The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 185: Overnight (New Release, Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Votes)

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Overnight (New Release, Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Votes)

After the medicine was poured down, Wang Yongfu finally had a flicker of life come back to his face.

Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief and anxiously watched outside.

After waiting a little longer, they heard the thump-thump of heavy footsteps.

Then came a familiar voice, "Ouch, Wang Family’s Fourth Child, slow down, my old bones can’t take this jolting—," it was Doctor Liu’s voice.

Wang Yongping’s voice was hoarse and breathless, "Old... Doctor Liu... please bear with it a bit longer, my elder brother is nearly gone, he’s waiting for you to save his life!"

Then the courtyard door was pushed open, and the family went out to meet him.

Wang Yongping, carrying Doctor Liu on his back, rushed inside like the wind.

Once inside, he set down Doctor Liu, and pulled him towards Wang Yongfu’s bed, "Doctor Liu, quick, come look at my brother, he’s vomiting blood..."

Doctor Liu, made dizzy and blurry-eyed from the jostling, felt like his old bones were about to fall apart. He hadn’t steadied himself before being dragged to the bed, nearly collapsing to his knees on the floor.

Fortunately, Wang Yongzhu gave him a hand and steadied the poor doctor into a chair to catch his breath, "Give Doctor Liu a cup of tea to settle himself first."

Wang Yongping wanted to hurry things along but was silenced by a stern look from Wang Yongzhu.

After drinking the tea and resting for a while, Doctor Liu calmed his breathing and then stroked his beard, saying, "The maid knows best. In your rush, not only is my breath unsettled, how could I possibly treat your elder brother? Isn’t this nonsense?"

Wang Laozhu saw Doctor Liu as if he were a lifesaver and, upon hearing the doctor’s words, quickly apologized, "Sorry, Doctor Liu, my Fourth Brother is just too anxious. It’s mainly because my Eldest Brother is not doing well; he just vomited blood, and we are really sorry! Fourth Brother, aren’t you going to apologize to the doctor?"

Wang Yongping approached puffing and panting and managed an awkward apology, then eagerly looked towards Doctor Liu.

Only then did Doctor Liu step forward, using the oil lamp to examine Wang Yongfu’s complexion, lift his eyelids, and feel his pulse. After a long while, he sighed and shook his head, "What’s happened to your Eldest Brother? Wasn’t he supposed to have gotten better after seeing the Divine Doctor? It seems like he’s gotten even worse now? And he vomited blood?"

The Wang Family could hardly admit that Wang Yongfu’s condition was due to the shock of Lady Lin wanting to remarry, which caused him to spit blood.

They could only plead earnestly, "We beg you, Doctor Liu, please save him. Tomorrow we will take him to town."

Doctor Liu felt helpless; his medical expertise was rather limited, and in such a critical situation, he feared to make a misstep.

He just shook his head without uttering a word.

It was Wang Yongzhu who remembered, "Doctor Liu, when my brother was taken to town last time, didn’t you have a medicine that could keep my brother alive? Is that medicine still useful?"

Doctor Liu was conflicted, "That medicine should have some effect, but, it might not keep your brother alive until tomorrow to get to town. If something really happens after taking the medicine, I can’t bear that responsibility."

Wang Yongzhu looked towards Wang Laozhu; at this moment, it wasn’t a decision she, as a sister, could make.

Wang Laozhu hesitated as well and turned to look at Jindou and Jinhu.

Jindou and Jinhu looked at each other, and with a clench of his teeth, Jinhu spoke up, "Use it! Whatever happens, we absolutely won’t hold you, Doctor Liu, responsible!"

Jindou opened his mouth as if to speak but, seeing Jinhu’s determined expression, held back and merely nodded, "Doctor Liu, whatever medicine is needed, please use it!"

With their father in such a state, they could only hope for the best, thinking if only that Divine Doctor had not left.

Anger towards Lady Lin’s uncle and Lady Lin herself flared up again.

After Doctor Liu administered the medicine to Wang Yongfu, Wang Yongfu’s breath finally became stable.

