Ziyun quickly nodded and rummaged through drawers until she found them.
Gu Heng took them and swiftly wrote out a detailed prescription. “Ziyun, Ah Zheng, come with me to get the medicine. We have a lot to do today—we need to move quickly.”
Soon, they arrived at a nearby medical clinic. Like the previous one in town, it was overwhelmed. Coughing and groaning could be heard from all directions.
Gu Heng stepped forward and knocked on the table. “Doctor, please fill a prescription for me.”
Unexpectedly, the doctor didn’t even look up. He waved them off. “Where did this silly girl come from? Can’t you see I’m busy? Shoo, don’t bother me!”
Ziyun stepped forward, sternly. “This is the second young lady of the county magistrate’s household—how dare you be so rude!”
Hearing that, the doctor finally looked up. When he saw Ziyun, he smiled. “Ah, it’s Miss Ziyun! My apologies.”
Then he turned to Gu Heng, squinting. “You must be the second young lady. Sorry for the earlier offense.”
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Ladies like Gu Heng rarely left their homes—errands were always run by people like Ziyun. So it was natural he recognized her first.
Gu Heng didn’t hold it against him. She handed over the prescription. “Please fill this according to the listed ingredients.”
The doctor frowned as he read it. “These are all common herbs—I can fill it. But I’ve never seen this formula before. Did you get this from some old folk remedy? Let me warn you—unverified prescriptions can be dangerous.”
Before Gu Heng could speak, Ziyun retorted, “My lady used this formula to save many lives at the zhuangzi! Don’t you doubt her!”
The doctor chuckled. “She’s just a young girl—how could she know medicine? Don’t exaggerate.”
Gu Heng couldn’t be bothered to argue. “This prescription is specifically for this plague. For those not seriously ill, take it three times a day for three days, and they’ll recover. If you can fill it, great. If not, we’ll go somewhere else.”
Hearing this, the doctor quickly stopped her. “I can fill it! Don’t go!”
After all, she was the magistrate’s daughter—offending her would be unwise.
Very quickly, he prepared the medicine according to the prescription and handed it to Gu Heng.
The moment she received it, Gu Heng’s peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure flashing past a corner up ahead.
From the look of it, it seemed to resemble Qin Momo. Her brows furrowed instantly, and she asked the apothecary, “Do you have a small medicine stove here for decocting herbs?”
“Second Miss, isn’t that a silly question? This is a pharmacy, of course we have one.”
Hearing that, Gu Heng patted Ziyun’s hand. “In that case, stay here and decoct the medicine. Ah Zheng and I will be right back.”
With that, she left with Ah Zheng.
Just as she stepped out the door, she once again saw that familiar figure flash past the corner ahead, so she quickly gave chase.
But just as she reached the spot, the person had disappeared again.
This happened several times, over and over, until Gu Heng was panting heavily with exhaustion.
Seeing this, Ah Zheng said, “I’ll go after her. You rest here for a while.”
Gu Heng braced herself against the wall, gasping for breath. “Alright, go quickly—if we’re late, we won’t catch her.”
Soon, Gu Heng saw Ah Zheng’s swift figure vanish from her sight. Not long after, he caught the person and brought her back before Gu Heng.
As they walked over, a foul stench hit her nose, and she instinctively covered it.
Seeing this, Ah Zheng explained, “She panicked while running away and fell into a cesspit—that’s why she smells so bad.”
Gu Heng squatted down. The woman’s hair completely covered her face, and her clothes were torn and ragged. The cloth on her back was even stuck to her flesh—an extremely horrifying sight.
Not wanting Gu Heng to be frightened, Ah Zheng stepped forward and gently pushed the woman’s hair aside with his hand.
Upon seeing the woman’s face, Gu Heng gasped, “Qin Momo?! It’s really you?!”
But unexpectedly, when Qin Momo heard this, it was as if she’d been startled. She covered her head with her hands and shrank into the corner, muttering something repeatedly in a low, slurred voice.
Gu Heng leaned in to listen, and all she could hear was: “Don’t hit me… don’t hit me…”
In that instant, a strong hatred surged in Gu Heng’s heart toward Qin Rou and her daughter.
Qin Momo’s current state of confusion was surely the result of having been severely beaten and then driven out of the residence.
Qin Momo hadn’t done anything wrong. She didn’t deserve such an end.
She had watched Gu Heng grow up—she was practically family. Yet now she had fallen into such a wretched state.
Gu Heng let out a long sigh and was about to help Qin Momo up, but Ah Zheng stopped her midway.
“Let me do it—she’s a bit filthy. Don’t get yourself dirty.”
Gu Heng insisted, but in the end, she couldn’t win against Ah Zheng’s persistence, and he took over.
When the two returned to the medical hall with Qin Momo, Ziyun’s medicine wasn’t done yet. Upon seeing Qin Momo’s face, Ziyun was overjoyed.
