Chapter 62: Several People's Injuries Are Hard to Treat

Jiang Jinshi was sleeping soundly at home when a villager suddenly came knocking, saying his grandfather's family had met with an accident and asking him to go check.

His sister and Li Xinyue were also woken; Jiang Jinshi told them to stay home properly while he went to find out the situation.

When he arrived at the scene he happened to see Huasheng being pushed out, so he hid in the crowd to observe.

Before the family split, Jiang Da Ya often took care of the young Jiang Jinshi and would secretly share food with him; after the split their contact dwindled, and even when they met in the village they would not greet each other.

This family has ended up like this entirely of their own making, having driven an honest person to such a state.

The village head also didn't feel it proper to blame Jiang Jinshi, saying that no matter what, this is other people's family business; he merely called them over to give notice, and afterwards if anything happens don't push the blame onto him.

"In that case, then tie up Wang Da Ya and wait until morning to send her to the government office."

Thus, Wang Da Ya was bound with coarse rope to the big tree outside the courtyard; with her strength she could not break free.

Right now, however, the several people lying on the ground have become a problem: Jiang Jinshi pays no attention, Huasheng refuses to treat them, and even the village head holding them has no solution!

But if we just leave them here like this, the village head also worries what to do if they die.

So the village head again spoke to Huasheng: "Huasheng, just help check the situation; you don't need to treat them, I only want to know whether their injuries can hold until dawn."

The village head's idea is also simple: wait until dawn, then discuss with Jiang Shi's family; if they are willing to spend money, I will go to the city to fetch a doctor; if not, then forget it!

Huasheng hesitated a moment, but the village head's face still needed to be given; besides, he wouldn't be using his own medicines, so taking a look wouldn't hurt.

But the more Huasheng looked, the more startled he became; the injuries of Jiang Er Dan, Jiang Wang, and Jiang Shun these three children were not serious, just weakened from eating little for several days.

Although their hands and feet bore traces of being beaten, with skin split and flesh torn but no bone injury, healing would not be difficult.

As for Jiang Da Ya's mother and grandmother, she also did not use heavy force; indeed, unlike the skin-split flesh-torn of Jiang Er Dan and the others, they only had some bruises, which need no medicine and will recover after a period of rest.

The most serious are Jiang Fu, Jiang Gui, and Jiang Shi these three: not only do their hands and feet show fractures of various degrees, the flesh at the fracture sites has been beaten to a pulp, and after soaking in feces water they are now oozing pus.

Jiang Shi's blind eye certainly cannot be saved, and the injuries on his body are also very difficult to treat.

Saying it's difficult is because Huasheng lacks confidence in his own medical skill; he doesn't know whether other famous doctors have a way, and at least he and the doctors from his former pharmacy faced with such injuries can only be helpless.

After truthfully reporting the situation to the village head, the village head also had no recourse; for now he could only wait until dawn to talk further.

I had thought the matter would end like this, but who expected that the next moment the villagers would start an uproar.

"Wang Gui, you say you came to Jiang Gui's house in the middle of the night—what are you up to?"

"Don't say you're trying to leave the village; that's not even a direction."

Wang Gua Fu didn't expect everyone would suddenly turn on her; for a moment she stammered, not knowing how to answer.

"I... I... I this is..."

The village head almost forgot about this matter; his gaze toward Wang Gui was full of warning.

"We're all from the same village; even if I didn't catch you in the act I couldn't say much, but people should still pay attention to their reputation."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gua Fu's face flushed red, wishing there were a crack in the ground she could dive into.

Earlier she had been preoccupied with proving that Jiang Da Ya wanted to kill her, but she forgot why she came here in the first place; now the whole village knows.

Usually although her reputation was also not good, it was merely idle gossip, and nobody had actually seen anything.

This time she has thoroughly cemented her bad reputation, and it happened right before the whole village.

Wang Gua Fu turned and ran home in a hurry, really unable to face staying under everyone's gaze.

The men watched Wang Gua Fu's retreating back, and the next moment a hand twisted up her ear.

"Still looking? What's there to see about such a thousand-people-ridden spectacle?"

"You'd better pay attention; if I catch you doing something, I'll report you to the village head!"

The villagers thus went home in twos and threes, and on the road one could still hear various big and small discussion voices.

According to the village head's idea, they wanted to leave some people to guard the scene and Jiang Da Ya, but who would want to do such thankless labor?

Moreover there was no silver to be gained, and if someone died they'd still have to spend words explaining; the villagers hurriedly found excuses to go home and sleep.

After Jiang Jinshi gave it a little thought and looked at Jiang Da Ya, he found Jiang Da Ya also looking at him, and she gave a relieved smile.

Soon after, the house fell into darkness again, leaving only the few people occasionally wailing on the mud ground and Jiang Da Ya tied to the tree.

Jiang Da Ya lifted her head, and through the gaps in the leaves she looked at the twinkling night sky.

The world is vast, vast enough to consist only of Da Jiang Cun and its neighboring few villages, yet also small, so small that this "home" of just a few rooms cannot contain her.

The evening wind brushed the hair above her forehead; below was a pair of eyes still bright.

She does not regret her actions; rather than saying she lived twenty years, it would be more accurate to say she died at birth, and these few days' joy is more like a great dream.

These days brought her not a revenge-like pleasure, but a life called "freedom".

Now the dream has awakened, she also ought to end this absurd life.

Night cicadas chirped, and Jiang Da Ya just kept staring at the night sky, not knowing how long had passed.

"Sha sha!"

Faintly from behind came the sound of shoe soles rubbing against loosened soil, finally stopping behind the big tree.

Jiang Da Ya was just about to speak when a palm already covered her mouth.

"It's me."

A barely audible sound came from behind; Jiang Da Ya immediately closed her mouth—this was Jiang Jinshi's voice.

Jiang Jinshi withdrew his right hand, and in the dark untied the rope binding Jiang Da Ya.

Jiang Da Ya turned her body slightly, making no sound; the moonlight only let her see part of Jiang Jinshi's outline, but she could not discern any expression.

The two tacitly said nothing; Jiang Jinshi turned and walked forward, and Jiang Da Ya followed behind.

Only after they had walked out of the village did Jiang Jinshi speak: "You go!"

"Why save me?" Jiang Da Ya wondered; although they had already split households, Jiang Jinshi still carried Jiang family blood—did he not hate her?

The dark clouds quietly slipped away, letting moonlight shine on both, and only then could Jiang Da Ya vaguely see Jiang Jinshi's smile-not-smile face.

"Does doing things need a reason? If you want to do it, just do it!" Jiang Jinshi shrugged indifferently.

Although he said that, after leaving the village Jiang Da Ya was full of confusion: "I don't know where I can go!"