W Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Brothers

Li, the doctor, had seen all sorts of illnesses and injuries, but he was still shocked by the wounds on the child’s body.

At first, he thought the gambling den people were inhumane, but after a moment’s thought, he didn’t think so.

If it were really the gambling den people, there would be no need to rush and ask him to come.

Not to mention, this child was not only covered in wounds but was also filthy.

Many of the wounds had become extremely serious and were festering because they were too dirty.

And the bedding was of excellent quality.

After hearing what he said, the people in the room looked grave. The one who looked like a “ge’er” even burst into tears, crying and asking how his younger brother was.

He realized that he had misunderstood and blamed the wrong people.

Li, the doctor, shook his head and sighed. His tone was not as harsh, but he was still suppressing his anger.

“Those festering wounds look scary, but they are actually easier to deal with.”

He gestured in the air over the child’s body, landing on his right leg. “This leg should have been broken before. Now it’s only halfway healed. If you want to completely heal it, you’ll have to break the crooked bone again and suffer the pain of a broken bone again. In the future, the bone will ache when it’s cloudy or rainy, and he won’t be able to do heavy work.”

Every word Ling Xing heard was like a knife cutting into flesh.

Even without the original owner’s emotions, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ling Yue’s injuries.

“Not only that…” Li, the doctor, pried open Ling Yue’s mouth, and a bloody smell wafted out. “This child was also force-fed a dumbing drug, which damaged his throat.”

Ling Xing asked worriedly, “Can he still speak?”

“The throat has been burned, so this can’t be recovered. Fortunately, the drug was given for a short time. I’ll write a prescription later. If he takes the medicine every day, he can still speak. It’s just…”

Li, the doctor, paused for a moment, looking at Ling Xing uncertainly.

He had seen many people. Judging from his clothes, this child’s brother didn’t look like a rich man at all.

He was wearing a dark, patched-up outfit that seemed a bit too big and didn’t fit well.

Only the cloth shoes on his feet were newer, probably bought not long ago.

“It’s just what, doctor?” Ling Xing asked anxiously, with a sob in his voice.

Li, the doctor, said helplessly, “It’s just that there are a few expensive herbs in the prescription, and there are no cheap herbs to replace them. If you want the best recovery, you can only boil each dose of medicine twice at most. If you drink it every day, an ordinary family probably can’t afford it.”

It was already difficult for ordinary people to seek medical treatment. The difficulty wasn’t in finding a doctor and medicine, but in the silver.

Not to mention that besides his throat, every part of this child’s body and legs were injured. They all needed treatment.

The leg injury alone would cost a lot.

Ling Xing obviously thought of this problem and asked, “Doctor, if I want to heal my younger brother as much as possible, how much silver will it cost?”

In the past, many people had asked how much silver it would cost to save their injured relatives, but after hearing the exact amount, they chose to leave and not continue the treatment.

Li, the doctor, knew that Ling Xing would probably ask the same question, so he estimated a price in his mind while examining him.

He didn’t hesitate and quickly replied, “If you treat everything and want to recover almost completely, it will cost at least one hundred taels of silver. Just treating those festering places on the body will be enough with two taels of silver.”

The child’s throat and leg injuries all required long-term silver to heal.

Ordinary people couldn’t possibly have that much money for treatment.

Li, the doctor, estimated that it would be remarkable to clean up the festering wounds on his body.

Many people came to him for leg problems, but the poor ones basically just left it as it was.

Anyway, it was just a limp, not a broken leg.

After Li, the doctor, finished speaking, he remained silent, waiting for Ling Xing to choose.

At least one hundred taels…

Ling Xing felt like a mountain was weighing down on his heart when he heard the amount of money.

But fortunately, he didn’t have to take out that much money all at once. As long as he worked hard to earn money, he could continue the treatment.

Without thinking too much, Ling Xing gave his answer, “I want to heal him as much as possible. Please write the prescription, doctor.”

Li, the doctor, was surprised to hear this. He didn’t expect that the other party was prepared to treat him properly.

