I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 149: Chapter 65: Retribution

”Uncle Zao Hua?!”

The familiar voice startled Fang Rui from his light sleep. ’To come at this hour, something must have happened,’ he thought. ’Given the epidemic, has someone in Uncle Zao Hua’s family been infected with the plague?’

His mind was sharp; in an instant, he had already pieced most of it together. ’Whether to save them or not is a separate issue. I might as well assess the situation first.’

He glanced to his side, pulled the covers over the stomachs of the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, then quietly got up. He walked to the main hall and looked out the window.

Outside, only Uncle Zao Hua stood alone. He was hunched over in the pitch-black night, pacing back and forth anxiously with a panicked look on his face.

Just then, he saw a light flicker on inside and spotted Fang Rui at the window. He rushed to say, ”Brother Rui, my Ah Huai suddenly came down with a fever tonight, and he’s shaking uncontrollably... I think he’s really caught the plague!”

”Um, I came here... I was hoping you could tell me if you know any folk remedies, Brother Rui. I don’t know if you have any herbs, but if I could borrow some, I’ll definitely pay you back... I know you can’t even buy herbs with money right now... but I have no other choice, I...”

Tense with worry over Ah Huai’s illness and guilty for making such an ’unreasonable request’ and putting him in a difficult position, Uncle Zao Hua spoke incoherently, his voice choked with emotion.

Finally, unable to express himself clearly because he wasn’t a man of many words, he simply fell to his knees with a THUD and began to kowtow, his forehead hitting the ground with loud THUMPS.

Ah Huai was the only son he had left! How could he just stand by and watch him die?!

He truly had no other options. The only thing he could think to do was come here, hoping to grab onto one last life-saving straw.

’Actually, Uncle Zao Hua still has a sense of proportion. He didn’t bring Ah Huai here and create a potential safety hazard, nor did he dare hope I would go over to diagnose him. He just wants a few folk remedies and some herbs.’

’To think that Ah Huai’s illness could push Uncle Zao Hua—a quiet, reserved, and stoic man—to this point, flushed and agitated, his voice choked with emotion, even kneeling and kowtowing... This is a father’s love!’

Fang Rui sighed internally. He was reminded of Fang Baicao, who had joined the army in his place, and his feelings grew even more complex and difficult to put into words.

To be honest, having been woken up in the middle of the night, he was a little grumpy. If Uncle Zao Hua had brazenly asked him to risk his own safety to go and treat Ah Huai, with his temper, he would have stormed off without giving him the time of day.

But Uncle Zao Hua hadn’t done that. Even in his moment of panic, he had still considered Fang Rui’s feelings. He hadn’t brought Ah Huai over, nor had he begged Fang Rui to go and treat him.

He had only hoped for a folk remedy and a few herbs, asking for nothing more so as not to put Fang Rui in a difficult position.

The human heart responds in kind.

What Fang Rui saw was a father, frantic with worry for his son, yet still considerate of others. And with that single kneel, the last of his own grumpiness vanished.

”Uncle Zao Hua, get up first. I’ll go over and take a look,” Fang Rui said after a moment of thought.

The bond between their families and giving Uncle Zao Hua face were only a small part of why he made this decision.

More importantly, he wanted to observe the plague’s specific symptoms to determine if he could currently treat it. He needed to get a clear idea of what he was facing so that he wouldn’t be scrambling at the last minute if Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family or the others fell ill.

Often, Medical Skill itself is only one part of the equation. The other part is the knowledge and experience with a specific illness. Only by combining the two can one maximize their ability to treat the sick and save lives.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be if he could cure an individual with his current Medical Skill, without having to add any points.

Furthermore, even if it was treatable, how it was treated mattered. A safe, reliable, risk-free cure was one method; a risky, life-or-death gamble was another... He could accept the former, but the latter? He was fine with others using such methods, but Fang Rui would never feel at ease using them on Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, or Nannan.

’This trip to Uncle Zao Hua’s house to check on Ah Huai’s condition is a chance to both investigate the plague and accumulate some experience,’ Fang Rui thought to himself.

But if he wanted to accumulate experience, why hadn’t he helped the neighbors who came by during the day?

The reason was simple: those families had no real connection to the Fang Family. If Fang Rui helped one of them, the others would think, ’Brother Rui of the Fang Family helped so-and-so’s family, so why isn’t he helping mine?’

They would all swarm him, which would be endlessly annoying and could even create a security risk. One should never underestimate human malice; it was a very real possibility!

On the other hand, Uncle Zao Hua’s house had a connection with the Fang Family. If Fang Rui helped them, other people would think, ’Just because Zao Hua’s family spoke up for them once, the Fang Family remembers the favor for this long and is willing to take such a huge risk to treat them...’ This would actually make people more willing to be on good terms with the Fang Family.

Such were the subtleties of the human heart.

It could be said that Fang Rui was very clear on which families he could help, which he couldn’t, and when he should intervene.

”Ah?! You’ll come to my house?”

Uncle Zao Hua was stunned and frantically waved his hands. ”My Ah Huai really has the plague! Brother Rui, you have a good heart, but I can’t drag you into this. A folk remedy and a few herbs are enough.”

”If that still doesn’t work, then it’s my Ah Huai’s fate. I can’t bring trouble to others!” He was, after all, a sensible man.

”Say no more, Uncle Zao Hua. I know what I’m doing. Wait here a moment!”

Before Uncle Zao Hua could say more, Fang Rui turned back into the house to get his medical kit. While he was at it, he also gathered some of the herbs he had previously considered might be of use.

By now, the noise had woken Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady. When they saw Fang Rui preparing to go out to treat a patient, the color drained from their faces.

”Brother Rui, are you mad?! I forbid you from going!”