Chapter 69

(Chapter of gratitude, thank you all.) Chen Erlang pushed the door and entered the courtyard. He was drenched, unsure if it was from sweat or rain. Upon closer inspection, his hands and knees were scraped, and his robe was stained with blood, making him look utterly disheveled. "What happened?!" Chen Ke jumped up and examined his injuries, asking, "Who bullied you?" "Nothing, I was in a hurry up the mountain and fell myself." Erlang patted him, apologized to Wang Fang in the courtyard, and whispered, "There's a seriously ill person at home, and we need Third Brother to go back and treat them." "Oh?" Wang Fang was slightly surprised, thinking to himself, can this kid really treat illnesses? But given the urgency, he didn't ask more and nodded gently, saying, "Go quickly." "Thank you, Master." Chen Ke only managed to grab his heavy book box before being dragged down the mountain by Erlang. The rain wasn't heavy, but the steps were slippery, almost causing him to slide down. "Who is sick?" Chen Ke shook off his hand, wiped the rain from his forehead, and took out an oilcloth to cover the book box, which contained his treasured manuscripts: "And, didn't you go to a literary gathering? Why did you come back?" "It's your Eighth Sister..." Chen Cheng gave Chen Ke a sad back view and said, "As for me..." "Damn, why didn't you say so earlier..." Chen Ke cursed as soon as the words left his mouth, and he rushed down the mountain like a whirlwind. "This guy..." The man, full of sorrow, shook his head and hurriedly chased after him. Years of training paid off, and Chen Ke ran back home in one breath, covering over ten miles. He threw the book box to Fifth Brother and leaned on his knees, panting heavily. "Third Brother, go see Eighth Sister quickly." Song Duanping and Fourth Brother both rushed over with worried faces: "She is very ill..." Chen Ke raised his hand, signaling them to wait until he caught his breath. Fourth Brother was considerate and brought him a towel and dry clothes. Chen Ke wiped himself down, changed out of his wet clothes, and headed to the back courtyard. As soon as he passed the moon gate, Chen Ke felt the heavy atmosphere in the back courtyard. His little sister ran out to meet him, crying uncontrollably before she could even speak. Chen Ke patted her trembling shoulders and said softly, "Don't stand in the rain." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the inner room, the three Sus and Lady Cheng were all there. Old Su had a stern face, Big Su looked dejected, Little Su was sad, and Lady Cheng was holding Eighth Sister's hand, her whole body numb. Following the delicate hand, Chen Ke saw Eighth Sister, emaciated and on the brink of death. Despite being prepared, he couldn't help but be deeply moved. This was not the gentle and beautiful Eighth Sister he remembered, but a withered lotus about to wither... "Third Brother, quickly see your Eighth Sister." Seeing Chen Ke enter, Lady Cheng clung to him like a lifeline: "See what's wrong with her!" "Aunt, don't worry, I'll check." Chen Ke sat on the stool Lady Cheng had vacated, observed Eighth Sister's face and tongue, and took her pulse. When he was diagnosing, Chen Ke's expression clearly changed, startling the Su family, who asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing." Chen Ke shook his head and carefully rechecked her pulse, marveling inwardly. He then stood up and said, "Let's talk outside." So, leaving Little Sister and the Su brothers to look after their sister, Su Xun and his wife went with Chen Ke to the main hall. After sitting down, Su Xun asked anxiously, "Third Brother, what's wrong with Eighth Sister?" "Eighth Sister's illness," Chen Ke pondered, "to be frank, is likely caused by internal evils." Internal evils, such as negative emotions, improper diet, excessive labor or idleness, are called 'internal evils' in traditional Chinese medicine: "I see her tongue is thin and greasy, and her pulse is weak, indicating damage to both the spleen and lungs. The 'Inner Canon' says that worry harms the spleen and sorrow harms the lungs. Eighth Sister's illness is caused by excessive worry and sorrow." Over the years, Chen Ke had practiced medicine with Song Fu, improving significantly. "If Third Brother says so, it must be true." Hearing Chen Ke's words, Su Xun nodded sadly: "How should we treat it?" "Sorrow affects the lungs, so we can use the Sweet Wheat and Jujube Decoction to disperse and clear the lungs." Chen Ke said, "Worry harms the spleen, so any formula that relieves spleen and stomach stagnation and clears the heart and lowers fire can help alleviate worry." "So, Eighth Sister will get better soon?" Su Xun and his wife remembered how Chen Ke had cured Little Sister with just three doses of medicine. "No." Chen Ke shook his head: "For those whose illness is caused by unresolved worries, medicine can only treat the symptoms. To treat the root cause, they must resolve their worries and fulfill their wishes." "Resolve their worries and fulfill their wishes?" "In simple terms, a heart ailment requires a heart remedy," Chen Ke said slowly, "for example, a good cry can be the best medicine for sorrow; for worry, if one can let go and open up, they will naturally feel better. At this time, with the help of herbal decoctions, they can recover." "But she is unconscious now..." "That's fine, it's just due to excessive worry and anger causing poor blood circulation. I can use moxibustion to wake her up, then use herbal decoctions to alleviate her condition. The rest is up to Uncle and Aunt." Chen Ke looked at Su Xun and his wife. "Understood." Hearing that Eighth Sister's unconsciousness was due to 'excessive worry and anger,' Su Xun felt guilty and pounded his head: "It's all my fault..." "We'll talk about this later..." Lady Cheng calmed Su Xun and thanked Chen Ke: "Thank you, Third Brother." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the bedroom, Chen Ke fetched moxa and lit it. He had Lady Cheng and Little Sister hold Eighth Sister, parted her hair on top of her head, and accurately located the Baihui point, applying the moxa. After a moment, he withdrew it. The Su family watched Eighth Sister's face tensely. Finally, her eyelashes fluttered, and she exhaled a heavy, deep breath, as if sighing deeply. Then, her eyes slowly opened, gradually focusing on her father, mother, little sister, and brothers... These people she had missed day and night, how could they all be here? "Am I dreaming?" She murmured, her eyes unfocused. "No, you're at home!" Lady Cheng hugged her, tears streaming down her face, crying for her 'poor child.' Hearing her mother's voice and feeling her warmth, Eighth Sister burst into tears. Little Sister also sobbed, and the two Su brothers, Su Shi and Su Zhe, had red eyes and were wiping away tears. Su Xun's tears flowed like beads... This family's sorrow and grief made Chen Ke's nose tingle. Knowing they needed time to calm down, he quietly left. In the courtyard, he looked up at the sky, the drizzle dripping on his face, blurring his eyes. Chen Ke wiped his face... why was this rain warm? At this moment, Erlang finally appeared at the moon gate, out of breath. Seeing Chen Ke with red eyes, as if wiping away tears, he was struck like lightning and screamed, "Eighth Sister..." His voice was so heart-wrenching that it made everyone cry. Chen Ke reacted quickly, pouncing on him and covering his mouth, whispering, "What are you wailing for! Eighth Sister isn't dead!" "Not dead..." Erlang's legs gave out, and he sat on the ground, muttering, "Eighth Sister, Eighth Sister..." Tears streamed down his face, more than the three Sus combined. Chen Ke couldn't let him make a fool of himself, so he dragged him to the front courtyard: "Let's go buy medicine!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After buying the medicine, the pot was placed on the charcoal stove to simmer. Chen Ke sat on a folding stool, tending the fire, while Erlang sat on another, staring at the fire in a daze. The sky grew darker, and the rain pattered outside, while the bamboo charcoal crackled inside, making the room seem even more quiet. "Tell me, what exactly happened?" In the back courtyard, Chen Ke had seen Su Xun and his wife's unstable emotions and had refrained from asking. Now, he wouldn't be so polite to Erlang. "What happened?" Erlang was still dazed. "Didn't you go to study elsewhere? Why did you come back?" Chen Ke asked. "Oh, I went to the prefectural office to register, so I arrived in Meizhou the day before yesterday." Erlang said softly, "I planned to stay at a classmate's house to read for a few days, but my mind was in turmoil, and I couldn't concentrate." "I understand." Chen Ke nodded. "I thought I'd go for a walk to clear my mind, but somehow, I ended up in front of the Cheng family's house." In front of his closest brother, Erlang had nothing to hide: "Although I knew Luo Fu was married, I couldn't help but want to see her again. Once this thought arose, I couldn't control myself. For the next few days, I sat in a teahouse opposite the Cheng family's house, waiting. I didn't see Eighth Sister come out, but I saw Uncle Su arrive." Chen Ke added a piece of wood to the stove, signaling him to continue. "After a long time, I saw Uncle Su come out, looking furious. I had a bad feeling and walked out of the teahouse as if possessed." Recalling that day, Chen Erlang's face seemed to glow, but it wasn't out of joy: "Uncle Su saw me and didn't ask why I was there. He just loudly told me to find a sedan chair." "So, you found one?" Chen Ke touched his nose, regretting not being there to stir up trouble for the Cheng family. "I found one, and we carried the sedan chair into the Cheng family's courtyard, heading straight for the back house." Erlang's face showed pain: "I saw Eighth Sister, emaciated to the bone, and I was stunned. It seemed Uncle Su was arguing with the Cheng family. I had one thought: to take Eighth Sister away. I took advantage of their distraction, picked her up, and ran, all the way to the dock. I saw Old Qiu's boat and jumped on, telling him to leave quickly. Just as the boat was about to leave, Uncle Su jumped on too, and we left the Cheng family behind." ———————————————————— First place on both lists, something I never dared to dream of before writing. I'm grateful and will sleep well. Third update, please give me recommendations, don't let me wake up to a surprise... <a href="