Chapter 713: 240
Pei Yunmeng touched her head, leaned down slightly, and drew her into his embrace.
His voice was very gentle.
"Doctor Lu is not a bad person."
Lu Tong was stunned for a moment.
He could always see right through her, see through her fear and worry, her nervousness, and her impatience. Whether it was when they were at odds with each other or later, when their understanding was unspoken.
Mud traps you, dragging you deeper, but there is always a hand reaching out from the shore.
Now, she had grasped that hand.
The warmth of his robe and embrace dispelled all the chill. Lu Tong smelled a faint, refreshing fragrance – a scent that had awakened her in her dreams. She was attached to this smell, like clinging to the meager sunlight of winter.
She buried her face in his chest, clinging to him tightly.
"I know."
...
Half a month after the snow stopped in Su Nan, the city saw the sun again.
The improvement in weather was beneficial for the control of the epidemic.
The Emperor issued an order, and materials like redwood vine and Golden Qin were continuously transported into Su Nan. The new medicinal recipes for the epidemic were significantly effective, and the city reorganized its Dispensary Department. Apart from the patients in the Plague Hospital, the people of Su Nan began to go to the Dispensary Department daily to collect epidemic prevention decoctions.
Su Nan gradually regained some vitality.
No more bodies were buried in the execution ground behind the ruined temple. After the disease stabilized, the Court issued a decree that medical officers specialized in epidemic relief would be sent to Su Nan after the new year to handle the aftermath. Once the new medical officers arrived, the original group would set off for the capital.
In the midst of this slowly improving situation, Su Nan welcomed its first new year after the epidemic.
Early in the morning, firecrackers were set off at the quarters of the medical officers.
The red "prosperity spreads across the room" paper scraps were strewn all over the courtyard. The smoke from the firecrackers diluted the medicinal odor, adding lively hustle and bustle. Chang Jin found someone to get two red lanterns and had Ji Xun write spring couplets to stick on the door of the quarters. Seeing this, Lin Danqing said, "Chief Physician, we will be returning to Shengjing in a few days. Why bother with this?"
"You are young and don’t understand," Chang Jin instructed Ji Xun to put up the spring couplets and said, "It’s a ritual. Besides, won’t it take several days for medical officers from Pingzhou to arrive? We can’t just leave it bare."
Lin Danqing resignedly said, "You really pay attention to detail." Then turning around, he saw Lu Tong coming out of the room, and his face broke into a smile: "Younger Sister Lu!"
Lu Tong walked over.
Upon hearing this, Chang Jin turned around and, as usual, took her pulse, then withdrew his hand, nodding in satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad, you get better day by day."
Lu Tong’s health had improved a lot.
Perhaps it was due to the superb medical prescriptions of Lin Danqing’s ancestor that since the night she vomited black blood, it seemed that some of the accumulated toxins in her body had been expunged as well. Later, Ji Xun administered acupuncture to her daily, and along with Lin Danqing and Chang Jin’s new prescriptions, her originally weak pulse had become much stronger than before.
What was most gratifying was that some medicines were starting to have an effect on her body.
Even though the effects were weaker compared to those on a normal person, the fact that they were working indicated that everything was moving in the right direction.
"Su Nan still lacks an abundance of medicinal herbs," Chang Jin sighed, "When we return to Shengjing, I will talk to the Imperial Apothecary to pick a few herbs for concocting prescriptions, which should be better than now."
Lu Tong thanked Chang Jin and looked towards the outside of the officers’ quarters.
It was noisy outside, the sounds of haggling faintly coming through, interspersed with the occasional sharp crack of firecrackers.
"That is someone selling window decorations and New Year’s reds," Lin Danqing explained, "today is New Year’s Eve after all."
Lu Tong suddenly understood.
Another year had passed.
Since the epidemic in Su Nan began to improve, the city was no longer as lifeless as when they first arrived. There were pedestrians on the streets, and some shops and businesses had reopened. Although it was not as bustling and prosperous as before the epidemic, it was gradually returning to its former state.
Therefore, this New Year’s Eve, following such a calamity, felt especially precious.
"Cai County Chief said that there would be fireworks in Su Nan City tonight. The Chief Physician originally planned to have a New Year’s Eve dinner in our quarters tonight as well, and we can watch the fireworks together then,"
"New Year’s Eve dinner?"
"Yes," said Lin Danqing, "We’ve been fighting the epidemic in Su Nan, working hard to save lives. If we don’t have merit, we still have hard work. I heard that in previous years, everyone at the Medical Officer Institute would gather together before New Year’s Eve. Eat, drink, and listen to the Envoy talk about the future of the Medical Officer Institute. It’s just that this year, the location has changed to Su Nan."
Lu Tong was speechless, and then something else crossed her mind as she glanced outside.
Lin Danqing’s eyes shifted, and he leaned closer, saying, "Are you looking for Marshal Pei?"
"No."
"What do you mean, no," Lin Danqing laughed, "Your thoughts are almost written on your faces, who could you fool?"
Lu Tong: "..."
"He went out with County Commander Li and Cai County Chief," Lin Danqing eagerly explained, "We are returning to Shengjing in a few days, and Su Nan City Guard has too few people. He needs to leave some people here, so I guess he will be very busy these few days."