I Became a Medical Genius in the 80s

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Palpitations

By the pond, apart from finding black goji, Beisitian also discovered some other herbs; this trip was indeed fruitful.

Although there were traces of bears by the pond, no sight of it was found. Just as Zhou Tian said, the bear temporarily fled to this area because it accidentally intruded on his home and had a confrontation with his wolf dogs.

That time, it injured a female wolf dog. Later, the wolf dogs initiated a broad search for the bear but found no trace, indicating it had probably escaped.

In this area, the pack of wolf dogs were the local bosses, yet outside this area, amidst the mountains, there were all kinds of creatures, and the wolf dogs dared not venture too deep.

Beisitian picked some ripe black goji and headed back, surrounded by seven or eight wolf dogs. If seen by village people, it’d surely give them a scare.

Zhou Tian was waiting outside the Skyline. Seeing them come out, he invited Beisitian to his home for a chat, as it had been ages since he last met anyone from Kao Village.

In these recent years, due to economic growth and policy changes, and especially the protection of wildlife, hunters found it increasingly hard to make a living. Many young folks no longer wished to follow the old paths of their elders and left to work elsewhere. So, while he saw many nearby villagers entering the mountains, he hadn’t seen anyone from Kao Village in the past two or three years.

When hunters entered the mountains, Zhou Tian merely glanced from afar and never felt the urge to converse, especially given the treatment he received before; he didn’t wish to speak with these people.

As for Kao Village, Zhou Tian bore no grudge but also little affection. Yet upon hearing the words ’Kao Village’, a ripple still stirred in his heart.

These ripples were the only emotions he felt, simply because he was born and raised in Kao Village, nothing more.

Even though Beisitian was from Kao Village, in his eyes, she was an exception. She wasn’t averse to the wolf dogs and had even saved a big one and three pups. Zhou Tian was very amicable towards her.

Thus, he wished to chat with Beisitian to learn about the outside world, as he’d been out of touch with it for over a decade.

Originally, Beisitian intended to chat with the old man, curious about his mindset, having lived with a pack of wolf dogs in the mountains for over a decade.

Yet somehow, she felt an unexplainable unease, uncertain of its origin, and just wanted to return home.

Having agreed to meet Zhou Tian again after some time, Beisitian was about to leave.

”Wait a moment,” Zhou Tian called out to her.

Beisitian turned back, and Zhou Tian hastily pulled out a few grain tickets, handing them to her. ”Thank you!”

Although black goji is valuable, it’s of little use to rural folk. Grain tickets, on the other hand, are fundamental for survival. Since he never leaves the mountains, they were of no use to him.

Receiving the grain tickets from his hand, Beisitian noted they were brand new, without a crease, which surprised her. She had seen this item at the Luo Family; she’d heard from Luo Anping that grain tickets were already obsolete when he was born.

Beisitian’s unease grew stronger, and without explaining to Zhou Tian, she accepted the tickets, thanked him, and hurriedly left.

Carrying a basket full of herbs, Beisitian walked briskly, soon ascending the North Slope, bringing her close to Kao Village.

She crossed the small bridge at the village entrance and entered Kao Village, seeing the smoke rising and families starting to prepare dinner; nothing seemed unusual, and she quietly sighed with relief.

Beneath a tree sat three wives, chatting while snacking on sunflower seeds. Beisitian’s light footsteps went unnoticed by them.

”Luo Anguo! Luo Anping! What kind of father ranks himself alongside his sons? It’s laughable!”

”Didn’t you hear? It’s because a fortune-teller said his son must have a character from the father’s name, or he’d die young like his brother!”

”Luo Xudong deserved to die. They sent him as a soldier to protect the country, but what did he do? He met the enemy without even firing a shot and ran, only to get killed while fleeing! That’s utterly disgraceful!”

”No wonder, whenever people mention Luo Xudong is from Kao Village, I’m embarrassed to say I’m from there too!”

”And Luo Er’s family, you say Luo Xudong was such a handsome young man; back then, every girl liked him. They said he was quite popular even in the army, with leaders wanting to matchmake for him, but in the end, he’s rotten to the core! Whatever they say about snakes and rats being two of a kind, that’s it!”

”Sister-in-law Zhang is right; even when Luo Xudong died, those two old ones miraculously had a child at their age, still conceiving a successor, yet ended up giving birth to one ranked alongside themselves!”

”I say it’s the bad luck brought by the widow. Ever since she joined the Luo Family, she jinxed her husband and father-in-law, then the father-in-law and mother-in-law, and now even the little uncle!”

”Not to mention, this time Luo Anping is finished; even Yang Wulang has given up!”

As Beisitian heard Luo Anguo and Luo Anping’s names, she slowed her steps, and upon catching the last sentence, she was greatly shocked, hurriedly bypassing the gossipy women and running towards home.

The three wives were startled, realizing they had been overheard, and watched Beisitian’s departing figure, whispering to each other.

In her previous life, Beisitian had never experienced heart palpitations; she had no one to care for besides her master, making this feeling unfamiliar.

She rushed home and, once she reached the alleyway, saw a crowd gathered at the doorway, and to her shock, blood on the ground!

She pushed through the crowd and dashed into the courtyard. The onlookers were initially dissatisfied but seeing the widow, they resumed their pointing and gossiping.

All talking about how she jinxed her little uncle.

Inside, she put down the basket. Several people stood in the outer room, including Zhang Qiao Niang’s husband, all close to Luo Er’s family.

Beisitian lifted the curtain and entered the house, instantly overwhelmed by the smell of blood!

Luo Anping lay on the bed, pale-faced, head wrapped in white cloth, covered with a quilt, and Yang Wulang sighed beside him.

Mrs. Qin leaned against a stack of quilts, with Zhang Qiao Niang soothing her; she seemed just to regain consciousness.

Luo Anguo also leaned against the quilt pile, face pale, eyes vacant, with tobacco paraphernalia scattered across the kang.

Yang Wulang’s wife, Ma, watched as Beisitian entered with a stern expression, wondering if she was dazed and awaited her questions. Unexpectedly, Beisitian went straight to the bedside, reaching to check Luo Anping’s neck.

Beisitian felt Luo Anping’s weak pulse; though faint, it wasn’t a sign of losing vitality, which relieved her immensely.

Then she made a shocking move; she pulled back the quilt covering Luo Anping!

As the quilt was lifted, the air filled with the smell of blood.

Luo Anping’s shirt was soaked with blood, and a large wooden stick was bound to his leg; with just one glance, Beisitian knew it was bad.