the screen and smiled, "I'm really afraid I won't be able to control him. Perhaps... Master, you could take him as your disciple?"
Silence fell behind the screen. After a long while, the old man let out a soft sigh: "Have you forgotten? I said I would never take on another disciple in this lifetime."
The young marquis died, the Imperial Academy closed forever, and the teacher's heart died completely.
After school, Xiao Liulang and Gu Xiaoshun rode back to the village in Uncle Luo's oxcart. As they left the town, they discovered several checkpoints on the main road, all searching for leprosy patients, which made the two even more vigilant.
After Xiao Liulang arrived home, Gu Jiao told him about the old lady's condition: "...she doesn't remember anything."
Xiao Liulang didn't think it was a bad thing, at least not for now. If he didn't know, he wouldn't have let it slip.
"Is she clamoring to go out?" Xiao Liulang asked.
Gu Jiao shook her head: "No, I told her that she has tuberculosis and shouldn't go out in the wind. The red spots on her face are from the cold. Because tuberculosis is contagious, she should stay in her own room to avoid passing on the disease to others. She seemed to have listened to me and was quite well-behaved all afternoon."
Xiao Liulang went into the house to see the old lady. Her condition had improved significantly. The skin lesions had faded considerably, and the red spots on her face were almost invisible unless you looked closely.
What Gu Jiao didn't say was that after a few more days of treatment, her leprosy would lose its infectivity.
Before they knew it, it was the end of the month, and the day that Feng Lin had arranged with "Dr. Zhang" to treat Xiao Liulang's leg.
Good morning, everyone.
(End of this chapter)
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