Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

第 217

Zhao Tiegang's face was ashen, and he stammered, "No need, no need, I won't die. It's not a big injury, no need to bandage it."

Zhao Da'e retorted angrily, "Don't argue yet. I've noticed that you guys are just like my grandpa, stubborn to the end. Third Uncle, you better behave yourself and get the bag."

Helpless, Zhao Tiegang then had Zhao Tiesheng use strips of cloth from his vest to tightly tie around the knees near the bend.

But the blood was still flowing.

Zhao Da'e pressed on the veins on both sides to stop the bleeding.

"We have to go home. Otherwise, it won't work!" Zhao Da'e said anxiously. "How about we go to the clinic to get some stitches? The cut isn't big, but it's deep. I can even see white bone fragments."

"It's alright." Zhao Tiegang rummaged in his pocket for a while but couldn't find a cigarette. Then he asked Zhao Tiesheng, "Second brother, give me a cigarette."

Zhao Tiesheng frowned and scolded, "At a time like this, you still have the mind to smoke. The injury isn't serious, you can go back first. I'll go find Tieqing myself."

Zhao Da'e: "..."

Never mind, it must have been my imagination!

Just moments ago, Zhao Da'e was thinking that Zhao Tiesheng had some merits, but now he's acting up again.

"You can't even handle it yourself, why are you asking others for help? Go by yourself."

As they were talking, there was a movement in the bushes.

Then a voice was heard: "Oh dear... Second Uncle? Third Uncle?"

When Zhao Da'e looked up again, he saw a boy who was not very tall, a little thin, and had high cheekbones peeking out. This boy was Zhao Tieqing's son, Zhao Yongdong.

Zhao Da'e glared at Zhao Yongdong and guessed that he was the one who set the rabbit trap.

That scoundrel! Why did he have to put that rabbit snare there? Although Zhao Tiegang was drunk and didn't see it, he wouldn't have gotten hurt if there hadn't been a rabbit snare there.

"Brother, why did you get this rabbit suit?"

"Ah... a rabbit snare." Zhao Yongdong walked over and only then noticed Zhao Tiegang's injury and the bloodstained rabbit snare next to him. He immediately panicked: "This... Third Uncle... I..."

Zhao Yongdong looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say, so he quickly said, "I didn't mean to. I really didn't know you were going up the mountain."

“Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come up the mountain. We just came to find you and your dad. There are laidai on the mountain. By the way, where is your dad?” Zhao Tiesheng asked.

Zhao Yongdong shook his head: "My dad seems to have gone to that Triangle Flower Mountain in the south, but I don't know the specifics. Are there any laidai on our mountain? That's great, I'll catch them and skin them, they'll definitely be worth a lot of money."

Zhao Da'e: ...

Zhao Tiesheng: ...

"Zhao Yongdong, go tell everyone that your father went to the Triangle Flower Mountain. Our Zhao family has mobilized dozens of people to look for you two." Zhao Tiesheng said, "Go and tell everyone quickly, so we don't waste our time."

Zhao Yongdong agreed, then asked, "Is my third uncle alright?"

Zhao Da'e scoffed: "If you need anything, can you afford the medicine?"

This is really difficult. Luckily, I wasn't the one who got injured today, or it would have been for nothing. We're all from the same family, so everyone knows it was Zhao Yongdong who set the trap. Even if I get injured, what can I do to extort money from him?

"Brother, you're like this. Why don't you help my third uncle to the clinic?" Zhao Da'e said.

“I have a handcart,” Zhao Yongdong said happily. “It’s over there on the road. I’m gathering some firewood. I can push Uncle San back with it.”

Zhao Tiegang, however, said that he was fine.

Seeing this, Zhao Tiesheng figured Zhao Tiegang should have gone back by now, and he knew Zhao Yongdong and his father were probably alright. Since Zhao Yongdong didn't need to inform everyone, he would go instead. So Zhao Tiesheng left first to inform Zhao Tingxu: Zhao Tieqing should be over at Sanjiaohua Mountain. He didn't know if there were any people there, but he should just go there to look for him.

