Chapter 45 - Two-in-One Fever
Lin Chuntao and her sisters cut two baskets of pig feed, threw a bundle to the piglets, and cooked some to feed the chicks. Only then did the sisters start busying themselves with preparing dinner.
The next few days passed peacefully as usual. Old Man Lin and his family had not yet returned, and the number of people in the village talking about it gradually increased.
Some people directly asked Lin Cunzheng and Sun Shi about the matter, which could no longer be kept secret. Sun Shi avoided the main issue and said, "We're not sure about the matter of Qian Shi's lawsuit, are we?"
"Wasn't it just Fifth Aunt who hadn't come back yet? Why haven't Fifth Uncle and the children been released yet?"
Mrs. Sun shook her head. She had been quite upset these past few days and had no interest in these people's curiosity.
It would take two or three days to travel from Xuanhe County to Yongchang Prefecture by horseback. The magistrate was referring to going to the Yongchang Prefecture government office to invite some official. It seems the trial will only begin once the magistrate has brought the official there.
Four or five days have passed and the officials still haven't arrived.
It would have been a good thing if they hadn't come, but for them, it was like having a knife hanging over their heads that hadn't fallen yet, causing them immense suffering.
On June 14th, the system did not report the location of the mushrooms, so Lin Chuntao did not go into the mountains. It had rained a little last night, and the mountains were shrouded in mist this morning. The sun had not yet come out, and dark clouds were churning in the sky. Soon it started to rain.
The corn seeds that were missing in the field had just been put in two days ago, and this rain came just in time.
It was raining and inconvenient to go out, so the three younger sisters stayed in bed playing. Lin Chuntao took a chair and sat at the doorway, looking at the rain and mist in the yard. She felt very anxious, and a bad premonition arose in her heart. She turned to Lin Chunxing and the others and said, "You girls, change into those linen clothes and put them on. Take off what you're wearing, fold it neatly, and stuff it into the quilt."
The younger sisters didn't know why, but they always obediently followed her instructions.
Less than a quarter of an hour after the group had changed their clothes and tidied up, they heard noisy footsteps coming from outside the bamboo fence.
In an instant, the bamboo fence gate was kicked open, and Lin Chuntao looked up to see the official holding an umbrella and carrying a knife.
Where is Lin Chuntao?
Upon hearing the question, Lin Chuntao slowly stood up: "Sir, this is me. May I ask what brings you here?"
The officer glanced at her, took out a register, and read aloud, "Are Pei Ying, Lin Chunxing, Lin Chunhe, and Lin Duo'er here?"
Lin Chuntao said, "My sisters are here. Pei Ying went to the county town."
The words had barely left his mouth when the officer shouted, "Search!"
Lin Chunxing and her two younger sisters were stunned into silence. Lin Chuntao quickly pulled them aside, and the sisters huddled in a corner, watching helplessly as the officials ransacked their dilapidated house. Finally, they found a little over twenty copper coins. One of the officials turned and gave Lin Chuntao a cold, menacing look. Her eyes were cold and ruthless. She met his gaze and asked tremblingly, "Sir...sir, what are you looking for?"
The man narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Lin Chuntao, and took out a silver ingot, asking, "Have you ever seen a silver ingot like this before?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head vigorously, "I...I've never seen it before."
“Our mother died early, and our father disliked that we weren’t boys. Forget about money, even the few copper coins at your feet were earned by selling mushrooms. I’ve never seen money in my entire life.”
The officer frowned slightly upon hearing this. They had searched the place thoroughly but found nothing. The leader then called out, "Take him away!"
The younger sisters trembled with fear. The rain outside was still heavy. Lin Chuntao grabbed their hands and walked out of the house, with the official following closely behind. The copper coins that had been overturned were still scattered on the ground.
The heavy rain soaked the dirt road, turning it into a muddy mess. When they reached the village entrance, the Lin family—including the second, third, and fourth brothers—had all been driven out by the officials.
Lin Chuntao glanced around and saw that there were about twenty officials in the rain. There was also a carriage at the entrance of the village, and the leading official went to the carriage to report.
"Sir, we searched all the houses, but we didn't find any silver or valuable items. We only found a small wooden box at Lin Hongtai's house, which contained a dozen or so silver ingots. There was nothing else."
"Should all these people be brought back to the county government office?"
As the messenger finished speaking, the person inside the carriage remained silent, with only the sound of the rain pattering in their ears.
After an unknown amount of time, four or five officials emerged from the rain and mist.
"Sir, no silver was found in the Lin family ancestral tomb."
The person inside the carriage gently lifted the curtain and asked casually, "Have you dug them all up?"
