Pei held his hands under the clinic lamp and tried to make his fingers obey.
The left thumb moved when he pressed it against the table. The forefinger followed more slowly. His right hand stayed curled, its knuckles pale from the effort. Qinghe watched him try twice, then put a folded cloth under his wrist.
“Does the numbness change when you raise your arm?”
“A little.”
“Does the pain travel to the elbow?”
“No. It’s like I’m wearing a glove that’s too thick.”
Jessa, the local healer, stood on his other side with a basin of warm water. She had asked Qinghe to explain the furnace workers’ usual symptoms before she started treatment. Now she tested the warmth on her own wrist and helped Pei lower his hands into the basin.
“Tell me when it feels hot,” she said.