Zhao Da'e complained to Zhao Tiegang a few times: "Don't show off. Your performance... tsk tsk tsk, just like my dad. Third Uncle, don't be like my dad, he's always arguing for no reason. Your leg really needs to be stitched up, otherwise it won't heal for a month or two. After it's stitched up and you take good care of it, I reckon it'll be fine in seven or eight days."

"Besides, isn't it inappropriate to drink while recuperating? If you want to drink sooner, Uncle, you'll have to wait until it's sewn up."

Upon hearing that it would affect his drinking, Zhao Tiegang complied without hesitation, but still said, "It's not a big deal, I can just drink less. Tomorrow I'll only drink four liang (200ml) per meal."

Zhao Da'e silently gave a thumbs up: Third Uncle, you truly deserve to be called the Wine Immortal. Even in this state, you still managed to drink four ounces!

Zhao Yongdong went to push the handcart.

Zhao Da'e helped Zhao Tiegang up, saying, "Hold me up a bit."

Zhao Tiegang hesitated for a long time before saying, "Big Goose, you're too short. Your Third Uncle can't reach you..."

Zhao Da'e looked extremely embarrassed: So awkward!

Fortunately, Zhao Da'e was thick-skinned: "You'll grow taller later. Third Uncle, your... cough cough, you should cover your leg."

A moment later, Zhao Yongdong pushed the cart over.

But this desolate wilderness...

How do I push it?

Zhao Tiegang looked at it and fell into deep thought.

However, Zhao Yongdong had ropes on his cart for tying firewood. Zhao Tiegang took the ropes and tied them tightly around his legs, which stopped the bleeding.

Then he slowly walked on one leg, and soon he was walking on both legs.

The three of them went down the mountain.

When they encountered a flat road, they could walk on it. Zhao Yongdong would push Zhao Tiegang in a small cart, and when they encountered an uneven road, he would help him.

We stumbled and fell all the way back to the village.

Once they entered the village, things were fine. Zhao Da'e called out to the people, and two more people came out to help Zhao Tiegang and took him to the clinic.

When Chen Shuyi, the lame boy, saw that it was Zhao Da'e who had arrived, he became especially friendly.

He looked at Zhao Tiegang's wound and frowned. "You're really good at getting hurt. The wound is quite deep, but it didn't hit any major blood vessels or tendons. You're lucky. However, it will take half a month to heal, otherwise it will be difficult to treat, it's too deep."

"What happened?"

Upon hearing that nothing serious had happened, Zhao Tiegang's expression improved considerably. He had indeed been in considerable pain from the injury. The alcohol had made it less unbearable, but walking and being jostled around in the wheelchair had left his legs incredibly swollen.

Zhao Tiegang is a very timid person when he's not drinking. However, the number of times Zhao Tiegang doesn't drink can be counted on one hand…

But now, due to fear and exhaustion, he sobered up.

Hearing that he was alright, he relaxed: "It's nothing, just a rabbit snare. Do you need any stitches?"

"I don't have any anesthetic..." Chen Shuyi said awkwardly, "Anesthetics aren't allowed to be used recently, you'll have to go to town."

"How about we sew it in place?" Zhao Da'e asked.

Chen Shuyi was stunned.

Zhao Tiegang was also stunned: "Big Goose, don't be ridiculous. I'm not drunk, this hard stitch will hurt me to death!"

“It’s better to have a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one. Let’s have some alcohol to disinfect it. Uncle, just bear with it, it shouldn’t hurt too much,” Zhao Da’e said. “Otherwise, going to town is too far.”

Zhao Tiegang gasped, "Big Goose, you really don't treat your Third Uncle like a human being! I can't take it without anesthesia."

