Linxia

Chapter 140, Coptis chinensis

Half a month passed in a hurry.

Xuan Mo Zhai is still calm, the two branches have begun renovations, and everything is in order.

During this period, there are two things worth mentioning.

First, during the Lantern Festival this year, the great storyteller Liu Mazi came and wanted to obtain permission to tell the story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". He also said that 30% of the income from the storytelling of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" would be taken over in the future. This was the rule. This shocked Fang Lin. In this era, many people had no copyright awareness. Many storytellers thought that after buying a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", they could tell stories freely. People like Liu Mazi were rare.

Another thing is that Gu Yuyan and Shi Wenjun from Qing Huan Xiao Ju came to ask Fang Lin to adapt some chapters of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms into a drama. They offered him a good sum of money, and Fang Lin agreed. This is also a win-win situation. Fang Lin gets money, and Qing Huan Xiao Ju has him, the original author of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, personally adapting the work, which is also a big selling point when it comes to publicity.

Apart from that, there is not much else to say.

That evening, Fang Lin and Tian Xuan came back. During the meal, Fang's mother talked about the Ou family again: "Mrs. Ou was sick and her temper became strange. She suddenly said that she wanted to go see her daughter that day. Mr. Ou said, 'The students are here. You have classes in the morning and go in the afternoon.' Mrs. Ou immediately changed her face and said, 'I was just testing you. You just didn't want to accompany me and disliked walking with me.' What could Mr. Ou say? He could only apologize to the students, take a day off, and prepare to accompany Mrs. Ou. But Mrs. Ou didn't go again. She refused to go no matter what. She said it was a test for Mr. Ou. Mr. Ou couldn't cry or laugh. He could only say, 'Don't test me. I've been here for so many years. I won't dislike you. Today, the students didn't even go to class.' Mrs. Ou said, 'I hurt you, I hurt you, okay.'"

"That's why you call him an old child. He is really like a child when he gets old. Especially when he is sick, his temper becomes even weirder. Only Master Ou can tolerate him." Mr. Fang sighed.

"It's a bit unreasonable." Tian Xuan nodded.

"When people get old and are sick, they feel uncomfortable and are like children, trying to attract attention." Fang Lin could understand.

Mother Fang continued, "Mrs. Ou had such a strange personality that Master Ou could not teach. He apologized to each of the students and found a familiar teacher to transfer the students to. Then, he focused on finding more doctors to treat Mrs. Ou. Mrs. Ou smelled bad and didn't want to go out, so Master Ou said all the nice things to invite a doctor to come... But even so, there was no improvement."

"Mrs. Ou was so nice, but now... she's sick. Why didn't any of the neighbors go to see her?" Tian Xuan asked, "My brother Lin and I came back today, but we didn't see anyone?"

"Why didn't you go? All the neighbors went to see me. It was Mrs. Ou who said, 'Don't come to see me. I won't be able to eat if you do. I don't want to be looked at with pity.'"

Mother Fang sighed again as she spoke: "Some people are sincere in their sympathy, but there are also some bad-hearted people who are jealous of Madam Ou's goodness. They don't say it to her face, but say it behind her back. This afternoon, the daughter-in-law of the Lu family was muttering, 'Madam Ou used to be good, but now the smell on her body makes me want to vomit from a distance. Her temper is also bad, and she is getting less and less moral as she gets older.' Madam Ou came out and heard what she was doing. She turned around and went back without saying a word, crying alone..."

"Why is Sister-in-law Lu like that?" Tian Xuan said indignantly.

Fang Lin also frowned: "What happened next?"

"We scolded the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, and Master Ou asked the doctor to come back and find out. He also came to our house and insisted that the daughter-in-law of the Lu family apologize before he would stop."

Fang's mother paused for a moment and continued, "This is the first time I've seen Master Ou get so angry since Grandma Man faked her death that day!"

"Alas, let's not talk about this. It's annoying to hear." Father Fang couldn't bear to hear this, so he changed the subject and said, "Last time I wrote to you, I wonder when Dad, Mom, and Big Brother and Second Brother will come over?"

"I estimate it will take only these two days!" Fang Lin said.

……

It was also a coincidence that Fang Lin's family was still talking about it the day before yesterday, and the Fang family arrived the next afternoon.

Fang Chuanhui knew the way, and brought Fang He, Fang Cao'er and Fang Xiaoxiao to Xuan Mo Zhai to look for them. Fang Lin was pleasantly surprised to see them, and told Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, Geng Shi and Liu Hongwen, and called Tian Xuan to leave, taking his cousins ​​to buy things.

"Since the last time I saw you, Chuanhui has grown a lot taller. Hezi, you've become stronger too, which is good. You look more refined too. Have you been studying? Sister Cao'er, long time no see. Xiaoxiao too..."

