The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 685 - 684: Better Off Dead

Chapter 685: Chapter 684: Better Off Dead

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As the saying goes, good people do not live long, while disasters persist for a thousand years.

Lady Qian was pushed by Wang Yongan and hit her head, losing a lot of blood; Shopkeeper Qian thought his daughter was beyond help and was simply treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

They hurried to the nearest medical hall; it seemed Lady Qian’s fate was not yet sealed, as the doctor had just been released from the County Yamen.

The Doctor, though travel-weary, was horrified upon seeing Lady Qian’s condition, a large gash on the back of her head, blood flowing profusely, and her pulse was so faint it was nearly undetectable.

There was no time to even wash up; the doctor knew the situation was critical and acted on the principle of doing one’s best and leaving the rest to fate by prescribing medicine to stop the bleeding and a concoction to replenish her energy and blood, which was immediately administered.

Throughout the night, Lady Qian’s breath was at times faint and at others rapid, but she tenaciously pulled through. By morning, the Doctor felt her pulse and found it to be stronger than the day before.

Marvelling at Lady Qian’s resilience, the Doctor prescribed more medicine, instructed Shopkeeper Qian to obtain it, and advised that the patient, having suffered a blow to the head, should stay in the medical hall for a few days for proper convalescence before attempting to get out of bed.

Mother Qian and Shopkeeper Qian then breathed a sigh of relief.

They did not carry much silver coin, and had already spent a considerable amount yesterday; purchasing today’s medicine quickly led to financial embarrassment.

Seeing his daughter still pale and lying there, Shopkeeper Qian decided to ask Mother Qian to stay by her side, while he would return to Wang Yongan to ask for money.

Over the years, they had gradually spent their nest egg on their daughter and son-in-law, and now most of it was gone.

Yesterday, their daughter and son-in-law had fallen out and come to blows; their daughter’s life was counting on silver coins, and they had no choice but to swallow their pride and ask for it.

Upon hearing it was to ask for money, Mother Qian felt guilty and dared not look at Shopkeeper Qian.

With his mind preoccupied, Shopkeeper Qian did not pay much attention and returned to the house heavy-hearted.

In their hastiness the day before, they had not closed the door to the courtyard, which remained open even now.

The courtyard was deserted, and the door to Wang Yongan’s room stood wide open.

Shopkeeper Qian, puzzled, called out Wang Yongan’s name as he entered the room, and was immediately startled.

Wang Yongan was lying on the ground, his condition unknown; the room was as cold as an ice cellar, everything strewn about as it had been the day before.

Shopkeeper Qian’s heart raced as he cautiously approached and touched Wang Yongan, finding him chillingly cold.

He then placed his hand under Wang Yongan’s nose; it took a long while before he detected a weak breath, and only then did he relax.

Seeing the disarray around the room and the son-in-law’s unconscious state, Shopkeeper Qian clenched his teeth, returned to his own room, dug out a corner of the wall, and retrieved a piece of silver. Only then did he carry Wang Yongan back to the medical hall.

The Doctor at the medical hall was taken aback to see Shopkeeper Qian returning so soon, and with another patient. He did not bother with questions; upon examining the patient, he became distressed, "What happened? Why does this patient seem like he’s been exposed to the cold all night? In this weather, how could he endure the cold with his condition? The chill has penetrated his body, heading straight for his bones. In the future, as he ages, when winter comes, I fear this chill will wreak havoc within him and he will indeed suffer terribly!"

Shopkeeper Qian could only offer a smile: "Please, Doctor, take a look."

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The doctor then fell silent, instructed the attendant to move the person onto the heated kang, covered him with blankets, and boiled ginger tea to expel the coldness, which was then served hot for Wang Yongan to drink.

After that, he asked someone to keep watch, waiting for Wang Yongan’s internal coldness to be expelled before examining his other injuries.

Shopkeeper Qian, anxious about his daughter and overwhelmed by the heat of the room, with the doors and windows tightly shut as in a steaming basket, soon couldn’t bear it anymore and slipped out to the next room.

Mother Qian, seeing Shopkeeper Qian, asked in a low voice, "Is everything alright at home?"

Upon sight, Shopkeeper Qian knew that this matter was probably inseparable from Mother Qian, but he was also upset and just shook his head, asking, "Is Ruyue feeling any better?"

Mother Qian replied quietly, "The doctor has seen her and said she’s a bit better. If she can wake up tonight, then there will be no trouble."

Only then did Shopkeeper Qian breathe a sigh of relief, he collapsed into a chair, feeling an aching soreness in every bone.

After resting a while, he thought of Yongan, who was unattended on the other side, and wanted to check on him, but Mother Qian held him back, refusing to let him go, "Why bother with him? He harmed our daughter, we’ve already brought him to the clinic, not watching him die is already a mercy! And you want to watch over him? Does he deserve it? After what he did to our daughter, to our Jinchai, such a heartless man would be better off dead!"

Shopkeeper Qian sighed and consoled her in a low voice, "Speak less of these things, walls have ears! What’s the use of saying this? Our daughter has been married to him for over a decade; no matter what happens at home, in the eyes of others, Wang Yongan has been utterly respectable to the Qian family, to our daughter, without a single fault."

"And not to mention, he didn’t even care for his own parents, but brought us, his in-laws, with him on his appointment. If we neglect him when he’s injured, wouldn’t we be faulted behind our backs? Besides, he was your recommendation. If I don’t look after him and he wakes to find no one by his side, then he remembers the harm you did..."

Mother Qian promptly let go upon hearing the unspoken implication, "Then you should quickly go. I’m here for our daughter; don’t worry!"

By the time Shopkeeper Qian arrived, the doctor and attendant were already there, they glanced at him but said nothing more.

That one glance made Shopkeeper Qian’s face turn red, and he awkwardly said, "Doctor, is my son-in-law doing alright?"

The doctor looked at Wang Yongan who previously had an ashen and cyan face and now turned pale. The room was so hot that one began to sweat upon entry, yet Wang Yongan did not sweat a drop, lying there quiet, like an ice sculpture.

After examining Wang Yongan’s eyelids and tongue coating, and feeling his pulse for a while, the doctor said, "Continue as is; the coldness in his viscera has been forced out, now push hard to steam and bake all the coldness out. Once he sweats, clean his body with hot water to prevent the sweat from cooling and the coldness from returning to his body. That would be troublesome!"

Shopkeeper Qian nodded repeatedly in agreement.

As the room was too hot and the doctor insisted on not opening the doors and windows for ventilation, Shopkeeper Qian could only stay in his single garment, drenched in sweat.

It finally seemed that Wang Yongan’s face turned to a flushed red, his hands and feet turned cyan, and after a series of convulsions, large beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead.

His neck, back, underarms, and the crooks of his legs began to sweat profusely; soon his clothes were drenched.

Shopkeeper Qian checked the situation and, seeing it was almost as the doctor had instructed, went to get the basin of hot water warmed on the kang. He was about to wipe down Wang Yongan’s body,

when he heard his wife in the next room suddenly scream—a voice filled with panic and shock. He immediately dropped his cloth, wrapped himself in a cotton-padded jacket, and ran to the next room, no longer caring about Wang Yongan on the kang who had just sweated.

Rushing out the door, he didn’t close it properly, and a gust of wind blew through, opening the door a palm’s width, allowing a draft to waft in...