Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Hemp Rope Breaks Where It's Thin
Before leaving Huichun Medical Clinic, Shen Zhiyi glanced at San Tou lying on the bed. He was covered in wound medicine, his face was deathly pale, and his eyes were closed. If it weren't for his faint breathing, one would doubt whether he was still alive.
Under these circumstances, she was hesitant to take the person away.
“With the doctor and Uncle Gouzi taking care of things here, I feel much more at ease,” Shen Zhiyi said. “Let’s go tell Cun Tou and the others first, so they don’t worry.”
"Okay." Tang Huaya glanced at Ge Ermazi, who was idling around, and whispered, "Zhiyi, what should we do with him?"
The fact that Ge Ermazi hasn't left yet suggests he's still after something.
All Shen Zhiyi could think of was that meal that hadn't been made yet, but she still had debts to pay, so the promise would have to be fulfilled later.
“I’ll go talk to him.” As soon as Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, Old Man Tang immediately stood beside her.
“I have to go with him, otherwise he won’t behave himself,” Old Man Tang said earnestly.
Shen Zhiyi also realized this and readily agreed.
Ge Ermazi, who was carrying them on his back, was unaware that someone was approaching him. He picked at something, put his finger to his nose and smelled it, then moved his hand away with a look of disgust.
"Ahem." Shen Zhiyi coughed lightly, and seeing that Ge Ermazi had noticed her, she said, "I'll pay you back for the meal I owe you at the beginning of next month."
Including the chili peppers to give to Lord Lu and the processed chili pepper products we developed, there are still some processed products left over. We need to find a way to sell more of them next month to avoid affecting the return of funds.
If she could form a team to promote agricultural products, she could use that opportunity to find other seeds, study them, and then grow them, returning to the field she knows best.
“In that case, I’ll stay here for a while…” Ge Ermazi said with a wink, his smiling eyes suddenly reflecting Tang Laohan’s fist, and his tone immediately changed, “the third house on the left in Tongzi Alley.”
"Okay, I understand," Shen Zhiyi said. "Then we have things to do, so we'll take our leave now."
Ge Ermazi's words were blocked by Old Man Tang's raised fist, and he obediently replied, "Okay, then you guys go ahead and do your work. I definitely won't cause you any trouble."
Shen Zhiyi was very satisfied with this and then left the clinic with peace of mind.
The sunlight was already slanting, making the alleyway appear even colder and damper. It seemed as if the county had forgotten it, quietly spending its last moments here.
As Shen Zhiyi and the others entered the alley, they saw Zhou Damu rushing out. She quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"Aunt Qing... she... she seems to have stopped breathing," Zhou Damu stammered. "Find... find a doctor..."
"Uncle, you go with him to find a doctor. Huaya and I will go take a look first." Shen Zhiyi quickly made the arrangements, and the four of them swiftly set off.
Shen Zhiyi and Tang Huaya walked toward the small courtyard where Zhou Damu and the others were. They were in such a hurry that they didn't even have time to close the gate. As soon as they stepped inside, they were blocked by a fire poker. Behind the gate, a timid-looking man with a buzz cut was hiding.
"Sister!" Upon recognizing the person, the man with the buzz cut quickly placed the fire poker aside.
Shen Zhiyi and Tang Huaya closed the courtyard gate behind them.
"Your sister Huaya and I will go see Aunt Qing first. Which room is she in?" Shen Zhiyi looked at the slightly larger main room and the narrow side room, unsure of where to go.
The crew-cut man quickly rallied and led them toward the side room, explaining, "We only have enough money to rent this side room."
The straw curtain was lifted, and the stench of blood assaulted her nostrils, causing Shen Zhiyi to frown involuntarily.
The old window in the side room was nailed shut from the outside, and only when the straw curtain was lifted could some light come in.
Even a normal person would have problems staying in such an environment for a long time, let alone Aunt Qing who is already ill.
"Aunt Qing coughed up a lot of blood, and her face was getting paler and paler. She clearly said she was fine, that it was an old ailment, and that she would be fine after a good night's sleep, but as she slept, she..." The man with the buzz cut stopped abruptly, as if he had thought of something terrible, and tears streamed down his cheeks.
Witnessing firsthand how such a situation occurs is certainly psychologically unbearable.
"It's alright, it's alright, she's just asleep," Shen Zhiyi said softly, glancing towards Tang Huaya as if to indicate her presence.
With their tacit understanding, Tang Huaya quickly understood what she meant. She said gently, "Leave this to Zhiyi. Let's go outside and wait for Brother Zhou."
"Okay," the crew-cut man replied obediently.
Shen Zhiyi didn't dare to approach easily. She first opened the straw curtain to let the smell dissipate, and used the light to observe the thin figure lying on the earthen bed. She tentatively called out, "Aunt Qing?"
There was no response.
There was no subtle movement in his fingers.
Her heart sank. Just moments before, she had settled the three heads whose fate was unknown. Now, was she about to face the death of his mother?
It evokes a poignant sense of sorrow, like a hemp rope deliberately breaking at its thinnest point.
"The doctor is here!" Tang Huaya called out from outside.
Shen Zhiyi stepped aside at the doorway, deciding to leave professional matters to professionals.
The gray-haired doctor was carried in by Old Man Tang. As soon as he was placed on the edge of the bed, he squinted and fumbled around, looking for something.
