Half an hour later.

A bowl of Rescue Soup was brought in. Lin Miao pried open Si Miaoxue’s mouth and poured the thick medicinal soup in, mouthful by mouthful.

"Life or death, it depends on her fate now." Lin Miao wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Junior brother, what’s wrong with Miaoxue? How did she get so severely injured?" Sun Youwei curiously asked.

"I don’t know either. We’ll have to wait until she wakes up to tell me." Lin Miao sighed, "Senior sister, it’s late. You should go back to sleep."

"Okay, junior brother, I’ll be in the next room. Call me if you need anything." Sun Youwei nodded. Her staying would merely mean one more person watching over.

Not very meaningful.

Besides, she already knew the relationship between Lin Miao and Si Miaoxue. It wasn’t a big deal for the two to be in the same room, but how to explain it to others in the morning was a different matter.

Fortunately, the face now was Si Miaoxue’s, not Qin Yanran’s. By then, they could fabricate an identity, perhaps fooling them.

The Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles combined with the Rescue Soup did show effects. At least Si Miaoxue’s vital signs improved. Although she might not wake up immediately, her condition seemed to be turning for the better.

Lin Miao checked the pulse every half hour.

He confirmed that Si Miaoxue’s condition was indeed improving. Her Yang energy was returning. Ginseng, known as the King of Herbs, was replenishing her energy, pulling her back from the Ghost Gate, but when she would awaken was uncertain.

The pulse on the left wrist was tense and slippery. Si Miaoxue’s injury seemed to be in her heart meridian, but externally, there wasn’t a single scar to be seen. She must have been struggling desperately to return to see him.

But when she came back, he happened not to be in the room. Had he returned a moment later, she might have been truly beyond saving.

Thinking about it, Lin Miao felt terrified. If Si Miaoxue had really died in front of him, he wouldn’t know what he would have done.

Lin Miao kept watch the entire night. By dawn the next day, Si Miaoxue still showed no signs of awakening.

However, her pulse had stabilized. Based on his experience, unless there was a sudden deterioration, her life wasn’t in danger.

Lin Miao moved her to the guest room, as it would be hard to explain if anyone asked.

"Junior brother, how about I stay to take care of Miaoxue?" Sun Youwei came early in the morning, and after checking on Si Miaoxue, she suggested.

"Senior sister, this..."

"Besides me, no one at home is more suitable." Sun Youwei explained.

"Then how do you explain Miaoxue’s identity?"

"Just say she’s a distant cousin. We don’t really have any relatives, so no one should suspect." Sun Youwei replied.

"But how do you explain her sudden arrival, especially in the dead of night, if she remains unconscious?"

"With me here, I should be able to cover for a while. Once she wakes up, it’ll be easier to explain." Sun Youwei shared her reasoning.

"Alright, I’ve moved her to the guest room, so it can be concealed for a short while." Lin Miao nodded, "I’ll head to the clinic in a bit."

"Okay, you go ahead. Tell Xia Zhu I won’t be going today, let Yurou cover for me."

...

"Xie, how are you feeling, any better?" Before heading to the clinic, Lin Miao checked on Mr. Xie. The guy really had a tough time this time.

His legs couldn’t move, making it inconvenient for daily life, being confined indoors.

Thankfully, his life was spared.

"Much better, just inconvenient for using the toilet, and I can’t drink." Mr. Xie smiled awkwardly.

"Keep taking your medicine. Your internal injuries are not light, don’t take them lightly. I’ve instructed Mrs Luu to prepare nutritious meals for you to promote the growth of your leg bones, aiming to get you walking as soon as possible." Lin Miao advised, "Also, I’ve commissioned a craftsman to make you a wheelchair, so you can go out whenever you want, being cooped up inside isn’t good."

"Thank you, boss."

"Enough, you got injured because of me, sorry to put you through this." Lin Miao said, "You can’t work now, hurry and call those two people you mentioned for me, I’m short-handed."

"Okay, I’ll have someone relay the message to them right away."

...

With two severely injured people at home suddenly, it was quite challenging, but luckily Yun took over Xie Shouchang’s job.

Although Yun didn’t understand much about construction, she knew how to manage people. As long as the foremen were controlled, the project progress would naturally not be a big issue.

The craftsmen might try to shirk work, but when it came to quality, they didn’t dare slack. Once discovered by the employer, not only would they have to redo the work, but their reputation would also be tarnished.

For an artisan, without reputation, how can they get jobs in the future?

Just as the pastry shop "Furong Garden" was about to open, the glass and promotional paintings on the shop walls that he promised had not yet been started.

It seemed, in the days to come, he would be quite busy.

...

Approaching noon, an emergency came up.

Lin Miao arrived at the house, seeing the old man lying on the bed, just a glance was enough to tell there was no rescue possibility.

The ridge of his nose was dark blue, and his complexion was dull.

He reached out and touched, the muscles were gone, then diagnosed the pulse, thin and rapid, blood depleted, energy waning, almost at the end of his life.

"May I ask the master of the house, how old is the old man?"

"Seventy-two," the family replied.

As the saying goes, at seventy-three and eighty-four, King Yama doesn’t invite, but you go yourself.

A person reaching a certain age, birth, aging, sickness, and death are the laws of nature. No one can live forever, and even how long one lives is determined by one’s genes, so some sayings do make sense.

"The old man has lived to this age, he shouldn’t have suffered much, right?" Lin Miao said calmly, "At this point, if there are any unfulfilled matters, settle them quickly."

"Mr. Lin, is my father really beyond saving?"