He confirmed, “Are you treating both the throat and the leg together?”

“Yes, both together.”

Li, the doctor, stroked his beard and nodded. After pondering for a moment, he cautiously made a request. “Okay, I’ll charge for each consultation and prescription. You can decide when to stop before the treatment is complete. But one thing, no credit.”

It was right to practice medicine and save people, but he still had to support his family.

He wanted to make it clear so that they would both have a clear understanding.

Ling Xing knew that this was the right thing to do and nodded repeatedly.

When cleaning the wound, Li, the doctor, asked everyone to go out, leaving only Shen Hui inside to assist.

He originally wanted Shen Hui because he was strong and could help him hold the person down.

Later, to be on the safe side, he asked if he was afraid of bloody wounds.

Shen Hui said that he often hunted and handled corpses and wouldn’t be afraid, so Li, the doctor, immediately asked him to help.

Because Ling Yue was weak and unconscious, now was not a good time to reattach the broken bone.

He needed to rest for a few days first.

But the wounds on his body had to be treated quickly, otherwise, the flesh would rot even more.

Shen Hui knew a little about the wounds. While Li, the doctor, was treating them, he held the person down and observed the wounds on Ling Yue’s body.

The festering places looked like they had been cut with a knife.

There were also many bruises, which were caused by beatings.

There were also many healed scars.

Only Ling Yue would know how these injuries were inflicted.

The pus had to be squeezed out. Two places were more serious, on the injured lower leg of the right leg, where the rotten flesh needed to be removed.

Fortunately, the weather wasn’t hot now, otherwise, it might breed insects.

Ling Yue had already been awakened by the pain and was screaming incoherently.

His voice was rough, unlike the voice a child should have. Because his throat was already injured, he started to choke on blood as he shouted.

Li, the doctor, was afraid that he would be choked to death by the blood, so he had to ask Tu Hai to find a strong man to come in again.

Soon, a strong man came into the room. It was Tian Zhou, who had carried Ling Yue back earlier.

He sat on the bed, let Ling Yue lean on him, and he fixed his upper body.

Shen Hui pressed Ling Yue’s bloody leg to prevent him from struggling.

Li, the doctor, also put a clean cloth in Ling Yue’s mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.

The skinny child’s face was pale, his lips were colorless, and he was sweating like water as he struggled in pain.

He fainted twice during the period. Li, the doctor, was afraid that he would die of pain, so he had to prick him again and again to keep him awake.

Shen Hui frowned as he looked at Ling Yue struggling and roaring like a small beast, trying to escape the pain.

Ling Xing, who was outside, listened to the movement inside, his face cold and tears streaming down his face.

His heart was filled with heartache and anger. The only reason he could remain rational and stand here was because he was concerned about Ling Yue’s safety.

Tu Hai also felt uncomfortable in his heart when he heard the sound.

He wasn’t a good person. The gamblers in the gambling den screamed more miserably every day than Ling Yue.

But now he couldn’t bear to hear the child’s pain.

He couldn’t help but ridicule himself, thinking that he was getting soft as he got older.

He didn’t know how long it had been, but the struggling movement inside was much smaller, barely audible if you didn’t listen carefully.

Soon, the door was opened, and the bloody smell rushed out.

Ling Xing darted into the room like a rabbit, straight to the bed.

Ling Yue had fallen asleep after the wounds on his body were bandaged.

Li, the doctor, let Ling Xing look at his younger brother for a while before pulling him aside to talk about precautions.

Outside the door, Shen Hui found Tu Hai.

“Eighth Master Tu, I want to see Zhao Wuxiang.”

Tu Hai asked doubtfully, “What do you want to see him for?”

“I want to know who caused Ling Yue’s injuries.”

“Then you don’t need to see him. I know about this.”

Tu Hai shook his fan, chatting casually as if he didn’t care.

“On the way to find Ling Yue, I asked Zhao Baochai. He said that Zhao Wuxiang didn’t lay a hand on the child this time. Ling Yue is very smart, knowing that resisting would lead to beatings, so he obeyed Zhao Wuxiang all the way.”

