Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Chapter 501: Chapter 508: In Danger of Losing Life

Phantom quickly inquired about the best doctor in town, an old doctor with a beard. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the old doctor was somewhat deaf and had poor eyesight, as he spoke slowly and deliberately, causing Phantom to frown. But this was a small town, and there were only a few doctors to choose from, so finding a good one wasn’t easy.

Worried by Su Wenyue’s condition and the old doctor’s slow manner, in a fit of urgency, Phantom simply picked up the old doctor and rushed him back.

Although the old doctor was displeased with Phantom’s brusque behavior, his medical ethics were commendable. Having calmed his startled emotions, he initially wanted to reprimand Phantom, but upon seeing Su Wenyue lying unconscious on the bed, face flushed with fever, he immediately started to take her pulse.

“Doctor, how is she? She appears to be burning up. Please take a good look at her. Just make sure to cure her, and your reward will be generous.”

The old doctor shot Phantom a glance. Did he seem like a doctor who would compromise his medical ethics for the sake of a consultation fee? He wanted to lecture the young man on his problematic view of life, but the patient’s condition was all that mattered to a doctor, and Su Wenyue’s critical state meant that everything else had to wait.

“The girl’s condition is not promising. From her pulse, I can tell she is greatly startled and has been subjected to extreme cold. She was already weak and frail, with a poor foundation. In addition, she has been overexerting herself, far beyond her body’s limits. Combining these factors with the prolonged fever, if she doesn’t wake up soon, even if she survives, she’s likely to be left an imbecile,” the old doctor said, shaking his head.

Phantom hadn’t informed the old doctor about Su Wenyue’s condition beforehand. The fact that the doctor could discern so much just from taking her pulse showed that he did have some skill, but it was just a little. Even though he had roughly diagnosed Su Wenyue’s condition, he was not confident in curing her.

“Are you saying her illness is life-threatening?” Phantom realized Su Wenyue’s condition was serious, but he hadn’t expected it to be this severe. Increasingly anxious, he had already sent word to his master, who by now must have received the message. If Su Wenyue were to be lost under his care, it would be even more grievous than if he hadn’t rescued her. Phantom rationalized his concern and attachment to her onto this reasoning.

“Indeed, fever is a tricky condition. A robust person might pull through with endurance, but this girl’s body is too frail; she may not withstand it. If left unchecked, the consequences will be dire,” the old doctor answered with certainty, his tone full of concern, making Phantom even more frantic.

“If that’s the case, then hurry up and treat her! I brought you here to cure her, not to listen to your pointless babbling!” Phantom was losing his patience.

On hearing this, the old doctor’s movements became relatively swift as he took pen and paper from his medicine box and, with shaky hands, wrote down a prescription. He went to hand it to Phantom for him to gather the medicine, but then remembered that it was the middle of the night, and nowhere would be open. He promptly took Phantom to his pharmacy to collect the medicine.

“My abilities are limited, and I can do nothing for this girl’s illness. Boil this medicine for the patient to drink. At the very least, it should stabilize her condition and prevent it from worsening. In the meantime, you must take her to the city to find a good doctor; don’t waste any time,” the old doctor, knowing his limitations, didn’t pretend to be capable and even told Phantom about several nearby doctors who were skilled in medicine.

Although Phantom was anxious, he knew that under present circumstances, this was the only option. Thankfully, despite being old, the doctor was somewhat helpful. He gathered the medicinal materials to boil the medicine and also gave the old doctor a generous remuneration.

After preparing the medicine, Phantom brought it to the bed but was troubled about how to administer it to Su Wenyue. Since she was unconscious and couldn’t drink the medicine herself, he tried to feed her with a spoon. Perhaps fearing the bitterness, Su Wenyue instinctively pursed her lips, and the little medicine he managed to feed her was spit out.

Although Phantom was often simple-minded, he had subconsciously come to regard Su Wenyue as his master’s woman, someone he should not offend. However, he knew she had to take the medicine. He reluctantly found a prompt and clean woman nearby to help Su Wenyue take the medicine and promised her a reward.

As Phantom watched from the side, he breathed a sigh of relief when the woman finally managed to feed the medicine to Su Wenyue. He paid the woman in silver and immediately prepared a horse carriage, cushioning it with two thick layers of quilts for Su Wenyue to lie on. The old doctor had said that the sooner Su Wenyue saw a doctor, the better. He dared not delay.

It would have been much more convenient in Chang’an, within Sikong Mansion’s influence, where finding several good doctors would have been easy. Phantom sighed, thinking of the trouble he had brought upon himself by taking a soft-hearted moment.

Su Wenyue felt her head heavy and muzzy, her body as hot as if she were in a steamer. She seemed to be tossed back and forth, striving to wake up, yet lacking the strength to do so. She wondered how Han Yu was doing at the moment, likely already having received news of her cliff jump; surely, he would be heartbroken. But it was a critical time for the war, and perhaps he hadn’t the time for sorrow.

Su Wenyue could feel Han Yu’s affection and care, but she wasn’t entirely confident in comparison with his greater ambitions.

For the past several days, Han Yu had been frantically searching for Su Wenyue with no news to be found. Even as stoic as he usually was, his face could not hide the gloom and worry.

In these few days, he had no idea what his daughter-in-law endured. The bloody scene he witnessed before had been distressing enough for him; how much more so for his daughter-in-law who had been there. She had already caught cold and had been soaked in the frigid lake water. The shock of another such event would be too much for her weak body. Han Yu had a dreadful premonition and became increasingly anxious.

With Han Yu in such a state, those around him were worried but did not dare speak much. His temper had grown volatile, and his actions more ruthless. If somehow… Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Good news, master, good news! Master Feng Shao has sent a message. There’s news about Madam!” Finally, some good news arrived, stirring excitement among everyone.

Han Yu’s body jolted, “What news?”

“A man under Master Feng Shao’s command spotted someone with suspicious behavior in a small town – a martial artist of remarkable skill who had eaten a bowl of noodles on the street side, and when leaving, took another bowl, seemingly to bring back for someone to eat. And some have seen him carrying a person resembling a woman.”