Chapter 8 A Serious Illness "I can't just stop like this." Liu Yeshu...
Upon hearing the noise, Liu's father and brother came over. Before they got close, they saw that Liu Yeshu's face was pale and her fingertips were trembling, and their hearts skipped a beat.
"Ah! It's really a corpse!" Liu Di was so frightened that he staggered and hid behind Liu's father.
Father Liu had never been in the fields before, let alone dug a body out of them. His palms were sweating, but he still tried to remain calm and said, "I'll report it to the police."
Liu Di stepped forward and struggled to help Liu Yeshu up. He himself was also exhausted, and the two of them stood up staggeringly. They just wanted to get away from this place and find a clean stone to sit on.
Liu Yeshu took a deep breath. The sun above her head made her dizzy and her heart beat uncontrollably. After calming down, she remembered to settle the score with the system.
"Is this what you call a 'blind box'?!" she said in her heart.
【Yes. 】
Liu Yeshu suppressed his anger and thought carefully. The original words of the system were "Clear the weeds and gravel with your family and open the blind box in the wasteland."
It is true that I never said that "opening the blind box" is a reward.
"I was impulsive just now. But I still want to ask, is this blind box considered a 'reward'?"
[As long as you know how to use it, even waste can become treasure. 】
The system's answer was ambiguous. Liu Yeshu pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out how to turn the corpse into something useful. She couldn't just carry the corpse to the market to sell it, could she?
An hour later, the police and Liu's father hurried over. Also coming with them was the coroner in charge of the autopsy. He was wearing plain gray clothes and carrying an old cloth bag. He walked quickly to the side of the corpse.
The sound of the wind mixed with the sound of footsteps, and more and more villagers rushed over. After hearing the news, they all wanted to see what had happened.
Some brave villagers came forward, and when they saw the corpses in the ground, they couldn't help but gasp and took a few steps back.
"You, you, you, go and dig this out!" The officer raised his chin and pointed at three people among the onlookers.
The men who were called out felt bitter in their hearts. No one had expected that they would be forced to do such unlucky work after coming to watch the fun. After looking at each other, a trace of helplessness and fear flashed in their eyes, but facing the orders of the officers, they did not dare to show obvious resistance.
In desperation, the three of them could only bite the bullet and go home to get a shovel. They walked back to the body with the shovel and dug it in with a dull sound.
The surrounding villagers held their breath, staring intently at the dirt beneath the shovel. Inch by inch, it was turned over, and the body gradually emerged. The dirt fell onto the body, making a subtle sound, and the rotting clothes were even more unbearable to look at. Occasionally, a foul odor wafted out, and everyone who smelled it frowned and covered their noses.
The sound of shovels hitting stones was particularly harsh in the silence, and each collision seemed to strike at everyone's heart. The villagers standing by and watching, some spoke in low voices, while others simply turned their heads away, fearing that they would witness something even more unbearable.
Liu Yeshu watched all this with a cold smile on her face. Most of these villagers were just people who went with the flow, clearly distinguishing between good and evil, and only cared about whether the situation was beneficial to them.
The coroner frowned. He leaned over and lifted the rag covering the body, revealing worn and rotten clothing. His frown deepened. He carefully examined the body's condition and then rummaged through the clothing. After a moment, he straightened up and said, "This man has been dead for about a year."
When the villagers heard this, they looked at each other and whispered, "It's been a year! It's been so long! I can't even recognize it."
"But who is this person? Why is he buried here?"
The coroner waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said to Liu's father, "If no one claims this body, there will be no way to identify it."
The officer nodded. It was not surprising that someone died at the border. He said, "I will arrange for someone to carry the body away and find a place for a proper burial."
Suddenly, a figure hurriedly squeezed over from the crowd. It was the old man Wang whom I met in the field before. He staggered and obviously jogged all the way here. His heavy breathing was particularly harsh among the whispers around him.
"Let me see... Let me see!" Old man Wang squeezed to the front row, pushed away the villagers who were blocking his way, stared at the corpse with his eyes, his pupils trembling slightly.
He squatted down and took a deep breath. His throat seemed to be blocked by something and he couldn't speak for a long time. His eyes swept up and down the corpse, and his fingers gently touched the tattered clothes.
"It's not him... It's not him..." The old man's voice was hoarse and he murmured to himself.
Suddenly, his hand stopped at one place, his eyes fixed on the corner of the clothes, as if he found some familiar mark there. His face instantly became paler, as if his whole body was frozen, only his lips moved slightly, making an almost inaudible sound.
But after careful identification, he suddenly let go of his hand, leaned back and fell to the ground.
A few nosy villagers were joking and laughing on the side.
It's no big deal to watch a good show. Farming is boring enough, and when you finally get a rare thing, you can talk about it over and over again for a month.
"Old man Wang, your son hasn't been home for so long, can you still recognize him?"
"If I had the life to come back, I would have come back long ago!"
"How pitiful, guarding those few acres of land every day, it's better to accept your fate sooner."
"It's not... it's not my son... it's not him..." The old man muttered repeatedly, his eyes gradually regaining a bit of spirit. Then he slowly stood up and staggered back a few steps. The fear in his eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by an indescribable complexity.
The old man ignored those people and turned to leave. His steps were still a little unsteady, and his hunched back took one deep step and one shallow step.