It was precisely because he initially thought that the child had been frightened out of his wits by the Zhao family and wouldn’t dare to do anything to escape that Zhao Wuxiang relaxed his guard.

In the end, Ling Yue found an opportunity to run out of the human trafficking den and ran into Wang Youmai halfway.

And Wang Youmai recognized him and quickly told Ling Xing, which led to the series of events that followed.

“Those injuries on Ling Yue’s body were all inflicted by the Zhao family.”

After Tu Hai finished speaking, he thought about it and felt that it wasn’t quite right.

“It doesn’t seem like it. Zhao Wuxiang should have been the one who force-fed the dumbing drug. Even if he didn’t, it must have been his idea. The Zhao family didn’t need to make Ling Yue mute. Zhao Wuxiang was the only one who had that drug, a unique recipe he got from the previous human trafficking den.”

After saying that, he fanned his folding fan, creating a cool breeze, and casually asked Shen Hui, “You suddenly asked about this. You’re not going to retaliate, are you?”

“Not retaliating.” Shen Hui denied.

Tu Hai was about to nod when he heard him say, “It’s to repay him in his own coin.”

The cool breeze stopped, and Tu Hai chuckled twice. “You’re quite cultured.”

“Eighth Master Tu is too kind.”

After a moment of speechlessness, Tu Hai fanned the wind again. “Some things are not easy to do yourself. You can pay me, Eighth Master, to have my people do it.”

“I will.”

Seeing Shen Hui agree so quickly, Tu Hai knew that Shen Hui was determined to do this.

He asked doubtfully, “Did Ling Xing ask you to come?”

Otherwise, why would Shen Hui be so concerned about Ling Xing’s younger brother, whom he had never met before?

They could be said to be strangers. Even with Ling Xing as a connection, there was no need to go to this extent for Ling Yue.

Shen Hui shook his head. “No.”

He was just thinking that if the person who caused Ling Yue to suffer was to suffer the same fate, then his “gefu” would feel better.

Shen Hui didn’t say the real reason.

Because it couldn’t be said.

Tu Hai didn’t care what the reason was. It was none of his business anyway.

He was only responsible for taking money and doing things.

There were too many people in the village, and Ling Yue couldn’t go back.

Plus, he was injured and needed to rest.

Tu Hai did a good deed to the end and asked his subordinates to clean up a room for Ling Yue to stay in temporarily.

Ling Xing wanted to stay and take care of Ling Yue, so he asked Shen Hui to go home first and tell his parents the reason.

“I’ll be back in the evening.”

Before Ling Xing could refuse, Shen Hui lowered his voice and said, “This is a gambling den. Everyone here is unfamiliar. I’ll be worried about ‘gefu’ being here alone.”

Only then did Ling Xing remember his “ge’er” identity, so he nodded. “Okay, thank you, Erlang.”

Shen Hui smiled slightly. “It’s not hard. I’ll be back soon.”

As night fell, Ling Yue finally woke up not long after drinking the medicine.

Ling Xing, who was guarding the bedside, stepped forward in time to check. The moment his hand touched Ling Yue, it was dodged.

The child’s voice was hoarse, and his dark eyes were a little wary.

“Brother?”

Ling Xing’s eyes were red, and he was relieved that Ling Yue had woken up. He nodded in response. “A-Yue, it’s brother. With brother here, A-Yue don’t be afraid.”

Hearing the familiar gentle voice, Ling Yue raised his hand and gently touched Ling Xing’s cheek with his fingertips.

It was warm and he could feel it.

It wasn’t a dream.

But something still seemed wrong.

Ling Yue couldn’t tell what it was. His older brother had raised him since he was little, and he saw his brother every time he opened and closed his eyes.

He should be the most familiar with his older brother.

But why did he feel that the older brother in front of him was a little strange?

Ling Yue was sad. He felt like he had been beaten and broken, and he wasn’t even close to his older brother anymore.

