gnovel 0018 Boiling Water
0018 Boiling Water
The late Ming Dynasty.
The village of Jiyun was bustling with people, and the air was filled with the aroma of food, a mixture of oil and rice porridge that had been cooked until it blossomed.
Not long after Zhu Shiting left, the leaders of the other three villages, surnamed Wang, Lin, and Li, each led a dozen or so clansmen over mountains and valleys to meet him.
As soon as they arrived at Jiyun Village, the leaders of the three villages were dumbfounded!
The notorious second-in-command of Zhoujiazhai was now behaving with utmost respect, working alongside the eldest daughter of the Sun family to distribute rice porridge and sizzling, oily pork slices to the villagers.
With a scoop of their large spoons, the thick rice porridge could be stretched into a sticky paste in the pot.
Add to that the large slices of meat sprinkled with salt and various spices, and the Sun family members who were eating around the dam, either squatting or standing, with their faces full of enjoyment, carrying various broken bowls, wooden plates, and bamboo tubes.
The people from the three villages were stunned by the scene as soon as they arrived. They stood to the side, their throats bobbing, and they desperately swallowed their saliva as they stared at the several large iron pots.
"Sister-in-law Wang Feng, Brother Yu Jie, Grandpa Li, don't just stand there!"
"Come on, scoop some up and eat with us!"
Sun Lu was very generous at this moment, inviting people from the three villages to join the open-air banquet.
"Young lady of the Sun family, were all these gifts from that immortal?"
The leader of Wangjiazhai was a middle-aged woman named Wang Feng. She had a somewhat fierce appearance, with thick, long hands and feet. She was taller than all the men in the village and was truly an anomaly among the people.
As soon as she spoke, Sun Lu nodded and said, "Before returning to Heaven, the Immortal Lord instructed that everyone should eat their fill first, as he will descend to the mortal realm later to treat Brother Zhou Gang's gunshot wound."
The other two young leaders of Linjia Village, Lin Yujie, and the elderly man surnamed Li elected by Lijia Village, both changed their expressions upon hearing the word "gun wound".
Looking at Zhou Gang, who was unconscious under the eaves, the leaders of each family, each with their own thoughts, ate and chatted nearby.
The conversation was all about that divine being.
Some people inquired about what the other person looked like and what supernatural abilities he possessed.
Some people also remarked on how delicious the rice porridge and stir-fried pork were, saying that after adding the finely ground salt and gray spices (Thirteen Spices), the taste was even better than the bear paws and monkey brains that emperors ate in storybooks.
Although they had never tasted bear paws and monkey brains, they figured they couldn't possibly be much better than the food bestowed by the immortals.
……
More than a hundred people gathered together, each holding a bowl and plate, eating for almost half an hour.
Because the mountain people had been starving for so long and hadn't eaten such flavorful meat for years, they were so full that they lined up to scoop out some scraps from the big iron pot.
They were afraid that once that immortal deity left, they would never be able to taste this divine delicacy again.
Seeing this, Sun Lu reassured everyone, saying, "Before the immortal left, he instructed that as long as we are willing to follow his arrangements, our villages will have rice porridge for every meal from now on! Don't upset your stomach by eating too much and miss the next meal."
As she spoke, Sun Lu pointed to the pile of Wuchang rice under the eaves.
With this rice, the previously quiet crowd immediately became restless.
"Thank you, divine being!"
"If I could have rice porridge every meal, I would be willing to die for a god."
"Indeed! It is truly a blessing from heaven that such divine food is bestowed upon us lowly people."
Everyone was expressing their gratitude to that divine being.
Some people even kowtowed repeatedly to the void, bowing again and again.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Sun Lu patiently explained the rules that Zhu Shiting had previously explained.
First, she repeatedly emphasized that one should not kneel before a deity.
You may bow and make a gesture of respect, but you must not kneel or kowtow, lest you offend the immortals.
Secondly, it is necessary to keep the village clean and hygienic, and it is forbidden to urinate or defecate anywhere. If you need to relieve yourself, you must go to the latrine that has been dug, because it is said that doing so can prevent the spread of plague.
Finally, he instructed the mountain people that they must drink boiled water to quench their thirst in the future.
"The immortal sage said that there are insects and pests in the water that we mortals cannot see. In order to prevent diseases from entering through the mouth, we must drink boiled water." Sun Lu repeated Zhu Shiting's words to everyone.
"Young lady of the Sun family, are there also pests and diseases in the rootless water that falls from the sky?" Wang Feng asked curiously, her eyes shining.
The leader of Wangjiazhai had some basic medical knowledge, and the villagers would go to Wangjiazhai to get herbal medicine for treatment if they had any injuries, illnesses, or stomach aches.
Upon hearing about the immortal's medical and pathological teachings, Wang Feng couldn't wait to immediately become a disciple of that immortal and learn and improve.
"The immortal said that all water in the mortal world contains insects, and rainwater falling from the clouds and getting stained with dust is no exception." Sun Lu recalled what Zhu Shiting had said and patiently explained it to this sister-in-law of the Wang family.
"So there were pests and diseases in the water!"
"No wonder my husband had stomach aches for several days after drinking stream water last time."
"Many thanks to the immortals for their guidance!"
The mountain people stirred up another commotion.
