Poisonous Peasant 'Concubine' Ch 14 - Hyacinth in Bloom

Chapter 14 — Taking the Pulse • A Family

Ling Jinghan and Ling Jingpeng were twins, but they looked differently, so it should be fraternal twins, plus Ling Jinghan suffered from constant chronic sickness. In one year, he would spend half of it lying in bed and could barely see the sun, transparent complexion, thin, nearly out of shape, while Ling Jingpeng was very naughty since he was little, always fighting, and in recent one or two years he became a bit behaved, also often did some farm work with Ling Chenglong. He was thin, but in a good shape, and the gap between their appearances was even greater.

“Come one. Drink some water. This is the tea I boiled with houttuynia to relieve the summer heat. Drink more.”

There were no luxury things like cups at home at all. Ling Jingxuan directly used a bowl. He used the water from the Crescent Spring. Originally he thought that since the Crescent Spring could attract fish, it would definitely be good for the body, plus the Yu Xing Cao, which was quite suitable for the two buns. And now it came into use in advance.

“Thank you—cough—big brother, it’s so good that you can become normal again. In the future with you and Jingpeng taking care of our parents, I can rest assured. —Cough…”

It was not easy to say so many words within one breath for him. The sharp cough rose again. Like his last words, which pricked Ling Jingxuan’s heart. He quickly stepped forward and handed the bowl to his mouth, Ling Jingpeng, sitting on the other side, patted on his back, although the three brothers had almost no communication, the family bond was obvious.

“—Cough…I…”

“Say no more. Drink some water and rest.”

Ling Jinghan still wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Ling Jingxuan forcibly. His seemingly gentle tone was mixed with some kind of unassailable domineering commanding. Finally the thin and weak Ling Jingxuan had the momentum as a big brother.

“Jingpeng, what disease is your second brother having after all? Did you take him to see a doctor?”

Seeing that he obediently drank some water, the cough also temporarily stopped, he helped him lie down, while asking Ling Jiangpeng. In his memory, his second brother seemed to be ill all the time, but had no specific impression about what disease it was.

“Our aunties said it is phthisis1, can not be cured…”

Ling Jingpeng retracted the body, and lowering his head embarrassedly, trembling shoulders betrayed his heart of suffering and anger. Ling Jingxuan gave a light sigh, gently placing his fingertips on Ling Jinghan’s pulse. It’d be good if it was really phthisis, others might not be able to cure it but he could.

“Big brother?”

Lying in bed, Jinghan whose breath was as weak as it would be gone any minute gave a strange look at his big brother’s finger on his wrist. Does big brother know about medicine?

Under his doubts, Ling Jingpeng and two buns also noticed the abnormality of Ling Jingxuan, but no one disturbed him, although everyone was having anxious appearances.

“Cold air enters the lungs leading to a long-time coughing disease but not incurable, just needs some special things. You rest assured, I will cure you.”

After quite a while, Ling Jingxuan opened his eyes and said with a smile. He did not want to hear a 14-year-old boy who was still in middle school in modern times saying every word like his last words. At his age, the only thing he should do was reading.

“Really? Big brother, you—cough—you, you can cure me?”

Who wants to die when there is hope to live? Ling Jinghan’s excitement can be imagined. He was only fourteen years old after all. Even if he was acting mature, he was still a young man under age.

“Big brother, can you really cure him?”

“Daddy…”

Of course Ling Jingpeng and the two little buns were all anxious. The former was his little brother. Under the condition that their parents were so busy every day, it was he who had taken care of his big brother these years, of course they had deep feelings. Although it was the first time the latter two saw their second uncle, they both liked him and felt sorry for him, and from the bottom of their hearts hoped their daddy could cure him.

“Of course it is true, how can I joke about such a thing?”

Indulgently poking the eager face of the big bun, Ling Jingxuan looked at Ling Jinghan, smiling, nodded.

“—Cough. Jiangpeng, get me another bowl of water.”

Staring at him for quite a smile and finally getting a positive answer, Ling Jinghan was not so excited, struggling to sit up in bed. Ling Jingpeng hurriedly sent him the tea. After trying to take a gulp, Ling Jinghan suddenly locked his eyes on the smiling Ling Jingxuan, “Big brother, when did you learn medical skills?”

Although he had lost his shape, as if a gust of wind could blow him away, it was not bragging that he was talented. After smoothing away the initial excitement, at this time, he was just like an experienced adult, who exuded an air of shrewdness and power.

