Chapter 24: A Sickness Takes Root
Chapter 24: A Sickness Takes Root
"Where am I?" Old Zhao asked in a daze as he woke up and looked around at the people surrounding him.
"Old Zhao, don't you remember? You fell into the water and almost drowned. We saved you!"
"That's right, we heard your cries for help. By the time we got there, you were already sinking!"
"If it weren't for the skilled medicine man, you would've gone to meet your father in the afterlife!"
"How did you end up in the water? Did a fish pull you in?" the villagers chimed in.
With all the villagers talking at once, Old Zhao finally recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness.
Then, a realization hit him. "That's right, the fish! Where's my fishing rod?"
"You're still worried about your fishing rod? When we pulled you out, you were clinging tightly to it. We thought it was too much trouble, so we threw it by the riverbank," one of the villagers replied.
"Oh no, why did you throw away my rod? Where did you throw it?" Old Zhao asked anxiously.
The villagers were displeased by his reaction. "How dare you, Old Zhao! We went out of our way to save you, and instead of thanking us, you're blaming us?"
"Yeah, we should've just let you drown!"
"Ungrateful! We jumped into the river to save you and even carried you all the way here to the medicine man's house. How dare you!" the other villagers added, expressing their dissatisfaction.
Old Zhao realized he was in the wrong and quickly tried to rectify the situation. "I-I wasn't thinking straight. I was just worried about my fishing rod, which I crafted with great effort. Please don't be offended, and thank you for saving me."
The villagers had tough exteriors but soft hearts. Their expressions softened upon hearing Old Zhao's thanks.
"Alright, forget about your broken rod. Now, tell us how you ended up in the water. I thought you never went near the river," one of them said.
"I... I jumped in myself," Old Zhao admitted after a few mouth movements.
"You jumped in yourself?! Don't you know you can't swim? How could you be so reckless?" one of the villagers exclaimed in disbelief.
"I had no idea the water would be so deep. I thought it would only reach my thighs at most," Old Zhao explained.
"Then why did you jump into the river?"
"Well... I... I was just a little careless, and the fish pulled the rod away. In a moment of haste, I wanted to get it back, so I jumped into the water," Old Zhao stammered.
Lu Qing, who was not too far away, remained silent.
So that's what happened.
When Wang Dauan was recounting the story earlier, Lu Qing had guessed that Old Zhao jumped into the river to retrieve his fishing rod.
He had witnessed similar incidents in his past life.
He had even done something like this himself.
However, he was surprised that Old Zhao, who couldn't swim, would be so impulsive.
"You're so foolish!"
The other villagers were astonished that Old Zhao had risked his life for such a trivial reason.
"That broken rod of yours isn't worth anything. You could easily make another one by cutting a bamboo stick from the mountain. You almost lost your life over this. Are you out of your mind?" one of the villagers who was closer to Old Zhao scolded him.
Old Zhao remained silent, not daring to speak.
He didn't dare mention that he jumped in not just because he was fond of the rod but also because he had finally hooked a big fish—one that could easily drag his rod away. He couldn't bear to let it go.
The two large fish that Lu Qing had caught the day before had filled him with envy.
Such big fish could feed him for many meals, and he rarely had the chance to catch such a big catch. How could he let it get away?
However, this incident confirmed that there were indeed big fish in that spot.
Chapter 24: A Sickness Takes Root
Old Zhao's eyes widened in fear as he asked, "What's wrong with me, then? Why can't I move?"
Sighing, Old Chen replied, "You were in the water for too long, and the cold has seeped into your body. On top of that, you swallowed a lot of polluted water from the river, damaging your spleen and causing you to hold your breath for an extended period. While I've expelled the dirty water from your body and brought you back to consciousness, your health has already suffered."
"Then what should I do, Old Chen? You have to save me, please save me!" Old Zhao pleaded in panic after hearing the diagnosis.
His earlier thoughts about catching the big fish were now a distant memory, forgotten in his fear.
"Don't worry; I'm a doctor, so I'll treat you, of course," Old Chen reassured him. "But at your age, recovery won't be easy. You'll need to take it easy and rest for a while."
"Will I be able to walk again?" Old Zhao asked anxiously.
"Walking won't be a problem, but the extent of your recovery depends on how well you rest and take care of yourself," Old Chen explained.
"As long as I can walk, that's fine," Old Zhao said, feeling some relief. He had been genuinely worried that he might be paralyzed.
"Where's my father? Where is he?"
Just as Old Zhao was starting to relax, a commotion outside the courtyard caught everyone's attention. Soon enough, a group of people rushed into the yard.
Leading the group were two young men, a woman, and an older woman. They were followed by other villagers who had heard the news and come to see what was happening.
"Dad!"
The older of the two young men spotted Old Zhao lying down and quickly made his way over.
"I heard from Da Shan that you fell into the river and were brought here to Old Chen. What happened?" asked the son, Zhao Ming.
It turned out that when Wang Da Shan and the others brought Old Zhao over, they also sent someone to notify his family.
"I-I'm fine now," Old Zhao stammered, feeling a bit guilty as he looked at his son.
"Don't listen to him; he's fine," one of the villagers interjected, rolling his eyes. "Ming, your father jumped into the river by himself. If we hadn't been there, he wouldn't be here right now..."
The villager then proceeded to recount the entire incident in detail.
As soon as they heard this, Old Zhao's wife burst into a fit of angry tears. "You fool! I told you not to go fishing for that stupid fish, but you didn't listen. You can't even swim, so what were you doing by the river? Did you want to die and take me with you?"
Zhao Ming, Old Zhao's eldest son, wore a grim expression. As a son, he couldn't bring himself to scold his father, but he did offer a suggestion. "Dad, how about we stop going fishing from now on? We don't need the fish for food, so why take such risks?"
The second son chimed in, "Yeah, Dad. If you want something, just tell us, and we'll get it for you, no matter how difficult it is. Please don't do anything so dangerous again."
"Alright, alright, I won't go fishing again. I promise," Old Zhao said, his face reddening from the scolding he was receiving from his family.
"Don't worry, Ming. Even if your father wants to go fishing, he won't be able to," one of the villagers added. "Old Chen said that your father was in the water for too long, and it's left him with a lingering illness. If he doesn't rest properly, he might even have trouble walking in the future."
"What?!" Old Zhao and his family were shocked by this revelation.
(End of Chapter)
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