Chapter 118: Emergency Aid for the Dou Family

As the chief physician of the Duke’s mansion, Yun Hao finally welcomed his third patient: Lady Dou, the legal wife of Li Yuan.

Li Er acted like a stallion in heat, driving the carriage as if it were a motor vehicle. Yun Hao was tossed about like a rice-flour dumpling, and by the time he alighted before the gates of the Duke’s mansion, his legs felt as though he were walking on cotton.

Before he could even steady his shaky gait, Li Er grabbed him like a chick and hauled him inside.

The atmosphere in the Duke’s mansion was distinctly eerie. The servants walked with their legs clamped shut, scurrying about in such a hurry they looked as if they were being chased by ghosts. The vibe was chilling enough to film a horror movie.

The air pressure was suffocatingly low, as if an invisible hand were gripping one’s throat. Yun Hao felt a tightness in his chest, struggling to catch his breath.

Inside the inner quarters, Li Yuan was pacing back and forth like a donkey at a mill. Li Jiancheng stood guard at the doorway, while the sound of a woman’s sobbing drifted from the inner hall. Could it be that Lady Dou was beyond saving?

Seeing Li Er dragging Yun Hao inside, Li Yuan looked as if he had found a savior. He snatched Yun Hao from Li Er’s grip and shoved him into the back hall. "Lad, hurry and examine the Lady! If you cure her, I will reward you with whatever your heart desires."

I am a human, not a credit card, Yun Hao thought, resentment bubbling up as he was shoved around. Hearing Li Yuan’s words, he shuddered. If he cured her, he’d get anything, but what if he failed? Thinking of the doctors and nurses back in his own time who faced violence from patients, his heart sank. The doctor-patient relationship was indeed a difficult one, as true in ancient times as it was in the future.

There were several women in the room, mostly of an older age—likely Li Yuan’s concubines. The only ones Yun Hao recognized were Zhangsun and Li Xiuning. Standing beside Zhangsun was a woman in her twenties, plump and serene, looking even more like a Bodhisattva than Zhangsun herself. It didn't take much thought to realize this must be Li Jiancheng’s wife, Zheng Guanyin.

The massive eight-step bed looked like a small room, and everyone stood outside it. Only Li Xiuning, who was soon to be married, knelt by the bedside, tending to her mother.

Zhangsun was familiar with Yun Hao, but this was no time for pleasantries. She took Yun Hao’s hand and led him to the bedside, saying to Lady Dou, "Mother! Hao-ge has come to treat you!"

"Hao-ge, please, take a look at Mother quickly." Wealthy households had many rules, but Zhangsun simply walked to the bed and placed Yun Hao’s hand into Li Xiuning’s.

Yun Hao was practically pulled to the bedside. Lady Dou was not actually very old; thanks to good care, she looked to be about forty. There were a few silver strands at her temples, but her age showed mostly in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

Lady Dou’s face was flushed, her chest heaving as if she could never get enough air. Her breathing carried a whistling sound; it was clear she suffered from the same ailment that had plagued Yun Hao in his later years: asthma.

Yun Hao knew the agony of asthma all too well. This ancient, persistent malady had claimed countless lives. Attacks brought chest tightness and shortness of breath, often accompanied by copious amounts of phlegm. One would struggle to breathe, always feeling as if a heavy stone were pressing down on the chest. Sometimes, the effort to breathe would even strain the respiratory muscles.

It was a stubborn disease that hadn't been solved in thousands of years, and Yun Hao had no cure for it. As he worried, Lady Dou’s face suddenly turned a cyanotic purple. Her eyes went vacant, and her hands began to claw at the air like a zombie.

Oh no, the phlegm was blocking her airway.

Yun Hao grabbed Lady Dou’s jaw, wanting to reach into her mouth to clear the blockage, but he hesitated. If she lost consciousness and bit down, she’d take his delicate fingers off. Fingers weren't lizard tails; they wouldn't grow back. Not wanting to become a man with missing digits, he hurriedly tugged at Li Xiuning.

"Turn her over! Use your knees to support her stomach!" Everything happened so suddenly that Li Xiuning was nearly frozen with shock. Yun Hao shouted so urgently that his voice cracked.

She was a daughter of the Li family, after all, and had practiced martial arts since childhood. Li Xiuning grabbed Lady Dou’s arms and, with a surge of strength, flipped her over, laying her across her lap. Without a second thought, Yun Hao jumped up and brought his small palm down hard on Lady Dou’s back.

"Wha—! Cough, cough, cough!" Lady Dou spat out a massive chunk of thick, solidified phlegm. It hit the spittoon with a distinct "thud." If one didn't know better, one might think she had coughed up an inner elixir.

Heart-wrenching coughing filled the room. Yun Hao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. If he hadn't been here today, Lady Dou would likely have suffocated to death.

Outside, chaos had erupted. Hearing the racking coughs, Li Yuan prepared to storm in, only to be held back by Li Jiancheng and Li Er, each clutching one of his legs.

"Father, do not go in! If Mother’s illness passes to you, it will be a disaster for the Li family!"

"Father, please, look after your health. With Hao-ge here, Mother will be fine."

Li Yuan struggled, but he was no match for his two grown sons. Li Yuanba stood by, terrified and at a loss for what to do. Li Jiji did not step forward; he watched his brothers and father with dark, restless eyes, deep in thought.

"Everyone, get out! Don't leave so many people here, and open the windows to let some fresh air in!" Yun Hao waved his hands and shouted.

The room was packed, which would severely deplete the oxygen. In the dead of winter, every household in the north kept their doors and windows tightly shut. With so many people consuming the limited air, even Yun Hao felt stifled.

"Oh! Someone, open the windows!" Zheng Guanyin stood there, silent, but Zhangsun immediately ordered the maids to open the windows.

"Aunties, the Lady’s condition should be no cause for further alarm. Perhaps you should step out for now and let the Lady get some rest." Zhangsun’s words spurred Zheng Guanyin into action. As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li household and the wife of the future head of the family, her words carried more weight than Zhangsun’s.

The inner workings of a great household were complex, and most of these concubines were not here out of genuine concern. Since Zheng Guanyin had spoken, they offered a few polite platitudes and departed. Before long, only Li Xiuning and two maids remained.

With the phlegm expelled and fresh air in the room, Lady Dou felt much better. However, the exertion had drained her strength, and she didn't even want to speak as she lay on the bed.

"Have the cook press a bowl of radish juice. Remove these blankets. Also, change the Lady’s bedding to cloth. All this bedding must be taken out to sun-dry every day. That’s enough, the windows only need to be open for a while; the patient cannot catch a chill." Yun Hao’s little mouth moved like a machine gun. The two maids scrambled about, and Li Xiuning personally went to close the windows she had just opened.

Soon, a bowl of radish juice was brought in. Li Xiuning tasted it herself before feeding it to Lady Dou, one spoonful at a time.

"How is she?" As Yun Hao walked out of the room, the crowd swarmed toward him.