Chapter 45 Chapter 45 - Two-in-One Fever
Lin Chuntao and her sisters cut two baskets of pig grass, picked up a bundle and threw it to the piglets, and cooked some to feed the chicks. Then the sisters started to busy themselves with making dinner.
The next few days were as peaceful as usual. Old Man Lin and his family had not returned yet, and more and more people in the village were talking about it.
Someone also directly asked about Lin Cunzheng and Sun. This matter could no longer be concealed. Sun evaded the issue by saying, "The previous lawsuit filed by the Qian family hasn't been resolved yet. We don't know much about it."
"Isn't it that only Aunt Wu hasn't returned yet? Why haven't Uncle Wu and the children been released yet?"
Sun shook her head. She had been very upset in recent days and ignored these people's curiosity.
It takes two or three days to ride a horse from Xuanhe County to Yongchang Prefecture. The magistrate was talking about going to the Yongchang Prefecture government office to invite someone. This case will probably have to wait until the magistrate invites someone before the trial can begin.
It has been four or five days and the officials have not arrived yet.
It would have been a good thing if they hadn't come, but for them, it was like a knife was hanging over their heads and never fell, causing them great 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 there were clouds and mist floating in the mountains in the early morning. The sun had not yet come out, and dark clouds were rolling in the sky. It started to rain soon.
The corn seeds that were missing from the field had just been planted two days ago, and this rain came at the perfect time.
The rain made it difficult to go out, so the three sisters stayed in bed playing. Lin Chuntao took a chair and sat at the doorway, watching the rain and fog in the yard. She felt anxious, and a bad feeling crept into her heart. She turned to look at Lin Chunxing and the others and said, "You guys change into those linen clothes, take off your clothes, fold them, and tuck them under the quilt."
The younger sisters didn't know the reason, but they always did what she said.
Less than a quarter of an hour after they had changed their clothes and packed up, they heard noisy footsteps outside the bamboo fence.
In an instant, the bamboo fence gate was kicked open, and Lin Chuntao looked up and saw the officer holding an umbrella and carrying a knife.
"Where is Lin Chuntao?"
Hearing the question, Lin Chuntao slowly stood up and said, "Sir, this is me. May I ask what I can do for you?"
The officer glanced at her, took out a booklet and read, "Are Pei Ying, Lin Chunxing, Lin Chunhe, and Lin Duoer here?"
Lin Chuntao said, "My sisters are here, Pei Ying has gone to the county town."
As soon as the words fell, the officer shouted, "Search!"
Lin Chunxing and her two younger sisters were so frightened they froze in place. Lin Chuntao hurried over to pull them over and hid behind her. The sisters huddled in a corner, watching helplessly as the officers rummaged through their shabby house, finally shaking out over twenty copper coins. The officer turned back and gave Lin Chuntao a cold look. His eyes were cold and cruel. She met his gaze and asked tremblingly, "Officer...Officer, what are you looking for?"
The man narrowed his eyes, staring closely at Lin Chuntao, took out a silver ingot and asked, "Have you ever seen a silver ingot like this?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head vigorously, "No... I haven't seen it."
"Our mother died early, and our father disliked us for not being boys. Forget silver. Even the few copper coins under your feet were earned by me picking mushrooms and selling them. I've never seen silver in my life."
The officer frowned slightly when he heard this. They searched the room thoroughly but found nothing. The leader shouted, "Take the man away!"
The sisters were trembling with fear. The rain was still pouring outside. Lin Chuntao grabbed their hands and walked out of the house. The official followed closely behind them. The copper coins that had just been knocked over were still scattered on the ground.
The heavy rain soaked the dirt road, making it muddy. When they reached the village entrance, the families of Lin Cunzheng, Lin Laoer, Lin Laosan, Lin Laosi, and others, young and old, were all driven out by the officials.
Lin Chuntao took a quick look and saw that there were about twenty officials in the rain. There was also a horse-drawn carriage at the entrance of the village. The leading official went to the carriage to report.
"Sir, we searched all the houses but found no silver or valuables. We only found a small wooden box at Lin Hongtai's house with a dozen silver ingots inside. There was nothing else."
"Are all these people taken back to the county government office?"
After the report was made, the people in the carriage remained silent, with only the sound of the rain falling in their ears.
After an unknown amount of time, four or five officers ran out from the rain and fog.
"Sir, no silver was found in the Lin family's ancestral tomb."
