Snake Plague
The medicinal fields of midsummer are a place of vibrant life, yet they also harbor hidden dangers. The lush medicinal herbs and weeds provide a perfect hiding place for small creatures.
That afternoon, the sun was setting slightly westward, but the heat hadn't dissipated. Chen Bozhou and Yunwu were clearing weeds from a patch of land sloping near a field ridge. Because of its proximity to a water source, the weeds were growing incredibly fast, nearly drowning out several thriving astragalus plants.
Chen Bozhou waved a hoe, clearing the way ahead and clearing away large areas of thorns and thatch.
Yunwu followed behind him, carefully cutting off the thin weeds close to the roots of the medicinal herbs with a sickle, moving cautiously for fear of damaging the roots.
"The soil down here is quite fertile," Chen Bozhou said as he worked, wiping his sweat. "It's just that there's too much grass, and the roots are deep, so it's hard to clean."
"Yeah, it's humid here, so the grass grows fast," Yunwu agreed, bending down to cut a clump of goosegrass that was clinging to the roots of the astragalus root. His movements were gentle, his fingers pushing aside the layers of grass, searching for the perfect spot to cut.
At this moment, something strange happened!
A drab, venomous snake lurking deep in the grass seemed startled and suddenly shot out from between the blades. Its triangular head held high, and with deadly menace, it lunged straight for Yunwu's outstretched wrist! The snake moved so quickly that in the sunlight, only a blurry shadow and two cold points of light could be seen.
"Be careful!" It was almost an instinctive reaction. Shen Bozhou, who was standing a little ahead, caught a glimpse of the fast shadow from the corner of his eye. Without thinking, his body was faster than his brain. He suddenly pounced sideways, and his left hand stretched out like lightning, grabbing the seven inches below the snake's head!
It all happened in a flash.
"Ugh!" Chen Bozhou let out a muffled groan and his face turned pale instantly.
He did grasp the snake's vital point, holding the beast in a critical position, but as the snake twisted violently, its sharp fangs still grazed the outside of his right arm, leaving a thin bloody mark.
"Bozhou!" Yunwu's exclamation was trembling with an unprecedented intensity. He threw away his sickle and rushed to Chen Bozhou's side. His face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were fixed on the wound on his arm that quickly began to swell and turn red and black.
"No...it's okay," Chen Bozhou gritted his teeth, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, but he still forced a smile, pinching the still struggling venomous snake tightly with his left hand, "I've got it...this thing...is quite fierce..."
"Don't move!" Yunwu's voice was quick and stern. He quickly glanced around and his eyes were fixed on an inconspicuous plant a few steps away.
He rushed over, plucked off a few narrow gray-green leaves neatly, and ran back quickly.
"It's plow grass, it can detoxify and reduce swelling!" He spoke very quickly. While explaining, he had already stuffed the leaves into his mouth and chewed them quickly, not caring about his image. He did not chew the leaves until they were into a paste, and then he carefully spit them into his palm.
"Throw the snake away!" he ordered, his eyes filled with anxiety and determination that Shen Bozhou had never seen before.
Chen Bozhou obeyed and, using his last bit of strength, hurled the still-twisting snake towards the bushes in the distance. Then, he felt dizzy and his body swayed.
Yunwu immediately supported him and helped him sit down on the edge of the field. He knelt on one knee beside Shen Bozhou, holding up his injured arm. Looking at the shocking wound and the rapidly spreading redness and swelling, his hand trembled slightly, but his movements were remarkably steady.
He first used the clean water in the water bag he carried with him to carefully rinse away any snake venom and dirt that might remain around the wound.
Then, he carefully and evenly applied the chewed herbal paste in his palm to the wound. The green juice mixed with saliva had a bitter smell.
The moment the herbs were applied, a cool feeling temporarily suppressed the burning pain, and Chen Bozhou couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"How do you feel?" Yunwu looked up at him, his forehead covered in cold sweat, the panic in his eyes had not completely faded, and his voice was tense.
"Well... much better, cooler..." Chen Bozhou tried to make his voice sound calmer, not wanting to make him worry too much, "Your herbal medicine... is really effective..."
