Friday 3 June 2022

ESWHYMY 28




Chapter 28. Fever during the snow


In recent years, the weather was getting colder and colder. Even the continuous Cuifeng Mountain was now a vast expanse of white. The snow on the roadside of Cuifeng Village was nearly a foot deep. At the sight of the deep snow, the elderly in the village were delighted to point their eyebrows raised: "Timely fall of snow means a bountiful year. It seems that next year will be another good harvest year!"

You Jin didn't understand this. She just felt that deep snow meant difficult movement. In this cold day, she went up to Cuifeng Mountain alone. Old Mrs. Chen had said the New Year was approaching and the family had too many people, there wasn't enough firewood. So she sent You Jin to Cuifeng Mountain to collect firewood.

If anyone from outside found out about this, they would all laugh out loud: Yue Da Fu and Yue Chang Lu were both at home isolating. Two grown men didn't go out to collect firewood, but instead let a little girl less than twelve years old go up the mountain for firewood! One must know that in the middle of winter, all the animals in the mountains were short of food. If one encounters some tigers or wolves, they will forfeit their life!

How could old Mrs. Chen possibly care? It was because she clearly knew that going up the mountain at this time might kill her. That's why, she sent You Jin there. Sitting on the kang, she winked and said, "If she is caught by a tiger, it can only be said that her life isn't good. Can't possibly make the men at home toss around for her!"

"What Mother said is right. If I wasn't pregnant now, I should have served Father and Mother more." Wan Niang was standing up to talk without a backache. Although she had only entered the door for more than half a month, she knew how to coax old Mrs. Chen to merry mood: "You Jin is the eldest daughter of our second room. Elder Sister Su is not in good health. She should be more filial to Mother."

Old Mrs. Chen was spinning under Wan Niang's buttering up and nodded with satisfaction: "You are quite sensible. Nothing in this world is bigger than the word of filial piety, right?"
Sitting cross-legged on the kang, she was busy sewing for Yue Da Fu's New Year's clothes. She didn't care about her granddaughter who could die at any time in such cold weather.

Thankfully, You Jin got rich experience in wild survival in her previous life. It was just getting firewood at the foot of the mountain. Not a big deal. She carried the back basket she usually carried. Inside it was a firewood knife that she had polished shiny. Stepping on the snow, she carefully wandered around in the mountains. After all, the mountains were full of hibernating animals. If she break into the den of a blind bear, it will be completely chilly.

Maybe You Jin was really unlucky. As she focused on not disturbing the hibernating animals on the mountain, she stepped on the snow nest. Then half of her body fell into a small pit. In a moment, Young Jin reacted: she immediately reached out and grabbed the dry vines under the snowdrift. The cold snow slipped along the cuffs that were raised high. Still You Jin had no time to pay attention to these details and tried her best to climb up.

This pit was quite deep. Even after half of You Jin's body had fallen into the pit, she still can't reach the bottom. If she fell into the pit in such a cold weather, it will be difficult to climb up. It was certain that he would freeze to death here. So You Jin gritted her teeth and tried her best to climb out.

Although You Jin reacted in time, her movements were slow since it was winter. On top of that, You Jin was still small and wasn't strong enough. She struggled for a long time. Only when her body was soaked in snow, she climbed out of the pit.

Crawling out of the pit, exhausted You Jin sat paralyzed in the snow. She was panting heavily. It was clearly a cold winter in December, but she was sweating profusely. Due to the body's heat and the completely damp padded jacket, You Jin couldn't help shivering: "Achoo!"

After resting enough, You Jin stumbled up from the snow. Only then she had the strength to look back to see what was in the pit she almost fell into just now. If she didn't see, she won't have known. Now she saw, she was startled. It was actually a big flat-headed snake curled up into a ball!

You Jin broke into a cold sweat after realizing this. If she really fell into it, not to mention that she couldn't climb up, she would have woke up this hibernating poisonous snake. She was afraid that he would be doomed. After heaving a sigh of relief, she hastily buried the hole she almost fell into just now with snow. Then she carried a back basket full of firewood and dragged two long dead branches back home.

Although she wasn't buried in the belly of the snake, she fell ill that night after the firewood was chopped.

"Third Elder Sister! Third Elder Sister! Wake up!" The first one who noticed something was amiss with You Jin was You Yin who was sleeping beside her. Although the kang was still burning warmly, You Yin, who was closest to You Jin felt the abnormal scorching high temperature. It was only then that she realized Third Elder Sister have a fever.

You Jin wasn't woken up. However, You Zhu and You Bao who were sleeping beside her were woken up instead. When they heard that Third Elder Sister had a fever, they all hunched over and crawled over: "What's the matter? Why did Third Elder Sister suddenly have a fever? "

"I don't know. When Third Elder Sister came down from the mountain during the day, I saw that her clothes were covered in ice on the cuffs. At that time, I urged her to change her clothes. However, she still caught a cold!" She got up and lit the oil lamp in the outer room. Only then, she found You Jin's face was flushed red from the fever.

Seeing fever-riddled You Jin remain unconscious, the three sisters didn't know what to do. So they had to wake up Mrs. Su. Mrs. Su in the inner room had already woken up when she heard the movement outside. As soon as she heard that You Jin had a fever, she hurriedly asked You Yin to take the handkerchief and go outside to get some snow and soak the handkerchief wet and cool: "Help your Third Elder Sister cool down first. Once her temperature cool down, it'll be better.”

