Wen Hui had always been resolute and decisive by nature. Once she made up her mind, she acted immediately. Without hesitation, she headed to the back to boil water.
It was precisely this stubborn and determined spirit that had driven her in her past life to pursue a relationship with Gao-Yuan despite all the pressure.
Watching her retreating figure, Gao-Yuan's expression grew slightly dazed as memories of the past flooded his mind.
“Doctor Gao? Doctor Gao!” Tan Yun called out to him twice more.
Gao-Yuan finally snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at him.
Tan Yun asked, “What should I do now?”
“Pour me something warm to drink,” Gao-Yuan said.
“Huh?” Tan Yun blinked, momentarily stunned.
“Add some perilla leaves,” Gao-Yuan added, his body trembling slightly.
“Oh, okay.” Tan Yun hurried to prepare it.
Before long, Wen Hui came in with the hot water.
“Are you sure we should use hot water to wipe him down?” Wen Hui’s father still hesitated. Based on their old experience, when someone had a high fever like this, they would typically use cold water to wipe their forehead and neck.
“Yes,” Wen Hui said firmly as she soaked a towel in the hot water.
Gao-Yuan explained, “Right now, we must avoid forcibly lowering the fever or using cold measures to suppress the pathogen. Otherwise, the child could be in real danger. Using hot water to wipe him down opens the pores and helps induce sweating. Once he starts to sweat, the fever will naturally subside. This is the safest method.”
Hearing Gao-Yuan’s explanation, the Wen family quickly nodded in agreement.
Gao-Yuan undid the child’s clothing, and Wen Hui carefully wiped him down with the hot towel. Wen Hui’s sister-in-law came over to help as well.
After repeated applications of the warm compress, little Ye Zi began to sweat lightly, and the high fever finally started to drop.
Seeing this, Wen Hui’s father and brother heaved a sigh of relief, both nearly collapsing into their chairs from exhaustion.
Next, Gao-Yuan had them use a nasal tube to feed the child a little rice soup. He then administered another dose of An Gong Niu Huang Wan with ginseng soup.
By dawn, the child’s consciousness gradually returned, and his condition began to stabilize.
Upon re-examination, his body temperature was near normal. His breathing had improved significantly, and his mind was clear. Though he still coughed up some phlegm, his tongue color was better, his tongue coating had thinned, and his pulse showed improvement—smooth on the right and slightly rapid on the left. The heat obstruction had been resolved, his vital energy was recovering, and only residual pathogens remained. The treatment now shifted to nourishing yin and clearing heat.
Gao-Yuan prepared a new prescription.
Thus, the critically ill child who had been in a deep coma was finally out of danger!
The rest was left to Tan Yun, who was capable of handling the follow-up care.
The rain had finally stopped.
Standing at the clinic’s entrance, Gao-Yuan took in the fresh air after the rain. Though his body was utterly exhausted, his spirit was elated. Saving a young life and giving hope to a despairing family—this sense of accomplishment was unmatched.
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He breathed deeply, savoring the moment.
The doctors of the Rejuvenation Clinic watched him from behind, their faces filled with admiration. Everyone had heard phrases like "divine hands that bring the dead back to life" to describe brilliant doctors, and their clinic was even named "Rejuvenation" to reflect such aspirations. Yet, for them, it had always seemed like an unattainable ideal.
But this man standing before them had repeatedly performed miracles, truly achieving what others only dreamed of. They couldn’t help but marvel at him, even questioning their own capabilities. How could there be such a vast gap between them and someone practicing medicine in the same county?
Tan Yun looked at Gao-Yuan’s silhouette, his emotions complicated. He truly lives up to being a university graduate, he thought.
As Gao-Yuan collected himself, he realized he needed to hurry back to Zhang Village, where other patients awaited him. Turning to the doctors, he said, “Everyone, it’s getting late. I should head back.”
Medicine was a technical profession; in the end, it all came down to skill. Faced with someone of Gao-Yuan’s caliber, the doctors at the Rejuvenation Clinic couldn’t help but be respectful.
“Doctor Gao, the mountain roads must still be treacherous after a night of heavy rain. Please be careful on your way,” Tan Yun advised.
