Chapter 6
We Do Not Want to Die
Xie Heng looked awkward.
“I can eat by myself,” he said softly.
Zhao Chuchu coaxed, “The medicine should be drunk while it’s hot. It won’t work after it turns cold, Da Lang.”
Xie Heng felt something was odd with the term “Da Lang”.
“When the officials arrived at the village, Zhao Chuchu was already dead. How did she come back to life?” He thought.
Zhao Chuchu had never spoken a word since she married Xie Heng. He also did not teach her how to read and write. She was supposed to be completely clueless about medicine.
His eyes swept over Zhao Chuchu. “Who is this Zhao Chuchu?” he wondered.
Xie Heng felt a warm spoon on his lips, interrupting his thoughts.
Xie Heng looked intently at Zhao Chuchu and decided that she meant him no harm. He then tucked his suspicions back into a corner of his mind.
He decided to allow her to feed him.
Zhao Chuchu was surprised that Xie Heng became compliant all of a sudden.
When Xie Heng finished drinking his medicine, Zhao Chuchu fed the medicine to Xie Heng’s ten-year-old brother, Xie Jun.
Xie Jun was so sick that he was already delirious.
Zhao Chuchu could only pry his mouth open and feed him the medicine a little at a time through his teeth.
By the time she finished feeding him, she was completely exhausted.
After all, she was also unwell.
“My lord, can you find a pot to cook some porridge?” Zhao Chuchu looked at a confused Li Jiang. “Everyone is so weak now. They should eat something. Plain porridge is fine.”
“Okay.” Li Jiang did not turn down her request. He turned to his men and ordered them to cook the porridge.
Zhao Chuchu also drank a bowl of medicine. Feeling drowsy, she found a place to sleep in the yard.
Zhao Chuchu was woken up by Li Jiang who was calling out to her.
“The porridge is ready. Quick, eat something.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Zhao Chuchu smiled gratefully at him.
She immediately felt better after taking a nap.
The other villagers who had taken the medicine were also in high spirits.
“Chuchu, that medicine of yours is really useful. I don’t even feel dizzy anymore.”
“Yes, I don’t have a fever too.”
“Chuchu, can your prescription really cure us of the plague?”
Zhao Chuchu nodded. “If you are feeling better, it means that the medicine is effective. We should continue to take the medicine.”
The news filled the villagers with inexpressible joy.
Xie Heng drank spoonful after spoonful of porridge. His face was expressionless.
The temperature of the porridge was just right. It was not too cold and not too hot. Zhao Chuchu raised her head and finished it up in a few gulps.
She walked up to Xie Heng and used her hand to touch his forehead. “Do you feel better?”
Xie Heng avoided Zhao Chuchu’s touch discreetly. He nodded. “Yes.”
He did not have much to say to Zhao Chuchu who also did not want to force him to chat with her. She stood up and went to take a look at Xie Jun.
Xie Jun’s fever had also gone down.
“Junjun, wake up.” Zhao Chu Chu nudged Xie Jun.
Xie Heng heard Zhao Chuchu and moved closer toward them. “How is Junjun?”
Zhao Chuchu took a glance at Xie Heng and replied, “It’s nothing serious. Let’s wake him up so he can eat some porridge.”
Xie Jun woke up and saw Zhao Chuchu and Xie Heng beside him.
Xie Jun’s face was anxious and sorrowful. He asked in a weak voice, “Brother, are we dead already?”
If they had not died, how was it possible that his sister-in-law could speak? Also, she was now with his brother. It all seemed unbelievable to Xie Jun.
Zhao Chuchu was at a loss on what to say.
She helped Xie Jun up. Xie Heng held on to him as she fed him the porridge.
“Eat the porridge. You won’t die.”
Xie Jun did not know how to conceal his astonishment. Still reeling from the shock, his mouth opened wide.
He must be dead.
“Brother, didn’t Dad and Mom come to receive me?” Xie Jun looked around. He started crying when he did not see his parents.
Xie Heng’s face was calm. “We are not dead. Eat the porridge.”
After a long pause, he added, “It was Chuchu who saved us.”
On hearing what Xie Heng said, Xie Jun was stunned for a long time. He ate the porridge in a daze, like a robot.
Zhao Chuchu then left them alone and went to cook some medicine again.
When she left, Xie Jun tugged at Xie Heng’s sleeve as he turned to look at his brother. “Brother, if we’re not dead, how is she able to talk now?”
Xie Heng pondered for a while before replying, “She has always been able to speak. It’s just that she doesn’t like to talk.”
However, he was sure Zhao Chuchu was not the same person as before.