Chapter 6: Illness and Condolences
The next morning, Fang Zhiyue said goodbye to the family he was staying with and walked quickly towards the place where he had agreed to meet Aunt Zhang yesterday.
When he arrived, Aunt Zhang was already waiting there in her ox cart.
I saw Fang Zhiyue coming from afar.
Aunt Zhang raised her hand and beckoned, "This way——"
When Fang Zhiyue came closer, she handed the hot Hu pancake in her hand to him.
"You haven't had breakfast yet. Come on, take it, it's still hot."
"How can this be possible, Aunt Zhang? Please take it back immediately. I'm not hungry."
Fang Zhiyue quickly shook his head to refuse.
Aunt Zhang forced the Hu pancake into his hand and said, "Take it. I've already eaten it. I can't finish this one left, but it would be a shame to throw it away."
She didn't say that she bought it specially for Fang Zhiyue, she just said that she bought too much.
Fang Zhiyue saw that he couldn't refuse, so he took it with a thank you.
He took the bread and got on the ox cart.
Aunt Zhang took a look, smiled silently, and then drove the ox cart forward.
The ox cart gradually drove away from the town, and the sun slowly rose from the eastern hilltop, shining brightly on the white snow on the ground.
Aunt Zhang casually asked, "Did you see Miss Yao yesterday? Is everything going well for her at the academy?"
"Yes."
Fang Zhiyue took a bite of the Hu pancake and replied softly, "Everything seems fine, but he seems a little thinner than when he was at home."
He wasn't talking nonsense.
When he saw Si Yao at the entrance of Yunlu Academy yesterday, he clearly felt that the flesh on her cheeks was less, making her look even colder.
"Alas, Sister Yao may not show it on her face, but she must be sad inside."
Aunt Zhang sighed, "She's not even thirteen yet. When my daughter Xing'er was her age, she was still a spoiled brat."
Fang Zhiyue listened quietly.
Although he didn't respond, he agreed with what Aunt Zhang said in his heart.
No matter how much Yao Jie behaves like an adult, it cannot hide the fact that she is still a twelve-year-old girl.
It just so happened that the Si family was in such a situation that she lost her childishness early on.
The more Fang Zhiyue thought about this, the more heartbroken he felt.
But my heart became more determined.
From now on, he will love her like his own child.
The ox cart slowly drove towards Xingyu Village.
By the time we got back to Murakami, it was already past noon.
The sun on the eastern hilltop had already quietly moved overhead, its power gradually increasing. The snow on the roadside quickly evaporated and melted, leaving no trace.
It seems like the heavy snow yesterday was just a dream.
Fang Zhiyue said goodbye to Aunt Zhang and walked quickly towards home.
As soon as he opened the door, he whispered inside: "Dad, I'm back——"
There was silence in the main room.
A hint of doubt flashed in Fang Zhiyue's eyes, and then he took a few steps closer and called out a few more times: "Dad, Dad, I'm back. Are you home?"
He knew the old man of the Si family quite well and knew that he was not someone who liked to visit others.
Even if he has nothing to do on weekdays, he never steps out of the yard.
He frowned slightly and simply knocked on the door of the main house, "Dad, are you in there? I'm coming in..."
Squeak——
He gently pushed the door open.
A foul smell instantly hit my nose.
Fang Zhiyue looked inside and saw the old man of the Si family lying on the broken wooden bed, covered with a quilt and motionless.
He was instantly frightened and ran over quickly.
"Dad, what's wrong with you? Wake up!"
Fang Zhiyue pushed the old man of the Si family hard and finally woke him up from the bed.
He opened his eyes unhappily, staring at him with cloudy eyes: "What are you yelling about? I'm not dead yet, old man!"
"Dad, are you sick? I'll go get the lame doctor from the village."
The lame doctor's surname was Hu, and everyone in the village called her Hu A'mu.
I heard that when she was young, she worked as an apprentice in the town's pharmacy for a while. She knew a few simple diseases, and everyone in the village liked to look for her.
Fang Zhiyue didn't wait for the old man of the Si family to say anything and ran towards the east end of the village.
It was just after noon, and Hu's mother was at home.
Fang Zhiyue explained the situation to her, then took her medicine box and invited her to the Si family.
"Mother Hu, please check on my father. He doesn't look well."
Mother Hu looked at the old man of the Si family who was lying on the bed in a daze, opened his eyelids to take a look, and then carefully took his pulse.
Then, under Fang Zhiyue's anxious gaze, he slowly stood up.
"He had evil spirits entering his body, and he was filled with depression. Add to that the sudden heavy snow, and he fell ill."
Mother Hu sighed, her expression somewhat serious. "Your father is old, and his health has been declining for years. The situation is not optimistic. I can only prescribe two medicines. Whether it will be good or bad, we can only leave it to fate. Perhaps we can take your father to the town clinic for a checkup. Perhaps there is still room for improvement."
"Okay—"
She picked up the medicine box and said, "I'm going home to get the medicine now. You can come get it later."
After saying this, Hu's mother staggered out of the Si family.
Fang Zhiyue stood there in confusion.
A healthy person suddenly fell ill without any preparation.
Fang Zhiyue didn't know what to do for a moment.
“Ahem—”
At this moment, the old man of the Si family on the bed suddenly moved.
