Chapter 27

Something happened!

The moment they heard that people were injured, Xu Wanchun and her mother dressed even faster.

The elderly were light sleepers. When the door to the west wing opened, they were already in the main room, holding kerosene lamps.

Xu Hehua told her daughter to go out first and find out what happened, while she helped her parents back into the east room.

Madam Xu clutched her daughter’s hand tightly, visibly shaken. “Could it be our house?”

Xu Chunsheng was also nervous. “Sanni*, it’s not your eldest brother’s place, right?”

*Sanni: third daughter (Hehua)

“No, don’t worry, Dad, Mom. Big Brother just had a new tiled roof installed last year. Besides, when we brought you here, I even had Shuigen and his brothers go up and clear the snow.”
Knowing the two elders wouldn’t be able to sleep now, Xu Hehua tucked them back into bed but didn’t extinguish the lamp. She simply placed it on the desk by the window.

Though Madam Xu’s heart was burning with anxiety, she knew her old bones would only be a burden if she went out. But still, she didn’t understand. “Why’d you put the lamp so far? How am I supposed to blow it out?”

Xu Hehua replied, “You two can’t sleep, right? If you blow it out, you won’t be able to see anything.”

That made sense. Still, as she watched her daughter getting ready to leave, Madam Xu couldn’t help but add, “Then at least turn the wick down a bit! Such a big flame, it’s wasting kerosene!”

As a village cadre, Xu Hehua obviously had to be present when something happened in the village. She was in a hurry, so she just twisted the wick quickly and rushed out the door.

Madam Xu muttered, “…She didn’t turn it down, did she?” The flame hadn’t changed at all.

Xu Chunsheng replied, “Enough. Sanni’s a cadre now. She’s in a rush. Where’s she got time to fuss with that?”

That only made Madam Xu more anxious. She slumped back down and began muttering, “I hope nothing happened to the eldest’s family. What bad luck…”

—

Outside, Xu Wanchun was the first to step out and found that it was still snowing.

But the flakes weren’t as dense as they had been in the daytime.

She tightened her thick coat, hugged her medicine box close, and trudged out through the deep snow.

Soon, Xu Limin, standing by Doctor Cao’s gate with a lantern, saw movement and shouted, “Peach Blossom! Quick, get on the sled—we’re leaving now!”

Xu Wanchun, bundled thickly and not very tall, looked like a penguin wading through snow up to her knees. She struggled to lift her legs as she called back, “My master isn’t ready yet?”

Cao Xiu responded this time: “Your mistress and I are both ready.”

“Master’s wife is coming too?” By then, Xu Wanchun had reached the sled.

Su Nan pulled the girl up. “There are around ten people injured—I’m coming to help. Let’s hurry.”

Just then, Xu Hehua arrived too.

The others squeezed together on the sled to make room for her.

With lives at stake, Xu Limin cracked the whip, and they rushed off into the snow.

—

The roofs had collapsed while the villagers were sound asleep.

Caught off guard, many were injured.

Old Party Secretary Xu Jingjun gave up his and his son’s entire kang bed and separated the male and female patients into two different rooms.

As for the rest of the affected families, aside from one caretaker each, the old secretary drove them all out.

In his view, having a chaotic crowd standing around would only hinder the doctors.

As for where they went?

About 70% of the people in Xujiatun shared the surname Xu—they were all relatives, tightly knit. Finding a place to stay wasn’t difficult.

Even the few with different surnames had close friends and neighbors willing to take them in.

Because of the old secretary’s clear-headed leadership, by the time Xu Wanchun and the others arrived, all the patients were already properly settled.

It had to be said: in a disaster, having a capable leader makes all the difference.

There was no time for idle talk. Once they confirmed the number of injured, they began treatment immediately.

There were three injured men and six women.

After the initial assessment, Xu Wanchun breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately… apart from Granny Fang, who had been too slow and ended up with a broken shin, the rest only had surface wounds—bloody, but not serious.

