Chapter 46: Who Did It?
Bai Zhi frowned. "You still have a blood clot in your brain. If we don’t clear it out, your memory likely won’t return."
"How can we clear out the blood clot?" Hu Feng asked.
Bai Zhi shrugged. "There were two possible methods, but one of them is out of the question since we’re missing a lot of the necessary tools."
"Then just tell me the one we can use." Hu Feng was growing impatient. ’Is this girl just messing with me?’
Bai Zhi smiled. "Don’t be so hasty, just listen. The blood clot in your brain has been there for a while, so getting rid of it won’t be easy. We can use silver needle acupuncture to disperse the clotted blood. The effects are slight and gradual, but there are no side effects, and it won’t interfere with your daily life. If we pair it with some top-quality medicine for improving circulation and breaking down clots, it will work faster."
Hu Feng didn’t quite understand it all, and he couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth. So he simply raised an eyebrow and asked, "In other words, you can cure it?"
"Of course!" She didn’t hesitate for a moment, as if it were some trivial little thing.
’For some reason, the doubt he’d felt moments before vanished the instant he saw the confidence in her eyes. She was clearly just a young girl, still wet behind the ears. Why did she inspire such trust in him?’
’He couldn’t figure it out, nor did he want to try.’
’He had no other options. There was no harm in giving it a try, and he might even be pleasantly surprised. What was there to lose?’
’He wanted to ask where she had learned medicine. A twelve-year-old girl who had never even been to school... where on earth could she have learned it?’
’But he didn’t ask. It was probably her secret. Everyone has secrets, things they’d rather others not know.’
"Zhi! Hu Feng! What are you two still doing here? You have to go back! The Bai family is surrounding Uncle Hu and Aunt Zhao and beating them!" Lu Ping’an shouted. He was on his way back from school, book bag in hand, and had just seen the Bai family members making trouble at Uncle Hu’s house. The village chief was there too, and had told him to hurry home and get his father to treat Aunt Zhao’s injuries.
’What? The Bai family was harassing her mother again?’
Seething with anger, Bai Zhi spotted a wooden stick lying by the side of the road. She snatched it up and broke into a run toward Uncle Hu’s house.
Hu Feng followed right behind her. They sprinted all the way back to the Hu home. By the time they arrived, there were only a few people left in the courtyard. Two villagers who were familiar with Uncle Hu were trying to calm him down.
"Old Hu, you’re at your age. Why are you getting mixed up in the Bai Family’s business? Don’t tell me you’ve actually taken a liking to Zhao Lan, have you?"
Uncle Hu’s eyes bulged in anger. "What nonsense are you spouting? Am I, Hu Changlin, that kind of man? I just saw how pitiful that mother and daughter were! Yesterday’s gales blew down their wooden shack, and it was pouring rain, but those black-hearted Bai family members wouldn’t even let them in the house. The two of them are covered in injuries! Am I supposed to just pretend I didn’t see any of that?"
"That’s true. If it were me, I would’ve wanted to help them too. The Bai family is getting more and more outrageous. They’re practically trying to drive that mother and daughter to their graves."
"Get out of my way. I have to go check on Zhao Lan. Her hand is still injured. Can’t let those heartless bastards hurt her again." Uncle Hu reached out to push aside the man blocking him, but as he went to shove, he found he had no strength. Instead, pain shot through him, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Old Hu, I’m afraid your arm is broken. Just stay put. You need to get to Doctor Lu’s house right away."
Just then, Bai Zhi and Hu Feng burst in. At the sight of the scene, it wasn’t just Bai Zhi who was trembling with rage—even the normally calm and composed Hu Feng’s face grew dark. "Who did this?" he demanded.