Zhao Da'e then asked Chen Shuyi, "Is there any other way? Is there no anesthetic at all?"

“I have the kind that provides partial anesthesia. To put it simply, it’s a type of anesthetic that doesn’t work very well. I have that. I don’t have the good kind, it’s hard to get them now,” Chen Shuyi explained.

Zhao Da'e didn't want to listen to Chen Shuyi's lies; he had never had any good medicine.

Good medicine doesn't make much money...

"Go ahead and do it," Zhao Da'e decided.

Then Zhao Da'e instructed Zhao Yongdong and the other two elder brothers from the same clan: "Hold down my third uncle."

Zhao Tiegang tried to struggle: "No, can you give me some anesthetic?"

Chen Shuyi took out the needle and drew some anesthetic: "Yes, but it's not very effective, it might not work very well. It will hurt, but not too much. Just bear with it..."

Then Chen Shuyi gestured to Zhao Yongdong: "Hold the button."

Chen Shuyi took a sanitary napkin and then used iodine to disinfect Zhao Tiegang.

The moment the wound was exposed, Zhao Tiegang let out a howl.

"what………"

Zhao Da'e pinched Zhao Tiegang's head: "It's okay, just bear with it."

Zhao Tiegang endured the pain; although it was uncomfortable, it was bearable.

After a while, Chen Shuyi finished disinfecting and then gave him an injection of anesthetic.

Then I took the needle and thread and started stitching.

"Ahhh..." Zhao Tiegang was in excruciating pain, and the three of them could barely hold him down.

"It hurts... This anesthetic isn't working!!!"

Chen Shuyi continued sewing: "I told you, it's not very effective..."

Zhao Tiegang: !!!

Seeing this, Zhao Da'e quietly covered Zhao Tiegang's eyes, saying, "Third Uncle, it won't hurt if you don't look."

Zhao Tiegang: Hiss... He suddenly felt that Zhao Da'e seemed to be doing it on purpose.

……

In the end, Zhao Tiegang needed twelve stitches and cried out for more than half an hour.

Finally, after wrapping it with some gauze, Chen Shuyi didn't ask for any money.

The group prepared to leave.

Zhao Tiegang, having suffered the consequences, became irritated with Zhao Yongdong and scolded him, "Yongdong, next time you set a trap for a rabbit, go behind the mountain. Don't do it at the foot of the mountain. This is me; if it were anyone else, they'd extort you to death!"

Zhao Yongdong looked embarrassed and said, "I understand."

Zhao Da'e said, "That's true. Brother, give my third uncle two rabbits another day, and this matter will be over. It's only because everyone went to you, afraid that you would let Laidai eat them, that my third uncle got injured. Look how much pain he was screaming just now, he was obviously seriously injured..."

Zhao Yongdong was taken aback. He knew that Zhao Da'e was good at sweet-talking and could leave people speechless. He had witnessed it today. So he said, "Okay, I'll send two rabbits to Uncle San later."

"I don't really want to set rabbit traps there either, since it hasn't snowed this year. I won't be able to catch any rabbits."

This year has been quite unusual. The only snowfall all winter was at the end of October, and it was just a light snowfall. After that, there was no snow at all. The temperature wasn't very low either.

This makes catching a rabbit as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Rabbits aren't blind; they'll crawl into any rabbit trap they find.

The key to catching rabbits is to use the rabbit trap for concealment. And it's snowing...

The rabbit's eyesight seemed to be poor. In the snow, the bright light made it difficult for the rabbit to see the road clearly in the vast white expanse after the snowfall.

At this point, following the path the rabbit had taken, they set a trap in a hidden spot along the way.

Or perhaps it's chasing rabbits.

The saying goes, "A cunning rabbit has three burrows," highlighting the peculiar nature of rabbits. If you spot a rabbit and chase it, it will generally follow its original path, almost without making a mistake.

Being chased and running away in a panic can lead to being trapped.

