Chapter 85: What Could a Little Maid Possibly Understand

When they heard this, everyone’s expressions changed.
The cry was so wrenching, it was impossible not to let their imaginations run wild.
Lin Sangqian was just about to go open the door, but Lin Hongda stopped her.
He was worried there might be danger, so he went ahead, opened the door himself.
A man immediately rushed in, stumbling and falling heavily to the floor before he could steady himself.
Everyone looked closer—it was the man who delivered the crayfish.
“Isn’t that Old Xu? What happened to you?”
The Lin family was already quite familiar with him by now; they knew his name was Xu Gaoxuan.
“My—my son, he’s dying!” Xu Gaoxuan choked out, tears streaming down his face.
“What happened to your son?” Lin Sangqian came forward and asked.
It turned out Xu Gaoxuan’s son had fallen ill; he’d sought out doctors and medicines, and spent all the family’s money.
Yet he and his wife refused to give up—after all, this was their flesh and blood, their only son.
Their son had been drinking herbal medicine, and seemed stable, but tonight, after taking it, he vomited it all up, and there appeared to be blood mixed in.
Xu Gaoxuan panicked, gathered every last coin to summon a physician. The doctor came, but declared the boy hopeless, and told them to prepare for death.
His wife fainted on the spot; after entrusting her to the neighbor’s care, he rushed out, desperate, searching for another doctor like a headless chicken.
But all the other physicians knew him, and all insisted his son could not be saved.
He didn’t know who else to turn to, and at that moment, remembered Lin Sangqian.
Desperation drove him to come here.
After hearing his broken account of his son’s plight, Lin Sangqian said immediately, “Take me to your house right now.”
“Alright.” Xu Gaoxuan nodded frantically.
“I’ll go with you,” Lin Hongda said. “It’s so late, I’m worried.”
“I’ll come too,” Lin Wenyan said quickly. “Maybe there’s something I can do to help.”
Lin Sangqian didn’t refuse, so she left Liao Shuxia and Zhao Lan’er to watch the house, and she, Lin Hongda, and Lin Wenyan followed Xu Gaoxuan out.
As soon as they reached Xu Gaoxuan’s door, they heard a thunderous wail from inside.
“My son! You can’t leave your mother like this! If you go, I won’t live either!”
Xu Gaoxuan’s eyes were red. “My wife is awake. She’s always loved our son dearly, and now—she can’t accept what’s happened.”
Lin Hongda understood.
If anyone told him right now that his son or daughter was dying, he wouldn’t be able to accept it either.
“Quick, take me inside,” Lin Sangqian said, frowning.

On the way, Xu Gaoxuan had already told her about his son’s symptoms.
She had some ideas, but still needed to check his pulse before she could treat him properly.
They rushed inside.
It was clear the Xu family was destitute now, not much different from the Lin family’s own circumstances when they first arrived in this world.
A middle-aged woman sat by the bed, cradling a little boy and sobbing. She looked worn out, clearly not yet forty, but her hair was streaked with white.
Hearing footsteps, she turned, quickly laid the boy on the bed, and threw herself into Xu Gaoxuan’s arms.
“Husband! Where have you been? Bao’er, he—he won’t open his eyes anymore…”
Xu Gaoxuan held her, and anxiously looked to Lin Sangqian. “Miss Lin, do you have any way—please, save Bao’er!”
“I’ll check his pulse first.”
Lin Sangqian sat at the bedside, took the hand of the boy called Bao’er, and began her examination.
Bao’er’s hand trembled constantly, his face was deathly pale.
Lin Wenyan whispered to Lin Hongda, “Father, does little sister really know medicine?”
Lin Hongda didn’t know how to answer, so he pretended not to hear.
Lin Wenyan seemed to think of something, pressed his lips together, and didn’t ask again.
Lin Sangqian finished checking the pulse, and her expression relaxed slightly.
Bao’er was indeed critical, but not beyond saving.
The child’s kidneys had been damaged.
After all, this was ancient times, and many treatments were still unknown.
But she was a modern doctor; that made all the difference.
“Do you have filiform needles?” Lin Sangqian asked. “I need to perform acupuncture right now to stabilize his condition.”
“We don’t, but I’ll go borrow some from the clinic!”
There was a clinic nearby, and Xu Gaoxuan rushed out at once.
When he returned, he brought an elderly man with graying hair and beard.
The man carried a medical case; he must be the clinic’s doctor.
His surname was Ge; everyone called him Doctor Ge.
In fact, he was the younger brother of the Ge scholar at Haixing Academy.
But Lin Sangqian didn’t know this yet.
“Doctor Ge, please lend us your filiform needles,” Xu Gaoxuan pleaded, “Look at Bao’er—he’s like this!”

“You may borrow them, but you must tell me who is going to perform the acupuncture?” Doctor Ge frowned.
Acupuncture was no small matter; he didn’t want his needles stained with a life lost.
“I will,” Lin Sangqian said calmly.
“You?” Doctor Ge stared at her in shock, then snapped, “Nonsense! You’re just a little girl, what do you know? You’ll kill this child!”
Lin Sangqian had a headache.
Indeed, in her ten-year-old girl’s form, it was hard to be convincing.
But Bao’er’s condition couldn’t wait.
“Doctor Ge, how about this: I name the acupoints, you perform the needling. How about it?”
Doctor Ge was amused and annoyed. “What do you know of acupoints, little girl? And you want me to follow your instructions?”
“Whether I know or not, you certainly do,” Lin Sangqian replied. “If I say something wrong, you’ll spot it instantly, won’t you?”
Doctor Ge: “…”
“Doctor Ge!” Xu Gaoxuan grew desperate and knelt before him. “Please, help us! Bao’er—he’s dying!”
Doctor Ge glanced at Bao’er, and his heart softened. He knew clearly—the boy didn’t have much time left.
Looking at the little girl’s determined expression, could it be…
“Alright then, tell me the acupoints.” Doctor Ge set down his medical box, opened it, and took out what was needed for acupuncture. “If I think anything’s wrong, I absolutely won’t proceed.”
“Good.”
Everything was ready; Doctor Ge sat by the bed and listened as Lin Sangqian named several acupoints.
He paused in surprise.
The points she named, they truly related to the child’s illness…
He knew Bao’er had kidney damage, but had never found a way to treat it.
And the acupoints Lin Sangqian mentioned were all connected to the kidneys.
Perhaps, it might really work?
Seeing Bao’er’s face growing ever paler, Doctor Ge gritted his teeth and, following Lin Sangqian’s instructions, inserted the needles at each acupoint.
When the time was right, he carefully removed them.
Everyone in the room held their breath, all eyes fixed on Bao’er, waiting to see how he would respond.