Over there, the second family was chatting, and over here, the main family was not idle either.
Mrs. Fang had just killed a chicken and set it to stew. She wanted to go back to the room to check on the little ones because her mother-in-law had to stay in bed for a month, leaving the third, the fourth, and Gu Wan in the east wing. She needed to take good care of them; otherwise, her mother-in-law would not let her off. She also thought of Da Ya, the child was quite frightened. Fortunately, her father-in-law didn’t bla Da Ya, as her mother-in-law had just given birth and had no energy. Otherwise, there would be a hefty beating.
Thinking she still had to watch the chicken soup, her pace quickened. She passed the east wing where the main family lived and went inside. A small room had been added, where the eldest son of the main family lived with his two daughters. Now, with the third, the fourth, and Gu Wan added. Once inside, she noticed that the eldest son, Dazhu, was already up. There was no one on the bed, presumably because he had gotten up to gather pig feed. The pigs and chickens needed feeding early in the morning. The little ones were still asleep in bed, so she took a quick glance and hurried out.
Heading to the front courtyard, she intended to persuade the child’s father to rest a bit longer. After breakfast, he would have to head to the fields. She wouldn’t go to the fields today, reducing their labor force by one.
Mrs. Fang had just entered the east wing when she heard Dazhu talking to his father.
"Dad, could you call Doctor Li to check on big sister? She had a fever from the middle of the night, her forehead burning hot. I wanted to call you, but little aunt said we were noisy. So, I just got so cool water to wet a cloth to cool big sister down. I changed it a few tis overnight. She seed better, but this morning the fever ca back." Gu Wanhai, nicknad Dazhu, was only six years old, no matter how sensible he seed. His sister’s illness had frightened him badly. Holding out until morning, he anxiously ca to tell his parents as the sky was just starting to lighten.
"What? What should we do? Da Ya must have been frightened yesterday. It’s all my fault for not looking after her. Her grandparents won’t punish her. Her father, we should call Doctor Li. I’ll go check on Da Ya."
Upon hearing that Da Ya was sick, Mrs. Fang imdiately panicked. It was her fault for being so tired yesterday, focusing only on resting, neglecting Da Ya. She hurried back to check on Da Ya’s condition. She had heard of children in the neighboring village who got feverish, and without seeing a doctor, they ended up ntally impaired.
"Child’s mother, how can we afford to see a doctor? Sigh, you go check on her. If it’s really bad, I’ll talk to dad." Gu Chengli also beca anxious upon hearing. Mrs. Fang went inside to find the eldest daughter indeed burning red-faced with fever. She quickly dressed the daughter and carried her to the front courtyard.
Gu Chengli could also see his daughter’s severe fever. He took Da Ya and headed straight to the upper room, followed closely by Mrs. Fang and Dazhu.
Upon entering, they saw Mr. Gu resting on the kang (a heated bed-stove) in the outer room.
"Dad, please look at Da Ya. She’s burning seriously. We need Doctor Li to have a look!" Gu Chengli was so worried that he couldn’t care about disturbing his father’s rest.
Mr. Gu, who had just been lightly dozing on the kang, was roused by Gu Chengli’s anxious voice. "Eldest, what happened?"
"Dad, I don’t know. Dazhu said that Da Ya started burning up last night and hasn’t improved this morning. What if the fever makes her ntally impaired?"
Mr. Gu was silent for a mont after hearing this. Calling Doctor Li would certainly cost money. Generally, for simple colds, rural families would endure it themselves. Only when it appeared severe would they see a doctor. After all, dicines were very expensive, and without money, they couldn’t afford treatnts!
Mrs. Lv, who was about to fall asleep in the inner room, heard what Gu Chengli said outside. She quickly woke up.
"Eldest, Da Ya has a fever; just cover her with cool water. How can a farming family like us afford such luxuries? We can’t see a doctor for every little thing. How much silver coin can we save all year? Besides, she’s just a girl. Even if it were a son, we can’t see a doctor for every headache or fever, right?"
Gu Chengyu woke up when Mrs. Lv shouted. Ah, being a woman in ancient tis is indeed tough! Everything seed so biased towards males. Now, he felt relieved that he had turned into a boy. Also, from what he heard, it was not easy for these farming families to see a doctor; they relied on enduring their illnesses. This little child’s fever shouldn’t be taken lightly. It might lead to serious consequences. He wondered what kind of severe illness warranted calling the doctor. Being a little baby now, he couldn’t help much. Hopefully, his father would agree! After all, if a healthy child were to beco ntally impaired, that would be tragic. Judging from his experiences, relying on his own mother was hopeless. She seed like a complete penny-pincher—stingy and fiercely defensive.
User Comments
0 comments from readers