Chapter 29 Appeasement

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, a strong smell of alcohol followed, already very familiar to the people of this courtyard.

But this time, seeing Miss Jun and several doctors walk in, everyone's faces showed panic.

There was no warmth, no anticipation, and even the crying had ceased.

Miss Jun was okay, but the doctors all sighed inwardly.

Last night, the Jinyiwei had suddenly come out of nowhere, arresting a dozen people, which terrified those who were taken and those who weren't alike; and since the arrested people were returned afterward, whatever had happened last night was certainly no secret.

The Jinyiwei probably hadn't warned them not to speak, had they?

What was there to remind? To the Jinyiwei, the people here were all dead, and what did the dead have to fear about leaking secrets?

The doctors didn't speak but followed Miss Jun into the house as usual, watching them approach, the woman sitting by the bed immediately stood up, her expression panicked and instinctively protecting the child on the bed.

"What are you, what do you want to do?" she asked tremblingly.

"We are naturally here to treat him with medicine," a doctor said softly.

The woman showed no sign of stepping aside, looking at them with a face full of fear and wariness, and despair in her eyes.

"Is it medicine for treatment, or poison for killing?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Sure enough, the events of the previous night had spread, and the rumors were beyond belief, especially since those dozen people had only heard snippets during such a time of terror.

"They say they want us all to catch the pox."

Hearing the question, people in the courtyard boldly cried out.

This had all happened; they were dead either way, what else was there to fear? With this cry, the accumulated fear burst, and many began to cry.

"It's not like that," a doctor said aloud, his gaze searching the crowd for those who were bound last night, resting on them, "You saw and heard it too, we didn't ask you to try the medicine, but it was Doctor Feng and the others who tried it themselves. If we really intended to harm you, why would we do that?"

This did not ease everyone's emotions.

"First it's you doctors, then it will be our turn," someone cried.

This remark increased the crying.

"It's not like that, it won't be like that," the doctors quickly tried to reassure loudly, "The medicine we are testing is to save everyone."

But their voices were too low in front of these dozens of people.

"Don't lie to us anymore."

"If you want to save us, why can't you cure it after so long, and why are more and more dying."

"What exactly are the medicines you are giving us?"

There were cries and shouts everywhere.

The doctors were somewhat overwhelmed.

They had stayed up all night; Doctor Feng and other five couldn't come out, and they divided the work among themselves, some to rest, some to keep up with the morning's medication application.

Now they were fewer in number and also weary, unable to quiet these people for the moment.

"Everyone listen to me." They could only repeat loudly, "Please listen to our explanation."

In the midst of the commotion, footsteps approached.

"What are you doing?" came a chilly rebuke.

This voice caused the noisy crowd to quiet down immediately, their faces showing fear as they watched the Jinyiwei walk in.

The Jinyiwei spread out in the courtyard, surrounding these people, but said no more, just coldly staring at them.

The courtyard fell into a strange silence.

What are they going to do?

The doctors wondered.

Miss Jun sighed softly as she looked at the crowd, who were frightened yet dared not cry out anymore.

"Let me explain this to everyone," she said.

In the silent courtyard, her clear voice rose, unhurried and thorough, detailing the dangers and difficulties in treating smallpox.

This was the first time she explained that medicine was an aid for smallpox and that recovery depended on individual luck.

Although people had come to understand this over the past days, hearing it out loud couldn't help but reveal their despair; no one asked or shouted, but suppressed cries arose again.

Because the Jinyiwei were present, not even crying was done loudly.

"Though smallpox is hard to treat, it can be prevented," Miss Jun's voice continued, "We have found a method, and now it's being verified."

Her gaze shifted through the crowd, falling upon those who had been taken the night before.

"We won't use you for verification; the doctors will do it themselves, as you saw last night," she said, "If the verification is successful."

She paused there, and the crowd, drawn in by her words, also stopped crying, looking at her with surprised and questioning expressions.

"If the verification is successful, people in this world will no longer suffer from the poison of smallpox," she said.

Would people no longer suffer from smallpox? Was this true or false?

The crowd looked at the girl with doubtful expressions.

"True or false, everyone is in the temple, Doctor Feng and others have already used the medicine, and you can watch at any time," Miss Jun said.

There was a low murmur among the people.

"We know everyone is very upset and in pain, but we must keep going until the very end," a doctor stepped forward and said, thinking of Doctor Feng and the other five, his eyes reddening, "It's not just you who must persist, but us as well."

The men stopped talking and bowed their heads, and the women wiped their tears again; though still quiet, the atmosphere eased a lot.

Miss Jun looked at the doctors beside her.

"Let's continue," she said.

The doctors nodded and followed Miss Jun into the houses, and the person standing at the door hesitated before making way.

The doctors were relieved, but it would have been more heartening if that person hadn't glanced at the Jinyiwei before letting them pass.

Whether it was Miss Jun's words that had calmed them, or the Jinyiwei's presence that had overawed them, or both, there was no time to fuss over such details now.

Doctor Feng and the others didn't make everyone wait seven days.

Starting on the third day, one of the doctors began to have a fever, and soon red spots appeared on his body the following day.

It was truly the onset of smallpox.

Tension rose in Guanghua Temple.

Watching a doctor lying on the bed, breathing rapidly and looking listless, some doctors couldn't hold back.

"Let's give him the medicine," one cried out shakily.

The other doctors looked at Miss Jun with complex expressions.

"No need, it's okay," Miss Jun said.

While this doctor showed no sign of recovery, the other doctors also started to feel feverish and fall down, leaving only Doctor Feng still unscathed.

"Maybe mine didn't work?" he asked, "Should I take another one?"

This remark made the tense doctors almost want to laugh.

"Sure, if it didn't work, it means it didn't take, and if you don't get a fever or pox after seven days, I'll give you another one," Miss Jun said seriously.

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Happy Monday, let's continue to work hard at life, studies, and work.

Thanks to Jing San Shao, Rabbit Mom, Southern Ice, The Last Shot?, md12 for rewarding He's Bi.

Thank you, everyone.