At this moment, Shen Zhiyi realized that the doctor was blind. Since Zhou Damu had found him, it meant he was trustworthy, so she didn't try to stop him.
The doctor checked her pulse, sighed deeply, and said, "She's gone. Bury her in the mass grave."
No one spoke at that moment; all that could be heard was the uncontrollable sobbing of the man with the buzz cut.
"This time, I won't charge you. Just take me back." The doctor looked in the direction where Old Man Tang was, already stretching out his arms, ready to leave at any moment.
Old Tang glanced at the group of children and could only turn his gaze to Shen Zhiyi, saying, "I'll take the doctor back first. Zhiyi, you stay here and look after them."
"Mmm," Shen Zhiyi replied heavily.
Old Man Tang then carried the doctor on his back and hurriedly walked out.
After they left, the crew-cut man burst into tears, sobbing, "How...how am I supposed to explain this to Brother Santou?!"
Not only is Aunt Qing's death weighing on us, but there's also the question of how to explain this to San Tou later.
In the silence, Shen Zhiyi slowly said, "San Tou is still running a high fever at the clinic. The doctor said he won't be out of danger until he wakes up. Now, let's settle Aunt Qing here first. Does she have any other family members or acquaintances she needs to inform?"
Zhou Damu silently wiped away his tears and replied, "No."
“Then let’s find a place…” Shen Zhiyi said, a deep sadness creeping into her eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being buried in a mass grave. “Are we all going to be buried there? Is there anything we need to prepare?”
“No need to prepare anything else,” Zhou Damu said in a low voice, looking at the crew-cut man standing at the door. “Crew-cut man, please remove the blanket from Aunt Qing’s body.”
The man with the buzz cut ran over and quietly lifted the blanket, revealing Aunt Qing wearing an undergarment so faded from washing that the color was indistinguishable. She looked even thinner than before.
Then Zhou Damu rolled up the straw mat under Aunt Qing's body, along with the person herself, and then found a hemp rope in the corner to tie the rolled-up straw mat, as if that would complete the person's funeral arrangements.
Seeing this scene, Shen Zhiyi felt a mix of indescribable emotions.
She realized that when she visited museums to see this mausoleum or that tomb, only those recorded in historical books were qualified to be buried there. For ordinary people like her, straw mats and thin coffins were the only option.
"Sister, let's go out and borrow a cart first, then we'll come back to pick up Aunt Qing later," the crew-cut man said in a hoarse voice.
Shen Zhiyi nodded and stood guard at the door with Tang Huaya.
The sky seemed to turn gray and gloomy from that moment on, hanging there without warmth, just like her heavy thoughts at that moment.
When Zhou Damu and Cuntou returned and worked together to carry the straw mat onto the cart, Old Man Tang returned. Seeing them struggling to push the cart, he immediately went to help, as if he were used to such things.
The group chose a back path, winding their way out of the city. Some people happened to be coming out and saw them, and either turned back and slammed their doors shut, or spat and muttered "bad luck" from the side.
In the end, the cart was pushed to the nearest mountain outside the city, which was called "the mass burial mountain" in the county. Anyone could be buried there. If the pit was too shallow, it wouldn't work, because wild dogs would carry it out and eat it, or it would be washed away by heavy rain.
Old Tang was always efficient at his work. He found a good spot in the mountains and started digging. Fortunately, he didn't find any other "residents," and that's how he settled Aunt Qing here.
Shen Zhiyi made a simple marker so that at least once the three head injuries healed, she could use it to find Aunt Qing.
After finishing this task, the setting sun had disappeared, leaving only its last rays, and the city gates were already closed.
Shen Zhiyi and the others could only follow the road toward Xiaba Village. If they were lucky, they could catch a ride on an oxcart returning home at night.
"What are you planning to do?" Shen Zhiyi asked Zhou Damu and Cun Tou.
“Don’t worry about us,” Zhou Damu said in a deep voice.
“Ever since Brother San Tou hasn’t come back at night, he’s been hiding tattered blankets and flint in that dilapidated temple outside the city. We can stay there for the night and go back as soon as the city gates open tomorrow,” the crew-cut man explained in a low voice.
Seeing that they had a plan, Shen Zhi said, "Okay, then we'll be going now."
They parted ways at the foot of the mountain, heading in different directions, guided only by the sliver of light overhead.
Returning to the familiar place of Xiaba Village, Shen Zhiyi felt as if the emptiness in her heart had been filled, and her confusion was immediately dispelled. She still had many things to do and could not be trapped here!
The warm voices reached her ears, and Shen Zhiyi looked at the two familiar figures, involuntarily calling out, "Aunt Zhao! Grandma Qin! Why are you still chatting at the village entrance so late?"
"I didn't mean to chat at the village entrance. I just got worried because you hadn't been back for so long, so I came to check on you. Your sister Cuihua was here too, but she had to go back because of something," Aunt Zhao said gently, reaching out to take each of your hands. "You can't come back so late again!"
"Yes, yes, we know. We won't stay up this late again," Shen Zhiyi and Tang Huaya promised in unison.
Old Tang tried his best to make himself inconspicuous behind them.
"And you too, you went along but didn't even know to check the time, and you came back so late..." Aunt Zhao turned to Old Man Gao and said with dissatisfaction.
"Alright, alright, it's good that you're back safe and sound," Grandma Qin said, relieving Old Man Tang's helplessness.
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