Fang Lin greeted all his cousins ​​one by one, not ignoring any of them. Finally, he looked at the little kid Fang Xiaoxiao, and remembered how he once took her up the mountain to collect firewood, and he held her cheek and pulled a radish for her.

Tian Xuan also asked, asking if they were tired from the journey and whether Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang had come over.

Along the way, many passers-by recognized Fang Lin and greeted him - this was naturally the influence of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Fang Lin responded one by one.

Tian Xuan was no longer surprised, but Fang Chuanhui, Fang He, Fang Cao'er and Fang Xiaoxiao were all surprised and curious. They felt that Fang Lin was so powerful that so many people knew him.

Fang Xiaoxiao asked: "Brother Linzi, what's going on? How come they all know you?"

Fang Chuanhui, Fang He, and Fang Caoer also looked over curiously.

"I wrote a book and it sold quite well, so we got to know each other naturally." Fang Lin said with a smile.

He did not mention this in the letter. On the one hand, he was embarrassed to brag about it. On the other hand, the villagers did not really understand the significance of writing a popular novel. In their eyes, saying that he had written a popular novel was not as good as saying that he had opened a bookstore, which would make them look up to him more.

Fang Chuanhui was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that his cousin would do such a big thing again in just half a year.

Fang Caoer and Fang Xiaoxiao just thought it was amazing.

Fang He felt that Fang Lin was different, very different, and the difference was so great that one could only look up to him. While he admired him very much, he also felt that there was an indescribable feeling in Fang Lin's words so lightly, and he secretly made up his mind to do the same once in the future.

Afterwards, they bought a lot of things and asked Tian Xuan to take them back with the things first, while Fang Lin went to find an inn.

He also asked, there were ten people in total, including those from his own family, his eldest uncle's family, and his second uncle's family. It would be harder to squeeze in than last time, so there would definitely not be enough room this time. He had to find another way and was ready to look for the nearest inn.

……

Fang Lin looked around nearby, compared several inns, selected one, paid the money, booked it, and returned.

Fang Chuanhui, Fang He, Fang Caoer, and Fang Xiaoxiao were playing at the entrance of the alley and came over to greet them.

"I've chosen an inn. It's nearby, just across a street. It only takes a short walk to get there in half a cup of tea. It seems clean, but it doesn't include meals. But it's a good opportunity to come over and eat, and it'll be more lively there." Fang Lin said.

"Okay, let's listen to Brother Linzi." Fang Chuanhui said.

Unlike him, Fang He, Fang Caoer and Fang Xiaoxiao were particularly excited as they were coming here for the first time.

Fang Xiaoxiao said, "Brother Linzi, I saw Master Ou, the good Master you mentioned in your letter, and Madam Ou, I saw her too!"

"I saw Mrs. Ou first, then Mr. Ou." Fang He corrected.

"Yes, Madam Ou is holding a piece of Coptis chinensis, and I don't know what she is doing..."

"What, Coptis chinensis? Sister Cao'er, are you sure?" Fang Lin paused, turned around and asked seriously.

"It should be." Seeing Fang Lin's attitude, Fang Cao'er also became serious, thought about it, and said affirmatively.

"Not only my sister, I saw it too. Brother Linzi, in our place the Coptis chinensis vines hang down and entangled on the bushes, with green leaves. All parents are afraid that their children might eat it by mistake, so they will teach them well and they will not make a mistake." Fang He, who has been studying for almost a year, spoke clearly and logically.

"I am also sure that it is Coptis chinensis." Fang Chuanhui also said.

"Really, really, it's Coptis chinensis." Fang Xiaoxiao also nodded her head.

All four of them were talking.

Fang Lin's expression suddenly became serious. Since the four of them had seen it, the news must be true. "However, Mrs. Ou has been unwilling to go out recently because of her illness and the smell on her body, let alone go out of the alley. But she went out today and brought back a root of Coptis chinensis. What does she want to do?"

He thought of something, his face changed slightly, and he quickened his pace towards Master Ou's house.

……

The time is slightly advanced.

This afternoon, Master Ou went to find a doctor while Madam Ou was lying at home. He recalled what he heard from Lu's daughter-in-law yesterday, 'Madam Ou was good before, but now the smell on her body makes me want to vomit when I smell it from afar. Her temper has also deteriorated. She becomes less and less moral as she gets older.'

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind: "Yes, it's like this now. Everyone looks down on me. They don't say it to my face, but they say it behind my back. I'm also dragging my husband down and making him lose face... It's better to die now than to wait until my morals are ruined and I die in torture!"

Once this thought came to her mind, she could no longer suppress it, especially the pain in her body, which seemed to be urging Mrs. Ou to be relieved, making her thoughts become more and more firm.

