Chapter 3: Eating wild rabbits, the child is tortured, the starling is lost, the weak body suffers from old illness
Two more days passed.
In Taiping Township, about ten miles from here, an old man went up the mountain to collect herbs and fell off a cliff. He was seriously injured and unable to move. His family traveled through the mountains and rivers overnight to fetch the imperial physician, Sun Zhongxing. They hurried over with Sun Mu.
Bored, brothers Yi Shui and Yi Han went to the back mountains to hunt a pheasant and two rabbits. They built a fire outside the courtyard, placed the pheasant and rabbits on the fire, and began to grill them. Soon, they were charred on the outside and tender on the inside, their aroma filling the air and tempting their appetite.
Several people in the theater gathered around the fire, eating fishy and smelly food.
Xiao Pingzhou brought a pot of wine. Luo Guyun's injuries hadn't healed yet, so he couldn't drink yet. Xiao Pingzhou and Yi Han each drank a cup, drank, ate meat, and talked about everything, feeling very happy.
The theater had never been so lively before. Xiao Xiangyue was very happy. She followed the adults, busy in and out, jumping around, with a pure smile on her innocent face, and she was very happy.
Aunt Song came to add some firewood to the fire, and Yishui filled a cup of wine, offered it with both hands, and said respectfully: "My three brothers are sorry for bothering you, Aunt. This cup is for you."
Aunt Song blushed with shame: "My dear nephew, you are too polite...I don't drink, so you guys should drink first."
Xiao Xiangyue came to join in the fun: "Auntie is a woman and cannot drink. Yue'er will drink for her."
Aunt Song slapped him away and said, "You are just a kid, why are you drinking wine?" She tilted her head back and drank the wine in one gulp.
Everyone laughed.
Xiao Xiangyue usually ate bland medicinal food, so she had never tasted such delicious barbecue before. She was both curious and salivating. He often ate chicken, but after trying the rabbit, she found it tender, fragrant, and delicious. Seeing that he loved it, Luo Guoyun took a rabbit leg and tore the meat into small pieces for him. Before he knew it, he had eaten most of it.
Xiao Pingzhou, in high spirits, took out his jade flute and began to play softly beside the campfire. The sound was full of sorrow and longing, winding and melodious. Xiao Xiangyue listened attentively for a while and said, "Daddy is playing 'Lang Tao Sha'," and then sang along with the flute.
The past is sad and the scenery is hard to deal with.
Autumn wind blows moss into the courtyard steps.
Let the pearl curtain remain unrolled, and no one will come all day long.
The golden lock has been buried, and the heroic spirit has faded.
The night is cool and the sky is clear, and the moon is shining.
I imagine the shadows of the jade tower and the jade palace, shining on the Qinhuai River in vain.
The clear, pure, tender voice of a child, combined with the plaintive strains of a flute, drifted slowly through the night air, exuding an indescribable sense of desolation and solemnity, evoking a flood of melancholy. Luo Guyun thought, Xiao Pingzhou, having lost his beloved and living in a foreign land, must have been distressed, hence his melancholy compositions. But these lyrics and music were ultimately too heavy for a child... For a moment, everyone fell silent. All was still, save for the crackling of the campfire.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Xiao Pingzhou laughed: "Blame me, blame me. I ruined everyone's fun. Come...let's have a drink!" He raised his glass and clinked it with the brothers Yi Shui and Yi Han, and drank it all in one gulp.
Luo Guyun also raised his glass and clinked it with Xiao Pingzhou's, drinking a small cup along with him. He said, "Sir, you are extremely talented and you value friendship and loyalty. In this chaotic world, you are proud and dignified, and you are indifferent to worldly matters. I admire you."
Everyone drank and sang, and had a great time talking, and did not disperse until midnight.
In the middle of the night, Luo Guyun wrote for a while and was about to lie down to rest when he saw the lights on in the house opposite. Xiao Pingzhou hurried out of the house and went to the main room. He knocked on the door several times and called softly, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law! Yue'er is not good. Did my brother and the others say when they would be back?" Luo Guyun was startled and quickly put on his clothes and got out of bed.