But the doctor beside them had already covered his nose and was retreating repeatedly. “Where did you pick up this madwoman? She’s covered in filth!”
Gu Heng took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table. “Please, Doctor, help examine her wounds and condition.”
Seeing such a large sum, the doctor finally stopped complaining. Beaming, he pocketed the silver and said, “Her injuries look serious—they can’t be treated here. Follow me to the inner chamber.”
Soon after, the doctor summoned several female apprentices and had them take Qin Momo in to treat her wounds.
Since she had been cast out of the residence, her injuries hadn’t been treated, and her skin and clothes had fused together. Now they had to cut it apart, bit by bit.
Hearing the pained screams coming from within, Gu Heng furrowed her brows in distress and turned her head away.
At that moment, a pair of warm, large hands suddenly covered her ears.
She looked up—and met Ah Zheng’s gentle gaze.
He didn’t say anything—just shook his head at her.
No one knew how much time passed before the screams finally stopped, and Gu Heng let out a sigh of relief.
When Qin Momo reappeared, her eyes were full of fear.
The doctor sighed deeply. “I must say, this old woman is quite fortunate. Her injuries were severe, but thankfully there was no infection or inflammation. Otherwise, she’d likely be dead by now.”
Gu Heng’s face was pale as she nodded slightly. “Thank you for saving her, Doctor.”
“She’s already been treated,” the doctor said, pushing a jar of ointment toward her. “In the coming days, someone must clean her wounds daily, or they’ll flare up again.”
“As for her madness—it was brought on by trauma. I’ll prescribe a decoction. Give it to her three times a day. Whether she recovers or not… that’s up to fate.”
He shook his head. “But to be honest, I don’t have much hope.”
After the consultation, Gu Heng walked out of the inner room in a daze and came to the main hall.
Unexpectedly, a woman holding a child suddenly rushed up, trying to stop her.
Ah Zheng reacted swiftly, stepping in front of her.
“What are you doing? Stay away from Ah Heng!”
Ah Zheng was tall—at least two or three heads taller than the woman. Clearly fit and well-built, he intimidated her into retreat. She didn’t dare approach, but stood to the side, sobbing.
Seeing this, Gu Heng still opened her mouth. “What’s the matter? Why did you stop me?”
Hearing her speak, the woman immediately looked up, her voice hoarse. “Miss, is the medicine you gave the doctor earlier truly effective?”
Gu Heng’s frown relaxed slightly. “Of course. I prepared it for my maid’s mother and younger brother. I wouldn’t harm my own people.”
Hearing that, the woman seemed to grasp a lifeline. “So… it really works? My husband already died in this plague, and now my son and I are both sick.”
She gently stroked the sleeping child in her arms, eyes full of sorrow. “This child is my husband’s only bloodline. It doesn’t matter if I die, but he must live!”
When she saw the doctor emerge from the inner room, she immediately rushed over.
“Please, Doctor! Please switch my son and my medicine to the prescription that this young lady just used. Please! I want to live!”
The doctor frowned and withdrew his foot. “The money you gave me has long run out. The medicine you’ve been drinking has already been subsidized by me! Now you’re still picking and choosing?”
As he spoke, his anger grew. He turned to leave. “Drink it or not—up to you! Don’t expect to eat and drink here for free with so many demands!”
The woman knew she was asking too much, but on the brink of life and death, she could only beg, “Doctor, please! If we survive, I’ll be your servant for life! The medicine’s too expensive—we’ve used up all our savings, even sold our house, just to buy these herbs!”
As she cried, others in the hall joined in.
“She’s right, Doctor! We’ve got no money left. Please, save us!”
“Save us, please!”
All the crying and shouting made the doctor’s head throb. He slammed the table, and the hall instantly fell silent.
“Enough! Are you all saying I’m cheating you? Go look at the other pharmacies—people treated there die within days, carried out in batches! The medicine I give you may not cure immediately, but at least it’s keeping you alive! Otherwise, you’d all be dead already!”
Seeing the crowd go quiet, only weeping in silence, the doctor shook his head again. “Your medicine costs so much because the herbs are expensive. I’m no great philanthropist. I can’t just give everything away. If you don’t want to be treated here, then leave!”
Gu Heng had mixed feelings.
When she first arrived, this doctor had been rude—he looked down on her youth and doubted her ability. Then he scorned Qin Momo for smelling foul. She hadn’t had a good impression of him.
But now, after hearing this, she couldn’t help but feel some admiration.
For all his flaws, this man clearly had a kind heart.
Looking around at the pale faces in the hall, then at the doctor’s angry expression, she finally spoke to break the tension.
“Doctor Qian, let’s do this. As you know, the herbs in my prescription are cheap and common. The cost should be low. For the next few days, I’ll cover the cost of medicine for these people. Just prepare the decoction for them. Also, here’s two more taels of silver—for your troubles.”
Doctor Qian was utterly shocked.
“Second Miss, you’d go this far for people you’ve just met? You’re truly a living Bodhisattva!”
