Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Confusion and Chaos_1
Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Confusion and Chaos_1
At this time of the year, wild beasts were already starving and ferocious, and without the martial arts skills of Zhao Erhu, Wu Qiang did not dare to overestimate himself. After turning down Lin Yue’s offer to go out, he gathered his brothers and entered the mountains together, each carrying a firewood knife at their waists for protection.
Wu Qiang, though not a hunter, sometimes followed Zhao Erhu on a few occasions when he was idle. He was familiar with the places Zhao Erhu often went hunting, so he searched along the way. Considering the heavy rain last night, he figured that Zhao Erhu would have sought shelter. He found Zhao Erhu unconscious in the thatched hut in the mountains.
Wu Qiang was startled to discover that Zhao Erhu had indeed had an accident. He quickly lifted him off the ground, and after checking that Zhao Erhu was still breathing, he sighed with relief. Then, he vigorously shook Zhao Erhu’s cheeks, “Erhuzi, wake up, Erhuzi, please wake up.”
After calling out several times loudly, Zakir Erhuzi, who was deeply unconscious, showed no sign of response. His body was burning like fire, as if about to ignite. Wu Qiang’s heart, which had slightly eased, grew heavy again. With such a severe fever, what if it damaged his brain? And with so many wounds on his body, that was probably also a cause of his fever.
Nervously, Wu Qiang immediately hoisted Zhao Erhu onto his back and hurried home. Carrying such a heavy person, his pace inevitably slowed, so he asked his brother to go ahead and send word to Lin Yue to prepare and then to fetch a doctor from town. This would save some time—the sooner they saw the doctor, the more hope there would be. He hoped Erhuzi would be alright; otherwise, aside from his wife, who was a woman, there would only be a few almost-grown children left. How would they manage in the future?
When Lin Yue heard someone had come back with news of Zhao Erhu’s accident, she was bewildered for a good while before calming down. Some people had already gone to the city to summon the doctor, but it wouldn’t be quick. She instructed the children briefly, then ran swiftly to her uncle’s house. There, she got a bottle of strong liquor and hurried back. Hearing about Zhao Erhu’s severe fever, she knew she had to cool him down before the doctor arrived. Also considering that he must be soaked from last night’s rain, Lin Yue quickly boiled water and prepared dry clothes in the room, waiting for Zhao Erhu’s return, eager to know his condition. Lin Yue wanted to brew some ginger soup to chase the cold away, but with Zhao Erhu in such a state, she dared not give him anything to eat, fearing it would make his condition worse.
When Lin Yue didn’t know Zhao Erhu’s condition, she only felt uneasy. Knowing Zhao Erhu’s injuries and fever, she couldn’t sit still for a moment. After preparing what she thought necessary, she busied herself around the house, not even knowing what she was doing, feeling utterly bewildered.
Sister Chunhua took care of the household chores and then stayed with Lin Yue at Zhao Erhu’s house, knowing Lin Yue must be in distress. Sister Chunhua offered a few comforting words but did not advise further, as nothing she said would help. It was better to let Lin Yue stay busy to distract her attention—unless Zhao Erhu was safe, Lin Yue’s days ahead would likely be difficult. Sister Chunhua sighed, pondering the unpredictability of life. Just a few days ago, she was praising how good Zhao Erhu was to his wife, and in a blink, the situation had turned to what it was now.
After an unknown amount of time, finally, they saw Wu Qiang returning with Zhao Erhu on his back. Lin Yue and Zhang Chunhua both went to greet them. Seeing Zhao Erhu on Wu Qiang’s back, with eyes tightly closed and not a trace of response, Lin Yue’s tears rolled down uncontrollably.