Sure enough, his foreboding was right. Ling Jinghan was worth looking forward to.

“Haven’t you heard the proverb prolonged illness makes the patient be a doctor? You think I’ve really been a fool for five years?”

It would be a lie not to be shocked by his huge transformation, but, if he couldn’t even handle a teenager, he had lived these years in vain.

“But for five years, even the kids…”

Halfway through his words, Ling Jinghan suddenly remembered that the two nephews were also present. The doubts all stuck deep in the throat, but already enough to make Ling Jingxuan clearly know what he was trying to say. Then that thin but pretty face spread a confident and calm smile, “Jinghan, what is past is past, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Humans are strange creatures, once one firmly believes in something, one could not come out no matter what, some people would be even trapped in it for a lifetime, but sometimes, often only a small chance, boom, one could think it through. You are a smart man, you should know what I’m talking about.”

He did not want to step in the mess of the original owner, nor was he interested. Be it life principles or his medical skills, he did not intend to conceal it from them, or meant to use countless lies to cover it up. He is who he is, the 21st century world famous killer / secret doctor. Things like lying, not his thing!

“Big brother…”

Ling Jinghan suddenly found that he did not seem to know about this big brother now. Because of his illness, he had seen through the fickleness of human nature and also tasted all the bitterness of the world. Dragging a broken body, what was he capable of even if he was talented?

When his big brother got thrown out of the family five years ago, he was only nine years old and he was powerless to prevent all this. He could only study hard, dreaming that one day he could pass the imperial examination and become an official, then take his big brother home, but five years later, he was still tortured by the disease, but if it hadn’t been that he was worried about his gradually aging parents, dementia big brother, the younger brother and two starving little nephews, he would have already had no desire to live. But now, his big brother finally returned to normal, but he found that gentle and cowardly big brother had gone, this person became a total stranger to him.

However, the feelings of big brother caring about the younger brother, he had felt it, also sincerely felt relieved. Whether his big brother was really able to cure him or not, at least now no one would dare to bully him. Even if one day he really…his parents and younger brother no longer got bullied under his cover. That’d be enough.

“Daddy, what are you talking about?”

Three brothers went silent. At this time, the small bun climbed onto his daddy’s legs and broke the ice, eyes innocently looking at him.

“Haha…”

Three brothers looked at one another, and laughed out loud. Ling Jingxuan pretended to be angry and spanked him, “You little kid, this is between adults. Come on, get some water for your second uncle.”

You naughty boy! Are you trying to pull the rug?

The sun was setting. Ling Jingxuan made a large pot of fish soup, plus a pot of wild vegetable corn paste. You could imagine the penny-pinching big bun’s distressed expression. But this time he didn’t keep nagging him, daddy this and daddy that. Ling Jingxuan also could not help giving him a thumbs-up in his heart. It was true he was petty. But at least he knew that family was more important than money, right?

It was almost dark when Ling Chenglong and his wife rushed back riding the afterglow, sweating all over the head. Without even asking, they knew that it should be that their so-called grandparents and uncles deliberately threw tons of farm work at them, but Ling Jingxuan did not ask. The whole family all sat around the shaky, maybe the next second it would collapse, table.

“Jingxuan, today we are so lucky. We sold all the eight fish to Landlord Wang in the next village, a total of 30 jin, eight copper coins one jin, a total of 240, except for the fifty to buy nets, there are still one hundred and ninety.”

Before dinner, the docile Ling Chenglong pulled out a large handful of copper coins and put them before him. Ling Jingxuan cast a glance, those copper coins were more or less as he imagined. The only different place was the kingdom title. But before he reached for them, the big bun who was sitting next to him, with a shove, got all the copper coins to himself, “Grandpa, daddy said I take charge of the house, including money.”

In other words, in the future the money should be handed to him, not his father.

“You money-slave!”

Ling Hingxuan held his forehead, speechless, then poked his head. He never said he would not give them to him. Why in such a hurry?

“Haha…This is good. Our Xiaowen could learn to manage money, in the future perhaps he can become a bookkeeper.”

Seeing this, the whole family laughed, Ling Wangshi even laughed her tears out, feeling both happy and gratified. Jingxuan was no longer silly. A bright future was waiting ahead!

“Yeah!”

Ling Chenglong also echoed. The heavy burden of so many years seemed to disappear in an instant.

“No, I have to go to town if I become a bookkeeper. Who takes care of daddy if I am gone? And who could take care of those two mu of land at home? Just let Xiaowu do it. I will stay at home and support the whole family.”