The official nodded slightly: "Yes, we dug them all up."
The person inside the carriage sighed, lowered the curtain, and said in a deep voice, "Take all these people back!"
The rain kept falling, and Lin Chuntao and her companions arrived at the county government office before it stopped.
Despite the rain, people who love to join in the fun still came out to watch the spectacle. A lot of people were standing in the alley outside the government office. After the officials led them inside, they immediately closed the gate.
At this moment, in the courtroom, four or five officials sat in the hall, while kneeling below were the bruised and swollen-faced old man Lin, Madam Tian, and the Lin brothers and their wives.
Lin Chuntao looked at them, somewhat alarmed. They must have been tortured during the interrogation; the group was all kneeling on the ground in shackles, looking utterly disheveled. They seemed to have lost all their energy and spirit.
The officers who brought them in reported to the judge: "Sir, we only found these dozen or so silver ingots at Lin Hongtai's house; we found nothing at the other houses."
The esteemed man sitting in the very center slowly raised his eyes and glanced at everyone in the courtyard, his brows furrowed.
"Put them all in jail and interrogate them one by one."
"I refuse to believe that this silver can just fly away!"
Lin Chuntao and the others were all sent to prison. Pei Ying was brought in half an hour later. He looked normal, and his clothes were not wet.
"Has the rain stopped outside?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Pei Ying nodded, glanced at Lin Chuntao, and asked with some concern, "How are you?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head and replied softly, "We're fine. We'll wait for the officials to ask us questions."
The officer who brought Pei Ying was the same one who led the search party to her home. He glanced indifferently at Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, then turned and left.
After the officials left, Lin Duo'er, feeling helpless, tugged at Lin Chuntao's sleeve and asked, "Sister, will we be beaten too?"
Lin Chuntao reassured him in a low voice, "No, just answer whatever the official asks, it'll be alright."
No one slept that night; adults and children alike were all interrogated.
Lin Chuntao was summoned for questioning just before dawn.
The interrogator was dressed in a blue official robe, with a serious expression that gave off a rather imposing aura.
The man first asked her what her relationship was with Old Man Lin. After Lin Chuntao answered truthfully, he asked why they had separated their households. Lin Chuntao then recounted the words she had previously instructed her younger sisters. She spoke calmly, her eyes red but not a single tear fell.
"Sir, we are just a few rejected girls who aren't even allowed to eat meat pies. How could we possibly have access to money?"
The official stared at her silently for a long time before asking, "If you stole tens of thousands of taels of silver, where would you hide it?"
This question stunned Lin Chuntao, who stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
"Your Honor, I would never have dared to do such a thing, even if it meant my death."
"Answer whatever I ask. If it were you, where would you hide?"
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. Could Lin Changhai and his men really have the ability to handle so much silver? It didn't seem likely. But now that the dirty silver had reappeared in their hands, could it be that they had inadvertently acquired some scraps? In reality, those tens of thousands of taels were all in the hands of the bandits?
She remained silent for a long time before saying, "Tens of thousands of taels of silver would require several boxes to pack. One person couldn't do that; it would take at least twenty or thirty people. Moreover, it would be extremely difficult to take out so much silver without being checked by the officials. Perhaps we could dig a deep pit nearby to hide it, and then move it away little by little like squirrels stealing grain later."
As soon as she finished speaking, the official frowned and stared at her with a sharp look in his eyes.
"How dare you go back when it's so close? Aren't you afraid of walking right into a trap?"
Lin Chuntao countered, "Suppose there are two mountains behind you, and the bandits disguised themselves and lived at the foot of one mountain. They stole silver from one mountain and hid it in the other. You questioned the villagers at the foot of the mountain, but would you keep an eye on them the whole time? Would you prevent the villagers from going into the mountains to cut or gather firewood?"
After she finished speaking, the official fell silent.
He gave a soft snort, his tone laced with sarcasm, seemingly both believing and disbelieving.
After a long silence, he said calmly, "You can leave now."
The officers beside her were about to take Lin Chuntao to the prison when one of them said, "You don't need to go back. You can go home now."
Lin Chuntao stood there, pursed her lips, and said, "My lord, my husband and sister are still inside. May I take them with me?"
"The magistrate kindly let you go, and you're pushing your luck! The case hasn't been investigated yet; how can you just take me away like that?"
The officer shouted at her sternly, and the official slowly stood up from his chair. "Those brought back yesterday afternoon can all be put back."
The officer was somewhat taken aback. Meeting his superior's gaze, he cupped his hands and said, "Yes! I will take care of it immediately."
