She wouldn’t let her mother help, explaining that others wouldn’t know how much pressure to apply. It was better for her to do it herself, since she knew what was needed.
She then asked Qingmu to bring another basin, so she could change the water after each rinse and avoid dirtying the entire bowl at once.
As a result, once she had used up one basin of water and washed off the ointnt, the skin underneath was just as Juhua had feared—raw and inflad!
Under the dim, yellow lamplight, her parents and Qingmu were all stunned. Even though they were used to seeing Juhua’s scabbed and disfigured face every day, the horrific sight before them now left them terrified.
Juhua’s mother bit her lip hard, but she couldn’t suppress the anguish welling up inside her. The feeling rushed to her head, and tears stread from her eyes like a spring. A sob escaped her throat. Her body swayed, and she nearly fainted, but thankfully Zheng Changhe was there to support her. Zheng Changhe’s own face was a mask of despair. The two of them clung to each other, overwheld with sorrow and heartbreak.
Qingmu clenched his jaw. He balled his fists, then forced them to relax. Stepping forward, he took both of Juhua’s small hands in his, offering his silent comfort.
Juhua, however, had already composed herself. She spoke softly to the three of them. "Father, Mother, Brother! If my face had been fine before this happened, then it would make sense for you to be upset. But my face was never good to begin with. It’s raw now, yes, but once Doctor Qin cos tomorrow to apply his dicine, it will heal. At worst, it will just be like it was before. How much worse can it really get? What is there to be sad about? Mother, please don’t cry. Go brew so more chrysanthemum water. My face still needs to be washed properly."
Seeing Juhua speak so calmly and rationally, even giving them instructions, the three of them felt their hearts ease considerably.
Her mother wiped her tears and said, her voice still thick with emotion, "I’ll go prepare so more chrysanthemum water then."
Qingmu said, "I’m going to get Doctor Qin. It’s still a long ti until dawn. If we don’t get so dicine on this soon, I’m worried it will get worse."
Juhua thought he was right. Her skin was raw and broken; an infection from being exposed to the air would be a serious problem. So she said, "Then you should go, Brother. Be careful. Light a torch. It would be terrible if you fell in the dark."
Qingmu agreed, then went to the kitchen to light a torch before heading out the door.
By the ti Qin Feng, his dicine box on his back, arrived at the Zheng Family ho with Qingmu, both of them bringing a chill in from the night air, Zheng Changhe and his wife were keeping vigil by Juhua’s bed. Their faces were etched with heartache and anxiety. Juhua herself was leaning back against a pillow and a small cushion, her eyes closed as she rested.
Qin Feng was also stunned by the horrific state of Juhua’s face. ’The ulceration is so severe. The pain must have started during the day, and I still insisted on waiting overnight... How could I have been so...’
His heart filled with regret and self-recrimination, and he had no ti for pleasantries with Zheng Changhe and his wife. He first checked Juhua’s pulse, then opened his dicine box, took out a common ointnt for external wounds, and began to apply it.
Zheng Changhe said quietly to Qin Feng, "Doctor Qin, we’re so sorry to have woken you and dragged you out here in the middle of the night."
Qin Feng, his expression focused, continued applying the ointnt without acknowledging him. Only after he had treated all the broken skin on Juhua’s face did he finally stop. He looked at Zheng Changhe, his voice tinged with self-reproach. "Uncle Zheng, your words are like a scolding to . If it weren’t for , Juhua’s face wouldn’t be like this. Of course I should be here."
Juhua’s mother quickly interjected, "That’s not the right way to think about it. If you weren’t trying so hard to cure Juhua’s face, Doctor Qin, you never would have gone to all the trouble of traveling so far to get that dicine from your master. Her condition has always been difficult to treat. No one ever expected a guaranteed cure. We certainly don’t bla you."
Juhua added in a soft voice, "Doctor Qin, please don’t bla yourself. My face has always been like this, so it’s really nothing new."
Zheng Changhe and Qingmu nodded in agreent as well.
Their simple, forgiving nature only made Qin Feng feel all the more guilty.
He took out a soft, clean white cotton cloth and carefully wrapped it around Juhua’s face, tying it in a knot at the back of her head. "There," he said. "Don’t wash your face for the next two days. You can wash it when it’s ti to change the dressing. Tomorrow, I’ll also prepare a prescription for you to brew and drink. That should help you heal faster."
Juhua nodded. Seeing Qin Feng’s solemn expression, she knew he was taking this hard. "Thank you, Doctor Qin," she said. "I’m really all right! If you ever find a new thod in the future, I hope you’ll co back and try again."
Qin Feng knew she was only trying to comfort him, but he couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly, his smile froze. He hadn’t noticed it when he was up close, but now, having stepped back after applying the dressing, he was stunned to discover just how beautiful the young woman before him was. Everything below her eyes was hidden by the white cloth, but above it were two eyes like pools of clear spring water. In the flickering, yellow lamplight, those pools were deep and serene, yet they shimred with a liquid light. Her eyes, together with her smooth forehead, created a mysterious and hazy beauty, stirring an irresistible impulse to tear away the white bandage and gaze upon her full face.
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