Entering the west room, they saw Xiao Xiangyue's small body lying on the bed, curled up desperately, her face pale, cold sweat on her forehead, and her teeth clenched, obviously enduring great pain. Yi Shui and Yi Han were also awakened. Everyone gathered around Xiao Xiangyue's bed, wondering why she was fine that night and suddenly became like this.
"Oh, what should I do? It just so happens that both of them are away, and I don't know when they will be back..." Aunt Song stamped her feet anxiously. When Imperial Physician Sun and his son were on a medical trip, it was common for them to stay overnight if the patient was seriously ill. If the journey was longer, they might not return for two or three days.
"Could it be that he has an upset stomach?" Yi Shui guessed, thinking about the barbecue in the evening.
"Yue'er said he felt a little uncomfortable before bed, and I initially thought he had a stomach upset. I gave him some stomach-healing powder, but it only got worse. He was just rolling around in pain on the bed." Xiao Pingzhou held the curled-up Xiao Xiangyue in one arm and wiped the cold sweat from his body with the other, saying anxiously, "Besides, a stomach upset should cause vomiting and diarrhea, but he doesn't have those symptoms."
Hearing her father's voice, Xiao Xiangyue opened her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and spoke with difficulty: "Daddy... Yue'er is fine... It's fine... It doesn't hurt..."
Luo Guyun saw Xiao Xiangyue's body trembling in his father's arms. He was obviously in great pain, but he bit his lower lip tightly, refusing to cry out in pain or make a groan. Instead, he came to comfort his father, feeling pity in his heart. He walked closer and touched Xiao Xiangyue's cheek. It was cold to the touch. He also saw that his face was pale and his lips were black and blue, which seemed to be symptoms of poisoning. His heart sank. He immediately said: "Looking at the symptoms, I'm afraid we can't delay. Where does Uncle Sun go to see patients? Can you find him? Big brother and second brother, why don't you ride to Taiping Township and ask where Uncle Sun sees patients. If you find him, bring him back as soon as possible."
At this moment, Aunt Song had already gone to the stable to lead out the horses and said, "You don't know the way, I'll go find it."
Yi Han said, "It's dark, it's not safe for sister-in-law to go alone, let's go together."
The three of them rode at full speed and disappeared into the night.
Inside, Xiao Pingzhou hugged Xiao Xiangyue tightly, his face heavy. Luo Guyun wrung out a towel and wiped the cold sweat from his face.
Xiao Xiangyue was still forcing herself to endure, curled up like a shrimp, eyes tightly closed. She was trying her best to resist the pain. Xiao Pingzhou said distressedly, "Yue'er, if it hurts, just scream it out, don't hold it in..."
Xiao Xiangyue called softly: "Daddy...it's cold...Yue'er is so cold..."
Luo Guoyun reached out and felt the child's back. His inner clothes were soaked with sweat. It was early winter, and the nights were chilly. Even adults couldn't stand the cold clothes sticking to their bodies, let alone a child. He immediately said, "I'll go light a charcoal brazier. Once the room warms up, I'll change Yue'er's clothes."
Xiao Pingzhou nodded, "Okay." Then he added, "I'll go. Yue'er can't stand the smell of charcoal smoke. The charcoal used for heating every winter is chestnut wood, which is specially treated when it is burned. There are still a lot left from last year. I put it in the kitchen compartment. I'm afraid you can't find it." He moved Xiao Xiangyue to Luo Guyun's arms and warned, "Nephew, take good care of him and don't let him hurt himself. This child has been like this since he was a child. He won't even make a sound even if his tongue is bitten..."
Luo Guyun cradled the little figure in his arms, feeling incredibly light, weightless. A strand of hair clung to his sweaty forehead, and his thick, long eyelashes cast long shadows in the light, casting a shadow across his porcelain-white face. His brows were furrowed, his breath was faint, and his delicate features were exquisitely beautiful, not resembling a real person, but rather a paper figurine from a painting. Seeing him biting his lower lip, he reached out and gently stroked his cheek, trying to ease him.