They live in the mountains and mostly drink water from mountain streams, so they are bound to suffer from parasites or symptoms such as abdominal coldness and diarrhea.
Previously unaware of the reason, they were all deeply grateful to the deity after learning the principle.
Just then, Zhu Shiting, who had just purchased the medicines and medical equipment, suddenly appeared under the eaves.
The three leaders who had arrived later and were still discussing him all stared wide-eyed at the sight of this miraculous transformation!
"A celestial being has descended to earth!"
"Welcome, Immortal!"
The village was in an uproar as the villagers rose to greet him.
Seeing this, Zhu Shiting nodded to everyone, then instructed Zhou Ren and Sun Lu to arrange for people to clear out a thatched hut and carry Zhou Gang on a stretcher inside.
"I have already obtained some spiritual medicine from several fellow immortals. Next, I will treat Zhou Gang's gunshot wound."
"Is there anyone in the village skilled in needlework and needle picking? I need someone to help me," Zhu Shiting asked, looking around at everyone.
Upon hearing this, Sun Lu hurriedly recommended the middle-aged woman beside her: "Immortal, this is Sister-in-law Wang Feng from Wangjia Village. She is skilled in traditional Chinese medicine and can assist you."
Upon seeing this, Wang Feng hurriedly stepped forward and humbly bowed, saying, "To be honest, Your Excellency, I have treated dozens of cases of barbed wounds for my clansmen, and I am quite skilled at removing barbs."
The mountains and forests are full of thorns and wild brambles. Living in such an environment year after year, it is natural to be pricked by thorns.
In addition, Wang Feng wanted to see up close how the gods of Heaven healed the gunshot wound, so she mustered up her courage and volunteered.
"Wang Feng, right? Then I'll choose you. Once you're inside, just listen to my instructions."
Zhu Shiting glanced at the other party, then teleported back to the warehouse and brought back several large old-fashioned thermos flasks. He then instructed Sun Lu to boil a large pot of water and fill them with the thermos flasks.
Then, amidst the curious onlookers of the mountain villagers, he led a few young and strong men from Zhoujiazhai, carrying various supplies he had prepared beforehand, into the empty thatched hut.
Zhu Shiting took out disposable masks and medical gloves he had bought at a pharmacy in Taoshan Town and instructed Wang Feng, the chief surgeon, to put them on as well.
"These...these are all items from a divine healer?"
"What are these gloves made of? They can change size just like Sun Wukong's golden cudgel, and they feel like you're wearing a layer of gel when you put them on."
Wang Feng was filled with curiosity, just like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden. She looked at the various medical instruments that Zhu Shiting had taken out and didn't recognize a single one of them.
Zhu Shiting didn't have the patience to explain the uses of these utensils to this Ming Dynasty woman.
Considering that saving lives was the priority, he brought over a desk from the office in the modern warehouse, laid a spring quilt on it, and covered it with a plastic tablecloth. He then instructed the Zhou family members to lift the patient onto the desk in a prone position and to hold down Zhou Gang's limbs tightly to prevent him from waking up and struggling.
Seeing that the room was somewhat dark, Zhu Shiting took a high-powered flashlight and hung it on the roof beam to serve as a light source.
At this moment, Sun Lu brought in the boiled water that had already been boiled. Upon seeing this, Zhu Shiting took out scissors and cut open the clothes on Zhou Gang's back. He first used the boiled water to wash the patient's back, and then used alcohol and iodine to wipe the bowl-sized purplish-black sore.
He took out the scalpel blade he bought from the clinic, packed it up, disinfected it in alcohol, and finally handed it to Wang Feng.
As a complete novice with only theoretical knowledge and no practical experience, it's best for him not to try and show off at this point.
If you accidentally cut an unfamiliar blood vessel or organ, wouldn't you be exposed on the spot?
So, in order to maintain his immortal persona, Zhu Shiting used a pre-prepared excuse to explain to the Zhou family villagers who were standing there like wooden statues: "There is a difference between immortals and mortals. According to the rules of the Heavenly Court, I cannot personally treat you mortals. This time, I am using your mortal hands to save lives, which is already an exception."
Upon hearing that the celestial lord had gone to great lengths to defy the laws of Heaven in order to save his brother's life, Zhou Ren was so moved that he trembled all over. He held back his sobs and pressed down on Zhou Gang's arm as if he were a pig.
After hearing this brainwashing rhetoric, regardless of whether he could save his brother this time, Zhou Ren and the eighty soldiers stationed in Zhoujia Village to defend against Japanese pirates would have to serve this god-like lord in the future.
Seeing that he had gained another wave of goodwill from the Zhou family, Zhu Shiting nodded slightly with a smile.
Then, he laid out all the medicines and gauze he had prepared beforehand and began his verbal command of this late Ming Dynasty gunshot wound surgery: "Sister Wang, I will draw a circle on Zhou Gang's back later. You just need to dig out all the diseased flesh inside the circle."
"This scalpel is extremely sharp. When you make the incision, use a light touch, like picking out a splinter. Once you've removed that fragment of the gun pellet, the job will be mostly done!"
Wang Feng's hands trembled upon hearing this: "Huh? They're going to cut him alive like that? Cutting such a big chunk of flesh off his back... then Zhou Gang still has a chance of surviving?"