Early the next morning, Song Wenqing opened the creaking door. Seeing the damp earth outside, he realized it had rained during the night. Looking as far as the eye could see, the distant trees were heavily draped with water.
Fortunately, he had brought the bamboo fungus that was drying outside into the house before turning in last night. However, it was unfortunate that the clothes he had just wrung dry yesterday were completely soaked once again, leaving him with no choice but to take them down and wring them out all over again.
Zhao Lin and his group had also arisen. The weather had turned much cooler after the rain, a time when snakes particularly liked to come out. Some wealthy households enjoyed keeping such creatures as pets. Furthermore, if fortune favored them and they managed to catch a hundred-pace viper, they could sell it to a tavern. If it sold well, it could fetch up to three hundred wen per jin, and after the tavern processed it for sale, it could go for as much as four hundred wen.
The gossip they had spread about Song Wenqing yesterday had just been caught by him face-to-face. Seeing Song Wenqing standing at the doorway, they did not even dare to meet his gaze. Lu Hui kept looking around from time to time, and the moment Song Wenqing turned his head, Lu Hui would hurriedly lower his gaze and pretend to pack up his belongings.
Song Wenqing found it rather amusing. The emotions of these youths of eighteen or nineteen were written plainly across their faces. They wanted to apologize but could not bring themselves to lose face, making them look incredibly awkward.
He fished out the bayberries that had been soaking in saltwater yesterday, poured away the water, and added fresh water to soak them again. The weather had been hot lately, and since hunting was out of the question for now, he planned to gather one more basket of bayberries today before heading down the mountain. Otherwise, it would be a pity if they spoiled.
Perhaps because it had just rained, it felt somewhat cold. Song Wenqing put on the heavy coat that Pei Jinrong had given him and took a bamboo basket up the mountain, completely ignoring the few individuals behind him. He lived his life for himself. If he said he could live it well, then he would live it well, and it was certainly not something that could be determined by the gossip of outsiders.
Song Wenqing did not head directly to pick the bayberries. Since it had just rained today, the bamboo fungus that had not even sprouted two days ago should all be fully matured by now. Possessing experience this time, he walked much faster than before, and it did not take long for him to reach the bamboo forest. What one feared most in this kind of weather was encountering snakes, so he casually picked up a branch to probe the path ahead. Sure enough, the bamboo fungus that had not yet broken through the soil the other day were now each growing beautifully.
Despite saying they wanted to come pick some, Zhao Lin and his group had not shown up. He did not know whether they were too busy catching snakes to find the time, or if they felt too embarrassed to follow him after seeing him head in this direction.
Song Wenqing did not concern himself with these matters. He had gotten the better end of the deal. Today’s bamboo fungus was even more abundant than two days ago, and before long, his bamboo basket was actually completely filled. It appeared he would have to make a trip back shortly to empty the basket so he could use it to pick the bayberries.
After washing the bamboo fungus clean in the spring water, he headed back. By the time he reached the wooden hut, the sun had grown fiercely hot. Without any thought of resting, Song Wenqing took the bamboo basket and followed yesterday’s path toward the mountainside.
This sun was merely imposing in appearance; the path remained exceedingly wet and slippery. Walking downward was actually harder than walking upward, and because he proceeded with extreme caution, it consumed a bit more of his time. The bayberry tree from yesterday had been mostly stripped by him, so Song Wenqing intended to find a different spot.
To his surprise, he ran right into Zhao Lin and his group.
The area was in utter chaos. Seeing Song Wenqing walk down, the young ger who was secretly wiping away tears quickly turned around.
Song Wenqing: “…”
Upon inquiring carefully, he learned that Lu Hui had actually been bitten by a snake. Seeing Song Wenqing arrive, Zhao Lin said after a moment of deliberation, “You should go back quickly. There are many venomous snakes around here, and it would be bad if you were bitten.”
Song Wenqing did not pay him any heed. Instead, he simply looked at Lu Hui, who dared not move an inch, and said, “If you are not treating his wound, what are you doing just sitting here?”
