Goldfield
Chapter 42: The Winter Disaster

“Iya! Alrighty! There's hot water in the pot. I'll take it! ” Seeing Xiaocao seemed to know what he was doing, hope resurfaced in the heart of Shuanzhu's wife. He hurriedly went to the kitchen to fetch hot water. He was so anxious that he almost tripped in the courtyard.

After Yu Xiaocao carefully examined Uncle Shuanzhu's pulse, he took out some fever-lowering flu medicine from his medicine box and quickly started taking the medicine inside.

“Adik Xiaocao, will my father be okay?” Liu Shuanzhu's ten-year-old daughter, Liu Huifang, groaned as she crouched down to help Xiaocao brew medicine and asked for certainty.

Yu Xiaocao stuffed the herbs into a ceramic pot, which was used to brew the herbs, and added a few drops of mystical stone water into the pot. Afterwards, he replied confidently and firmly, “Don't worry! He will be fine after taking two doses of medicine! ”

“This is hot water. Xiaocao, is this temperature suitable? ” Shuanzhu's wife enters with a basin filled with hot water and a washcloth.

After Yu Xiaocao checked his temperature, he added half a bottle of mystical stone water into the hot water and nodded, “It's okay! Immediately wipe Uncle Shuanzhu's body with a cloth, especially the neck and armpit area. Excessive body heat will dissipate faster! ”

“Sister Xiaocao, what did you put in the water? It doesn't look like jamu? The second child of the Liu Family was the same age as Xiaocao, but he was a few months younger than Xiaocao.

As Yu Xiaocao instructed Liu Huifang on how to brew medicine, he explained to the second child of the Liu Family, who had the nickname Tiedan’er, “This is Grandpa You's secret medicine. It can speed up the recovery of any disease. It is extracted from forty-nine types of medicinal plants. Grandpa You only made two bottles in fifty years. Don't you think it's worth it? Don't go out and tell others about this. If Uncle Shuanzi wasn't a close friend of my father, I would be reluctant to use him! ”

Shuanzhu's wife trusts her and sheds tears thanks, “Cao’er, you used half a bottle for my husband. Won't Doctor You be mad at you when he comes back? ”

“He won't! Grandpa You said that medicine was made to save people. Uncle Shuanzhu needs immediate treatment for his illness. If we postpone it any longer, then a large hole would probably burn his lungs. His life might be in danger if we don't use this medicine! ”

Yu Xiaocao knew that it would be difficult to treat Uncle Shuanzhu's illness with just his own ability, but it was much easier to cure him with the help of mystical stone water.

He also had concerns before deciding to come treat Uncle Shuanzhu's illness. After all, he was his first patient after he started studying medicine. If anything went wrong, it would be impossible for him to treat other patients in the future. Furthermore, he might gain a reputation as ‘a shaman who had harmed his patients’ and was unable to raise his head again in the village.

While he was hesitating, the little holy stone suddenly appeared and sneered, [It's just cold! Even though my power is sealed, I can still cure such a small illness. Take-take this! Wow, this Divine Stone bath water will definitely work without fail! Here, let me add a little more saliva to your —— spit. It will definitely not fail.]

The bath water and the saliva of that little holy stone gave an incredible result. Shuanzhu's wife wiped her husband's body several times and realized that his body temperature dropped dramatically. Shuanzhu, who was unconscious due to high fever, also gradually regained consciousness.

Right now, the medicine is ready. Shuanzhu's wife gave the medicine to her husband. His extremely high fever was reduced within two hours after taking one dose of the drug.

“Ay! Brother Dahai, your daughter's medical skills are almost as good as Doctor You's. No wonder Doctor You praised him as a medical genius! ” Liu Shuanzhu, who was still a bit weak after her fever dropped, leaned back on the bed while expressing her gratitude and praise for Xiaocao.

Shuanzhu's wife took out a cloth bag from the closet and took out several strands of copper coins, which had about a hundred copper coins in each string. She gratefully exclaimed, “Sister Yu Hai, we are so grateful to your daughter, Xiaocao. Doctor You's medicine must be very expensive, so I'm not sure if eight hundred copper coins are enough. If it's not enough, I'll borrow some from my girl's family when the snow stops. ”

If the bottle of elixir potions and medicines belonged to his daughter, Yu Hai would never accept the money because of his proximity to Shuanzhu. However, his daughter said that the medicine belonged to Doctor You. Besides, it seems like it's rather valuable. It was difficult for him to make a decision, so he looked at his daughter.

Since Yu Xiaocao had already spoken, it would be suspicious if he did not receive the money. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Aunt Shuanzhu, you also know Grandpa You's personality. If her patient's family is having trouble, she will waive their medical expenses. ”

“One stays! All the villagers in the surrounding village praised Doctor You of our Dongshan Village as a kind person. Many people thought of him as a living Bodhisattva! ” Wife of Shuanzhu exclaims.

Yu Xiaocao continued, “If Grandpa You is here, he doesn't want to see you guys borrow money to pay for the medical expenses. I will make a decision today and only receive two hundred copper coins from Auntie. Uncle Shuanzhu still needs to recover health for some time and New Year is coming soon.. ”.