As she asked someone to bring hot water, Xu Wanchun quickly opened her medical kit. “Master’s wife, can you handle the smaller wounds?”

Su Nan: “Yes, leave it to me.”

Seeing her master’s wife begin disinfecting the wounds, Xu Wanchun turned to her mother: “Mom, I need to stitch some wounds. Help me disinfect the needle holder, tweezers, and sutures.”

“Okay!” Over the years, Xu Hehua had become a capable assistant just from observation. As soon as her daughter gave the order, she jumped into action.

As for Xu Wanchun, using a bit of spare time, she first performed acupuncture anesthesia on the elderly woman with the broken bone, who was groaning in pain.

While waiting for it to take effect, she swiftly stitched up the two most severe wounds among the injured.

“Eh? Peach Blossom? My leg doesn’t seem to hurt as much anymore! How are you this amazing?” Earlier, the pain had been unbearable—sweat pouring down her face, she’d practically wished she could faint. Yet now, after just a few acupuncture needles from the young girl, she felt significantly better.

Xu Wanchun was tying the final knot on a suture when she heard this and smiled as she replied, “I gave you a local anesthetic. The pain will ease off for an hour or two.”

“Only one or two hours?” Granny Fang’s face fell at the thought of the earlier agony returning. “Can’t you just keep sticking the needle in?”

Xu Wanchun walked over, gently palpating the injury as she spoke with a soothing tone, “That’s not how anesthesia works. It’s not good to keep it in too long. But don’t worry, someone’s already boiling a pain-relieving decoction for you. You can drink two doses later.”

To be honest, in this moment, Xu Wanchun sorely missed the advanced equipment of the modern era—X-rays would’ve been far faster and clearer than just feeling around with her hands.

But of course, that was nothing but wishful thinking right now.

To get a better look at the swelling and degree of deformity in the injury, she asked Uncle Limin’s wife, Aunt Liu Fen, to bring the lantern closer.

“Hiss… Little Peach Blossom, will Granny Fang’s leg be okay?” Even though the pain had lessened, it was still there. Granny Fang couldn’t help worrying she might end up with a limp.

Xu Wanchun kept her tone calm and reassuring, her words confident and gentle. “Don’t worry, Granny Fang. Once I’m done checking, we’ll set your leg with bamboo splints and cloth. After lying down for two or three months, you’ll be just about healed.”

“What? That long?!” Though relieved her leg could heal, the idea of being bedridden for months still startled the old lady.

“You don’t need to lie there the whole time,” Xu Wanchun explained. “As long as you don’t move your injured leg, you can still get up and walk around a bit… Alright, I’m going to start the exam now. It’ll hurt a little, so hang in there.”

Granny Fang was old and timid, afraid even of a common cold. Now, faced with a serious injury, her fear only deepened. Her voice trembled: “Just my luck, huh? What did I do to deserve this at my age?”

Xu Wanchun chuckled and said playfully, “Or you could look at it this way—surviving a disaster like this must mean you’re blessed. I bet you’ll live to be over a hundred.”

The old lady raised an eyebrow. “That’s the first time I’ve heard that one.” She almost wanted to laugh—what elder didn’t wish to live longer?

Xu Wanchun responded as if it were the most obvious truth, “I read it in a book, so it has to be true. Granny Fang, just relax.”

That phrase—“I read it in a book”—was enough to convince Granny Fang completely. She did her best to smile and said warmly, “I believe you, Peach Blossom. Our Peach Blossom’s a smart one.”

Xu Wanchun tilted her chin smugly. “Of course I am. Granny Fang, once I’m done with the check-up, I’ll have my master do another round to double-check everything—two layers of assurance.”

Honestly, she was confident in her own assessment, but she still wanted her master to give it another once-over—mainly to ease the old woman’s mind.

Earlier, when she’d walked in, she’d clearly seen the looks of disappointment on the faces of the grandmas and aunties.

