A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 533: Nighttime Medical Consultation

It was almost past the hour of Xu, and the farmhouse next to the Taoist temple was still silent. The woman, who was sleeping soundly, could not help but start coughing and wheezing. She then turned over and coughed and spat. When the coughing and wheezing subsided, she looked back and suddenly found that only her eldest son was sleeping on the bed, but her youngest son was nowhere to be seen. She immediately climbed out of bed in panic and staggered out of the house.

At the same time, Si Yao was leaving the Taoist temple with Fu Bao in the moonlight and walking towards the thatched hut, with two shadow warriors following them from a distance.

“You are still young and have no ability to protect yourself. You must remember that you cannot leave your family alone in the future, especially at night. It is extremely dangerous outside. There are not only bad people but also wild beasts. Don’t put yourself in danger easily, and don’t let your family worry about you.” Si Yao carried the can of minced meat porridge that she bought with her own money, and held the hand of Xiao Fubao, and reminded him again on the way.

"Fubao will listen to Sister Siyao's words and will never dare to do it again!" Fubao nodded and said in a baby voice.

"From now on, you must listen to your mother." Si Yao showed helplessness on her cold face.

"Fubao!" The two arrived in front of the thatched hut while talking. The door of the hut happened to be open. The seriously ill woman saw her child from afar in the moonlight and called out hurriedly.

"Mom!" Upon hearing the voice, Fubao broke away from Si Yao's hand and ran towards his mother.

"Slow down, cough cough cough..." Seeing her youngest son almost tripped by the rubble on the ground, the woman's heart tightened and she couldn't help coughing again.

"Mom, your illness can be cured. Sister Si Yao is a doctor and she is willing to treat you. The goddess Chang'e has appeared tonight! We also have minced meat porridge to eat!" Fubao threw himself into his mother's arms and then raised his little hand to pat his mother's back, talking happily intermittently.

"You are disobedient again, kid! You run out alone in the middle of the night. Do you want to make your mother anxious to death?" Listening to her youngest son's unclear words, the woman was confused but still scared when she thought of his audacity. She couldn't help but slap him on the butt twice and pretended to be angry.

"Mom, I was wrong. I will never dare to run out alone again!" Fubao buried his head in his mother's arms and murmured in response.

The woman remained silent, just hugged her son tightly, tears welling up in her eyes again involuntarily. Her health was getting worse day by day, and she was afraid that she didn't have much time left. The thought of her two poor young sons being all alone and helpless in this world made her heart ache like a knife.

While the mother and son were hugging each other, Si Yao had already walked towards them. Noticing a lonely and cold figure approaching quietly under the moonlight, the woman only then realized that she had noticed the girl who had returned with her son.

Half an incense stick later, the oil lamp in the thatched house was dimly lit, and the light swayed on the rough earthy yellow walls. The woman had lay back on the bed, her sallow face showing a bit of fatigue and haggardness. Si Yao sat beside the bed and took the woman's pulse. The two brothers were waiting quietly by the side, their eyes full of worry. Sometimes they looked at their mother nervously, and sometimes they secretly glanced at the silent Si Yao, wanting to ask but hesitant and afraid.

"Fubao, you and your brother go outside and drink the minced meat porridge. I still have to treat your mother." After a long while, Si Yao withdrew her hand and turned to look at the two children.

The patient's pulse was floating and rapid, her hands and soles were hot, her tongue was red with little coating, and she also had cough, wheezing, and spitting saliva. Although she knew that the deficiency heat was in the upper part of the body and stopped in the lungs, she still needed further confirmation.

"The minced meat porridge must be saved for drinking with mom." Fubao immediately shook his head. After he finished speaking, his brother beside him also nodded firmly and said "hmm".

"Your mother is still sick. She can't drink meat porridge for the time being. She needs to take medicine." Si Yao continued to speak without giving any time for explanation.

"Be good and listen to Sister Si Yao." The woman on the bed also coaxed her two sons softly.

The two brothers were speechless for a moment and had to obediently walk out of the thatched hut with the pot of still warm minced meat porridge.

"Thank you, Miss Si Yao!" Seeing the child leave, the woman couldn't help but express gratitude again. This was the third time she had thanked Si Yao since she came. However, she was unable to repay her at the moment and could only say a few more thanks.

"Don't thank me so quickly. Can I check your ribs?" Si Yao stood up and closed the door, then went back to the woman and asked. After getting her consent, she unbuttoned her collar and reached in to touch the ribs on both sides of her chest. Fortunately, only the ribs on the right side of her chest were particularly prominent, which meant that she only had pulmonary emphysema and her heart pulse had not been seriously damaged.

"Although your disease is in the lungs, its root is in the stomach. Earth is the mother of gold. If the stomach fluid is severely depleted, the lung's yin fluid will also be deficient, eventually resulting in lung and stomach yin deficiency. Perhaps you have been overworked and sweated too much, and were unable to replenish your food and produce fluid in time, which has led to such a serious condition over time." Si Yao spoke again after buttoning the woman's collar.

"It seemed like it was the autumn harvest season last year. The man in my family suddenly disappeared for a long time. I had no choice but to take care of the two children and work in the fields day and night. After half a month, they began to have a sore throat. In early winter, they had coughs and asthma. The family didn't even have enough money for food and clothing, let alone seeing a doctor. We had to put it off again and again, and it became worse. I... It's a relief for a poor person like me to pass away, but it's a pity that these two children will be without a father and a mother from now on..." When she said this, the woman was already crying.

"Don't be sad, your illness is not yet incurable." Si Yao took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, wiped her tears, and comforted her.

"But...but I don't have money..." The woman lowered her eyes, still with a bit of despair, and sighed with a sob.

"Don't worry about the money. You don't have to think about anything right now. Just cooperate with me to cure the disease. The child is still young. Since he has lost his father, he can't be without a mother anymore."

"Thank you, Miss Si Yao!" After hearing what Si Yao said, the woman couldn't help but blurt out words of gratitude. With tears in her eyes, she continued to sigh, "Miss Si Yao's kindness is so great that I'm afraid I will never be able to repay her in this lifetime. I can only express my gratitude often. I hope Miss Si Yao won't find it annoying."

"It is natural for a doctor to cure illnesses and save lives. It is enough for you to be grateful. Don't worry about it anymore." Si Yao smiled calmly, then stood up and continued to instruct the woman: "It's late at night, you should rest early, and come back tomorrow when I get the medicine."

When the woman heard this, she wanted to get up and see him off, but Si Yao held her back, so she had no choice but to give up. She felt guilty, and should have let Miss Si Yao stay at home, but the three of them, mother and son, were already living in this small thatched house, and there was really no room for extra people.