10122 New Urban Farmers Chapter 167 Old Man Yi is in Trouble (First Update)
Pai Guodong, along with his four companions, Dahei, Erhei, Daqing, and Erqing, successfully traversed Shiyamao Village, which was now clearly visible. The crops on the slopes were growing exceptionally well, far surpassing those outside the mountains. For instance, the corn here was already half a person's height, while outside the mountains, the corn was barely a foot tall. This was all due to the drought, and also because although there was little land in the mountains, the harvest was plentiful.
Many villagers were working in the fields. Upon seeing Zhang Guodong and his four fierce "pets," they quickly recognized him as the young man who had visited the village last time and became very curious.
"Young man?" Zhang Guodong quickened his pace as he heard someone calling him.
Zhang Guodong stopped. The two black dogs bared their teeth, warning the people in the field to his right. He looked and saw it was Zhang Baoshun, the village chief of Shiya Village. The straightforward village chief, over fifty years old, whom Old Yi called "Little Shunzi."
"Is Village Chief Zhang working in the fields?" Zhang Guodong greeted him happily.
“Yes, the mountains are dry and we need to irrigate the crops, young man. Why are you in the mountains again? Are you here to see Uncle Yi?” Zhang Baoshun asked, carrying a wooden bucket with a slightly worried look on his face.
Zhang Guodong smiled and nodded, a little curious. This village chief, Zhang Baoshun, usually seems so forthright; why is he so worried now?
"I promised to let the children in the mountains study outside the mountains, and that's why I came here!"
"Really?" Village Chief Zhang Baoshun was initially surprised, then overjoyed. "Are you serious?"
Zhang Guodong asked in surprise, "Didn't Old Yi tell you that last time I went into the mountains, I promised to help the children from the mountains go to school in the towns outside the mountains, and I would cover the expenses? Of course it's true!"
No wonder Zhang Baoshun looked enlightened.
"I guess Uncle Yi didn't have time to tell me."
Zhang Guodong was suddenly taken aback, and then his expression changed.
Didn't have time?
"What happened to Elder Yi? Where did he go?" Zhang Guodong asked hurriedly.
Zhang Baoshun's sorrowful expression made Zhang Guodong even more anxious. Could it be that something happened to Old Yi while he was gone for several months? "Impossible! Something can't have happened to him!" Zhang Baoshun said sadly.
After Zhang Guodong and the others left the cliff, Old Yi was in a good mood and went to the mountains to collect herbs as usual. He even took Xiao Hu with him. Once, they seemed to have found a very rare medicinal herb, but they encountered a troop of monkeys. Old Yi was hit by a rock and fell, soon losing consciousness. If Old Yi hadn't had Xiao Hu give him a medicine he had brought, something terrible would have happened on the spot.
But after that return, Old Yi never woke up again. Although he was kept alive, his condition showed no improvement. Now his health is deteriorating day by day. It seems he won't make it.
"Village Chief Zhang, take me there immediately!" Zhang Guodong's face turned grim upon hearing this, and he immediately pulled Zhang Baoshun towards the village. He never expected to hear such devastating news upon arriving in the village.
Old Yi, you must hold on! He was so flustered at that moment that he forgot all about politeness.
Zhang Baoshun was deeply moved to see that Zhang Guodong genuinely cared about Old Yi's injuries, and without a second thought, the two continued talking as they entered the village. Old Yi was a treasure of the village. If he were to leave, Shiya Village would suffer a great loss.
Although Xiaohu's father, Yi Xiangyun, also knows medicine, he is far inferior to Master Yi, as he mainly engages in farming, and Xiaohu is still very young.
Along the way, many villagers looked at Zhang Guodong and Zhang Baoshun with curiosity and reverence at Dahei and the others. Their faces also bore traces of sorrow; they clearly recognized Zhang Guodong. He had come to see Elder Yi. Thinking of Elder Yi and the others made them feel uneasy.
The villagers in this mountain village are very simple and honest.
Yi Xiangyun and his wife stayed home today, not working in the fields. Yi Xiangyun, usually so scholarly, silently smoked his rolled-up pipe. His hair was a mess, his eyes were red, and he seemed exhausted from lack of rest. Beside him, Xiao Hu's mother glanced at her husband and sighed, occasionally wiping away tears.
