Denghuaxiao

Chapter 231 The past repeats itself

 It was very windy and snowy at night.

The strong wind swept heavy snow, covering the sky and the earth, and the ruined temple was almost blurred, leaving only a faint shadow.

Lu Zhen rushed to the hospital in a hurry, and when he reached the door, he heard Cuicui's heartbreaking cries.

 “Dad, dad—”

The patients who had been laughing around the hospital during the day were all silent now, their faces looking lonely and desperate under the dim light.

Lu Zong opened the curtain and as soon as he entered, he felt a strong smell of blood hitting his nostrils.

Ding Yong was lying on the couch, his face turning a strange blue color, his arms hanging by the bedside had shockingly large purple clouds, and he was vomiting blood.

Medical officers on both sides were pressing his hands, and the gushing blood stained the bed beneath him red.

Cuicui knelt beside the bed, crying until her voice became hoarse. When she saw Lu Zhuo coming in, she immediately rushed to her.

"Medical Officer Lu," she cried loudly, "what happened to my father? He has obviously recovered and his red spots have dissipated. Why is this happening suddenly?"

Lu Zhen looked at Ding Yong on the couch, but before he spoke, the next moment, Cuicui suddenly knelt forward two steps, lowered his head, and kowtowed to her with a "bang".

“Cui Cui—” Lin Danqing came over to pull her.

Cuicui refused, stubbornly pulling on the corner of Lu's skirt, as if grasping the last straw.

“Medical Officer Lu, please save him, I, I can sell myself to you, I can do anything, please save my father, I can do anything—”

She howled and hit her forehead heavily on the wet and cold ground of the pit, causing blood to bloom in an instant.

Lu Zhen was suddenly shocked and couldn't help but take a step back.

 For a moment, it seemed like I was back many years ago.

It was also snowing heavily and the winter was extremely cold. When she was desperate, she met Yun Niang, knelt down and kowtowed to her, and was willing to exchange her body for a chance of survival for her family.

Life is unpredictable, ups and downs, and fate exerts a shocking and strange power at this moment. When she was a child, she was lonely and reckless in Changwu County, and she suddenly overlapped with the helpless and pitiful little girl in the epidemic in southern Jiangsu, and she became Yun Niang. Became the "Bodhisattva" whom others relied on.

Yun Niang’s face vaguely appeared in front of her eyes.

The woman looked at her with a smile and touched her face tenderly.

 “Give up, Xiao Qi, you can’t save anyone.”

Cuicui's voice became more and more sad, but Ding Yong, who was sleeping on the bed, seemed to be woken up by the cry. He struggled to hold himself up, glanced at Cuicui with nostalgia, and then gasped and shouted: "Take her away -"

“Dad—” Cuicui cried loudly and stepped forward.

　　"Don't let her see it," he turned his face with great effort to prevent his daughter from seeing the blood spurting out of his mouth: "Don't let her see it...don't let her see it..."

 The man's eyes bulged out from the pain, and the veins on his forehead were exposed. He tried his best to suppress his moans, but the more blood spurting from his mouth made his forbearance even more tragic and horrifying.

Cuicui was taken out by the medical officer. Seeing his daughter leave, Ding Yong breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his grip on the mattress.

 “Ding Yong, Ding Yong!” Chang Jin tried to give him acupuncture, but it was of no use at this moment.

Lu Zhen half-knelt in front of Ding Yong's bed, cleaning up the blood that kept coming out of his mouth and nose. The blood was like a bright red spring, gurgling out and unable to stop.

 A hand suddenly grabbed Lu Zhuo's wrist.

Lu Zhen raised his head, and Ding Yong looked at her pleadingly.

"Medical Officer Lu," he said intermittently: "I only have one daughter, Cuicui...They say you have the best medical skills and are the best medical officer in Shengjing. Cuicui likes you the most. Please cure her...let her live, let her She survived..."

 In a trance, Lu Yan's eyes gradually warmed up, and she held Ding Yong's hand: "She will live."

"good…"

After receiving this sentence, Ding Yong smiled happily. Maybe it was the pain that blurred his mind, and he gradually couldn't distinguish clearly. He took Lu Zhu's hand and said: "Girl, daddy is leaving...Don't, don't think about daddy all the time. Dad used to I told you that people should look forward and don’t keep thinking about unhappy things. In the future, you should study hard and live a good life. When you get married, dad will be watching from heaven. You will live to be a hundred years old... In the next life, dad I’ll also make up grasshoppers for you…”

Lu Zong looked at him blankly.