The person in the carriage gently lifted the curtain and asked calmly, "Have you dug everything out?"
The officer nodded slightly: "Yes, we dug them all."
The person in the carriage sighed, lowered the curtain, and said in a deep voice: "Take all these people back!"
The rain kept falling, and even when Lin Chuntao and the others reached the county government office, the rain still hadn't stopped.
Although it was raining, people who loved to join in the fun still came out to watch. There were quite a few people standing in the alley outside the government office. After the officials brought them in, they closed the door directly.
At this time, four or five officials were sitting in the court, and kneeling below were the bruised and battered old man Lin, Mrs. Tian, and Lin Changhai's brothers and their spouses.
Lin Chuntao looked at them with a bit of fear. They must have been tortured during the interrogation. Several of them were shackled and knelt on the ground in a miserable state. It could be said that all their energy and spirit were gone.
The officer who had arrested them reported to the people in the hall, "Sir, only these dozen silver ingots were found in Lin Hongtai's house. Nothing was found in the other houses."
The adult sitting in the middle raised his eyes and glanced at everyone in the yard, his brows furrowed.
"Take them all to the prison and interrogate them one by one."
"I don't believe this silver can fly."
Lin Chuntao and the others were all sent to the 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. He looked at Lin Chuntao and asked with some concern, "How are you guys?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head and replied softly, "We are fine. We are waiting for the official to question us."
The officer who brought Pei Ying here was the one who led people to search the house. He glanced at Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying indifferently, then turned and left.
After the official left, Lin Duoer pulled Lin Chuntao's sleeve and asked helplessly, "Sister, are we going to be beaten too?"
Lin Chuntao whispered soothingly, "No, just answer whatever the officer asks. It's okay."
No one slept that night, and both adults and children were interrogated.
Lin Chuntao was called in for questioning just before dawn.
The interrogator was wearing a green official robe and had a serious expression, which made people feel intimidated.
The man first asked her what her relationship was with Old Man Lin. After Lin Chuntao answered truthfully, he then asked why they had separated. Lin Chuntao then brought up what she had previously told her sisters. She spoke calmly, her eyes red but not a single tear shed.
"Sir, we are just a few despised girls. We don't even deserve to eat meat pies on weekdays. How could we possibly come into contact with silver and money?"
The official looked at her quietly for a long time, then asked, "If you stole tens of thousands of taels of silver, where would you hide it?"
This question confused Lin Chuntao, and she widened her eyes in shock.
"Your Excellency, I wouldn't be so brave even if I died."
"Answer whatever I ask. If it were you, where would you hide?"
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. Could Lin Changhai and the others have such a talent for handling so much silver? It seemed unlikely, but now that the dirty silver had appeared in their hands again, could it be that they had inadvertently obtained some scraps? Was the tens of thousands of taels actually in the hands of the bandits?
She was silent for a long time before saying, "Tens of thousands of taels of silver would require several boxes. One person can't do this alone. It would require at least twenty or thirty people. Moreover, it would be extremely difficult to take out so much silver without being inspected by the officials. Perhaps we could dig a deep pit nearby to hide it, and then move it away bit by bit later, like a squirrel stealing food."
As soon as she finished speaking, the official frowned and stared at her with a sharp look.
"How dare you go back when you're so close? Aren't you afraid of walking into a trap?"
Lin Chuntao asked, "Suppose there were two mountains behind you, sir. Bandits were living at the foot of one mountain in disguise. They stole silver from one mountain and hid it in the next. You questioned the villagers at the foot of the mountain, but would you have kept an eye on them? Would you have prevented the villagers from entering the mountain to chop firewood?"
After she finished speaking, the official fell silent.
He snorted lightly, his tone tinged with sarcasm, as if he both believed and disbelieved.
After a long time, he said calmly, "You can go now."
The officer next to him was about to take Lin Chuntao to the cell, but the official said, "No need to go back. You can go home now."
Lin Chuntao stood there, pursed her lips and said, "Sir, my husband and sister are still inside. Can I take them away?"
"The master was kind enough to let you go, but you're pushing it too far! The case hasn't been fully investigated yet, how can you just take him away as you please?"
The officer shouted at her, and the official slowly stood up from his chair. "Everything you brought back yesterday afternoon can be put back."
The officer was a little surprised. He met his superior's gaze and said, "Yes! I'll do it right away."