“Two hundred copper coins? Isn't that too small? Doctor You will scold you when he returns in the spring! Cao’er, just take the money. We are a bit short of money because we also bought a new ship this year. Don'worry. Although your Uncle Shuanzhu is not as good as your father as a fisherman, he is also one of the best fishermen in the village. With the new fishing boat, are we still afraid of a little debt? ” Shuanzhu's wife forced the cloth bag into Xiaocao's arms.

The cost of the medicine Xiaocao used for Shuanzhu did not even reach a dozen copper coins. An important component is the mystical stone water, which does not cost a penny. So, he basically did not spend any money at all. If he received eight hundred copper coins, he would feel guilty. Therefore, Yu Xiaocao refused and insisted on taking only two hundred copper coins.

“Do not push and push again. Xiaocao, let's just say your uncle used you and received five hundred copper coins. We spent the New Year at Tiedan's grandfather's house, so we had enough money for the winter with the remaining three hundred copper coins. ”

Xiaocao knew he could not resist anymore, so he accepted five hundred coins in embarrassment. He left behind a few packs of herbs and reminded Aunt Shuanzhu to make one dose of the combined potion for Uncle Shuanzhu to drink every day.

Mystic stone water was too effective. In the future, he would need to adjust the dosage to prevent the onset of suspicion and greed of others.

Snow fell more on the way home. The snowflakes were almost like small snowballs as they floated so heavily and irregularly. The snow on the ground had already piled up to Xiaocao's knees, so he walked unsteadily in the snow. His feet sometimes get caught in the snow, which makes it difficult to pull out.

Yu Hai, who was holding his daughter's small hand, noticed the situation and carried it around with a small laugh. He carried her on his back and walked home.

Yu Xiaocao rolled his eyes to the sky —— is unfair if he has short legs!

Heavy snow continued throughout the night. When they woke up the next day, the door was blocked by all the snow in the yard. When Yu Hai woke up in the morning, the first thing he did was sweep the knee-deep snow from the courtyard.

“Brother Dahai, have you heard? Wang Erlian’zi's three-room house was destroyed by snow. Two and a half rooms were destroyed. Last night, in the middle of the night, five members of his family were crammed into the half-space that survived the ruins. They were lucky not to freeze to death! ” Their neighbor, Zhao Da, has finished sweeping the snow and touring the village to share the news.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Old Yu frowned as he returned from the outside. He stamped the snow off his shoes in front of the entrance and sighed deeply as he said, “This is the first snow of this winter, but it has been so big. I'm afraid it's going to be a tough winter. ”

“The heavy snow has been a disaster. Many houses in the village were slightly damaged by the snow. There were also some elders who did not escape last night. I heard they were frozen when they were found in the morning! ” Zhao Da shook his head and went to his father's room. He put more firewood into the kang conduit to keep the kang bed warm.

Almost every year, during the northern winter, there would be parents and young children who were cold to death and dying of illness. However, it is rare to see houses collapse and people freeze to death in early winter like this year.

More and more people were sweeping the snow on their doorstep. While at work, they also gossip about unfilial children, who leave their elderly parents to live alone. The snow had destroyed the homes of these elders and buried them in them. No one knows how long they lay dead …

Yu Xiaocao felt even sadder as he listened. He remembered Grandpa You, who was an elder in his sixties and lived alone in this remote fishing village. He was worried about his well-being. Is there anyone who takes care of her while she is traveling alone? Will he be lonely and helpless?

“Dad, I'm concerned about Grandpa You's house. Let's see it! ” Seeing all the snow piling up outside, Yu Xiaocao knew it would be difficult for him to walk on his short legs, so he asked his father for help.

“Good! I'll take you to see it! ” Yu Hai holds a snow cleaning tool in one hand, while he takes his daughter and puts it on his back with the other. After which, he painstakingly walked towards the west side of the village.

Madam Zhang chased after them for a while before she gave up and shouted, “Snow on our own roof has not been swept away, but you have time to meddle in the affairs of others! Do you have too much free time? ”

Yu Xiaocao, who was hugging her father's neck, turned around and yelled back at her grandmother, “Grandmother! My dad's not the only guy in the family! Aren't Eldest Uncle and Young Uncle both at home? Grandpa You was the only doctor around. If his house is destroyed, will he still be able to stay in our village when he returns in the spring? ”

The neighboring villages were all envious of the fact that Doctor You was living in Dongshan Village. It is also very convenient for the villagers in Dongshan Village to have doctors in the village. There was nothing Doctor You was worried about except for her two-bedroom house. Therefore, Dongshan Village was responsible for taking care of his house while he was away.

When Yu Hai and Xiaocao arrived, the village chief had gathered some strong men to help clear Doctor You's courtyard.

Doctor You has a two-room house. The roof of one of the rooms had collapsed due to the snow. Fortunately, it was storage space, so there were not many disadvantages.

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly entered the room that was still intact, which only had a large bed and a box of herbs. He carefully inspected all the boxes that stored medicinal plants. He finally heaved a sigh of relief after he confirmed that all the herbs were still intact.

The head of the village was an old man in his fifties with gray hair and a beard. He had a tall figure and a rather stern appearance. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, he quipped, “Oh, did our little village doctor come to check on the herbal medicine? Don'worry. The Village Chief's grandfather promised to fix this two-bedroom house to be nice and sturdy. No matter how heavy the snow falls, the herbs will not be destroyed. ”