A few men went down to the riverbank. They first dragged the two bodies ashore before checking for breath.
They didn't hold out much hope.
The bodies belonged to a young man and woman. Their faces were pale and bloodless from being submerged, and their chests showed no obvious signs of rising and falling.
It was only after pulling them ashore that they noticed the bodies were also wounded.
The woman's head was stained with blood, and her arms and legs were covered in gashes, as if from a sword.
The man was even worse off, with a wound piercing through his abdomen.
It would be a miracle if they were still alive.
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Expecting nothing, one of the villagers reached out to check for breath.
The test gave him a fright.
"My god, they're breathing!"
The villager's face was a mask of panic. He snatched his hand back and stumbled two steps away.
It was no wonder he was scared. The two had such grievous injuries and had been found floating pale in the river; they looked like corpses in every way.
Who would have thought they weren't corpses, but living people?
Still breathing, after all that?
The villager who had checked for breath was stunned as he came to his senses.
Given their condition and injuries, they didn't look like they could possibly be alive.
Hearing this, the other villagers were also astonished.
"They're... still breathing? In this state?"
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? They're really breathing?"
Another villager, full of doubt, crouched down to check for himself.
A faint, cool wisp of air brushed against his hand.
It was weak and slow, but it was definitely a breath.
They weren't completely dead yet.
He then checked the woman beside them.
She was breathing too!
Just as faint, like a candle flickering in the wind.
How strange. They were so badly injured that their chests weren't moving, and they had been floating like corpses in the river.
Yet they were still alive.
The villager pulled his hand back, a look of disbelief on his face as if he'd seen a ghost.
"They really are breathing. Both of them. They're still alive."
Now, the rest of the villagers had no choice but to believe it.
They thought they had found two corpses, but it turned to be two living people.
If they were corpses, it would have been simple; they could just give them a proper burial.
But with two living people, the villagers were in a bind. The source of this chapter is g.com.
"What do we do now? They're still alive. Should we take them to Old Doctor Song to see if he can save them?"
"Can they even be saved? They're breathing now, but it's so faint, and their injuries are so severe. Can they possibly survive?"
"Then what? They're still breathing, for crying out loud. Two living people, and so young. We can't just watch them die here, can we?"
"Whether they can be saved is one thing, but I'm worried about trouble. Look at them, their clothes don't look cheap, and they're covered in sword wounds. Won't we be inviting trouble if we help them?"
The men argued back and forth, torn.
Finally, fearing that the pair's faint breaths would cease if they debated any longer, they made a decision.
They would take them to Old Doctor Song first. The men would pool some grain from their families to pay the old doctor and at least try to save them.
Whether they lived or died would be up to fate.
*
"Old Doctor Song, hurry! Someone's dying!"
Several men, carrying the two barely breathing figures, rushed into a courtyard enclosed by a mud-brick wall.
The yard wasn't large. Herbs were scattered on the ground to dry, and a pile of firewood was stacked in a corner.
It was noon, and the aroma of a home-cooked meal drifted through the air.
Hearing the shouts, the white-haired, wrinkled Old Doctor Song didn't even have time to finish his meal. He set down his bowl, a frown on his face, and walked outside.
Though nearly seventy, Old Doctor Song was still spry. He moved with such brisk steps that his wife couldn't even stop him.
"What is it? Who's dying?!"
In his youth, Old Doctor Song had been an apprentice in a county town pharmacy, helping with fetching herbs, brewing medicine, and other odd jobs.
Over time, though he had no formal master, he picked up a great deal about pharmacology and how to treat minor illnesses and pains through observation.
He later returned to the village, got married, and stayed in Song Family Village as a barefoot doctor.
Thanks to his knowledge and skills, he had always lived a comfortable life.
Upon seeing Old Doctor Song, the men recounted the story of finding the two by the river.
It was a wonder, really. The riverbank was not close to Old Doctor Song's home, and despite all the jostling, the two, whose breaths were already so faint, were still clinging to life.
The deep furrow in Old Doctor Song's brow eased slightly.
When he first heard someone was dying, he had assumed it was one of the villagers from Song Family.
It turned out to be just some strangers found by the river.
Of course, a doctor's heart is a compassionate one, so Old Doctor Song still looked over the two people with concern.
The men laid the two barely conscious figures on the ground.
Their white robes were no longer clean, but stained with green from grass, yellow from mud, and red from blood.
Old Doctor Song examined their wounds and then checked their pulses.
The brow that had just relaxed furrowed once more.
The men exchanged glances. "Old Doctor Song, we have to try," one said. "It's a long shot, but we can't just give up. It's two lives, after all."
Old Doctor Song sighed but nodded.
In truth, he felt it was hopeless.
But he couldn't just wash his hands of them. As long as they had a breath left in them, they were still alive.
Besides, he didn't have any precious herbs, only common ones that weren't worth much. He could try giving them some medicine.
"I understand," he said. "But don't get your hopes up. From the looks of it, these two won't make it."
The men nodded. "Right, we understand. We'll bring some grain over later to cover the cost of the medicine."
Old Doctor Song shook his head. "No need. I felt their clothes earlier. They have silver in their inner linings."
That was good news; they wouldn't have to pay for the medical fees.
Life was hard for poor folk. If they didn't believe that a human life was worth more than anything, and if the cost of pooling their grain wasn't too high, they wouldn't have brought the two to a doctor in the first place.
After working together to carry the dying pair into the house, the men went their separate ways.
*
Dusk fell.
Old Doctor Song was brewing medicine, the bitter scent filling the air.
A little girl of five or six, a pink flower in her hair, rested her chin in her hands. Her chubby, cherubic face was adorable.
"Grandpa, why haven't the big brother and big sister woken up yet? It's been a whole afternoon."
Old Doctor Song lovingly stroked the little girl's head.
"They will. Ruru, remember to check on them in an hour. If anything changes, come and tell Grandpa right away."
Song Ruru nodded, her eyes clear.
"My brother said the big brother and big sister won't wake up, but I don't believe him. Father said Song Family Village is protected by Lord Xuanqing, so they will definitely wake up."
Old Doctor Song chuckled. "Yes, yes, Ruru is right. The rice porridge in the kitchen should be cool enough now. Could you be a good girl and go feed the big brother and big sister?"
Song Ruru nodded and scurried into the kitchen. Panting with effort, she carried a small bowl of rice porridge into the next room.
On the heated brick bed lay a man and a woman, dressed only in their white undergarments. Their faces were pale, their breathing shallow.
Song Ruru first checked for their breath, then she took the bowl and carefully fed them, one small spoonful at a time.
After feeding the woman, she moved on to the man.
The porridge was almost gone. Song Ruru fed him the last spoonful.
Just as she was about to hop off the bed, she saw the man's eyelashes flutter. He was showing signs of waking.
Her eyes lit up with joy. She whispered, "Big brother, are you waking up?"
In his hazy consciousness, Mu Tong heard the innocent, childish voice.
He finally managed to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the sweet, young face before him.
The little girl had round eyes, a faint milky scent about her, a chubby face, and rosy lips.
Having just woken up, Mu Tong felt a sudden surge of heat rise within him.
Proofreader: Peter Pan