Chapter 8

"Brother He, why are you back so late?"

"If you have nothing to do on a rainy day, just cook the meal early."

"I hurt my leg while collecting firewood in the mountains. I caught a cold after being caught in the rain. I need to wash and clean myself up."

Xu's mother looked at the man who was limping back with a half-empty backpack on his back. He was soaked by the rain. He had been out for most of the day, but ended up coming back with only some palm-leaf clothes. She didn't say anything, but her eyes kept looking back and forth at the backpack, and her meaning was more obvious than if she had opened her mouth.

"Everyone has their share of misfortunes and pains. It's easy to catch a cold in winter. Didn't your second sister have a cough a few days ago? It's all normal. Don't worry about me."

"Look at you, you're such a big kid, but you still don't know how to chop wood. You fell and hurt your knee, and there's a big hole in your pants. We're not a wealthy family, so we should take good care of our clothes. Your clothes are the ones that get torn the fastest and the most. Even your father is not as good as you."

Xu He listened to every word of motherly concern, but not a single word of concern for himself. He thought that his second sister was like an ant on hot pan just because her skin was broken, while her calm attitude towards him made him really not want to say anything more, so he dragged his injured leg back to the house to deal with it.

The dinner was cooked a little late at night, and three of the four people in the family were complaining and blaming each other.

Over the years, he thought he had already put himself in the right place in that family, and his heart was as hard and cold as iron, but iron will also heat up when exposed to heat.

He sat on the stool, recalling how he got injured, with his head slightly lowered, unable to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Is it so uncomfortable? The doctor will be here soon."

Zhang Fangyuan looked at the little brother who was almost curled up in a ball hugging his knees, his thin back trembling slightly. He knew that he was in a bad mood. He seldom said soft words and was not good at coaxing people. He could only urge the doctor to make arrangements quickly.

The doctor saw that he was gentle when he lowered his head to talk to the boy, but looked ferocious when he raised his head. He sighed at how quickly his expression changed. Because the man was willing to pay and was strong, the doctor had to run again to see if the doctor had finished treating the previous one.

"Doctor, you are ready. This gentleman can take the patient to see the doctor."

Zhang Fangyuan leaned over to help Xu He up and asked, "Can you still stand up?"

Xu He quickly wiped his eyes and leaned on the stool. Zhang Fangyuan still supported his wrist. There was an old doctor writing a prescription in the consultation room. He saw the two of them come in and asked them to sit down.

The doctor took a look at the patient and then at the tall and strong Zhang Fangyuan. He thought he looked familiar, as if he had often seen him coming to the clinic to get medicine for bruises and injuries and to have his bones reattached.

However, he was not specialized in tendons and bones, and did not know the man's name: "Who are you, the patient?"

He looked at Zhang Fangyuan, glanced at He Ge'er and asked.

"I'm his brother. I went up the mountain to chop wood a while ago and injured my leg. It was raining and I caught a cold. Can you please see a doctor?"

The old doctor responded and checked He'er's pulse as usual, then asked him to roll up his trouser legs to look at the wound on his knee.

"Oh, the wound has been there for several days, and you haven't bandaged it properly and applied medicine, but you haven't taken enough rest? It's now inflamed. It's not your fault that you have a cold. Getting caught in the rain is one thing, but the wound infection will also cause a fever."

The old doctor looked at the young man with pity, knowing the hardships of rural people. He had seen and understood all kinds of diseases in his life as a doctor, so he turned his head and blamed the tall and strong young man behind him: "There are many servants in the family who can't finish the work, but you shouldn't let the injured do it. If you don't take good care of yourself, it will be more trouble than gain. How can you work well in the future if you get sick?"

Zhang Fangyuan nodded: "That's right, doctor."

Xu He frowned. He didn't expect Zhang Fangyuan to be so cooperative.

Seeing that Zhang Fangyuan was sincere, the old doctor stopped talking and said, "I will prescribe some medicine for your wound now. You need to treat your wound now and take the medicine immediately. Don't be careless. I will also prescribe some medicine for typhoid fever. Take it twice a day when you go back. You will be healthy soon.

After writing the prescription, the doctor gave it to Zhang Fangyuan and asked him to go out and get the medicine.

