The three of them traveled toward the county town, and at the first small market, Bai Chao struggled to get down from Luo's Mother's back.
Luo's Mother thought he wanted to buy candy, so she tightened her grip on him. "Chaochao, don't squirm. If you want candy, we'll buy some when we get to the county town."
Even after Mother said this, Bai Chao still struggled a little. Luo's Grandfather, being older and more experienced, saw the child burying his head into her back, as if trying to hide himself, and knew the boy was embarrassed at being seen by strangers.
When they had set out, it was neither early nor late, and they hadn't run into anyone in the village. Now there were more people around, and the child had gotten shy.
"What's there to be afraid of? You don't even weigh as much as one of our little hens. When a little one is sick, he's supposed to be carried by his elders." Grandfather coaxed the boy without a hint of embarrassment, even though when they'd first left the house he had complained that the child was almost as tall as his mother, his legs nearly dragging on the ground—so why was he still being carried?
With Mother's hands wrapped around his thighs, Bai Chao couldn't struggle free. In the blink of an eye, the voices around them faded. He peeked up and saw that the small market was behind them and they had reached a stretch with no houses around, so he stopped struggling. But at that point, Luo's Mother set him down anyway.
She had carried him for five li and was getting tired, so she put him down to let Grandfather carry him instead.
But when Bai Chao saw Grandfather about to carry him, he refused no matter what, pointing at the deep wrinkles on Grandfather's face and saying quietly, "Grandfather is old and can't carry me."
Grandfather was so exasperated by this remark that he actually laughed. He looked Bai Chao up and down, planted his hands on his hips, and pointed proudly at the fields not far away, at the people threshing rice, saying with considerable pride, "Old? How heavy is a threshing tub, and how heavy are you? I can carry a threshing tub on my back—what makes you think I can't carry a scrawny little thing like you? Come on now, don't waste time."
"Hmph! Grandfather is a lamp-wick too! Grandfather is skinny and long, just like me!" Bai Chao obediently climbed onto Grandfather's half-crouched back. Only when Grandfather stood up and started walking, and he realized how far he was from the ground, did he mutter those words.
Luo's Mother laughed beside them. Although the child's fever had broken, his face was still somewhat pale and wan, his lips colorless—he looked like someone who was still unwell all over. Otherwise they wouldn't have been so reluctant to let him walk. Now, seeing his mouth turning cheeky again, she could tell he had his energy back, and she felt much more at ease.
Luo's Mother laughed, and Grandfather laughed along with her, not at all angry at Bai Chao's words—in fact, he was quite pleased with himself.
He was tall and straight-backed. When he was young, few young men in the village were as sturdy and handsome as he was, and in old age it was the same—few old men in the village were as strong and upright as he was. Even in his advanced years, his back had never bent; he showed none of the usual decrepitude of old age.
"You're a lucky little rascal," Grandfather said suddenly, after laughing for a good while.
His eldest grandson had taken after the Luo family in build—tall and big, with a frame so solid he looked like he could shoulder a whole section of a tree trunk by himself. His face was handsome too, having inherited all the best features of both his parents: a high nose bridge and fine brows and eyes like his father, and a mouthful of white, even teeth like his mother—a sign of good fortune with food.
A person who eats well has a healthy body. This little lamp-wick was blessed—the eldest grandson's strong constitution would protect him for a lifetime.
Luo's Grandfather and Luo's Mother were people who had done farm work for years and had plenty of strength. Even carrying someone on their backs didn't slow their pace—ten li of road took only about half an hour.
Once inside the city, the two didn't waste a moment and took the child straight to the largest medical hall in the county. If they were going to have the child properly examined, it was more reliable to find an experienced old physician.
Most people who came to medical halls seeking treatment were the elderly and children. Seeing a doctor was very expensive; able-bodied young adults usually just toughed it out or dug up some herbs themselves to boil and drink, saving a good sum of silver.
There were quite a few people in the medical hall, but it wasn't particularly noisy. Whether it was the medicine boys dispensing herbs or the patients collecting their medicine, everyone moved and spoke softly and carefully. The only source of clamor in the hall was babies still learning to talk.
