Ran Yan remembered when she had passed through the village, she saw many families had walls made of clay. The weather had cleared for several days, so those walls should all be dry by now.
"Go smash the mud walls! Bring the soil here," Ran Yan said while rapidly clearing the water, mud, and other filth from the child's mouth and nose. She then took Wan Lu's handkerchief to wrap around her finger and pulled the child's tongue out of his mouth.
The courtyard walls were merely piled up with mud from the riverbank; it was only a matter of expending some physical effort, nothing costly. Therefore, as soon as the villagers heard it was only about smashing walls, they immediately ran back to knock down their own walls.
It was not that they blindly trusted Ran Yan. After all, the Liu family with their orphan and widowed mother were pitiable, and furthermore, Ran Yan's serious and composed demeanor gave no hint of jesting, inexplicably instilling an unquestionable hope in people.
Wan Lu had no time to ask questions and felt intimidated by Ran Yan's unusual aura; for a moment she simply stood frozen at the side, unsure of what to do.
The child hadn't just fallen into the water; he had been submerged for most of the day, his body stiff, breath ceased; it seemed that ordinary first aid might not suffice.
Ran Yan took the opportunity to check the swollen, purplish-red finger that had been tied earlier, proof of ongoing blood circulation. Convinced of the child's vitality, she immediately began to perform cardiac massage on him.
When people carried over dry soil on stretchers, she instructed them to lay a thick layer on the ground, then cover the child with dry soil, leaving only his mouth and eyes exposed.
Wan Lu did not know how else to help, so she joined the others in carrying soil.
As the villagers busied themselves, their doubts grew until finally, a young scholar in a wide-sleeved robe couldn't help but lean in and ask, "Didn't they say Sanlang could still be saved? Why bury him in the ground?"
Ran Yan lifted her head and stared at him silently for a couple of breaths, her gaze enough to send shivers down the scholar's spine.
Truth be told, Ran Yan simply thought the scholar too foolish; if they were burying someone, how could they do it right in front of the house? Therefore, she couldn't be bothered to explain.
What followed was a long wait. Liu shi was no longer crying but stared unblinkingly at her son. The onlookers assumed this was some kind of witchcraft ritual, and they all watched to see what would happen.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, medical skills were widely applied, but in fact, medicine was still undistinguished from witchcraft. The renowned Medical Saint Sun Simiao even dutifully recorded some superstition-related content similar to witchcraft in his "Qian Jin Yao Fang," so it was normal for the villagers to have such thoughts.
For a time, more than a dozen people held their breath in rapt attention, so quiet that not even breathing could be heard. Only the cicadas cried exhaustively as the sun steadily rose, the summer sunlight fierce and glaring, blinding and scorching.
The Clan Leader and the elders arrived one after another, and more and more villagers gathered, yet not a single child could be seen.
In the recent days, the weather had been continuously clear, and the courtyard walls were only damp on the surface from the night dew; the soil in the middle was quite dry. Plus, with the sun's rays shining down, the moisture in the child's body was gradually being absorbed by the soil.
About half an hour later, the doctor who had been summoned from the town arrived in a flurry, wearing a wide-sleeved robe. He quickly pushed through the crowd, "Where is the patient?"
Someone hurriedly led the doctor to the mound of soil, "He's still buried."
The old doctor immediately stamped his foot, "Who buried him! A drowning victim should have the water cleared from him as quickly as possible, this is simply… simply…"
"It was I," Ran Yan, who had been squatting on the ground, stood up and spoke indifferently, "Zhou Sanlang had been submerged in the water for an entire night, and this method is the best there is."
The old doctor's eyes widened in shock and annoyance. If someone had been submerged for an entire night, even three or five hours, they would be surely dead! Yet here they had rushed several miles to bring him here—was this not toying with them? However, the old doctor could understand the feelings of the deceased's relatives and sighed heavily, turning to leave.
"Senior, please wait. Once Sanlang wakes up, he will still require your attentive care," Ran Yan paused, then turned her head to give an order, "Wan Lu, go get the consultation fee."
Wan Lu was completely baffled. When had her lady ever used such a bizarre method to save someone? If he were to be revived, it would be good, but if he died, they would not escape censure for having put the man through such an ordeal. Filled with regret, Wan Lu couldn't believe that she had so naively trusted her lady. She had no choice but to continue believing as her mind rapidly went through thousands of thoughts. Hastily, she went back to the house to get the money.
"Alas!" The old doctor sighed. Anyway, he had said all that could be said, and there was nothing to do but wait and see how they wished to proceed. He would stay out of compassion and wait a while.
Seeing the old doctor's demeanor, everyone knew that it was unlikely Zhou Sanlang would be saved. Of course, when Zhou Sanlang had been fished out of the water, his body was already completely stiff; not a breath of air was coming in or out. Their earnest efforts were partly due to Ran Yan's serious attitude, as if leaving things up to fate, and partly to wait for the Liu family to give up hope.
"Cough!"
Just as everyone was growing hungry and gradually losing hope, a barely audible cough from the pile of earth suddenly reinvigorated everyone.
"Sanlang!" Mrs. Liu rushed forward, her tears falling thick and fast, "My son! You scared me to death!"
Ran Yan squatted down, gently brushed the dirt from Zhou Sanlang's face, and seeing that he had opened his eyes, she said, "Lie still for a while longer, until you've dried off. Then you can come out."
Zhou Sanlang was dazed and confused, but hearing this incredibly beautiful woman tell him to lie down a while longer, and feeling immense pain and weakness all over his body, he complied with her request and lay quietly.
Mrs. Liu turned around and gave a formal bowing salute, without uttering a word, just bending over the ground for a long time.
This was the most reverent form of ceremony in the Tang Dynasty. Any salute had to be preceded by sitting on one's knees. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, when formal chairs were not yet customary, people would sit on the floor—a practice also known as sitting with legs folded under oneself, kneeling, or sitting upright—before proceeding with the salutation.
Such complexities were strictly adhered to only by those of status, and an ordinary village woman would not understand such manners, likely just kowtowing in any manner; hence, it was clear that Mrs. Liu was not an ordinary village woman.
"Lady, please rise," Ran Yan helped Mrs. Liu to her feet.
The Clan Leader of the Zhou Family village also hurried over to express his gratitude to Ran Yan.
The villagers, momentarily stunned by the miraculous revival, realized that the Clan Leader was offering thanks, and their senses returned. The crowd suddenly erupted into exclamations and admiration.
Ran Yan sighed inwardly. She had originally planned to ask Wu Xiuhe to be her teacher before anything else, but plans could not keep up with changes. Just as she had thought about it, the matter cropped up before her. Whether it was a blessing or a curse was yet to be seen. Ran Yan simply made a mental note of it and refrained from further thought. She bowed to the crowd and, with Wan Lu's support, returned to the estate.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, everyone quickly helped Mrs. Liu dig her son out of the earth and carried him back on a wooden board.
The old doctor stepped forward to check Zhou Sanlang's pulse. Though still weak, his life had truly been saved, to his great amazement. He immediately wrote a prescription for Zhou Sanlang and handed the consultation fee to Mrs. Liu, asking her to return it to the Ran residence.