Huo Duan was almost going crazy.
Gu Fengyan was puzzled. "My maternal grandfather's husky is named Gu Shuai, and his nickname is Baobei. He's very attached to me. What's wrong with that?"
Husky?
Huo Duan's lips twitched... Gu Fengyan actually treated him like a dog?!
"It's alright, I'm fine." After thinking for a moment, he immediately relaxed, closed his eyes, and asked Gu Fengyan to take off his outer garment.
So what if it's a dog... at least it's not a girlfriend or boyfriend or anything like that. Huo Duan was somewhat relieved, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smile.
A note from the author:
A bald little monster: Mr. Huo, why are you being so humble? Can't you stand up straight?! (Disdainful face)
Mr. Huo: I'm my wife's big dog... big dog... hehe... hehe. (Eyes full of hearts, pink bubbles appear)
A certain bald little monster: (Looks at Young Master Gu)
Young Master Gu: Don't look at me, I didn't do anything. (Shrugs)
A bald little monster: This kid is hopeless. (Facepalm) Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-06-14 23:44:14 and 2022-06-15 23:08:27!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Some more villagers came to the courtyard, and Zhang A's wife alone probably couldn't handle it all, so Gu Fengyan helped Huo Duan to bed and then quickly went out.
The courtyard was bustling with villagers who had come to sell medicinal herbs. Aunt Zhang had already taken a bamboo basket and asked someone to pour the herbs into it, but she really didn't know how to use the scale. When she saw Gu Fengyan come out of the house, she was overjoyed. "Brother Yan, come quickly. I can do some physical work, but this kind of mental work is for you young people."
"Sister-in-law is very capable." Gu Fengyan said as she took the steelyard and, with the help of the villagers, weighed the medicinal herbs.
Gu Fengyan wrote down the weight and amount of money on a piece of paper and buried himself in counting the money for the villagers.
Several acquaintances chatted during a break.
"Look at Sister Zhang, she just got a job as the boss's assistant through the back door. She doesn't have to work in the sun and wind. Unlike us, we have to climb all over the mountain all day long, and we're exhausted." A villager who loves to joke teased Sister Zhang as she worked hard.
Although Zhang A's wife was feisty, she could also joke. Upon hearing this, she turned around and laughed, "Which unlucky person is gossiping? Instead of wasting time, why don't you try to curry favor with Xia Yan'er? Who knows, next time you might be the one standing here."
After being scolded by Zhang A's wife, the man chuckled sullenly, "Just kidding... Speaking of which, Erdan used to be inseparable from his husband, so why isn't he here today?"
Gu Fengyan kept his head down, absentminded, and didn't listen to their conversation.
"And you're still talking," Aunt Zhang said, seeing that he didn't agree, she explained to the man, "Erdan said he caught a cold last night from the wind. I saw that he was so listless that he couldn't even lift his head, so I told someone to go and rest, and I'll help watch over him for a while."
Upon hearing that Huo Duan had caught a cold, a mischievous fellow with ill intentions joked, "It must be because the couple fought in bed last night and Huo didn't get the blanket, so he caught a cold."
The surrounding villagers let out a harmless laugh.
Gu Fengyan looked up from the ledger when he heard that the words seemed to be directed at him and Huo Duan, but he didn't know what was going on. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Yan-ge'er, quickly cover your ears, don't listen to these people's gossiping." Zhang A-sao knew he had something on his mind as soon as she saw him, and scolded the mischievous man back, "Don't talk nonsense, or I'll tear your mouth apart!"
The group laughed and chatted for a while, but they were also worried about Huo Duan.
"Yan-ge'er, is Erdan alright? This child has been frail since childhood, but he has a kind heart. We've watched him grow up. If there's anything we can help with, just let us know," said a middle-aged aunt who lives nearby.
Gu Fengyan was touched and smiled, "Thank you, Auntie. I'll ask Mr. Liang to come and take a look after I'm done here."
After a few more familiar villagers asked a few questions, Gu Fengyan finally settled the bill with them.
Including the 150-plus wen paid out earlier, the villagers were paid a total of 800-plus wen, and the medicinal herbs purchased totaled more than 200-300 jin.
