Chapter 74: Chapter 43: A Disappointing Ending (Part 2)

Juhua saw their dispirited expressions and sighed to herself. ’Even though I told them not to get their hopes up, Mom and Dad still expected too much! But really, it wasn’t just them. I was full of hope before going to sleep, too!’

However, it seemed things weren’t beyond saving. By dinnertime, Juhua’s face hadn’t actually worsened. She only said it had a slight burning pain, but it hadn’t gotten any more severe!

So, Qin Feng and Juhua’s family discussed it and decided to wait one more night. They would see how it was in the morning before deciding whether to continue using the medicine. Besides, they would be able to see the results after washing it off tomorrow.

“My master’s letter originally said the medicine should be changed once a day. That means we won’t know the effects for about ten two-hour periods,” Qin Feng said.

And so, the Zheng Family’s hope was rekindled. The complexions of Zheng Changhe and his wife improved as well, but they remained cautious. They didn’t dare to get too happy, yet they couldn’t stop themselves from longing for a miracle.

When Qingmu came home from his studies, he tossed his books aside, grabbed his sister’s shoulders with both hands, pulled her to the doorway, and stared intently at her face for a good long while.

In truth, the area with the growth was covered by a thick layer of black ointment, so he couldn’t see anything of note. It made him wish he could peel off that black layer right then and there to reveal a fair, tender-skinned little sister underneath.

Juhua giggled at his antics and expression, saying repeatedly, “Brother, it’s still too early! We won’t know if it’s working until tomorrow.” She pushed his hands away and urged him to go wash up for dinner.

Qin Feng couldn’t help but smile as he watched the siblings’ interaction.

During dinner, Juhua was forbidden from eating anything spicy, salty, or greasy. In the end, she could only eat a bowl of green vegetables.

As they ate, Qin Feng and the Zheng Family kept glancing hopefully at Juhua’s face, as if it weren’t medicine applied to her skin, but a treasure that had been planted and would sprout by morning.

Juhua herself also decided to endure the pain for one night to see the medicine’s effect, so she went to bed early—carrying the hopes of her entire family with her as she slept.

But who would have known that by nightfall, an unbearable, burning pain would erupt on Juhua’s face.

At first, she tried to bear it, but eventually, the pain became too much. She got up, threw on a cotton-padded jacket, and shiveringly felt her way to the door, calling for her brother in a soft voice. In the quiet night, her faint whispers sounded as deep and distant as words spoken in a dream, almost unreal.

Before bed, Qingmu’s mind had been racing, hoping the medicine would have some effect on his sister’s face and restore her appearance. With his thoughts in turmoil, he had drifted off to sleep at some unknown point. When he suddenly heard Juhua’s soft call, he jolted awake. ’I keep thinking about my sister’s face so much I’m even dreaming about it,’ he chuckled to himself.

But then, Juhua’s voice truly came from the darkness: “Brother, Brother!” It wasn’t a dream after all.

After a pause, she called out twice more!

Only then did Qingmu realize it truly wasn’t a dream; Juhua was really standing at his door calling for him.

He instantly grew tense, answering with a quick “Yeah?” as he fumbled for his jacket, put it on, and sat up. “What’s wrong?” he asked in a low voice.

’Juhua must be feeling unwell,’ he thought. ’She would never wake me in the middle of the night otherwise.’

Juhua whispered, “Brother, my face hurts really bad. Can you light the oil lamp and come take a look? See what’s going on?”

Hearing this, Qingmu grew even more nervous. He quickly dressed, fumbled for the flint on the table, and lit the oil lamp. Cupping one hand around the flickering flame, he carried the lamp into Juhua’s room.

He said to Juhua, “Get back in bed and sit up so you don’t get cold. I’ll take a look.”

Juhua obediently got into bed and sat up, taking the oil lamp from him and holding it steady so her brother could get a closer look.

“It feels like my face is on fire. Touch it gently and see what’s happening. If the medicine was working, it should be forming a hard crust.”

Qingmu listened to her, squinted to examine her face for a moment, then gently touched it with his index finger. He frowned worriedly. “Something’s not right… It seems to be festering. This spot is soft, like it’s oozing.”

With his hopes for healing his sister dashed, he grew anxious. ’This is trouble. What do I do now?’ he thought. ’The best thing would be to go get Doctor Qin right now. My sister is in a lot of pain. We need to wash this medicine off quickly and apply something else.’ But it was the middle of the night, and he felt bad about disturbing someone’s sleep.

When Juhua heard her face was festering, she panicked too! ’A growth is one thing, at least my face is intact! But if it starts rotting until the raw flesh is exposed… Aiyo, how could I ever face anyone then?’

She knew what her brother was hesitating about and made the decision herself. “Brother, don’t go get Doctor Qin. Let’s just wash this medicine off first. Go to the kitchen and boil some water. I want to steep some wild chrysanthemum water to wash my face. Otherwise, this is just going to get worse.”

As she spoke, she started putting on her cloth socks and cotton pants. Lying in bed was no longer an option.

Qingmu nodded. Just as he turned to find and light another oil lamp, he heard Yang Family ask from behind him, “Qingmu, what’s wrong with Juhua?” Her voice trembled slightly.

Seeing he had woken his parents up after all, Qingmu no longer hid the truth. He explained how Juhua’s face was hurting terribly and that he had looked and found it was already festering.

When Yang Family heard this, her heart sank. Disappointment lodged in her chest, an unspeakably stifling feeling. The night no longer felt peaceful, but heavy and crushingly oppressive.

But she still pulled herself together and went to comfort Juhua. “Juhua, dear, if it doesn’t work this time, then so be it. Doctor Qin will think of something else. You’re not well, so don’t get up. Your brother and I will go boil the water and steep the chrysanthemums. We’ll bring it into the room for you to wash with. It’s very cold outside. We can’t have you catching a chill, that would just cause more trouble.”

With that, she tucked the corners of the blanket around Juhua. Once Qingmu lit another oil lamp, the two of them left for the kitchen.

Zheng Changhe also threw on some clothes and came over. After asking about the situation, he sighed inwardly with sorrow but didn’t dare to make a sound, offering Juhua some clumsy words of comfort.

Juhua felt very guilty for waking the whole family. She said to her father, “Dad, you should go back to sleep. Don’t catch a chill. Why don’t you get under the covers here for a bit to warm up?”

Zheng Changhe gave a simple-hearted laugh. “Don’t say such silly things! I’ll go put on more clothes and come back.”

When Yang Family brought a large basin of hot water, fragrant with the scent of chrysanthemums, into the room, Juhua began to gently wipe the ointment from her face with a small cotton cloth under the watchful eyes of her parents and brother.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep