Chapter 396 Elder Fan's Old Heart Couldn't Take It
Ye Shenggo went to see Wen Mei after dinner, and her condition had improved. Her face showed that the poison had weakened significantly.
"Master, why hasn't Wen Mei woken up yet? She should have regained consciousness by now."
Elder Fan took her pulse again and shook his head.
"The venom of the vipers is truly potent. We northerners have never encountered it before; seeing it for the first time is quite shocking."
"How much longer do you think Wen Mei can hold on?"
"Your antidote is in a substantial dosage; she should be able to last about five days."
Elder Dang was not involved in the discussion. Instead, he was engrossed in a book by candlelight. Those who study medicine always feel they haven't learned enough, with too many areas left unexplored.
Zhang Chunli had completely recovered from her fever. She felt too embarrassed to let others serve her. She got up early to help with chores. Aunt Zhen and the others did not refuse her help, appreciating her willingness.
Ye Shenggo suddenly felt her vision blocked by light. Looking up, she saw Zhang Chunli, someone she had barely interacted with.
"Thank you, Ye Shenggo. I've thanked everyone else; you're the only one left."
She then bowed deeply, and Ye Shenggo accepted her gratitude.
"When you encounter someone in need, you lend a hand. Just promise not to do anything foolish again."
"Yes, I truly know I was wrong. For the sake of the three of us, you had to venture out in the rain time and again to search for us. I truly don't know how to thank you."
Ye Shenggo noticed that several people were missing from the cave and looked at Zi Yisheng.
"Are they out searching for someone again?"
"Yes, they left with the captain early this morning."
Ye Shenggo nodded, hoping Wang Qing would be found safely.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Much better."
"Good. Then you'll stay here and look after Wen Mei for the next few days. My master and the others are getting old and can't overexert themselves. It will be a bit tough for you."
Everyone in this cave was not young. Since they had shared life and death together, they should help each other.
"Okay, I'll take good care of Wen Mei."
It wasn't that Zhang Chunli wanted to stay and take advantage of them. She simply craved to enjoy the peace and warmth of this place a little longer. How much she ate or didn't eat was no longer as important.
Meanwhile, Asen and the others, who had been out for four days, were heading back. Although they had some success, they looked rather disheveled. Bai Chufan was being supported as he walked, indicating an injury to his leg.
In the afternoon, Elder Fan heard shouts from outside again. Just like the previous two times, it made his old heart pound uncomfortably.
"Who is it this time?"
Mom Ye was the first to see the newcomers. She rushed forward happily, but before she could speak, she saw Bai Chufan being supported.
"Chufan, what happened to you?"
Bai Chujiu's mother heard and rushed over. Seeing her son's disheveled state, she rushed to him and started patting him.
"You rascal, I told you not to go, but you insisted! Where are you hurt?"
Bai Chufan grinned, reaching out to hold his mother's hand.
"It's nothing, just that the mountain was too slippery, and I accidentally fell."
Asen and the others had already supported Bai Chufan to Elder Fan's side, and he casually sat on a bed.
Ye Shenggo also came over with a first-aid kit. Seeing Elder Fan pull up Bai Chufan's pant leg, she pursed her lips.
"This is what you call a sprain? You wretched thing."
Grandma Bai sat beside her eldest grandson, tears streaming down her face.
From Bai Chufan's ankle to his knee was a long bloody gash, the skin and flesh torn open. Although it was no longer bleeding, the injury was severe.
"This needs to be sutured, or the flesh won't grow back."
"First cousin, bear with it."
Ye Shenggo first cleaned the wound with disinfectant solution that had already been repackaged. Bai Chufan sweated profusely from the pain.
The women in the family were as delicate as water. Soon, they were sobbing nearby.
Bai Chufan, glared at by his maternal grandfather, still managed to comfort his wife.
After cleaning, the wound looked even more horrific. The exposed flesh was already pale, clearly having been soaked in water.
"You need to take anti-inflammatory medication, or the wound will get infected."
Ye Shenggo was worried about the wound becoming infected. Traditional Chinese medicine for inflammation was slow to act, and her first cousin would suffer.
In fact, Ye Shenggo had anti-inflammatory drugs and injections in her spatial dimension, but she couldn't take them out.
Zi Yisheng seemed to understand the young girl's thoughts and winked at her.
Elder Dang had catgut and suturing needles in his medical kit. Without any painkillers, he began stitching the flesh, one needle at a time.
Bai Chujiu's mother couldn't bear to watch and could only desperately hold her eldest son's shoulder, preventing him from looking.
Ye Shenggo and Zi Yisheng returned to the next room. Ye Shenggo entered her spatial dimension and rummaged through the warehouse.
Soon, she found several medical kits prepared by her mother. The medicines were all labeled with usage instructions and dosages.
Ye Shenggo took some fever reducers and anti-inflammatory drugs, along with a few tablets of ibuprofen for pain relief. She removed all packaging and rewrapped them in paper.
She also prepared some anti-inflammatory injections, but she wouldn't use them on her first cousin unless absolutely necessary.
When Ye Shenggo returned, the suturing was not yet complete. Bai Chufan was already pale from the pain.
Ye Shenggo quickly took out two ibuprofen tablets and placed them in Bai Chufan's mouth, then forcefully gave him water, her actions smooth and efficient.
"This is some pain medication I prepared earlier. Taking it should relieve some of the pain."
Zi Yisheng voluntarily explained. No one suspected him, given his capabilities.
Elder Dang cut off the excess thread, and the suturing was finally complete. As a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, his stitches were unlikely to be neat.
Bai Chufan's lower leg now sported a long, crooked, and deformed centipede-like scar, very ugly indeed!
Bai Chufan had lost all his strength. As soon as he relaxed, he lost all his spirit. He was helped to change his clothes and fell into a deep sleep.
As the eldest young master of the Bai family, this was the first time he had sustained such a serious injury at the age of twenty-two. His endurance was still remarkable.
Aunt Zhen searched through all the supplies in the cave and found some ingredients suitable for making soup, which she quickly prepared. Those who had lost a lot of blood needed nourishment.
Zhang Chunli watched everything happening before her with envy, envying the unity and mutual care within these large families. Even her own family had never shown her such concern and affection.
Not long after, Bai Chufan developed a fever. Elder Fan first had him drink the prepared decoction for fever and inflammation. Ye Shenggo kept the Western medicine she had brought ready, to be used if the fever didn't subside.
For two consecutive days, Bai Chufan's fever fluctuated, rising and falling. Mom Ye, still worried, finally administered an anti-inflammatory injection to Bai Chufan.
Mom Ye was quite skilled; giving a small injection was no problem for her. She even knew about performing a skin test before administering an anti-inflammatory injection. After the injection, his fever broke in less than an hour.
In any case, the source of all the medication was attributed to Zi Yisheng, and no one doubted him, given his exceptional capabilities.
Wen Mei had not woken up for three days, and her condition continued to worsen. Ye Shenggo administered another dose of the antidote, but she had developed a resistance, and its effect was no longer significant.
Zhang Chunli became even more withdrawn. If Wen Mei were to die, she would be plagued by guilt for the rest of her life. Although she hadn't suggested searching for Chen Tangtang, she was one of the respondents.
Most importantly, when she heard movement in the cave, she ran away. She had warned them, but she hadn't saved anyone. Such guilt was difficult to overcome and might follow her for a lifetime!