Chapter 72: Chapter 42: The Dawn of Hope (Part 2)

Juhua’s mother later bought a good amount of fabric for her daughter. She had wanted to buy some finer materials, but Juhua told her she preferred wearing cotton—it was soft and comfortable—so her mother didn’t insist.

As a result, Juhua got two new outer jackets, one in a silver-red pattern and the other in aqua green, to wear over her padded jackets for easy washing. She also got new trousers in silver-gray and indigo, finally escaping the days of wearing clothes covered in patches.

In truth, her old clothes from last year were too small to fit over the new padded jacket and trousers, so she couldn’t have been frugal even if she’d wanted to, unless she altered Qingmu’s old clothes. And she did alter a couple of his pieces to wear for chores, to keep her new clothes from getting dirty.

She had originally asked her mother for more muted colors, but her mother said the other fabrics were either too drab or that these were the only ones suitable for young girls, so there was nothing she could do about it.

Around noon that day, Qingmu came running excitedly into the courtyard, his forehead beaded with sweat and his grinning mouth puffing out clouds of hot breath. He shouted to Juhua, who was carrying dishes into the main hall, “Juhua, Juhua! Doctor Qin is coming this afternoon!”

Juhua was wearing her new, light-purple padded jacket without an outer layer, along with new padded shoes. Now that she was warm, her spirits were much higher. A smile graced her face, and her steps were noticeably lighter.

Seeing her brother’s uncharacteristic excitement, she asked, puzzled, “Doctor Qin is coming? So what if he is? Dad’s leg is almost healed. It just needs a few more changes of medicine and it’ll be all better.”

Qingmu waved his hands frantically. “Not for Dad. Doctor Qin is coming to see you. He said his master prepared some medicine and sent it over. He’s going to try it out on you.”

Juhua’s eyes flew open. “You mean, Doctor Qin is coming to treat my face?” she asked, pointing a finger to her cheek.

Qingmu chuckled and nodded vigorously. “Yep! Doctor Qin told me in private on my way home from school.”

Juhua couldn’t help but get excited as well. Even though she had warned her parents not to get their hopes up too high—lest the disappointment be too great if there was no cure—now that the moment was at hand, she couldn’t control herself. Her heart was aflutter, tossed about by immense joy and anticipation.

Just then, Zheng Changhe and Juhua’s mother came out of the house.

Every day around noon, Juhua would start serving the meal the moment she spotted Qingmu on the path from the village, so Zheng Changhe and his wife were already at the table, waiting to eat.

Juhua’s mother grabbed Qingmu’s arm and asked, her voice trembling, “Is… is this true? Did Doctor Qin really say that?”

Qingmu nodded vigorously, his wide grin never faltering.

Juhua’s mother felt as if she were in a daze, murmuring, “Oh, what should we do? What should we do?”

Zheng Changhe was happy too, but he was more clear-headed. He gave his wife a little nudge. “This is a good thing. What are you getting so worked up about?”

Juhua, however, understood her mother’s feelings. She chuckled and said, “Mom! We don’t know the first thing about medicine, so let’s not panic. We’ll just listen to Doctor Qin and do whatever he says.”

Her mother finally came to her senses and said in a rush, “Right, right! We’ll listen to Doctor Qin. Don’t panic, let’s eat first!”

Now that she’d calmed down, she was telling others not to panic. Juhua and Qingmu exchanged a look and laughed together.

And so, they all went inside to eat.

With such great hope in their hearts, the noon meal was a strange mix of joy and tastelessness. Everyone absentmindedly shoveled down two large bowls of rice without really tasting the food, but their spirits were soaring.

Qingmu had to go back to school in the afternoon, so he couldn’t stay to witness Juhua’s treatment. He was deeply disappointed and very reluctant to leave.

Juhua spoke to him in a soft, gentle voice. “Brother, don’t worry. Think about it, Doctor Qin isn’t an immortal. It’s not as if he’ll apply the medicine once and this thing on my face will just fall off. It’ll probably take a few days, and we might have to change the medicine a few times before it’s better. You should just focus on school. You’ll see what I look like when you get home tonight.”

Qingmu realized she was right, and finally left, his mind at ease.

That afternoon, when Qin Feng arrived at the entrance to the Zheng Family Courtyard with his medicine box, the sight of Zheng Changhe and his wife craning their necks at the gate made him smile. “Uncle Zheng, Aunt Zheng, getting impatient?”

Zheng Changhe rubbed his large, calloused hands together and smiled a little shyly. “Not at all, not at all! Please, Doctor Qin, come in and have a seat.”

Juhua’s mother chuckled as well. She and Zheng Changhe flanked Qin Feng like a pair of honor guards, ushering him into the main hall and seating him at the old table.

Juhua did her best to suppress the urge to jump for joy as she served Qin Feng a cup of chrysanthemum tea. Since it was winter, she only added a single, wild chrysanthemum flower. She didn’t even dare to drink it herself anymore. ’Who could she blame but her own ’cold’ constitution?’

She turned to her parents with mock reproach. “Dad, Mom, don’t stare at Doctor Qin so intently, you’ll scare him away. Besides, he already said he’s just going to see if this medicine works. You’re putting him in a difficult position acting like this!”

Her mother felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. Remembering what Juhua had said before, she reined in her excitement and forced a smile. “That’s true! Well, Doctor Qin, please don’t mind us. Just do what you need to do.” She turned to her husband. “And you, don’t just stand there gawking. See if Doctor Qin needs help and lend him a hand.”

Her words were rather pointless. Of course the doctor would do what he needed to do; it wasn’t as if he was going to ask for her opinion.

Qin Feng smiled, completely understanding the rural couple’s feelings—a patient’s family was usually like this. He paid it no mind and said, “There’s not much to it. I’ll just apply some medicine to Juhua’s face, and she’ll take some pills three times a day. It’s very simple!”

As he spoke, he opened his medicine box. From among the neatly arranged tools and porcelain vials, he selected a fist-sized, round-bellied, narrow-necked porcelain bottle. He said to Juhua, “First, go and wash your face. Also, bring me a small saucer—make sure to scald it with boiling water first.”

Juhua’s mother hurried into the kitchen after her.

Juhua had actually already washed her face with water infused with wild chrysanthemums to make sure it was clean for the medicine. But since Qin Feng had given the order, she washed it again. Meanwhile, her mother found a small, crude porcelain saucer and scalded it repeatedly with boiling water before returning to the main hall with Juhua.

Qin Feng took the saucer, placed it on the table, and tilted the round-bellied bottle. A thick, black, fragrant medicinal liquid flowed out. Once a sufficient amount had pooled in the saucer, he stopped pouring. Then, from his medicine box, he took out a jade-green bamboo stick with its tip wrapped in fine white cotton cloth.

After preparing everything, he smiled at Juhua. “Come, sit down. Close your eyes. And don’t be nervous. Applying the medicine will be very quick.”

Juhua did as he said and sat down in front of him.

She saw a grave look in his eyes. ’Even though he’s smiling,’ she thought, ’his handsome features are tense, and the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. It’s obvious he’s nervous too, and not at all certain this medicine will work.’

A sudden calm washed over Juhua. ’Could the result possibly be any worse than this? What do I have to be afraid of?’

And so, she smiled at Qin Feng and closed her eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep