At the moment she extended her hand, Xiaoxiao suddenly thought of her fainting from pain during her menstruation and decided to seize the opportunity to have it checked.
Thus, she spoke up, "Doctor, can you take a look at me? I faint from pain when I get my period. What’s wrong with me? Could it affect my ability to have children?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ming’s eyes filled with guilt. How could he have been so careless? His wife was in so much pain during her period, yet he had never thought to take her to see a doctor?
The old doctor took Xiaoxiao’s pulse seriously, his expression growing more and more solemn as he did so. After a while, he withdrew his hand from taking her pulse.
After the pulse-taking was finished, Yang Ming anxiously asked, "Doctor, how is my wife? Is there anything wrong?"
The old doctor’s gaze was a bit unnatural, as if he was hiding something. He then said, "It’s nothing serious, just a deficiency of qi and blood. A prescription of herbal soup to nourish her will do."
At these words, Yang Ming was relieved. As long as it wasn’t serious, he was terrified that something might be wrong with her health.
But Xiaoxiao did not believe the old doctor had told the truth. A deficiency of qi and blood? She had the same issue last time, and Yang Ming had forced her to drink strengthening medicine for half a month. She should have recovered long ago, not fainting and losing consciousness for a whole day, only to be told it’s a deficiency of qi and blood again.
The old doctor then took out paper and pen and wrote another prescription, handing it to Yang Ming, saying, "Don’t get it wrong, this one is for your wife to drink, once in the morning and once in the evening."
"Alright, thank you, doctor." Yang Ming accepted the prescription, carefully placing it on his person, and then took out some silver from his pocket and handed it to the doctor as the consultation fee.
After taking the silver, the old doctor said to Yang Ming, "Come outside with me for a moment, help me find someone from your family to escort me back to town."
"Eh, alright." Yang Ming agreed, then turned to his wife and said, "Wife, I’ll be back in a jiffy, wait for me in the house."
After giving instructions to his wife, Yang Ming followed the old doctor out the door. Once outside, the old doctor suspiciously led Yang Ming to a secluded spot.
This took Yang Ming by surprise. Did the old doctor have something to tell him? A bad feeling welled up in his heart.
He asked, bewildered, "Doctor, what are you doing?"
"Just now, I did not tell the truth inside the house, fearing your wife couldn’t accept it," the old doctor confessed.
Upon hearing this, Yang Ming felt a jolt of alarm. Had his wife contracted some dreadful disease that couldn’t even be mentioned in front of her? Anxiety gripped him as he questioned, "What exactly is wrong with my wife?"
The old doctor sighed, then revealed, "I’m afraid she may not be able to have children."
Hearing this, Yang Ming felt as though he had been struck by lightning. Unable to have children? Did this mean they would never have their own child? He refused to believe it, not a single word of it.
"Doctor, I don’t believe it. Is there a cure?"
"I’ve already prescribed her medicine. You can try it first, but the hope is slim. You’d better prepare for the worst," replied the doctor.
After saying that, the old doctor walked away, leaving Yang Ming standing there, lost in thought. What did he mean, prepare for the worst? Xiaoxiao was the only wife he would ever have in his life. Even if they couldn’t have children, he was resigned to that fact.
He feigned composure, determined not to let his wife sense anything was amiss. He took a deep breath and turned to head back to the house, only to see his wife standing there.
A twinge of pain gripped Yang Ming’s heart. His wife was crying. She must have heard everything just now—there was no hiding it, she knew everything.