Soon, several families were released. The three 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 Old Man Lin and Mrs. Tian.
Lin Chuntao actually wanted to ask Old Man Lin and the others, but when she thought about the silver that was found in the Lin family and the smelly and dark prison cell, she had not even stepped out of the county government office yet, so she had to give up.
As soon as they walked out of the yamen gate and before they walked out of the long alley, they heard the verdict that Old Man Lin and the others were guilty.
Fourteen years ago, the ancestral tomb of Magistrate He's family was robbed. The thieves Lin Changhai and Lin Changbo were arrested today. Their family members who knew about it but did not report it were tantamount to thieves. Those who were over seventy years old and under fifteen years old could return home, and all the others would be punished with 100 strokes of the cane, all their property and land would be confiscated, and they would be demoted to slavery.
Old Man Lin and Mrs. Tian were not yet seventy years old, so they 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 have just been sentenced but not released yet, and no one is waiting. They just want to go home quickly.
Dozens of people went back together, but the road was quiet and no one spoke a word.
After walking out of the city gate for a while, Lin Chuntao suddenly felt her legs weak and she had to hold Pei Ying's hand tightly to move forward.
Pei Ying saw that her face was not right, so he squatted down in front of her and whispered, "Come up."
She didn't have the energy to be pretentious and just lay down on him.
The other children were afraid because their parents and grandparents were around, so she had to protect Lin Chunxing and Lin Duoer. She had been tense from yesterday afternoon until now. She only relaxed after she walked out of the city gate and onto the familiar road home. The moment she relaxed, she couldn't use any strength at all.
Lin Chunxing was holding Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer's hands. She was still able to walk and followed Lin Chuntao all the time, her eyes full of worry.
When everyone reached the village entrance, Lincunzheng said, "We haven't slept all night. Go back and take a shower and have a good sleep. Everything will be fine now."
Everyone nodded and went home.
When Lin Chuntao and her friends returned home, they found Aunt Guizhi standing at the gate of the yard. Seeing them coming back, she hurried over to greet them.
Lin Chunxing and the others called out "Auntie", and Pei Ying followed suit.
Aunt Guizhi looked at Lin Chuntao on Pei Ying's back and asked worriedly, "What happened to Chuntao?"
Pei Ying said, "She's feeling a little unwell."
Hearing Aunt Guizhi's words, Lin Chuntao straightened up with a breath and called out, "Aunt."
Her voice was weak and her eyes were empty. Aunt Guizhi frowned slightly, her eyes full of heartache.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"
As Aunt Guizhi spoke, she raised the willow branch in her hand and gently swept it over the girls. She quickly muttered something to drive away bad luck and welcome good fortune as she sent them into the yard.
"I don't know when you'll be back, so I just wanted to wait here and try my luck. I didn't bring any food, but I cooked some corn porridge. You guys go back to the house and rest for a while, and I'll bring it to you."
Pei Ying wanted to say no, but Aunt Guizhi was very fast and trotted away.
Lin Chuntao felt uncomfortable and wanted to lie down, so Lin Chunxing quickly made the bed and let her lie down first.
The house was in a mess after being turned upside down by the officials. Several people worked together to clean it up quickly. Before they finished, Aunt Guizhi came with a pot of corn porridge.
Aunt Guizhi personally brought a bowl of rice to Lin Chuntao. She was still asleep, so Lin Chunxing stepped forward and said, "Aunt, let me do it. My sister seems to be ill. Please don't get too close."
Aunt Guizhi said, "It was raining when you left yesterday. She must have caught a cold. Do you have any ginger at home? Make her a bowl of ginger soup."
Pei Ying had just started a fire when he heard Aunt Guizhi say, "Yes, I'm just about to light a fire and cook."
Aunt Guizhi nodded, and seeing that they were in good order, she didn't stay to disturb them. She just told them to have a good rest and to call her if anything happened.
Pei Ying thanked him and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. I'm at home, you can be busy."
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.
After waiting for the ginger soup to cool down, Pei Ying wanted to bring it to Lin Chuntao, but the bed was not for Lin Chuntao alone, as her sisters also slept together. It was inconvenient for him to sit or help Lin Chuntao, so he had to ask Lin Chunxing to bring it to her.
Lin Chuntao had a dream. The dream was so bizarre that she didn't know where she was. She stumbled and ran for a long time and suddenly heard a shout in her ear.
