Chapter 6: Farmer Fang

"What happened? Did your mother's condition get worse?" Chen, a handsome young man who is the only medicinal man with excellent medicine skills in the village of Hakka, and known for his habit of wearing only white colored jacquard cross-collar top, wrap-around skirt with open-fronted robe dresses, springs up from his squatting position close to the bed where he is attending to one of his patients. He stares at Fang Zu, looking worried.

"No.. no.. no… ! It's not my mother, it…, Aaii…! We don't have much time to waste, Mr Chen. You have to come with me now" He said, scratching his hair, then he picked up Chen's medicine basket, containing all kinds of medicinal bottles.

"Hmm! Mr Zheng! It seems I have to go with Fang Zu. I have dressed up the wound, taken this ointment and applied it on the wounds three times daily. Restrain from doing hard jobs or it will only cause the injuries to break out again, and it might be worse this time around".

"Ahh! How am I going to show my appreciation to you Mr Chen? You have helped me so much.

"Ayieei! Uncle Zheng, mr Chen is not going out of the village anytime soon, you can show your gratitude to him later" Fang Zu said while helping him up from the bed. "But he need to go with me now.. or.. or…! I can't say more than that" Fang Zu ran out of the house immediately.

"Fang Zu! Fang Zu!!! Welfare Mr Zheng" Chen said before hurrying after Fangzu.

"Aaii! What a skilled young man! I wish he can marry MeiMei" Mr Zheng said as he limped out of the house.

"What is taking them long to arrive here?" Farmer Fang said while pacing around the front door of the room Bai Qian is in.

Immediately they arrived.

"Father! " Fangzu said.

"Uncle Fang "Chen wanted to greet him, but farmer Fang dragged him towards himself instead.

"No need for formality now Mr Chen. Please, you have to attend to someone now" Farmer Fang said while leading the way to the room.

On entering the room, Chen saw the pale looking girl laying still on the bed and turned to look at farmer Fang with questions in his eyes.

"I will explain everything to you later, but you need to treat her injuries now, Mr Chen" farmer Fang said on seeing the look in his eyes.

Sitting down on the bed beside her, Chen checked her pulse and withdrew his hands almost immediately, looking alarmed. "No!this is bad! She was shot by a poisonous arrow? The poison has entered her bloodstream! I need to force it out before it gets to her heart!" Chen in his mind.

"What is it, Mr Chen? Are the injuries beyond treatment?" farmer Fang said when he saw Chen's reaction to Bai Qian pulse.

"She is dead?" Fang Zu asked him.

"No! She is still breathing but her pulse is extremely weak. Please can the both of you step out for a moment?" Chen asked father and son.

"Alright"farmer Fang said and closed the door behind him.

Looking at her face again, Chen quickly made a little cut on her hand closer to the wrist and forced the poisonous blood out of the body. Thick dark blood flows slowly through the cut.

"Forgive me miss! I have to cure you, and I have no choice but to do this!" Chen said to himself before raising her gently from the bed to lean on his shoulder. Slowly, he uncovers the part of her dress covering the arrow wound.

After cleaning the wound up with some liquid ointment, he applies a powdered medicine on the surface then wraps it up with some thin clean piece of cloth before laying her down on the bed again.

"Hmm! I don't know who you are, but since fate has made us cross paths in this life, then you have to live" Chen murmured under his breath before standing up to leave the room.

"How is it Mr Chen? Farmer Fang asks the moment he opens the door.

"Her life is out of danger now but she needs more time to rest before she can fully regain consciousness".

"Oh, thanks heaven!" Fang Zu said, breathing out in relief at his words.

"How is Mrs Fang? Lead the way, let me check on her too. Chen said.

"Alright, Mr Chen. This way, please!" Farmer Fang leads the way to his wife's room.

Mrs Fang, who was sleeping, tried to sit up when she sensed their presence.

"It's okay Mrs Fang, you don't have to trouble yourself. Chen said before checking her pulse.

Feeling the steady rhyme of the pulse, he withdrew his hand from her, smiling.

"Tell me, how is it now?" Farmer Fang asked Chen, anticipating good news from him.

"She is getting better now. I am going to give her the Yin and Yang pill I have been working on for some days now. Take these pills now, it will strengthen you up and make your blood flow faster to the heart. But you might end up sweaty".

"Mr Chen, forget about been sweaty, as long as I get better" Mrs Fang said

"Mr Chen, you don't have to explain it to me, I trust your medicinal prowess" Farmer Fang said.

"Okay then, take this" Chen gave her one single pill from a white colored bottle. She swallowed it up with water and soon little balls of sweat started showing up in her forehead.

"Look mother, you are sweating already just like he said".

"I feel light in my body, yet stronger than before! Thank you Mr Chen. Mrs Fang said with joy.

Chen checked her pulse again without responding to her words of gratitude. Fully satisfied by the pulse rhyme, he stood up from the bed.

"Mrs Fang, don't thank me yet. There is someone you need to attend to".

"Mother, father and I rescued someone from the forest. She was almost dead but Mr Chen treated her wounds.

"Someone? A she? Where is she?" Mrs Fang asked, already standing up with her husband's support.

"Mother, she is in my room. Come and look at her".

On entering the room, Mrs Fang saw Xing Qian who was still laying down on the bed. Her face was gradually retaining its color but her lips were still pale.

Quickly she went to sit by her side, looking intently at her face. "Her hand's are a little bit cold, Mr Chen! Mrs Fang turned to look at Chen for explanation, still holding on to Xing Qian's hands gently.

"I just removed the poison from her bloodstream, of course it will take a while for her body to recover completely, Mrs Fang!"

"Poison? Who will do this to such a young child?" Mrs asked no one in particular, carelessing Xing Qian's hands fondly.

"Mrs Fang, please you need to change her clothes immediately or else the wound will get infected again".

"Fang Zu, go and get me a bowl of water and clean towels" she said and he hurried off immediately.

Placing the blue bowl of water and white colored towel before his mother, Mrs Fang proceeded in cleaning up Xing Qian's hands, face, the others had to leave the room at once.