You Yin quickly used a wooden basin and filled it with snow in the yard before returning. Then she put the handkerchief directly on the snow and froze it for a while before applying it to You Jin's head. While You Zhu and You Bao became even more anxious as they looked at their blushing Third Elder Sister. It was the first time they saw competent Third Elder Sister collapse. How could they not be anxious?

You Zhu asked anxiously, "Mother, are we going to let Third Elder Sister burn like this? Shouldn't we hire a doctor?" What if she burns silly? Third Elder Sister was now the backbone among them. She must not fall!

"It's the middle of the night. If you invite the doctor, it will stir unrest in the whole family. Your Grandmother will definitely act up!"
Mrs. Su was very worried about You Jin's condition. But now You Jin was ill and she had been sick all the time. If trouble comes, who can protect these children? With a sigh, she said faintly, "Besides, we don't have any money?"

"Doesn't Third Elder Sister have money?" You Zhu retorted in a hushed voice. She was afraid that others would find out that Third Elder Sister had saved a lot of private money. But Third Elder Sister was ill. They got to take out the money to cure Third Elder Sister!

But Mrs. Su had no choice but to shake her head: "The money is hidden by your third elder sister. I don't know where she put it. I don't have any money on me..."
You Jin knew that she was easy to sway. So all the money was hidden by her. Mrs. Su didn't know where she put it!

"So we're going to let Third Elder Sister burn like this? What if her brain is burned silly?" You Zhu was so anxious that tears fell. She put on her outer clothes and headed outside: "I'll go and beg Doctor Ma to come and save Third Elder Sister!"

Right now it was snowing outside. On top of that, it was pitch black. How far can You Zhu go without even a lantern? Just a stone's throw away from Yue Family's yard, she was pulled back by searching You Yin from behind: "It's snowing heavily today. What are you going to do?"

With tears on her face, You Zhu glared You Yin who grasped her: "You can watch Third Elder Sister have a fever, but I can't. You can't save, then I will find someone to save Third Elder Sister!"

"Yue You Zhu, please stop making trouble, okay!" This was the first time that You Yin had yelled at You Zhu so loudly. It was particularly loud in the quiet village: "Third Elder Sister just got ill and you start to cause trouble, right? No one want to watch Third Elder Sister meet with mishap. Whatever you do, think it through with your head!"

You Zhu was frightened by You Yin's loud holler and it took a while for her to react, "Fourth Elder Sister, what do you think we should do..."

The two sisters stood in the wind and snow. Only the wind and the falling snowflakes whistled. From time to time, a few dog barks could be heard in the distance. You Yin dryly swallowed, feeling that she would be frozen after a while. "Let's go back first. There will always be a way to relieve Third Elder Sister's fever. It's snowy and slippery today. If something happens to you too, Third Elder Sister would blame us after she got better."

After listening to You Yin's words, You Zhu nodded her head woodenly. The two sisters, who were already covered in snow, turned back with one set of deep and one set of shallow footsteps.

Although they didn't have the money to seek a doctor, they didn't dare to wake up Yue Family at night. You Yin and her sisters had to keep wiping You Jin's body with iced handkerchiefs to cool down. Little Eighth and Little Ninth sat at the side. Their heads were dozing off a little bit, but they still refused to sleep. They insisted on guarding Third Elder Sister.

You Yin and You Zhu had been busy until late into the night. Maybe the iced handkerchiefs was useful. Red faced You Jin had slept much more peacefully and was no longer restless.

***

Early the next morning, You Jin drowsily opened her heavy eyes and saw sleeping You Yin sitting beside her with her small head supported by her hands. Just when she was about to speak, she noticed her voice was very dry and hoarse. Still a little sore.

You Yin was afraid that Third Elder Sister would be uncomfortable, so she did not dare to fall asleep too deeply. As soon as she heard the movement, she immediately woke up. Seeing You Jin awake, she was pleasantly surprised: "Third Elder Sister, you're awake!" Then she rushed to put a pillow behind You Jin and helped her to sit up a bit. "Yesterday, you suddenly started to have a high fever. It had us scared!"

After accepting the bowl of hot water from You Zhu, You Jin sipped half of the bowl. It was like a rain after a long drought. She felt she was mostly revive. Seeing the panda eyed sisters because of lack of sleep, You Jin showed a reassuring smile: "Don't worry. Third Elder Sister will be fine!"

"Third Sister!" Seeing that she was finally fine, You Zhu jumped into her arms with joy. Her eyes were red as if she was about to cry: "We were so afraid that something would happen to you!"

With her right hand around You Zhu, she soothingly patted You Yin who was sitting beside her with her left hand: "Don't worry. Don't you see that Third Elder Sister is all well now?" Although she still felt a little uncomfortable, at least the fever had subsided now.

In the west wing, the commotion caused by You Jin's sudden illness was calmed down like this. The rest of Yue family didn't move at all from beginning to end.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for the chapter!

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  2. Thank you Heroic Translator for your hard work. 😺

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  3. I like that sisters are getting so much character development :3

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