The two people followed the sound, stopping outside a simple courtyard.
This area was filled with commoner homes; as far as the eye could see, there were ordinary residences, some tall and some low.
Though simple, it was also elegant. The courtyard gate was enclosed by bamboo railings, and the surroundings were fenced with green bamboo. The scene within the yard was visible at a glance: a path of crushed bluestone ran through the middle, with fruits and vegetables planted on both sides.
As it was winter, the plants were covered with a layer of dry grass, their bareness lending a touch of desolation. Combined with the crying from inside the house and the dim lamplight, which swayed back and forth as the wind blew, casting flickering shadows on the white paper of the windows.
Faint, mournful voices drifted out.
"Mother, what's wrong with Father? Is Father sick? Mother, what's wrong with Father?"
This tender voice, carried by the wind, made Yun Xiao sigh with relief. So he was just sick. She had worried for nothing, thinking someone was being abused.
Turning to leave, she suddenly remembered something.
In her previous life, she had been a doctor. How could a healer turn away so nonchalantly when she knew there was a patient? Would that not be disregarding a doctor's ethics?
"Let's go, let's go in and take a look."
Yun Xiao, without hesitation, pulled open the door and walked in. Wan Wan had some inkling of what was happening; clearly, someone inside was ill.
But why would her mistress go in? Although she knew her mistress liked to tinker with medicinal herbs, what could she do for someone who was sick?
"Mistress, you?"
Yun Xiao paid no mind to Wan Wan behind her, striding towards the light. With a creak, she pulled open the wooden door. The old wooden door swayed a few times, making a noise.
The people inside suddenly looked up: a woman with a face full of tears, a girl with her hair tied in twin buns, and a man lying on the bed.
His complexion was sallow, and he seemed to be in pain. His eyes held a hint of confusion as he looked at the two women who had barged into his home in the dead of night. He struggled to get up, extending a hand to protect the mother and daughter beside him, and coughed, speaking.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
In the flickering lamplight, though the man was frail, his actions were like those of a peerless hero. A glint of reverence rose in the eyes of the mother and daughter.
Proud of such a husband, such a father, they wept uncontrollably at the thought that the man who protected them so completely would soon leave them.
A thick, unresolvable sadness permeated the room. Wan Wan behind them was already moved by the scene, and she started to cry, sobbing as she looked at Yun Xiao, "Mistress, they are so pitiful."
"Yes," Yun Xiao nodded, looking at the man. Her gaze was kind, and a gentle smile graced her lips. Her clear voice was as melodious as a warbler emerging from a valley, crisp and sweet.
"I am a doctor. You are ill, so I came to take a look. Please don't misunderstand."
"A doctor?"
Everyone in the room was stunned, not just the family in the small house, but also Wan Wan. She had never known her mistress was also a doctor. Weren't they saying she was an idiot?
Even if she wasn't an idiot anymore, she was still a doctor. Did she tinker with those medicinal herbs because she herself was a doctor...?
The man released his hand and slumped back onto the bed. However, the woman began to cry even more mournfully.
"We already called a doctor, and everyone said he, said he..." She could no longer utter the rest. Yun Xiao already understood the implication: the man was beyond saving. But as she looked closely, she saw that although the man's complexion was sallow and his eyes lacked luster, they had not yet glazed over. How could he be considered beyond saving? She walked over slowly, "Let me take a look."
In the lamplight, delicate hands, like jade, reached out.
A flicker of hope ignited in the man's eyes. Although she was a woman, he intuitively felt she couldn't save him. He had never seen a woman become a doctor before.
However, after repeated disappointments, he decided to try anything, like a drowning man grasping at a straw. He knew it was likely useless but held onto a sliver of hope.
Hope also dawned in the eyes of the woman and the little girl in the room.
"Father, let Sister try," the little girl pleaded tearfully. The woman also nodded with tears in her eyes. The man finally nodded forcefully and extended his emaciated hand, resting it on the edge of the bed.
The woman immediately stood up and brought Yun Xiao a low stool. Yun Xiao sat down without ceremony and took the man's pulse.
The pulse was deep and rapid; the face was slightly flushed, and the body was slightly warm.
After taking his pulse, Yun Xiao asked the patient to open his mouth and examined his tongue, which was a dull, ashen color.
This was clearly due to festering sores on his body. However, these sores had likely worsened, and as she let go, she frowned in thought. The woman and child, seeing Yun Xiao's actions, assumed it was the same as what the previous doctors had said, and they both began to sob softly.
The man withdrew his hand, disappointment in his eyes, but he did not blame Yun Xiao. He sighed and instead comforted her.
"It's good that you tried your best, there's no need to blame yourself. It's not your fault."
Yun Xiao looked up, her brows now unfurrowed. She asked lightly, "Do you feel pain all over and are unable to sweat? If you sweat, you get spasms, especially severe pain in your chest."
"Yes," the man nodded, looking at the pretty girl before him. It seemed this girl had some skill, as she had immediately pinpointed his condition, something the previous doctors had not possessed. They had meticulously inquired about his symptoms.
"This is caused by festering sores. In the early stages, it's a simple matter; one only needs to prick the sores with a silver needle to release the pus. But because it was delayed for too long, it has likely scabbed over, making it more troublesome. However, it's not incurable."
As she finished her last sentence, the people in the room were dumbfounded. The man, the woman, and the child—their eyes flashed with disbelief, then with joy, and finally, they all burst into tears of emotion.
The woman quickly took the child's hand and knelt beside Yun Xiao.
"Thank you, young lady. Thank you. Your great kindness is something our family can never repay, even if we worked ourselves to the bone."
Yun Xiao glanced at Wan Wan. Wan Wan snapped out of her shock. She was completely astonished; she had never imagined her mistress truly understood medicine. Not only did she understand it, but she seemed to be highly skilled, capable of treating ailments that even ordinary doctors couldn't.
Reverence flared in Wan Wan's eyes. She truly admired her mistress. Turning, she walked to the side and helped the woman and child up.
"Please rise. As long as it can be treated, my mistress will cure the patient."
"Thank you, thank you," the two said, rising through their tears. Yun Xiao paid them no more mind and instead looked at the patient on the bed, asking, "Where are the sores located?"
The man pointed to his chest. These were two women, and the ailment was on his chest; this seemed to be improper according to etiquette.
Yun Xiao remained indifferent. In the eyes of a doctor, there were only patients and non-patients, with no distinction between male and female.
Wan Wan's face, however, immediately flushed red, and she turned her head to look elsewhere.
"Let me take a look," Yun Xiao said calmly. The man was moved.
This young lady was truly sacred, inspiring a sense of reverence that made one dare not commit any profanity.
The man nodded to the woman beside him. The young woman stepped forward to lift her husband's shirt. A large, red, swollen mound was visible on his chest. Yun Xiao gently pressed it, and it felt as hard as stone.
The man winced in pain but said nothing.