She had heard Zhu Xi badmouth Fu Zhiqing more than once; the sourness in her words was hard to hide.
Listening to Xiao Hong, Fu Wenwen arrived under the village's large banyan tree. Many villagers were resting there. Seeing Fu Wenwen approach, many, having seen her carrying Lin An to the clinic yesterday, turned their attention to her.
"Hey, Fu Zhiqing, yesterday we saw you carrying Lin An to the clinic. What happened to Lin An?" an old woman asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
"He accidentally fell into the water vat yesterday. Although I found him and rescued him in time, the child is too young and got a fever from being scared," Fu Wenwen stopped and replied to the old woman.
"Oh my! That's no small matter. Could he have lost his soul from the fright! If he's still not well, you should call out Lin An's name to the water vat and call his soul back," the old woman, surprised that Fu Wenwen would explain, quickly said upon hearing that Lin An had nearly drowned.
"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. Lin An is fine. I stayed with him all night, and his fever broke this morning. He's sleeping at home now!" Fu Wenwen smiled. "Auntie, I need to go to the Liu family to find Sister Cuihua. Could you tell me how to get there?"
Hearing that Fu Wenwen had stayed up all night with Lin An, many villagers who had been eavesdropping looked at her with much more kindness. Upon hearing she was looking for Zhang Cuihua, someone immediately pointed the way. "That's the Liu family. Just knock on the door; they're home."
"Thank you, Uncle," Fu Wenwen smiled at the old man and, under everyone's gaze, knocked on the Liu family's door.
"Who is it?" Zhang Cuihua's voice came from inside. Fu Wenwen quickly responded, "Sister Cuihua, it's Fu Wenwen."
"Coming, coming!" Zhang Cuihua hurried to open the door. Seeing Fu Wenwen, she pulled her into the house.
Only after seeing Fu Wenwen enter the Liu family's gate did the villagers withdraw their gazes.
Although no one said anything, the impression of Fu Wenwen among the elders sitting under the tree improved considerably. Staying with Lin An all night, the weariness on her face was undeniable, proving she had a good character. Even if she had made foolish mistakes before, her heart was ultimately kind.
"Are you alright? Did they give you trouble?" Zhang Cuihua asked Fu Wenwen nervously.
Those few people under the banyan tree were the elders of the village and held considerable status.
Fu Wenwen shook her head.
"How is Lin An? Is he alright? Did his fever go down?" Zhang Cuihua asked loudly while getting Fu Wenwen's things.
Fu Wenwen stood in the courtyard waiting. Hearing Zhang Cuihua's question, she replied, "I wiped him down, his fever broke, and he's resting at home right now!"
"That's good. Were the medicines at the clinic expensive?" Zhang Cuihua asked with a smile, holding the bedsheets, quilt cover, and basin that she had washed for Fu Wenwen.
Speaking of this, the smile on Fu Wenwen's face vanished. "I couldn't buy any. Lin An's mother stopped the old doctor from selling them to me."
If it weren't for the fever reducer in her space, she didn't know what would have happened to Lin An now.
"Don't blame her. She stopped the old doctor because the medicine he prescribed before caused someone's death," Zhang Cuihua sighed.
Seeing Fu Wenwen's confused look, Zhang Cuihua explained, "There was an old man in the village who fell at home. When he was taken to the clinic, the old doctor said the injury was too severe and insisted the old man be sent to the big hospital in town. But that family refused, wanting only some medicine for the old man to take at home. The old doctor gave them the medicine, and the old man passed away that very night."