She could understand it too. She was still young. If it were her, she’d have doubts as well.

Sure enough, upon hearing that her master would follow up, Granny Fang, who had just been smiling, grew even happier—though she pretended otherwise. “Aiyoh, our Peach Blossom is so capable, I trust you already. No need for your master to check again.”

Xu Wanchun acted as if she hadn’t noticed, still smiling sweetly. “We still need to. I’ll only be at ease if Master checks too.”

“Aiyoh, this child…”

Standing nearby with the lantern, Liu Fen had been watching the whole interaction between the elderly woman and the young girl.

Just moments ago, Granny Fang had been lying there like she was on death’s doorstep. Yet now, after a few words from Peach Blossom, she was smiling ear to ear.

Liu Fen was amazed—this girl really had a way with people.

She recalled how, a few years ago, her own husband had once considered marrying their son Xiaohu to Peach Blossom.

Back then, Liu Fen hadn’t been in favor.

Not because she looked down on Peach Blossom, but because she didn’t have faith in her own son.

If Peach Blossom had really become her daughter-in-law, she probably would’ve laughed herself awake in her dreams.

Now, years later, Peach Blossom had only grown more lovely and even more capable.

Just like her father-in-law had said many times—Peach Blossom would go far. In the future, she’d have suitors lined up from all over.

Thinking that, even someone like Liu Fen, who prided herself on being sensible and easygoing, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of envy toward Xu Hehua—just like most of the village.

Look at that… what kind of life was that woman living?

Meanwhile, as Xu Hehua was sterilizing tools, she suddenly turned her head… For some reason, a chill had just run down her spine.

—

The rescue ended with the break of dawn.

Those in the village still capable of lifting a shovel had, under the direction of the old party secretary, rushed out to help repair the collapsed roofs.

Traveling in snowy weather wasn’t easy. After breakfast at the old secretary’s home, Xu Wanchun and her master and mistress didn’t rush to leave—they still needed to observe the injured for possible complications.

If anyone developed a fever or infection, they needed to catch it early.

After doing follow-up checks on all the patients, Xu Wanchun sat down again in the main hall—just in time to hear her master say:

“Peach Blossom, in a few days, I’ll go with you to meet Director Yu.”

“You… suddenly changed your mind?”

Cao Xiu turned to his young disciple. “Curious why I changed so suddenly?”

Xu Wanchun rubbed her nose and didn’t reply.

Seeing her like that, the usually quiet Cao Xiu actually chuckled. Then he looked back toward the snow-covered horizon and sighed, “As long as it helps us save lives, it’s worth learning more.”

Xu Wanchun bit her lip. “Because of… the snow disaster?”

There was no need to hide it. Cao Xiu nodded. “When I was stitching up Xu Erzhu’s wounds, I thought… Natural disasters, man-made ones—no one knows when the next will come. Life is so fragile. As doctors, as long as we can save people, what does it matter which temple we worship at?”

He paused, looking down at his open palm with a bitter smile. “I know very well… the world is changing. People have to adapt to survive.”

Xu Wanchun’s nose stung. Though her master hadn’t said much, she understood—he never truly rejected Western medicine. He was simply grieving the decline of the ancient traditions passed down for thousands of years.

But they were too small, too powerless to change the tides.

“Master, we’re just ordinary people. As long as we stay focused on our practice and keep our hearts set on healing others, everything else doesn’t matter.” After a long silence, Xu Wanchun could only share the belief she had always held.

Cao Xiu smiled and reached out to pat the little girl sitting beside him. “You’re right, Peach Blossom. You’re more open-minded than your old master. I should learn from you.”

Beside them, Su Nan finally relaxed as she watched her husband pull himself out of the slump that had gripped him since last night. She pushed a hot cup of tea toward him and teased, “You’re no spring chicken anymore—stop brooding like some heartbroken youth.”

Cao Xiu: …