"The cold has entered his body, and he suffered a shock on top of that. That is why he fainted."
Inside the room, after Doctor Bai took the pulse of Lu Danian on the bed, he said indifferently.
"Then is his condition serious?" Mother Lu asked anxiously.
"His physique is still quite robust, he can pull through."
Doctor Bai opened his old medicine chest, taking out paper and pen.
"Take a few doses of medicine to dispel the chill and let the pent-up anger subside. He will be fine."
At this, Mother Lu and Lu Chuan finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Doctor Bai lowered his head to write the prescription, handing it to Mother Lu after he finished:
"He can no longer overexert himself during this period, nor can he catch a chill. Above all, he must not get angry again."
Mother Lu clutched the prescription, and upon seeing the silver coins written upon it, her fingers shook violently.
No matter in which era, seeing a doctor was never a trivial matter, especially now during a year of famine.
She took several scattered pieces of silver from her sleeve. These were the family's last money, originally saved to get through the winter.
Counting out some, she handed them to Doctor Bai: "Doctor Bai... sorry for the trouble."
Doctor Bai silently took them and began to dispense medicine from his own medicine chest.
After seeing the doctor out and leaving only Lu Chuan in the room, Mother Lu's tears finally rolled down.
She cried out aggrievedly: "What kind of nonsense is this... That good grandson of his wants to practice martial arts, so he should pay for it himself! Why... why covet our Snow Fox? That's what your father almost risked his life to bring back..."
"Mother," Lu Chuan stepped forward to support her trembling shoulders,
"Realizing what kind of people they are sooner might not be a bad thing."
Originally he had wanted to keep the matter of the Snow Fox from Mother Lu, for after all, even if she knew, it would only cause her anger and harm her health.
Yet the villagers all knew about this matter, so it could not be hidden.
"But... but what do we do now?" Mother Lu raised her head, her eyes filled with despair,
"Once your father's medicine money is paid, the family will be completely empty! How are we going to live the days ahead..."
Lu Chuan looked at the weeping mother, then at his unconscious father on the bed, and a sense of unwillingness arose in his heart.
Originally, when he saw Lu Danian bring back that Snow Fox, his mood was exceptionally good, since the problem of getting through the winter could be resolved, and he could use the remaining silver coins to properly put his transmigrator skills to work.
Yet now, the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Not only was the Snow Fox snatched away, but even his father was angered into a collapse.
What frustrated him the most was that he vainly possessed an equipment slot, but had no weapons he could record.
After all, ironware was exorbitantly expensive. The only things in the family that could count as weapons were that kitchen knife and the firewood chopper; you certainly couldn't expect a hunter's family to have any sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bows, or crossbows...
A bow?
Suddenly, a trace of pleasant surprise flashed in Lu Chuan's eyes.
He saw that old hunting bow hanging on the mud wall.
How could I have forgotten this?
His own family was made up of hunters, and there were a full two hunting bows!
In his memories, the original owner had indeed only touched a bow a few times, and his accuracy and experience fell far short.
Yet he was different. Once this bow was recorded, he feared he could quickly become an outstanding archer!
"Mother, I want to go up the mountain to take a look." Lu Chuan stared at the bow on the wall and suddenly spoke.
"You alone?" Mother Lu stopped crying,
"No! How old are you? In the past when your father took you up the mountain, that was only wandering around nearby. Once you really go deep into the mountain, there are many fork roads and fierce beasts, and you can't even draw a bow accurately..."
Lu Chuan interrupted instead:
"Mother, rest assured. I remember a few places that might have wild game. I'll just wander around the outskirts, try my luck, trap a rabbit, catch a mountain pheasant, or even unearth a few bird eggs. It will always amount to something."
"You... since you are bent on going, Mother cannot stop you."
She randomly wiped her tears with her hand,
"You just wait. Since you are going up the mountain to risk your life, it won't do to have no solid food in your belly to hold you over. It's freezing cold outside, how can you have strength with an empty stomach?"
As she spoke, she turned to walk outside, "I'll... I'll think of a way to see if I can borrow some grain first, so I can at least make you a full meal."
Lu Chuan knew that his mother was going to beg others to borrow grain.
Yet with this year's great drought, every single household in Kaoshan Village was strapped for cash. Who still had sufficient surplus grain to lend out?
He held no hope for this.
However, to the surprise of both mother and son, the moment Mother Lu pushed open that battered wooden door, someone was actually standing outside the door.
It was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old young girl, wearing a patched yet clean old padded cotton jacket. Her cheeks were frozen bright red, and she was standing timidly before the door.
It was their neighbor, the Zhao Family's daughter, Zhao Chunfang.
The Zhao Family had five members: her parents, her, and two young younger brothers. Their life was slightly better than the Lu Family's, but it was still barely enough to make ends meet.
"Sister Chunfang?" Mother Lu was stunned. "Why have you come over? It's cold outside, hurry inside."
When Zhao Chunfang saw Mother Lu, she then caught sight of Lu Chuan standing inside the room. A trace of imperceptible bashfulness flashed across her face, and she nodded gently.
She pushed forward a cloth bag she had been cradling inside her bosom all along, her voice gentle:
"Auntie, my father and mother... heard about Uncle Lu's matter. The family's stored grain isn't much either and we can't spare much, but this is five catties of coarse cornmeal. You can use it to tide yourselves over first."
Hearing this, Mother Lu's eyes instantly turned red.
What was the saying that a distant relative was not as good as a close neighbor?
Her own biased old patriarch had snatched away the life-saving Snow Fox, angering Lu Danian until he fainted on the spot.
Yet this unrelated neighbor, whose own family was also struggling, had ruthlessly squeezed out a full five catties of rations from between their teeth!
"Sister Chunfang, this... this won't do!" Mother Lu's voice choked with sobs,
"If this grain is given to us, what will your family of five do?"
"It's fine, Auntie." Zhao Chunfang shook her head, shoving the cloth bag into Mother Lu's hands,
"First let Uncle Lu get his body well. Getting through the crisis right now is what's important."
After she finished speaking, she raised her eyes to look once more at the silent Lu Chuan beside them, and spoke softly: "Brother Chuanzi... goodbye."
Then she turned and left at a run.
Lu Chuan looked at the young girl's retreating figure, and a warm current surged in the bottom of his heart: What a truly good family...
With grain in her hands, Mother Lu no longer delayed and turned straight into the kitchen:
"Chuanzi, you wait. Mother will make you some dry rations right now! Only when you eat your fill will you have the strength to go up the mountain!"
Lu Chuan gave a response, his gaze falling once more upon that old, weathered hunting bow on the wall.
The bow body was rough, yet the animal-tendon string upon it remained taut.
"Alright, now let me see what kind of comprehension you actually hold?"
He reached out his hand and grasped the bow body.
At that very instant, a strange change suddenly occurred!
If you feel that this book is good, to avoid not finding it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf!
Before you continue