Snowflakes, like willow catkins, fluttered down, some unwilling to melt on the ground, instead sneaking into the collars of passersby with the wind.
Startled by the cold, Qi Huan shivered and followed the steward into the house at a leisurely pace.
Entering the opulent chamber, the first thing that caught the eye was a wooden bed adorned with pink curtains, painted in crimson and intricately carved with peony flowers.
Lowering the gaze, one could see a young girl lying on the bed, her face flushed, while a wealthy lady sat on a stool beside her, keeping watch.
This lady must be Mrs. Lu.
Seeing the steward enter, she anxiously inquired, "Where is my husband?"
"Don't worry, Madam. The master sent word that he couldn't break away, but as soon as he's free, he'll rush back," the steward reassured.
As Mrs. Lu's complexion darkened, the steward continued to reassure her, "However, the master is genuinely concerned about you and the young miss, so he sent armored guards to fetch the best doctor in the city. They will surely take good care of the young miss."
As for the instructions from Commander Lu, he dared not utter a single word.
With her daughter's fever worsening, Mrs. Lu had no time to be angry and could only command, "Why aren't you coming over to see?!"
Doctor Sun approached, examined, and diagnosed, "The young lady has a high fever."
"Do you think I can't see that for myself? The crucial question is how to bring it down!"
Faced with Mrs. Lu's fury, Doctor Sun trembled, glancing at his colleague cowering in the corner. He understood that if conventional remedies were effective, they wouldn't have waited this long with no improvement.
Despite his compassionate heart, his medical skills were lacking, so he sought help from Qi Huan, the daughter of Qi Yue, a physician demoted from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He turned to Qi Huan, who had little presence, and asked, "What can Miss Qi suggest for a high fever that won't subside?"
All eyes in the room immediately turned towards her.
Qi Huan approached, examined Lu Yueming's condition, seeing her flushed face and sweat-dampened hair.
Different situations call for different approaches.
After a moment's thought, Qi Huan pointed to the bedding, "There are too many layers covering her, trapping heat and hindering cooling. Mrs. Lu, you should have some of the blankets removed."
Moreover, there were five or six charcoal braziers burning in the room, heating it excessively. If not for the door leading to the main hall being open, they might have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
"And these charcoal braziers, there are too many of them."
"Yueming caught a chill while riding in the outskirts. Contrary to what you might think, removing the blankets and braziers is better than adding more. Do you even know how to treat an illness?" Mrs. Lu questioned.
Hearing Mrs. Lu's doubts, Qi Huan thought to herself that indeed she didn't know much about treating illnesses. However, having volunteered at the Welfare Institute and cared for feverish children, she had some knowledge of fever reduction.
"Madam, there's no need to be angry. Since removing the blankets and braziers hasn't improved the young lady's condition, perhaps you should consider my suggestion."
Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, Mrs. Lu finally trusted her.
With permission granted, Qi Huan immediately instructed the maids nearby to act.
"Could you please, sister, boil some hot water? When the temperature is just right, help Miss Lu take a warm bath."
"Uncle Sun, my medicine is at the entrance of your shop. Could you please go back and find it?"
After retrieving the medicine, Qi Huan made a cup of ibuprofen granules and had a maid feed it to Lu Yueming with a spoon.
After taking the medicine and soaking in the bath, Lu Yueming's complexion finally improved.
Qi Huan sighed in relief and instructed the maid, "Every half an hour, use warm water to wipe Miss's forehead, palms, soles, armpits, and joints."
After administering the medicine twice, with the combined effect of physical and medicinal cooling, Lu Yueming's fever gradually subsided.
However, Mrs. Lu, deeply worried about her daughter, let other doctors leave but kept Qi Huan.
"I didn't expect someone as young as you to be quite capable. You'll stay in the Yueming courtyard today. If Yueming's condition worsens at night, we'll need to find you. ... Don't worry, I repay both grievances and kindness. When Yueming recovers, you'll be rewarded."
Qi Huan could only agree.
She was placed in the room of Lu Yueming's senior maid, which was much more spacious than her own. The quilt was made of silk fabric, feeling smooth to the touch, and she soon fell asleep.
Seeing her asleep, Li Shuchen, lurking on the roof, gently moved the tiles back to their original position, covering the hole in the felt, and quietly left the courtyard in the moonlight.
She didn't return home at night, and he was somewhat uneasy.
Upon finding the pharmacy, he learned she had been taken to the Commander's Office. Li Shuchen, for some reason, felt a bit uneasy.
His feet moved towards the Commander's Office against his control.
Avoiding vigilant guards, he flew along the rooftops to the central courtyard of the Lu residence, where the owner's room was usually located, and where information from servants was most accurate.
Sure enough, he overheard a conversation among a few maids and followed them to this place.
But this carefree maid actually just fell asleep.
Since she was fine, he would go home and wait for her recovery.
Qi Huan remained oblivious to this nighttime episode.
The next day, just as she woke up, the system reminded her, "Doing good deeds +1, points +50."
"It seems Miss Lu has recovered!"
Qi Huan stretched lazily, feeling refreshed.
As soon as she stepped out, two maids surrounded her, bringing water for washing, arranging morning meals, and ensuring her comfort.
After a blissful breakfast, Qi Huan collapsed into a chair, blaming the system, "Why didn't you let me transmigrate into a better family?!"
"Sorry, host, your past life points were only enough to transmigrate into your current body."
"Fine. In this life, I'll work hard to earn money and accumulate virtues. In the next life, arrange a better status for me!"
"...Then you'll have to ask King Yama for that."
After chatting with the system for a while, a maid in lake-green attire came to deliver a message.
"Miss Qi, the lady requests your presence."
Entering the bedroom, Qi Huan was pleasantly surprised to find Lu Yueming awake, leaning on a pillow with a slightly tired face but bright eyes.
She had a distinctive charm, not resembling Mrs. Lu's features much, likely taking after her father.
Seeing Qi Huan walk in, Mrs. Lu warmly pulled her to the bedside and introduced, "Yueming, this is Miss Qi. Thanks to her, you recovered so quickly."
"Don't let me scold you, running around the outskirts as a young girl? You caught a cold and almost scared me to death. Little darling, you're the apple of my eye. Your father is never home, if it weren't for you, how could I live?"
With that, Mrs. Lu wiped her tears with a handkerchief, then patted Qi Huan's hand, saying, "Qi Huan, you saved Yueming, you're my husband Du Wansheng's great benefactor."
She waved her hand, and a maid nearby walked up to Qi Huan, carrying a wooden tray.
Ten neatly arranged silver ingots were standing on the tray.
Qi Huan rubbed her eyes, finding it incredibly beautiful.
It must be for her! It must be, right? She blinked her eyes, eagerly anticipating.
"Qi Huan, please accept this hundred taels."
She gave too much, Qi Huan couldn't refuse, so she replied, "Yes!"
"Thank you, madam."
"Don't be so polite. You, come, come and check Yueming's pulse again, see how she's recovering."
Qi Huan, feeling like a duck forced onto a perch, had no choice but to honestly say, "Madam, I've only learned a little from my father. I'm not very good at pulse diagnosis. Why don't you send for Doctor Sun, he's an expert in this field."
