Chapter 59

In the evening, the family sat down for dinner. Old Man Wen kept looking towards the door, and everyone knew what he was worried about.

"Mother and eldest brother probably arrived a long time ago, and they probably won't be back until today. Maybe they'll be back in a few days. Father, don't worry, they'll be fine."

After Wen Xiaowu finished speaking, he handed his father a steamed bun. Everyone in the family tried to persuade him, but it was no use. Liu Shi insisted on going back. Wen Chuanzong echoed him, but he couldn't persuade her either. For now, they could only try to think positively.

It wasn't even late at night yet, but it was already pitch black outside. Yingxiang was very worried about this terrible weather. She had heard before that sometimes the downfall of an ancient dynasty was largely due to a series of natural disasters.

It would be best if we could get through this kind of weather, but if we couldn't, there was nothing we could do but take it one step at a time. It couldn't be the end of the world, could it? Thinking of this, Yingxiang suddenly felt that she was thinking too much.

Old Man Wen took a bite of his steamed bun and glanced at Second Brother Wen.

"Close the door in a bit, let's rest first, don't sleep too soundly. If your mother and your older brother come back, just open the door."

Everyone nodded; no one objected.

The earthen bed was warm and cozy. Before going to bed, Yingxiang added some more firewood. She coaxed the child for a long time before he finally fell asleep. Wenshi was still reading a book.

"My husband, it's getting late."

It was clear that Wen Shi was somewhat absent-minded. The half-burnt candle on the table was almost gone, and the flame was getting weaker and weaker. Wen Shi took a new one from the side and lit it, which immediately brightened the room considerably.

"You go to sleep first. I'll finish reading the rest in half an hour at most."

Hearing this, Yingxiang said softly, "I know he's troubled, but life isn't always as we wish. I just hope everything goes well."

She glanced at the clothes piled up in the corner and sighed unconsciously.

In this kind of weather, clothes can't be washed or dried outside, so they just pile up together. Fortunately, the two of them have a fair amount of clothes to change into.

During the Lunar New Year, many people are puzzled by the weather, but some elderly people don't care much. Having experienced a lot, they have become indifferent to it.

If it's truly a natural disaster, there's nothing that can be done unless a divine intervention occurs; otherwise, it will pass sooner or later.

In the middle of the night, there was constant banging on the front door. Old Man Wen was not asleep to begin with, and this woke everyone up, including Old Man Wen.

Wen Shi quickly dressed, grabbed a candle, and was about to go out when the wind blew it out. He vaguely saw Old Man Wen hurrying towards the door.

"Open the door, be happy!"

Hearing the somewhat unfamiliar voice, I felt a little uneasy and quickly walked towards the door.

As soon as the gate opened, the scene that greeted the father and son made their hearts skip a beat. At the gate, the village head's youngest son was leading a mule with one hand and holding a large torch with the other.

His face was blue from the cold, but there was only one person on the mule, none other than Wen Chuanzong. He was practically lying on the mule's back in an awkward position, but one hand was gripping the saddle tightly.

"Come in quickly, come in quickly."

After all that commotion, except for the young children, almost everyone in the Wen family was awake. Old Man Wen quickly sent people in, and Wen's second brother and the others also rushed over.

Inside the main hall, which was at least sheltered from the wind, the village head's youngest son did not extinguish the torch after entering.

"Quickly help Chuanzong down, I'll tell you something in a bit."

In the middle of the night, this happened so suddenly. It was already quite difficult for him to walk to the Wen family's house in the wind and snow. If it weren't for the fact that the Wen family is not what it used to be, he wouldn't have been willing to make this trip.

"Big brother, big brother."

Some people exclaimed in alarm, while others expressed concern. Wen Chuanzong was either unconscious or something else; his face was pale, and he could not be woken up no matter what they did.

Helpless, everyone had no choice but to work hard to get him down and carry him inside.

Inside the main house, Old Man Wen had already lit the candles, and he stared intently at the village head's youngest son.

“I heard from my father that last night, Chuanzong came to borrow a mule, saying he wanted to take his aunt back to her parents’ home. It was really dangerous that day, as you all know, but he insisted and said he could ride a mule, so my father lent it to him.”

Everyone knows this.

But how did Wen Chuanzong end up like this? And what about Liu Shi? That's what everyone wants to know.

“I don’t know what happened in between. About a quarter of an hour ago, my mule suddenly brought Chuanzong back. We couldn’t wake him up no matter what we did. When my father saw that something was wrong, he immediately asked me to bring him back. I’m telling you this by the way.”

Upon hearing this, Old Man Wen stood up anxiously. Wen Shi looked at Wen Chuanzong, who was still unconscious on the ground, and tentatively checked his breathing. There was still a little breath left.

"Second brother, fourth brother, you carry eldest brother back inside and cover him up. Fifth brother, let's go fetch the doctor."

"Okay, Third Brother, let's go."

The village roads were relatively easy to travel on. When Yingxiang saw this scene, she thought of Liu Shi and feared that she was probably in grave danger. She had gone out with Wen Chuanzong, and now Wen Chuanzong had been brought back, but she had disappeared without a trace.

This is inevitably worrying.

"Sister-in-law, let's go to the kitchen and boil some more water. I'm afraid my brother has caught a cold."

Xiuyu was so frightened that she couldn't even cry. She rushed over from the house and was stunned when she saw Wen Chuanzong lying motionless and stiff. She didn't dare to think about what would happen to her and the children if something happened to Wen Chuanzong.