On the cannon head were a few cornbread buns, a bowl of stewed chicken legs with potatoes, and a bowl of corn porridge with pickled vegetables.
This is for Xiaohu.
But Xiao Hu stayed by his grandfather's side most of the day. He didn't eat or drink much, and only occasionally would he pick up his chopsticks after being told to do so.
Seeing that the old man was getting worse day by day, Xiao Hu stopped eating and stubbornly refused to go out, staying in the house to watch over his grandfather.
"Honey, Xiaohu hasn't eaten for almost two days. What will happen if he goes down there any longer?"
“He won’t eat until the old man wakes up. We’ve tried everything to persuade him, but he’s just stubborn. He grew up with his grandfather since he was little. He’s even more stubborn than me. What can we do?” Yi Xiangyun took a puff of her pipe, rubbed her messy head, and said in a low voice.
Filial piety comes first! Yi Xiangyun was very worried about her son's health, but she wholeheartedly agreed with his deep respect for filial piety.
"If that doesn't work, why don't we ask Master Qingyun to persuade him? He's an old master who teaches children; he's knowledgeable and knows how to reason. Maybe Xiaohu will listen to him?" Xiaohu's mother said, unwilling to give up.
Yi Xiangyun was somewhat tempted upon hearing this.
This old master, Qingyun, was a private tutor in the village, teaching all the children in the mountains. However, he had a terrible temper, especially at odds with Old Man Yi. They couldn't stand each other.
But the Master was a cultured man, and the villagers respected and admired him.
So Yi Xiangyun thought for a moment, quickly made up her mind, threw away her cigarette butt, stood up, and said:
Yi Xiangyun went out to invite Master Qingyun and Little Tiger's mother. Her mood improved slightly. She glanced at the food that had cooled down, sighed, and put it back into the pot to reheat it.
However, footsteps were heard in the courtyard shortly afterward. Little Tiger's mother wondered why her husband had returned so soon.
Upon going outside, I saw the village chief had arrived. He was accompanied by a young man who looked somewhat familiar, and four ferocious-looking pets.
"Young Master Zhang, please come and see Uncle Yi." Zhang Baoshun glanced in a direction that was precisely where Old Master Yi was currently located.
"Sister-in-law Yi, I'd like to see Old Master Yi. Is that alright?" Zhang Guodong asked directly, disregarding any formalities.
Xiao Hu's mother recognized Zhang Guodong this time and nodded hurriedly, wiping away her tears, saying, "Old man, you have such a hard life! Xiao Hu has been inside for two days without eating or drinking."
Zhang Guodong nodded. He was heavy-hearted, wondering how badly Yi Lao was injured.
After settling Dahei, Erhei, Daqing, and Erqing aside, Zhang Guodong and Zhang Baoshun, along with Xiaohu's mother, quietly entered the other room.
The side room was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Old Yi, who was in a deep coma on the kang, was lying quietly under the covers. Zhang Guodong noticed that Old Yi had lost a lot of weight and his face was almost ashen. He realized that what they said was true; Old Yi really couldn't hold on for much longer.
Xiao Hu was crawling on the edge of the wall and seemed to be asleep. As soon as Zhang Guodong and the others entered the room, he woke up immediately.
When Xiao Hu saw Zhang Guodong, he paused for a moment and suddenly started to cry, as if he had seen the family member he could rely on the most.
Zhang Guodong felt a lump in his throat and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Big brother has come to see you and Grandpa. You're a man, a man doesn't just bleed, he doesn't cry, and he can't let his body break down!"
At this moment, no one cared whether the seniority was correct or not; everyone's attention was focused on Elder Yi.
Little Tiger's tears fell even faster, but he wiped them away immediately. His brows showed a newfound resolve.
"Brother Zhang, you must save Grandpa! Grandpa said only you can save him!" Xiao Hu suddenly said, grabbing Zhang Guodong's arm.
This surprised everyone.
Xiao Hu's mother was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled Xiao Hu and said, "When did Grandpa Xiao Hu say that? Why didn't you say it?"
Zhang Baoshun also found it unbelievable that Zhang Guodong could actually save Old Man Yi. This news was absolutely earth-shattering!
