Ancient Eden

~End of chapter 40

Li Mang had invited this old woman most probably because she was the witch doctor of the settlement. According to her understanding, she was probably the kind of person that could communicate with the ghosts and the gods, and also make remedies, she might even serve as a midwife when the women here give birth.

Mu Qing subconsciously shrank a little further, she did not dare to drink the stuff in this bowl.

The old woman grinned at her and said a few words to her. But the look of her smile under the light of the burning torch looked extremely creepy.

Mu Qing shook her head desperately.

Chapter 41

(13.3)

Li Mang came to her side and squatted next to her, talking to her in a low voice, he sounded like he was coaxing a child.

Mu Qing really did not want to drink it, but Li Mang forced her to sit up with one hand, while his other hand took the bowl from the old woman and brought it to her mouth.

Luckily, it didn’t smell very bad, it just had a strong herbal taste, but she felt she could accept that.

Mu Qing closed her eyes and ordered herself not to think about what was actually in that bowl as well as the fact that the old woman had just used her finger to stir it. She took the bowl and drank it down in one gulp. Her mouth felt numb and sour.

Li Mang now looked a little relieved, and personally escorted the old woman out. He came back very soon, and laid beside Mu Qing, talking to her in a low voice while gently rubbing her belly, like he was comforting her.

Mu Qing no longer needed to pretend that her stomach hurt, or worry that she wasn’t pretending well enough, because a short while later, she started to be in real pain, it was an acute stomach pain.

This night, she went to the trench five or six times. The last time, when she stood up, her head was dizzy and her feet turned weak, and in the end, it was Li Mang who had followed her who ended up carrying her back.

Li Mang looked like he wanted to go get the old woman again, but he was stopped by Mu Qing, who had no energy left.

This diarrhea came just in time, just as she had wanted, but she didn’t want to die of dehydration because of the continuous diarrhea.

Li Mang fed her some of the water she had boiled for herself in the pot during daytime, and then held her with one hand while rubbing her stomach with the other. Both of them were tormented all night, and it was only when dawn came, that they managed to fall asleep.

Mu Qing’s diarrhea did not stop until the third day. There was no mirror here, but she didn’t need to look at herself to know that her eyes were at least two times bigger than before. Even her strength to speak had been drained.

During the day, Youyou always stayed by her side, and Naduo would visit her at intervals. At night, Li Mang brought her all kinds of fresh fruit, and Mu Qing gained herself an additional advantage. He always disliked her sleeping with her clothes on, and before he absolutely required her to be naked to sleep with him, but these nights, Mu Qing insisted a little, and he did not force her, but only hugged her to sleep, sometimes he would put his hand into her clothes to feel her skin for a moment before stopping.

Here the daily salt intake was not much, Mu Qing had diarrhea for a few days, with a lot of difficulties she had managed to recover some vitality, and she thought that she should replenish her body with some salt. So she drank the soup with the strangest taste she ever had in her life: animal blood was added to water and then a piece of honeycomb was added as well. The soup was boiled like this, and after stirring it, she pinched her nose to drink it. This was the only sugar and salty water she could get out here.

Mu Qing’s stomach pain finally healed. But there were still three to four days, according to her own estimation, before the end of her danger period. She didn’t know if Li Mang would continue to leave her alone starting from tonight. Or should she pretend to have stomach pain again? She even wondered if she should go to the old woman and ask her to let her drink another bowl of that stuff.

(14.1)

It was the thirteenth day after Mu Qing’s accident, and the tenth day since she had arrived in this settlement. The people here all worked during the day, she hadn’t seen anyone not working except for the very young children and Naonao, and even the chief was often out with the men. So when Li Mang left this morning, although he seemed to want her to stay inside and rest for another day, but feeling that her energy had recovered, she decided to go with the children to the crop field again.