Chapter 43

Chapter 43

After sunset, darkness fell quickly.

Zhong Yizhu latched the door and looked distractedly toward the forest behind the house.

Pei Mu had previously gone hunting in the mountains and would return within eight days at the latest. He had hoped to see Pei Mu come back today.

Zhong Yizhu stubbornly waited a little longer, until the sky was completely dark, before he turned to go inside.

Just then, a sound came from the back door—a dull thud. Though muffled by distance, it was clear in the stillness of the night, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

As if sensing something, Zhong Yizhu sprinted toward the backyard.

Outside the back door, Pei Mu lay unconscious on the ground. Beside him were scattered a long wooden stick and a bamboo basket for carrying game, one hand still tightly gripping the rope that tied the basket.

Zhong Yizhu’s mind went blank. He nearly staggered as he knelt beside Pei Mu.

With trembling hands, he checked for breathing, unconsciously calling Pei Mu’s name. But the man who always responded to him at the first call now lay with his eyes tightly shut, utterly still.

Feeling the faint but unmistakable breath against his fingertips, Zhong Yizhu bit his tongue hard to force himself to calm down.

He pulled out a tinder stick from his waist, lit it, and leaned in to examine Pei Mu’s condition. But the moment the light flared, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Pei Mu’s lips were an unnatural dark purple. Zhong Yizhu glanced over the cuts on his body, and quickly located his swollen, purplish left hand based on the cloth band tied around his arm. On the outside of the palm, he found two holes not far apart.

Zhong Yizhu’s heart clenched.

Snake venom.

A worker at Zhong’s Fragrance Shop had once been bitten by a snake while returning to his hometown for ancestral worship. He died before reaching the doctor. Zhong Yizhu had learned then that the most venomous snakes leave no time for reaction.

In the darkness, Zhong Yizhu’s frantic shouts startled a cluster of houses at the east end of the village.

Wang Ping’an and Chen Xiaorong, who were about to go to bed, immediately knew something was wrong and rushed to the Pei household.

They ran into Zhong Yizhu halfway, who was sprinting as if his life depended on it.

Chen Xiaorong steadied the panting man in front of him. “What happened, Zhu Ge’er?”

Zhong Yizhu slapped a money pouch into Wang Ping’an’s hand, gasping for breath. “Pei Mu was bitten by a snake… hurry, borrow Old Zhang’s ox cart to take him to town. I’m going to find Old Huang… Xiao Rong Ge, you watch over Pei Mu.”

Both Wang Ping’an and Chen Xiaorong were shocked. Knowing the urgency, Wang Ping’an turned without a word and ran toward Old Zhang’s house. Zhong Yizhu was about to go find Old Huang too—though Old Huang probably couldn’t cure it, he had to try every possible way to keep Pei Mu alive until they reached town.

But Chen Xiaorong grabbed him. “I’ll go. I’m faster. You go back and watch over Pei Xiongdi.”

Before the words faded, he had already run off.

Zhong Yizhu, not being a farmer, naturally lacked Chen Xiaorong’s speed. Seeing him disappear in a flash, Zhong Yizhu snapped back to reality. His mind racing, he ran back home.

He rushed into the bedroom, tucked the three-hundred-tael banknote close to his body, and stuffed all the loose silver they had saved into a money pouch. After a moment’s thought, he divided it into two pouches, wrapped them in a small bundle, and returned to the backyard to keep watch.

Zhong Yizhu couldn’t move Pei Mu, so he just laid him flat on the ground. He knelt beside him, dazed, as if still unable to fully accept this sudden turn of events. Only occasionally did he reach out to check Pei Mu’s breath, confirming he was still alive.

Soon, shouts from Old Zhang and Wang Ping’an came from outside. Zhong Yizhu answered to let them know where he was, and the two came running with lanterns.

Zhong Yizhu took a lantern to light the way while they carried Pei Mu out. By the time Pei Mu was settled on the ox cart, Chen Xiaorong had already arrived with Old Huang.

As expected, Old Huang took one look at Pei Mu and said it was bad—he couldn’t treat it. Zhong Yizhu hadn’t expected him to, so he nodded, muttered a quick thanks, and handed him a few copper coins.

Old Huang took the coins but pressed a medicine bottle into his hand. “I made this antidote myself. It might help him hold on a little longer.”

Zhong Yizhu tried to give him more money, but Old Huang waved him off. “Go now. Every moment counts.” Then he turned and left.

Zhong Yizhu couldn’t spare time to thank him. He turned back and grabbed Wang Ping’an, who was about to climb onto the cart to go with them to town.

“Ping’an Ge, I have an awkward request. I’m afraid the town doctor won’t know how to treat this, but going to Songyun County might waste too much time. Could you go to the county and bring a doctor to town? We have an acquaintance there named Gong Laosi, who lives at the third house east on Huiqin Alley. Ask him to help find the best doctor. Spend however much silver it takes.”

Zhong Yizhu’s face was pale, but his voice was eerily calm.

Wang Ping’an looked at him in surprise. The other two also hadn’t expected Zhong Yizhu to make such a bold decision, planning such a big operation to save Pei Mu.

