Chapter 35: Getting Medicine

Nagu felt that her relationship with Hamoyin had gotten a bit closer. This definitely wasn’t an illusion! Because after she confessed that she had secretly figured out his background, Hamoyin didn’t scowl and tell her to mind her own business. Not only did he not scold her, but he also said he didn’t dislike her.

How wonderful.

Nagu sat on a small stool in the backyard, holding her face in her hands. She had just been helping the witch peel a bowl of small, yellowish-brown lentils, but now she was slacking off in the sun, thinking about Hamoyin.

Yesterday, after helping Hamoyin scrub the blood off his back by the river, they sat on the bank, soaked their feet, and chatted for a while.
Of course, it was mainly Nagu talking. She told Hamoyin in detail about how she first met Duogaluo, how she was now learning to read, and her plans for the future. Hamoyin just sat quietly beside her, occasionally responding with a “mm” or “oh.”

Hamoyin had also promised to come to the village to see her today. Snapping out of her daze, Nagu picked up the small bowl and continued peeling the lentils. When would he come? It was almost noon now. Would he come in the afternoon? Or sneak in at night?

Hopefully, not at night. Nighttime was too dangerous.

Nagu reached into the bowl to ensure all the lentils were peeled, then stood up and began spreading the peeled shells on the ground to dry. While she was doing these chores, she heard knocking and talking from the front.

Since the monster escaped, the village hadn’t felt as peaceful as usual. Everyone was busy with something, and the old witch was constantly muttering at her workbench, mixing something to give to the men and women who came to her. It seemed to be medicine for treating injuries, as many people had been seriously wounded besides those who were bitten to death.

Last night, they had dragged all the bodies of those bitten to death by the monster back to the village. All the bodies were wrapped in animal skins and placed beside a huge bonfire.

Because Nagu was responsible for taking care of the witch, she also attended the cremation of these people with the witch. During the cremation, the man she had ‘rescued’ brought his child to thank her and gave her a bag of food.

“It was Hamoyin who saved us,” Nagu said seriously as she accepted the food. “You should thank him. Without him, we would all be wrapped in animal skins and thrown into the fire.”

But the man just mumbled and shook his head as he walked away. This seemingly insignificant episode left Nagu feeling like she had swallowed a lump of stone. In the end, she gave all the food to the witch and didn’t touch a bite herself.

Nagu didn’t know what happened to Duogaluo and Gongduo afterward, as she hadn’t seen them since returning to the village. But everyone was talking about how the ritual had to be postponed, so she thought Duogaluo probably hadn’t told anyone about Gongduo releasing the monster. Otherwise, people wouldn’t be discussing the ritual now.

It was impossible not to be curious about Gongduo’s situation. After all, the bearded man was the real culprit behind so many deaths. Why did he do it? If Hamoyin hadn’t killed the monster in time, it might have followed the scent to the village, causing even more casualties.

While Nagu was sorting the lentil shells and pondering these questions, she heard footsteps in the front yard. Looking up, she saw Duogaluo peeking in.

“…I heard from the old lady that you were back here.” Duogaluo scratched his neck when he was spotted. He looked unwell, with puffy eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Nagu brushed the lentil shells off her hands and walked toward Duogaluo. “Is there something you need?”

“Not really.” Duogaluo sighed, holding a few jars of medicine powder given by the witch. “I just thought I’d check on you since I was here to get something.”

The girl stood in front of him, looking up at him with light brown eyes that showed no sign of evasion. This made Duogaluo feel that his previous doubts were unnecessary. Maybe she was just close to Hamoyin because he had saved her. After all, Lali was still young, and Hamoyin looked very human. Some fledgling attachment was normal.

“You and Hamoyin… did he bring you back directly yesterday?” Duogaluo hesitated to ask. “Neither of you were hurt, right?”

“No.” Nagu shook her head. She didn’t feel guilty at all now. “He brought me back and then left. Although you all say he’s a monster… I think he’s no different from us. He’s very kind!”

