"Miss, Miss..."
However, the young girl in his arms had her eyes tightly closed, having fainted.
Lin Miao, half-naked with his upper body, found it quite improper to hold the girl like this, so he carried her into the side room.
He laid her flat on the bed.
"Junior Brother, what's going on here?" Sun Youwei also came over upon hearing the news, astonished as she saw the beautiful, coolly dressed girl lying on the bed.
The clothes and makeup clearly indicated she was a courtesan from the Huaye Tower next door, so how did she end up in their house?
Besides, she hadn't seen Lin Miao leaving the house in the morning.
"I know it too. I was just about to take a bath when I heard someone shout. I turned around and saw this girl jumping from a window on the third floor next door. I thought, falling from the third floor, if she doesn't die, she'll be crippled. No matter what, she can't get into trouble in our courtyard. So, I dashed over as fast as lightning and caught her..." Lin Miao only then realized he was topless and hadn't put on clothes, "Senior Sister, I'm going to take a bath. If anyone from next door comes, please entertain them first."
Sun Youwei's cheeks blushed. Although they grew up together and she was used to his antics, she was now at the age where spring feelings blossom.
There are gender boundaries, and what should be avoided must still be avoided.
But her junior brother's muscular physique exuded a unique masculine charm, making it hard for her to resist stealing a few more glances.
...
"Shi Yin, Shi Yin..." Liuli hurried over from next door and, upon seeing the girl lying on the bed in the side room, instantly teared up, "You silly girl, I told you, why are you so silly?"
"Sister, what happened to this young lady?"
"I'm sorry, young lady of the Lin Family, I was too worried about my sister just now and lost my composure." Liuli wiped the corner of her eye and gave a slight bow to Sun Youwei.
"Sister, what did you call me?" Sun Youwei's cheeks turned crimson, evidently not expecting the other to address her directly as "young lady of the Lin Family."
Does she think of her as Lin Miao's sister or little wife?
"Young lady of the Lin Family, isn't your brother called Lin Sanshui? Since you're his sister, isn't it right to call you the young lady of the Lin Family?"
"Oh, not right, not right, but..." Sun Youwei did not deny it, aiming to avoid gossip and not wanting to be found by the Huang Family, Lin Miao and Sun Youwei referred to each other as siblings, while Yun was in the role of their aunt.
Being neighbors, Liuli naturally had some understanding.
"May I ask for my sister's name?"
"My name is Liuli, also a songstress next door," Liuli introduced, "Thank you very much to the wise brother and sister. If it weren't for Mr. Lin catching her, my poor sister would have perished on the spot today."
"Miss Liuli, I think this young lady just passed out from the impact of falling and should wake up soon." Lin Miao, freshly bathed and changed, walked in from outside and said.
"Thank you, Mr. Lin. You must know martial arts, or you couldn't have caught my sister, right?" Liuli's eyes sparkled as she curiously looked at Lin Miao.
"Just some exercises for health and fitness, nothing worth mentioning." Lin Miao laughed, acknowledging that his skills were nothing secret, as doctors often knew a bit of martial arts.
"Mr. Lin saved my sister Shi Yin. Here's a small token of appreciation; please accept it!" Liuli turned her hand, and a fifty-tael silver note appeared in his hand.
Fifty taels at once, such generosity—Huaye Tower really knew how to make money. Even a mere songstress could be so lavish.
"We are all neighbors and should look out for each other. Miss Liuli, please take back the silver." Although Lin Miao lived next to Huaye Tower, he didn't want to have much entanglement with it.
"How can I accept this?"
"Ugh, ugh..." At this moment, the girl named "Shi Yin" lying on the bed suddenly turned sideways and started vomiting.
"Shi Yin, Shi Yin, what's wrong? I've told you before, you shouldn't take too much of that medicine at once, but you wouldn't listen!" Liuli anxiously moved forward to check, gently patting her back.
Overdose leading to jumping off the building?
This sounds a bit incredible!
Looking at the girl's condition, it didn't quite resemble overeating; it seemed to be something else entirely.
In fact, Lin Miao had noticed earlier that the girl's skin and lip color were off, and wearing such thin clothes on a cool autumn morning clearly indicated something was wrong with her body.
He had initially wanted Liuli to take her away, as long as nothing happened in his courtyard, he would be fine.
But now, it seemed trouble had come.
The girl wasn't just unconscious; she was foaming at the mouth. Even if they carried her out, rumors might spread, and the haunted house gossip would fly, affecting his business terribly.
"Don't move, I've studied some basic first aid techniques. Let me take a look." Lin Miao dare not claim he knew medical skills, only saying he knew emergency methods, a big difference between the two.
If one admits to medical skills without a license, they can't treat someone willy-nilly, as medical accidents would mean full responsibility.
However, first aid doesn't fall into this category. Although it belongs to medical skills, its use isn't restricted to physicians.
Originally a method used for saving comrades on the battlefield, like stopping bleeding and bandaging, it couldn't wait for army doctors, or the person would die.
This method later applied to the civilian realm too, but only during sudden life-threatening emergencies could it be exempted from responsibility.
Simply put, if the treatment failed, there'd be no liability.
Liuli hesitated, not quite believing Lin Miao due to his young age, not looking like someone with even basic medical knowledge.
"Miss Liuli, this is my apprentice's medical badge." Lin Miao handed over his "medical apprentice" badge.