Zhang A's wife and Gu Fengyan were busy until sunset, and the Huo family's courtyard was piled high with live medicinal herbs, making it almost impossible to find a place to step.
While Uncle Huo was weeding in the vegetable garden behind the house, he didn't keep an eye on the chicks and ducklings who came sniffing the scent and happily pecking at the tender leaves of the medicinal herbs.
"Sister-in-law, rest inside. I'll go check on Erdan and then cook." Gu Fengyan gathered up the account books and writing materials and waved to shoo away the chickens and ducks.
Aunt Zhang helped him pack his things and brought him inside. "Okay, go check on him. If Erdan is alright, I'll go back too. His father is coming home for dinner today, and I need to go back and prepare the meal."
Gu Fengyan agreed before heading to the bedroom.
The window inside wasn't closed tightly, letting in a draft. Huo Duan was sleeping soundly, his face tilted back towards the window.
Gu Fengyan went over and touched his forehead; the temperature was still normal. Relieved, he closed the door and went out.
"How is it?" Aunt Zhang asked, standing in the yard with a basket on her shoulder.
Gu Fengyan smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I'll cook and then wake him up to eat. After that, I'll ask Mr. Liang to prescribe some medicine, and he should be fine."
"Alright, I'll head back now. Let me know if anything comes up."
After Zhang A-sao finished speaking, Gu Fengyan escorted her to the gate of the courtyard, thanked her, and then went to the back of the courtyard to find Huo A-die.
The baby bok choy in the field had grown beautifully and was tender. Gu Fengyan picked a handful, intending to make Huo Duan a bowl of slightly lighter plain noodles. Huo's father was pulling weeds from among the eggplants and tomatoes.
"Father, I'll go cook, you don't need to bother." Gu Fengyan plucked the yellow leaves from the greens and tossed them to the chicks and ducks.
"I'm just busy doing nothing; these weeds can be used to feed the chickens and ducks." Father Huo stretched his stiff back. "Is Erdan still not feeling well?"
Gu Fengyan lowered his eyes and nodded, "Yes, I'll tell him to sleep for a while, and after we eat, I'll call Mr. Liang to come and take a look."
Although Huo's father was strict with Huo Duan, he was still very worried about him.
Hearing this, he sighed, "I'll cook with you, and we'll eat early so we can go invite Mr. Liang. You can't stay sick like this forever."
Gu Fengyan agreed and went to the kitchen to prepare.
The piece of cured meat that Huo Xiuling gave me last time is still hanging on the wall, but I haven't had time to cook it yet. It's perfect with some dried bamboo shoots.
Uncle Huo brought firewood to help start the fire. The rice was steamed, Gu Fengyan soaked the dried bamboo shoots, washed the cured meat and sliced it thinly... and finally they were all stir-fried together.
He finished cooking for Huo A's father and then cooked a bowl of light Yangchun noodles for Huo Duan. Not knowing how much he would like it, Gu Fengyan still cooked an egg yolk and placed it on top.
Today was a busy day. By the time I finished cooking, it was already dark. Gu Fengyan lit a lamp by the fire in the stove. "Father, I'll go call Brother Duan. You eat first."
The table was placed in the small kitchen, and Father Huo set out the food. "Go ahead, I'll make some soup."
Gu Fengyan carried the lamp into the bedroom, but Huo Duan remained silent.
"Mr. Huo, dinner's ready. Get up and let me see you." He put the lamp away and whispered in the bedside.
Huo Duan didn't move.
"President Huo?" Gu Fengyan called out again, instinctively sensing something was wrong, and quickly grabbed a lamp to shine it on him—
Huo Duan's face was burning red.
"Father! Father!" Gu Fengyan ran out of the door, shouting in a panic.
Just as Huo's father was ladling out the soup, he heard him call out and hurried out, "What's wrong, Yan'er?"
"Something's wrong with Brother Duan! You watch the house, I'll go get Mr. Liang." Gu Fengyan walked out of the yard, feeling very flustered.
The villagers said that Huo Duan had been in poor health since childhood and needed to be carefully watched when he was sick.
Huo Duanming was clearly in so much pain, how come he didn't care at all?