To put it bluntly, catching rabbits is a skill.

Zhao Yongdong had caught four rabbits this year, but now he'd been tricked out of two by Zhao Da'e, which was a bit disheartening. But there was nothing he could do; after all, he'd gotten himself caught in the rabbit trap.

Furthermore, Zhao Tiegang got into trouble because he was helping to find the father and son.

Zhao Yongdong asked Zhao Tiegang a few more questions, and Zhao Tiegang said that he was fine.

Zhao Yongdong then went home first.

Zhao Da'e found a walking stick outside and gave it to Zhao Tiegang, but Zhao Tiegang refused, saying, "It's no big deal."

Zhao Tiegang then got some anti-inflammatory medicine and iodine from Chen Shuyi.

"Just drink it for three days. Any more won't help," Chen Shuyi instructed. "Apply iodine solution frequently. It's more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs."

Zhao Tiegang said he understood, and then went home with Zhao Da'e.

On the way, Zhao Da'e said, "Third Uncle, you need to be paid for whatever you do. No wonder no one hires you."

Zhao Tiegang couldn't help but feel unhappy: "Don't talk nonsense. I... seem to be having some bad luck lately."

The next second, Zhao Tiegang's head slammed into a telephone pole with a loud thud.

My head instantly felt like it was about to explode.

Zhao Da'e: ? ? ?

"Third Uncle, watch where you're going!"

Zhao Tiegang waved his hand: "I didn't notice."

Once inside his house, Zhao Tiegang said, "Big Goose, you should go back too."

Zhao Da'e said, "Go inside. I'll go back after I see you go inside. You're having really bad luck."

Zhao Tiegang retorted, "I'm not unlucky at all."

Afterwards, Zhao Tiegang, reeking of alcohol, went back into the house. Just as he reached the door, Wang Guixiang opened it and splashed wastewater all over him...

Zhao Da'e: !!!

Zhao Tiegang: ???

Zhao Tiegang was stunned for a moment, shaking the leftover food off his head... He was starting to question his existence: "Mom, do you think I did something terrible happen to me today? Why am I so unlucky?"

Wang Guixiang said angrily, "Go away, go away, stop talking nonsense."

Zhao Tiegang had taken a few steps when Wang Guixiang called him back: "Wait! Gangzi, what happened to your leg?"

"The rabbit harness got damaged."

Why is there such a big bump on your head?

"I didn't see it hit the telephone pole."

Why are your eyes watering?

Zhao Tiegang was stunned: "You got soup in your eyes!"

"That's true." Wang Guixiang muttered to herself, "We really should find someone to expose our weaknesses. Ever since my second son's wife went to the hospital to give birth, our family has been plagued by bad luck. I've been to the police station twice, your wife ran away, and your second brother's wife ran away too. Your eldest brother told me the day before yesterday that your nephew got into a fight at school and made another kid's eye bleed, and he had to pay seven or eight hundred yuan in compensation. Your younger sister called to say that her application for the section chief position has fallen through."

Wang Guixiang immediately sensed that the entire Zhao family was in trouble.

We desperately need to find a flaw, a weakness.

In northern China, there's a custom of finding a shaman. This shaman isn't a shamanic practitioner; she's simply someone who helps resolve your doubts and anxieties.

It's usually said that some kind of powerful spirit possesses them, but it's not actually a case of shamanism.

The practice of "chuma" (or "spirit mediumship") originates from the Central Plains; it doesn't exist in the Northeast. In the Northeast, "chuma" only exists in the online world. Here, it's called "kanxiang" (reading incense).

Of course, Wang Guixiang couldn't say that she was being punished for her many misdeeds, so she said, "Hmph. Something's wrong with our ancestral graves. We need to take a look."

Zhao Tiegang was stunned for a moment: "Mom, um... um... what's the point of incense if we don't have money? Wait until dark, when Dad comes back, he can bring it to me."