In this era, ordinary people who want to commit suicide usually hang themselves.

Mrs. Ou chose a few of her favorite clothes and planned to dress neatly and cleanly as usual. After taking a bath and dressing neatly, she found a rope and took it in her hand. Finally, she remembered that she had to comb her hair, and she must not let it be unkempt, so she carefully tucked her messy hair behind her ears.

Then, she looked at a small bronze mirror, and vaguely saw in the mirror a rope hanging from her neck, around her ears, her eyes were wide open, and her tongue was long and bright red.

"Ah!" She was so scared that she dropped the mirror.

"I heard that if a person wants to die, a ghost will follow him for three days. Am I being haunted by a ghost? But I'm going to die anyway, so I'm not afraid. It's just that people who are hanged look like this, it's really scary. If I die like this, it will scare him, and my daughter will be scared too if she sees it."

Mrs. Ou thought about it and decided not to hang herself. Of course, she did not give up the idea of ​​committing suicide, but prepared to try another method.

Today, the weather was clear and crisp in autumn, with clouds floating in the sky. The sun was not very strong, appearing and disappearing among the clouds. She went outside the city to find a bunch of coptis chinensis, and brought it back without being seen, but she still met Fang Caoer and others at the entrance of the alley. When she got home, Mrs. Ou took out a pot, boiled the coptis chinensis, and poured it into a bowl. The pain in her body made her unable to wait for a moment. It was too hot, so she poured it back and forth between two bowls to cool the coptis chinensis soup. Finally, she could not wait any longer, and soon, she picked up the bowl and tilted her head back, and drank a large bowl of coptis chinensis soup clean.

In order to avoid being discovered by Master Ou, she took out the residue of Coptis chinensis and threw it outside, then cleaned the jar, walked into the room, lay on the bed, and waited quietly for death.

Coptis chinensis is extremely poisonous. If you eat it, you will definitely die. Your stomach will hurt so much that it will last for two or three hours until your intestines are broken and you die.

Mrs. Ou lay in bed, her mind wandering, thinking of her three-year-old son who died, then of the daughter she didn't raise, and finally of Mr. Ou: 'He is a good man, he never beat me, we haven't even had a fight over the years, I am unlucky.'

The severe pain in her abdomen made her hold her stomach, sweat oozing from her forehead, but she still gritted her teeth and said nothing, looking out the window. The huge sun, as big as an egg yolk, was slowly setting, and a few wisps of bright yellow clouds were lingering around it like light smoke.

'The sun is going to set and I'm going to die,' Mrs. Ou thought.

……

Mr. Ou came back from looking for a doctor, bought some medicine, walked to the door and asked. When he heard the response, he thought that Mrs. Ou wanted to rest and sleep for a while, so he went to boil the medicine himself.

"Linzi, there is a visitor to your house today..." Master Ou was boiling medicine. When he saw Fang Lin walking hurriedly over, he greeted him.

"Master, where is Madam Ou?" This was the first time Fang Lin interrupted Master Ou. After Master Ou subconsciously pointed to the room, he strode over and shouted, "Madam Ou? Madam Ou?"

At this time, in the room, Mrs. Ou was holding her stomach, sweating profusely in pain, and could no longer speak.

Fang Lin sensed something was wrong, pushed the door open, and saw Mrs. Ou’s face twisted in pain.

When Master Ou saw Fang Lin's reaction, he noticed something and followed him in. Seeing Madam Ou like this, he shouted, "You, why are you so stupid? What's the big deal about being sick? Just hang in there, I want to save you."

"Linzi, just wait while I go find some tung oil!"

When Mr. Ou saw his wife, he knew that she had eaten Coptis chinensis. He said, "Go crazy and go to every household to look for tung oil. Drinking tung oil water can make the wife spit out the coptis chinensis water." But after searching around, no one had found it, so he came back.

At this time, all the neighbors had come over, and the bed was crowded with people, men and women, all sighing and at a loss what to do.

"Why is Mrs. Ou so depressed?"

"When people get old, they get sick and suffer from pain!"

"Yesterday, the Lu family's daughter-in-law... maybe it's related to the Lu family's daughter-in-law!"

……

Uncle Fang Boxian walked to the bedside, asked Fang's mother to help lift Mrs. Ou's eyelids to take a look, and said, "There is still hope! There is still hope!"

This kind of thing happens a lot in the countryside. People often accidentally eat poisonous things, so we have experience with this situation.

——In fact, the second uncle Fang Zhonggui also had experience, but he hesitated and did not stand up. This was not a village and he was unfamiliar with the place. If he made a misjudgment, it would be a small matter of getting into trouble but a big matter of losing the lawsuit. The eldest uncle Fang Bo was honest and kind, so he did not think too much about it.

