Chapter 32

  The family returned to the house with Song Yunshan. He thought that since they were going to find a doctor from afar, they might as well go even further. North of the northern outpost, there was a vilge called Luma Vilge, where an old doctor lived. It was said that he had practiced in the city in his early years but returned to his hometown after he got older. Although he no longer officially practiced medicine, he still treated simple illnesses for the locals.

  The reason Song Yunshan thought of him was that this old doctor was particurly skilled in making medicine and had a deep understanding of herbs.

  Early on the fifth day of the lunar new year, Song Yunshan ate the traditional dumplings for the occasion and set off. Song Yuncheng went with him, as this matter concerned the continuation of the Song family line and couldn't be taken lightly.

  Luma vilge was farther than they had imagined, located deep in the forest. The vilge was nestled in a valley within the Qing Mountains. Daniu had been there before during her mountain patrols. The vilgers lived off hunting, but they had their own hunting grounds and generally didn't interfere with others.

  Song Yunshan invited the old doctor and brought him back to Daniu's house first. The journey was so long that by the time they arrived, it was already evening. If they went to the Song family's house, it would be past midnight.

  The old doctor was very kind and didn't refuse the Song family's invitation. Since it was already the fifth day of the new year, there were no taboos about traveling, so he agreed to come. Daniu knew the old doctor. Once, during a snowstorm while she was patrolling the mountains, she had taken shelter in his vilge and stayed at his house for a few days. During that time, she had learned some herbal knowledge from him. The old doctor was impressed by how quickly Daniu learned—she remembered everything after hearing it just once. He was delighted to teach her about herbs, and by the end, Daniu could recognize all the medicinal pnts around Tiger Ridge.

  "As soon as I heard it was your family, I came right away. It's been a long time since you st visited. I wanted to see if you had any good herbs," the old doctor said with a smile as he sat on the kang bed.

  "I went patrolling the mountains before the new year, but I didn't go near your vilge. I sent the other herbs to the commune, but I saved something special for you," Daniu said. She went to the west room and took out a box from the cabinet. Inside the box were several cloth bundles. Daniu picked out a small one and brought it back to the east room, handing it to him. "What do you think?"

  The old doctor took the bundle and opened it. "Oh, a hundred-year-old ginseng! You're even more skilled than the professional ginseng hunters."

  Daniu smiled. "I just cover a lot of ground." Ever since she was a child and tasted ginseng seeds, she had never forgotten the fvor. Whenever she went into the mountains, she could always find wild ginseng. However, Daniu didn't use this skill to make money. With her sense of smell, if she really focused on ginseng hunting, no one else would stand a chance. So, she only picked what was appropriate, like this hundred-year-old ginseng, which she picked from deep in the mountains because there was another rge ginseng pnt nearby, and the two were too close together, which wasn't good for their growth.

  Now, she had a mental map of all the ginseng pnts she had discovered. Each time she found one, a dot lit up in her mind. Even if some were harvested by other hunters, Daniu wouldn't mind. She could always find more, as long as she traveled far enough.

  This hundred-year-old ginseng could fetch a high price, even in these times—up to a hundred yuan. Of course, if sold to the commune pharmacy, the price would be much lower.

  The old doctor examined it and said, "I'll take this ginseng." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth-wrapped item.

  Daniu knew he was about to offer money and quickly stopped him. "Please, don't. Consider this my gift to you. You taught me so much back then, and this ginseng was meant for you anyway."

  The old doctor looked up at Daniu and smiled. "Alright, I'll accept it." He then turned to Song Yunshan. "We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning to check your house. If it's really as you say, it's not incurable."

  Song Yunshan was visibly moved. "Thank you so much, old doctor."

  * * *

  Early the next morning, Song Yunshan, Song Yuncheng, Dali, and Daniu set off with the old doctor to the Song family home. Dali had taken the day off and insisted on going to his grandfather's house, so he joined them. Daniu went along because she was worried and had nothing else to do.

  Before they even reached the vilge entrance, they saw Song Yunfeng running toward them in a panic. "You're finally back! Dad fainted this morning."

  "What happened?" Song Yunshan asked, shocked.

  "Did Dad find out?" Song Yuncheng guessed why his father had fainted.

  "Yes, Dad noticed that we swapped rooms with Zhigang and asked about it. Your sister-in-w couldn't keep it to herself and told him everything. When he heard, he fainted."

  "Quick, let's get home. We have the doctor with us," Song Yuncheng said, urging the sled forward. However, he wasn't used to farm work and wasn't skilled at driving the horse. Daniu took the reins and sped up the sled.

  When they arrived at the house, everyone rushed inside.

  Old Man Song had already regained consciousness, but he was lying down with a towel over his forehead, his face flushed red.

  On the north kang bed, the old dy, who had been carried over by someone, sat beside the old man, holding his hand and murmuring, "Don't be angry, don't be angry." Her face didn't look good either, but she was too worried about her husband to dwell on her own discomfort.

  The doctor entered the room, took off his coat, and sat down to check the old man's pulse. After a while, his expression rexed. "It's nothing serious—just a sudden surge of anger. His health is otherwise fine." The doctor opened an octagonal box from his bag, which contained eight smaller boxes without any bels. He took out one of the boxes and opened it. "There are three pills here. Take one every day on an empty stomach. Half an hour ter, have him drink a bowl of porridge. For the next three days, avoid meat and alcohol. There are no other dietary restrictions. Has he eaten lunch yet? If not, give him one pill now and another at the same time tomorrow."

  "He hasn't eaten yet. He didn't have breakfast either," Sister-in-w Song quickly replied. Her eyes were red, as she bmed herself for not holding back when the old man asked her questions earlier, which had caused him to become so upset.