Xiao Xiangyue felt the touch and thought it was her father, so she murmured, "Daddy, Yue'er is cold... Hug Yue'er..." Luo Guyun tightened his arms, buried his head, and pressed his face against Xiao Xiangyue's cold cheek, without moving for a long time.
The charcoal fire lit up, warming the room a bit. Xiao Pingzhou found some underwear and brought a basin of hot water, carefully wiping Xiao Xiangyue and changing her clothes. After she took off her clothes, Xiao Xiangyue looked even more emaciated, without a pound of flesh. This child... is too skinny. Luo Guyun frowned.
The next morning, the three men from Yishui brought Doctor Sun back to the theater.
Doctor Sun dismounted and rushed into the house before he could even stand. He grabbed Xiao Xiangyue's hand and felt her pulse. He had carefully inquired about the situation on the way and had a rough idea in mind. The pulse confirmed his suspicions.
"Quick, boil three bowls of water together with Agrimony Root, Smilax glabra, Lobelia chinensis, and Smilax glabra into one bowl. Give it to Yue'er." Doctor Sun quickly wrote out the prescription and told Aunt Song, who had just entered the house, to prepare it quickly. Sun Mu was still at the house and had not yet returned.
"What...what happened to Yue'er? Is it serious?" Xiao Pingzhou took a breath after seeing Doctor Sun write the prescription and asked hurriedly.
Imperial Physician Sun sighed and said in annoyance, "It's all my fault that I didn't explain it to you clearly. Yue'er suffered in vain! The prescription Yue'er has been taking recently contains tangerine peel and wild ginseng. These two herbs are extremely incompatible with the rabbit meat. Together, they are undoubtedly poison. At the mildest, it will cause dizziness and abdominal pain, while at the worst, it will cause convulsions and coma. Alas..." Imperial Physician Sun felt extremely guilty.
"Don't blame grandpa...it's all Yue'er's fault for being greedy..." Xiao Xiangyue, who had been tormented by pain all night, lay weakly on the bed, slightly tilted her head, half-closed her eyes, and whispered.
After Xiao Xiangyue took the medicine, her complexion improved a little, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After days of continuous drizzle, the sun finally broke out. Luo Guyun's injuries had mostly healed, so it was time to get some exercise. He and his brothers Yi Shui and Yi Han were practicing swordplay outside the courtyard. The three of them were sparring, countering each other's moves and engaging in a ferocious fight.
Xiao Xiangyue's small figure appeared at the gate of the yard, carrying a bamboo rack that Aunt Song usually used to hang clothes in her hands, and trying hard to move the rack out of the yard.
"What is Yue'er doing?" Seeing this, Luo Guyun put down the wooden sword in his right hand, walked forward and asked.
"Brother Yun, I want to let Xiao Hei bask in the sun. He can't get any sun under the eaves." Xiao Xiangyue replied crisply.
Xiao Xiangyue kept a mynah bird, which she named Xiao Hei because of its jet black body. This mynah bird was born when Xiao Xiangyue was three years old. Doctor Sun cured a disease for a wealthy family, and the wealthy family insisted on paying him a reward. Sun Mu saw that his mynah bird was well-behaved and adorable, and could talk a lot. Thinking that Yue'er had no playmates, he asked for it and gave it to Xiao Xiangyue. Xiao Xiangyue was allergic and could not keep pets such as cats and dogs. After getting Xiao Hei, she loved him like a treasure. She personally cared for him every day, fed him water and water, and talked to him. The bird was very smart and very human-like. It could recite poems and sing songs. When it was happy, it would chirp, and when it was angry, it would raise its feathers and curse. Before Luo Guoyun and others came to the theater, Xiao Xiangyue's greatest daily pleasure was playing with Xiao Hei and making it talk. Over the years, Xiao Hei accompanied Xiao Xiangyue as he grew up, and was his only friend in his lonely childhood.