She opened her eyes drowsily, only to see Lin Chunxing sitting next to her with a bowl in her hand. She said with concern, "Sister, my brother-in-law has made some 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 cold now. I'll feed you."
Lin Chuntao finished drinking with drooping eyelids and lay down to continue sleeping.
Everyone had been up all night, and Lin Chunxing and the others were tired and sleepy. Pei Ying was a little worried about Lin Chuntao, feeling that she was not in a good state. Worried that something might have happened to Lin Chuntao and that Lin Chunxing and the others were asleep and didn't know, he simply carried her to his room.
After watching Lin Chuntao fall asleep, Pei Ying boiled a clay pot of water and brought it into the house.
After sleeping for more than an hour, Lin Chuntao suddenly felt cold. Pei Ying touched her forehead and found it was hot, and her lips were white and dry. He quickly took out a bamboo tube and poured some boiled water, then woke Lin Chuntao up and asked her to drink it.
Not long after drinking the water, Lin Chuntao suddenly vomited.
Her forehead was getting hotter and hotter, and her cheeks were also red. Pei Ying stood up and knocked on the door next door. He woke Lin Chunxing and said, "Your sister seems to have a fever. I'll take her to the county to see a doctor. You stay home with your sisters, bolt the door, and cook for yourselves."
Lin Chunxing was very worried and wanted to go with him. Pei Ying said, "Your sister is sick, so you have to look after the family. Don't worry, I will definitely bring her back safely."
Pei Ying loaded a bamboo hose and carried Lin Chuntao out of the yard.
It rained yesterday and today. There were clouds and mist floating on the mountainside and the sky was gray. Lin Chunxing walked out of the yard and watched Pei Ying carrying Lin Chuntao away, tears streaming down her face.
She cried for a long time before wiping her tears and going back to the house.
Lin Chuntao was very thin and felt light on his back. Pei Ying felt the heat from her breath and quickened his pace.
Pei Ying went to the Lao He Clinic, and the doctor who saw her recognized Lin Chuntao immediately. He looked at Pei Ying again and said, "Aren't you the one who butchered pigs at the He Family Butcher Shop?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly, and the doctor asked, "What's wrong with this girl?"
"She must have caught a cold after getting caught in the rain yesterday. This morning, she suddenly felt weak and achy. She went home and went to sleep. She drank a bowl of ginger soup and half a bowl of corn porridge and slept until half an hour ago. I felt her forehead was burning, so I gave her some water, but she vomited not long after drinking it."
"Have you eaten mushrooms today?"
Pei Ying shook his head: "No."
Doctor He said, "Carry her inside and put her down on the bench."
He took Lin Chuntao's pulse for a while, his face becoming increasingly gloomy. Pei Ying stood by, staring at his face, feeling increasingly uneasy. He couldn't help but ask, "Doctor, how is she?"
Doctor He sighed deeply, "She's been frightened by something. Her pulse is very chaotic, her liver qi is stagnant, and her liver fire is disturbing her heart. This is because she has been holding on for several days and suddenly lost her energy. I'll give her acupuncture and prescribe two prescriptions for her to boil and drink. She'll be fine."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and thanked him quickly: "Thank you, doctor."
Doctor He asked as he went to get his tools, "Who are you to her?"
Pei Ying replied, "Her husband, we just got married not long ago."
After that, Doctor He said, "When you recover from this illness, come back and I'll prescribe some medicine for you."
Pei Ying frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. Doctor He glanced at him and said, "She is very weak now, and it will be difficult for her to get pregnant. Even if she gets pregnant now, it will probably be a miscarriage. She needs to take medicine to recuperate."
Pei Ying's face changed slightly as he looked at Lin Chuntao lying on the bench. They had been eating pretty well these days, and his sisters had visibly gained a little weight, but Lin Chuntao still seemed tall and thin, as she had been when they first met.
"Doctor, do you know what caused her condition?"
"She's been tired and hungry for years. Has she ever fallen into the water?"
Pei Ying didn't say anything. He didn't know about the fall into the water, but he could imagine the tiredness and hunger. He could see clearly the family's attitude towards Lin Chuntao.
"Well, I'll bring her back when she gets better."
After Pei Ying finished speaking, Doctor He took the needle bag and went over to start giving Lin Chuntao acupuncture. Each acupuncture session took nearly half an hour. By the time they were done, it was already dark. Lin Chuntao drank water twice in between and did not vomit again.
