As autumn harvest season approached, the weather grew increasingly dry, and wild boars frequently destroyed crops near the mountains.
Several families suffered, and the farmers could hardly bear it.
To stop the wild boars from causing further harm, the villagers agreed to hunt them together. If they killed one, the spoils would be shared; if they didn't kill it, they would just scare it away so it wouldn't dare to come back next time.
These past few days, Liu Huan has felt uneasy. She has a very strong premonition that whenever this happens, something is bound to happen.
She tried to stop them, but no one listened to her; they even accused her of causing trouble.
She came up with a compromise: "Dad, could you pay for it instead of going?"
Father Su raised an eyebrow: "How can that be? Everyone has to contribute to the village's affairs, otherwise people will gossip. You wait, there will definitely be meat to eat later."
Seeing how confident Su's father was, Liu Huan had no choice but to keep reminding him, "Dad, stand a little further away."
Su's mother was very relieved: "Your father knows what he's doing. He's been hunting wild boars every year these past few years, so don't worry."
Liu Huan wasn't worried before, but the problem is that her intuition has always been very accurate.
As expected, what you fear most comes to pass. In the afternoon, the group returned, but Su's father was carried back, followed by a wild boar weighing one or two hundred pounds.
"Da Nian's wife, Da Nian's wife, come out quickly, something bad has happened to your Da Nian."
Upon hearing this, everyone dropped what they were doing and ran out. They saw Su's father lying unconscious on the ground, his thighs torn open and covered in blood.
Su's mother scrambled to his side, asking, "Dad, what's wrong?"
Grass: "Dad, what's wrong with my dad?"
Uncle Su said with a gloomy face, "When we were hunting wild boar, your father was accidentally hit by it. Its tusks were very long and went through your father's leg."
Upon hearing the explanation, Cao'er fainted on the spot.
Liu Huan knew she couldn't panic; she had to stay calm. "Brother Dazhuang, could you go to the academy and call my brother back? We need to take my father to town."
"Does anyone have a large wooden plank? I'd like to borrow it."
Aunt Lian's husband said, "I have some at home, I'll go get it."
Liu Huan didn't know if he had broken any bones, so she could only tie a stick to his leg to prevent further injury.
He said to his mother, who was crying uncontrollably beside him, "Mother, go get the money, we'll take Father to town."
He ran inside, cut off a piece of the treasured ginseng, and put it in his father's mouth, just like they said on TV. He tied the rest to his chest and took it to town, telling Xiao Shi and Da Shi to watch the house when they returned.
Xiao Shi cried and refused, "No, we want to go too."
"There are so many chickens at home, and my sister is here too. How can you not be home and watch over them?" This was the first time Liu Huan had spoken to Xiao Shi so loudly, as if she were the older sister.
After the people outside tied up Su's father, they carried him away, with Su's mother and her following behind.
Liu Huan kept a close eye on Su's father's condition throughout, and would touch him from time to time to feel at ease.
Because saving lives was the priority, everyone took turns carrying the person and jogging, shortening the two-hour journey to one hour.
Su Ming: "Doctor, doctor, help me!"
The young apprentice saw something was wrong and quickly led the way. The doctor didn't even bother to prepare the medicine; he came in directly, took the pulse, looked at the eyes, and then inserted acupuncture needles.
After seeing the wound, I said with great relief, "Luckily you bandaged the patient when you came, otherwise he would have bled to death even if he hadn't died."
He mentioned a few more medicinal herbs, and finally said, "Unfortunately, we don't have any century-old ginseng in our shop, so the medicinal effect is only half as strong."
Liu Huan took out the ginseng from his pocket: "I have some here, doctor, do you think this will work?"
The doctor took the ginseng and said, "Let me take a look."
He was startled when he saw it: "Where did you get this? Judging from its appearance, it must be several hundred years old, but why is a piece missing here?"
Liu Huan thought to herself, "What kind of time is this? The doctor is still studying things." She said, "Doctor, please don't worry about that for now. Hurry up and prepare the medicine. I'll explain later."
"Cousin, could you please come with me to get the medicine? I can't leave here."
"Oh, okay," Su Ming understood Liu Huan's meaning, fearing that the apprentice might have switched the medicine. He was also curious why his uncle's family had such valuable medicinal herbs.
After preparing the medicine, Su Ming handed the remaining ginseng to Liu Huan.
Then he took the medicine to the medicine pot in the backyard to decoct it. After the medicine was ready, the doctor removed the silver needles, and Su's mother took the ginseng slice out of his mouth and fed him the medicine. Only then did the doctor begin to treat the wound on his foot.
The doctor explained, "He was weak just now, and he might not have been able to handle having his wound cleaned directly. Now that he has drunk ginseng to boost his energy, he's fine."
Liu Huan suddenly realized why he hadn't made a move earlier.
The doctor was right. When the wine was poured directly onto the wound, Su's father was awakened by the pain, covered in sweat, his eyes were contorted, and veins were bulging on his face.
Su's mother held him tightly and stuffed a handkerchief into his mouth. Liu Huan couldn't help but ask, "Does the doctor have any anesthetic?"
The doctor glanced at her and said, "Young lady, you know about Mafeisan (anesthesia powder), so you should know that this stuff is only available in the capital."
Liu Huan dared not look any longer and went out to make arrangements for the neighbors who had come with her earlier.
"Uncles and elders, thank you all for your help today. Since it is getting late, please stay in town for the night and go back tomorrow."
He gave Uncle Su another silver coin, saying, "Uncle, I'll trouble you to take everyone there and get them something to eat while you're at it. I'll go get the stone."
Uncle Su praised her for her meticulous arrangements, saying, "Alright, you go ahead and get busy. I'll take care of things. Everyone should wait for your father to wake up before leaving, right?"
Liu Huan asked her way to the academy where Shi Tou was, a place where students from the town and various villages gathered.
Liu Huan had no time to think about anything else and said to the guard at the door, "Sir, could you please call out to the student inside named Su Yi? Thank you."
The man glanced at her and asked, "What's your relationship to him?"
“I am his sister, my name is Liu Huan.”
When Shi Tou received the message, he was eating a bowl of white rice with a stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings.
"Su Yi, this isn't enough for you. I got more; here's some for you."
The visitor was their roommate, Chu Xuan, the son of a well-known wealthy merchant in town.
Shi Tou glanced at the bowl and pushed it away: "No need, this is enough for me."
Sir: "Who is Su Yi? Someone outside is looking for him."
Stone stood up. "I'll keep an eye on things for you. I'll be right back."
"Sir, did they say who she is?"
Sir: "A woman named Liu Huan claims to be your sister."
Shi Tou turned and ran; he knew something must have happened.
Seeing Liu Huan pacing back and forth at the door, my heart jumped into my throat: "Huanhuan, what brings you here?"
Liu Huan had found her pillar of support, and before she could even speak, tears streamed down her face: "Stone~"
Looking at the glaring bloodstains on her body, Shi Tou composed himself and asked, "Don't cry, tell me, who's hurt?"
Liu Huan said in a tearful voice, "It's Dad, he was bitten by a wild boar, waaaaaah!"
Shi Tou's face turned deathly pale: "Wait a minute, I'll go ask for leave, I'll go with you."
Su Yi came out a few minutes later, her eyes red. "Let's go."
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