Only then did the young ger who had been wiping his tears speak up with reddened eyes, “Just now we saw a green pit viper here, and Brother Lu was anxious to catch it. That snake is not a creature to be trifled with, and Brother Lu was bitten because he was careless for a brief moment. How could a bunch of rough men like us know how to treat a wound? Normally, one of the people we go hunting with understands these things, but it just so happened that his family has been busy lately, so he could not come. We never expected such a matter to happen.”
Song Wenqing frowned. Setting down his bamboo basket, he walked toward Lu Hui and pointed at the cloth that was wrapped extremely carelessly above his bitten calf, saying with clear irritation, “So you just haphazardly tied a cloth around it without even performing basic treatment?”
A hint of anger resonated in his voice, causing the group to freeze slightly upon hearing it. Song Wenqing had always spoken with a timid voice in front of them. Even though they felt he had changed over the past few days, they had never seen him display this kind of demeanor.
The words they wanted to say choked in their throats. Zhao Lin could not maintain his composure, and after a moment, he said, “I have already sent someone down to summon Physician Li.”
“Have you people never walked this path before?” Song Wenqing laughed out of sheer frustration. “It takes nearly two hours to travel this distance. By the time you finish explaining things to Physician Li and wait for him to ascend the mountain, I am afraid your brother here will already be long gone.”
Lu Hui was still conscious, and he called out with a raspy voice, “Brother Lin, I… I have not even found a wife yet.”
Hearing Song Wenqing put it this way, Zhao Lin said with a trembling voice, “But this is also the first time I have ever encountered such a situation. I do not know what I should be doing right now.”
“Step aside, let me do it,” Song Wenqing let out a sigh.
The group looked at each other upon hearing this, but Zhao Lin stood up to vacate the spot for Song Wenqing. “Young Master Chuan’s leg was treated by Wen-ger previously. Wen-ger, I am entrusting Lu Hui to you.”
Seeing Zhao Lin speak up on his behalf, Song Wenqing was somewhat surprised. He had assumed he would have to fabricate some explanation as before for these people to believe him. He looked up at Zhao Lin, noting that the man’s hands were still trembling.
Song Wenqing collected his thoughts and asked, “How long ago were you bitten?”
“A quarter of an hour ago.”
He nodded, loosening the cloth tied around Lu Hui’s calf. Seeing this, Zhao Lin and the others were somewhat bewildered and were just about to speak when they heard Song Wenqing say, “After being bitten by a venomous snake, a cloth tied around the area should be loosened for one to two minutes every half hour to relax it. This can slow down the spread of the toxin.”
After saying this, he picked up the sickle placed to the side, cut a piece of cloth to place inside the bamboo basket, and pulled up Lu Hui’s trouser leg to completely expose the wound, frowning slightly. A small amount of blood was already oozing from around Lu Hui’s wound, and the area was red and swollen, displaying typical characteristics of a hemorrhagic blister with a burning sensation.
However, it was much better than he had imagined. He looked up and asked, “Did you use your mouth to suck the venom from his wound just now?”
Zhao Lin was trembling all over. Lu Hui had grown up with him since childhood. If any mishap truly befell him, he would not have the face to see Lu Hui’s parents ever again.
Seeing Zhao Lin’s completely distracted state, Song Wenqing sighed silently in his heart. “There are no open wounds inside your mouth, correct?”
Zhao Lin showed a physical reaction by shaking his head instinctively, muttering, “No, I rinsed my mouth just now.”
Song Wenqing stopped paying attention to him, shifting his focus entirely back to Lu Hui. Seeing him frown, Lu Hui asked with a trembling voice, “Wen-ger, am I beyond saving?”
Song Wenqing was entirely used to such scenes from his time at the hospital. He did not give him a direct promise, choosing instead to treat the wound in silence.