Soon, all the families were released. The three younger sisters and Pei Ying were with Lin Cunzheng and the others. When they saw Lin Chuntao standing outside, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone was released except for Old Man Lin and the Tian family.
Lin Chuntao actually wanted to ask Old Man Lin and the others a question, but considering that they had found silver in the Lin family's house and that smelly, dark prison cell, and that she hadn't even stepped out of the county government office yet, she had to give up.
They had just stepped out of the yamen gate, and before they had even left the long alley, when they heard the verdict sentencing Old Man Lin and the others.
Fourteen years ago, the ancestral graves of Prefect He's family were robbed. The thieves, Lin Changhai and Lin Changbo, were arrested today. Their family members who knew about the theft but did not report it are no different from the thieves. Those over seventy years old and under fifteen years old can return home, while all the others will be given one hundred strokes of the cane, all their family property and land will be confiscated, and they will be demoted to slaves.
Old Man Lin and Mrs. Tian were not yet seventy years old and were not allowed to go home.
There are six children under the age of fifteen: three from Lin Changhong's family and three from Lin Changfu's family.
Moreover, they've only been sentenced and haven't been released yet, so everyone is just waiting and wants to get home as soon as possible.
Dozens of people went back together, but the road was quiet, and no one said a word.
After walking a short distance outside the city gate, Lin Chuntao suddenly felt weak in the legs and had to hold onto Pei Ying's hand tightly to keep going.
Pei Ying noticed that her expression was off, so he squatted down in front of her and said in a low voice, "Come on up."
She didn't have the energy to be coy, so she just lay down on him.
The other children were afraid, but they had their parents and grandparents around. She still had to protect Lin Chunxing and Lin Duo'er. She had been on edge since yesterday afternoon. Only when she left the city gate and walked on the familiar road home did she finally relax. In that moment of relaxation, she couldn't muster any strength at all.
Lin Chunxing, who was still able to walk, led Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er by the hand and followed behind Lin Chuntao, her eyes filled with worry.
When everyone arrived at the village entrance, Lin Cunzheng said, "I didn't sleep all night. Everyone should go back, wash up, and get some sleep. Everything will be fine now."
Everyone nodded and went home.
When Lin Chuntao and the others returned to their doorstep, they found Aunt Guizhi standing at the entrance of the courtyard. Seeing that they had returned, she hurriedly came to greet them.
Lin Chunxing and the others called her "Auntie," and Pei Ying followed suit.
Aunt Guizhi peered over to look at Lin Chuntao on Pei Ying's back and asked worriedly, "What's wrong with Chuntao?"
Pei Ying said, "She's not feeling well."
Hearing Aunt Guizhi's words, Lin Chuntao straightened up and called out, "Auntie."
Her voice was weak and her eyes were unfocused. Aunt Guizhi frowned slightly, her eyes filled with heartache.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"
As she spoke, Aunt Guizhi raised the willow branch in her hand and gently swept it over the group of girls, muttering in a low voice to ward off bad luck and welcome good fortune before leading them into the courtyard.
“I didn’t know when you would be back. I was just thinking of waiting here for a while and trying my luck. I didn’t bring any food, but I cooked some corn porridge. You can go back to your room and rest for a while. I’ll bring it to you.”
Pei Ying wanted to say no, but Aunt Guizhi was very fast and ran away.
Lin Chuntao felt unwell and wanted to lie down, so Lin Chunxing quickly tidied up the bed and let her lie down first.
The house was ransacked by the officials, and the group quickly tidied it up. Before they finished, Aunt Guizhi arrived with a pot of corn porridge.
Aunt Guizhi personally brought a bowl to Lin Chuntao. She was still unconscious. Lin Chunxing stepped forward and said, "Auntie, let me do it. My sister seems to be sick. Please don't get too close."
Aunt Guizhi said, "It was raining when you left yesterday, so you must have caught a cold. Do you have any ginger at home? Make her a bowl of ginger soup."
Pei Yinggang, who was starting a fire, heard Aunt Guizhi's words and said, "Yes, I was just about to start a fire to cook."
Aunt Guizhi nodded. Seeing that they were still in an orderly manner, she didn't stay to disturb them. She just told them to get some rest and to call her if they needed anything.
Pei Ying thanked her and said, "Auntie, don't worry, I'll take care of things at home. You can go about your business."
After seeing Aunt Guizhi off, Pei Ying cooked ginger soup. Everyone drank a bowl and there was some left. Lin Chunxing poured the rest into a large bowl and put it away.
Once the ginger soup had cooled down, Pei Ying wanted to take it to Lin Chuntao, but the bed wasn't just for Lin Chuntao; her sisters slept there too. It was inconvenient for him to sit down or help Lin Chuntao, so he had to ask Lin Chunxing to take it to her.