Xu He watched the man leave before he expressed his concerns. He quietly asked the doctor about the cost of the consultation.

The old doctor puffed up his eyelids and said, "Our Shencaotang is a century-old pharmacy in Siyang City. We are not a small pharmacy that cheats people. The prices are very fair and we will not charge you randomly. Besides, don't worry. Isn't your eldest brother here? You don't need to pay."

After hearing this, Xu He felt even more embarrassed. It was not easy for him to say that Zhang Fangyuan was not his brother, as that would only lead to misunderstandings.

Zhang Fangyuan was quick, or perhaps the medicine boy was afraid of his efficiency, and he brought back the medicine in less than a quarter of an hour. There were not only plasters for external application, but also typhoid medicine for internal use. Several large bags were strung together with hemp ropes.

The doctor disinfected Heger's wound, scraped off the dead flesh that had not been dealt with in the past few days, and then applied medicine on the wound. He Ge'er was very able to endure the pain, but the doctor was old and his movements were a little slow. The rotten flesh was scraped against him repeatedly, and he couldn't help but gasp in pain. It was only after a long torture that he finally calmed down. Fortunately, after applying the medicine, his hot legs felt cool and the pain was relieved a little.

"Don't let the wound get wet. Change the dressing every day after you go back. Your knee is only injured in the flesh, not the tendons and bones. As long as you use the medicine properly, it will scab over in a few days."

"Yes." Xu He agreed honestly: "Thank you, doctor."

It took a stick of incense time to bandage the wound. During this time, Xu He did not hear Zhang Fangyuan speak and thought that the man had left. When he finished bandaging the wound and stood up to look back, he saw the butcher standing quietly at the door again, just like the door god posted during the Chinese New Year.

When he walked over, the door god suddenly took out a string of candied haws from his arms like a magic trick.

Xu He was stunned, staring at the string of hawthorns coated with sugar. The color was bright red, and the sugar coating was crystal clear.

The old doctor smiled and said, "The child only cries for adults to buy candy figurines to comfort him after seeing the doctor. Your brother doesn't want you to comfort him even if he cries."

Xu He blushed, and was too embarrassed to take the child's gift, but the butcher stuffed it into his hand: "Thank you, Doctor, let's go."

"I will pay you back for today's consultation later."

After leaving the clinic, Xu He spoke righteously.

Zhang Fangyuan did not refuse. He knew Xu He was a strong person and they were not related. This was the best way: "It's up to you. It's sixty-five coins in total. Don't worry about giving it to me. Give it to me when you have money."

Xu He felt a little pain in his flesh, but looking at the large and small packages of medicine, he felt that what the doctor said was fair and not expensive. As long as the injury can be cured, the money is worth it.

After the two of them went out, they were silent and headed straight for the city gate. Xu He did not plan to be stubborn this time when he went back. He was willing to spend a few cents to ride a ox cart back. Healing his injuries was the most important thing. Since no one cared, he had to take good care of himself.

The ox cart driver had not arrived yet, and Zhang Fangyuan happened to be waiting for Chen Si in the tea stall, so they waited together.

He Ge'er looked at Zhang Fangyuan and saw that he had brought a lot of things. He rarely took the initiative to speak: "I heard that you are getting married?"

Zhang Fangyuan was a little surprised how Xu He knew that, but when he thought of Chen Si's words, he felt it was normal: "If you haven't decided yet, buy some things first and go take a look. There are many people who have gone to see each other but failed, and for someone like me, it's even harder to make it happen."

"If you are sincere, you won't."

Zhang Fangyuan glanced at Xu He and said with a casual smile, "Really?"

On a whim, he took out the box and pushed it towards Xu He: "Take a look, does the girl like it?"

Xu He lowered his eyes and looked at the exquisite and beautiful jewelry box with a little expectation. When he opened the gift box, four large and round red flowers immediately caught his eye. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly: "Very, very festive."

Zhang Fangyuan was very happy when he heard this: "Celebrate it! I asked my second brother to choose it."

Xu He wanted to subtly remind the young girl that she might not like it, but someone shouted from a distance: "Cart, cart! Anyone want to go?"

He quickly stood up: "I'll go back first."

Zhang Fangyuan nodded: "Let's go back."

