Except for the county seat, there are only two barefoot doctors in the eight villages in ten miles. Doctor Sun is from a neighboring village and is an old acquaintance with Beihe Village.
Cheng Zhongqian suffered from a high fever due to overwork and wind and cold entering his body.
Dr. Sun said: "You should be careful. As long as the fever subsides tonight, it will be fine. This is three days' worth of medicine. Three bowls of water can be boiled into one bowl of water. One pack can be used three times."
Cheng Yun wrote down one by one and asked about his worries: "What if the fever doesn't go away tonight?"
Doctor Sun sighed and shook his head.
Cheng Yun and Cheng Yi's face was as white as paper.
They were forced to come to this completely unfamiliar place and suffered a lot on the way. It was impossible not to blame their father.
But they never thought about losing their father.
Cheng Yi, who had always been like a hedgehog, couldn't say anything. He half-knelt beside the bed, holding Cheng Zhongqian's hand, which had become much rougher and thinner in just two months, and slowly lowered his head.
They couldn't see his face, but they could see his gently shaking shoulders.
Cheng Yun stood there, clenching his hands hanging by his sides into fists, using force until veins popped out.
The village chief and Doctor Sun looked at each other and quietly retreated.
Lingbao was young and couldn't understand what Doctor Sun meant by shaking his head, but she knew that her father was in danger now, and she had to find a way to make her father get better quickly!
She was sitting on a small bench, with a serious expression on her baby-fat little face.
When she was sick in the past, Han Dahu's father and Mother Wu were reluctant to spend money to buy medicine for her. They always gave her a bowl of thick rice. After eating, she would sleep and she would be fine the next day.
Lingbao patted her thin legs, she understood, daddy needs to eat!
She jumped off the bench and ran to the kitchen.
The kitchen was also dirty, so Lingbao found a broken vat and shoveled the snow from the yard into it, waiting for it to melt before using it.
He dug out a wooden barrel from the pile of things Cheng Yun bought from the village chief and ran to the river.
A thin layer of ice has formed on the river surface, and over time it will become very thick. If the villagers want to use water, they will have to dig holes in the ice.
Ling Bao was not very strong, and the bucket was not full. He only filled half of it. His young hands skillfully picked up the handle and carried it home.
If you are really tired, stop and take a rest and wipe the sweat on the tip of your nose.
When Cheng Yun and the others smelled the aroma of dry rice, they realized that Lingbao had already prepared the rice.
Cheng Yun was startled, picked her up and put her on the bench, held her little hand and asked, "Are you okay? Are you injured?"
Lingbao said proudly: "No, big brother, I am very good at cooking."
She looked at Cheng Yun with bright eyes, a little expectation hidden in her heart.
But Cheng Yun didn't feel happy. How could she be "very good" at cooking at such a young age?
Cheng Yun forced a smile and rubbed her head: "Lingbao is awesome."
Ling Bao happily shook his little feet, but unexpectedly he even threw off his shoes.
Gray cloth shoes that are as big as an adult's palm. The surface layer of cloth has been mended countless times, with patches stacked on top of each other, and there are even tears on the sides.
Cheng Yun picked up the shoes, held her little feet and put them on for her.
"Ling Bao, from now on it will be good if my brother comes to cook, you know?"
He doesn't know how, he can learn, nothing can be said to exploit a little girl.
Lingbao asked in confusion: "Why?"
Cheng Yun wiped away a stain under her eye and said softly: "Because Ling Bao calls me brother, and brother wants to protect his sister, right?"
The eldest brother is so gentle, he is the first one to say that he wants to protect her.
Is this what real family feels like?
Lingbao nodded heavily: "Yes!"
Four bowls of white porridge were placed on the table.
Three bowls were full to the point of overflowing, and one bowl was only half full.
Cheng Yi couldn't believe it: "That's it? Gone?"
Cheng Yun said: "What else do you want? Bird's nest? Fish? Or roasted leg of lamb?"
Cheng Yi: "..."
Then it can’t just be a bowl of white porridge!