Lin Chuntao had a dream. The dream was bizarre and she didn't know where she was. She stumbled and ran for a long time, and suddenly heard shouts in her ear.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw Lin Chunxing sitting next to her with a bowl in her hand, saying with concern in her eyes, "Sister, brother-in-law has made ginger soup. Drink some before you go to sleep."
She held the bowl in one hand and reached out with the other to help Lin Chuntao up.
"It's already cold, let me feed you."
Lin Chuntao finished drinking with droopy eyelids and lay down to continue sleeping.
Everyone had stayed up all night, and Lin Chunxing and the others were exhausted and sleepy. Pei Ying was a little worried about Lin Chuntao, feeling that she wasn't quite right. Fearing that something might happen to Lin Chuntao while she was asleep and unaware, he simply carried her to his room.
After watching Lin Chuntao fall asleep, Pei Ying boiled a pot of water and brought it into the house.
After sleeping for more than an hour, Lin Chuntao suddenly cried out that she was cold. Pei Ying touched her forehead and found it was hot, and her lips were also pale and dry. He quickly took a bamboo tube, filled it with some water that had just been boiled, and woke Lin Chuntao up to drink it.
Not long after drinking the water, Lin Chuntao suddenly vomited.
Her forehead was getting hotter and hotter, and her cheeks were flushed. Pei Ying got up and knocked on the door of the next room, waking Lin Chunxing up and saying, "Your sister seems to have a fever. I'm taking her to the county town to see a doctor. You stay home with your sisters, bolt the door, and cook your own meals."
Lin Chunxing was very worried and wanted to go with her, but Pei Ying said, "Your sister is sick, so you have to look after the house. Don't worry, I will definitely bring her back safely."
Pei Ying packed a bamboo tube of water onto a belt, carried Lin Chuntao on his back, and left the courtyard.
It rained yesterday and today. Clouds and mist drifted over the mountains, and the sky was gloomy. Lin Chunxing left the courtyard and watched Pei Ying carry Lin Chuntao away into the distance. Tears streamed down her face.
She cried for a while before wiping away her tears and going back inside.
Lin Chuntao was very thin and light to carry on his back. Pei Ying quickened his pace as he felt the warmth of her breath.
When Pei Ying went to Old He's clinic, the doctor who saw her recognized Lin Chuntao at a glance. He looked at Pei Ying again and said, "Aren't you the one who slaughtered pigs at He's butcher shop?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly, and the doctor asked, "What's wrong with this girl?"
“She probably caught a cold after getting caught in the rain yesterday. This morning she suddenly felt weak and sore. After returning home, she went to sleep, drank a bowl of ginger soup and half a bowl of corn porridge, and slept until about half an hour ago. I felt that her forehead was hot, so I gave her some water, but she vomited not long after drinking the water.”
"Did you eat mushrooms today?"
Pei Ying shook her head: "I didn't eat."
Dr. He said, "Carry her over to the bench inside and put her down."
He took Lin Chuntao's pulse for a while, his expression growing increasingly grim. Pei Ying, standing beside him, watched his expression with growing unease and couldn't help but ask, "Doctor, how is she?"
Dr. He sighed deeply: "Has she suffered some kind of fright? Her pulse is very erratic, indicating stagnation of liver qi and liver fire disturbing the heart. This is caused by suddenly losing energy after holding on for several days. I'll give her some acupuncture and prescribe two doses of medicine for her to take home and drink, and she'll be fine."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, doctor."
As Dr. He went to get his tools, he asked, "What's your relationship to her?"
Pei Ying replied, "Her husband, we just got married not long ago."
After that, Doctor He said, "Come back when you're better and I'll prescribe some medicine for you."
Pei Ying frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. Doctor He glanced at him and said, "Her body is very weak right now, making it difficult for her to conceive. Even if she does get pregnant now, she will likely miscarry. She needs to take medicine to regulate her body."
Pei Ying's expression changed slightly as she looked at Lin Chuntao lying on the bench. They had been eating quite well these past few days, and the younger sisters in the family had visibly gained a little weight, but Lin Chuntao seemed to still be the same as when they first met her, tall and thin.
"Doctor, do you know what caused her condition?"
"Has she ever fallen into the water due to years of hard work and hunger?"
Pei Ying didn't speak. He didn't know about the drowning incident, but he could imagine the exhaustion and hunger. He could clearly see the family's attitude towards Lin Chuntao.
"Yes, I'll bring her to see me again once she's better."
