Ning returned to the institute for a follow-up measure after the first cleansing session. Fan asked her to walk the courtyard path at a normal pace, then checked her breathing near the fountain. Yan followed several steps behind, trying not to count each breath aloud.
At the turn, Ning coughed once. She stopped long enough to take a drink, then continued without Fan telling her to push through. When she reached the bench, she sat and waited for her breath to settle.
“Would you like to stop here?” Fan asked.
“I’m done walking. You can take the reading.”
Ning asked him to show how he compared the two readings. Fan placed the sheets side by side and traced the same point on each. The number after walking was still low, but it returned toward her resting measure sooner than the day before. He showed her the time between the walk and the second reading.
“Could the fountain air have changed it?” she asked.
“It could affect how comfortable you feel. The measure is still only one comparison.”
She looked at Qinghe. “So we keep the same dose and compare again.”
