Chapter 136
Qiu Henian gently placed Jindou, who started crying loudly upon seeing the wound, on the ground. Ignoring the crying child, he took out a water pouch from his person and grasped Qingyan’s wrist firmly, saying in a deep voice, “If it hurts, scream.”
Qingyan gritted his teeth and nodded. Qiu Henian then opened the water pouch and rinsed the wound on the back of his hand. As the water touched the wound, Qingyan’s eyes reddened, but he only made a light hum and remained silent.
After finishing the rinse, Qiu Henian hesitated for a moment, then lifted his outer robe, tore off a piece of inner clothing, and loosely bandaged Qingyan’s injured hand.
If left unbandaged, there was a risk of frostbite; however, if too tightly wrapped, the fabric would stick to the wound and cause pain upon removal. Qiu Henian had to compromise and bandage it as loosely as possible.
With everything done, Qiu Henian held Qingyan’s face in his hands and looked at him. Qingyan’s face was pale; he leaned forward, and Qiu Henian released his hand to wrap his waist, while Qingyan buried his face in the crook of his neck, emitting a choked sob.
Qiu Henian held Qingyan tightly with one hand and held Jindou’s small hand with the other. The two leaned against him, and he continuously comforted them softly.
This crying released much of the fear from encountering the bear earlier. Qingyan’s wound needed to be treated quickly. Qiu Henian wiped away their tears and the family of three continued on their journey.
Upon arriving in the village, they first went to Liu Fa’s home and entrusted Jindou to Liu Fa’s wife. Liu Fa and Liu Cai hurriedly hitched the ox cart and took them to the neighboring village’s old doctor.
Liu Fa’s wife held Jindou, who was frightened, tenderly in her arms, comforting him non-stop. Qi Yinglan woke up Zhuangzhuang, who was asleep, and came over to accompany Jindou.
Zhuangzhuang took out all his favorite things. Jindou glanced at them and barely managed not to cry, starting to play with him.
…
In the clinic, Qingyan’s wound had been treated and bandaged.
The old doctor pondered as he wrote the prescription, “Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep. With regular dressing changes, new skin will grow quickly. I’ve added medicinal herbs to help the wound heal. If it heals well, perhaps the scars won’t be too noticeable.”
Pausing for a moment, he murmured, “The wound will heal fine, but that blind bear eats everything. I need to add some detoxifying herbs.”
He swiftly added some herbs to the prescription and handed it to Qiu Henian, instructing, “Make sure to take this medicine on time every day. After finishing the course, come back to see me.”
Qiu Henian agreed and went to get the medicine.
On the way back, Qingyan fell asleep in Qiu Henian’s arms.
After the great fright of running down the mountain and just having his wound cleaned and dressed, causing him pain again, his strength had been depleted.
Liu Cai drove the cart back to Liuxi Village.
Liu Fa sat beside his younger brother and glanced back, whispering to Qiu Henian, “Jindou will stay at our place for these two days. With Zhuangzhuang accompanying him, he won’t cause trouble. You take good care of Qingyan.”
Qiu Henian nodded and said, “Thank you for that.”
Liu Fa sighed, “What trouble? Taking care of one child or two children—it’s all the same.”
The ox cart swayed back home.
After a while, Qiu Henian said, “On ordinary days, if we’re going up the mountain to hunt or chop wood, we’ll take that road. I need to inform Hunter Liu about this and let everyone in the village know.”
Liu Fa said, “Sure, when we get back, I’ll find the village head and discuss it with him.”
Liu Cai turned around and said, “If Hunter Liu goes up the mountain to hunt bears, I’ll go with him!”
Liu Fa knocked on his head and said, “You haven’t even chopped firewood before, and you want to hunt bears? Just stay honestly at home. It’s none of your business!”
After sending Qiu Henian and his wife back home, Liu Fa exchanged a few words and left.
Qiu Henian carried Qingyan back into the house. In the outer room, Aunt Li was stoking the stove.
Seeing Qingyan being carried back, Aunt Li’s face changed suddenly, and she hurriedly got up to ask. Only after confirming that he was just asleep did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Qiu Henian put Qingyan on the bed, took off his outer robe, and covered him with a blanket.
Qingyan’s pale face looked even smaller under the thick blanket.
Aunt Li washed a hot towel and wiped Qingyan’s face and hands, saying, “I just went to Old Liu’s house to see Jindou. The child was so frightened. When he saw me, he wiped his tears and said he never wanted to see a fat rabbit again.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Henian sighed softly.
Aunt Li said, “I saw him playing quite happily with Zhuangzhuang, so I didn’t bring him back. With a child to keep him company, he won’t keep thinking about those scary things.”
Qiu Henian nodded.
Aunt Li patted his hand and said, “You should lie down and rest for a while. You don’t need to worry about things at home. I’ve fed the chickens, and the water tank is full. I’ll cook and call you when it’s done.”
Qiu Henian thanked her, and Aunt Li waved her hand as she left the room.
Qingyan lay on the bed, not sleeping soundly, occasionally seeming to dream, with indistinct sounds coming from his throat.
Qiu Henian lay beside him, holding him close, his hand gently rubbing and comforting his shoulders and arms.
After a while, Qingyan turned over, leaned towards him, and Qiu Henian hugged him tightly.
His large hand then stroked Qingyan’s back, only to find that the inner clothes on Qingyan’s back were soaked with sweat.
Qingyan had been intermittently humming in pain in his throat, “It hurts…”
From coming down the mountain until now, he had hardly made a sound. Only now, while asleep, did he finally relax enough to cry out in pain. Qiu Henian’s heart tightened with pain. He held Qingyan, gently brushing his forehead with his cheek, feeling his warmth.
It was only at this moment that Qiu Henian completely relaxed, feeling the surge of exhaustion, but he didn’t want to sleep, nor could he.
Scenes from the mountain kept echoing in his mind, various terrifying and terrible possibilities making him feel intense fear.
…
When night fell, Qingyan woke up, had dinner, and finished drinking his medicine.
Liu Fa’s wife and Qi Yinglan came over. Jindou missed home, so Zhuangzhuang held his little hand and went home to play with him.
Jindou clung to his father’s arms, rubbing his small face against his father’s face. Qingyan tenderly kissed his forehead and chubby cheeks.
After comforting him enough, Jindou’s mood improved a lot, and he took Zhuangzhuang to see the small toys in their home.
Qingyan got up from the bed, packed Jindou’s clothes and daily necessities into a bundle, and handed them to Liu Fa’s wife.
The children played with toy cars in the outer room, with Qi Yinglan watching over them.
Liu Fa’s wife sat on the edge of the bed and lowered her voice, saying, “Your eldest son and my Liu Fa are at the village head’s place, along with Liu the Hunter. They’re discussing going up the mountain tomorrow.”
Qingyan looked worried, and Liu Fa’s wife patted his hand, saying, “Don’t worry. Hunter Liu has dealt with bears before, and most of the able-bodied men in the village are going. They’ve packed everything they need, so there’s nothing to fear.”
