"Uncle Zhang," Fang Ji's voice, tinged with a smile, came from behind him, "Are you looking for this?"
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Zhang Xiuhua clung to Zhang Guangquan's back, gripping his sleeve tightly, covering her ears. Her whole body trembled as she spoke, "You... you wretch! Are you trying to kill someone?!"
Zhang Guangquan's expression darkened. He extended his arm to shield Zhang Xiuhua and glared warily at Lin Lang. He scolded, "Lin Lang! What are you doing?!"
Lin Lang didn't speak. Instead, he pushed the door open a little wider and stepped aside to make way.
Zhang Guangquan picked up the fallen strawberries from the ground in a hurry. He tightly held Zhang Xiuhua's hand and slipped through the crack of the door into the room.
Upon entering, they saw Fang Ji lying on the bed, his wet hair sticking to his forehead in disarray. His face was pale and sickly. When Fang Ji noticed them, he propped himself up to sit.
Zhang Xiuhua hurriedly pressed him back down, clutching Fang Ji's hand tightly. She exclaimed, "Doctor Fang, what's wrong with you?!"
Fang Ji smiled, "I caught a bit of a cold, but the fever has already gone down."
Zhang Guangquan frowned, "He was perfectly fine, how did..."
His words stalled as he caught sight of the bandage on Fang Ji's hand. He widened his eyes and quickly asked, "What happened to your hand now?!"
"It's nothing, just a little scrape from a fall."
Zhang Xiuhua glanced nervously towards the courtyard, seeing that Lin Lang was still outside. She turned back, lowered her voice, and asked, "Doctor Fang, please don't hide it from us. Was this injury caused by that wretch outside?!"
Fang Ji was momentarily stunned, a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes. Zhang Guangquan laid his hand on Fang Ji's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Doctor Xiao Fang, we're here for you. Don't be afraid. If that Lin fellow has bullied you, just tell me! I know how to deal with him!"
Fang Ji chuckled, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang. This injury was just a result of me accidentally falling. I'm not used to the mountain paths, so I keep stumbling. But it's already almost healed."
Zhang Guangquan fixed his gaze on Fang Ji's eyes, seemingly trying to glean something from them. "It wasn't him who hit you, right?"
Before Fang Ji could answer, Zhang Xiuhua waved her hand at Zhang Guangquan. "Why bother asking? Of course, it's that wretch! Doctor Fang must have been threatened by him, that's why he's not saying anything! The nerve of him! How could that surname Feng have let that wretch stay here? I thought he was long gone!"
Fang Ji inquired, "Aunt Zhang, what happened to him?"
Zhang Xiuhua sighed heavily, "Don't mention it! He's just a troublemaker! Doctor Xiao Fang, you can't stay here anymore! If you don't mind, you can come and stay at my place. How about that?"
"But that wouldn't be appropriate. You have your children there."
"He's gone! He left a few days ago to find work!" Zhang Xiuhua said, her cheeks slightly reddening with a hint of a smile.
"Is that so? He's able to leave?"
"No worries," Zhang Guangquan said, "He left during the night, headed south. He's gone so far away, how could he know what's happening here?"
Fang Ji nodded slightly and smiled at the two, "Thank you both for your concern. I'm fine staying here for now. Besides, A Shui is pregnant, so it's convenient for me to take care of her..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Xiuhua suddenly reacted as if she had touched an electric wire. She quickly stood up.
"A Shui? Here?!" Zhang Xiuhua's expression was one of shock, and Fang Ji looked at her in confusion, nodding slightly.
Zhang Guangquan was also surprised. His eyes widened as he scanned the room, "Where is she?!"
Fang Ji made a hushing gesture and pointed toward the inner room. He lowered his voice, "She's still sleeping in there. Keep your voices down."
Zhang Xiuhua covered her mouth in panic and followed Fang Ji's gesture. Seeing that the inner room's door was tightly shut with no movement, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, her heart was still racing, and she held her chest as she panted for a while. She finally cursed, "That wretch! And that surname Feng too! Letting you stay with those two devils, they're really despicable!"
