Chapter 12: The Swelling in the Leg Went Down

Song Chunsheng felt as if he were dreaming—or that his sister was talking nonsense.
He had thought that set of exquisite silver tableware, pawned for fifty taels, was priced generously because the pawnshop valued its fine craftsmanship.

But just now, what did his sister say about a crystal ball being worth five hundred taels?
What kind of thing was a crystal ball? Could it really be that valuable?
If it were truly worth that much, buying ten ginseng roots would have been enough—why would they have given his sister that for a single ginseng root?
Seeing his big brother’s face full of disbelief, as if accusing her of lying.

Song Jinxiu felt helpless and had no choice but to repeat her old trick, showing her big brother the bright silver ingots.

As a result, Song Chunsheng became like a devout believer, murmuring “Amitabha” all night long.

That night, she changed the medicine again.

When he woke up the next day, Song Chunsheng felt much more comfortable in his leg.
After breakfast, he couldn’t help but say, “My leg feels a bit itchy, not as unbearably tight as before. Could it be that the swelling has gone down?”

Yesterday, the swelling had dulled his senses; his entire leg felt numb and painfully swollen. Today, it felt as if his leg had come back to life—his skin felt like tiny insects were crawling on it, a very distinct sensation.

“Let me take a look,” Song Jinxiu hurried over.
While unwrapping the white cloth, she explained, “The itchiness might be because of the medicinal paste I applied. I’ll change your dressing.”

“If you don’t sleep during the day, once we change the medicine, you won’t need to wrap it with cloth. Without the cloth, it won’t itch as much.”
As the white cloth was unwrapped, although the medicine paste was still there, it was clear that the swelling in the leg had significantly gone down.

“Big Brother, your leg definitely looks less swollen. See, it’s much slimmer than yesterday.”
Song Jinxiu gently scraped the medicinal paste off with a bamboo strip. Seeing her big brother’s noticeably slimmer calf, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Though she had expected this, actually witnessing the effect put her mind at ease.
Just then, the young physician who had come yesterday came by for a ward round.
“Huh? The swelling has gone down so quickly? It’s practically a miracle.”

From their experience, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance this man’s leg would have to be amputated. Yet, unexpectedly, the swelling had gone down.

He glanced at Song Chunsheng’s leg, elevated on the stool, and a thought struck him—could it be because the leg was raised?

It seemed that next time they encountered a similar injury, they should try this method of elevating the leg.

Nodding as he did so, he recorded his observations on a bamboo slip to discuss later with his grandfather.

“Good, good. Today we’ll increase the amount of topical medicine. I estimate we can start bone-setting tomorrow.”

The young physician was very excited. If they could save this boy’s leg, they would have gained valuable new experience.

He solemnly instructed the medicine boy, “Today continue using the old prescription, take the medicine from the main warehouse. Hurry up and reduce the swelling in his leg so we can start bone-setting sooner and spare him more pain.”

Hearing the young physician’s words, the four siblings were overjoyed. Song Chunsheng even had tears of gratitude in his eyes.

He was overwhelmed with emotion—no amputation needed. He thanked heaven that he could still remain whole.

After the physician left, Song Jinxiu gave her big brother anti-inflammatory medicine again. Since he wasn’t paying attention, she just slipped it into his mouth without showing him what it was.

Song Chunsheng had grown used to his sister’s feeding by now.

The medicine didn’t taste bitter anyway, so he took it willingly, drinking water when told.
The medicinal paste in the space was down to a single dose. Fortunately, this time the young physician’s prescription was good and the quantity sufficient. It could still be effective.

At noon, Song Jinxiu borrowed the stove from the medical clinic and stewed that chicken.
When the chicken soup was brought out, little Qiusheng couldn’t help but lick his lips in anticipation.

Perhaps backed by the five hundred taels now, Song Chunsheng smiled but said nothing. Yet his discreet swallowing did not escape Song Jinxiu’s notice.

She shook her head with a wry smile—after all, her big brother was still a child. No matter how hard he tried to act grown-up, there were still moments when his cravings showed.

In truth, it wasn’t just big brother who was craving; she herself was very tempted.