Surprise aside, Wang Ping’an knew it was all to save a life. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered without hesitation. “No need to ask. Pei Mu is a brother to me. I’ll remember—I’ll bring the doctor for you.”

Zhong Yizhu handed him a pouch of silver. A gust of autumn wind from the mountains chilled him to the bone, so he hurried back inside to grab a coat.

He had just climbed onto the ox cart when Old Zhang cracked his whip and drove toward the village entrance.

Chen Xiaorong also got on the cart, holding a lantern in front to light the way. Wang Ping’an got off at the village fork and ran to the village head’s house. Soon, the ox cart sped out of Liushan Village, racing toward Chuiliu Town.

Zhong Yizhu half-lifted Pei Mu’s upper body, using his thin back to shield him from the cold wind rushing in from the front. He dressed Pei Mu in the new clothes he had made for him just two days ago.

The man who usually blocked the wind for him, warmed his hands, now lay motionless in his arms, barely any sign of life.

All around was silent and dark.

Only then did all the emotions come crashing down on him like a landslide.

Zhong Yizhu’s hands trembled as he wrapped the clothes around him, sobbing as he whispered.

“Pei Mu, please wake up, okay?”

“Look, this is the new clothes I made for you. If you don’t wake up, how will you know if they look good? I worked on them for days, my hands are sore…”

“You promised you’d come back safely. You lied to me.”

“Liars are dogs. We pinky-swore. You’re a dog.”

Zhong Yizhu pressed his cheek against Pei Mu’s neck, feeling the weak pulse there, crying uncontrollably. “Wake up, please… I’m begging you…”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the two up front were close—how could they not hear?

Chen Xiaorong wiped his own tears as he listened. Old Zhang, driving the cart, said nothing but let out a soft sigh, focusing entirely on the road ahead, determined to reach the town’s medical clinic as fast as possible.

The largest clinic in Chuiliu Town was called Renji Hall. It closed at sunset, but in urgent cases at night, they would take patients if necessary, though the consultation fee was much higher.

Chen Xiaorong knocked on Renji Hall’s door and helped carry Pei Mu inside to a bed. The apprentice lit the lamp so the doctor could examine him closely.

Zhong Yizhu’s whole body was chilled from the wind on the way; holding Pei Mu for so long had left half his body numb. But he felt nothing, staring at the doctor, waiting for his diagnosis.

Under the bright clinic lights, Pei Mu’s complexion and the color of the wound were even more visible—and even more alarming.

Zhong Yizhu’s eyes reddened with pain at just one glance. Even Pei Mu, who could endure so much, now frowned in agony. He couldn’t imagine how much it hurt.

A moment later, the doctor shook his head. Zhong Yizhu’s heart sank. As expected, the doctor said, “I’ve never seen this kind of snake venom. I can only try a general antidote formula. I can’t guarantee the effect. If you agree, I’ll have the apprentice prepare the medicine.”

Seeing Zhong Yizhu’s hesitation, the doctor added, “I can see several hours have passed since he was bitten. Any further delay might be too late.”

Zhong Yizhu gritted his teeth and nodded. “Then please, I’ll trouble you.”

"Use whatever medicine it takes. As long as you can save his life, you will be our lifesaver."

The doctor caught his meaning, understanding that there was no need to worry about the expense of the herbs—whatever worked would do. He nodded in acknowledgment and said, "I will do my best."

Before an incense stick had burned down, the young apprentice rushed over with the medicine, pouring it back and forth between bowls to cool it down. When it was ready, they fed Pei Mu the medicine.

Everyone was hoping the medicine would take effect, but none of their hopes were fulfilled. The wound on Pei Mu's hand looked even worse than before, and there was no sign of him waking up. Clearly, this prescription had almost no effect on him.

Zhong Yizhu sat by the bedside, holding Pei Mu's right hand and wiping the sweat of pain from his forehead. Pei Mu had many cuts on his body, even scrapes on his face. His handsome brows were furrowed unconsciously. It was impossible to know how many times he had fallen on his desperate journey home, only to force himself to get up and keep going, until he finally made it to the doorstep and collapsed.

Thinking of how Pei Mu had clung to the bamboo basket for carrying game until the very end, tears once again streamed down Zhong Yizhu's face. After the young apprentice finished applying the ointment, Zhong Yizhu leaned in to blow on the wound, his voice hoarse as he scolded, "You fool..."

The doctor had nothing else to say but to comfort Zhong Yizhu, telling him that the patient's strong will to survive might help him pull through.

Zhong Yizhu paid double the silver and mentioned that other doctors might be called in later by his family. The doctor did not drive them away, only said they could consider this room rented to them, and whatever other doctors did would have nothing to do with them.

Zhong Yizhu nodded decisively and pressed his thumbprint on the witness document brought by the apprentice.

He kept murmuring to Pei Mu, having begged and prayed countless times in his heart. Finally, Wang Pingan's voice sounded from outside the clinic.

Wang Pingan walked in with a middle-aged doctor carrying a medicine box, heading straight toward them.