But even when such babies cried and fussed, people mostly felt sympathy for them—suffering hardship at such a young age—who would blame them?
Grandfather and the others carefully protected Bai Chao and asked the medicine boy about the physician they knew. The old physician had treated Luo Yang's grandparents before, so the family knew a bit about him. They knew he wasn't the sort to prescribe medicine carelessly or deliberately exaggerate an illness to make people waste money. The two felt reassured, not at all afraid of spending money in vain.
The old physician was the most senior doctor in the medical hall and did not see patients in the main hall. He had his own separate small courtyard, and consulting him was quite expensive.
Bai Chao had frightened the whole family the night before—a child who had been fine during the day suddenly burning up with fever all over. They wanted to have the child properly examined and didn't begrudge the extra few dozen wen, obediently paying the fee and being led to the inner courtyard.
Bai Chao was very cooperative at the moment—opening his mouth when told, sticking out his tongue when asked, staying perfectly still while his pulse was taken, answering whatever the physician asked. For questions he couldn't quite understand, he would blink his eyes and look at Mother and Grandfather, letting them answer for him.
With a patient who answered everything willingly, the physician's job was easy. Before long, the old physician withdrew his hand from taking the pulse and nodded silently. Then, after a few glances back and forth at the three of them, an eye-roll landed on Luo's Grandfather and Luo's Mother, his expression a mix of anger and relief.
"Was there a famine at home? This child probably hasn't had a full meal or tasted any grease in quite a while. Fortunately, the child has a good constitution—a well-nurtured foundation that can withstand hardship—otherwise he'd have been gone long ago." The physician spoke bluntly, stopping just short of accusing them outright of mistreating the child.
Qianmu County was a prosperous county town; even the villages under its jurisdiction rarely had families who couldn't make ends meet. To raise a child into such a state—how heartless!
Luo's Grandfather and Luo's Mother didn't take offense at the reproach in the physician's tone, nor did they explain much about Bai Chao's origins. After exchanging glances, both broke into smiles. Hearing that the child had a good constitution—how could they not be happy? It was easy to fatten someone up, but hard to build a good foundation; that was a root established from childhood.
Knowing the child's foundation was solid, Luo's Grandfather paid no mind to the physician's accusing gaze and firmly declined the medicinal diet the physician prescribed. That medicinal diet was very expensive, and besides, all medicine carries some poison. Better to save the money to buy food instead.
Since they hadn't taken anything from the medical hall, they only had to pay for the consultation. Of the five qian of silver Luo's Grandfather had borrowed, only one hundred and twenty wen had been spent, leaving a good amount. He fiddled with the money pouch back and forth for a good while before finally making up his mind, handing a piece of broken silver and a string of copper coins totaling one hundred and eighty wen to Luo's Mother.
"Go buy two catties of pork, and use the rest on lard." Lard nourishes the body; they could give Dengxin'er something good to eat from now on.
"Father, we already bought a piece of leaf lard earlier. Mother rendered a whole jar of it—it'll last quite a while." Luo's Mother figured that since they had come all the way to the county town, they shouldn't leave without buying the child some kind of treat.
She wanted to save a bit of money to buy the child a packet of sugar cakes—those round, plump pastries with a red dot right in the middle, crispy on the outside and sweet within. They hadn't bought any for years.
"How much is that, really? New Year is still a long way off. While we have money in hand, let's buy some more." Luo's Grandfather waved his hand in refusal. In his view, nothing was as worthwhile as buying lard. As long as the household had meat and oil, and their days had some grease to them, their health wouldn't suffer.
Grandfather was the head of the household, and no one dared disobey him. Mother agreed, but secretly patted the arm tugging at his sleeve, her eyes on the bustling street.
It was fine—Grandfather had only said to buy lard, not how much. Leaf lard was expensive; if she bought a catty less, she could buy the child a packet of sugar cakes.
