Jiang Sheng paused in her eating.
She should have realized it sooner; how could someone as clever as Fifth Brother possibly do as Zhou Zhiqiang wanted?
They must have done something behind the scenes to get revenge for her.
Jiang Sheng was secretly pleased, and ate even more slowly, pretending not to hear Aunt Zhou's pleas.
The other brothers wouldn't pay any attention to them either.
After a long while, just as Aunt Zhou was about to kneel down, Xu Mo put down his rice bowl and said slowly, "Grandma, it's not that we don't want to go, it's just that Uncle has a very fierce temper, and we dare not provoke him."
"What if they refuse to leave our door again?" Zheng Ruqian added sarcastically.
Aunt Zhou knew she had offended the man badly, but her own son was jumping around in the house, so she had no choice but to keep pleading, "Please, young doctor, take a look at my son. Doctors have the hearts of parents, please."
Wen Zhiyun sighed and put down her bowl and chopsticks.
"Let's go." He didn't take the small medicine box.
Aunt Zhou was very excited and didn't notice anything amiss, so she strode after him.
After they had gone far away, Fang Heng slowly finished the last bite of his meal, wiped his mouth, rinsed his mouth, and picked up his small medicine box.
The Zhou family.
Zhou Zhiqiang didn't feel something was wrong as soon as he got back. He was almost dozing off on the bed when he suddenly felt itchy and numb all over.
Scratching it didn't relieve the itchy, tingling sensation; instead, it intensified.
He panicked, took off all his clothes but couldn't find anything wrong. However, he accidentally jumped up and found that jumping could relieve the soreness and numbness.
Then a strange scene unfolded at the Zhou family's house. Zhou Zhiqiang seemed to have springs in his feet, jumping around and shouting, "Go quickly and call the village doctor at the entrance, go quickly!"
The Zhou family was both anxious and hesitant. They had just offended the young doctor so badly, and now they were asking him to treat their illness. Was it really appropriate?
The family members pushed each other around, and finally turned their attention to Aunt Zhang.
“You’re his wife, go and call the doctor,” Aunt Zhou commanded.
Normally, Aunt Zhang would definitely have complied, but Zhou Zhiqiang had just humiliated her and bullied Jiang Sheng, so she couldn't bring herself to do it. She would rather endure the scolding than go to the dilapidated temple at the village entrance.
Having no other choice, Aunt Zhou personally intervened, pleading and earnestly begging, until she finally managed to bring the person over.
As soon as they entered the Zhou family's house, Aunt Zhou shouted at the top of her lungs, "The young doctor is here!"
Zhou Zhiqiang, who had been bouncing around inside, rushed out quickly, but before he could react, he tripped and fell to the ground. He slid towards Wen Zhiyun, crying out, "Help me..."
That is, Wen Zhiyun.
If it were Zheng Ruqian and Jiang Sheng, they would probably be laughing so hard they'd be bent over.
But Wen Zhiyun, with an innocent and delicate face, seemed frightened and said, "You, you step back a little."
Zhou Zhiqiang could only get up from the ground, take two steps back, and then extend his wrist.
Wen Zhiyun extended three fingers to feel his pulse, then looked at the scratches and festering wounds on his body. Suddenly, he frowned, covered his nose with his sleeve, and said, "Retreat quickly, retreat quickly."
Everyone took two steps back, confused, leaving Zhou Zhiqiang bewildered.
Wen Zhiyun rushed to the water vat, scooped out a ladle of water, and carefully washed his three fingers before saying, "It might be leprosy."
The sheer horror conveyed by those three words caused the Zhou family members' expressions to change drastically.
Leprosy is highly contagious; close contact can lead to infection, and it has a low cure rate. Even if a patient manages to recover, various sequelae may remain.
“It’s just a suspicion,” Wen Zhiyun added. “Let’s observe for the next few days. It’s best to scald the bowls, chopsticks and clothes that Uncle has used with boiling water, and he shouldn’t have any contact with anyone. We’ll know the truth in a few days.”
With these words, the Zhou family felt a little relieved, but they did not dare to let their guard down. They quickly locked Zhou Zhiqiang in a small dark room and cleaned the house again.
"Doctor, doctor, please prescribe some medicine for me! At least prescribe some medicine!" Zhou Zhiqiang clung to the door latch, howling loudly, "I don't want to die, save me, save me!"
The Zhou family's gaze then fell upon the young doctor.
Wen Zhiyun looked troubled. "The medicine for treating leprosy is very expensive, and Uncle can't be diagnosed with leprosy. What if it's not leprosy? Wouldn't that be a waste?"
He was offering his advice sincerely, but the Zhou family also had their own considerations.
Zhou Zhiqiang was, after all, the pillar of the Zhou family. He had spent tens of coins on a sprained ankle before, so what was a couple of doses of medicine for leprosy?
With a determined look, Aunt Zhou stamped her foot, completely oblivious to the expressions on the faces of Zhou Zhiqiang's younger brother and his wife, and pulled out a handful of copper coins from her bosom. "Arrest them, we must arrest them."
Wen Zhiyun sighed, thinking to himself that it wasn't his fault.
Turning around, Fang Heng was just entering the room with a small medicine box.
Wen Zhiyun wrote out the prescription, picked out some medicines for treating infectious diseases that he had bought in the county a few days ago, packed them into bags, and said, "One bag a day, boiled in three bowls of water, once in the morning, once at noon and once in the evening."
The Zhou family was extremely grateful and paid for the medicine and consultation, totaling twenty-two coins.
Night had already fallen when I left the Zhou family home.
As Wen Zhiyun walked, she casually tossed the nettles she found into the ditch.
This stuff can cause intense itching when it gets on the skin, but it will heal completely with proper cleaning and has absolutely nothing to do with leprosy.
But who told the Zhou family to bully Jiang Sheng?
Those who bully their younger siblings will have to pay the price.
Back to the dilapidated temple.
Xu Mo was cooking dinner. He threw chopped scallions and peppercorns into the hot oil, where they sizzled and rolled. He then added meat and stir-fried it until it turned white before adding vegetables and salt.
He had never cooked before, but by following the order in which his mother cooked in his memory, and through repeated experiments, he was able to make a decent dish.
At least the younger siblings smelled the aroma and all obediently sat around the broken table.
Zheng Ruqian also lit an oil lamp he had bought from the county. The dim light filled the entire dilapidated temple, making even the drafty areas feel incredibly warm and peaceful.
Wen Zhiyun handed over the twenty-two coins he had earned to Jiang Sheng.
Chang Yan raised an eyebrow, the two exchanged a glance, and then smiled in unison.
Jiang Sheng shrank her neck. Her intuition told her that her two brothers must have done something bad, but since they didn't say anything, Jiang Sheng wouldn't ask any more questions.
This is what family is all about—absolute trust.
After the meal, Zheng Ruqian took on the washing and cleaning work, while the others went to rest on their own haystacks.
A large, dilapidated temple, with six children lying haphazardly on the ground.
They didn't have money to buy blankets, so they used their dusty cotton-padded jackets as blankets, covering most of their bodies, which was enough to keep them warm.
Jiang Sheng touched the heavy copper coins in her arms and finally said what she had been holding back all day, "Big brother, your leg is all better now, go to school."
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