"There is hope. We need to inject tung oil to make Mrs. Ou spit out the coptis water. But our location is a little far away, so it may be too late to go and buy some." Fang Lin said calmly.

"There is no other way. We can pour manure in, but..." Old Man Xin said, looking at Master Ou.

Mrs. Ou listened, dying in pain, and begged weakly: "Please, I want to die, don't eat feces, I am dying, eating feces can't save me, let me die cleanly!"

She has always been clean, but because of her illness and body odor, she dared not go out. If she really had to feed feces to save her life, it would be more painful than killing her.

Mr. Ou knew his wife's temper. She seemed docile, but in fact she was as stubborn as a cow. If she really wanted to eat feces to survive, she would never be able to die again. She was hesitating and struggling.

"I have tung oil! I have tung oil!" A panting voice sounded.

It’s Zhang Dagou.

He was the one who stole grains, and later, at the advice of Master Ou, went to the countryside to work as a peddler. Because there were often children in the countryside who accidentally ate poisonous things and needed to induce vomiting, he had tung oil on hand. Also because of Master Ou's kindness, he often came here, and he happened to meet him today.

Everyone was surprised when they heard this and prepared to fill it with tung oil.

Mrs. Ou still refused and was determined to die.

This time, Master Ou did not give in and became tough. He ordered people to lift Master Ou onto a stool, tie her hands and feet, hold her head down to prevent her from moving, stuff chopsticks into her mouth, and immediately stuff a spoon filled with tung oil into Mrs. Ou's mouth.

Mrs. Ou struggled, but to no avail. She looked at her closest husband with a deathly pale face, who did not say a word to her, ignored her wishes, and did everything on his own.

She was in a daze, and felt her consciousness like a wisp of smoke, flying out of the window and about to drift far away, when suddenly her stomach made a bulge.

"Untie it, I'm going to vomit!" shouted uncle Fang Boxian.

After untying the rope, Mr. Ou hugged his wife and patted her back. Mrs. Ou vomited violently, first vomiting a bunch of coptis water, then clear water, and finally she couldn't vomit anything at all, just dry heaving.

"It's okay. I've vomited everything out of my stomach."

Mrs. Ou was saved. Fang's mother and Grandma Man fetched hot water, washed her clean, and changed her into clean clothes.

The sky gradually darkened, and the neighbors began to feel hungry and left one after another.

Finally, Fang Lin took Tian Xuan away and left this place to Mr. Ou and his wife.

"It's all fate. People who are not destined to die will never die. I've heard of someone going to the mountains to hang himself, and a woodcutter met him and saved him; there was a person diving into the water, who was also rescued... Today, Fang Lin found him, and Xiao Zhang happened to have tung oil... It means God doesn't want you to die, so don't do stupid things." Master Ou said.

Mrs. Ou believed in fate, and a little light appeared in her eyes.

"I know you are feeling sad, but if you die, my two daughters and I will also be in great pain. You must live and live well, just as if you are accompanying us." Master Ou said in an almost pleading tone.

Mrs. Ou listened and burst into tears. As far as she could remember, this was the first time her husband had begged her. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind: "Yes, I must think about them and not bring them pain."

When she thought of this, she suddenly didn't want to die anymore and had the will to live.

Mr. Ou knew that his wife was kind and soft-hearted, but he didn't know whether it was right or wrong to let her live.

After a while, Fang Lin and Tian Xuan came over again and brought some porridge.

Mr. Ou fed it.

Perhaps because she consumed too much, Mrs. Ou fell asleep soon after eating.

At this time, the moon rose, and moonlight slanted in from the window, shining on the thin quilt and on Mrs. Ou's face. Mr. Ou looked at Mrs. Ou's face, holding her hand which had become a little warmer. His tense mind gradually relaxed, and he finally felt tired. This night was like a nightmare. He lay down beside her with his clothes on, and soon he began to breathe evenly and fell asleep.

For a moment, only the tireless insects in the night outside the window were still chirping endlessly.

……

After delivering food to Master Ou's house, Tian Xuan saw Fang Lin in a trance and asked, "Brother Lin, what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking, as people age, their bodies become like rusty machines, prone to problems...aging, illness, and death are inevitable for everyone."

"There's no point in thinking about it. There will always be a day like that."

"It's useless and meaningless, but what I saw and learned can make people cherish the present, seize the present, and live with a more positive attitude."

"Then, brother Lin, have you figured it out?"

"No."

"Don't worry, it's still early. You have most of your life to think about it slowly. When the time comes, you will know."

"Too."

Fang Lin held Tian Xuan's hand, his black hair gleaming in the moonlight, and went home.

……

(End of this chapter)