PCJ – Chapter 42 Persisting High Fever

Gong Ziyuan patted Zhang Jiaohua’s head gently and said, “Zhang Jiaohua, focus on your studies and don’t worry about what others say. As the Student of the new era, we must firmly believe in materialism. Off you go.”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded and walked out of Teacher Gong’s office, thinking to himself, “Mom was right after all. Adults love to hear lies.”

As Zhang Jiaohua walked out of Mr. Gong’s office, he saw Mute waiting outside. Mute, because of his poor hearing and speech, was often teased by classmates. Despite being ostracized like Zhang Jiaohua, he still joined in teasing Zhang Jiaohua. It was truly unfortunate.

Seeing Zhang Jiaohua approaching, Mute immediately warned, “Jiaohua, don’t try to deceive Teacher Gong. It won’t work. My parents said you’re an ominous person and told me to stay away from you. I’ll tell Teacher Gong not to get too close to you.”

Zhang Jiaohua glared at Mute, feeling the urge to confront him, but he restrained himself. Not because he was too close to Teacher Gong’s office, but because Mute, despite his speech impediment, was physically imposing. Zhang Benrui and his wife, though not tall, had a large son. There was a joke in the village about Mute, saying that his large protruding teeth were inherited from Zhang Benrui. Indeed, Mute’s teeth were a spitting image of Zhang Benrui’s.

Although in his dreams, the old Taoist taught Zhang Jiaohua a spell, he feared that if the spell failed, he would become an easy target. Despite teasing Mute, the village kids knew better than to provoke him, for if Mute lost his temper, even ten of them wouldn’t be enough to fight him.

Zhang Jiaohua still walked towards Mute because he stood at the classroom door, and unless Zhang Jiaohua was prepared to skip class, he had to pass by him. Seeing Mute retreating as he approached, Zhang Jiaohua felt a sense of accomplishment. Indeed, he had a strong presence and exuded the aura of a skilled martial artist.

That day, Liu Qiangye received some bad news.

Zhang Xianglin from Meizi Village had married into Lanshexi Village. When Zhang Xianglin returned home, she brought bad news to Liu Qiangye.

“Xizi was almost drowned by a water ghost a few days ago and has been running a high fever since. They were about to take him to the hospital in town.” Zhang Xianglin came to Zhang Jiaohua’s house specifically to tell Liu Qiangye this news.

“When was Xizi almost drowned by a water ghost?” Liu Qiangye immediately remembered the incident when she returned home a few days ago. She had been anxious since then, feeling that something bad would happen. Only when she received no bad news did she calm down. Little did she know that the worst had indeed happened.

“That day, weren’t you visiting your parents?” Zhang Xianglin confirmed Liu Qiangye’s suspicions.

“Oh!” Liu Qiangye couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Your Xizi was saved by a savior that day. Your brother happened to be sending you home and they encountered Xizi being dragged by a water ghost. They hurried to rescue him, but the water ghost was formidable. They were almost dragged down together, but luckily the villagers used bamboo poles to pull them up.” Zhang Xianglin vividly recounted the events of that day.

“And why did Xizi develop a high fever?” Liu Qiangye asked.

“Just two days ago, when I took my son to get vaccinated, I saw your brother bringing Xizi for vaccination. He had a fever of 40 degrees that wouldn’t subside. They said they’re planning to take him to the hospital in town today.” Zhang Xianglin shook her head.

Hearing this news, Liu Qiangye couldn’t sit still. But it was already late, and whether to return to her parents’ house or go to town, it was already dark. Besides, she didn’t know if Xizi had been taken to town. Liu Qiangye didn’t know what to do and could only wait for her husband, Zhang Youping, to come home and make a decision together.

As night fell, the setting sun cast a golden hue over the peaks of Plum Blossom Mountain. In the sky, clouds were tinged with shades of gold. Zhang Youping carried a hoe, his trousers rolled up to his knees, wearing a pair of leather sandals on his feet. When he reached the small pond in front of the house, he washed his feet in the water.

Liu Qiao Ye approached him and quickly informed him of his nephew’s situation, hoping he could come up with a plan.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go to Lanshexi Village tonight. If Xizi is in town, we’ll head there early tomorrow morning,” Zhang Youping didn’t hesitate much. Although it was a long journey to go there at night, it might not be of much help, but it was about peace of mind.

“Then I’ll take Jiaohua to his grandparents’ place,” Liu Qiao Ye nodded.

“No, I want to go too,” Zhang Jiaohua objected. How could he leave himself behind at the guest’s house? Maybe he could go to town tomorrow. The taste of the cool noodles, dumplings, and dandan noodles in town was truly… oh. Zhang Jiaohua’s mouth watered involuntarily.

To take a brat on a journey of tens of miles at night, Zhang Youping didn’t need to think twice: he’d send him to his grandparents’ house.

However, the brat had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve: crying, rolling on the ground… Just as Zhang Jiaohua was about to resort to his own tactics, tears still lingering in his eyes, his mother gave in.

Liu Qiaoye held Jiaohua tightly. “Well, let’s take him with us.”

When Liu Qiaoye spoke, the man also made a concession to a certain brat, “Don’t expect me to carry you.”

The brat immediately smiled, secretly delighted, “Whether you carry me or not, it’s not up to you, dad.”

The family of three went to Zhang Dechun’s house to borrow a flashlight. For such a long journey, they couldn’t do without a flashlight.

People in the mountains didn’t like walking at night. Apart from the difficulty of the mountain roads, there were also some taboos about walking at night. As the saying goes, if you walk on the night road too often, you’re bound to encounter ghosts.

In fact, regardless of whether there were so many taboos, walking on mountain roads at night, the trees were densely packed and the shadows overlapped. When walking out, those dark shadows looked shaky, appearing like all sorts of monsters and demons. Those with timid hearts would indeed feel very scared.

Zhang Youping, who had insisted he wouldn’t carry the brat, had already put him on his back within less than five miles, taking only a few steps before patting him on the butt.