 “Daddy’s good daughter…”

 He murmured: "You must...live well..."

The skinny hand covered with purple clouds suddenly dropped. She tried to catch it, but failed.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　——

A heartbreaking cry of pain came from behind.

The moment seemed very long.

The little girl who broke free from the medical officer's hand rushed to the bedside and cried over and over again: "Dad, Daddy, get up and look at me, Daddy, Daddy, look at me..."

 “Don’t go, don’t leave me alone...”

The sound of mournful crying echoed through the whole house, and was soon drowned out by the wind and snow outside.

Lu Zong wanted to pull her up, but Cuicui suddenly turned her head and looked at her viciously.

 “Didn’t you say that doctors are the ones who save people?”

 “Didn’t you say that we won’t die?”

Cuicui grabbed her skirt and asked reluctantly, "Didn't you say that the popping of the wick is a sign of great joy, and that dad and I will be fine?"

 “Why is my father dead?” she cried, “Why is he dead?”

The girl pushed hard, and Lu Zhuo stumbled due to the push, but was supported by the person behind him.

Lu Zhen turned around, and Pei Yunying let go of her hand, looking down at her with a frown. He must have just arrived, and he was not wearing a sword.

Cuicui let go of the hand holding the corner of Lu's skirt, fell to the ground, and cried bitterly.

Lu Zhen's heart felt sour and he couldn't stay here anymore. He suddenly turned his back, turned around and strode out of the disaster place.

 “Sister Lu—” Lin Danqing was shouting.

Pei Yunying turned around and followed him.

 Lu Zong walked very fast.

The wind was blowing and the snow was blowing outside, and it was pitch black outside the ruined temple in Sunan. She walked and gradually broke into a trot, as if she didn't dare to look back at the small, sad ruined temple behind her, for fear of looking back again.

 There is a lot of suffering in the world, and she realized this a long time ago.

 She has always been a merciless monster who only comes for revenge. Opening a medical clinic or becoming a doctor are just means of revenge. She doesn't care about benefiting the world or saving lives or healing the wounded. She doesn't care about anything else in the world except revenge.

 But at this moment, but just at that moment, how much she wanted to save him.

How she wanted to save them.

Just like Yun Niang saved her parents' lives back then.

 The little girl’s happy voice still echoed in my ears.

"Grasshopper! I give it to you, Medical Officer Lu. My father and I have been feeling much better these days. My father said that it won't be long before we can leave the scourge. When spring next year, he can accompany me to catch crabs by the river." "

The voice gradually faded and became the man's last nostalgia.

"Girl, dad is leaving... Don't, don't think about dad all the time. Dad once told you that people should look forward and don't keep thinking about unhappy things. In the future, you should study hard and live a good life. If you get married, , Dad is watching from heaven, you have to live to be a hundred years old... In the next life, Dad will make grasshoppers for you..."

 “Daddy’s good daughter…”

 “Must...live well...”

The noise followed her and kept echoing in her mind. She ran forward aimlessly, not knowing where she was going, until someone behind her grabbed her and forced her to stop.

 “Lu Zhuo.” The man called her name.

 Lu Zong was in a trance.

 “Lu Huan.” He called again, his voice stronger than before, as if he wanted to wake her up completely from her confusion.

Lu Zhen raised his head blankly.

Pei Yunying stood in front of her, staring at her closely, and said in a cold voice, "Where are you going?"

As if being poured down by a basin of cold water, Lu Huo suddenly came back to his senses.

 This is southern Jiangsu, not Changwu County.

 Ding Yong died, and she failed to save him.

His whole body suddenly lost strength. Lu Zhuo swayed and was supported by Pei Yunying.

Pei Yunying looked at her.

Her face was extremely pale, her lips were not even a trace of blood, and her eyes were even more empty. She looked even more dangerous than Cuicui just now, and she looked shaky, as if she was about to melt in the next moment.

The young man lowered his eyes for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and hugged her.

Snow is flying in southern Jiangsu, and the north wind is whining at night. The snow is dark and the wind is arrogant, but the embrace is full of warmth.

Lu Zhen huddled in his arms, and the other party's hand gently patted her back, one after another, as if to comfort her, but it made Lu Zhen's eyes instantly turn red.