"Look at yourself, you’re not young anymore. Human effort has its limits. I’m a physician, not an immortal. Prepare yourself, the old man’s time is running out." Lin Miao said helplessly.

The host was also understanding. You could tell from the old man’s clean and tidy appearance that this family was very filial.

Lin Miao didn’t feel too sad either. As a doctor, sooner or later you have to face life and death. An old man like this who can pass away naturally is already a very happy thing.

"Let’s go, Xia Zhu."

"Yes, Mr. Lin." Xia Zhu was still a bit sad. Over the years, she had seen Lin Miao save so many patients, always pulling them back from the brink of death.

This time, however, he was powerless, because human effort couldn’t defy the laws of nature.

Go home for dinner.

Xia Zhu was probably still upset after seeing an elder pass away, so she didn’t eat much and excused herself to organize medical cases.

Sun Youwei thought something had happened to Xia Zhu. When she asked, she found out that it was because they encountered an elderly patient on a house call who could not be saved. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Such things are very common, and they will happen even more in the future. It’s just that Xia Zhu used to accompany her father in consultations, and it was usually her senior or junior brothers who went with her on house calls.

She just hadn’t seen such a scene before.

Sun Youwei had witnessed the entire process of her own father’s passing. She understood that feeling of powerlessness, which indeed made people feel very helpless and painful.

At that time, Lin Miao hadn’t come into the picture yet. Even if he had come earlier, he might not have been able to save Sun Simiao.

...

In Lin Miao’s bedroom.

Si Miaoxue was still lying on the bed, unconscious, like a sleeping beauty in illness.

"I brewed the medicine according to your prescription and fed it to her. Her pulse is much stronger than it was in the morning, but I don’t know why she hasn’t woken up yet," Sun Youwei explained.

Lin Miao nodded, sat down by the bedside, and reached out to feel the pulse. It was indeed much better than when he left in the morning.

"Didn’t they suspect why Miaoxue is in my room?" Lin Miao asked.

"I told them she is a distant cousin of mine who came to join us early this morning," Sun Youwei explained.

This lie is full of loopholes, but everyone probably saw through it anyway. Nobody really pressed for answers. After all, Sun Youwei is the lady of the house, the mistress.

What the mistress says goes, especially since this person is lying in Lin Miao’s room. Obviously, they have an agreement.

Why would outsiders meddle in such matters?

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Lin Miao said apologetically. It’s indeed a bit much for him to let his senior sister take care of his romantic entanglements.

"Junior Brother, actually, she’s quite pitiful all by herself..." Sun Youwei said.

"Senior Sister, how do you know she’s alone? Are you familiar with her?"

"She came over a few times while you were not at home, and we chatted a bit." Sun Youwei nodded slightly. "She lost both parents at a young age and lived with her master. Her master, also a woman, never married or had children and didn’t know how to raise a child. Because of her beauty, she was envied by girls of her age and liked by boys. Later, in her teens, she left with her master..."

"She actually told you all this?" Lin Miao was very surprised. These things Si Miaoxue had never said to him, yet she said so much to someone like Sun Youwei, who wasn’t very familiar with her.

Could it be just because my sister is also a girl?

This enchantress is much more complicated than my sister. Most of her words are probably just rhetoric, trying to gain my sister’s sympathy with a fabricated tragic background...

This tactic works like a charm, whether on men or women.

The internal injuries are stabilized. If her brain is fine, Si Miaoxue should wake up soon. The reason she hasn’t woken up now should be due to self-recovery.

Deep sleep is the best repair mechanism for the human body.

...

In the afternoon, Han Chunyang came.

It’s still the problem with his back, an old ailment. There are no miracle cures, just maintenance and self-care.

"Mr. Lin, I have some good news. That Ye Mi Yuan must have offended someone, and now he’s languishing at home screaming in agony with all four limbs broken!" Han Chunyang said with a laugh, noting that Ye Mi Yuan wanted to transfer to the Dongshan Robbery Control Department.

Given his background, being backed by the Ye Family and Marquis Lingyang, no one at Dongshan Prefecture’s Arresting Department could outdo him.

Even Feng Sheng couldn’t suppress him, so no one in the department wanted him to come.

But he had backing, and they carved out a position specifically for him. Feng Sheng didn’t want to, but he had no choice but to agree.

Coincidentally, the guy was beaten and had all his limbs broken at this time. Now he won’t be getting out of bed for three to five months.

They can’t possibly let the Dongshan Robbery Control Department keep a position open until you’ve recovered, right?

This gave Feng Sheng an excuse. The department is short-staffed; we can’t keep the position vacant forever. If you can’t assume office, I have to hire someone else.

"Who did he offend this time to end up like this?" Lin Miao laughed. He was the one who broke Ye Mi Yuan’s limbs.

"I don’t know, the specifics are well hidden. The Ye Family hasn’t leaked a word." Han Chunyang said, "Mr. Lin, didn’t you leave town the day before yesterday?"

"Yes, I went out of town to handle some affairs."

"Didn’t you run into any trouble?"

"Ye Mi Yuan and I have some grudges. If I had, we really might have ended up fighting." Lin Miao laughed. "Remember to keep your back warm and avoid cold foods to help your condition."

Then he firmly stuck a black plaster onto his back, the hot plaster more soothing than the pain, making Han Chunyang almost moan with satisfaction.

"Mr. Lin, your plaster is really good. It’s a pity it can’t be sold to the public, otherwise I’d buy a few more to take home..."

"No need to buy them. I could give you a few." Lin Miao chuckled.

"Really?"

"Given our life-and-death friendship, how could I not give you a few plasters?"