“What did you say?!”
“Impossible!”
Two voices rang out at the same time. Qian Xing’s gaze ultimately fell on the person who had spoken so confidently.
She had treated many patients who had been poisoned by poisonous mushrooms, and she had encountered plenty of stubborn people who firmly believed that their years of experience meant they could never possibly pick a poisonous mushroom.
So Qian Xing patiently picked two mushrooms out of He Manqing’s basket.
“Look. This one on my left—I don’t know what you call it, but I call it the Little White Mushroom. Its stem is thin and long, with a small cap on top. But underneath the cap, it’s dark yellow.
“This one in my right hand looks similar to the Little White Mushroom, but underneath its cap is a pale yellow color, and its cap is also larger. This kind is poisonous.”
Everyone immediately rummaged through the basket after hearing her explanation. Sure enough, they found the differences between the two types of mushrooms.
“Besides their appearance, you can also distinguish them by their smell. The Little White Mushroom has a distinct mushroom scent, but the poisonous one doesn’t have any smell at all.”
“She’s right!”
“Oh my god, is this mushroom really poisonous?” someone asked Qian Xing.
“If you eat a large amount of it—for example, an entire plate by yourself—and there isn’t a skilled doctor nearby, you’ll be almost impossible to save.”
“So poisonous?!”
The five women who had been picking mushrooms looked at one another, then all turned toward one person.
“Ding Moli, didn’t you say you pick these mushrooms all the time? How come you never noticed that they were poisonous?”
Ding Moli remained silent. She had been too excited while picking them earlier and really hadn’t noticed that poisonous mushrooms had gotten mixed in.
“Ding Moli, what do you mean by staying silent? Everyone keeps saying how good your medical skills are, yet you can’t even distinguish a poisonous mushroom! You could have gotten people killed, you know!”
“Hey, Li Xiaozhen, say what you want, but don’t grab her by the collar!”
He Manqing forcefully pulled Li Xiaozhen’s hand away.
“Moli usually just helps everyone deal with minor injuries. Even she couldn’t necessarily tell them apart. Besides, even a professional doctor might not be able to distinguish poisonous mushrooms.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Song Qianxing. She can tell them apart, but she’s not a doctor either, right?”
Qian Xing smiled.
“I’m a doctor.”
“……”
He Manqing was silent for a moment before suddenly realizing something.
“You’re a doctor? How come I never saw you when I was at the hospital?”
“I studied traditional medicine. But you’re right—even a professional doctor might not necessarily be able to distinguish poisonous mushrooms. So everyone, if you aren’t familiar with a mushroom, absolutely do not pick it.”
After Qian Xing finished speaking, Ding Moli, who was surrounded by the others, suddenly swayed.
Just as she was about to collapse, He Manqing quickly caught her.
“Moli, are you okay?”
Ding Moli frowned tightly and half-closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I felt a little dizzy when I woke up this morning. I must have mistaken them for something else. I almost got all of you poisoned…”
Her apology made everyone feel guilty. She had already been feeling unwell, yet she had still accompanied them into the mountains.
“It’s okay, Moli. You didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It’s our fault too. We didn’t notice that you weren’t feeling well.”
Of the three, only Li Xiaozhen looked suspiciously at Ding Moli. She had seemed perfectly fine just moments ago.
“Um, miss, aren’t you a doctor? Can you take a look at Ding Moli and make sure she’s okay?”
“Right, right! Take a look. We can’t let anything happen to her.”
Ding Moli stiffened and instinctively pulled her hand behind her back.
“There’s no need to trouble her. I know my own body. It’s just an old problem acting up. I’m weak, so I’ll be fine after I go home and rest.”
Qian Xing gave her a knowing smile but said nothing. She turned around and continued walking down the mountain.
He Manqing followed her, curious.
“You really are a doctor?”
Qian Xing nodded.
“Then do you have to take an exam at the hospital too?”
“What exam?”
He Manqing was surprised at first, then immediately understood.
“You just got here, so you probably don’t know yet.”
“The military hospital will be recruiting several medical assistants in a few days. They won’t have military ranks, and they won’t officially count as doctors, but those who perform well can eventually become full-fledged doctors. Lots of people have signed up. Moli did too.”
After saying that, she turned to Ding Moli.
“Moli, registration ends the day after tomorrow, right?”
Ding Moli was being supported as she walked down the mountain. Her bangs covered half her face, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.
“If you want to take the exam, I can lend you my books.”
Qian Xing looked at her in surprise.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. You studied traditional medicine, and that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily pass.”
After muttering that, He Manqing glanced at Song Qianxing’s thin, sunken profile, feeling incredibly conflicted.
She already owed her a meal.
And now, she practically owed her a life.
How was she supposed to compete fairly with her for Huo Yuan anymore?
He Manqing pouted sadly and called out to the person ahead.
“Hey, Song Qianxing.”
Qian Xing turned around.
“What do you want?”
Seeing her confused expression, He Manqing got straight to the point.
“You saved me today, and you also happened to save my sister and brother-in-law. Tell me what you want. I’ll do my best to get it for you.”
Qian Xing was stunned, then smiled in realization.
“It was nothing. Just a small favor.”
“No. You have to name something.”
Unable to shake her off, Qian Xing reluctantly said,
“You’re giving me your medical books, right? Just count those as your thank-you gift.”
“Tsk, how can that count as a thank-you gift? Song Qianxing, are you looking down on me?”
Qian Xing: “……”
She didn’t want to talk anymore.
Fortunately, not long afterward, she saw her saviors—
Zhou Maishu and Chang Shuqin.
As soon as the three groups met up, Qian Xing grabbed them and hurried down the mountain.
Zhou Maishu, who had no idea what was happening, was dragged along and couldn’t help marveling at Qian Xing’s stamina.
She looked so thin and delicate, yet she had surprisingly good endurance.
……
After reaching the foot of the mountain, Qian Xing and the others slowed down and gradually made their way back toward the apartment buildings.
Behind them, He Manqing, Ding Moli, and the others followed at an unhurried pace toward the family compound.
The moment they stepped into the compound, they saw a woman crouching anxiously in front of the apartment building, shaking a four- or five-year-old boy lying on the ground.
“Baogen, Baogen, what happened to you?”
It was none other than Zhu Xiuyun.
Qian Xing and Zhou Maishu exchanged glances before looking at Qian Baogen lying on the ground.
“What happened?”
He Manqing and the others behind them also hurried over.
Seeing that people had arrived, Zhu Xiuyun shook her head in panic.
“I—I don’t know! He was fine during the day. I was just about to take him to the mess hall to get some food when he suddenly fainted halfway there. Baogen? Baogen, wake up!”
Qian Xing glanced over the child’s condition, pushed her way to the front, took his hand, and concentrated on feeling his pulse.
After a moment, she lifted Qian Baogen’s clothes and revealed a large patch of dark purple bruising on his skin.
Just as she suspected, he was suffering from internal bleeding caused by external trauma.
“Oh my god! Who hit the child?!”
He Manqing’s cry jolted Zhu Xiuyun out of her daze. She immediately pulled her son’s clothes back down and shouted angrily,
“You—what are you doing?!”
Qian Xing didn’t bother explaining the complicated pulse signs or using medical terms that no one else would understand. Instead, she focused on the one thing everyone could understand and cared about most.
“His life is in danger. I can save him.”