Ding Yong’s dark face suddenly changed, turning into his father’s face, and in a trance, it turned into his mother’s voice, and his brothers and sisters’ instructions...

She has been thinking about what her family would say to her and what they would give her if they could see her again. She speculated on countless possibilities, perhaps asking her to seek revenge, or perhaps asking her to be patient and seek mercy. Now, in tonight's farewell, there is a faint clue.

 The last words that the father struggled to say to his daughter before his death turned out to be: live well.

If her parents, brothers and sisters could see her for the last time, this is what they should say.

Live well.

People should look forward.

 She closed her eyes and tears fell unexpectedly.

 …

The snow in southern Jiangsu has not stopped all night, and the sky is gradually turning white.

 In the early morning, Ding Yong’s body was brought to the execution ground.

Ding Yong died. He died a few days after taking the new medicine. Most of the peach spots on his body had faded, but they suddenly deepened on this unexpected night.

The corpse infected by the epidemic should not be left in the hospital for a long time. Cuicui ignored the medical officer's dissuasion and followed him to the execution ground. She saw Ding Yong being buried with her own eyes and placed a small grasshopper on the tomb.

The black soil of the execution ground is mixed with white snow, and large and small graves are mixed together. Those with family members are still willing to erect a monument, and more are buried everywhere, integrating with this damp land.

Lu Yan stood in the ice and snow, looking at the long and distant peaks, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

 It seemed like she had gone back many years ago, when she came down from Luomei Peak and searched for fresh corpses for Yun Niang in the execution ground.

From the initial discomfort to the gradual numbness, she thought she had long been accustomed to this land. She never thought that when she stood here again, she would still be moved by the desolation of the world.

 The world is cruel.

 She stood at the execution ground for a long time.

　　Until Cuicui was taken back to the hospital by the medical officers, until the other medical officers had gone back, and the sky was full of frost and snow falling from the sky, she stood alone, as if she wanted to stand here until the end of the world.

 An umbrella was held over the head.

Luoxue was blocked from the umbrella eaves. She turned around and saw Pei Yunying standing in front of her.

He didn't speak, just looked at her quietly, as if he understood her confusion at this moment, and tilted the umbrella over her head.

The umbrella was not big enough to accommodate the two of them, so the snow escaped from her and hid on the other person's body, falling all over his shoulders.

 “Why haven’t you left yet?” Lu Yan heard his own voice.

He could see her behavior after Ding Yong's sudden death last night. She stayed up all night, so he stayed with her all night.

Pei Yunying glanced at her: "Are you okay?"

 “What can happen to me?”

"Don't be so harsh, Lu Huan." His expression became calm, as if he could see through her, "You are obviously very sad."

 He is still as insightful as ever.

Lu Zhuo turned around and walked forward: "Commander, it is better not to stay here any longer. This place is full of corpses of infected people. Even though most of them were burned and buried, staying here for a long time may still be harmful to the body. Leave early." Grab her wrist.

 Lu Zhuo stopped.

Pei Yunying looked at her with a slight frown. Without saying anything for a while, he put the umbrella into her hand and said, "Take it."

 Lu Zhuo nodded to him, took the umbrella, and gradually walked away.

It wasn’t until the woman’s figure was no longer visible in the wind and snow that Pei Yunying spoke: “Qing Feng.”

 Qing Feng, who was far away, stepped forward.

 “Staring at Lu Huan, something is wrong with her.”

Qingfeng was a little confused.

Lu Zhen has always been calm and cold. When Ding Yong's body was buried at the execution ground, Ding Yong's daughter burst into tears and was not comforted at all. She really didn't know what was wrong.

 In the snow, Pei Yunying said nothing.

Something is wrong with Lu Zhen.

Last night she looked dazed and empty, like a cloud that was about to disperse and go nowhere. If he hadn't caught her in time, I don't know what would have happened.

The last time I saw her like this was during the Nuo ceremony, after Qi Yutai died.

 It’s really worrying.

 …

Ding Yong’s death suddenly silenced the place that had previously shown signs of life.

 "Despair" is the "disappointment" after "hope".

 It is more terrible.

However, death is not merciful because of tragedy. On the third day after Ding Yong left, Cuicui began to fall ill.

Perhaps it is because the body of a young child is not as good as that of an adult, or perhaps because Ding Yong's death has hit Cuicui too hard. In short, Cuicui's illness broke out more violently than her father's.