Liuli immediately nodded; the badge was issued by the Medical Bureau; forgeries were severely punished, and obtaining an apprentice's qualification required a guarantee from a learning "physician," without which the government wouldn't issue a badge.
At least after following and learning for several years, one would be qualified to receive it.
"Senior sister, fetch the needle."
"Needle?"
"Any needle will do, even an embroidery needle." Lin Miao stepped forward, observed carefully, and checked the pulse again, his expression tensed.
This girl named "Shi Yin" seemed to have symptoms of "overindulging in drugs." Could there be addictive hallucinogenic substances in this world?
He hadn't seen records of plants like Yu Mi or Shan Si Miao in the Hundred Herbs Map. Perhaps the map he saw was incomplete, with some plants not included.
Maybe this world does, or doesn't, have them. There's no certainty.
The pulse of the girl Shi Yin was deep, taut, and slippery, a sign of convulsions and vomiting, with the center of the body in pain. Such a young age, yet the dysmenorrhea was severe; heat, slow and slippery, with phlegm. Although she looked like a normal person, her body was already a mess.
Then he pinched her chin, making her open her mouth, and checked her tongue coating. The tongue tip was light purple, with a thin, greasy coating.
Indeed, she had overindulged in drugs!
"Junior brother, the needle is here." Sun Youwei walked in a rush, somewhat out of breath, unsure how many were needed, so she grabbed a handful of needles she used for embroidery.
Silly girl, one is enough!
Lin Miao didn't say much, directly reaching for Shi Yin's jade-like foot, piercing straight into the Yongquan point of the sole.
"Junior brother, what are you..."
As Lin Miao pierced the needle, Shi Yin reacted immediately. After switching to the other foot and repeating several times, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Where... where am I?"
"Shi Yin, my dear sister, I told you long ago, you can't take too much of that medicine. You didn't listen, and now look, you almost lost your life!" When Liuli saw Shi Yin awake, she rushed forward to hold her, chastising her repeatedly.
"Alright, she's awake now. Miss Liuli, you should quickly take her to a doctor for a check-up." Lin Miao put away the embroidery needle as he spoke.
"Shi Yin, it was Mr. Lin who saved you. Hurry, come thank Mr. Lin!"
"No need for thanks, just leave quickly. This place is a respectable household." Lin Miao's expression was cold, clearly indicating they should leave.
Liuli and Shi Yin, hearing this, felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Junior brother, this Miss Shi Yin isn't well enough yet. How about letting her rest here for a while before going back?" Sun Youwei saw Shi Yin's lips were purple and her face was white, unsuitable for travel, and couldn't help but feel sympathetic, thinking Lin Miao was being a bit inhumane.
"Senior sister, if they don't leave, and someone dies in our home, we won't be able to escape responsibility." Lin Miao snorted coldly.
"Junior brother, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-tiered pagoda. How can you say such things?" Sun Youwei's face showed a hint of anger.
"Senior sister, before doing good deeds, you must measure whether you can bear the consequences. You and I both do not have the qualifications to practice medicine. This Miss Shi Yin clearly has overdosed, and without prompt medical treatment, her life could be in danger!"
"Overdosed?"
"Yes, taking certain medication to relieve pain, like drinking poison to quench thirst, resulting in hallucinations. The so-called suicide was merely a hallucination induced by the medication, not a genuine desire to end her life!"
Upon hearing this, both Liuli and Shi Yin were stunned.
Lin Miao described Shi Yin's condition without missing a word, but apart from mentioning "drugs," he didn't mention anything else, especially the suffering Shi Yin endured, which was known to only a few people even at Huaye Tower.
"Mr. Lin, how did you know about Shi Yin's illness?"
"Enough, Miss Liuli, quickly take her away. This is not a clinic, and I don't treat patients here." Lin Miao once again gestured for them to leave.
Seeing Lin Miao's firm attitude, Liuli and Shi Yin sighed and had to leave.
"Junior brother, since you have diagnosed it, why not lend a hand?" This time Sun Youwei did not stop them, but she still felt a bit strange afterwards.
"Senior sister, you and I have not passed the medical exams and do not have the qualifications to practice medicine. One can never fully understand another's heart. How can I guarantee that treating her won't bring trouble to me?" Lin Miao explained.
"Saving a life, how could there be trouble?"
"Senior sister, I understand your kindness, but not everyone in this world is as kind-hearted as you. The wickedness in human hearts is hard to fathom." Lin Miao explained, "Do you know what sort of place our neighbor, Huaye Tower, is?"
"Qinlou Chuguan, a place of romance, a spot you men love to visit!" Sun Youwei blurted out.
"You don't mind?" Lin Miao asked in surprise; turns out she already knew.
"Mind what? Don't all men like going out to find women?" Sun Youwei replied. "Those powerful and wealthy men, how many aren't like that? Junior brother, you're still young, you mustn't go to places like that."
"Senior sister, if I grow up, can I go then?"
"You can go, but you're not allowed to stay overnight. If you take a liking to a girl, you can redeem her and make her a concubine." Sun Youwei's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Senior sister, aren't you jealous?"
"Jealous? Why should I be jealous? Women from such places can't be wives, only concubines; that's the iron law of the court," Sun Youwei said. "And any children born must be raised under the legitimate wife's name, acknowledging her as the mother of record."
Impressive!
Lin Miao couldn't help but give a thumbs up in secret.
This law is simply too favorable for men. He wondered who came up with it, and thought of finding the person's grave to offer three incense sticks as a respectful gesture one day.