Duogaluo smiled, which brought some life to his otherwise tired face. “It’s great that you think that way. Hamoyin has always had little interaction with the villagers, and everyone has been very hostile towards him. Even though I want to talk to him more, he’s not very willing. He never listens when I ask him to move into the village.”

Nagu recalled the days she spent living at Hamoyin’s house. He wasn’t very willing to talk to me either, and at first, Hamoyin was too lazy to respond to her with single syllables.

“By the way, I didn’t come just to talk about this.” Realizing he had been complaining, Duogaluo coughed and then pulled out a few folded pieces of animal skin from behind him. “I found these at home. They are notes I made when I wanted to teach Momoli and the others to read. You can have them.”

“Thank you!” Nagu happily took the animal skins. “I’ll look at them carefully after I finish my tasks today.”

Duogaluo nodded and then stared at Nagu for a while as she unfolded the skins and skimmed through the contents. “By the way, do you remember what Hamoyin said yesterday… about Gongduo?”

“…I remember.” Nagu knew she would be asked about this. She folded the animal skins back up and looked at Dogaro. “Is it true? Did Gongduo really release the monster?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked him yet.” Dogaro’s eyes were filled with hesitation. He really didn’t understand why his brother would do such a thing. “So I want to ask you not to mention this to anyone for now.”

“I haven’t told anyone, but if it’s true, will you continue to hide it from everyone?”

“We need to confirm if it’s really true first. What if it’s a misunderstanding?” Duogaluo hoped it was a misunderstanding. If not, Gongduo would definitely be executed. He started to feel anxious again. “I’ll find time to talk to Gongduo privately… Just listen to me for now, and don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

Nagu nodded. “Okay, I won’t say anything.”

Duogaluo forced a smile and patted Nagu’s head. “Good girl. I’ll go take care of other things now.”

He looked drained. Nagu watched Duogaluo leave the backyard, convinced that if these issues weren’t resolved, Duogaluo’s condition would only get worse. But there wasn’t much she could do to help, so she decided to keep Gongduo’s matter a secret for now, as Duogaluo had asked.

About ten minutes after Duogaluo left, it started to rain. Nagu hurriedly moved the drying firewood and lentil shells from the backyard into the storage room behind the house. Just as she finished, the witch called her back inside to clean.

The rain began to lessen as she finished cleaning, but soon it started pouring again. The rainy season was really inconvenient. Nagu stood by the window with a small broom, looking outside. When would Hamoyin come? Would he not come because of the heavy rain? That would be fine, too, so he wouldn’t get soaked.

The witch had already started her nap, so Nagu tidied up the witch’s workbench and began reading the animal skins Duogaluo had given her. After struggling through a page, she heard a light knock at the door, which stopped after two or three knocks. She called out loudly that the witch was sleeping, then put down the animal skins and walked to the door. “If you’re here for medicine, you must go to the woman next door…”

“I’m not here for medicine.” Hamoyin coughed a few times as he stood outside. Through the small gap in the door, he saw Nagu’s eyes widen with surprise.

“I thought you wouldn’t come today because of the heavy rain!” Nagu quickly opened the door fully. She wanted to let the rain-soaked Hamoyin inside to dry off. “Come in quickly. I’ll light the fire. Granny is sleeping, so don’t worry. Do you want something to eat? I made extra for lunch.”

But Hamoyin shook his head and started to turn away. “I’m going back.”

“What?? Wait a minute!” Nagu tried to grab Hamoyin’s wrist, but he quickly dodged. “You just got here. Why are you leaving already?”

“…I probably won’t come for the next few days either.” Hamoyin took a few steps back, afraid Nagu would pounce on him. “I came today just to tell you this.”

As she was about to ask why, Nagu noticed something different about Hamoyin. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes lacked their usual brightness, and he looked as tired as Dogaro, constantly coughing.

Nagu stared at Hamoyin’s unsteady steps, the conclusion was obvious: “Hamoyin…”

“Are you sick?”