Chapter 46: Song Yue Looks Just Like That Person!

Song Yue asked, “Secretary, how bad is it?”

Li Jianguo: “You’ll know when you get there, Comrade Song.”

Song Yue: “…”

That was as good as saying nothing.

After chatting, they took a turn.

They arrived.

A few sheds… an enclosed courtyard.

Inside, cows were being raised… The smell was indescribable.

So…

This was the so-called cattle pen…

Song Yue couldn’t imagine that Lu Huaishen and Zhou Ye were actually living here!

She stopped at the courtyard gate and didn’t step inside.

Li Jianguo spoke up, “Comrade Song…”

Song Yue snapped out of her thoughts, composed herself, and exhaled four words, “It is pretty bad.”

Li Jianguo, the brigade leader: “…”

Song Yue stepped into the courtyard. From a dilapidated, tightly shut room, the sound of coughing came through—

“—Cough, cough, cough, cough…”

“—Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…”

The coughing grew louder, and faintly, there were anxious voices inside.

Lu Huaishen walked to the door and knocked.

A wary voice came from within, “Who is it?”

“Lu Huaishen.”

The moment he spoke—

The coughing inside gradually subsided.

Song Yue frowned. The way the coughing was being suppressed—it wasn’t getting better, it was being deliberately muffled.

Then—

With a creak, the door opened.

A middle-aged man, dressed in rags and looking exhausted, stepped out.

His first glance landed on Lu Huaishen.

His second, on the secretary and brigade leader.

His third—on Song Yue.

His entire body trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock—

This!!!

Song Yue looked over at Yun Xingzhi.

Just as she did—

A figure blocked her line of sight.

She took a closer look—it was Lu Huaishen.

Lu Huaishen spoke, “Secretary, Brigade Leader, you heard the old man coughing badly and were worried something might happen, so you asked Comrade Song to come take a look.”

Song!

That young girl looked like her—and she was surnamed Song!

It had to be her!

Yun Xingzhi took a deep breath, quickly suppressing his emotions and regaining his composure.

Lu Huaishen, seeing that Yun Xingzhi had calmed down, glanced at the secretary and brigade leader.

“That’s how it was, right?”

The secretary responded, “Mm.”

The brigade leader nodded. “Yes.”

Then he turned to Song Yue. “This is Comrade Song, she’s skilled in medicine. She’s here to check on him.”

Yun Xingzhi looked at Song Yue again.

Song Yue met his gaze, and their eyes locked in midair.

She gave a polite smile in greeting.

Yun Xingzhi’s body trembled slightly again from excitement.

He forced himself to stay calm and replied in a neutral tone, “Alright.”

Yun Xingzhi pushed the door open wider and stepped back inside.

“Brigade Leader, Secretary, Comrade Song, please come in.”

The secretary, Li Jianguo, turned to Song Yue. “Comrade Song, since you’re here to see a patient, you go first.”

“Alright.”

Song Yue answered and stepped inside.

The secretary and brigade leader followed behind her.

Lu Huaishen and Zhou Ye exchanged glances and entered as well.

The moment Song Yue walked in, she was stunned.

She had assumed that only the coughing man and Yun Xingzhi lived here.

But after stepping in, she realized—

One, two, three, four… including Yun Xingzhi, there were seven people!

Two women in their thirties.

A middle-aged man about the same age as Yun Xingzhi, sitting beside an elderly man with graying hair.

A young man in his twenties.

And a little girl, around ten years old.

She looked at them.

And they all stared at her, unblinking.

The old man saw Song Yue and felt a jolt in his heart. “!!!”

This, this, this…

Excitement overtook him, and he started coughing violently again.

Song Yue withdrew her gaze and stepped forward, speaking to the middle-aged man by the old man’s side.

“Comrade, may I borrow your seat?”

Yun Xingjun immediately got up. “Yes, yes, of course.”

Song Yue pulled a towel from her satchel, folded it into a long strip, and placed it on a table with two broken legs, propped up by stones.

She gestured to the towel. “Elder, please rest your hand here.”

Old Master Yun did as told, placing his hand down.

Song Yue checked his pulse while asking, “How long have you been coughing?”

The old man remained silent.

Yun Xingjun answered instead, “About a month.”

Song Yue nodded and didn’t say anything further.

Everyone else stayed quiet as well, their eyes fixed on her, watching her every move.

Old Master Yun stared straight at Song Yue, one thought dominating his mind.

She looks like her!

Just like her!

Could she be that girl?

Song Yue focused on taking his pulse and didn’t notice his intense gaze.

After a while—

She asked, “Have you taken any medicine since the coughing started?”

Yun Xingjun let out a bitter smile and shook his head. “No.”

They were watched whenever they left the cattle pen.

Leaving the village was out of the question, let alone getting medicine.

Song Yue asked again, “Has there been any blood in the phlegm?”

“That…” Yun Xingzhi hesitated, then shook his head. “I don’t think so…”

Song Yue frowned. “Yes or no? There’s no such thing as ‘I think’ when it comes to this.”

Yun Xingjun answered firmly, “No.”

Song Yue turned her gaze to Old Master Yun. “Elder, you tell me.”

Old Master Yun shook his head. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Song Yue withdrew her hand and looked at him seriously. “This is a matter of life and death.”

Old Master Yun’s tone was indifferent. “Comrade, I am a criminal. Whether I live or die doesn’t matter much.”

The secretary frowned. “Yun Gongchao, you were sent here for reform. The authorities are watching to see if you’ve truly changed.

They’ve noticed progress—that’s why they sent Comrade Song to treat you.”

“If you continue to improve, you might not have to stay here forever.”

The seven people in the room: “!!!”

Moving out of here?

This…

Their hearts stirred. If the secretary was saying this, he must have caught wind of something.

The secretary kept a stern face. “Yun Gongchao, don’t let down the trust placed in you.”

Old Master Yun responded solemnly, “We won’t disappoint them!”

The secretary was satisfied. “Then answer Comrade Song properly.”

Old Master Yun turned to Song Yue. “Yes, I have coughed up blood.”

Yun Xingjun, Yun Xingzhi, and the others paled instantly.

Song Yue asked, “How many times?”

Old Master Yun thought for a moment. “Two or three times.”

“When did it start?”

“About five days ago.”

“Mm.” Song Yue took out a pen and notebook. “This is an old illness, worsened by your environment.”

“It’ll be hard to cure completely, but with long-term medication, it can be managed.”

Old Master Yun nodded. “Alright.”

Song Yue placed her notebook on the table. “I’ll write a prescription. Follow it, get the medicine, and boil it as instructed.”

“After two days, the coughing should improve.”

As she spoke, she began writing.

Yun Xingzhi suddenly asked, “Comrade, can we put it on credit?”