Plague Doctor

Chapter 305: Erythema

Translator: Lonelytree 

The vicious barking shattered the quiet of the night. The dim moonlight barely lit up the village roads. Tian Yi shuffled listlessly down the road. Her gait was uneven. She occasionally scratched at her face. Her rental home was by the main street cutting through the village and the village hospital was on the other side. This was the first time she would be visiting the doctor since she moved here. When she walked out from the alley, a motorcycle shot past and almost rammed into her. The motorcyclist cursed in the local slang. Tian Yi did not get the message but from the tone, it sounded like he was scolding her. Tian Yi pulled her coat tighter. She picked up her pace and the wind chilled her heart.

When she reached the village hospital, she was greeted by an empty building, there was not even a night guard on duty. There was just a village patrol slumped at the nearby bench snoring…

“What was I thinking? It’s already midnight…” Tian Yi mumbled to herself. As she scratched her face, she looked at the emptiness around her. Suddenly she missed her hometown. Holding back the tears in her eyes, she planned what to do next. ‘Should I call an ambulance? But I won’t be able to afford it…’ Tian Yi did not know what to do. She paced in front of the village holiday before she pulled out her phone to call her colleague, Sister Lee. Sister Lee was their senior and she had worked at the factory for years already. She looked over the newer recruiters like a big sister. If not for the emergency, Tian Yi did not want to disturb other people at midnight.

Once the call was connected, Tian Yi related her situation. Sister Lee sighed helplessly, “Of course the village hospital is going to be closed at a time like this. You should head to a private clinic.” Sister Lee gave her an address and consoled her, “Don’t worry, it’s probably a side effect from using a bad beauty product. It’s just a skin allergy.” Then she hung up.

“Oh.” Tian Yi answered to the dial tone. She followed Sister Lee’s instruction and soon found the clinic. The clinic was not technically a registered one, it was more like the side business of a family doctor. The doctor conducted the business from their own home. Tian Yi’s hometown had such amenities too. When Tian Yi arrived, the gate of the house was closed, but following Sister Lee’s instruction, she shook the iron gate and shouted, “Doctor Liang, Doctor Liang, please, I need your help!”

Suddenly Tian Yi heard a growl come from behind her. She turned and saw a large black dog standing not far away. Its fur was standing on end as it gritted its jaws at her. It growled as it retreated. It looked like it was both afraid of and disgusted by her. Fuelled by fear, Tian Yi shook the gate harder. Eventually the door opened and a balding middle-aged man walked out, grumbling with annoyance, “Who is it… Do you know what time it is…” But when he saw her face, he stopped talking. He scratched his head. “Is that a skin allergy? Come on in…”

“Doctor Liang, I did not wish to disturb you so late at night.” Tian Yi was embarrassed by her desperation but itchiness overwhelmed her shame. As she followed the doctor, she explained nervously, “I don’t know why this is happening. The itchiness started this morning but it was only minor, that is until tonight. I woke up at midnight from the itch and it was already like this.”

There was a mirror in the hallway and Tian Yi’s reflection caught her attention. She was honestly quite pretty, it was why she had viewers coming to her livestream. But now on her cheeks, there were slight swellings. They did not look like small pox and did not cover a large part of her skin. Instead they were patches of redness with irregular shapes. They suggested some growth inside her pores. The patches appeared to form a picture, or a pattern. It looked like the limbs of some kind of insect… or spider.

“Doctor Liang, I feel like there are many worms under my skin.” Tian Yi said with a catch in her voice.

“Silly girl, I’m sure it’s just an allergy.” Doctor Liang yawned. “It’s probably something you ate.” He took some pills out from the medicine cabinet, there were Claritin and Carulon. “Take these for a week and one each day.”

Tian Yi was comforted when she heard that. But that did not stop the itch on her face. “Doctor Liang, can you give me a drip? I wish to get well faster.”

“What drip?” Naturally Doctor Liang was unwilling. It was already midnight, if he had to prepare to drip, he’d be here until dawn. “Young lady, skin allergy is just a small issue. You’ll feel better after taking the meds.”

But Tian Yi pleaded relentlessly. She could wear a mask for work but what about her livestream? She just started and if she took a week long break now, it would greatly hinder her reputation. After much pleading, Doctor Liang sighed, “Fine, fine, I’ll compromise and give you a shot.” Actually it was just a shot of Carulon. After mixing the dosage, Doctor Liang injected it into her skin.

“Alright, now you need to go home and rest.” After giving her the meds and taking the money, Doctor Liang sent Tian Yi on her way. With a slam, the door and gate closed.

Even with the shot, the itchiness did not abate. ‘Probably the meds take time to work…”

The meds and consultation cost 200 RMB and it would not be covered by her health benefits. That hung heavily on Tian Yi’s mood. It looked like she would have to survive on bread for the rest of the month. Tian Yi looked up into the night sky and sighed. She held the small bag of meds and headed back to her rental home while scratching her face.

…

“Yiman, resist it. Stop scratching.” After they reached the People’s Hospital, Xie Yiman put on a fashionable black mask and was escorted by her manager and assistant into the hospital. Along the way, the manager called the company to relate the information and the company relayed the news to Phecda as per the organization’s request. Therefore, before Xie Yiman could register at the dermatology department, her whole team was ushered away by a group of well-scrubbed hospital staff into quarantine.

Xie Yiman was shocked and her manager panicked. Why were they being sent to quarantine?

“There are too many unknown factors regarding Miss Xie’s dermatological condition, it might be contagious. We are merely following the procedure.” Since this happened at the city adjacent to Da Hwa City, the expert from Phecda would arrive soon. The disease control centre made their move as well. None of the doctors went in to offer Xie Yiman treatment. Instead they put on protective gear and observed the strange welds on Xie Yiman’s face through the quarantine room’s window. They frowned in confusion.

“That looks like lupus erythematosus…”

“It does, but lupus erythematosus does not spread so quickly.”

“Yes, and normally it won’t cause itchiness.”

Xie Yiman was spared from these discussions inside the room. However, she could not resist the temptation anymore. She scratched at her face like crazy.

One hour after their hospitalization, the experts from Phecda finally arrived and among them was the popular Captain Gu.

…

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