Xu He waved to the ox cart driver, walked over step by step, and turned back halfway: "Thank you."

Zhang Fangyuan smiled and shook his head.

Not long after the ox cart left, Zhang Fangyuan drank a cup of tea in the tea shed, and Chen Si came back with the things his family had asked him to buy. The two of them went back to the village together.

It wasn't too late to return to the village. Some time after lunch, Zhang Fangyuan returned home and He was already waiting at the door. Seeing him coming back, she hurriedly greeted him and asked, "Is everything ready?"

Zhang Fangyuan nodded, and He was beaming: "Then let's go there this afternoon, it's just right."

Zhang Fangyuan was slightly surprised: "So urgent?"

"Silly boy, wouldn't it be better if you could get it done sooner?"

Zhang Fangyuan laughed.

He combed her hair and tidied herself up. Zhang Fangyuan also went into the house to change his clothes. The two of them packed up and carried the gifts to Guang's house at the edge of the village.

The Guang family had only moved to Jijiu Village a few years ago, and they lived far away, on the border of two villages. They were not very close to the people in either village, so when there was a wedding or funeral in someone's family, few would call this family.

Everyone didn't know much about the Guang family. They only knew that the couple looked honest and didn't talk much to others, so they didn't have any hostility or rejection towards the new residents. They would still say a few polite words to them when they met them.

As Zhang Fangyuan's elders, He and Zhang Shicheng felt that since there was nothing good to say about the Shangguang family in the village, it was not bad to say that they were all from the same village and were close to each other, so it was easier to get along with them. There was nothing inappropriate about it and it was less troublesome than going to a distant village.

As the two of them walked on the road, He said happily, "Your fourth uncle meant that if the marriage is successful, we should hold a grand ceremony and have a great time, inviting everyone in the village to come and have a drink."

"Um."

The two were looking forward to good things, and within half an hour they saw the Guang family on the border from afar. The houses in the village were all mud and thatched roofs. Those with better conditions had tiled roofs, and the even better ones had stone walls, blue bricks and tiled houses. In the huge village of Jijiu, only three or two families could afford such houses.

In fact, the Zhang family has quite a few uncles and aunts, and they are well-known families in the village. For example, his eldest uncle's family and sixth uncle's family both have tiled roofs, and they are upper-middle class families.

If Zhang Fangyuan had not been idle and had not made a decent living in the city, spending his money today, and if he had worked hard in the village and got married early, he might have been able to squeeze into the upper-middle class. However, now he has nothing and is like a drowned dog.

But now that he has devoted himself to correcting his mistakes and has assured his fourth uncle again and again, his fourth uncle said that there is hope for the future.

The Guang family was obviously a lower-class family, as could be seen from their shabby little house. They had many sons and daughters, but none of them had much ambition, so their life was very difficult. It was precisely because of their poverty that they would not have chosen Zhang Fangyuan, a man from the same village who was not favored by others.

"Here they come! Here they come, the blind date is here!"

The youngest son of the Guang family was playing with grass insects by the fence. When he saw two people coming along the mountain path, he hurriedly shouted and ran into the house.

Hearing the sound, Guang's mother came out to open the gate. The fifth girl who was coming to see him this time was quite nervous and impatient, so she half-hid at the door and peeked.

She had heard from the matchmaker that he was a butcher, strong and tall. Her mother had talked to her for half a night and said that although the butcher was fierce, he had skills and was a good choice. She was mentally prepared.

But when she looked at the man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, broad shoulders and a proud head, the girl still felt a little timid.

The man was well-proportioned and even handsome, but he was too strong. If he had a bad temper, he could kill someone with just two punches.

She was a little hesitant in her heart, because the man's clothes were very good, but he also brought a lot of things with him when he came to see her, and she felt a little unsatisfied.

The Zhang family is generally a wealthy family in the village, and their financial situation is much better than theirs. If she marries into the family, she will definitely not have to continue to eat coarse food at home, which really makes her excited.

Besides, the family is in a real financial crisis right now. My second brother is already very old and still hasn’t found a girl or a boy. He was injured while working outside a while ago and needs money for medicine. If we don’t get some money urgently, I’m afraid the family won’t be able to survive.

Getting married is the best choice for her. She can live a better life and her family can also get some money.

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