He picked up the small knife resting on the ground and raised his eyes to look at Lu Hui, who was gazing at him expectantly. “It might hurt a bit in a moment. Bear with it.”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Hui took it as confirmation that he would not die, and he nodded in agreement with tearful eyes.
Song Wenqing tied a cloth tightly roughly five centimeters away from the wound on his calf. He then carved a cross incision over the wound, pressing down forcefully to squeeze out the blood.
A green pit viper carries hemotoxic venom, and logically speaking, one should not make an incision with a knife to avoid uncontrollable bleeding. However, Song Wenqing had previously interned at a hospital in a mountainous region, so his experience in this regard was quite extensive.
Before long, the blood that flowed out finally turned a bright, fresh red. Song Wenqing also let out a sigh of relief. Asking the people beside him for a canteen, he continuously flushed the wound on Lu Hui’s calf.
“Fortunately, although the green pit viper is venomous, the amount of toxin it expels each time is small. Coupled with the fact that Zhao Lin sucked out the venom from your wound, it is nothing serious,” Song Wenqing said in a warm voice, completely different from his previous demeanor.
Hearing that he was fine, Lu Hui let out a tearful laugh and stammered, “Wen… Wen-ger, I will never speak ill of you again in the future.”
Song Wenqing: “…”
“The snake venom is mostly cleared out now, but you will still need to take some medicine to regulate your body,” he said as he stood up, addressing the group who had finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Lin nodded. How could they possibly carry paper and ink when they went out hunting? Not many people in the village were literate either. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Wen-ger, you speak, and the few of us will each memorize one ingredient.”
Song Wenqing did not refuse. “Aristolochia root, amur cork tree bark, rhubarb, forsythia, honeysuckle…”
The men silently committed the names to memory and verified them once more with Song Wenqing.
“Wen-ger, since Lu Hui is injured, we plan to head down the mountain shortly. Do you want to come with us?” Zhao Lin asked.
They had hunted a wild boar yesterday, which was already sufficient. They had also set several traps and intended to return in a few days to check on them. Right now, escorting Lu Hui back to rest was the most pressing matter.
Song Wenqing shook his head. “You all go on ahead. I still need to gather one more basket of bayberries.”
“You cannot carry everything alone. We brought a handcart, so we can help transport the basket currently in your hut down the mountain first.”
A hint of apology was carried in their tone, completely different from their previous attitude.
Song Wenqing knew they were not bad at heart, so he said with a smile, “All right then. That way, I will not have to run back and forth.”
It was not until Song Wenqing had walked far into the distance that the group finally collected their thoughts.
Lu Hui had stopped crying. Having survived a mortal danger, he only wanted to return home to see his elderly mother. Looking at the departing figure of Song Wenqing, he said gratefully, “My life belongs to Wen-ger from this day forward.”
The young ger beside him teased, “Look at you, how worthless.”
“I never expected Wen-ger to not only know bone-setting but also how to write a medicinal prescription. When did he acquire such skills?”
Zhao Lin did not respond. Only after a long silence did he speak, “In the future, let us all show some respect whenever we see Wen-ger. He will not be confined to this village.”
Hearing Zhao Lin say this, the young ger who had been wiping away tears asked instinctively, “Since Wen-ger is so incredible, does that mean you will have even less of a chance in the future, Brother Lin?!”
Zhao Lin shook his head with a smile. “I no longer harbor such feelings.”
Although he could not quite explain what was happening, he knew that the Wen-ger he had once liked was not the person standing before him now.
The person before him now was far too radiant, entirely different from the rest of them. One day, he would surely go to a much wider world.
Song Wenqing knew that they would certainly discuss things after his departure, but none of that had anything to do with him.
Half an hour after parting ways with them, he managed to find another wild bayberry tree.
Unlike the one he had picked from yesterday, this one looked far more enticing. Knowing that he could return home today, a faint smile graced Song Wenqing’s face without him even realizing it, and he worked with even greater enthusiasm.
He wondered if Pei Jinrong was taking good care of himself all alone at home.