In this era, medical care is so backward that it's unimaginable. What if... what if... Huo Duan were to die like this?
Gu Fengyan was overwhelmed by unprecedented fear and ran towards Liang Chengze's house as fast as he could.
A flash of lightning occasionally illuminated the dark horizon, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.
It's going to rain.
It rained heavily in the middle of the night, and the whole Heqing Village was asleep, but the Huo family on the other side of the river was still brightly lit.
Liang Cheng grabbed Huo Duan's wrist and examined him closely, his eyebrows furrowing like a bun with eighteen pleats. "Young Huo caught a chill at night, and the moisture got into his body, causing a cold."
Gu Fengyan half-held Huo Duan, who was trembling all over, and suddenly remembered that he had been like this before. At that time, Huo Duan also half-held him in his arms and coaxed him to take medicine.
"Mr. Liang, please prescribe the medicine. I'll go and decoct it for him." Gu Fengyan wrapped Huo Duan in a blanket.
How did he recover last time? It seems he took some fever-reducing capsules that Huo Duan got from some system.
Liang Cheng had heard about the symptoms beforehand, and his medicine box contained the medicinal materials needed for the treatment.
“Ephedra, apricot kernel, roasted licorice root… no good,” he said, looking at the herbs, but suddenly paused. “We’re missing a sprig of Elsholtzia ciliata. Quick! Yan’er, check your pile of herbs to see if you have any sprigs of Elsholtzia ciliata. We don’t need many, just one will do.”
Without the medicinal herbs, Huo Duan's illness would likely become very dangerous.
Gu Fengyan's heart clenched again. "I'll go check on him. Father, you watch over Duan Ge."
"Go ahead, I'll take care of things here." Earlier, when he heard that Huo Duan was seriously ill, Huo's father had already secretly cried once. At this moment, he hurriedly wrung out a wet cloth to wipe Huo Duan's face and hands.
Gu Fengyan was flustered and bumped into stool legs along the way, wincing in pain, but he didn't have time to care and just went to the courtyard to find medicinal herbs.
The weather can change in an instant. It started raining when he went to find Liang Chengze. The medicinal herbs piled up in the yard hadn't been collected yet, but Father Huo managed to cover some of them with an oilcloth.
The thunder was still rumbling, and most of the unripe peaches in the yard had been knocked down and were soaking in the water. The ducklings and chickens couldn't sleep either, chirping and quacking. Gu Fengyan braved the rain to search for fragrant herbs under the oilcloth.
My heart was clenched tightly.
However, after two rounds, he was greatly disappointed—not a single one of the medicinal herbs in the courtyard was Elsholtzia ciliata!
What should we do?
Gu Fengyan panicked immediately. He rushed in and asked Liang Chengze, "Mr. Liang, there's no fragrant elm in the courtyard. Is there any other way?"
Upon hearing this, Father Huo panicked, and the handkerchief fell into the basin with a thud, splashing water all over the floor. "What should we do... Is it possible to use other medicinal herbs instead?"
The effects and processing methods of medicinal herbs are all different, so how can they be substituted for one another? Father Huo didn't understand these things, but Gu Fengyan, though frantic with worry, still remembered this clearly.
"Mr. Liang, please take care of Huo Duan with my father. I'll be right back," he said before Liang Cheng could speak. He had already picked up the lamp and the straw raincoat hanging on the wall.
He vaguely remembered encountering a fragrant herb on his way up the mountain last time, and if he was lucky, he should be able to pick it.
"Yan-ge'er!" Father Huo called from behind, only to see the boy rush out the door. He could only anxiously stamp his cane, "Isn't this reckless?!"
Liang Cheng was also taken aback by this young man.
It was dark and raining on the mountain, and the roads were slippery, so you might get lost.
“Brother Huo, please calm down. Wild beasts won’t come out while it’s raining, and Yan’er is safe for now,” Liang Cheng said, frowning as he pondered. “How about this, I’ll go find him and bring him back. You just keep an eye on Huo.”
Father Huo thanked him profusely, but then felt useless and unable to help, and wiped away his tears in distress.
...
Gu Fengyan followed the path to the middle of the mountain. The heavy rain lashed down, and the distant woods looked like roaring monsters, churning and turning.