The day broke, the bright sunlight rushing in like it had been sped up, transforming the dim morning into a blinding brilliance.
Yu Hong gazed blankly at the scene before him, his mind clouded and his body burning with fever.
Weakened from lack of sleep and illness, he had finally lost control and collapsed onto the ground.
"Are you alright?" The little stutterer, having blown out the candle, carefully placed it back in the corner and turned around to see Yu Hong lying on the floor.
Startled, she rushed over.
Noticing Yu Hong's heightened temperature, she hurried to fetch some water, filtering it before pouring it into his mouth.
After she had fed him water, she went to look for medicine.
From Doctor Xu, she managed to get a bit more medicine and quickly stuffed it into Yu Hong's mouth.
Yu Hong could sense the little stutterer's help but felt completely drained.
He perceived her lifting him and laying him on the bed, placing a piece of cool stone on his forehead to reduce his fever.
The stone was ice-cold, rapidly drawing away the heat and making him feel much better.
With the slight relief, Yu Hong found himself slipping back into a deep, dreamless sleep, unaware of how much time had passed.
At some point, he began to regain a little awareness.
"This is the fourth day. His fever has broken, and he doesn't need medicine anymore."
It was Doctor Xu's voice, seemingly standing by the bed as she reached out to touch Yu Hong's forehead.
The delicate sensation made him feel a bit itchy, but his weak body wouldn’t allow him to move his hand to scratch; he could only endure until the feeling faded.
"One more time!" The little stutterer's voice echoed through the room.
"No need. You've exchanged everything you could. There’s nothing more to trade, and the supply in the post office has been running low. I don't have much anti-inflammatory medicine left either," Doctor Xu refused.
"Just one more! Back then, you said the same!" the little stutterer insisted.
Hearing her words, Doctor Xu fell silent.
"True. If it weren't for you back then, I would have long since died on the roadside, my bones probably picked clean by monsters. Alright, I’ll exchange medicine for you one last time. This really is the final time!"
"Great! I’ll find you food!" the little stutterer replied, the sound of rustling in the background.
"That's still not enough. It won’t meet the previous exchange rate," Doctor Xu said helplessly.
"I have more!"
"Fine, fine, let’s leave it at that, it’s the last time anyway. Seriously, don’t keep trying to save others. We can barely take care of ourselves."
Doctor Xu sighed.
"Thank you," the little stutterer expressed her gratitude.
"Alright, I’m off to check on Lao Yu. You don’t need to see me off," Doctor Xu said, her footsteps fading away until the door closed, leaving the room in silence.
Yu Hong weakly opened his eyes, just in time to see the little stutterer’s grimy face as she sat beside him, holding a wooden bowl filled with something dark and mushy.
She was using a spoon to feed him bites of the mush.
Yu Hong stopped resisting, his face expressionless, lying on a high pillow while he accepted the spoonfuls.
They took turns feeding and eating, and before he realized it, the bowl was empty.
Yu Hong licked his lips, unexpectedly finding the mush somewhat tasty.
"Is there more?" he couldn’t help but ask.
"Yes, yes!" The little stutterer’s eyes brightened at his words, her joy evident.
She got up and rummaged around, quickly returning with another bowl of the black mush, sitting beside him again to feed him.
Yet, the mush seemed to lack sufficient calories; perhaps due to his prolonged fasting and weakness, he still felt a bit hungry after finishing.
He asked again, and the little stutterer happily prepared another bowl for him.
After that, Yu Hong finally felt somewhat fuller.
The cold mush brought much comfort to his stomach, and he began to feel a surge of strength.
"How long did I sleep?" he asked her.
"Four days."
The little stutterer held up four fingers, smiling to show her yellowing teeth.
"Thank you," Yu Hong said with sincerity, grateful for her care.
He knew that without her looking after him, he might have perished long ago, lost in his fever.
Looking outside at the hostile environment, he realized he wouldn’t have lasted a day alone.
Saying thanks alone felt too trivial, but he intended to repay her kindness when he got the chance.
He believed that as a normal man, he shouldn’t fall short against a disabled girl like her when it came to being serious.
"It’s nothing," she said, beaming.
She happily stood up to fetch some water to drink, but after scraping the bottom of the pot for quite a while, she couldn’t pour even a small cup.
"I’ll go outside to the well and fetch some," she explained with effort.
"I’ll be back shortly!"
"Don’t open the door or windows for anyone! If there’s a knock, don’t open!" she warned him earnestly.