On the little girl’s delicate arms, large peach blossoms were mottled and turned purple.

 Purple cloud spots.

 Cui Cui's condition worsened.

In the hospital, the medical officer closed the curtain and was giving Cuicui some decoction.

The girl's face was in pain, her body was soaked with sweat, and her bones ached.

Lin Danqing suppressed her movement while giving her the Qi-boosting medicine, while Ji Xun and Lu Zhu were giving Cuicui acupuncture.

 Golden needles pierced Cuicui's body one after another, but the girl's breath was still gradually weakening.

"No, her body is getting colder and colder, and her pulse is getting weaker and weaker." Lin Danqing sweatdropped, "Lu Xu, Ji Xun, add more needles."

 More golden needles pierced Cuicui's body.

 She began to tremble rapidly, calling for father and mother.

 Lu Zong half hugged her and whispered in her ear: "Hold on."

“You have to live,” she said. “Your parents want you to live the most.”

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Lu Zhen himself was stunned for a moment.

Soon, she came back to her senses and continued to speak in Cuicui's ear.

 “You live as long as your parents expect you to.”

Cuicui seemed to understand, and her trembling gradually subsided.

 “It’s getting better,” Lin Danqing was delighted, “Don’t stop, continue—”

Behind the curtain of the fusuo, the lights burned all night, until the sky gradually became brighter, Cuicui's pulse finally calmed down.

Lin Danqing wiped the sweat from his forehead and took off his soaked outer clothes, "I was scared to death."

She yawned, sat down on the ground in the pit, cupped her chin and said, "Let me rest for a while." However, within a few breaths, when she looked again, she was already fast asleep.

 She was really tired.

None of the patients made any noise to her. Lu Zhen covered her with a blanket and walked out of the hospital.

It is already early morning, and there is a rare ray of sun today. The faint ray of sky seems to be obscured by the thick clouds, and a golden-red ray shines through, as if one can catch a glimpse of the shadow of the sunrise.

Ji Xun came over from behind.

　　After working all day, there was a hint of tiredness in his eyebrows. He rubbed his forehead and said, "Cui Cui's condition is not good. Purple cloud spots have appeared on most of her body."

Even if he is rescued at this moment, there is not much time left.

"I know." Lu Yan said, "But the new method has been proven to be unavailable."

"I have an idea." Ji Xun looked at her, "If we use a new prescription for her, it can delay it for a few more days. If we don't use a new prescription, she may die at any time in these few days."

Lu Zhuo looked at him: "The new prescription is not appropriate. Ding Yong was poisoned and died from the new prescription. Doctor Ji, you know better than me."

Ji Xun shook his head, "It's not that the new recipe is poisonous, it's that the thick and flat ingredients in the new recipe are poisonous. If you can find the antidote for thick and flat, it may not be lifeless."

 “What do you want to say?”

"Use a new recipe. The poison of thick and flat is heat poison. I want to try red wood vine." He said.

Lu Zhen was surprised: "There is no redwood vine in southern Jiangsu, and maybe there is no vine in Pingzhou either."

“Yi Zheng has sent someone to send a message to Pingzhou, maybe we can buy a few days. Medical Officer Lu, we don’t have much time to wait.”

Ji Xun has always been cautious. When she was in the medical hospital, she was reprimanded by him for using red aromatic catkins in Jin Xianrong's medicinal materials. Now this method has become very bold, and she seems to have become the cautious person, changing her position. , which is ridiculous.

 “Somewhat adventurous.”

“For the sick, every chance of survival must be fought for.”

 He is actually right.

"It's a pity that Pingzhou is still far away from southern Jiangsu," Ji Xun sighed, "I wonder if Cuicui can survive that day."

This melancholy sigh was still echoing in her ears until Lu Zhen returned to the dormitory.

 Only relieves the poison of thick and flat...

Lu Tong sat down at the table. As soon as he sat down, a shriveled grasshopper jumped into his eyes.

 Lu Tong was startled.

It seemed like she could see Ding Yong's honest and honest smile again, and Cuicui's joy when he gave her grasshoppers.

 She stared at it for a long time before lowering her head to get a pen and paper.

The new prescription used by Ding Yong was rewritten on the paper, and Lu Yan's eyes fell on the three words "Red Wood Vine" among the many medicinal materials.