Luo Guyun helped move the rack outside the courtyard. Xiao Xiangyue found a spot to set it up, then hung the birdcage on the rack, ensuring that Xiao Hei could bask in the sun. Then she happily sat aside to watch the others practice swordplay.
Of the three, Yi Han was the best at martial arts. Yi Shui was calm and strategic. Yi Han was active and obsessed with martial arts. Luo Guyun was young and no match for him. Yi Han, sword in hand, flipped over and launched a diagonal strike, catching Yi Shui off guard and sending the wooden sword flying. Xiao Xiangyue clapped her hands in delight, giggling, "Uncle is amazing!"
Everyone was having fun when they heard a loud clang. Turning back, they saw a large yellow cat, seemingly out of nowhere, tripping over the bamboo frame holding the birdcage, sending it careening to the ground. Startled, Xiao Hei struggled desperately. Perhaps caged for so long, he'd lost his ability to fly. After a few flutters, he stumbled and reached the broken cage door. The cat, seeing a living thing, refused to let it go. With one sharp claw, it pinned the bird to the ground and began to bite. Feathers flew everywhere, and in a flash, the bird was reduced to a bloody mess.
Xiao Xiangyue, witnessing this scene, screamed in shock and rushed to save Xiao Hei. Everything happened in a flash... The big yellow cat let go of the bird, which had been bitten to pieces, and disappeared in a flash. Xiao Xiangyue stumbled over, only to see feathers scattered on the ground and blood stains on the bluestone floor. Xiao Hei was already dead.
Xiao Xiangyue was stunned. Her legs gave way and she knelt on the ground. Trembling, she picked up the bloody bird. Her hands were stained with blood. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at Xiao Hei in her hands, unable to believe it.
Suddenly, he let out a loud cry, and the bird in his hand fell to the ground. He covered his head with his blood-stained hands, his body twitching as he fell to the ground, rolling in agony on the stone floor.
"Ah...ah...it hurts so much..." Xiao Xiangyue rolled on the ground with her hands covering her head. She had lost her mind and banged her head against the stone slab desperately to relieve the pain.
The three people practicing sword fighting were terrified by this scene. Luo Guyun rushed forward and tried to pick up the child. Xiao Xiangyue was already losing consciousness due to the pain. He struggled desperately, kicking his hands and feet. Luo Guyun didn't dare to use too much force for fear of hurting him, and for a moment he couldn't hold him down.
The people in the room ran out upon hearing the noise. Xiao Pingzhou picked up Xiao Xiangyue and cried anxiously, "Yue'er! Yue'er!"
Xiao Xiangyue clawed at the air, crying, "Daddy... Daddy... Where are you? I can't see you!" A mouthful of blood spurted out, splashing onto Luo Guyun's sleeves and Xiao Pingzhou's front. The crimson blood trickled down the corners of Xiao Xiangyue's mouth, glaring against her pale face in the sunlight.
Luo Guyun gasped, terrified, not knowing what to do. Then he saw Doctor Sun running out of the room, holding a sheepskin case. Inside was a series of long and short silver needles.
Doctor Sun shouted, "Hold him tight, don't let him move!" As he quickly inserted needles into Xiao Xiangyue's neck, shoulders, and chest, seven or eight times in the blink of an eye. As the needles went in, Xiao Xiangyue's struggling body softened.
The child's eyes, once bright and clear, full of spirit and flow, had lost their focus. Xiao Xiangyue opened her large, empty, lifeless eyes, tears streaming silently as she murmured, "It's so dark... so dark... I can't see a thing... Daddy... where are you... Yue'er is so scared..." Her head drooped, and she fainted.
For a day and a night, Xiao Xiangyue remained in a coma.
The atmosphere in the theater was heavy, and everyone was nervous.
As time went by, Luo Guyun gradually came to understand the feelings of everyone in the Washe. Xiao Xiangyue's healthy growth was a truly remarkable achievement, a true miracle of life. This child's survival was a miracle created by the sheer effort of their love, blood, energy, time, and sweat. This little life, barely preserved after all the hardship, painstaking effort, and sheer effort, they cherished it with all their heart, cherishing it with the utmost care. They protected it with unwavering care, treading cautiously, all to safeguard this miracle.
