After traveling for most of the day, the constables escorted them to the border between Danzhou and Yazhou.
Before they left, the bailiffs said something similar to what the head bailiff said.
"If you keep walking, you'll find a small temple. The host is very kind."
We can accommodate you temporarily.
Although life in Hainan was tough, it had one advantage compared to other places of exile: there was no corvée labor, and the convicts could live on their own...
However, they are not allowed to leave Hainan until they are pardoned.
However, this situation does not not exist.
Don't be discouraged, everyone. Be careful in the sea and be careful of the people you come into contact with.
The Limu Mountain behind is off-limits; one should be cautious when befriending the Li people.
The imperial court's control over Hainan Island was basically limited to Qiongzhou, while the other prefectures were temporarily governed by the prefect of Qiongzhou.
Besides Qiongzhou, Danzhou and Wan'an Prefecture also have villages, each with a village station where you can rely on someone and discuss matters...
But not in Yazhou. For the rest, you can ask the abbot or local residents...
Take good care of yourselves, everyone!
The Song family had no money to offer as a tribute, and the constable had still reminded them of so much; the Song brothers were naturally extremely grateful.
"It was nothing. The poem that Lord Song wrote when he passed the imperial examination was even circulated in Hainan..."
Although I was unable to meet Lord Song, I am happy to be able to do my part for his descendants...
Upon hearing this, the ten Song brothers choked up slightly.
After seeing off the messengers, the ten Song brothers stood facing the wind.
The warm, humid sea breeze caressed their faces, and thanks to the kindness of the escort leader and his men, much of their uncertainty about the future and the pain of losing their parents was blown away...
The ten brothers followed the directions given by the messenger before he left, experiencing the natural scenery that was so different from the land, paying special attention to the direction of the temple.
"Ah! Help! Someone help me!"
The sound of a woman crying came from the seaside, immediately attracting the attention of the Song brothers.
"Help! Someone save my child!"
The woman's voice grew increasingly shrill.
The Song brothers hesitated and did not approach when they saw dozens of people gathered.
Because their clothing is so different from that of people on the mainland, they should be the original inhabitants of Hainan Island.
Hesitant because he was worried about getting into trouble.
But upon hearing that the child needed to be saved, the ten Song brothers immediately hurried forward.
The men surrounding the woman were all dressed as Tanka people. When they saw the Song brothers and their group, their eyes showed a strange look, but only for a moment.
It seems that it wasn't uncommon for exiled criminals to be assigned to Yazhou.
It's just not common.
The woman kept calling for help. The child in her arms had red and purple palms, was breathing rapidly, and had a pale face. It was clearly an acute illness.
The fishermen who were watching all sighed.
"Oh dear! What a tragedy! The child is still so young!"
"You can't touch that long fish. It's just that the child was too quick and the adults weren't watching!"
"What are we going to do? It looks like it's going to collapse..."
"Alas! We don't have a doctor here. Even if we send him to the island, it might be too late..."
"Seeing a doctor is so expensive! Why don't we take him to the temple and have Abbot Huiyuan take a look to see if there's any medicine that can cure him..."
"The temple only has insect repellent and common cold medicine. Even if we send it to the temple now, it might be too late..."
......
These indigenous people spoke with a slight accent, which was difficult to understand, but the Song brothers were still able to make out the general idea.
With this information, we can also analyze the general situation of Yazhou.
According to these people, the child in the woman's arms touched some kind of fish in the sea, which led to this acute illness.
Medical care in Yazhou was underdeveloped, with no doctors, but the surrounding temples always kept basic medicines such as insect repellent and cold medicines on hand.
It's unclear whether the temple mentioned by the Tanka people and fishermen is the one they were planning to stay at...
But it sounds like the abbot is indeed compassionate and has a good reputation among the indigenous people.
The child in the woman's arms began to convulse violently and foam at the mouth...
The Song brothers all looked at the sixth brother, who was pushing aside the onlookers and squatting down in front of the woman.
They directly pried open the child's eyes, mouth, and nose.
The woman was shocked and stopped crying.
The elder brother, Song Chenghou, bent down to explain, "We are refugees brought here today by the officials. My younger brother knows a little about medicine; may he take a look at you?"
Upon seeing these refugees approaching, the Tanka people and fishermen looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although Song Chenghou's pronunciation was different from theirs, they could barely understand him. Upon hearing that he "had some knowledge of medicine," they all made way for him...
After hearing Song Chenghou's words, the woman followed Song Chengfeng's instructions and laid the child flat on the soft sand.
The child was still convulsing and foaming at the mouth. The woman put the child down and couldn't stop her tears from falling.
After examining the child, Song Chengfeng questioned the child's mother and confirmed that the child had been stung by a fish fin. Then, he took out a silver needle from his upright hair bun.
This silver needle is thinner than a hair; if Song Chengfeng hadn't found it himself, no one else would have been able to spot it.
That's why, when the Song family's property was raided, the Song family members were imprisoned and dressed in prison clothes, which is why they weren't searched.
Song Chengfeng pricked the child's swollen wound to draw out the venom, then had his second brother, Song Chengjian, help hold the child's hand down...
Song Chengfeng cupped the seawater and repeatedly rinsed his wound.
Do you have eggs? Mung beans? Rice porridge?
Song Chengfeng asked the woman, as well as the Tanka people and fishermen watching behind her.
The woman was stunned. The Tanka people and fishermen looked at each other, not because they couldn't understand, but because these things were too precious and rare in Yazhou.
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