"Okay! I got it," Yu Hong nodded solemnly.
Receiving his affirmation, she dashed out with the water jar.
Once the door was shut, the heavy moldy smell filled the air, making Yu Hong feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, he remembered the little stutterer’s warning.
Breathing in the mildew was certainly better than being taken down by some dangerous creature outside.
More importantly, he recalled the white stone he had tucked into his pocket before falling asleep.
Curiosity, anticipation, and unease welled up in him.
He reached into his pocket, soon grasping the stone and pulling it out slowly.
Holding it in his palm, Yu Hong examined it closely.
The white stone had changed form.
The part that had turned black previously was now restored to a pure white.
It looked like a piece of jade, with a faint jade-like luster on its surface.
Even the red symbol in the middle appeared more organized, complex, and bold.
‘This is…’ A thought sparked in Yu Hong’s mind.
To confirm his suspicion, he got up and fished out a piece of unused white stone from the corner.
Comparing the two, the differences became instantly clear.
The enhanced white stone in his hand was obviously of a much higher grade than the other.
The red symbol drawn on it was also far more intricate, not resembling the same pattern at all; it seemed that the enhancement process had even improved the red symbol.
'Is this enhancement… like an upgrade?' Doubts flared in Yu Hong's heart.
After careful comparison, he carefully tucked the enhanced white stone away and returned to sit on the bed.
The fever had subsided, but his strength was still lacking.
Just doing a bit of movement made him dizzy.
The wound on his back was numb; he couldn’t tell if it had worsened or healed, no mirror meant he couldn’t check.
He reached back to feel but could only touch the bandages.
It was evident someone had helped him, either the little stutterer or Doctor Xu.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it!?" Yu Hong exclaimed, looking up.
"It’s me, Doctor Xu. Is Yi Yi there?" came a familiar middle-aged voice from outside.
"She’s not here," Yu Hong answered.
"I brought her medicine. It’s placed on the ground outside the door. Remember to bring it in when she returns," Doctor Xu instructed.
"Got it," Yu Hong replied.
Quickly, he heard faint footsteps retreating, and everything fell silent again.
Yu Hong breathed a sigh of relief, using the bed for support as he stood up, taking slow steps toward the door.
The medicine was left outside, and if someone took it, it would be disastrous.
From past experience, he understood how vital medicine was in this place.
So he needed to hurry and fetch it in.
Moving step by step to the door, he reached out and grasped the doorknob.
Click.
He turned the handle halfway and suddenly froze.
He remembered the little stutterer’s final warning: Never open the door!
A sense of alarm filled him as he lowered his gaze to the gap under the door.
It was daytime, the sunlight was clear, and light leaked through the crack.
Yet, a single glance made him go rigid with fear.
Outside the door, there stood a shadow, poised right outside!
The light was blocked by the silhouette, casting slender shadows on the floor.
It was this shadow that made it clear to Yu Hong that the person was just outside, separated from him by only the door.
Still and silent, it stood there, as if waiting for him to open the door!
‘This is bad!’
An icy chill coursed through his spine, and Yu Hong slowly released the doorknob, stepping back.
He moved back step by step until reaching the center of the room, slipping his hand into his pocket to grip the enhanced white stone.
He had almost been tricked!
That voice, it had sounded exactly like Doctor Xu’s!
What the hell!
Panic surged within him, an indescribable blockage tightening his throat until he could hardly breathe.
His chest felt tight, very tight.
His fear wasn’t just from whatever that creature was outside; it was the dread of nearly being fooled into opening the door.
He stared intently at the door gap, not daring to look away.
Soon, as if realizing it couldn’t deceive him, the shadow outside silently shifted to the right and moved away.
Just as quietly as when it had arrived, the silhouette departed without making a sound.
It wasn’t until a long while after the shadow had left that Yu Hong finally managed to relax.
Breathing heavily, he still hesitated to open the door, instead quietly moving to the window.
Peering through the cracks between the thick wooden boards nailed to the window, he cautiously looked outside.
From this angle, he could see the area outside the door.
He had been out there once before and knew that the houses in this village lined both sides of a gravel path.
The house he was in was one of them.
Standing at the window, he kept his breathing low and cautiously peered through a gap in the slanted boards.
But as soon as he did…
A face—Doctor Xu's face—stared blankly at him through the gap.
She was standing at the window, watching him as he peered out through the slit!
(End of Chapter)