Chapter 213: Chapter 213: You… You Are

Xia Wenjin did not speak.

It wasn’t a question of whether his illness could be cured.

If she had previously held some hope that it was merely the effects of miasma poison, she no longer dared to think so now.

But Uncle Liu’s symptoms were very much like an epidemic.

Xia Wenjin asked, “Uncle, when did the illness start?”

The burly man replied, “It’s been seven days. It was pouring rain that day, and my father was fine, but suddenly he coughed up blood. We persuaded him to see a doctor, and at the time Doctor Zhang gave him medicine, saying it was caused by the miasma and that rest would make it better, but the more he rested, the worse it got. My father can’t move now. I went to fetch Doctor Zhang the day before yesterday, hoping he would make a house call, but…”

Xia Wenjin said, “Since I’m already here, let me check your pulse as well!”

The burly man quickly said, “We have no money left!”

Xia Wenjin replied gently, “I don’t charge for it!”

Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately said, “Then please check my wife; she’s been coughing badly recently too.”

The woman said, “I just caught a bit of a chill at night!”

Xia Wenjin gestured for the woman to extend her hand. She placed two fingers on the woman’s wrist. After taking her pulse, she said nothing, which made the burly man a bit nervous, “How is it? Is it okay? Lately, I’ve been busy working, and all the household chores and taking care of my father have been falling on her shoulders. Is she worn out from overwork?”

Xia Wenjin looked at the man’s worried expression and for a moment couldn’t find the words. She thought for a moment and said to him, “Is there a spare room? I want to speak privately with your wife!”

The burly man gave her a suspicious look but, confronted with the boy’s pure and clean gaze—his appearance like someone who stepped out of a painting—gruffly said, “The west room is unoccupied.”

The woman seemed a bit embarrassed and said awkwardly, “This…”

Xia Wenjin said, “I just want to ask you about the illness!”

Since it was about the illness, whether it involved her or her father-in-law, it was fine. The woman followed Xia Wenjin to the west room.

The burly man stayed in the east room to look after Uncle Liu.

Once inside the west room, Xia Wenjin closed the door.

This action startled the woman, who instinctively stepped back a few paces, exclaiming in panic, “You… you said you wanted to ask questions. Why are you closing the door?”

Xia Wenjin did not approach; instead, she released the hairpin holding her hair in place, allowing her long hair to cascade down.

The woman exclaimed in shock, “You… you are…”

Xia Wenjin said to the woman, “Yes, I am indeed a woman. For convenience, I disguise myself as a man when traveling outside.”

“Why are you telling me this?” the woman asked, somewhat fearful, having heard stories about those who learned secrets only to be silenced.

Xia Wenjin explained, “What I need to discuss next involves intimate matters of the body, so I had to speak to you privately. To ease your worries, I revealed my true identity.”

The woman looked at her, half doubtingly.

Xia Wenjin said, “Don’t you believe me?” As she spoke, she began to unfasten her top.

The woman quickly said, “No, there’s no need. I trust you.” How could a man look this good? When she saw her earlier, she felt that this young man was even more attractive than the celestial beings in legends.

It turned out she was a young woman!

Xia Wenjin stopped what she was doing and solemnly said to the woman, “Sister-in-law, do you have a red spot on your chest that appeared in the last couple of days?”

The woman was taken aback, tongue-tied, “Spot… no, I don’t think so!”

Xia Wenjin’s expression turned serious, “Haven’t you checked yourself? Please take a look; it’s important!”

Though unsure of Xia Wenjin’s intention, the woman turned aside, unfastened her clothing, took a quick look, then adjusted her clothes and turned back, saying, “Sister, how did you know? I’m not sure how it happened, but a spot did appear, about the size of a fingernail! What about the spot?”

Xia Wenjin’s gaze darkened. After some thought, she asked, “May I take a look?”

The reason for asking was due to her morning experience at Doctor Zhang’s clinic. Busy as he was, she had helped out and treated several patients.

She was thorough with her examinations, asked meticulous questions, and her good attitude, paired with her appearance as if she were from a painting, led many patients to disclose every detail. They even mentioned matters that weren’t visible.

One of them had mentioned the sudden appearance of a similar spot on their chest, unsure if it was a dangerous spot or if it posed any threat.

Xia Wenjin had touched it, finding the skin on the spot as dry and hard as dead skin.

In subsequent diagnoses, she asked about such spots. Some had none, while others did, with similar sudden appearances over three to five days, starting as small as a green bean, then nail-sized, pea-sized, and eventually the size of a square coin…

Those feeling discomfort and seeking consultation generally had spots about the size of a pea. The bigger the spots, the more severe the symptoms tended to be.

Earlier, upon examining Uncle Liu, she found his spot was larger than an egg.

The visible symptoms of those with or without spots were similar, appearing as if caused by inhaling miasma. Doctor Zhang confidently diagnosed it as miasma, saying it happened yearly and was consistent, given his vast experience with such illnesses.

But Xia Wenjin realized there was a crucial difference.

Perhaps Doctor Zhang was unaware of these red spots.

His arrogance and impatience with patients meant he barely asked questions before prescribing, and such spots on the torso, hidden by clothing, could easily go unnoticed during pulse-taking.

The woman hesitated but, seeing that Xia Wenjin was a woman and a doctor, nodded eventually.

The red spot on her chest was just like Xia Wenjin had seen in the morning. The skin felt rough like dead skin but was pliant to the touch.

After retracting her hand without speaking, the woman lowered her clothes and asked nervously, “Sister, is this some strange disease? I haven’t been anywhere, nor eaten anything out of the ordinary. Will I die?”

Xia Wenjin smiled, “Sister-in-law, you’re overthinking it! It’s just a minor issue; why speak of death so seriously?”

Hearing this, the woman felt some relief and exhaled, “Scared me to death. It’s strange how this spot appeared out of nowhere.”

Xia Wenjin laughed, “Maybe the hot weather caused it; it’ll probably fade away soon.”

With her mind at ease, a smile appeared on the woman’s face.

Seeing her relax, Xia Wenjin asked, “Sister-in-law, how long have you and your husband been married, and do you have children?”

The woman said, “Ten years, with a child named Hu Tou, who is eight and out playing.”

Xia Wenjin said, “Sister-in-law, with Uncle Liu’s condition worsening and your attention required, the child being so young and delicate, if it’s too much for you, perhaps he could stay with relatives for a while?”

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