Yunwu ignored his comfort, frowned, and carefully observed the condition of the wound. He reached out and touched Chen Bozhou's forehead: "Are you dizzy? Nauseous? Is your vision blurred?" He asked a series of questions in a hurried tone.
"A little dizzy...otherwise, fine..." Chen Bozhou answered honestly. Looking at Yunwu's worried face, the panic he felt from the injury surprisingly subsided. He even felt that if Yunwu was so worried about him, then the snake bite...wasn't such a loss after all.
"Maybe the poison has started to spread," Yun Wu's face darkened. Without hesitation, he tore off the cleanest cuff of his inner garment and quickly tied it tightly around the wound on Shen Bozhou's arm to slow down the blood flow. "We must go back immediately and use more appropriate medicine internally and externally to completely eliminate this poison!"
As he spoke, he was about to lift up the sunken boat.
"I can walk..." Chen Bozhou tried to exert force on his own, but found that his right arm was powerless, and waves of dizziness kept coming.
"Don't be so stubborn!" Yun Wu's tone was unquestionable. He directly wrapped Shen Bozhou's uninjured left arm around his neck and used his shoulder to support most of his weight. "Lean on me and walk slowly."
Chen Bozhou no longer insisted, resting his weight on Yun Wu's thin but remarkably firm shoulders. The two of them supported each other, taking one deep step and one shallow step as they walked towards the Yun family courtyard.
Along the way, Yunwu pursed her lips tightly and said almost no word, with all her attention focused on supporting Chen Bozhou and observing his condition.
Chen Bozhou could feel the tenseness of his body, hear his slightly rapid breathing due to the effort, and see sweat constantly dripping from his temples.
"I'm sorry..." Chen Bozhou whispered, his heart filled with guilt, "I made you worry..."
Yunwu suddenly turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes were extremely complicated, with lingering fear, strong worry, and a hint of... anger?
"Why did you pounce on me?" Yunwu's voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion. "The snake was originally coming for me!"
Chen Bozhou looked at the emotions surging in his eyes, was stunned for a moment, and then forced a weak smile: "It was an instinctive reaction... I didn't think too much... I can't just watch it bite you..."
This answer did not seem to satisfy Yunwu. He turned his head and no longer looked at Chen Bozhou. He just tightened the arm that was supporting him and walked faster.
"Next time... don't do this..." After a long while, just when Shen Bozhou thought he would not say anything else, Yun Wu spoke very lightly but very clearly, with a barely perceptible hint of fear and... an order in his voice?
Chen Bozhou's heart was shaken, and an indescribable warmth mixed with the pain from his wounds swept through his limbs.
He neither agreed nor refuted, but just leaned his head slightly towards the clouds, smelling the unique scent of herbs and sweat on his body, and felt extremely at peace.
Finally they returned to the Yun family courtyard. Seeing this scene, Grandma Yun was also frightened and hurriedly helped Yun Wu to help Chen Bozhou lie down in the house.
Yunwu did not stop for a moment and immediately went to rummage through his medicine box, took out some special detoxifying herbs, and then started a fire to boil the medicine. He was so busy that he had no time to rest.
Chen Bozhou lay on Yunwu's clean bed, watching him busy inside and outside the house, and his focused and careful expression as he cleaned his wounds, re-applied medicine, and fed him medicine. The pain in his arm seemed to become insignificant.
He suddenly felt that this sudden snake disaster seemed to have torn open the calm and self-contained shell that Yunwu had always used to protect himself, allowing him to glimpse the deep, hot and sincere emotions hidden underneath.
When Yunwu came over again with warm water and was about to wipe his face, Chen Bozhou gently grabbed his wrist with his uninjured hand.
Yunwu paused and looked up at him.
"Yunwu," Chen Bozhou looked at him with a gentle and serious look, "Seeing you so worried about me, I seem to be... a little happy."
Yunwu's body froze. He looked at Chen Bozhou's pale but smiling face, and the still obvious wound on his arm. His eyes suddenly turned red and he quickly turned away.
But he did not struggle to break free from Shen Bozhou's hand, but just let him hold it. The other hand holding the wet cloth gently fell on Shen Bozhou's sweaty forehead.
The movement was as gentle as a feather brushing past.
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