The sky gradually darkened.
The lights of the Yecheng post house flickered in the wind.
The physicians sat in a circle, candle wax piling up on the table, with no one showing any intention of getting up to rest.
Although the fire from earlier that day had been extinguished,
the scorching wave of heat still weighed heavily on everyone's chest, suffocating them.
Silence stretched on for a long time.
Finally, someone spoke up to break the silence.
“Let's return to Xindu tomorrow.”
“I want to go home.”
The speaker was a young physician. His voice was raspy, as if he had gathered his courage for a long time before speaking.
“Perhaps we should never have come to Yecheng...”
As he spoke, he seemed to grow ashamed and instinctively lowered his head, not daring to meet the eyes of the others, but he still voiced the rest of his thoughts.
“If we hadn't come to Yecheng, we wouldn't have been hunted down by those people, nor would we have dragged the Divine Lady down with us...”
These words were like thin needles, stabbing deeply into the softest parts of everyone's hearts.
“I want to go back to Xindu too.”
Another physician removed his medicine-stained cloth, revealing fingers blackened by soot. “We've been away for so long. I don't know how many times my elderly mother at home has looked out for me.”
Another person spoke in a muffled, hoarse voice, “If the Divine Lady hadn't rushed over to save us today, all of us would have been burned alive. We risked our lives to come to Yecheng to save them, yet they set fire to burn us. I don't want to stay in Yecheng anymore. Yecheng isn't good at all. I want to go back to Xindu...”
It was just a simple complaint, hardly a harsh word, but the sheer grievance in his tone made everyone's hearts ache.
The elderly physician in the corner looked around, let out a soft sigh, and spoke in an old, weary voice, “If we just walk away like this, what will happen to the countless innocent citizens of Yecheng? Not only did they not harm us, but they also stepped forward to put out the fire when we were in danger.”
“As physicians, of course we want to save people,” a middle-aged female physician who had remained silent all along suddenly said. “But all our medicinal ingredients and medicine were turned to ashes in that fire. We are empty-handed now. If we stay, what do we use to save them?”
Her eyes grew red, but she blinked hard, desperately holding back her tears.
How could she not want to cry?
That was the culmination of all their hard work!
“You all know how long we spent gathering those medicinal ingredients. We brought them to Yecheng on carts and donkeys, crossing mountains and ridges, enduring a bumpy journey. Now, with one fire, it's all gone.”
For a moment, no one spoke in the room. Only the faint crackle of the burning candle and suppressed sobbing remained.
Someone buried their face in their hands, shoulders trembling.
Someone stared blankly out the window into the night.
Someone clutched a medicine chest blackened by the fire, knuckles white, as tear after tear fell onto it.
They were all just ordinary people.
They had parents and children.
They did not have bodies of bronze or bones of iron, nor did they possess invulnerable magic. Their flesh-and-blood bodies could get hurt, feel pain, and naturally, they would feel afraid, wronged, and homesick.
Just then,
several soft knocks sounded from outside the door.
They were not loud, but exceptionally clear.
Everyone inside the room froze for a moment.
Once they recovered,
they hurriedly wiped the corners of their eyes. The elderly physician also composed himself and turned to walk toward the door.
The door opened.
The night wind rushed in, bringing a chill.
Standing at the door was actually the Governor's wife.
Her face was somewhat pale, and her figure appeared frail.
Clearly, she had not yet recovered from her illness.
Several maidservants followed behind her, cradling thick bedding in their arms and carrying food baskets in their hands.
“Madam, what is the meaning of this...”
Ye Qingqing bowed slightly to everyone. “The conditions at this post house are simple, and the nights are cold. I have made things difficult for you, gentlemen.”
Having said that,
she gestured with her head, and the maidservants entered one after another, gently setting the bedding aside and opening the food baskets.
Hot porridge, steamed buns, and a few side dishes steamed warmly, their fragrance instantly filling the room.
“Although these blankets are not new, they have been washed and dried in the sun, so they are very warm,” Ye Qingqing said softly, her gentle gaze sweeping over everyone present. “I heard from my husband about what happened today. I figured that you must be exhausted and cold after such a fright, so I brought some food. However, Yecheng is a poor and sparsely populated place, so this food might not compare to what you have in Xindu City. Please make do with this to warm yourselves up, gentlemen.”
Everyone was momentarily speechless.
The lips of the young physician who had been the first to say he wanted to go home trembled. Finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “Madam Ye, you didn't have to go to such trouble. Tomorrow... we will be leaving tomorrow...”
“I understand,” Ye Qingqing's voice remained gentle. “Anyone who went through such an ordeal would choose to leave.”
“You do not need to feel guilty. It is Yecheng that has failed your benevolent hearts as physicians. My husband and I have already prepared carriages, which are waiting in the backyard of the post house,” she said. “You can set off first thing tomorrow morning. Please travel safely.”
“Do not overthink it.”
The female physician could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
“Madam Ye, please don't say that...”
Even though they performed good deeds by treating the sick and saving lives, physicians like them rarely received respect from others.
In the eyes of high officials and noble lords, physicians were no different from the servants who attended to them in their manors.
No one expected that the Governor of Yecheng and his wife would value them so highly even after learning of their departure.
Ye Qingqing shook her head. “You traveled thousands of miles to Yecheng to treat our people, yet we allowed you to suffer such great injustice. It is indeed our fault.”
She bowed deeply to everyone. “Please rest early, gentlemen. I shall not disturb you any longer.”
Outside, the night was dark and the cold wind howled.
Ye Qingqing led her maidservants away from the post house.
Her figure gradually vanished into the night.
That night,
everyone in the post house tossed and turned in bed.
Ye Qingqing returned to the Governor's estate under the starlight, spotting Cheng Ji waiting at the entrance from afar.
Before she could speak, a thick cloak was draped over her shoulders, wrapping her up snugly.
“My lady, you always refuse to listen. You haven't even recovered from your own illness, yet you're already worrying about others.”
Cheng Ji nagged as he tied her cloak. “I've told you, I will handle everything. You just need to focus on recovering.”
Ye Qingqing's eyelashes trembled. “Husband, I have arranged for carriages to escort those Xindu physicians out of the city tomorrow.”
“I know.”
Cheng Ji supported her as they walked slowly into the Governor's estate, the stone-paved path gleaming faintly in the dark. “You did the right thing, my lady. We are the ones indebted to those physicians. How could we have the face to keep them in Yecheng to treat the plague?”
Ye Qingqing sighed softly. “It's just that the sick citizens in the city are truly pitiful.”
Cheng Ji squeezed her hand, comforting her, “My lady, do not overthink it. We will do our best and leave the rest to heaven.”
Ye Qingqing looked up at him and nodded.
The two spoke no further, walking hand in hand.
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