Chapter 8: Killed the Person?

Li Rui’s drowsiness vanished. He whispered to Niu Aixiang, “Aixiang, what’s wrong with Zhao Heping? I think he might be sick.”

Niu Aixiang, who had been so talkative just moments ago, didn’t want to say much. She simply replied, “He’s a little under the weather.”

A male student in the same carriage heard this and scoffed. “He’s more than just under the weather. I think he’s mentally unwell too. He’s a dog of a bad element. He should be sent to a labor camp. How dare he go to the countryside with us as an educated youth? Is he even worthy?”

“Liu Haiyang, are you being too harsh? We’re all classmates. Do you have to be like this?” Niu Aixiang stood up abruptly, her whole body bristling.

“What did I say wrong? And you, Niu Aixiang, Zhao Heping’s fiancée broke off their engagement. How dare you, someone who has nothing to do with him, stand up for him? I want to ask, what’s your relationship with him?”

Zhao Heping happened to return, and Liu Haiyang deliberately asked him, “Zhao Heping, Niu Aixiang can’t answer, so you tell us, what’s your relationship with her?”

Niu Aixiang’s eyes were filled with hope, looking at Zhao Heping, hoping he would give her an answer.

But the words that came out of his mouth were disheartening.

“We’re neighbors, friends, classmates. Are you satisfied?”

Liu Haiyang laughed loudly. “Did you hear that, Niu Aixiang? You followed him all this way to the countryside, and you’re not even his girlfriend. For the sake of our classmates, I’ll give you some advice. You can’t force someone to love you. His fiancée doesn’t want him, and he doesn’t like you. You’re still following him to the countryside. So many people want to stay in the city but can’t. You’re so silly, aren’t you?”

“I like him. I’m willing to. It’s none of your business!” Niu Aixiang retorted, crying.

“Cut it out!” Liu Haiyang still had some reservations about Niu Aixiang. Although he looked disdainful, he still sat down obediently.

Zhao Heping also sat down.

Niu Aixiang looked at him with grievance. He remained impassive. After a moment, Niu Aixiang slumped onto the table in humiliation, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Li Rui’s drowsiness completely disappeared. He sat there, unsure what to do.

The carriage buzzed with gossip, then returned to silence.

The next day, everyone’s food was noticeably less lavish than the previous day.

Most people ate pancakes and drank water. A few who were better off bought food on the train, but the train food was bland, causing several people to complain.

Jiang Nian didn’t want to eat pancakes, nor did she want to get up to buy food. She took out a bag of biscuits from her bag. The biscuits were coated in white sugar, and each bite was full of rich milk flavor.

By the afternoon, the scenery outside the window began to change. Lush trees lined the tracks, and endless mountains stretched out before their eyes.

But whenever they saw a village, the low, earthen houses made them feel disappointed.

Niu Aixiang had already adjusted her mood and was leaning against the window, chatting with Li Rui.

Jiang Nian noticed something unusual as she scanned the carriage. She reminded Niu Aixiang, “Zhao Heping seems to have a fever.”

Niu Aixiang’s cheerful expression instantly vanished. She turned around and touched Zhao Heping’s forehead with concern.

The touch made her heart race. “Oh my, he really has a fever. What should we do?”

“Attendant, attendant, someone here has a fever…”

She did it all in one breath, her admiration for Zhao Heping undisguised, even though he still didn’t like her.

What a fool!

It made Jiang Nian think of her past self.

The difference was that Niu Aixiang’s admiration for Zhao Heping was genuine, while she had simply been lonely for too long. When an interesting person appeared in her life, willing to take her out to see the world, she foolishly fell for it. In the end, neither of them had a good ending.

The attendant brought some fever medicine, but it didn’t seem to work on Zhao Heping. As they were about to get off the train the next day, he fell into a coma during the night.

Seeing Niu Aixiang about to cry, Jiang Nian’s eyes flickered. She teased her, “If you beg me, maybe I can help you save him.”

Niu Aixiang was stunned for a moment, but without hesitation, she blurted out, “Please, please save him.”

“You get up and let him lie down. Unbutton his shirt and expose his chest.”

The girl, either lucky or naively trusting, did as she was told.

Zhao Heping’s chest was bruised purple, clearly the result of a beating. No wonder he had internal injuries.

Jiang Nian had her feed Zhao Heping a black pill and took out the silver needles she always carried with her. She plunged them into Zhao Heping’s chest with lightning speed. If it weren’t for the gleaming silver needles on his chest, it would have seemed like an illusion.

She seemed to casually rub her fingers on the needles, and Zhao Heping coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Some people who didn’t understand what was happening were shocked and accused her. “Zhao Heping coughed up blood. Did you kill him?”

“She’s a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, right? Isn’t that a remnant of the old ways? No wonder she made him cough up blood. I think we should arrest her.”

Jiang Nian ignored the gossip and calmly pulled the silver needles out of Zhao Heping’s body and put them away. She pressed her slender, white fingers on his chest a few times, and Zhao Heping opened his eyes.

It was clear that he was much better, although he was a little dazed.

“What happened to me?”

He had just felt very uncomfortable, as if he was trapped in a fog, unable to break free.

Now he felt much better. His chest wasn’t so stuffy anymore.

“You had internal injuries and blood stasis, which caused your fever to persist. I just expelled the blood stasis from your body. You’ll be fine if you rest well.”

After Jiang Nian finished speaking, she glanced at the girl who had said she killed him, and asked with a hint of a smile, “Did I kill him?”

The girl was reasonable and lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”

Jiang Nian wasn’t going to argue with someone who didn’t understand. But after she sat down, she heard someone say, “But what good is it if you cured him? Traditional Chinese medicine is a remnant of the old ways. It needs to be abolished.”

Jiang Nian snorted. “Then I ask you, when you go to the hospital, does the doctor take your pulse? Do they examine you? Do they ask about your condition?”

In this era, when medical equipment was not advanced, almost all doctors still used traditional Chinese medicine techniques for diagnosis. They only used Western medicine for treatment, but in the absence of Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine was still the main source of treatment.

This was undeniable. The boy could only nod. “So what?”

“Taking the pulse and using the four diagnostic methods of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation are basic diagnostic techniques in traditional Chinese medicine. If you say that, then the doctors in the hospital are also part of the old ways, right?”

The boy was embarrassed. “You… you’re clearly twisting my words!”

“Then I’ll ask you again. What exactly does the term ‘abolishing the four olds’ refer to?”

“I know that. It refers to old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.” Niu Aixiang finished speaking and looked at Jiang Nian with shining eyes, as if asking for her praise.

Jiang Nian smiled and asked again, “Does any of that explicitly state that traditional Chinese medicine is part of the four olds?”

Everyone looked at each other, and after discussing for a while, they had to admit that Jiang Nian was right.

Only a small minority were troublemakers. Most people were reasonable.

At this point, the peacemakers appeared.

“Oh, we’re all educated youth going to the countryside. We should stick together and be united. Why are we arguing?”

“Yeah, we don’t even know what the situation is like in the countryside. Isn’t it good to have an educated youth who knows medicine? And Jiang Nian’s medical skills seem amazing. If we get a headache or a stomachache, we can ask her for help. That’s so convenient!”

Li Rui also chuckled and spoke up for Jiang Nian. His words resonated with others.