The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2400: Chapter 2374: Potent Medicine

The two of them bustled about, administering acupuncture, giving medicine, and using cold water to bring down the fever. The patient finally stopped convulsing, but his body temperature remained very high.

Imperial Doctor Lu studied his records and carefully said, "Everything was normal before today. He had five pustules, which were slowly maturing, and he had only a low fever. He even stopped having a fever before today."

He showed the records to Zhou Man, "Imperial Doctor Liu examined him in the morning and found no issues."

Manbao reviewed the records, frowned, and asked the person sharing a room with the patient, "When did he start showing symptoms?"

The other five people shrank to one side, staying far away as if afraid of catching something, even though they had already been vaccinated and had pustules themselves.

One person, shivering, replied, "It happened just after lunch. He seemed fine while we were eating. He scratched the pustules on his arm and said we should be able to leave in a few days."

"Following the adults’ instructions, we went outside to bask in the sun after eating, strolled around nearby, and then came back for a nap. When we woke up, we found him moaning, and his body was burning to the touch. We immediately reported it to the steward outside."

Imperial Doctor Lu quietly calculated the time, concluding that there should have been no delay. He nodded to Zhou Man.

Therefore, the two of them became more worried, realizing his illness had come on rapidly.

They feared the smallpox might manifest too slowly, never fully emerging, nor too quickly, overwhelming the patient’s constitution.

After some thought, Imperial Doctor Lu instructed the steward, "Clear out a room and have these five people move out."

Manbao began writing a prescription, listing all possible necessary items. After handing it to the steward, she said, "Have these medications and items brought here."

She turned to Imperial Doctor Lu and said, "Shall we stay here tonight?"

Imperial Doctor Lu could only nod in agreement, as they had little choice.

He instructed the steward, "Go out and tell someone to bring in bedding for me and Imperial Doctor Zhou."

He had no desire to sleep on what others had used.

The steward quickly complied, bowing and hurrying off.

The two of them sat by the bed, gazing at the patient.

After some thought, Manbao carefully picked up his hand, rolled up the sleeve, and examined the inoculation wound. The five pustules near the wound were red and swollen, no longer receding as they had been previously.

Manbao gently pressed a pustule with her finger, frowning, "It’s firm, like a fresh pustule."

Flipping through records, Imperial Doctor Lu, feeling irritable, said, "This patient was examined not only by Imperial Doctor Liu but also by me and Imperial Doctor Zheng. Our signatures are here, clearly indicating no issues. So why has he suddenly broken out all over, and so quickly?"

Manbao asked, "Which cow was used for his cowpox inoculation?"

Imperial Doctor Lu flipped to a previous page, "It was from Cow Number Three..."

He paused at this point, frowning slightly, "But everyone in this room was vaccinated from Cow Number Three. Not just him; the nearby rooms also."

Manbao touched his forehead, thinking the medicine should soon take effect. She decided to stand up, "Let’s have someone watch him while we check the others."

Imperial Doctor Lu could only follow her out, leaving two people behind to monitor him.

The guards were soldiers from the Western Regions who had already survived smallpox, and thus not afraid of reinfection.

Knowing Zhou Man, they saluted her as they entered.

Imperial Doctor Lu quickly headed beside them.

Manbao nodded to them and jogged to catch up with Imperial Doctor Lu.

The two of them checked the people in the nearby wards one by one, taking pulses, examining tongues, and looking closely at the pustules on their bodies. They pressed them, finding no issues, with the pustules indeed maturing slowly. Two even began to scab and recede, suggesting they might heal in a couple of days.

Manbao and Imperial Doctor Lu grew worried, "Is this an isolated case, or are there others hidden among these numerous cases?"

Manbao asked, "How many people were inoculated from Cow Number Three in total?"

Imperial Doctor Lu looked at the records, "Sixty-five."

That was quite a few, and they had only examined twenty-three so far.

Manbao frowned slightly, looking up at the sunset, "It’s getting dark."

Imperial Doctor Lu was also concerned. He paced in circles and finally said, "Inform Director Xiao. If there are more high fevers tonight, we won’t manage. We need to examine everyone who received the inoculation from Cow Number Three, as well as others."

Such detailed examinations were too much for the two of them alone.

Manbao could only nod.

So Imperial Doctor Lu went to call for help.

The two of them had their evening meal at the entrance to the ward, eating the patients’ nutritional meals: a bowl as big as a face, full of rice and topped with plenty of dishes.

By this point, Imperial Doctor Lu’s fatigued mind impaired his appetite. He managed to eat half a bowl before glancing up to see Zhou Man, crouched nearby, had finished her meal, scraping the bowl for a few remaining grains of rice.

Imperial Doctor Lu sighed, set down his bowl, and stopped eating.

Manbao sympathetically offered him a cup of water, then poured water from the teapot into her own bowl and crouched at the side to sip it.

Imperial Doctor Lu sipped his water slowly, watching her, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, with an appetite like yours, should I examine your health?"

Manbao replied, "I was thinking of examining you."

She glanced sympathetically at the bowl on the ground, "Imperial Doctor Lu, even my father can eat a big bowl like that now."

Having attended a wedding banquet and seen Old Zhou during the Zhou Family’s celebration, Imperial Doctor Lu, recalling Old Zhou’s age, felt his face darken, turned away, and ignored her.

"Imperial Doctor Zhou, if you’ve finished eating, let’s get to work."

They had only checked one room of patients when a soldier guarding Patient Number 121 came running to say, "Imperial Doctor Zhou, it seems he’s getting hotter, and he’s starting to convulse again."

Manbao and Imperial Doctor Lu immediately went over to check, and Imperial Doctor Lu sighed, "We can only do acupuncture again."

He glanced at the hourglass, frowned, considered, then checked the patient’s temperature and decided, "Let’s decoct another dose of medicine."

Manbao said, "It’s only been an hour since the last dose."

As the patient began convulsing again, Imperial Doctor Lu held down his limbs for Zhou Man to perform the acupuncture, "Decoct! He’s delirious with fever now. With the pace at which these pustules are emerging, if we don’t give him more medicine, he might not make it."

Manbao stopped arguing, and Imperial Doctor Lu immediately ordered someone to bring the medicine.

The kitchen had been keeping the medicine hot, so when called, they quickly brought it over.

Just as Imperial Doctor Lu was about to administer the medicine, Director Xiao, dusty from travel, arrived with Imperial Doctor Liu.