The curious villagers watched Old Man Wang leave with amusement. Liu Yeshu secretly memorized these people's faces to remind herself to be careful in the future.
Soon, several strong villagers, under Wu Zuo's command, carried the body away from the wasteland. The villagers had watched the excitement for a while, and seeing that there was no further movement, they gradually dispersed, leaving only a few people from the Liu family standing there.
Liu Yeshu looked at the land that had just been cultivated, feeling mixed emotions.
"Sister, are you okay?" Liu Yeling asked cautiously. He supported Liu Yeshu, and the sweat from his palms soaked a part of Liu Yeshu's coat.
Liu Yeshu forced a smile and nodded: "I'm fine."
Father Liu also came over, looked at the two of them, and said, "After what happened today, let's all go back first."
Liu Yeshu's gaze fell on the piece of land that had not yet been cleared, where rocks and weeds still lay.
"We can't stop like this." Liu Yeshu whispered, as if talking to himself, "Every day has its own things to do. Rest one day at a time, and rest every day." After that, he buried his head in picking up stones again.
As the stones were cleared away, the chaos on the surface of the land was gradually sorted out, and her inner turmoil was somewhat soothed by the labor.
【Complete today's task and get 50 points as reward! 】
Liu Yeling wanted to persuade him again, but seeing Liu Yeshu's focused and determined expression, she gritted her teeth and chose to join in.
When he returned home in the afternoon, his mother had already prepared a table full of food, but little Liu seemed to have no appetite. He reluctantly ate a few bites, then put down his bowl and chopsticks and went back to his room to rest.
Liu Yeshu was worried before going to bed, so she went to knock on her brother's door, called him several times, and waited for a while before her brother Liu opened the door.
Seeing that little brother Liu's face was red, she touched his forehead and felt something was wrong. She whispered, "You have a fever."
"Before it got dark today, my head started to feel heavy. I lay in bed, feeling cold and having a throbbing pain in the back of my head. I couldn't calm down at all." Liu Di's voice was muffled.
Liu Yeshu went to Liu Mu's door, and Liu Mu opened it wearing her coat.
"Your father went to talk to Manager Li about the land exchange. He hasn't returned yet. I'll go with you first."
Seeing how sick Liu Di looked, his mother panicked: "I'm afraid he was struck by the evil spirit of that dead man!"
Liu Yeling didn't believe in the ghost story and didn't say much. She found a few pieces of clean linen, soaked them in cold water, wrung them out until no water dripped, and applied them to his forehead, neck, and armpits.
"Sister, it's so cold."
"Mother, please stay here and watch over my brother. If the cloth is no longer cold, wet it again and apply it to him. I'm going to go get a doctor now."
Liu Yeshu knocked on the door of his next-door neighbor, Aunt Wang, and asked if there was a doctor in the village.
"There was a barefoot doctor, but he left with the Hu merchants a while ago. If you want to see him, you have to go to the clinic, but it's closed now."
At dawn the next day, Liu Yeshu rushed to the town to ask for a doctor.
After rushing back home, the doctor saw Liu Yeling and gently pressed his fingers on her pulse. After a moment, he released her wrist, lifted her eyelids, and observed her carefully.
"Doctor, what happened to my brother?"
"He has a high fever caused by being frightened. He is restless and physically exhausted, which has led to a lack of vital energy and an upward attack of evil fire, which is why the fever won't go away."
He turned around and took out several herbs and medicinal materials from the medicine box. He skillfully crushed them according to the proportions and put them into the ceramic medicine jar, preparing to decoct the medicine.
The doctor said, "I've prepared a prescription for calming the nerves and relieving shock, and I've also added some herbs to reduce fever. Drink it while it's hot. Although this medicine is bitter, you have to drink it all in one gulp."
He looked at Liu Yeshu's complexion and saw that although the girl was pretty, she looked ill. He kindly reminded her, "You're not feeling well either. You look pale and your complexion is not good. I'm afraid you have a chronic illness."
Liu Yeshu shook her head: "I'm fine, as long as my brother can get better."
Father Liu said without question, "Prescribe a prescription for my daughter to nourish her Qi and blood as well." Turning to look at Liu Yeshu, he said, "You should take care of yourself as well."
The doctor prescribed another month's worth of medicine for Liu Yeshu.
After the doctor left, Liu's mother did not dare to delay and immediately began to decoct medicine for Liu Yeling. The fragrance of the medicine filled the house, bringing a touch of warm comfort.
Half an hour later, the medicine was ready and Liu Yeshu brought the bowl to her brother's bedside.
"It won't be so bitter after you drink it in one gulp." Liu Yeshu said.
Liu Yeling drank most of the wine in one breath, but the bitter aftertaste made her face turn grim. She stared at the remaining liquid at the bottom of the bowl and couldn't drink any more.
"I'll make you some sweets tomorrow. Sweet, soft, and sticky maltose."
Hearing this, Liu Di felt a little hopeful again, and his eyes lit up.
After all, he is just a ten-year-old child.
Liu Yeshu was also stared at while drinking medicine, with a bitter taste in her mouth. She had just finished drinking the medicine by the stove when she asked casually.
"Mom, it must have cost a lot of money to hire a doctor. How much savings do we have now?"
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