Youyou woke up.
Looking at Fang Zhiyue standing at the head of his bed, he subconsciously scolded him, "Why are you still standing there? I've already told you I'm fine. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Okay, hurry out and get back to work."
"father…"
Fang Zhiyue slowly raised his head.
There were tears in her eyes and her lips were trembling slightly.
"Why are you looking so sad? Are you trying to curse the old man to die early?"
The old man of the Si family became more and more unhappy, and his sick face was pale, which was a bit scary in the dim room.
Fang Zhiyue sobbed twice, told him about Hu A'mu's visit to see the doctor just now, and repeated his words.
Then he slowly said, "Dad, why don't we go to the town's clinic for a checkup."
He discussed it with the old man of the Si family.
"Shut up!"
The Si family's father immediately shouted, "Going to the clinic is free? I already said you won't die. You just listened to that Hu guy's nonsense."
"Dad, let's go take a look. Even if I owe you money, I can pay you back later when I wash more clothes."
"I said I wasn't going!"
The old man of the Si family shouted angrily, and his chest heaved violently.
He leaned over the edge of the bed and coughed violently a few times, his cloudy eyes bloodshot. "Listen to me, I'm not sick! I'm not going to that damn clinic. If you dare mention it again, I'll fight you."
"go out!"
The old man of the Si family kicked Fang Zhiyue out of the house.
Fang Zhiyue stood in the sun but felt extremely anxious.
Although he was a country boy, he knew that illness cannot wait, and if he missed the opportunity, it might be impossible to recover.
Fang Zhiyue paced back and forth in the yard, and suddenly Si Yao's clear face popped up in his mind.
Perhaps, only if Sister Yao comes back can things be accomplished.
He did not dare to delay and went straight to Zhang's house to ask Aunt Zhang if there was anyone literate in the village. He wanted to send a letter to Yunlu Academy and give it to Si Yao.
Aunt Zhang saw that he looked anxious.
Without hiding anything, she said directly: "There is an old scholar in our village. It is said that Sister Yao even learned calligraphy from her for a few days. You can go find her and ask her to write a letter for you."
"Aunt Zhang, could you take me to find that old scholar?"
Fang Zhiyue asked immediately.
Aunt Zhang nodded, and then took him to the old scholar's home.
When the old scholar saw the two and asked about their purpose, he held up his brows and thought for a moment, then said slowly, "Yao girl is also my student, so I will help you with this favor."
She prepared her brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and looked at Fang Zhiyue, "What do you want to write?"
Fang Zhiyue spoke word by word.
Finally, the old scholar put down his brush and immediately reached out to take the letter.
Aunt Zhang, standing nearby, said at the right moment, "I happen to be going to town this afternoon, so I can take this letter to Sister Yao. Uncle Feng needs help right now, so you should go back and look after him."
Fang Zhiyue handed the letter to her gratefully.
After thanking him several times, he returned to the Si family.
Before going back, he turned and went to Hu A'mu's place and brought back two prescriptions.
As soon as I got home, I boiled the medicine.
At Yunlu Academy, it was already afternoon when Si Yao received the letter.
She read the letter with a frown on her face.
He then found the teacher, explained the reason, and hurriedly left the academy.
Late at night, Fang Zhiyue stayed by the side of the Si family's father.
He coaxed Si's father into drinking the two doses of medicine given by Hu's mother, but the effect was minimal and Si's father's condition was still very bad. He had lost consciousness.
He squatted beside the bed and wiped his tears silently.
When Si Yao brought the doctor in, he saw him like this.
She hesitated as she crossed the threshold, then walked in: "How is Grandpa?"
"Sister Yao, you are finally back..."
Hearing her voice, Fang Zhiyue immediately wiped away his tears and stood up.
His eyes stared at her intently, as if he had found his backbone.
"Dad's condition isn't good. The medicine Mother Hu gave him didn't work, and he's now unconscious."
"Doctor, please."
After hearing this, Si Yao immediately looked at the woman beside him.
She had asked for this from the town's clinic.
The woman carried the medicine box to the bed and began to check it carefully.
After a while, she raised her head and looked at Si Yao and Fang Zhiyue, her tone a little heavy: "The old man is old... He originally had about a year to live, but his mood has been up and down recently, and his liver qi is stagnant. Add to that the sudden heavy snow, and the evil spirit has entered his body. So..."
She stopped herself from finishing her words.
But the two people in the room understood what she meant.
Father Si is in trouble...
Fang Zhiyue couldn't help but let the tears flow out of his eyes again.
Si Yao's expression remained unchanged. He calmly said to the doctor, "Thank you for taking the trouble to come. I'll take you out."
"Alas...my condolences."
The doctor shook his head, then followed her out with the medicine box.
When Si Yao came back after sending the people away, the old man of the Si family, who was lying on the bed, woke up faintly, as if he was having a last breath of life.
He looked at Si Yao who had suddenly returned, his eyes brightening, "Yao'er, why are you back? Is the academy on holiday?"
Si Yao walked over to him and sat down. He reached out and held his hand, calling out, "Grandfather..."
Fang Zhiyue looked at the grandfather and grandson and seemed to have something to say.
She wiped her tears silently and quietly left the house.
Let the two of them, the grandparents and the grandchildren, enjoy the last bit of their time together.
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