"No way! This won't do!" Zhang Guangquan's expression also darkened. He pulled on Fang Ji's sleeve and said, "Doctor Xiao Fang, if you're not willing to stay at Xiuhua's place, you can move to mine!"
Fang Ji was puzzled, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, what's wrong with her?"
"Why hasn't that Feng guy told you anything?!" Zhang Xiuhua, seeing Fang Ji's clueless expression, became even more assertive. "That wretch is really despicable! She's killed several people. You can't..."
"Enough! Stop talking nonsense!" Zhang Guangquan turned his head and glared at Zhang Xiuhua. Zhang Xiuhua pouted, but begrudgingly fell silent. Zhang Guangquan then turned back to Fang Ji and said, "Doctor Xiao Fang, this woman is always talking nonsense. Just ignore what she says! Don't take it seriously!"
Fang Ji was taken aback. He stared at Zhang Guangquan's eyes and asked, "Did she... really kill someone?"
Zhang Guangquan sighed, "Fang Ji, you probably heard from Village head Feng. That A Shui is really cunning. The Guo family treated her well, but she kept causing trouble. She even attacked her own husband when she had fits of madness, disturbing the entire village. She even... hurt several people. She's probably not mentally stable. It's really dangerous for you to live with her!"
Fang Ji lowered his head, remaining silent for a moment.
Fang Ji pressed his lips together and said, "Later, could the two of you accompany me to the mountain? I don't have much medicine left, and I'd like to go up the mountain to see if there are any medicinal herbs. I hope it's not inconvenient..."
"Well... the two of us should be fine! But Doctor Xiao Fang, is it really a good idea with your health? How about we discuss it in a few days..."
"It's fine, I'm a doctor, I know what I'm doing," Fang Ji said with a smile. "It's just that I'm concerned about Village head Feng... Can you not mention to anyone that I'm going there?"
"We haven't told anyone! We saw that the strawberries in the field were ripe in the morning, so we picked some and hurried to bring them to you!"
"Is that so," Fang Ji lowered his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "That's great then. If you had told Village head Feng, I'm sure they wouldn't have let me go."
"Why would we tell him?" Zhang Xiuhua defended him. "He doesn't tell you anything, so we won't tell him either!"
Fang Ji smiled and propped himself up on the bed, slowly standing up. Seeing him get up, Zhang Xiuhua quickly reached out to support him, "Take it easy!"
Fang Ji said, "Don't worry, Aunt Zhang. My body is fine. I can't afford to delay treating the villagers' illnesses."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiuhua was nearly moved to tears. She sighed and said, "Do you need to pack your things? I can help."
"No need, there's nothing to bring," Fang Ji looked into the distance towards the mountain, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "As long as I'm with you, it's enough."
After a simple wash, Fang Ji tidied himself up and followed the Zhang siblings out of the house. Lin Lang was still in the courtyard, and when he heard footsteps, he looked up at them.
Zhang Guangquan asked them to stand behind him, and Lin Lang's gaze met Fang Ji's across his shoulder.
Their eyes met in the air, but Fang Ji lowered his head, avoiding Lin Lang's gaze. Silently, he followed the Zhang siblings out of the courtyard.
The three of them had lunch at the Zhangs' house and chatted for a while. In the afternoon, when the weather had warmed up a bit, they finally packed their things and set off. Zhang Guangquan put his sickle in the bamboo basket on his back and led the way up the winding mountain path.
By the time they reached the mountaintop, the sunlight had dimmed a bit, casting a feeble glow through the clouds. The air was filled with a crisp and cool scent.
Zhang Xiuhua hadn't been into the mountains for a long time. She stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing at the undulating mountains, taking in deep breaths of the chilly mountain air. Her mood couldn't help but become cheerful.
Seeing her enjoying the view, Zhang Guangquan couldn't help but scoff, "This woman! She doesn't have a shred of decency!" He turned his head to Fang Ji and said, "Doctor Xiao Fang, if you need anything, just let me know. Pay no mind to her!"
