Chapter 7: Returning Home

After Wen Wenhai checked everyone's pulse and smiled, he said, "Everyone's body is fine, just a bit of internal bruising and some severe external injuries. I have some commonly used medicine here, which is good for treating bruises and falls. Take it both externally and internally, and get plenty of rest, and you'll be fine." He then took out some small bottles from his pocket and handed them to Zhang Cai, adding, "This brother's arm is broken, and I can't do anything about it. Here's some silver, take it to see a doctor, it shouldn't be a big problem." He then took out some loose silver coins from his pocket and handed them over. Zhang Cai quickly waved his hand and said, "I dare not."

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohu, with a bruised eye, said, "Take it, Father. We've received so much help from our benefactor, this small amount doesn't matter. It's also a token of his goodwill, so take it."

Zhang Cai turned and scolded his son, "We already took the silver as compensation from those people. How can we accept more help from our benefactor?" He then took out the silver ticket from his pocket, counted it carefully, and was surprised to find that there were forty to fifty silver tickets, each worth ten taels. He guessed that the short, fat man was in a hurry and didn't dare to count them carefully before handing them over.

At this moment, Wen Wenhai handed the silver to Zhang Xiaohu and said, "This kid has a generous nature, which I like. Take it, that's the compensation from others, and this is from me."

Zhang Cai, seeing Zhang Xiaohu take the silver, didn't blame him. He told Wen Wenhai about the silver ticket, as it was a large sum of money, and Zhang Cai didn't dare to handle it privately. He was also afraid that those people might come back to cause trouble. Money was a small matter, but life and safety were important. Wen Wenhai, looking at the large sum of money, also smiled bitterly. According to his intention, he only wanted the short, fat man to compensate with a few dozen taels of silver, but he didn't expect his junior sister's mischief to cause so much trouble for this family. He didn't dare to make a decision on his own, so he went to the side to consult with his junior sister.

Zhang Xiaohua, who was accompanying his injured brother, was not at all calm. His cheeks and lips still stung from the beating. The impact of being bullied by the bully and nearly losing his life was far less than the profound impact of seeing Wen Wenhai effortlessly deal with those thugs. He hadn't yet recovered from the shock and injury, and his eyes were fixed on the sword in Wen Wenhai's hand, feeling a seed of something growing quietly in his heart.

The two village girls stood behind Zhang Cai, not knowing what they could do to express their gratitude. They wanted to thank the woman in purple, but seeing her cold and distant demeanor, they didn't dare to approach her, only watching from a distance.

Wen Wenhai and his junior sister quickly came to a decision. His junior sister took out a small token from her brocade pouch and handed it to him. Wen Wenhai didn't take it at first, but after a few more words, it seemed he couldn't persuade her. He shook his head, reached out, and took the token, then turned to Zhang Cai and said, "Uncle, you keep this large sum of money. Even if we take it, if they come back, you won't have a way to return it to them. This is a token from our sect, given to you by my junior sister. If they come to reclaim the silver, you can return the silver tickets to them. The loose silver I gave you is enough for your injuries. If they have other intentions, take this token to the Lotus Escort Agency's branch in town and find their leader. Tell them the token's owner sent you, and you can discuss any matters with them."

After saying this, he handed the token to Zhang Cai. Zhang Cai carefully took the life-saving token, examined it, and found it to be a three-inch black token, quite heavy, made of unknown material. The surface had two intricately drawn characters, which Zhang Cai didn't recognize. The token was covered with strange patterns, and on the back was a character "Qing" that Zhang Cai recognized, likely a mark of Wen Wenhai's junior sister. Zhang Cai cautiously put the token in his pocket, pinched it to confirm its presence, and finally felt relieved.

After Zhang Cai put away the token, Wen Wenhai clasped his hands and said, "Everyone, we have important matters to attend to, so we won't escort you back to the village. If you have the chance to come to Pingyang City, look for me. Until then, farewell." Without waiting for Zhang Cai and the others to respond, he turned and left with the woman in purple. Their figures, though seemingly ordinary, moved very quickly, and in a moment, they disappeared from Zhang Cai's sight.

From the beginning to the end, the woman in purple never spoke a word or removed her mask. Zhang Cai's family didn't even know her name or what she looked like, only that her voice was very pleasant.

