Chapter 50 Several Elderly People

Just as Uncle Ming Si came back from work, even before reaching the door, he heard waves of laughter coming from the straw hut. His exhausted body felt instantly cured. What could be more important than seeing your wife and daughters happy?

Ming Xiaojing caught a glimpse of her father out of the corner of her eye and quickly stood up to greet him.
“Dad, the water’s boiled. Wash your hands and come eat. Today, Sister Leyao is treating us to dinner.”
“Leyao’s here? Did your mom give those eggs to her?”
“Ah, Dad, just wash your hands and go in. You’ll see.”

Outside, Ming Xiaojing didn’t say much. Uncle Ming Si quickly washed up, and as soon as he stepped inside the house, the rich aroma of meat hit him.
“This is…”
“Dad, Sister Leyao and Dogzi caught this this morning. Isn’t Dogzi amazing?” Ming Xiaoxue ran up, hoping to gain another ally for her campaign to raise a dog.
“Amazing, amazing.”
“Then can we keep a dog too?”
“…..”
He knew his youngest daughter wouldn’t ask that for no reason — turns out this was her real motive.

Ming Leyao noticed his hesitation — torn between wanting to grant his daughter’s wish and worrying about the extra burden of feeding a dog when the family was barely making ends meet.
“Xiaoxue, not all dogs are the same. The one you brought over — Dogzi — I heard from the elders it’s probably a hybrid with a wolf, a bit wild in nature. It’s not easy to find another like it. If you really like it, you can come over to my place and help take care of it — feed it, look after it, just like your sister, okay?”
“Really? Leyao-jie, I can come too?”
“Why not? Just don’t go alone, make sure someone’s with you, okay?”
“Mm-hmm, I got it.”

Seeing his daughter appeased, Uncle Ming Si breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that he was home, it was time to eat. Aunt Ming Si had wanted to steam eggs for Leyao, but she declined, saying:
“There’s too much food already. We won’t be able to finish it.”

That meal filled everyone to the brim. They were so full, they slumped into their stools, unwilling to move.
“Wow, haven’t felt this stuffed in ages.”
“Yeah… it feels so good.”

Uncle and Aunt Ming Si looked at each other and smiled, hearts full.

But that warm moment didn’t last long. Suddenly, an anxious and panicked elderly voice cut through the air.
“Old He? Old He, what’s wrong? Lao Meng, come quick!”
“This is bad! Old He is having trouble breathing. Quick… go get help!”
“Get help… help… help…”

A few seconds later, hurried footsteps approached the front of the Ming home, but the expected knock never came.
Ming Leyao figured the person outside was hesitating about knocking. Just as she was about to stand up, someone beat her to it. Uncle Ming Si rushed to the door and opened it.
“Uncle Li? What’s wrong?”
“Comrade Ming Zhong, it’s… Old He… he’s not gonna make it, you…”

Standing in the doorway, Uncle Ming Si blocked the view from inside, but from her seat, Leyao could just barely see the frail old man outside — skin and bones, sunken cheeks, gray hair, and tear-filled, cloudy eyes streaming down a deeply lined face. The look of helplessness, panic, and despair moved Leyao deeply.

Uncle Ming Si turned back and barked orders:
“Wife, go keep watch out front. Xiaojing, go to Leyao’s house and bring Dogzi. Xiaoxue, start boiling water and steam those eggs.”
Aunt Ming Si, pale-faced, nodded and stumbled out to stand nearby, flustered. In contrast, Xiaojing and Xiaoxue got to work swiftly and smoothly, following their father’s instructions without hesitation.

“Leyao, could you… could you help take a look? If you’re not willing, it’s okay — I’ll think of something else.”
“Uncle, let’s go.”

Leyao didn’t know how her uncle had gotten involved with the elderly men living in the neighboring cowshed, nor did she need to. She also knew that if anyone found out, there would be serious consequences for both of them. Normally, she would weigh pros and cons carefully. But this time, she followed her heart — and chose to take the risk.

When they arrived at the cowshed, the stench of manure hit her like a wall. At first, it was hard to bear, but after a while… she got used to it.

This shed was even worse than Uncle Ming Si’s. Not only did it leak from all sides, but the roof looked ready to cave in. Inside was a broken double bed, three of its legs missing and propped up with bricks. The only complete piece of furniture was a washstand.

“Uncle Meng, how’s Uncle He?”
“I don’t have any medicine on hand. I fear… he won’t make it.”

“Let me take a look.”
Without another word, Leyao walked straight to the bed, nodded to Old Man Meng, and reached out her hand to take Old He’s pulse. Her posture and technique were textbook-perfect.

Old Man Meng’s eyes widened in shock. His lips trembled — he wanted to say something but ultimately held back.

From the pulse, Leyao quickly diagnosed Old He’s condition: heart fire congestion, poor circulation, and widespread decline in bodily function due to malnutrition. Treatable.

Calmly, she pulled out a small porcelain bottle from her coat pocket, took out a round pill, and popped it directly into Old He’s mouth.
“No water?”
“No need.”

Old Man Meng stared in disbelief as he watched his old friend swallow the pill… and then saw the soft-spoken girl whip out a cloth roll, open it with a dramatic flourish, and reveal several gleaming long needles. In a flash, she inserted several into Old He’s body with practiced precision.

Before he could even process what was happening, Leyao had already sat calmly at the bedside.
“He’ll wake up soon.”
“Wake… wake up?”
“You mean… Old He will really wake up?”
“Yes.”

Straightforward. Firm. No room for doubt.

Old Man Meng was still stuck in a spiral of disbelief. A lifetime devoted to traditional medicine, and yet today his worldview had been flipped repeatedly. A pill that didn’t need water? Old He was clearly at death’s door — how could he possibly wake up?

Of course, he didn’t mean to curse his friend — he was just deeply, deeply curious.

Inside the shed, no one dared to speak. They all waited quietly for Old He to wake up.
Outside… things were a bit livelier.

Ming Xiaojing had dashed to get Dogzi and returned in under ten minutes. She handed the leash to her mother, then collapsed on the ground, panting hard.
“You okay, Xiaojing?”
Aunt Ming Si crouched beside her daughter, trying to help her up.