This made him sadder than anything else.

Dark eyes instantly filled with tears, which fell down with a “thud.”

“Why are you crying? Does it hurt somewhere?”

Ling Xing anxiously wanted to check the injuries, the worry and heartache on his face were genuine, a real outpouring of emotion.

He didn’t know that Ling Yue had been observing his face.

“Brother, I don’t seem to recognize you. But you seem the same as before.”

Ling Yue’s voice was very painful when he spoke with his throat damaged by the drug. His mouth was full of blood, and he paused when speaking long sentences.

The speaker didn’t mean it, but the listener took it to heart.

Ling Xing’s heart beat violently.

In his memory, Ling Yue was very smart, but he didn’t expect him to be so perceptive.

He suddenly thought that perhaps the original owner’s emotions towards Ling Yue had the meaning of making sure he found Ling Yue.

It was also possible to make Ling Yue believe that they were the same person.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for a person to develop a strong kinship with someone they didn’t know.

He would definitely be exposed in front of Ling Yue.

In an instant, Ling Xing thought a lot.

He looked at Ling Yue, held his hand, and said softly, “Brother almost died before.”

Ling Xing told Ling Yue about promising “Wedding to Ward Off Evil” in order to stay and find him.

However, he added some things during the few days he was unconscious.

He said that he was in poor health due to living in the open and was at his wit’s end.

He had a feeling that he might leave the world with his new husband, but he didn’t want to, so he had a very long dream.

In the dream, a god taught him how to survive until he learned a lot of skills, and then he let him come back.

Only when he opened his eyes did he realize that the more than ten years in the dream were only a few days in reality.

Having been close to death, people always become different.

Ling Xing comforted Ling Yue in this way, and also found an excuse for himself to have those recipes, so as not to arouse Ling Yue’s suspicion.

“A-Yue, don’t tell a third person what brother told you. This is a secret between our brothers.”

Ling Xing knew Ling Yue’s temperament. Although he was young, he was serious. He would do whatever he promised, no matter what.

“Brother, I definitely won’t tell.”

He endured the pain and leaned his face against the back of Ling Xing’s hand, gently rubbing it with attachment.

Hearing Ling Xing say that he met a god in a dream, Ling Yue completely believed it.

Because he also had a dream.

Ling Yue rubbed the back of Ling Xing’s hand and whispered the same secret to his older brother, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.

“Brother, I also dreamed of a god. I couldn’t see the god’s face, but the voice was very similar to brother’s.”

“The time I was caught and had my legs broken, I couldn’t run away and didn’t want to keep living. It was the god who let me live. He said that brother was looking for me and would keep looking for me no matter how long it took.”

After knowing this, Ling Yue didn’t want to die.

His older brother didn’t abandon him, and he had to hold on until his older brother found him.

It was also from that time that he began to pretend to accept the Zhao family, so that the Zhao family would relax their guard and not beat him anymore.

Because he wanted to live well, his older brother had been looking for him.

Ling Xing was stunned when he heard this, wondering if it was the original owner’s soul that was dreaming?

Feeling the back of his hand wet, he came back to his senses and looked down. Seeing Ling Yue crying so badly, as if he wanted to cry out all the sadness and thoughts of these days,

“Brother, A-Yue misses brother so much.”

The child leaned on him affectionately, and Ling Xing’s heart softened. His nose tingled. “Brother misses A-Yue too.”

After telling each other their secrets, Ling Yue felt that his older brother was still the same as before.

Loving him, caring about him, and believing in him in the same way.

Having finally seen his long-awaited older brother, Ling Yue couldn’t wait to stick to Ling Xing and not separate at all.

He also wanted to talk to Ling Xing all night, but his body was too weak.

His throat was also very painful. He felt that the bloody smell in his mouth was getting heavier and heavier. He was afraid of choking on blood and making his older brother worried, so he basically didn’t speak anymore.

Staying by his brother’s side was too reassuring.