After the two people left, Zhang Cai and the others finally收回了目光。张小花喃喃地说：“这两个人跑得真快啊。”

张小虎说：“不懂了吧，小花，这是传说中的轻功。”

张小花问：“你见过？”

张小虎说：“没见过，猜的。你没看他们没有跑，却比跑得都快，还拿着剑，估计就是轻功了。”张小花眨眨眼，没再问了。

两个村姑走过来，给张才施礼拜谢：“多谢大叔的救命之恩，如果没有大叔，我们……”两人说着，眼泪就在眼睛里打转了，为刚才的事情后怕不已。张才挥挥手，说：“都是农家人，互相帮忙是应该的。先不说那么多，咱们先离开这里吧，时间长了，难免会有人过来。你们是哪个村的？”

高个子的村姑说：“我们住八里沟，我叫刘倩，她是我堂妹刘月月。”

张才沉思片刻说：“八里沟在鲁镇的西面，要是回去得穿过镇子，这个情形还是不要到镇里的好。如果，从镇外绕的话，这会儿天色要晚，天黑之前估计是到不了家的。姑娘，我们住郭庄，在镇子的北面，不如你们先到我们家暂住一晚，明天再送你们回去如何？”

刘倩看看天色，说：“那就麻烦大叔了。”

大家于是起身，趁着时辰尚早，拖着受伤的身体赶紧赶路，争取早点回到家里。

三十里地对于没有受伤的张才他们也不是很近的路，况且这会儿又要从鲁镇的东边绕着走。一路的艰难自是不必说了，等他们回到郭庄的时候，天都已经黑透了。张才原本是想从村子旁边的小竹林中穿过去，不引起其他人的注意，这会儿看看天色，倒是不必了。

黑暗中的郭庄跟以前没什么两样，村中的小路少有人影，偶尔有人经过也不会太过注意他们。这倒让一直担心让人看到自己一家人满身狼狈的张才松了不少的气，直到走到自己小院的篱笆门前，看到孩子他妈在灯下的身影，他才彻底的放下了心。

当一行人推开篱笆门，鱼贯走进屋内，眼前的情景让听到门声起身来迎的郭素菲大吃一惊，她上前扶住张才，着急地说：“当家的，这是怎么回事儿？”

把张才扶到椅子上坐好，又赶紧过来看孩子，“儿啊，没什么大事吧？”

最后，才看到居然有两个不认识的姑娘，没敢问，疑惑的眼光看向张才。张才苦笑着说：“孩子他娘，没什么大事，一时说不清楚，这个孩子叫刘倩，那个叫刘月月，是八里沟的。你先跟小花把小龙带到老陈那里去看看胳膊，回来再说吧。对了，先让小龙和小花把脸洗干净，就说是从树上摔下来弄的。”

郭素菲疑惑着，赶快从外面弄了热水过来，让两兄弟洗干净，还要给张才他们打水，被张才拦住了，催促她先给孩子看伤。刘倩也想跟过去，也被张才拦住了。

老陈是郭庄的老兽医，在郭庄呆了一辈子了，医术还不错，平日里不仅仅是给牲口看病，很多人有个头疼脑热的，也都来找他。这会儿，老陈呆在自己的小屋，让孩子他娘给自己烫了壶酒，刚开始自斟自饮，就听到有人着急的拍打着自己的大门，声音很大的叫自己，估计又是村里的谁病了，只好放下自己手中的酒杯，起身开门。老陈开了门，看到是郭素菲母子三人，笑着说：“大妹子，这么晚了来拍门，是不是小家伙吃多了拉肚子？”

郭素菲小心地扶着张小龙进了门，尴尬地说：“孩儿他叔，今儿晚上小龙他们在东坡玩，不小心从树上摔下来，胳膊都骨折了，这会儿才回来，我就赶紧过来了，打搅你休息了。”

老陈一听张小龙胳膊骨折了，脸色立刻一正，说：“说什么呢，大妹子，孩子这么大的事，就是再晚我也得起来啊。赶紧进屋，让我看看。”说完，老陈把他们带到专门给病人用的一间干净小屋。这时，老陈家的也进来了，老陈让她把油灯都点着，然后让张小龙把受伤那个胳膊的衣袖脱了下来，自己仔细地看了看，用手在这里那里捏了捏，问了问张小龙的感觉，然后，明显地松了口气。对郭素菲说：“大妹子，放心吧，没什么大事，就是骨折，平常那些个牛啊，马啊骨折的比这个严重，我都能弄好，小龙这个包在我身上了。”

老陈家的不放心地说：“老头子，你刚喝酒了，没关系吧？”

老陈拍拍胸脯：“我看病看了大半辈子，这点酒算个啥？况且，我还没开喝呢，不信，你去看看我的酒壶。”