But Xiao Hu stubbornly refused to answer and just stared at Zhang Guodong.
Zhang Guodong was stunned. How could this be? A thought struck him, and he quickly asked, "When did Elder Yi say that? What did he say? Tell me every single word!"
Xiao Hu, with a clear memory, recounted, "Grandpa said, 'I have some Rejuvenating Powder in my medicine bag. But the only person who can save me is probably Zhang Guodong.' Then Grandpa fainted."
quiet!
Zhang Guodong also felt that the pressure on him had suddenly become very heavy.
At this moment, Zhang Baoshun said to Zhang Guodong, "Young Brother Zhang, you must revive Uncle Yi. Our entire village will be grateful to you for the rest of our lives!"
"Brother Zhang, please save Grandpa!" Xiao Hu pleaded.
Zhang Guodong was in a state of shock and confusion. He said, "Let me calm down. Xiao Hu, go eat first, and we'll talk later, okay? Don't worry, if I have the ability, I will definitely save Elder Yi!"
"Okay, I'm going to eat!" Bu Hu said.
Then he quickly left the room. This surprised Xiao Hu's mother and Zhang Baoshun. They hadn't expected that Xiao Hu would agree to eat after Zhang Guodong mentioned it.
"Brother Zhang, please calm down. We'll wait for you outside!" Zhang Baoshun said. He gestured to Xiao Hu's mother, and the two of them left the room.
Outside, Little Tiger's mother was uneasy. She asked worriedly, "Can Brother Baoshun really cure him?"
Zhang Baoshun also found it unbelievable, but Xiaohu wouldn't lie; what Old Master Yi said must be true. However, given Old Master Yi's severe injuries and his continued unconsciousness, he doubted Zhang Guodong's ability to treat him.
I remember there were villagers with similar injuries before. But even the most seriously injured could not be treated by Elder Yi.
"Don't worry, Cuiyu, Uncle Yi is definitely right. This young man might really be able to save Uncle Yi!" Zhang Baoshun comforted her. "Where's Xiangyun? Where did he go?"
Xiao Hu's mother then remembered that her husband had gone to see Master Qingyun, but Xiao Hu was eating at the moment and seemed to no longer need the master's guidance.
As they were chatting, Yi Xiangyun entered with an eighty-year-old man with a white beard. This old man was rather thin, his hair tied back, his face full of wrinkles, but he exuded a strong scholarly air. He resembled Yi Xiangyun somewhat, and wore a robe while walking with his hands behind his back. The pride of a scholar was evident in him.
Master Qingyun was rather unconventional in Shizhen Village. However, he was respected by the villagers, so no one thought there was anything wrong with his attire.
"Brother Baoshun is also at Cuiyu! I've invited Master Qingyun!" Yi Xiangyun exclaimed in surprise. "Master" is a respectful title for the venerable Master Qingyun.
"Master Qingyun!" Zhang Baoshun's mother, Xiaohu's son, also respectfully greeted the old master.
"Where's Little Tiger? Take me to see him," Master Qingyun said calmly.
"This way, sir!" Yi Xiangyun immediately made way, gesturing towards the side room.
broken!
Zhang Baoshun and Xiaohu's mother exchanged a glance. They both sensed something was wrong. Xiaohu was already eating; if they made a wasted trip, the old master would definitely be angry.
The old master taught loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, and etiquette, and he deeply abhorred deception, dishonesty, and lack of sincerity.
"Ahem, Mr. Xiangyun, please wait!" Bu Hu's mother was so anxious that she lost her composure. Zhang Baoshun had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and coughed to stop the two of them.
"Brother Baoshun, what's the matter?" Yi Xiangyun felt that there was something wrong with Zhang Baoshun's eyes; he was blinking too fast.
The old master frowned and blew on his beard. He seemed very dissatisfied with the impoliteness of abruptly stopping someone. "Zhang Baoshun glanced at the old master of Qingyun, who had his back to them, and lowered his voice.
"Huh?" Yi Xiangbing exclaimed in surprise.
"What's so shameful about a gentleman's furtive conversation?" Master Qiyun retorted angrily.
Yi Xiangyun and Zhang Baoshun immediately smiled wryly, realizing they were about to offend the old master.
First update: 3500 words! Second update is being revised later.
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