Chapter 133

Fan’s mother couldn’t bear the pain anymore, gritting her teeth she asked the rest of them, “Are any of you feeling sore throats?”

Fan Qian, Fan Dazhu, and the others shook their heads in confusion.

They were perfectly fine.

Maybe grandma was just getting older, always having one ache or another.

Sun Jinhua’s lips quietly curled upwards. She found it oddly satisfying that her mother-in-law was uncomfortable.

However, for some reason, when she heard her mother-in-law ask about sore throats, she also felt a bit uncomfortable in her own throat.

Seeing that everyone said they were fine, Fan’s mother could only endure.

But as she endured, the pain intensified!

She cried out, “Oh, my throat hurts so much! I can’t take it anymore. Quickly, find a doctor to come and see me.”

Fan Qian furrowed his brow deeply and grumbled, “Mother, why bother calling a doctor when we’re fine? Even if the doctor just comes for a visit, it costs several dozen coins. You know we don’t have much money. Just go back to your room after eating and lie down. Why cause trouble?”

Fan Dazhu also seemed displeased.

Their grandma always had some discomfort, making their mother care for her. Now, right after eating and drinking their fill, how could her throat suddenly hurt?

It’s not like eating fish and getting a bone stuck. Could eating a potato also cause trouble?

The three younger ones kept their heads down and said nothing.

They had no money, so it wasn’t their concern.

Unable to get her eldest son to obey, Fan’s mother turned to her eldest grandson and pleaded intermittently, “Dazhu, my good grandson, grandma is in so much pain. Hurry and find a doctor for me; otherwise, push grandma to see the doctor.”

Fan Dazhu didn’t move, not even lifting an eyelid, muttering softly, “Grandma, I’m almost seventeen after the New Year. If I don’t see people, I won’t be able to find a good-looking girl. Our family doesn’t have much money. Please don’t bother us. Just lie down for a while after eating. Maybe lying down will make you feel better.”

The three younger ones nodded vigorously, “Grandma, maybe lying down will make you feel better!”

“When we were just eating, grandma, you looked so energetic.”

Fan’s mother didn’t want to speak due to the pain in her throat and found it spreading further down. Even her stomach started to ache.

Around her navel, it twisted painfully!

The pain spread in circles, gradually increasing in intensity.

Seeing her mother no longer clamoring to find a doctor, Fan Qian was about to get up and lie down on the bed when suddenly everything went black in front of his eyes. Things became blurry.

He reflexively reached out to support himself on the table, shaking his head forcefully. Still, everything remained dark, prompting him to ask anxiously, “Is it dark out?”

Fan Sizhu reached out to help.

Sun Jinhua also began to feel pain in her mouth and throat. She endured it for a while, making sure it wasn’t just her imagination.

She quickly reached out and shouted at her four sons, “Quick, quick! I’m starting to hurt too. What’s happening?”

“Oh, my stomach hurts too! It hurts so much.”

Fan Dazhu and the other three panicked.

“I’ll go find someone to help!” Fan Dazhu was in a panic, lifting his foot to find villagers.

Fan Qian quickly stopped him, reminding him, “Go to your second uncle’s house. They have money to hire a doctor!”

Moreover, the money was mainly for their mother’s treatment; their couple’s treatment could be secondary. This money didn’t need to be paid back.

Fan Dazhu immediately thought of this, acknowledging it. As he thought about going out again, he suddenly felt his vision blur. His steps staggered, and he fell heavily!

“Elder brother!”

The other three exclaimed in shock.

Fan Zhaodi, in the corner, hesitated before standing up.

Almost simultaneously, Fan Erzhu clutched his stomach and ran towards the outdoor latrine.

Fan Sanzhu also felt his vision darken and struggled to catch his breath. He found a chair nearby with a backrest and sat down slowly.

Fan Sizhu’s stomach gurgled loudly. Without thinking, he dashed outside. When he reached the latrine, he found his second brother had occupied it. He gritted his teeth and squatted down outside.

At that moment, Sun Jinhua also realized something was wrong with her stomach. She leaned against the table edge, intending to head for the latrine. But before she even left the main hall, she caught a whiff of a foul smell.

Simultaneously, everyone in the hall smelled it.

All eyes turned towards the source of the stench, only to see Fan’s mother, too weak from pain to stand, defecating directly onto the chair…

Fan Qian’s vision darkened, and he nearly passed out.

Fan Dazhu, facing the only relatively unaffected person in the room, grimly shouted, “You’re still alive! Go and get help!”

The emaciated Fan Zhaodi, wearing straw sandals, hurriedly dashed out.

Originally, she was running towards her second uncle’s house up the hill, but midway, she suddenly changed direction and ran towards the house of the old village chief.

“Grandpa Village Chief, my parents and grandma and brothers are all in bad shape! Please help us go and see.”

The old village chief and his family had just finished lunch not long ago, chatting away, with their son and daughter-in-law not yet going out to work.

Upon hearing the gasping Fan Zhaodi’s plea, the eldest son, Li Wen, the second son, Li Wu, and the third son, Li Qiang, all dropped what they were doing and stood up abruptly, saying simultaneously, “I’ll go and take a look!”

They immediately rushed towards Fan’s house.

Wang Guifen was feeding chickens, but she quickly threw down the chicken feed basket and hurried over to Fan Zhaodi, anxiously asking, “What’s going on? Tell me what happened to grandma.”

Fan Zhaodi recounted the symptoms of the entire family.

After hearing this, the old village chief instructed his second daughter-in-law, “It sounds like symptoms of eating poisonous mushrooms. Quickly, go and call more people from the village!

Especially the Dings behind the village. Ask if they still have that herb from last time. If they do, see if they can bring some over.”

After saying this, the old village chief and his three daughters-in-law fell silent for a moment.

Shanshui Village was a village of mixed surnames, where refugees settled and gradually put down roots over the years.

The Ding family was no exception. They arrived late, with the previous generation coming first and having neither fields nor mountains to depend on. Fortunately, they had a knack for identifying herbs and managed to survive by gathering them.

The Ding family had only one daughter, Ding Xiang. Some people in the village secretly called them a “dying household.” Sun Jinhua and Fan’s mother were particularly vocal about it.

A few years ago, someone had said that Sun Jinhua had many sons and could marry one off to the Ding family, which thoroughly offended Sun Jinhua.

She ran to their door and cursed them for a long time. Afterwards, feeling still unsatisfied, she went over to scold the Ding family as toads every two or three days. She also accused Ding Xiang’s mother of wanting to marry her son.

The insults were too much. Since then, the Ding family had completely ignored the Fan family.

Even when Fan’s mother and Sun Jinhua met them in the village, they couldn’t help but make sarcastic remarks from time to time.

Even Fan Qian and the others would shout after Ding Xiang, calling her a “toad.”

Thinking of this, the old village chief sighed and added, “When you go, make it clear that it’s the Fan family. See if they’re willing to provide the herbs. Ah, see how they respond.”

Zhang Hui agreed, “Okay, Dad, I got it!”

Then she said to the third daughter-in-law, “The house can’t be left without anyone. You stay and watch the house. I and your eldest sister-in-law will go over. If someone in Fan’s family is poisoned, your eldest sister-in-law might be able to help.”

“Okay, Dad, you go ahead. You don’t have to worry about the house.” Zhao Lan hurriedly agreed.

In no time, a crowd gathered at Fan’s house.

That’s how things were in the village. They would haggle over small matters, but when something serious happened, they might not offer money, but everyone who could help would pitch in.