All night, Imperial Physician Sun remained by Xiao Xiangyue's bedside, his expression grave, his brow furrowed. He paused in thought, then tried acupuncture. He pressed needles into Baihui, Yongquan, Hegu, Tianshu... but the tiny body showed no response. He had poured all his life's knowledge into Xiao Xiangyue's care, devoting himself to her. But now, a sense of powerlessness washed over him, a sense of his own inadequacy. He was helpless, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
In the main house, Aunt Song burned incense and kowtowed before dawn, kneeling before a statue of Guanyin, chanting, "Please, Bodhisattva, bless me... May Yue'er be safe..." She remembered the birth of her child, a premature baby born in a cold, warm weather. She held the child against her chest day and night, never leaving her body to keep him warm. The child's mother died soon after birth, and she had no breast milk, and was allergic to cow's milk. She sought out a newly born ewe, milking her daily, then mixing her milk with rice flour and feeding it to him drop by drop. Giving birth to Sun Mu felt effortless, her son growing up unnoticed. But for Xiao Xiangyue, she worried about him day and night, caring for him with all her heart, yet could only watch helplessly as he suffered and his life was in jeopardy.
Sun Mu was ten years old when Xiao Xiangyue was born. Studying medicine with his father, he assisted. Looking at the wrinkled, tiny ball, smaller than a mouse, he was utterly astonished. How could such a tiny thing possibly be alive? Day by day, the mouse transformed. Its eyebrows and eyes grew, its beautiful black eyes fixed on him, and it would chase after him, calling him "Big Brother." Like a seed, it struggled to germinate and grow, its daily transformations bringing him immense surprise.
Looking at the lifeless little body, Sun Mu felt a pang of pain in his heart.
Daybreak, then darkness, Xiao Pingzhou, like a statue, held Xiao Xiangyue motionless. The child's eyes were closed, and her skin was so white it was almost transparent, making her look like a glass figurine. Luo Guyun couldn't bear it and walked to the bedside: "Uncle, I'll take your place. Let's rest for a while." Xiao Pingzhou shook his head: "Yue'er can't see. I'm holding him. He can feel me and won't be afraid."
Luo Guyun was silent. If a normal person suddenly fell into endless darkness, they would definitely go crazy. How much more so a weak child? Luo Guyun was silent for a while, and hesitantly asked: "Has Yue'er had this disease before?"
Doctor Sun sighed deeply and said, "Over the years, I have been studying Yue'er's disease, but I have never been able to find the key and a cure. Judging from the symptoms of the attack, there should be a blood clot in the head that is blocking the meridians, which is why she is temporarily blind and accompanied by severe headaches. If it is said that the mother had a difficult birth and brain damage during birth, but no abnormalities were found before, and the first attack occurred when she was six years old. So according to my judgment, Yue'er's disease is congenital and was brought from the mother's womb. She had two attacks when she was six or seven years old, and there has been no recurrence in recent years. I guess that as the child grows up, the brain develops, and the blood vessels and meridians become thicker, I think it will gradually get better. In the past few years, I have been using Gastrodia elata, Panax notoginseng, white peony and other medicines to regulate Yue'er, I thought it would be effective. But judging from the situation this time, it is obvious that the effect is minimal. Once the brain is strongly stimulated or the body is extremely weak, it will lead to the disease. My acupuncture has no effect on his disease itself. I just hope to protect his meridians and make him sleep, so as to relieve the pain. If he is awake, he will not be able to endure such severe pain for more than two hours. Alas... Now I can only pray to God for help! This disease has no cure, and he can only rely on himself to get through it. This coma will also damage his brain, so it cannot exceed three days. Tomorrow... I will try to remove the needles. If he can wake up, then he will be out of this disaster. If..." Doctor Sun shook his head, no longer daring to think about the worst outcome.
Everyone was in a heavy mood and no one wanted to talk much, as if they were afraid that any loud noise would shatter the glass figurine.