Unexpectedly, the big bun who was counting those copper coins repeatedly suddenly wrinkled his small face and directly rejected their proposal. The smile instantly went rigid on their faces. Except for the little bun Xiaowu, everyone could not help but feel a bit sad. A five-year-old boy said he would support the whole family. All in all, it was only because the adults were too incompetent.

“OK, I’ll wait for you to support our whole family. Let me remind you. You can not support the whole family using that mouth. In the future if you complain that you are too tired or what, see how I deal with you!”

Ling Jingxuan, the first to come to his senses, quickly put away the entanglement in the heart, picked up the chopsticks and said, “Mom, dad, Jinghan, Jingpeng, stop chatting, eat.”

This topic was almost over, the family was talking and laughing while eating simple fish soup and corn paste. Even though they were so poor that there were not even enough stools for each one at the table and chopsticks were also broken, but the happiness surrounding them was real. As long as the family worked together, there were no difficulties they couldn’t overcome.

“Seriously? Jingxuan, can you cure Jinghan?”

Two pots of fish soup and corn paste soon were eaten up. Everyone’s belly became round. While having some small talk, on hearing that Jingxuan can cure Jinghan’s disease, Ling Chenglong and his wife nearly jumped up, with their bodies shaking.

“Mm, tomorrow I will go to the mountains to collect some herbs. As for the fish, dad, you go sell them for me in the market with Jingpeng for me.”

Nodding, Ling Jingxuan said in a formal way. From the mouth of Ling Jinghan, he accidentally learned that the fights Ling Jingpeng had had were all for him over the past few years. Whenever he heard someone gossiping about him, be it an adult or a child, men or women, he would immediately rush forward to fight that person, therefore, for this youngest brother, he grew some more pity, secretly wondering how to teach him to do some business. He didn’t expect him to make big money, at least he could stuff his belly.

“No problem, Jingxuan, if you really can cure your younger brother, I’m willing to help you sell fish my whole life.”

Speaking of which, the old man even had tears in his eyes. His whole life was really not easy. Both his eldest son and second son were so outstanding, but…Now his eldest son recovered, and if his second son was cured, he could go to another world without any regrets.

“Dad, what are you talking about? How can I let you help me sell fish for a lifetime? Besides, there are not so many fish for me to catch in Yuehua Ditch.”

Apparently knowing what his father meant, Ling Jingxuan intentionally pretended he did not understand, trying to swing the sadness and sorrows in his heart, but Ling Wangshi added, “Jingxuan, I won’t ask you why you can cure his illness. I know, you suffered a lot in your heart, you are holding many secrets to yourself. You don’t need to speak them out. I trust you and I like the way you are now. For Jinghan’s illness, just do as you could. Even if you cannot cure him, it’s fine. We all won’t blame you.”

She was a village woman, who hadn’t seen the world. Except for serving both her husband and the children, the only thing she could do was farm work in the fields, but it did not mean that she was stupid. This morning, how her son had behaved was beyond her cognition, and he even knew medical skills. If she said she didn’t hold a bit of doubt, it must be lying, but she would not ask, because she trusted her own son.

Of course, Ling Wangshi only thought that all this was related to Ling Wen and Ling Wu’s father who had never shown up before. She could never have imagined that her real son had already long gone.

“Thank you, mother. I do have some things to hide from you, not I don’t want to say but I just can’t. You rest assured, Jinghan’s illness is not very serious, at most a month, I will make sure he’s alive and kicking.”

His mother’s unconditional trust made him moved. As an orphan, Ling Jingxuan’s heart was filled with warmth. From this moment, he would draw them into his own protection circle from the bottom of his heart.

“Ah, I believe that my Jingxuan has always been good and will only be better in the future.”

“All right, mom, don’t cry, otherwise Jinghan and Jingpeng would put the blame on me.”

But Ling Wangshi still couldn’t help crying again. Ling Jingxuan hurriedly made a joke, making others bask in the heart and the heavy atmosphere seemed to be eased a lot. Since the first day he had transmigrated here, Ling Jingxuan got two little buns for free and the next day a pair of parents who loved him and two blood brothers. He was kind of heaven-blessed. The lack of family bond in his previous life was made up for him at one time.

That’s an old-school word for Tuberculosis. It comes from Greek “phthísis” (φθίσις) meaning: a wasting away, decline, or consumption. That’s why TB used to also be called “consumption” — people with it would slowly lose weight, strength, and vitality.

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Translator: LazyHermitGal