Chapter 5: Did You Know Each Other Before?
"Baozhu is back!" Old Mu exclaimed with a broad smile as he ran out through the front doors of Huichuntang. Seeing the two of them hugging like that, Old Mu froze in surprise, momentarily forgetting what he had been about to say.
"Yes, I just got back." Baozhu released Xiaoliu with a trace of awkwardness, making sure to steady her and help her stand firmly.
"Baozhu, these medicines are really... really..." Overcome with emotion, Old Mu found himself at a loss for words.
"It's nothing! I happened to be trading some medicinal herbs on this trip, and when I heard that Huichuntang was in urgent need, I brought them over. It's just a small quantity, though, so we'll still need to figure out a long-term solution."
Xiaoliu remained silent, simply staring blankly at Baozhu and looking him up and down. Old Mu gave a soft cough and said:
"Xiaoliu, this is Brother Baozhu, who lives next door to us."
"Next door? Shouldn't our next-door neighbor be Aunt Zhou's clothing store?"
"That was before. The moment you left all those years ago, Baozhu moved in. All these years, he's been taking good care of us."
Old Mu lowered his voice and added, "Mazi and Chuanzi also received a lot of help from him when they were here."
Xiaoliu kept her gaze fixed on him, eventually making him feel a bit uncomfortable. Baozhu gave a light cough.
"As soon as I got back, I ran into such a severe plague. Since I have nothing else to do, let me help out here at Huichuntang these next few days?" His tone was sincere.
Seeing that Xiaoliu still said nothing, Old Mu gave her a nudge with his elbow. Only then did Xiaoliu snap back to her senses.
"Oh! Right! Do you... do you... know medicine?" she stammered.
"I know a little bit," Baozhu replied with a smile.
Xiaoliu probed cautiously, "Then will you go inside and help Asheng and the others dispense medicine?"
"I'll stick with you. There are too many people outside, and they're all critical cases—others can't take your place. Looking at your complexion, have you eaten anything all day?" Baozhu tilted his head, asking with a hint of concern.
"Right, right, right! I made some congee on the stove; I'll go fetch a bowl for you right now. You haven't had a single drop of water since this morning—look at my memory." Muttering in self-reproach, Old Mu hurried inside.
Xiaoliu didn't say anything more to Baozhu; there were still too many patients waiting to be diagnosed and treated. Baozhu watched as Xiaoliu finished a bowl of congee and drank two cups of water. After that, he followed right behind her. Whenever Xiaoliu tried to secretly use her spiritual energy, Baozhu would stop her, stepping in front of her to silently channel his own spiritual energy into the patients without saying a single word. Xiaoliu neither stopped him nor spoke. Occasionally, when others were overwhelmed, Baozhu would go over to help, and once finished, he would return to Xiaoliu's side, still without uttering a word.
Fortunately, Baozhu had brought medicinal herbs. Once they were decocted and hastily administered to the critical patients, there were very few who still required spiritual energy infusions.
They worked until the sun sank below the horizon and dusk blanketed the earth, and only then did the crowd slowly disperse. The noisy clamor of the busy day gradually faded into quiet. Xiaoliu, Asheng, and even Liuzi and the others collapsed onto the ground. Having been soaked through with sweat countless times over the course of the day, Xiaoliu sat limply on the ground, unwilling to move a muscle.
Baozhu walked over, scooped Xiaoliu up horizontally in his arms, and placed her on the reclining chair in the courtyard. Then he wrung out a damp towel and handed it to her. The sequence of actions was completely practiced and natural, and Xiaoliu accepted them just as smoothly and naturally. It was enough to leave the others in the courtyard looking bewildered.
Liuzi couldn't help asking, "Baozhu, did you and Doctor Liu know each other before?"
"No!" the two of them replied in unison.
"Then... you guys..." Before Liuzi could finish his question, Old Mu walked over and said:
"Baozhu, stay for dinner tonight! It's just simple fare, but everyone's had a rough day and we threw it together quickly—don't mind the meager hospitality."
"How could I? I've had plenty of meals here in the past."
Xiaoliu called out lazily, "Old Mu, I'm not eating. I have no appetite, I'm just going to sleep right here."
"Nonsense, you've only had a bowl of congee all day, and tomorrow's going to be just as busy. Are you trying to faint from starvation?" Old Mu shouted, brandishing a rice paddle.
"Not eating, not eating, not eating! I can't walk! Not eating!" Xiaoliu began acting like an unruly child.
Baozhu stood beside Xiaoliu, looked down at her, and said leisurely, "Shall I carry you over to eat?"
Xiaoliu gave a start, instantly wanting to stand up, but then slipped back into Wen Xiaoliu's shameless persona and said slyly:
"Alright... then!" She slanted the corners of her eyes, locking her gaze onto Baozhu's with a provocative look.
The corners of Baozhu's mouth quirked up. He bent down, effortlessly swept Xiaoliu up horizontally from the reclining chair, and carried her over to the dining table to set her down on a stool. Xiaoliu didn't stand on ceremony either, sitting steadily at the table, though everyone else around it exchanged glances with varied expressions. Sang Tian'er and Old Mu narrowed their eyes as if seeing through everything, remaining completely silent. Liuzi and his group looked rather awkward, not knowing what to say for a moment.
After a long pause, Asheng finally spoke in a chilly tone:
"Doctor Liu, I count as half a disciple of yours, so I'm no outsider. If there ever comes a time when you really can't walk, I'll carry you!" The words had barely left his mouth when they collided with Baozhu's knife-like glare, but Asheng refused to back down. Sitting between the two of them, Xiaoliu wore a blank expression and didn't say a single word.
Sang Tian'er chimed in, "Brother Baozhu, you've been away for several years this time—haven't you taken a wife yet?"
"No!"
Liuzi said casually, "Baozhu, what's your deal? The rest of us used to call you Uncle Baozhu when we were kids! So many years have passed and you haven't aged a bit, but we can only call you plain Baozhu now. Could it be that, like Uncle Mu, you're also from the God Clan?"
Baozhu smiled and said nothing.
Taking a few bites of food, Xiaoliu spoke up, "Liuzi, stop messing around. Hurry up and eat, we still have work to do tonight!"
"We've been exhausted all day, what else is there to do?" Liuzi's jaw dropped.
"We must spare no effort tonight," Xiaoliu said earnestly. "This plague has struck fiercely and is extremely contagious. If we don't step up prevention, today was just the beginning." Her words instantly sobered everyone up.
Xiaoliu continued, "Tonight, I'll write out a medicinal formula so we can turn the herbs we have into medicine pouches and distribute them to the townspeople tomorrow. Charge the wealthy a little less, and give them directly to those who truly have no money." Liuzi nodded in agreement.
"Old Mu, go boil a large pot right away. Everyone here at Huichuntang must drink a bowl!"
Old Mu said, "But we don't have enough herbs! If there are just as many patients tomorrow, these supplies won't last half a day."
"Don't worry! More herbs will be delivered tomorrow. Just do as I say tonight."
After the meal, everyone set to work. Seizing a free moment, Xiaoliu went inside to fetch a stalk of Qingyu, personally boiled it into water, and handed it to Baozhu. Baozhu glanced at it, asked no questions, and drank it down in one gulp.
"You really aren't afraid of death, are you?"
"That depends on whose hands I die in!"