CMWKSD -Chapter 20 Taking the Pulse

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they finally arrived at a small courtyard. The moment she stepped inside and saw the rare flowers and plants, along with the carefully arranged scenery where every step revealed a new view, Jiu Yue couldn’t help clicking her tongue in admiration.

It was clear that this Young Master Wang was quite favored. Just the things in his courtyard alone— from the flowers and trees above to the tables and ornaments below—made it obvious that a great deal of money had been spent.

Steward Wang walked up to the door of the main room and lifted the cotton curtain hanging there. Cotton curtains—really? Who even used cotton curtains in this day and age?

“My young master is afraid of the cold. He can’t endure even the slightest chill or cold wind. Every time he catches a cold, he nearly loses half his life. He’s already started using charcoal braziers.”

Jiu Yue almost failed to control her expression.

The weather right now wasn’t exactly scorching, but it was still around twenty-eight or twenty-nine degrees. And he needed a charcoal brazier? What kind of condition was this?

The steward led the two of them past the main hall, then the side rooms where the maids lived. The innermost room was Young Master Wang’s bedroom.

Now this—this was what a wealthy household looked like.

The moment they entered Young Master Wang’s room, they saw a middle-aged man sitting upright in a round-backed chair.

There was a faint sense of pressure about him. He wore dark-colored robes with no embellishments at all, yet between his brows one could still see traces of worry and sorrow. This must be Master Wang.

Jiu Yue raised her brows as she looked at Master Wang’s glossy, well-oiled, rosy face. Heh. Looks like some work just walked right up to me.

By the bedside sat a dignified, elegant woman. She wore no makeup, and her clothes were plain as well, but the air of refinement cultivated over many years could not be hidden.

She gazed sorrowfully at the young man on the bed. This was surely Madam Wang.

Steward Wang bowed. “Master, Madam, this is Miss Jiu Yue. This is her husband, Young Master Ji Yiqing.”

Ji Yiqing raised his hand and gave a scholar’s salute. As for Jiu Yue? She didn’t know how to salute. Just standing there was already giving them plenty of face.

Master Wang suddenly opened his eyes wide. When he saw Jiu Yue’s youthful face, the deep furrow between his brows tightened even more. “Wang Sheng, this is the physician you were talking about?”

Steward Wang knew very well that Jiu Yue’s appearance truly didn’t resemble a physician at all—young, pretty, and a girl at that.

But he had personally witnessed her smooth, practiced movements when she had administered acupuncture earlier. So he could only nod at Master Wang. “Yes, Master.”

Madam Wang dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a silk handkerchief.

In truth, she had long since stopped holding out any hope.

But looking at her son, tormented by illness—her only son—

A secret, fragile hope still rose in her heart. What if? What if she really is a miracle doctor?

She stood up and stepped aside without saying anything, even though she herself didn’t believe in Jiu Yue at all.

Master Wang sighed. “Very well. Then please, Miss Jiu Yue, take a good look at my Jinnian.”

Jiu Yue plopped herself down at the bedside. Strictly speaking, this was somewhat improper—she should have sat on the stool by the bed—but at this moment, who was going to say anything?

Young Master Wang’s face was a dull, sallow yellow, with a faint hint of greenish-blue.

He was so thin he was practically skin and bones. His eye sockets were sunken deep, making his eyes look rather frightening.

He looked exactly like a starving man who hadn’t eaten in hundreds of years.

Jiu Yue didn’t start by taking his pulse right away. She first flipped up his eyelids, checked his mouth, neck, hands, feet, and other areas.

Traditional medicine emphasized observation, listening, questioning, and palpation.

Although Jiu Yue was confident in her medical skills, this was her first real job—and it concerned her indenture contract.

She wanted to settle everything in one go, cleanly and securely.

Only after finishing her examination did she raise her hand to take Young Master Wang’s pulse. The moment her fingertip touched his wrist—

The pulse was so weak it was almost imperceptible. No wonder they said he only had two or three days left.

Judging by this pulse and his complexion, saying he still had two or three days was already an optimistic assessment.

Jiu Yue closed her eyes and carefully sensed it, correlating it with his external symptoms.

She compared everything with the odor emanating from his body, piece by piece, until a clear picture gradually formed in her mind.

After releasing his wrist, she didn’t speak right away, instead putting on an inscrutable, profound expression.

Madam Wang had seen far too many doctors who would shake their heads the moment they finished examining Wang Jinnian. Seeing Jiu Yue remain silent, her heart sank completely.

But Jiu Yue merely strolled over to the round table beside Master Wang and lightly tapped it with her fingertip. “Master Wang, shall I also check your pulse?”

Everyone in the room froze.

No one had expected her to say nothing about Wang Jinnian’s condition and instead ask to take Master Wang’s pulse.

Master Wang frowned, about to flare up.

Madam Wang, however, immediately grew anxious. “Is my husband also ill?”

Master Wang’s voice rose sharply. “How could that be? I’m vigorous and full of vitality, my complexion is rosy. I look several years younger than people my age. How could I possibly be sick?”

Madam Wang ignored him and looked straight at Jiu Yue instead.

Jiu Yue thought Madam Wang was actually quite decent—she had her own judgment. Perhaps she had already harbored suspicions.

“Don’t speak,” Madam Wang said to her husband. “Listen to what the doctor has to say.”

Jiu Yue said calmly, “Madam, you may press firmly on Master Wang’s forehead.”

Madam Wang froze, thinking Jiu Yue was joking.

Over the past year, Master Wang’s body had grown stronger and stronger. He was full of energy, his complexion rosy, his voice resonant.

She had only asked casually just now.

Yet this little girl was telling her to press on Master Wang’s forehead.

Madam Wang had been so tormented by Wang Jinnian’s illness that she barely slept at night.

Earlier, it had only been her upbringing that kept her from speaking harshly to a young girl.

But since the words were already spoken, she could only follow Jiu Yue’s instructions.

She walked up to Master Wang and poked his forehead with her index finger, using some force. Master Wang was poked so hard he leaned backward slightly.

Madam Wang took a deep breath and turned back to Jiu Yue. “And then?”

Jiu Yue smiled. “Take a look at the spot you just pressed.”

Madam Wang looked. “There’s a dent.”

Jiu Yue stood up and poked Ji Yiqing—who was standing nearby like a guardian—once as well, doing it right in front of Madam Wang. “Madam, please look. When I poke my husband, there’s no dent. The skin rebounds quickly. But Master Wang’s is different.”

As Jiu Yue spoke, Madam Wang also noticed the problem.

After all this time, there was still an indentation on Master Wang’s forehead. “This is…?”

Jiu Yue smiled. “This is swelling. The swelling stretches the wrinkles flat, which is why he naturally looks younger than others.”

That single sentence instantly darkened Master Wang’s face. “You little girl—”

Jiu Yue couldn’t be bothered to listen to lectures and continued, “Master Wang says he’s full of vitality, but in truth, his energy is excessive—beyond what his body can bear. During the day, even without rest, he doesn’t feel tired.”

“He sleeps poorly at night, yet is very energetic during the day. What you’re burning through is your own body. Don’t you find that strange?”

“And also—does Master Wang often feel dry in the mouth at night, needing to get up at least three or four times to drink water, with a frequent sweet taste in his mouth?”

As Jiu Yue spoke, Master Wang and Madam Wang looked at each other in shock.

Because everything she said was spot on.

Hearing this, they finally realized that having too much energy was not necessarily a good thing.

After all, Master Wang had reached this age. He slept only one or two hours a night, yet needed no rest during the day and was still brimming with energy.