maidservant

Chapter 138 The Scholar Tests Medicine
Yunshan stepped forward and said gently, "I'm not afraid. I just want to see if I can help alleviate some of your pain."

Another patient scoffed, "Help us? Don't pretend. Over the years, venereal disease patients have been shunned and abandoned. Nobody treats patients like human beings anymore. You're just being curious."

Yunshan's eyes reddened as she said urgently, "I really want to help you. I know you've suffered a lot."

The patients spoke one after another, some with doubt and some with sarcasm, but Yunshan did not back down. She listened patiently to their pain and despair.

Lying on the hospital beds are all sorts of people suffering from venereal diseases.

In the corner, a young man had a thin face, sunken eyes, and a pale complexion, with an unhealthy bluish-gray tinge.

His arms were covered with a dense rash, some of which had begun to ulcerate and emitted a nauseating odor.

He curled up helplessly, each breath accompanied by a faint groan, his thin, bony fingers unconsciously gripping the tattered corner of the blanket, his eyes filled with pain and helplessness.

"This person is very ill; he must have been sick for a long time," Yun Shan thought to herself.

Not far away, a middle-aged woman sat on the edge of the bed, her hair disheveled.

Her lips were chapped and peeling, and there were several ulcers at the corners of her mouth. Her legs were severely swollen, and the skin was covered with dark purple bruises, as if she had been hit hard.

She stared blankly ahead, numbly enduring the pain, indifferent to everything around her.

In the window seat, a person was leaning back. Although the symptoms were mild, the forehead was covered with dark red papules.

His eyes were cloudy, his hands trembled slightly, and he coughed occasionally.

She appears to have lost weight rapidly in a short period of time. She is not very old, but her wrinkled face is filled with the helplessness brought by the disease. She waits alone on this small hospital bed, hoping for a turning point that may come at any time.

On the hospital bed by the window, there was a young man who looked like a scholar, and at first glance, he seemed no different from an ordinary person.

He was quietly flipping through a book, but if you looked closely, you could see faint red spots under his collar, like marks left by mosquito bites, except that these red spots were arranged irregularly.

He noticed someone approaching, looked up, and his eyes held a certain intellectual elegance, yet could not hide the melancholy and worry that came with his illness.

He forced himself to remain calm, trying to mask his inner unease with a polite smile, and asked Yunshan the purpose of her visit.

Yunshan had a brief conversation with him and learned that he had been ill for a short time, but he was afraid of the disease being contagious and had a frail mother at home, so he came to quarantine early.

"To be honest, I don't know exactly how I got the disease. You might not believe me if I say that," the scholar chuckled bitterly, "I've never been to any brothels or pleasure quarters."

“I believe you,” Yun Shan replied, then performed a more thorough examination on him, explaining that besides sexual intercourse, there are many other ways to contract venereal diseases.

The scholar listened, his face filled with astonishment. He lowered his initial defensiveness, his eyes filled with doubt and curiosity:
“Young lady, is there another way to treat this illness? I thought I had just been confused for a moment and that’s why I’ve suffered like this.”

Yunshan recorded the symptoms while patiently explaining:

"Yes. Diseases can be transmitted between mothers and children. If a woman contracts a disease during pregnancy, the baby in her womb is in danger because the disease can pass through the placenta and be born with the disease. In some cases, it can even cause serious eye problems in newborns during childbirth."

The scholar frowned, his face full of pity: "This is so pitiful, what could the child have done wrong? Is there anything else?" "Blood can also transmit the virus."

Several people nearby also perked up their ears to listen.

Yun Shan raised her eyes, her expression solemn.
"If the wound is bleeding and comes into contact with unclean blood, or if instruments contaminated with infected blood are used, you may get infected."

"Some tattoo parlors that don't pay attention to detail are prone to being taken advantage of. Those tattoo tools have to be boiled and soaked in alcohol before they can be used on the next person."

The patients gasped in shock.

"This disease is highly contagious, and it's not just contagious through extramarital affairs; it spreads even more easily within the home. Some bath towels in the house can easily become contaminated with the disease if multiple people share them, especially if they come into contact with private parts."

The scholar nodded thoughtfully: "Thanks to the young lady for telling me, if I can survive, I will tell others about this so that no one else will get infected without knowing it."

A young woman was listening attentively beside her, sitting on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the hem of her clothes, her posture dignified.

Her face was still beautiful, but upon closer inspection, one could see faint red rashes on her cheeks, like a flush after drinking, which lingered for a long time.

Her voice was gentle, tinged with frailty, as she softly recounted her experiences after falling ill to Yunshan.

She lived cautiously, afraid that others would discover her secret. The strange looks and unfounded speculations put immense pressure on her heart. Even though her illness was mild, it plunged her life into endless gloom, as if she could be swallowed up by rumors at any moment.

After leaving that day, Yunshan secretly vowed to find a quick cure so that these tormented people could be reborn.

Later, Yunshan would come whenever she had free time, and Afu would come along to cook medicine for them.

At first, no one was willing to try and trust Yun Shan, a complete stranger. But the scholar closed his book, walked up to Yun Shan, and drank the medicine bowl clean in one gulp.

"It tastes a bit bitter," he said casually, before returning to the window to pick up his book.

Two or three days later, although there was no obvious improvement, the scholar's health did not deteriorate, so everyone started drinking the medicine prepared by Afu.

Two large pots were set up in the temple, one for boiling medicine and the other for boiling the medicine bowls used by patients each time.

Yunshan instructed Afu not to have any wounds, and even prepared two pairs of gloves for Afu and herself using sheep intestines, which they wore every time they came.

Half a month passed, and the scholar felt better. Yunshan took his pulse and also felt that he was getting better.

Everyone seemed to see hope and cooperated. Afu stayed at the temple during the day to brew medicine three times a day, and Yunshan came every two or three days to check everyone's pulse.

However, Yunshan's behavior quickly spread among the people, and rumors and gossip poured in like a tide.

Some said she was shameless for researching such a sordid disease; others speculated that she might have contracted the disease herself, hence her obsession. Even the neighbors who had once been on good terms with the clinic gradually began to avoid her.

One evening, as the neighbors were packing up their stalls and shops, several women raised their voices, pointed at Yunshan, and spoke sarcastically:
"You're a perfectly normal young woman, spending all your time hanging out with those dirty patients. Aren't you afraid of getting yourself dirty?"