Chapter Twelve Indeed

  The rooster crowed three times, the east became bright, a courier got up with a start, saw himself sleeping in the corner of the wall, under him was straw, beside him was an extinguished torch, for a moment he was somewhat bewildered.

  He remembered that last night at midnight, a lot of people came, the house was packed to the point where it couldn't accommodate any more, and they noisily watched a scene of cutting flesh to cure an illness...

  A clever and alert courier looked around, quiet and still, occasionally with the sound of mules braying and kicking the ground, but no human voices, let alone a noisy crowd.

  The ghosts of Tianming dispersed...

  It's really... bad luck, isn't it?

  "Big brother, big brother, the medicine is done..."

  A hoarse shout of a man came out from the relay station.

  The courier hastily turned his head and saw a man rushing out from the direction of the stove with a bowl in hand, running towards a room.

  A man stood at the door of the house.

  "Hurry up and give Old Three something to drink," he said.

  "Haven't woken up yet? How can you drink?"

  "The daughter said to use a funnel to pour..."

  Confused voices came from inside the house.

  It's not a dream, nor is it a nightmare, the courier let out a sigh of relief, last night was truly a medical rescue.

  But can it be saved? It's been messed up with knives, fire and all sorts of rotten things.

  When daylight broke, people with doubts gathered in the yard, exchanging stories of last night while peeking into the rooms where the soldiers were staying, and those who had packed their carts forgot to hurry on their journey.

  "Can you save him?"

  "It's just like that, struggling so much, even if you're not sick, it's still going to take half your life away..."

  There is a lot of discussion in the courtyard.

  Mr. Chen Si was awake all night in his room, and only leaned on the couch for a while, listening to the noise outside. He quickly sat up.

  "How is it? Is he dead?" he asked.

  The little servant outside stuck his head in and paused for a moment.

  "Not yet, I think he just took his medicine."

  Mr. Chen furrowed his brow and smiled wryly.

  "Is that medicine too?" he said.

  Randomly grabbed a handful of grass, scraped the pot bottom ash and whatnot, and simmered out some miscellaneous stuff.

  "Master, shall we set out? It's already daylight." The young servant asked.

  They should have been on their way by now.

  Mr. Chen hesitated for a moment and shook his head.

  "Wait for a moment," he said.

  What's going on? The young servant looked puzzled.

  Why aren't you in a hurry at this time?

  Time seems to be passing very slowly, and the people in the courtyard are getting impatient, while those inside the house are pacing back and forth restlessly.

  "Big brother, can third brother really be okay?" someone asked.

  The man at the front sat on the ground, looking at the man who was covered with a quilt and seemed to be asleep, without saying a word.

  "Can these things really cure illnesses?" someone else said. Unable to bear it any longer, she sat down and lifted the man's quilt with her hand.

  The man's clothes had been cut to shreds, leaving only a few strips to cover his shame. The wounds on the outside were covered in white and green, looking particularly frightening.

  "Hmm... cold..."

  Someone muttered.

  "What's with all this 'cold' nonsense...?" The man tossing the quilt over him raised his head, glaring and shouting, but his words trailed off mid-sentence.

  "What's wrong?" Others noticed his abnormality and asked in a hurry.

  "Cold... cold..." the man stuttered.

  "What nonsense are you spouting!" The person standing next to him slapped him on the head with a scowl.

  "It's not me who said it was cold." The man shouted with his head in his hands, the quilt he had pulled over also loosened. "It was Old Three, it was Third Brother who said it was cold!"

  A moment of quiet in the room.

  The man sitting in front suddenly sat up straight, his hands clenched tightly on his knees, staring at the man lying down.

  "Old Three, how are you?" he asked in a trembling voice.

  Everyone else held their breath, staring at the man with unblinking eyes, as if an eternity had passed. Or perhaps just a single gasp.

  "Hmm... I'm thirsty..."

  A low, weak and hoarse voice sounded.

  The house let out an earth-shattering howl, the windows were shaking violently. The people outside were so scared that they almost jumped up.

  Then there was a loud crash, and several men rushed out. The half-gate was knocked down, crashing to the ground, startling the people in the yard once again.

  "Hey, hey, you little scamp! You've damaged the doors and windows. This is going to cost you money!" The courier standing in the courtyard waiting for news of life or death shouted out with a wave of his hand.

  This relay station is not big, with two courtyards in front and back. The howling sound from the front can also be heard at the same time from the back.

  Mr. Chen sprang up with a flip of his body.

  To be or not to be?

  "Master, those men are kneeling in front of the mistress's house to thank her." The young servant shouted with a joyful face, "She's awake!"

  Really? Indeed?

  Mr. Chen stepped out quickly and saw three men rushing towards Chang Qiangniang's house and knocking on the door.

  "Don't make a noise." The maid opened the door with a look of displeasure and said in a low voice, "The mistress is still sleeping."

  Several men immediately held their breath and remained silent.

  When Mr. Chen arrived at the front, the doorway of the man's house was packed with people, all craning to get a glimpse inside.

  "Go away, go away, get out."

  The men who came running from the backyard roared fiercely, dispersing the crowd and leading Old Master Chen into the house.

  The man under the quilt on the couch was motionless, while the two men were clumsily pouring water.

  Mr. Chen walked forward to take a look and saw that the man's face was pale, his eyes were tightly closed, and he was breathing rapidly.

  Is this... alive?

  As if sensing his thoughts, the man suddenly opened his eyes.

  Mr. Chen raised his body slightly without being noticed.

  Eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

  With just these eyes, there is no dead air at all.

  Mr. Chen nodded and shifted his gaze away, and the man closed his eyes again.

  Turning this way, Old Master Chen's footsteps were light and his face was filled with joy. He looked up to see that Chang Jiao's daughter had already put on her cloak and come out under the corridor.

  "My dear, did you sleep well?" He hurried forward with a smile and said.

  Jiang Yao's face was half-hidden under her hood, and the corner of her mouth seemed to curve upwards.

  "Are we leaving?" she asked.

  It seemed like a nonsensical sentence, but Chen Sifu's eyes widened slightly, and his heart felt a little empty.

  "Is the young lady rested? Then let's set off." he said.

  As the sun rose high, the commotion in the yard had dissipated. Although I didn't get to see what that man looked like, judging from the delight on the faces of the other men, everyone understood that he was indeed saved.

  This wonderful affair has a beginning and an end, enough to be talked about, and everyone is satisfied with their own pursuits.

  The inn also welcomed new guests, and yesterday's idle talk was already covered up in the noise.

  Jiang Jiang was stopped by a man who followed her as she walked in front of the horse carriage.

  First, he knocked his head in gratitude, then lifted it up, with a hint of shame.

  "We have no money, and the doctor's fee can only be owed. I'll ask my wife to come over and we will definitely pay it back later." he said.

  Jiang Nang said oh.

  "Don't you have money?" she asked.

  The woman's voice was wooden, and it sounded like there was sarcasm in her tone when heard in the ear. The three men lowered their heads even lower.

  "We'll pay you back later!" One of them couldn't help but shout, his neck stretched out, his face flushed with a mix of shame and anger.

  Jiang Yao turned her head to look at him.

  "You have no money, and it's not a glorious thing, yet you're so self-righteous. What are you doing?" she said.