Doctor He grabbed the medicine packet and handed it to Pei Ying. "One packet at a time, three times a day. When you go back, soak it for a quarter of an hour before boiling it. After boiling for three quarters of an hour, you can pour it out and drink it."
Pei Ying took note of the words, paid the money, and prepared to go home with Lin Chuntao on his back.
The doctor said, "She might still have a fever in the middle of the night. Go buy some wine and bring it back. If the fever is still high, warm the wine and rub her palms."
Pei Ying nodded and thanked the doctor.
He first went to buy some wine, then went to the butcher shop to buy some meat, and asked Helan for leave.
Helan was shocked to see Lin Chuntao lying limply on his back, and hurriedly said, "Stay with her for the next two days, and come back when Madam Lin is better."
It was almost dark when he returned home carrying Lin Chuntao. The dusk on a cloudy day was not as bright as on a sunny day, and the fog made it difficult to see the figures in the distance.
When I got closer, I found that it was Lin Chunxing and her two sisters standing outside the yard waiting.
After seeing them, he trotted over and asked, "Brother-in-law, how is my sister?"
Pei Ying replied, "It's nothing. The doctor gave her acupuncture and prescribed some medicine. She'll be fine soon after she drinks the medicine."
Lin Chunxing looked at Lin Chuntao on Pei Ying's back. She still had her eyes closed and didn't look like she was getting well soon.
She looked at Pei Ying again, thinking that Pei Ying would not lie, and followed him into the yard.
Pei Ying first put Lin Chuntao on the bed. She turned over and fell asleep. Pei Ying gently covered her with a quilt before carrying out the meat and medicine bag.
He gave the meat to Lin Chunxing and instructed, "Chunxing, cut some of the lean meat and wash it. I'll go soak the medicine for her first."
Lin Chunxing took the meat and started cooking it quickly. While she washed the meat, Pei Ying also soaked the medicine on it.
"Brother-in-law, what are you going to do with this meat?"
Pei Ying reached out to take it and said, "Chop some meat and cook some rice porridge for your sister. She probably can't eat anything else."
Lin Chunxing nodded.
When Pei Ying was chopping the meat filling, Aunt Guizhi came.
"Xiao Pei, how is Chuntao? Is she feeling better?"
Pei Ying said, "I took her to the county town for an acupuncture treatment, and she's feeling much better now."
"What does the doctor say?"
"They said we had a cold and a fever. They prescribed two doses of medicine for us to bring back and boil. They said we would be better in two days."
Aunt Guizhi nodded repeatedly, "That's good, take good care of it. Haven't you had dinner yet?"
Lin Chunxing said, "We'll eat after my sister cooks some porridge. Has Auntie eaten yet? Come and have some with us."
Aunt Guizhi waved her hand: "I have eaten. I came to see if your sister is feeling better. If she is, I will go back. You should also eat quickly and go to bed early.
Lin Chunxing sent Aunt Guizhi away, went to add some firewood, took a clay pot to wash the rice and put it on the fire.
Pei Ying chopped the minced meat and put it in to cook together.
Lin Chunxing had already steamed the rice, fried some vegetables and a potato, and placed them in the steamer to keep them warm.
Lin Chuntao fell asleep, and they seemed to have lost their backbone. Lin Chunxing looked at Pei Ying and said, "Brother-in-law, shall we eat first?"
Pei Ying nodded, and Lin Chunxing brought out two dishes. They each served themselves some rice and ate a little. Perhaps because Lin Chuntao was not feeling well, they had no appetite.
After finishing the meal and cleaning up, he fed Lin Chuntao some meat porridge. Lin Chunxing and the others sat quietly in the room and did not go to sleep. Pei Ying looked at them like this and said in a deep voice: "If you feel tired, wash up and go to bed. I will watch over your sister tonight, don't worry."
"Brother-in-law, are you going to the butcher shop tomorrow?"
Pei Ying shook his head and said, "I've already told the shopkeeper. I'll go after your sister gets better."
Lin Chunxing nodded slightly, then took Duoer and Chunhe to wash up and go to bed.
Not long after Lin Chunxing and the others went to bed, Lin Chuntao's high fever subsided. She drank a bowl of medicine and fell asleep.
Pei Ying also dozed off for a while. In the middle of the night, he touched Lin Chuntao's forehead and found it was hot again.
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