Lingbao asked curiously: "What is a bird's nest, and what is a fish? Is it delicious?"
She knew that roasted leg of lamb was a roasted leg of lamb, but she had never eaten it.
Cheng Yi muttered "little country bumpkin" and didn't bother to talk to her.
Cheng Yun explained: "Bird's nest is a tonic, and fish is fish meat. It is very delicious. My brother will buy it for you later."
Lingbao swallowed and nodded happily.
Cheng Yi picked it up and took a sip, then spit it out and said in shock: "Why is there still a shell in this?!"
He asked Lingbao angrily: "How did you cook?"
Lingbao scratched his head and said blankly: "It's all cooked like this. There is a shell in the rice."
She really thinks this is a normal thing. Why is the second brother so angry?
The second brother really looked like a big dog with explosive hair, Ling Bao secretly muttered.
Cheng Yun is still well-informed. He once heard that poor people eat rice husks mixed together. He always thought it was a rumor, but he didn't expect it to be true.
He picked up the bowl and took a sip. It was really hard to swallow.
My throat hurts.
But there is no way, they are no longer the superior Mr. Cheng.
It’s good to eat some.
"Eat quickly, aren't you hungry?" Cheng Yun asked.
Cheng Yi: "How do you eat this? Even dogs can't eat it!"
Cheng Yun glared at him: "If you can't eat anymore, you will be hungry. When you are so hungry that you can't stand it anymore, you will have to eat even if you don't want to eat."
Erlang must be made to understand their current situation.
Cheng Yi felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. He pushed the bowl away and actually stopped eating.
"Second brother..."
Cheng Yun said: "Ignore him, he will come to eat when he is hungry. Be good, eat yours quickly."
Seeing the little girl turning her head frequently, Cheng Yun simply picked up the spoon and fed her. Lingbao suddenly couldn't care about Cheng Yi anymore.
Big brother is feeding her!
"Are you full?" Cheng Yun asked her after feeding half a bowl.
Ling Bao clasped his fingers, nodded and said, "I'm full."
Cheng Yun then ate his own porridge, and also ate Cheng Yi's share without leaving a drop.
Then he went to wake up Cheng Zhongqian. Cheng Zhongqian felt so uncomfortable that he had a hard time eating porridge. He had to take medicine after eating, and soon fell asleep again. The strong bitter smell filled the whole room.
In the evening, naturally, the three fathers and sons of the Cheng family shared a room, while Ling Bao had a separate room.
Cheng Yi said nothing with a dark face, hum.
Cheng Yun took Ling Bao's hand and sent her to sleep. Ling Bao suddenly turned around and ran back, lying on the bedside and taking off the red rope from her neck.
The workmanship of the red rope is rough, as if it was made by myself, and the knots are small knots that are not beautiful at all.
There is a black stone the size of a fingernail hanging on it, smooth and shiny, with a cute and innocent cat head pattern on the front.
She solemnly placed the cat stone in Cheng Zhongqian's hand and whispered: "Daddy, it will bless you to get well soon."
The cat stone is very powerful. After she died and came back to life this morning, she thought she would freeze to death again, but the cat stone on her chest was so warm that she didn't feel cold at all.
So daddy will be fine soon too!
Ling Bao thought with inexplicable confidence.
...
The moon is above the willow branches, and the night is dark.
There are two thatched houses, one for three men and one for Lingbao himself.
Lingbao had his own room for the first time, and he rolled around excitedly several times.
That's great.
Hello, daddy, eldest brother, second brother, they are all good. Lingbao likes them so much.
A cold wind howled outside the house, like a strange whimpering sound.
The girl wrapped herself in the quilt, and as long as she thought of her father and brother next door, she felt no fear at all.
She fell asleep quickly, with a sweet and reassuring smile on her lips.
But at this moment, thousands of miles away.
A white kitten was running towards the north at such a speed that only its shadow could be seen.
It grabbed the ground with its four paws, stuck its butt back, put its head on the ground, sniffed with the tip of its pink nose, and finally chose a direction and galloped away again.