  "Then give him the pill now and cook some porridge. Make sure it's not too hot—just warm," the doctor instructed, handing the pill to Sister-in-w Song. "Keep the other two pills safe, but don't leave them on the kang bed where it's too warm."

  After giving these instructions, the doctor turned to Daniu and said, "Your grandfather's condition isn't serious. He'll recover after taking the medicine, but if he gets angry again in the future, it could happen again, and next time it might be worse. When you have time, come to my pce and pick up some medicine. I'll prepare it for him. He should take it for a month starting next spring and then another month after summer. That should be enough to fully recover." As people age, even minor illnesses can leave sting effects, and strong medicine can't be used. The only option is gradual recuperation.

  The old man took the pill, and the effects were almost immediate. His face lost its redness, and after about ten minutes, he let out a long sigh, as if the pressure in his chest had been released. He seemed much more rexed.

  "Thank you for your trouble. I'm old and can't handle even the smallest things anymore," Old Man Song sighed.

  "It was probably triggered by the alcohol you've been drinking these past few days. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been this severe," the old doctor expined.

  "That's true. It's the New Year, and everyone was in high spirits, so I drank a bit more," Old Man Song said, slowly sitting up. "I'm sorry to trouble you with our family's problems."

  The old doctor stood up. "Don't worry about it. For Shun's sake, I'll do my best."

  The old doctor then went to Song Zhigang's room. As soon as the door opened, he frowned before even stepping inside. He paused for a moment, then entered, sniffing the air. He immediately looked at the kang bed and said, "Lift the kang mat."

  Song Zhigang and Song Zhiqiang quickly went in and lifted the mat.

  The old doctor sniffed again. "It's definitely musk." He examined the area carefully. "How long has this kang bed been here?"

  "Five years," Song Zhigang replied.

  The old doctor thought for a moment. "If the musk had been mixed with mud, it wouldn't have sted this long. I think the musk wasn't fully dispersed. If it's convenient for you, dismantle the kang bed and search for it. There might be other things besides musk."

  "Let's dismantle it," Song Yunfeng said firmly.

  The men quickly got to work, moving all the furniture and the kang cabinet out of the room. Meanwhile, the old doctor checked Liu Yue's pulse. Liu Yue was lying on the bed, her eyes swollen from crying. She had completely broken down after hearing the news that morning. She had been married for so many years, longing for a child. She remembered going to the doctor over a year after her marriage, and the doctor had told her that her body was weak but that she could conceive if she took good care of herself.

  Her family had never looked down on her for it. Instead, they had made sure she ate well. Even during tough times, she never missed a daily egg. A year ter, she finally became pregnant, and the whole family was overjoyed. But not long after, she had a miscarriage.

  Now she realized it must have been around the time the kang bed was built. The family had finally become a little better off and partitioned the room. Who could have imagined this would happen?

  Since then, she had never been able to conceive again. Liu Yue couldn't stop crying—not just for herself, but for the entire family. If it hadn't been for her uncle and aunt worrying about Zhao Xi getting cold and switching rooms, would the Song family have been doomed to be extinct?

  Daniu didn't know how to comfort her. She could only sit beside Liu Yue and pat her shoulder. She bmed herself for not staying longer during her visits over the years. In the early days, she had been busy learning from her grandfather in the mountains, and each visit had only sted a day. Back then, she had thought it inappropriate to enter her cousin's and sister-in-w's room, so she had never gone in. Liu Yue was a neat and tidy person, and her room was always spotless, so even when Daniu visited, she rarely entered.

  Over the past two years, Daniu had always been in a hurry, never staying overnight. If only she had discovered this earlier.

  The old doctor finished checking Liu Yue's pulse and pondered for a moment. "Her pulse shows that her body has indeed been damaged."

  "Can it be treated? Will it affect her health?" Sister-in-w Song asked.

  The old doctor nodded. "There will be some effects. She's been exposed for too long, and it will take a long time to recover. Moreover, she must not try to conceive for at least three years, or it could be very dangerous for her."

  Liu Yue sat up abruptly. "Doctor, are you saying I can still get pregnant?"

  The old doctor nodded again. "But you'll need to take some herbal medicine to regute your body. Also, you must not get pregnant for the next three years, or you could easily miscarry, which would further harm your health. Even after three years, you'll need to be very careful during pregnancy."

  Liu Yue burst into tears.

  Sister-in-w Song hugged her. "It's okay, it's okay. We'll do our best to treat you. Father and I have some savings. We'll use the next three years to focus on rebuilding your health."

  Liu Yue nodded through her tears.

  Seeing both women crying, Daniu changed the subject. "Could you please check the rest of the family?" After all, both kang beds had the same smell, and there was no guarantee that others hadn't been affected.

  The old doctor nodded and checked Zhao Xi's pulse. Sure enough, she had also been affected, but only slightly. Since she had given birth and had a good postpartum recovery, there were no major issues. As long as she avoided further exposure, she would be fine.

  The child, however, had been affected in the womb and was born with some congenital weaknesses. This would require careful nurturing. If the child could grow healthily until the age of seven, there should be no further problems. "I'll prescribe some medicine to strengthen the spleen and nourish the body. Take three doses. It's a mild medicine, and it will have some effect on the child when you breastfeed."

  "Thank you, doctor," Zhao Xi said, holding her child with gratitude. Her child had always been weak, and she had been deeply worried. Now, with the doctor's reassurance, she felt more at ease.

  The others didn't have major issues; as long as they avoided further contact, their health would gradually improve. However, Da Niu noticed that the old man seemed to be hiding something. Just as she was thinking of finding a chance to ask him, a sudden shout came from the back room: "Found it!"