During the day, Luo Anping had already developed a high fever. Mrs. Qin forced herself to stay strong, wiping tears while taking care of Luo Anping.
No matter how strong Mrs. Qin tries to be, she is still a woman, a woman who prioritizes her child. Watching her only child show signs of perishing, her ability to persevere until now has already surpassed most people.
Mrs. Qin had long lost her backbone. At this moment, whatever Beisitian told her to do, she would do it.
A cold-water-soaked towel was placed on Luo Anping’s forehead. Every hour, Mrs. Qin would follow Beisitian’s advice and use warm water to wipe Luo Anping’s chest, back, and underarms.
Beisitian didn’t plan on letting Luo Anguo stand idle either, asking him to rub Luo Anping’s soles and palms with his thumbs until they turned red.
With work to do, the couple wouldn’t have the time to overthink.
Beisitian lamented that her spirit hadn’t recovered, otherwise, without needing antibiotics, she could help Luo Anping pull through with the Xuan Talisman alone, and she would be quite confident in succeeding.
Now, she could only treat him by using the Xuan Talisman in conjunction with antibiotics, which was less than satisfactory.
Beisitian sliced a piece of Polygonum multiflorum and fed it to Luo Anping. Its effectiveness was naturally not comparable to aged ginseng, but having some was better than none.
After thinking through everything, Beisitian finally prepared to feed him talismanic water.
She first fed him antibiotics mixed with water. Fortunately, despite his severe injury and coma, he still had the ability to swallow; otherwise, it would have taken a lot more effort.
She calculated the time, and after the antibiotics took effect, she fed him the talismanic water little by little.
No drop of talismanic water could be wasted; otherwise, the effect would be reduced.
"Why are you feeding him so much water?" Mrs. Qin raised her eyes to see Beisitian pouring a bowl of water down and couldn’t help but ask.
"This isn’t water; it’s medicine I’ve prepared." Beisitian fed him the last bit of talismanic water and let out a sigh of relief.
Mrs. Qin said nothing, but it was clearly clear water.
Luo Anping had a high fever for a full three days. During these days, Beisitian was as busy as a spinning top. She insisted on cooking herself during the day, adding more Polygonum multiflorum, Black Goji, and other medicinal ingredients. Though it affected the taste, she urgently needed to supplement nutrition now.
Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo were not idle either. Neither had time to think much, but occasionally, they would stop and sigh as they watched Luo Anping.
In the past few days, Yang Wulang visited daily. He sighed deeply upon seeing Luo Anping reach this stage.
Seeing Beisitian feeding talismanic water, he also asked a few questions.
"My father is a Chinese medicine doctor and taught me since I was young, though I’ve never had a chance to use it." Beisitian said, formally introducing herself.
"Why is this medicine colorless?" Yang Wulang asked. He had never seen such medicine concoction before.
Beisitian smiled slightly, not explaining. Whether it works or not would be evident by tonight.
Even if Beisitian explained, Yang Wulang wouldn’t believe her. Though not a practitioner himself, he knew those medicinal ingredients mixed in couldn’t possibly result in clear water!
In the past two days, Luo Aiguo and Luo Xuqiang often came by, and Old Mrs. Luo accompanied Luo Aiguo twice. Qin Hongmei was unwillingly brought over once.
She began to complain, saying they had elders to support above and children below, the household relied only on Luo Aiguo and Luo Xuqiang earning to support such a large family, and how hard life was, etc.
Between her lines was the message telling Luo Er’s family that her family had no money, so they shouldn’t think about borrowing any from them!
Yang Wulang and his wife Ma heard this and rolled their eyes repeatedly, thinking this was no way for close siblings to treat each other; even she couldn’t be so cold-hearted!
With such a sister-in-law, the family definitely wouldn’t find peace whether divided or not!
Upon hearing Qin Hongmei speak, Luo Xuqiang quickly went outside, afraid he might end up humiliated. Luo Aiguo had no choice; even with him there, Qin Hongmei kept talking, let alone if he wasn’t, who knows what she’d say.
Qin Hongmei was calculative, ranting about how hard life was without mentioning borrowing money at all, leaving Luo Aiguo unable to rebuke her.
Not wanting to listen anymore, Yang Wulang and his wife simply left.
When Beisitian returned from tending sheep, Qin Hongmei was spouting nonsense. Her expression turned cold. Mrs. Qin now had no mind to deal with her, her spirit had almost dissipated, so whatever she wanted to say, she let her say.
"Uncle has arrived." Beisitian entered the house.
Upon seeing Beisitian return, Qin Hongmei’s eyelids drooped, displaying an indifferent demeanor, still remembering their past encounters.
"Little Tian’er is back." Luo Aiguo replied.
Beisitian approached to check on Luo Anping’s condition. Tonight was crucial; as long as Luo Anping’s fever subsided, everything would be fine.
"Mother, it’s time to give Ping’an his antibiotics." Beisitian told Mrs. Qin.
Mrs. Qin was somewhat wooden, reacting almost automatically to Beisitian’s words and rising to fetch the antibiotics from the cabinet.
Qin Hongmei’s eyes widened.
Everyone knew how expensive antibiotics were!
"Is this the antibiotic you got from Yang Wulang?" Luo Aiguo looked at the box, thinking that medicine from Yang Wulang usually came wrapped in paper; he never gave boxes.
"No, it was bought from the town." Under Qin Hongmei’s curious gaze, Beisitian mixed the antibiotics with water and fed them to Luo Anping.
"This half a box must cost quite a lot, right?" Qin Hongmei asked beside her.
Beisitian’s lips curled into a faint smile, then she sighed and said, "This half a box costs three yuan. I borrowed this three yuan from someone, don’t even know how to repay it. Ping’an’s leg is injured too; we’ll need to spend a lot more money going forward. Uncle, you’re his real uncle, what do you think we should do?"
Upon hearing that she had borrowed the money, Qin Hongmei immediately stood straight and stepped back a bit. After hearing her last question, her expression changed abruptly, interrupting to say to Luo Aiguo: "Husband, I left two eggs for Ping’an, I forgot to bring them over. You go get them!"
Luo Aiguo said nothing, hanging his head. Qin Hongmei got anxious and shouted twice, prompting him to stiffly head outside.
Once Luo Aiguo walked out, Qin Hongmei suddenly seemed to remember something, calling him twice and then following him out.
Whether the eggs would actually be sent was of no concern to Beisitian. Seeing that she had driven away the annoying one, she focused on caring for Luo Anping instead.
"Mother, you need to eat something. You haven’t eaten properly for two days. Tonight is crucial for Ping’an. If you can’t hold up, then there’s really no hope for Ping’an!" Beisitian used Luo Anping as an excuse.
Mrs. Qin sighed and went to the outer room to eat at the stove. As long as Luo Anping could survive, even if he ended up lame, she would accept it!
"Dad, you need to eat too." Beisitian looked at Luo Anguo.
Luo Anguo, with an unkempt beard, had spent most of these days dazed. Hearing Beisitian’s voice, he raised his head in confusion.
If Ping’an were gone, he wouldn’t want to live either. That way, it would be a relief, which would be good.