In the end, Ji Yu failed to fill Nan Xing’s stomach as she had hoped. Instead, the repeated reactions only worsened his condition, leaving him on the verge of death.
Ji Yu sat in the courtyard boiling medicine, staring blankly at the fan in her hand. She simply couldn’t understand why Qi Yu was reacting this way.
First, she thought it was the fish. Then she tried pork, and he reacted again. Even plain congee caused the same symptoms, leading her to conclude he was allergic to rice.
So she made noodles. That should have been safe. Yet the reaction was even worse.
She heaved a heavy sigh, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the bubbles rising in the pot. Just as she stood up to pour the medicine, there was a knock at the gate.
It was late at night. She only had a few neighbors, and they usually came during the day. Who would be here at this hour?
Full of doubt, she stayed seated. The knocking continued, growing louder and more urgent, making her heart pound with anxiety. Her mind raced with stories of people opening doors to strangers and coming to harm.
Perhaps sensing no answer, the person outside grew impatient and banged loudly on the wood.
Frowning, Ji Yu walked to the gate, suppressing her fear and calling out, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, girl.”
Recognizing the familiar voice, she quickly opened the door. “Aunt Qiu! What are you doing here so late?”
Aunt Qiu looked distraught, on the verge of tears. She grabbed Ji Yu’s wrist and pulled her. “Huzi suddenly started vomiting and having diarrhea! His face is pale white and now he’s unconscious! Please come quickly and see what’s wrong!”
Dragged all the way to Aunt Qiu’s house, Ji Yu examined the boy. Her diagnosis was immediate: **Poisoning.**
It wasn’t severe; a few doses of medicine to purge the toxins would cure him. But why would he be poisoned?
Wait a minute. Huzi had vomiting and diarrhea, and he was unconscious… That was exactly what happened to Qi Yu!
Could it be that Qi Yu wasn’t having allergies at all? He was poisoned?
Ji Yu was shocked. But she had eaten the same food—fish congee, pork congee, noodles. Why was she perfectly fine?
“When did Huzi start feeling sick?” she asked.
Aunt Qiu wiped her eyes, trying to remember. “Right after dinner. He said his stomach hurt, then he threw up everything he ate—all the noodles—and started running to the outhouse.”
“Noodles…” Ji Yu mused. “Aunt Qiu, think carefully. Besides noodles, did he eat anything else?”
“Poison…?” Aunt Qiu’s eyes widened in horror. “But I ate the noodles too! Why am I fine?”
“Maybe it wasn’t the noodles themselves. Did he eat anything else?” Ji Yu asked patiently.
Aunt Qiu shook her head blankly. “No. We only had noodles for dinner.”
If they only ate noodles, then the problem must be with the noodles. But noodles were common food; Huzi must have eaten them before. Why now? And why was Aunt Qiu okay while Huzi was severely affected?
Ji Yu frowned deeply, analyzing every possibility, but nothing added up.
Seeing her serious expression and silence, Aunt Qiu panicked, thinking her grandson was beyond help. She grabbed Ji Yu’s hands, weeping. “Girl, you *have* to save Huzi! His parents went back to their hometown yesterday. What will I tell them if they come back to this?”
Tears streamed down her face.
Ji Yu patted her hand gently. “Don’t worry, Aunt Qiu. The poison is still shallow in his system. It’s very treatable. I’ll write a prescription; he’ll be fine in two or three days.”
Relieved, Aunt Qiu wiped her tears but was still confused. “But how could this happen? Everything was normal.”
Ji Yu frowned, placing her fingers on her own wrist to check her pulse. Her eyes widened.
She had been poisoned too! But the level was so low that she felt absolutely no symptoms.
“Aunt Qiu, let me check your pulse.”
Aunt Qiu extended her arm.
As expected, Aunt Qiu also had traces of poison in her body, but it was extremely mild.
“Do you feel any discomfort? Dizziness? Nausea?” Ji Yu asked as she smoothed down her sleeve.
Aunt Qiu thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it… I do feel a bit like throwing up.”
“You are poisoned too,” Ji Yu said gently. “But just barely. That’s why your symptoms are nothing like Huzi’s.”
Seeing Aunt Qiu panic again, Ji Yu quickly reassured her before asking, “Do you have paper and brush?”