On the evening of the third day, Imperial Physician Sun made a paste of unknown herbs into medicine bags and applied them densely to Xiao Xiangyue's navel, forehead, lower back, and other areas. He also instructed Sun Mu to grind eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, rhinoceros horn, agarwood, and seven or eight other herbs into powder, mix them into a fragrant oil, soak it in a cotton wick, light the cotton wick, and wait for the flame to go out before moving it to Xiao Xiangyue's nostrils. A wisp of refreshing and rich fragrance filled the room.
Doctor Sun held his breath and began to slowly remove the needle. Everyone held their breath nervously.
Xiao Xiangyue's body was pierced with more than a dozen silver needles, long and short. When Doctor Sun pulled out the seventh or eighth needle, the child's long eyelashes trembled. Her eyes were still tightly closed, but under the thin eyelids, her eyeballs were shaking violently, as if she wanted to open her eyes but was unable to do so. Then her throat made a "hmm...hmm..." sound, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't. Doctor Sun stared at Xiao Xiangyue's reaction without blinking. After pulling out all the silver needles in one breath, he quickly inserted a thin needle into the Ren Zhong point. After about a quarter of an hour, Xiao Xiangyue slowly opened her eyes, her eyeballs moved, and she saw Xiao Pingzhou and made a small, hoarse voice: "Daddy...what's wrong with Yue'er?"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Song was so delighted that she stood before the Guanyin statue, holding incense sticks in both hands, raised them above her head, and chanted over and over again: "Thank you... Thank you for the Bodhisattva's blessing... Bodhisattva's blessing... Bodhisattva's blessing..."
The next morning.
Luo Guyun had just gotten up when he heard someone outside the yard shouting, "Auntie...Auntie, are you home?"
When I looked out, I saw a middle-aged man wearing a fur vest and holding a big yellow cat in his right hand, walking into the yard.
Aunt Song went out to greet him, "Hey, Uncle Huang, what's up?"
The middle-aged man, surnamed Huang, was a hunter from the valley. The large yellow cat was his family's rat catcher. He had heard that his cat had caused trouble, killing Xiao Xiangyue's mynah bird and causing the young master to fall ill. Being a simple countryman, he brought the cat to the family's house to apologize.
"This damn beast, I won't feel satisfied even if I skin it alive." Aunt Song looked at the cat, furious.
The man stood in the yard, feeling a little helpless.
"Uncle..." Xiao Xiangyue was still very weak, lying on the bed. She saw the people in the yard through the half-open door and called out.
"Hey... young master, are you feeling better?" The man was a little embarrassed. He approached the door and responded hesitantly, "This damn cat has caused such a big disaster. Let me deal with it..." He grabbed the fur on the big yellow cat's neck and lifted it up high.
The neighbors held Dr. Sun's family in high esteem. Xiao Pingzhou and his son were both incredibly dignified, and in the eyes of the villagers, they were like gods. He was deeply apprehensive and sincerely wanted to apologize.
Xiao Xiangyue looked at the big yellow cat, thinking of Xiao Hei's tragic death. Her eyes reddened and she remained silent for a long time. Luo Guyun watched from the window, thinking that he would help the child chop the cat into minced meat later, which would be a way to vent his anger and avenge Xiao Hei.
Xiao Xiangyue was silent for a long moment, holding back the tears welling in her eyes. She took a deep breath and muttered, "Don't blame the cat... blame Yue'er for not holding the rack securely. It's a cat's nature to bite living things... It's my fault for not protecting Xiao Hei well." Her expression was gloomy, but her tone was clear.
This big yellow cat often scurried up and down the tile house, never causing any trouble. In the past, bird cages were either hung under the eaves or on trees, but that day, it happened to be hanging on a shelf. The shelf was unstable, and no one expected it to fall over. Xiao Xiangyue honestly felt that the big yellow cat wasn't entirely to blame.
Luo Guyun thought to himself, this child has a kind heart. Even though he is in such pain, he is willing to put himself in other people's shoes and not even take his anger out on a beast.
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