“Will do,” Gao-Yuan nodded and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Tan Yun called after him.
Gao-Yuan looked back.
Tan Yun pointed at Gao-Yuan’s hand. “The suction device.”
Looking down at the device, Gao-Yuan chuckled awkwardly. “Oh, I almost forgot. You’ll need this, won’t you?”
“Huh?” Tan Yun was dumbfounded. Wasn’t Gao-Yuan’s late-night trek through the storm specifically to deliver this device?
Realizing he had spoken unnecessarily, Gao-Yuan laughed dryly, took two steps forward, and reluctantly handed the suction device to Tan Yun. “Doctor Tan, here.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Tan Yun said, deeply moved. “In the past, people talked about traveling thousands of miles to deliver a goose feather, a gift small in value but heavy in sentiment. Doctor Gao, you braved the storm to bring us this suction device—your kindness surpasses those ancient tales.”
The doctors of the Rejuvenation Clinic were all touched.
Gao-Yuan forced a smile. As long as you’re happy, he thought.
The Wen family emerged with the child. Seeing that Gao-Yuan was about to leave, they naturally wanted to thank him for saving the child’s life. Yet, for some reason, they all turned to Wen Hui instead.
Sensing their gaze, Gao-Yuan hastily bade farewell, not daring to linger.
Wen Hui, however, quickly chased after him, blocking his path.
Gao-Yuan stopped and looked at her.
She looked back at him.
“Teacher Wen,” Gao-Yuan greeted.
But Wen Hui’s gaze bore into his, her emotions stirring. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. “Why is it that whenever I’m at my most helpless, you always appear?”
Seeing her like this, Gao-Yuan nearly lost his composure. Steeling his nerves, he replied, “I’m just as baffled why every time I run into you, there’s always some kind of trouble waiting.”
The retort left Wen Hui speechless.
After a moment, Gao-Yuan glanced at her and said, “I should go.”
With that, he left.
Wen Hui watched his retreating figure, a faint sense of loss welling up inside her.
Wen Hui’s father approached to console her. “Hui, even though Doctor Gao doesn’t talk much with you, he’s helped our family so much. Don’t take it personally.”
Wen Hui looked at her father, suddenly feeling aggrieved.
Her brother grew anxious. “What’s wrong? Why do you look upset?”
Holding the child, Wen Hui’s sister-in-law glanced at the two clueless men and shook her head.
...
Back in Zhang Village, Gao-Yuan had no time for wistful sighs or romantic entanglements. The moment he arrived at his clinic, he plunged back into the urgent work of treating patients.
Two developments, however, were particularly gratifying:
First, in the remote mountain village of Huo Township, Gao-Yuan’s earlier mobilization efforts had led to the training of local health workers.
These health workers proved invaluable during the outbreak, assisting Shen Congyun in providing timely care for all the village’s sick children. Shen, too, worked tirelessly, pushing himself to the limit, often forgoing sleep. After treating each patient, he demanded letters of commendation—though few could write.
The health workers, trained with the collective resources of their villages, demonstrated remarkable dedication. For critical cases, they even carried children on foot for a day and a night to seek Gao-Yuan’s help at Zhang Village.
These scenes left even the children’s parents astonished.
The health workers’ image soared in the hearts of Huo Township’s residents.
Naturally, they were also deeply grateful to Gao-Yuan. Without him, they wouldn’t have their own trained health workers.
Second, Li Runyu finally let go of his inner burdens. He lowered his threshold for taking cases from requiring 60% confidence to 30%. This was his absolute limit; anything below 30%, he still didn’t dare attempt, often calling on Gao-Yuan for assistance.
Occasionally, a high-wheeled ox cart passed between Zhang Village and the county town. The driver, Old Wang, now habitually checked with Gao-Yuan to see if he wanted a ride to town.
Meanwhile, Zhao Huanzhang had proven himself capable of holding down the fort in Gao-Yuan’s absence.
The two major centers for treating critically ill children in the county, staffed by the three most skilled traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, finally managed to maintain a fragile balance in this challenging situation.