After buying the pork and lard, Luo's Mother wandered over to the general store across the street, and in the blink of an eye, a packet of sugar cakes appeared in her hands.
Grandfather stared at the sugar cakes in her hands for a long while without saying a word, huffing to himself with a scowl, though no one knew what he was angry about. After a good while, he managed to console himself and headed home peacefully.
There was plenty of work at home these days—no time to waste. They needed to get back early.
On the way home, Bai Chao was listless the whole way, with even less energy than when they had set out. He lay limply on Mother's back, barely saying a word.
Seeing the child like this, Grandfather's temper flared again. If he'd known the sugar cakes wouldn't cheer the child up, he wouldn't have bought them. Kids just need food to eat—back home, he'd steam him a bowl of egg custard, and he'd be happy once he ate it.
A bowl of egg custard only took one egg—far more worthwhile than a packet of sugar cakes costing dozens of wen.
Grandfather mulled it over and over for a long time, completely unaware that the child was simply tired and thirsty. His mouth was dry, and he didn't want to talk and waste saliva—he needed to save it to moisten his throat.
The three of them arrived home just past mid-morning, right when the early workers returned for breakfast, and Grandmother's breakfast had just come off the stove.
The moment Bai Chao got home, he darted into the kitchen and scooped up a ladle of water directly. Grandmother anxiously snatched at the ladle, telling him not to drink raw water and to go drink hot water instead, but Bai Chao ignored her and gulped down the whole ladle.
"Grandmother, I was dying of thirst." He drew in a long breath, then let out a sigh, finally feeling comfortable.
"Well, no wonder you were dying of thirst—you must have sweated several catties last night. Your clothes were soaked through." Grandmother had washed his change of clothes and the bedsheet that morning. The clothes were still damp; one squeeze told her they must have been completely soaked last night.
Grandfather and Mother still had to work in the fields today, so while getting the meal ready, they quickly told Grandmother what the doctor had said. Hearing it, she was relieved, and the furrow in her brow finally smoothed whenever she looked at Bai Chao.
As long as the child was all right, that was what mattered. They didn't have to spend money, and he didn't have to suffer.
Once the meal was over, Grandfather and the others had to head out to work again. Before leaving, they told Grandmother to keep a close eye on him—not allowed to go play in the water or climb trees by the big ditch. He was to stay home obediently for the next few days.
Grandfather had figured it out: the sudden, fierce fever the child had last night was probably related to the earlier fall and the long journey. With an injured leg he'd walked so far, nearly working himself half to death, and then carelessly caught a chill—all the strain his body had built up came bursting out at once.
Hearing Grandfather's instructions, Bai Chao whimpered and huffed as if somewhat displeased, but he was a little afraid of Grandfather, since no one dared disobey his words. So he just whimpered and huffed without daring to say anything. Only after Grandfather and the others left did he drag over a small stool and declare angrily, "I'm going out anyway."
Seeing his stubborn face, Grandmother didn't scold him, just kept her eyes on him. As long as he didn't wander far, it was fine.
Bai Chao didn't go anywhere with his little stool—he simply sat by the front gate. From there he could see quite a few parts of the village, much better than staying inside the house where all he could see was the grain and ants in the courtyard.
Bai Chao sat at the gate leaning against the courtyard wall, his head nodding drowsily, a piece of candy in his mouth, his gaze drifting who knows where, his face alternately smiling and frowning as if lost in some thought or other.
Just as a sneaky figure appeared at the corner of the house, Bai Chao was squinting, trying hard to recall the dream he'd had last night. He seemed to have dreamed of Daddy last night—or maybe it wasn't a dream, because it felt like Daddy was right beside him. He was trying hard to remember what Daddy actually looked like when he heard a rustle nearby.
"Boss Bad Guy?" Bai Chao snapped awake at the sight of Boss Bad Guy in front of him, and his bottom started to hurt again. But when he saw what Boss Bad Guy was holding in his hands, his bottom stopped hurting. "Boss Bad Guy!"
Boss Bad Guy was holding pretty flowers—Boss Bad Guy had brought him flowers!