Ling Yue obviously cheered up and tried not to fall asleep, but in the end he couldn’t resist the sleepiness, snuggled up to Ling Xing, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Having another smart and heartwarming younger brother, Ling Xing adapted very well.

He didn’t close his eyes much all night, always paying attention to Ling Yue’s physical condition.

The doctor said that if there were signs of fever, he must first cool him down with cold compresses. If he couldn’t bring it down, he would have to find him quickly.

He did develop a fever in the second half of the night, but fortunately Shen Hui was there to help him deal with it. Half an hour later, Ling Yue’s temperature began to drop, and his head was not so hot.

In the morning, as dawn broke, Ling Yue opened his eyes and found that he was sleeping in Ling Xing’s arms. He blushed and felt very embarrassed.

He was almost six years old, but he still felt happy to be held by his older brother to sleep.

He was really shameless.

Ling Xing felt something furry moving on his chest, and he struggled to open his sore eyes. “A-Yue, did you sleep well? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“I slept very well.”

Answering the easiest question first in a low voice, Ling Yue carefully felt his physical condition and said truthfully, “Brother, my right calf and the wound on my waist hurt more. My throat also hurts, but it’s much better than yesterday.”

Three years old, enlighten the mind, read books and learn etiquette, so that Ling Yue would rather choose to shut up than lie.

He knew that he had to clearly tell his feelings now, so that his older brother could treat him better, and he could also prevent his older brother from worrying more because he didn’t know.

Ling Xing really hadn’t encountered such a well-behaved and sensible child.

He was amused by Ling Yue’s little adult’s serious appearance, and couldn’t help raising his hand to pinch his face. “A-Yue is so good.”

Ling Yue, who was praised, raised the corners of his mouth, but was also very embarrassed, his face flushed. “Th-, thank you brother for the praise.”

Shen Hui also didn’t sleep all night. After Ling Yue didn’t have a fever, Ling Xing lay on the bed and slept for a while.

He was sitting outside, sitting until dawn.

Ling Xing came out to prepare water for Ling Yue to wash, and found that Shen Hui had already done it.

Also prepared were the food and the medicine and bandaging cloth that Ling Yue was going to change.

Ling Xing looked at those prepared things, and then looked at the dark circles under Shen Hui’s eyes.

“Erlang, you didn’t close your eyes all night, don’t stay here today, go back and rest quickly.”

“I’m worried about ‘gefu’ being here alone.” Shen Hui refused.

Ling Xing knew he would say that.

“If you are so tired, I will worry about you in my heart.”

Shen Hui forgot to react for a while, his mind full of what Ling Xing said.

His cold face could not show joy or anger, but his heart was enjoying the secret happiness of being cared for.

Shen Hui didn’t go back in the end, Ling Xing was not at ease with him walking back after not closing his eyes all night.

Instead, he asked Tu Hai to clean up another room for Shen Hui to sleep in.

Because Ling Yue was here, he was actually being protected. They lived in the yard, and it would definitely disturb Tu Hai.

Ling Xing wrote a recipe for making whole-grain pancakes for him, and also drew the appearance of the griddle, so that Tu Hai could know what to make when looking for a blacksmith.

Tu Hai accepted the recipe with peace of mind, and then asked, “You said you would give me the recipe as a thank you, I thought it would be steamed rice cake.”

Ling Xing replied to him, “The special thing about steamed rice cake is the fermented dough, I have already given the fermented recipe to the county magistrate, and the magistrate should make it public soon. If I give the steamed rice cake recipe, wouldn’t that be taking advantage of Eighth Master Tu.”

After getting in touch, Ling Xing felt that Tu Hai was not as difficult to get along with as the outside world rumored.

He wanted to continue to befriend him, and didn’t want to create a gap with Tu Hai on this kind of thing, so it was better to write another recipe.

Of course, more than that, he didn’t want to offend Tu Hai because of a recipe.

Tu Hai shook his folding fan and laughed loudly, feeling very happy.

“You are to my liking, if you were not a ‘ge’er’, it would ruin your reputation to spread it out, I would definitely pull you to be sworn brothers.”