Wang Yongzhu and Wang Yongping saw Doctor Liu out, and when he reached the door, he hesitated before saying, "I think your eldest brother’s injury needs to be seen by Doctor Ma in town as soon as possible—"

Wang Yongzhu’s heart skipped a beat, but she hid it well, thanked Doctor Liu, and asked Wang Yongping to escort Doctor Liu back.

Once inside the house, she pulled Old Granny Zhang, Wang Laozhu, Jindou, and Jinhu aside and repeated Doctor Liu’s words. "I fear this sickness of Eldest Brother is quite fierce. Doctor Liu said what he did because he’s probably worried we’ll need to take him to town overnight, otherwise I’m afraid—"

She left her sentence unfinished, but everyone understood what she meant.

Wang Laozhu hesitated, "It’s pitch black out, the mountain road is dozens of miles, how are we going to travel? And there’s no one to help!"

He was stating the obvious—the mountain road at night was treacherous; one wrong step could send someone tumbling down a cliff, and most wouldn’t dare travel it at night unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Even if we have to carry Father on our backs, Jinhoo and I will take him to town tonight!" Jindou wiped away tears and stood up.

Seeing Jindou’s determination, Wang Yongzhu couldn’t object. She consulted with Old Granny Zhang, "Mother, once Fourth Brother comes back, we’ll take Eldest Brother to town. We should prepare some food first and fill two large jars with brown sugar water in case we run out of energy on the way."

Muttering about debt collectors, Old Granny Zhang still went into her room and scooped out several measures of flour, urging Lady Jiang to hurry up and make the flatbreads.

The makeshift stretcher they had used to carry Wang Yongfu previously was brought out again, the blankets firmly secured and stitched tight.

Wang Laozhu went out to find some relatives to see if they could help.

After Wang Yongping had seen Doctor Liu back, the family had nearly finished their preparations. Wang Laozhu returned with three men, all relatives who understood the gravity of the matter and didn’t hesitate to help.

As soon as they heard that Eldest Brother needed to be taken to town, Wang Yongping did not hesitate. He picked up Wang Yongfu and placed him on the stretcher, lifted it with another cousin, and they promptly carried it outside.

Jindou and Jinhu lit torches and ran ahead, while two other relatives from the Wang Family hurried along as well.

To see a doctor required silver, and even if Old Granny Zhang was reluctant to part with it, she had to bring out the money.

Seeing Old Granny Zhang’s unwilling attitude, Wang Yongzhu recalled that more than three taels were still with her from the last time they returned the money for Eldest Brother’s medicine. She mentioned this to Old Granny Zhang, retrieved the silver, and followed the others out, as they were already far ahead.

Wang Laozhu, carrying the freshly made flatbreads and two jars of water, was about to catch up.

But looking at Wang Laozhu’s frail figure, who seemed unsteady on his feet, how could he endure the journey of dozens of miles on a mountain road?

Wang Yongzhu took the items from him, slung them on her back, and told Lady Lin, "Mother, I’m going to follow and watch over them. If anything happens, I’ll have Jinhu come back tomorrow to inform everyone at home. Don’t worry about us; everything is under control. Please go to sleep early and lock the doors!"

Old Granny Zhang couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter suffering through the night’s hardship and tried to stop her, "Why are you going? As a young lady traveling on a mountain road late at night, what if something happens? You’re my precious child; if anything were to happen to you, I couldn’t live on! No, you can’t go; let your father go! It’s his son; if he doesn’t go, who will?"

Wang Yongzhu reassured her, "Mother, don’t you trust me? With my strength, what could possibly go wrong? Rest assured! There will be no issues! I’ll bring you some white sugar cake to eat when I come back, just wait for me at home, alright?"

With that, she turned and hastened after Jindou and the others.

Under Old Granny Zhang’s murderous gaze, Wang Laozhu had no choice but to hasten after them as well.

Not far along their way, they could hear Old Granny Zhang’s heart-wrenching wail, "Wang Laozhu! I’m warning you, if anything happens to Zhuzhu, I’ll never let you off! With all these men in the family, not a single one can make a decision in a crisis! Everything falls on my Zhuzhu! What is the use of you men, what use? My Zhuzhu, you are asking for your mother’s life; you must come back safely—"

This chapter is updat𝓮d by fre(e)webnov(l).com