The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 93: What Are You Crying For?

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: What Are You Crying For?

Wang Laozhu collapsed to the ground, his tears streaming down his face.

Old Granny Zhang cried as she grabbed Lady Lin’s hair and slapped her face.

Lady Lin, as if she had lost her soul, knelt beside Wang Yongfu, allowing Old Granny Zhang to hit her without any response.

Jindou, Jinhu, and Jinguan, the three brothers, huddled together and cried.

Wang Yongping simply kept hammering the ground, but beside him, Song Chongjin was still talking to the doctor about something.

Wang Yongzhu hurried in, and upon checking, found that Wang Yongfu’s condition was indeed not good; his face was as pale as gold paper, and his breath was as thin as a thread.

Even Wang Laozhu, who usually remained calm, panicked now, as there was not a single person in the family who could take charge of the situation.

Wang Yongzhu, both anxious and angry, could not care less at this point, as a human life was at stake. She first asked Doctor Liu, "Doctor, how is my eldest brother’s injury?"

Doctor Liu stroked his beard and shook his head, "The injury is too severe. His waist has been injured, and he keeps vomiting blood. I can’t treat it!"

As soon as Doctor Liu spoke, the three brothers Jindou cried even harder, and Old Granny Zhang’s body went limp, and she sat down on the ground.

Wang Yongzhu, still composed, pondered for a moment, then asked again, "If you can’t treat him, then who can?"

As soon as Wang Yongzhu asked this question, not only Doctor Liu but even Song Chongjin, who had stepped back two paces after seeing her, couldn’t help but take another look at her.

Doctor Liu looked approvingly at the daughter of the Wang Family. He had thought her foolish before, desperate for a man to the point of seeking death. Now, it seemed he might have been mistaken, and this girl might just be someone who, having survived a great disaster, had become wiser.

The Wang family had asked the same question before, and he had given the same answer. Once the Wang family heard there was no cure, they had only concerned themselves with crying.

Although Doctor Liu had some small fame in the nearby villages as a barefoot doctor, he had only worked as an apprentice in a pharmacy for some time. He had a bit of talent, knew some herbs, and was good at flattering the shopkeeper, which allowed him to learn a few techniques.

After the shopkeeper suddenly fell ill and passed away, he returned to his hometown. He used the medical techniques he had learned to treat minor illnesses like headaches and prescribe some herbs. Because he charged fairly and typically prescribed cheaper herbs, he had a good reputation in the nearby villages.

For minor illnesses, people typically went to his place to get a few prescriptions of herbs.

But with serious injuries, he was helpless.

When Wang Yongfu was carried in, Doctor Liu had been taken aback. Seeing how serious the injuries were, all he could do was shake his head.

To speak frankly, life in the countryside was not valued highly. With such serious injuries, even if he could be taken to town and his life saved, it was likely that he would be left disabled for the rest of his life, bedridden and requiring constant care, with ongoing medical expenses. Who could afford such a bottomless pit?

Doctor Liu’s words were also meant for the Wang family to hear. If they understood and wanted to save the man, they would naturally ask more questions. If not, then everyone could save face.

Coming across someone who understood, Doctor Liu did not elaborate further. After all, it was a human life at stake.

"Your elder brother’s injury is mainly internal. I’ve checked him briefly; he has two broken ribs and a broken lumbar vertebra. I’ve managed to stop the bleeding for now, but I’m powerless when it comes to fixing bones. If you can get him to Apricot Grove Hall in town before dusk, there is a Doctor Ma there who specializes in treating internal injuries and has some methods for treating broken bones. You could try there, but with your brother’s injury, he must not be jolted to prevent the bones from shifting and worsening the internal injuries,"

Wang Yongzhu nodded. She understood that internal injuries must not be disturbed, or else the injury would only worsen!

The rest of the Wang family, upon hearing this, saw the little hope they had rise only to be dashed once again.

From here to the town, it’s dozens of miles over mountain roads. How could we carry Wang Yongfu there without jostling him?

Wang Yongzhu furrowed her brows. No matter what, they couldn’t just watch Wang Yongfu wait for death!

After some thought, she came up with an idea. She kicked Wang Yongping, who was squatting to one side, doing nothing but crying with his head down, "Fourth Brother, get up, go home. Find two sturdy bamboo poles, and tie the quilt on top securely."

Wang Yongping looked at his younger sister blankly: "Huh?"

"Hurry up!" Wang Yongzhu was about to explode with frustration. At a critical moment, why are you so clueless?

It was Wang Laozhu who first came to his senses. Seeing his own daughter giving orders, whatever it might be, as long as it could save the Eldest Brother’s life, it was worth trying everything, like a drowning man clutching at a straw.

"Listen to your younger sister, go quickly!"

Wang Yongping finally snapped out of it and ran towards their home. Jindou and Jinhu also hurriedly followed to help.

Meanwhile, Wang Yongzhu approached Old Granny Zhang and whispered in her ear, "Mother, we need silver to see the doctor in town, and it’s a matter of life and death—"

Old Granny Zhang scrambled to her feet. Although she doted on her youngest daughter the most, her eldest son was still flesh of her own flesh. If there was a chance to save him, of course, she would take it.

"I’ll go and get the silver!" she said as she ran home.

Wang Yongzhu then shook the still-distraught Lady Lin, "Sister-in-law, go home and get ready. Take a few sets of clean clothes to accompany my older brother to see the doctor in town—"

Lady Lin seemed not to hear.

"Sister-in-law, my older brother can still be saved!" Left with no other choice, Wang Yongzhu pinched Lady Lin’s philtrum to snap her out of her dazed state.

"My husband! My husband—" Lady Lin came to her senses and started to wail again.

Wang Yongzhu, unable to bear it any longer, shouted impatiently, "Stop your crying! My brother isn’t dead yet! Go back and pack a few clothes, and accompany my brother to the town to find a doctor!"

At that moment, Lady Lin wasn’t concerned about Wang Yongzhu’s attitude. All she heard was that her husband was not yet dead, and they were going to town to find a doctor. Was there hope?

Wiping her face, she got up and ran home.

Having settled her mind, Wang Yongzhu then discussed with Doctor Liu, "Doctor Liu, do you think this will work? My older brother is severely injured, and I’m afraid something might go wrong on the way to town. Could I trouble you to accompany us to the Apricot Grove Hall? Don’t worry, we will pay the consultation fee!"

Finally, Wang Laozhu, who had just gone from hearing his eldest son was going to die to seeing him unconscious and in panic, fully sobered up and also stepped forward to plead with the doctor.

Doctor Liu rarely saw such serious injuries where the family refused to give up. He took a liking to the Wang family and nodded his head as a sign of agreement.

Then he asked Wang Yongzhu, "I don’t mind following along, but how will you move your older brother all the way there?"

Wang Yongzhu turned her head and surveyed the surrounding crowd of villagers, spotting two familiar faces—brothers from the Li Family.

The two had also rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing Wang Yongzhu looking for someone, they pushed their way forward, "Wang family sister, if there’s anything we can help with, just give us a shout."

Wang Yongzhu didn’t beat around the bush, "Li Family brothers, I must trouble you today. Could you find a few strong men to help carry my older brother to town? We need someone nimble and robust. My brother is critically injured, he can’t be jostled, so we can only carry him on a stretcher. Regardless of whether my brother can be cured or not, our Wang family will never forget this great favor and will be sure to repay it! Please take the trouble, brothers!"