“Yes, yes!” Aunt Qiu hurried to get them. “Huzi just started school last month, so we have plenty.”
Ji Yu wrote out the prescription. “Get the medicine according to this. Both you and Huzi take it, and you’ll be fine.”
“Thank you so much!” Aunt Qiu reached for her money pouch.
Ji Yu pressed her hand down. “No need. It’s just a prescription. Keep the money for the medicine.”
They were neighbors. Aunt Qiu often brought her fresh vegetables and even gave her that piece of pork a few days ago. Meat was a luxury for common folks. Since the original owner’s father passed away, Aunt Qiu had looked out for her. It would be wrong to take money.
“Girl, how can I not pay you?”
“Then give me some vegetables instead,” Ji Yu smiled. “That will be my fee.”
“Vegetables are worthless!” Aunt Qiu chided.
“They might be cheap, but yours taste sweeter than anything at the market. I love them.” Ji Yu linked arms with her affectionately.
Aunt Qiu patted her head sadly. This poor girl—her father died a month ago, leaving her with huge debts, and she was even being forced to marry a fool. At only sixteen, she carried so much.
The neighbors tried to come to her for treatment to help her earn a living, but she was stubborn. She refused money, saying her father had treated them for free, so would she. She only accepted vegetables or fruit in return.
Even the pork she accepted, she had given back a sachet that helped with sleep. It worked wonders; Aunt Qiu had never slept so well.
“Here, take these chives. Picked them this morning.”
“Thank you, Aunt Qiu!”
Carrying the basket of chives, Ji Yu was about to leave when her eyes fell on the well.
“Aunt Qiu, did you use well water to cook tonight?”
“The water tank was empty, so yes. The noodles were made with well water.”
Seeing Ji Yu’s grave expression, Aunt Qiu asked, “What is it?”
Ji Yu drew a bucket of water, scooped a spoonful, and tasted it. It wasn’t sweet and clear as usual; it had a faint bitter taste.
“So it *is* the water.”
Her well and Aunt Qiu’s well were connected to the same underground source. That explained everything! Qi Yu wasn’t allergic to food—he was reacting to the **water**!
Everything she cooked—congee, noodles, everything—used well water.
Someone had poisoned the water supply. It was a terrifying thought. People could survive days without food, but not without water.
Thankfully, the poison was weak; it caused sickness but wasn’t immediately fatal.
“Aunt Qiu, there is something wrong with the well water.”
“It’s poisoned?!” Aunt Qiu gasped. All their water came from here. What were they supposed to do now?
“Don’t worry. I have medicine that can neutralize it. I’ll come back later to treat the water.”
***
Leaving Aunt Qiu’s house, Ji Yu didn’t go home immediately. She checked every well in the vicinity.
Two private wells and one public well were contaminated. They all shared the same source, so poisoning one had contaminated all three.
Ji Yu trembled with rage. Who could be so cruel?
Tomorrow, she would go to the authorities. She would find out who did this.
Rushing back home, she went straight to her room and rummaged through her cabinet for special detoxification powder she had developed herself. It could neutralize most common poisons.
She tasted her own well water—bitter.
She sprinkled a packet into her own well, ran to Aunt Qiu’s to do the same, and finally treated the public well. By the time she got home, her legs were shaking with exhaustion.
But she couldn’t rest yet. She still had to give Qi Yu the antidote and change his dressings.
Carrying the medicine bowl, she pushed open the door. Nan Xing was awake.
He turned his head toward the entrance. The moonlight silhouetted her small frame against the dark night.
The room was unlit. Not realizing he was awake, she tiptoed to the bedside and lit the candle.
In the flickering yellow light, she found herself staring directly into a pair of incredibly beautiful phoenix eyes. She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. *What gorgeous eyes. Light grey pupils, like clear amber.*
“Miss Ji.”
His voice was low and raspy.
“Yes!” she snapped back to attention.
Nan Xing frowned. Every inch of his body screamed in pain—not just his wounds, but his stomach felt like it was being sliced open with knives.
He hesitated, looking at her with difficulty, and finally asked the question weighing on his mind:
“Miss Ji… are you *really* a doctor?”
Ji Yu froze, blinking in confusion. “…Yes, I am.”