Good heavens, she doesn't want to be a widow!

Yingxiang called her name abruptly, and after a moment's reaction, she followed Yingxiang to the kitchen.

Old Man Wen had his two sons carry Wen Chuanzong to the kang (a heated brick bed). During this time, no matter how much they called out to him, Wen Chuanzong remained unresponsive, as if he were dead.

Wen Shi and Xiao Wu first escorted the village head's son back home, and then took his torch to fetch the doctor.

Seeing Chuanzong in this state, Lao Si couldn't bring himself to say anything sarcastic. Everyone worked together to lift him onto the bed, and upon closer inspection, they found that many of his clothes were torn.

"It seems that my eldest brother and mother have suffered a lot. I hope mother is alright. My third brother kept saying it was dangerous and wouldn't let us go back, but he insisted on going. Now it's all right."

In the latter half of the night, the sky outside was very dark. The doctor was reluctant to make this trip, and he wouldn't have taken the trip if Wen Shi and Wen Xiaowu hadn't pulled him along.

"If you save someone's life, you will surely be reborn into a good family in your next life."

Wen Xiaowu said many nice things and even promised to bring him back the next day. The doctor had no choice but to leave.

In the darkness of the night, the entire village of Daliu was pitch black, except for the brightly lit Wen family home. When the doctor and Wen Shi arrived at the door, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

You have to understand that he is quite old, and the road was not smooth. He almost fell several times, but luckily the two of them helped him up.

"Boss, boss."

"Master, master, wake up."

A-Mian was trembling with fear, and her cries were shrill. She knew that with Wen Chuanzong gone, she would probably be sold by the Wen family in the future.

Old Man Wen didn't want to bury his son, but no matter how much they called out, the person on the kang (heated brick bed) remained motionless.

Inside the kitchen, two large pots of water were already boiling. Xiuyu hurried toward Wen Chuanzong, and the doctor rushed over. Everyone made way for her.

"My lady, you should go back inside and rest. I'll take care of things here."

Yingxiang thought of the child and nodded. As for Yuqin, she didn't come out at all. Even if something happened, she felt that Wen Chuanzong and Liu Shi deserved it; neither of them were good people.

"Quickly, quickly take off all his clothes."

After the doctor took their pulses, the second and fourth sons immediately did as he instructed, while Wen Shi and Old Man Wen stood aside with their brows furrowed.

There's no news of Liu right now, and we don't know if she's doing well at her parents' home or if something happened on the way. The most important thing is to wake Wen Chuanzong up as soon as possible.

After taking his pulse, the doctor began to insert acupuncture needles.

"Get a big bucket and fill it with plenty of water. Your eldest son is frozen stiff, his pulse is weak and feeble, that's why he's unconscious."

Everyone was busy with their own hands. When Xiuyu saw A-Mian, she rushed up to her and slapped her twice without saying a word.

"You wretch, it's all because of you. You better pray that Chuanzong and your mother are alright, or I'll sell you to the lowest brothel."

Amian was stunned by the beating and couldn't recover for a moment. When Old Man Wen saw this, he coughed a few times, and Xiuyu hurriedly went to the kitchen.

The kang (heated brick bed) wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. Wen Chuanzong had been stripped down to only his underwear by his brothers, and his body felt icy cold to the touch.

"Quickly add more firewood, make sure the kang (heated brick bed) is heated up."

"Sigh, what a mess this is."

Following the doctor's instructions, everyone first put Wen Chuanzong into the bath tub. The water, which had just been boiled, was quite hot. They poured it down bucket by bucket from the kitchen to the main room until it was almost lukewarm.

Not long after Wen Chuanzong went in, everyone was worried that the water would get cold, so they pulled him out, wiped his body, and then tucked him into a warm quilt and covered him up.

Even though there had been disagreements and conflicts before, they were all born from the same mother, so everyone was doing their best to take care of him at this time.

The doctor kept inserting needles, and after a lot of effort, another hour and a half had passed.

As dawn broke, Wen Chuanzong showed signs of waking up. The doctor, sitting by the kang (a heated brick bed), breathed a sigh of relief.

"Quickly give him some warm water."

Wen Chuanzong lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), and sitting not far away was his father, Wen, with a sullen face. All the brothers were there, and Xiuyu cried out every now and then, as did Amian.

Yingxiang was inside trying to soothe her son. Wen Shi hadn't come back yet, and she couldn't sleep. It seemed like her worst fears had come true.

An hour later, the sky became much brighter.

Wen Chuanzong slowly woke up in bed. Once he was fully conscious, he looked at everyone in the room, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. He truly felt like he had survived a disaster.

Where is your mother?

Old Man Wen immediately rushed to his side and asked, "You've been up most of the night, your eyes are bloodshot and your complexion is very bad. You're getting old, after all."

This is what everyone is most concerned about right now. He has returned safely, but there is still no news of Liu. According to the village head's youngest son, the black mule carried him there in the middle of the night. So, did he come back alone, or did he bring Liu with him?

"Don't get agitated, give him some water."

The doctor quickly spoke up.

Wen Xiaowu was quick; after drinking a cup of warm water, Wen Chuanzong felt much better. Lying on the warm kang, he couldn't help but recall the mule's mad appearance.

"Oh right, and his mother too. His mother," he looked at Old Man Wen, his crying growing louder.