To be fair, this medical prescription is indeed very bold. The thick and flat poison is difficult to cure, and an overdose of the antidote will immediately eliminate the poison. This means that it is more difficult to check and balance the medicinal properties of each other. Using other poisons will only increase the toxicity.

Ding Yong was unable to eliminate this poison in the end.

 The medicinal materials brought from Shengjing and the medicinal herbs brought by Pei Yunying from Qishui near Qishui have been reviewed one by one, and all that can be used have been used, but the efficacy of the medicine is still not good.

There are no other herbal medicines in Sunan.

Akagi rattan…

 It will take five or six days to be transported from the nearest Pingzhou.

Lu Zong frowned and raised his eyes to look out the window.

 Outside the window in the snowy wind, you can faintly see the faint red of Luomei Peak.

There are many herbs in Luomeifeng, which she often used in the past. Unfortunately, they are all highly poisonous and cannot cure the thick and flat poison at all.

However, Akagi Fuji…

 Lu Zhen's heart moved.

 Hang on, she seems to have missed a place.

 …

The next day, the medical officer's dormitory was quiet. In the early morning, before dawn, Lu Zhuo got up early.

In the next room, Lin Danqing is not awake yet. Lu Zhuo put the medical box on his back, opened the door and walked out.

It was still early at this time, and the medical officer who was on duty last night had not returned yet to replace him. The yard was cold and desolate. Lu Zhu held up the lamp and walked to the yard when he heard a "squeak--" and another person in the yard. The door of the room opened.

 Lu Zhu turned around in surprise.

 At this time, the medical officers should still be resting. Even if they got up early, they would not get up so early.

She wanted to see who the other person was, but the person who came out was really surprising.

 “Pei Yunying?”

The snow in the early morning was not heavy yet, and the snow was in pieces. He was dressed neatly and looked at ease, as if he was waiting for her specially.

 “Why are you sleeping here?”

The guards' quarters were not here. Pei Yunying came out of the medical officer's quarters.

"I suddenly felt unwell last night. I was afraid that I might get sick temporarily, so I specifically asked the doctor to change rooms."

 Lu Zhen's heart sank.

The answer was so easy, but the reason was so absurd. He clearly made up a reason at random. But why did he sleep here? He couldn't guess what she was going to do, so he waited for her here in advance.

 Does he have the ability to read minds?

"What about you?" The young man glanced at her and said with a half-smile, "Where are you going if you get up so early?"

 “A place of illness.” Lu Zhuo answered quickly, “In exchange for salary, he is a medical officer.”

"Oh," Pei Yunying nodded and looked her over, "I went to the hospital and brought a medical box, a cloak, a bamboo basket, a shovel..."

He sneered: "Why don't you just hire a carriage?"

 Lu Huan: “…”

"Doctor Lu, you don't want to go up the mountain, do you?" Pei Yunying's eyes fell on the shovel she was carrying.

 Lu Zhen was silent.

 Yesterday she asked Chang Jin if she could take someone up and down Meifeng.

Before Chang Jin could speak, Li Wenhu on the side heard the words and strongly objected.

"Luomei Peak is very big," Li Wenhu said. "The mountain road is steep. Not to mention snowing, not many people are willing to run to that barren mountain when it's not snowing. Only the dead at home leave their bodies in mass graves. There are a large number of mass graves on the mountain. Listen to it. It’s said that there are so many people dying, so the plum blossoms are so beautiful.”

"It's snowy right now and the mountain is closed, so we can't go there. Once you enter the mountain, you can't get out at all." Li Wenhu looked at her suspiciously, "Medical Officer Lu, do you want to take the medical officers up the mountain? I advise you to give up on this. Take it easy! There are only a few medical officers. If you leave it on the mountain without being able to fish it out, you are seeking death. "

 The voice in her ear broke her thoughts.

“It’s snowing on the mountain, making it difficult to travel on the mountain road, and the danger is a hundred times greater than usual. Do you want to die?”

 Lu Zong looked at him.

He stood in front of her. Although he was smiling, his tone was serious, and he was warning her seriously.

Lu Hu said: "I have a reason why I have to go."

 He frowned slightly.

 The falling snow danced silently between the two of them.

He stared at Lu Yan for a long time. After a while, Pei Yunying nodded: "Then let's go."

Lu Tong was startled: "What?"

The young man took the heavy shovel from Lu Zhuo's hand and said calmly: "I'll go with you."