After Pei Ying finished speaking, Doctor He took the needle kit and began to administer acupuncture to Lin Chuntao. Each acupuncture session took nearly half an hour, and by the time it was finished, it was already dark. Lin Chuntao drank water twice during the session but did not vomit again.
Doctor He wrapped up the medicine and handed it to Pei Ying. "One packet at a time, three times a day. After you get home, soak it for 15 minutes first, then boil it for 45 minutes before drinking it."
Pei Ying wrote down what was said, paid the money, and carried Lin Chuntao on his back to go home.
The doctor said from the side, "She might have a fever again in the middle of the night. Go buy some wine and take it home. If the fever is still high, warm some wine and rub it on her palms."
Pei Ying nodded and thanked the doctor.
He first bought some wine, then went to the butcher shop to get some meat, and then asked Helan for leave.
He Lan was stunned to see Lin Chuntao lying limply on his back. He quickly said, "You stay with her for the next two days. Come back when Madam Lin is better."
It was almost dark when he carried Lin Chuntao home. The twilight of a cloudy day was not as bright as a sunny day, and the fog made it difficult to see the figures in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Lin Chunxing standing outside the courtyard with her two younger sisters, waiting for them.
Upon seeing them, she jogged over, "Brother-in-law, how is my sister?"
Pei Ying replied, "It's nothing serious. The doctor gave her acupuncture and prescribed some medicine. She'll feel better soon after drinking the medicine."
Lin Chunxing looked at Lin Chuntao on Pei Ying's back. Her eyes were still closed, and she didn't look like she was almost recovered.
She glanced at Pei Ying again, thinking that Pei Ying probably wouldn't lie, and followed him into the courtyard.
Pei Ying first put Lin Chuntao on the bed. She turned over and fell asleep. Pei Ying gently covered her with a blanket before carrying the meat and medicine bag out.
He gave the meat to Lin Chunxing and instructed her, "Chunxing, cut off some of this lean meat and wash it. I'll go soak the medicine for her first."
Lin Chunxing took the meat and quickly started cooking. While she was washing the meat, Pei Ying had already started soaking the medicine.
"Brother-in-law, how are you going to cook this meat?"
Pei Ying reached out and took it, saying, "Chop some minced meat and cook some rice porridge for your sister. She probably can't eat anything else."
Lin Chunxing nodded.
While Pei Ying was chopping meat, Aunt Guizhi arrived.
"Xiao Pei, how is Chun Tao? Is she feeling better?"
Pei Ying said, "I took her to the county town for acupuncture, and she's much better now."
"What did the doctor say?"
"They said it was a fever from catching a cold, prescribed two doses of medicine for us to take back, boil, and drink, and said it would be better in a couple of days."
Aunt Guizhi nodded repeatedly, "That's good. Take good care of yourself. Haven't you had dinner yet?"
Lin Chunxing said, "We'll eat after I cook porridge for my sister. Has Auntie eaten yet? She can eat some with us."
Aunt Guizhi waved her hand: "I've already eaten. I just came to see if your sister is feeling better. I'll go back once she's feeling better. You guys should eat quickly and go to bed early too."
After seeing Aunt Guizhi off, Lin Chunxing went to add some firewood, took an earthenware pot, washed the rice, and put it on the fire.
Pei Ying chopped the meat and put it in to simmer together.
Lin Chunxing had already steamed the rice, stir-fried a vegetable and a potato, and put them in the steamer to keep them warm.
With Lin Chuntao asleep, they seemed to have lost their leader. Lin Chunxing looked at Pei Ying and said, "Brother-in-law, shall we eat first?"
Pei Ying nodded, and Lin Chunxing brought out the two dishes. They each served themselves some rice and ate a little. Perhaps because Lin Chuntao was not feeling well, they didn't have much of an appetite.
After finishing the meal and cleaning up, Pei Ying fed Lin Chuntao some meat porridge. Lin Chunxing and the others sat quietly in the room without going to sleep. Seeing them like this, Pei Ying said in a deep voice, "If you're sleepy, wash up and go to sleep. I'll watch over your sister tonight, so don't worry."
"Brother-in-law, are you going to the butcher shop again tomorrow?"
Pei Ying shook her head. "I've already spoken to the shopkeeper. I'll go after your sister recovers."
Lin Chunxing nodded slightly before leading Duo'er and Chunhe to wash up and go to bed.
Not long after Lin Chunxing and the others fell asleep, Lin Chuntao's high fever subsided, and she fell asleep after drinking a bowl of medicine.
Pei Ying also dozed off for a while, and in the middle of the night he touched Lin Chuntao's forehead and found it was burning hot again.
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