其实，郭素菲早就闻到老陈身上的酒味，不过村里也就这么一个医生，只能靠他了，这会儿又听他说可以看酒壶，就晓得也没多喝的，这才放心。老陈找了几个削得很平整的木片过来，又从柜子里拿出一个瓷坛，揭开封口，立刻从里面散发出刺鼻的辛辣药味。老陈先是用手认真地帮小龙把胳膊弄折的骨头对正，然后从坛子中掏了药膏出来，均匀地涂在小龙的胳膊上，用白布包扎好，最后再用木板固定了。整个过程疼得小龙紧咬牙关，流下了满头大汗，郭素菲心疼地用毛巾擦了又擦。

弄完这一切，老陈洗了手，对郭素菲说：“大妹子，带孩子回去休息吧，半个月后过来换药，伤筋动骨一百天啊，得好长时间动不得锄头啦。”

郭素菲千恩万谢，并留下了一些铜钱，这才带着两个孩子回到家里。

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When the group pushed open the bamboo gate and filed into the house, the scene that greeted Guo Sufei, who had risen to greet them at the sound of the door, made her jump in surprise. She hurried forward to support Zhang Cai, anxiously asking, "What happened, dear?"

After helping Zhang Cai to a chair, she quickly went to check on the children, saying, "My child, is everything alright?"

Finally, she noticed two unfamiliar girls and looked at Zhang Cai with a puzzled expression. Zhang Cai smiled bitterly and said, "My dear, it's nothing serious, but it's hard to explain right now. This girl is Liu Qian, and that one is Liu Yueyue, from Balingou. You take Xiaohua and Xiaolong to Old Chen to have Xiaolong's arm looked at, and we'll talk when you get back. Oh, and have Xiaolong and Xiaohua wash their faces first, and say they fell from a tree."

Guo Sufei, still puzzled, quickly fetched hot water from outside and had the two brothers wash their faces. She was about to fetch water for Zhang Cai and the others, but he stopped her, urging her to take the children to see the doctor first. Liu Qian also wanted to go, but Zhang Cai stopped her.

Old Chen, the old veterinarian of Guo Village, had lived there all his life and was quite skilled. He not only treated animals but also helped people with minor illnesses. At that moment, he was in his small house, having his wife warm a pot of wine for him, and was just about to start drinking when he heard someone urgently knocking on his door, calling out loudly. He guessed it was someone in the village who was sick, so he put down his wine cup and went to open the door. When he saw Guo Sufei and her two sons, he smiled and said, "Sister, what brings you here so late? Is the little one overeating and having diarrhea?"

Guo Sufei carefully helped Zhang Xiaolong into the house and said awkwardly, "Uncle, tonight Xiaolong and the others were playing on the hillside and accidentally fell from a tree, breaking his arm. We just got back, so I came over right away, disturbing your rest."

Old Chen's face turned serious when he heard about Zhang Xiaolong's broken arm. He said, "What are you talking about, Sister? For something this serious, I would get up no matter how late it is. Come in, let me take a look." He then led them to a clean room specifically for patients. Old Chen's wife came in and lit the oil lamps, then helped Zhang Xiaolong take off the sleeve of his injured arm. Old Chen examined it carefully, felt around, and asked Zhang Xiaolong how it felt. He then visibly relaxed and said to Guo Sufei, "Sister, don't worry, it's not serious, just a broken arm. I've treated more serious fractures in cows and horses before, so I can handle this one."

Old Chen's wife, still worried, said, "Old man, you just drank, is it okay?"

Old Chen patted his chest and said, "I've been a doctor for half a century, what's a little drink? Besides, I haven't even started drinking yet. Don't believe me? Check my wine bottle."

Actually, Guo Sufei had already smelled the alcohol on Old Chen, but since he was the only doctor in the village, she had no choice but to rely on him. Hearing him say he hadn't drunk much, she felt relieved. Old Chen found some smooth wooden splints and took out a ceramic jar from a cabinet. When he opened it, a pungent, spicy medicinal smell immediately filled the air. He carefully realigned the broken bone in Xiaolong's arm, then took out some ointment from the jar, applied it evenly to Xiaolong's arm, wrapped it in white cloth, and finally secured it with the wooden splints. The whole process was painful, and Xiaolong clenched his teeth, sweating profusely. Guo Sufei, heartbroken, wiped his sweat with a towel.

After finishing, Old Chen washed his hands and said to Guo Sufei, "Sister, take the child home to rest. Come back in half a month to change the medicine. It will take a long time to heal, and he won't be able to use a hoe for a while."

Guo Sufei thanked him profusely and left some copper coins before taking the two children back home.

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