After all, she had eaten roast duck and drunk red wine just two days ago—so why was she still so hungry now?

Could it be that this body was simply starved for nourishment?

Song Jinxiu picked out a chicken leg and said to the drooling Qiusheng, “Say ‘Big Sister,’ or you won’t get to eat.”

Qiusheng anxiously opened his mouth but made no sound.
Had he forgotten how to speak after so long without talking?
“Come on, watch my mouth: Big—Sister.”

Song Jinxiu demonstrated while looking at him. Song Chunsheng and Song Jinfang also watched Xiaodi nervously.

Xiao Qiusheng looked at the chicken leg, then at Song Jinxiu, and finally croaked out a hoarse, “Big—Sister.”

Hearing his voice, the three siblings exchanged smiles and breathed a long sigh of relief.
At least he could speak; she had been worried he might become withdrawn.

“Good, very good.” Song Jinxiu laughed and gently flicked his nose, then handed him the bowl with the chicken leg.

But Qiusheng suddenly shook his head and pointed at big brother, saying, “Eat.”
Then he pointed to the other bowl and said, “I eat.”

Song Jinxiu was surprised and asked, “Qiusheng, are you going to give the chicken leg to big brother?”
“Mm-hmm.” Qiusheng nodded firmly.

Big brother’s leg was injured, and Qiusheng was very worried. He wanted his big brother to get better quickly.

Song Chunsheng quickly said, “Qiusheng, you eat. There’s plenty of meat in my bowl too.”
“There’s meat in big brother’s bowl, but this one is Qiusheng’s. Our Qiusheng knows the story of Kong Rong offering pears—he’s truly a good child.”

Song Jinxiu praised him as she gently patted his head.

This child looked like a big-headed doll—he probably hadn’t had enough to eat before. Seeing how little flesh was on his body, Song Jinxiu felt a pang of sympathy.

The little guy, having been praised, tried to keep a straight face, but he just couldn’t hold it in. Eventually, he grinned widely, happily eating the chicken leg while secretly enjoying himself.
Song Jinxiu laughed—this was what a real child looked like. Before, he had seemed like a little old man, which was hard to watch without feeling sad.

“Sister, what is Kong Rong offering pears?”

Song Jinfang took a big bite of chicken and asked indistinctly.
“Kong Rong, well, he was a polite child, just like Qiusheng,” Song Jinxiu said, puckering her lips at Xiaodi, who was listening intently.

Song Jinfang lowered her head and chuckled quietly.

Song Jinxiu continued, “One day, Kong Rong’s father bought some pears. He specially picked out the biggest pear for Kong Rong, but Kong Rong shook his head and instead chose the smallest pear, saying, ‘I’m the youngest, so I should eat the smallest pear. You can have the big one, big brother.’

See? Isn’t that just like how Qiusheng gave the chicken leg to big brother?”

Xiaodi grinned, blinked his big eyes, and carefully asked each word, “Did Kong Rong’s big brother give it to him?”

After holding it in for a while, the child finally spoke such a long sentence. Song Jinxiu was pleased, but when she realized what Qiusheng really meant, she was speechless.

He was asking if Kong Rong’s big brother actually gave the big pear to Kong Rong again.
That’s basically the whole story of Kong Rong offering pears. We just learn to be humble and polite from it. What, does it need a sequel?

Glancing at the little guy’s bowl with the chicken leg, Song Jinxiu quickly said, “Of course, Kong Rong’s big brother was good too. Brothers and younger brothers respect each other, and the whole family lives in harmony.”

It is said that Kong Rong’s big brother even died for him—how could he not be good?
Song Jinfang looked up with admiration. “Sister, you really know so much.”
“Of course. Back in the day, I… I often got scolded by grandma just to listen to Third Uncle’s stories.”

If it hadn’t been for the curious look in big brother’s eyes, she might have almost claimed she had studied for ten years.

Song Chunsheng was indeed surprised that his sister could speak so eloquently, and that her words sounded so learned.
But he soon understood.

That’s right—every summer night, Third Uncle liked to sit under the village’s phoenix tree telling old tales. When his legs were still strong, he would also squeeze into the crowd to listen.