Fang Ji nodded and then casually scanned the area. His gaze stopped at a tall tree. He stepped over its twisted roots, leaning against the trunk as he looked up at the fruits hanging from its branches. The fruits were shaped like ginger, with a gray-brown color that seemed perfectly ripe.
Zhang Guangquan picked up his sickle, following Fang Ji's gaze, "Doctor Fang, do you want these? I've eaten these wild fruits when I was young. They're quite sour, and they can be used for medicinal purposes?"
"Yes," Fang Ji looked up, "How can I pick them from up here?"
"No problem! Doctor Xiao Fang, when we were kids, climbing trees to find bird's nests, you hadn't even been born yet!" A hint of red appeared on Zhang Guangquan's stern face, "Watch carefully!"
With a backward flick of his sickle, he spat into his palm, then crouched and leaped upward. He gripped the trunk with his limbs, used the soles of his shoes to support his weight, and moved his hands upwards. Pressing his body against the trunk, he climbed a certain distance, bent his elbows to grasp the lowest branch, and brought his legs up, sitting steadily on the branch.
The blood in his body warmed slightly, making him realize he wasn't old yet. A smile appeared on his face. He held onto the trunk, stood up, and used the sickle to cut down a few fruits. Tossing them behind him into the basket, he repeated the process until his shoulders grew heavy. Then he called out loudly, "Doctor Xiao Fang, is this enough?"
However, there was no response behind him, only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.
"Doctor Xiao Fang? Xiuhua? Where are you?" His tone grew more urgent, yet there was still no sound.
Zhang Guangquan furrowed his brows, wondering if Fang Ji and Zhang Xiuhua had gone to look at the scenery together. But at this moment, he was hanging on a tree with a knife in his hand, making it inconvenient for him to turn around and look. He decided to cut a few more fruits. He continued until his back began to strain, then he patted the dirt off his hands, threw the knife back into the basket, and slowly slid down the branch. Just as he was about to touch the ground, he kicked off against the trunk, arching his body and landing steadily on the ground.
Brushing off the dirt from his body, he turned around and called out, "Doctor XiaoFang, what's the matter..."
In an instant, Zhang Guangquan's eyes widened, his words choked in his throat. Several dozen meters away, at the edge of the cliff, Zhang Xiuhua lay on the ground with her back to him. Her whole body twitched uncontrollably, and Fang Ji crouched in front of her, holding her head with both hands, his face filled with intense seriousness.
Zhang Guangquan's heart felt like it was going to leap out! He rushed over, shouting, "Doctor Xiao Fang! What... what's happening?!"
Fang Ji raised his head, his face still relatively composed. Seeing Zhang Guangquan approaching, he quickly got up to meet him, "Uncle Zhang! Aunt Zhang is most likely having a seizure! We need to take her back quickly! Carry her on your back! Give me the basket!"
Zhang Guangquan's face drained of color upon hearing this. He was at a loss, relying entirely on Fang Ji. He unloaded the bamboo basket and tossed it to Fang Ji, then quickly sprinted to his sister. He crouched down, turned Zhang Xiuhua's shoulder, and immediately slumped to the ground.
The ground was splattered with bloodstains, and Zhang Xiuhua clutched her neck. Gurgling sounds came from her throat, and her deathly pale face was covered in blood and dirt. Blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto her clothes and staining them scarlet.
Her eyes slightly rolled, fixating on Zhang Guangquan's face. Her lips trembled slightly as if she wanted to say something. However, as soon as she opened her mouth, blood flowed from the corners of her mouth. Behind her lips, half red and half white, was a gaping black hole where her tongue used to be.
A cold sensation suddenly hit the back of Zhang Guangquan's neck. The blade of a sickle extended diagonally from behind, pressed against his bare side-neck. A hand looped around his neck, reaching into his vision, fingers gripping a slick, severed tongue.
"Uncle Zhang," Fang Ji's voice, laced with a smile, came from behind him. "Were you looking for this?"
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Tn: I knew he was sus as hell