Uncle Bai was jolted awake by those words, as if someone had suddenly shaken him out of a dream.
“Humph! Let’s hope so. Otherwise, if he really becomes crippled, I’m not going to support a useless freeloader. I’ll kick him out of the Bai family and cut all ties with him!”
After listening to the couple’s conversation, Liu Ye was stunned.
My goodness… From the sound of it, Brother Bai had been injured—and bitten by a wolf! That had to be serious.
She looked toward Bai Zilin’s room. It was the same room he had entered yesterday—the most dilapidated one in the Bai household, a shabby little side room on the eastern end of the yard.
Lying on the grass, she frowned with worry.
Brother Bai was hurt, so why was his father talking like that? Wasn’t Brother Bai the Bai family’s only son? Shouldn’t his parents cherish him and feel sorry for him?
Yet from what she had heard, his position in the family seemed almost the same as hers in the Liu household—someone nobody particularly cared about.
She couldn’t make sense of it.
Then again, maybe she had misunderstood. Perhaps his father was simply speaking in anger. Brother Bai was handsome, strong, and skilled at hunting. How could his parents not like him? He wasn’t a fool like she was.
Yes, she had probably misunderstood.
As she thought about it, Liu Ye gradually fell asleep.
Meanwhile, next door in the Bai household, inside Bai Zilin’s room, Bai Zilin lay on the heated brick bed like a rag doll. His face was deathly pale. His clothes were soaked with blood, and his trousers were torn to shreds. Both thighs were exposed, streaked with blood.
The wounds on his legs were horrific. Flesh had been ripped open, exposing bone. A layer of dark medicinal powder covered the injuries, but most of it had already been washed away by the constant bleeding.
Bai Zilin licked his cracked, peeling lips.
He was unbearably thirsty.
He longed for a drink of water and a bowl of hot food. From morning until now, he hadn’t eaten a single thing.
But he knew those were merely luxuries.
With a bitter smile, he gazed at the moonlight outside the window.
It’s over.
His life was completely ruined.
The wolves had crushed the bones in both his legs. He would never stand again.
He was crippled.
And he knew his father hadn’t been speaking in anger. If his legs never healed, his father would absolutely drive him out of the Bai family.
How tragic.
Had he known it would come to this, he would have been better off letting the wolves eat him alive in the mountains. Why had he endured such agony to crawl all the way home?
The irony was almost laughable.
Just then, the door creaked open.
There was no need to guess who it was.
Liu Ye walked in carrying a bowl.
She had fallen asleep earlier but suddenly awakened with a start. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became about Bai Zilin. Unable to rest, she had climbed over the wall to check on him.
Only when she reached his door had she taken out the bowl of chicken from her space. It was still warm.
Seeing her, Bai Zilin was surprised.
“You… why are you here?”
Liu Ye finally snapped out of her shock and sat on the edge of the bed holding the bowl.
She had never imagined his injuries would be this severe.
The bones were actually visible.
“Brother Bai, how could you be so careless? Look at this! Your bones are showing. Did the wolves eat away the flesh?”
Bai Zilin almost laughed.
This silly girl…
“I’m fine. It’s just that my legs are ruined. The bones in both lower legs were crushed by the wolves. My life is basically over.”
He forced a smile.
“Silly girl, Brother Bai won’t be able to pick apples for you anymore. You must be careful when you go into the mountains in the future. I ended up like this because I ran into a wolf pack. I was lucky to escape alive, but…”
Liu Ye held the bowl to his lips.
“Brother Bai, you must be hungry. This is chicken I stewed myself. There’s no salt in it, but it still tastes pretty good. I saved it for you. Let me feed you.”
Bai Zilin swallowed hard and struggled to sit up.
Liu Ye quickly set the bowl aside and helped him lean against the wall.
It was indeed difficult to eat while lying down.
She picked up the bowl again, intending to feed him, but Bai Zilin reached out and took it from her.
“I’ll eat by myself. Thank you, silly girl. I really am starving. My throat is so dry it feels like it’s on fire.”
He paused.
“There’s water in the well behind our house. The bucket is right there. Could you fetch me some? Be careful not to make any noise.”
Liu Ye nodded.
This was something she was good at.
She slipped out of the room and quietly made her way to the Bai family’s backyard. Sure enough, there was a well.
She grabbed the empty bucket beside it and was about to lower it into the well when she suddenly stopped.
Brother Bai is hurt so badly. Maybe I should give him some spiritual spring water instead.
What if it helps?
He’s such a good person, and he’s still so young. It would be such a waste if he lost the use of his legs.
Okay, it’s decided.
Noticing another empty bucket nearby with a gourd ladle inside, she waved her hand.
Instantly, the bucket filled to the brim with spiritual spring water.
Perfect.
A whole bucket would be enough for Bai Zilin to drink for several days.
Carrying it carefully, she returned to his room.
“Brother Bai, I brought the water back. I’ll pour you some.”
Bai Zilin nodded awkwardly.
“Thank you. I’ve already finished the chicken. It was delicious…”
Liu Ye filled a ladle and handed it to him.
“It would taste even better with salt. Hehe. I took some pots and bowls from the Liu family, but I forgot to bring any salt.”
Bai Zilin drained the entire ladle in one gulp.
Only then did he realize how unusually delicious the water tasted.
I must be desperately thirsty, he thought.
Otherwise, why would ordinary well water taste this sweet?
He handed the ladle back, and Liu Ye tossed it into the bucket.
Then she looked at his injured legs.
“Brother Bai, can your legs really stay like this? There’s barely any medicine on them, and the blood hasn’t even been cleaned away. It’s so hot outside—your wounds could easily become infected and start rotting.”
She pointed at the injuries.
“Let me clean and bandage them again. We should also use some wooden splints to hold them in place. That way the bones can heal properly.”
The color had already begun returning to Bai Zilin’s face.
Still, he shook his head dejectedly.
“There’s no point. The wolves shattered my leg bones. Splints won’t help.”
His expression was bleak.
“When they rot, they rot. I’ll deal with it then.”
Liu Ye immediately frowned.
“How can that be okay?”
She rushed out of the room and soon returned carrying a basin and several sturdy branches.
“Brother Bai, being bitten by a wolf isn’t the end of the world. So what if the bones are broken? You’re still young. Bones heal and grow.”
She knelt beside him.
“As long as they’re properly fixed in place, they can slowly knit back together. Just trust me.”
While speaking, she began working.
“Back in the Liu family, my arms and legs were broken so many times I can’t even count them. I always treated them myself.”
She grinned.
“Look at me. I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? So just listen to me.”
Before Bai Zilin could react, both of his injured legs had already been secured with makeshift splints.
Then Liu Ye started cleaning away the dried blood.
“See? The blood already smells bad. If we don’t clean it soon, maggots will start growing in it.”
Bai Zilin stared at her.
She showed no disgust toward his filthy wounds.
Instead, she patiently cleaned away the blood and grime.
A complicated mix of emotions welled up inside him.
He was deeply moved.
“Silly girl…”
His voice trembled.
“You treat me better than my own parents do.”
He lowered his gaze.
“No matter whether my legs ever heal or not, I promise I’ll keep living. Otherwise, I’d be letting you down.”
Liu Ye smiled and nodded.
Her hands continued working swiftly.
“Hehe, that’s the right attitude, Brother Bai.”
She looked up at him, her eyes bright.
“Since we’ve come into this world, we should walk our path to the very end, no matter how hard or painful life becomes.”
Her smile widened.
“Even if we have to crawl or kneel, we should still finish the journey.”
“We should live out our whole lives without leaving ourselves any regrets.”