Chapter 262 - 254: Tried to Steal Melons, but Lost a Leg
Chapter 262: Chapter 254: Tried to Steal Melons, but Lost a Leg
"Dad, what’s wrong with you? It’s me, Da Bao!" Bai Dabao panicked too. ’Could he have been bitten by some venomous snake? Is he delirious now?’
Hearing the familiar voices of Bai Erzhu and Bai Dabao, Bai Dazhu stopped muttering and slowly raised his head to look at them. Now that they were closer, he could finally see their faces clearly. The dark smudges all over their faces were just mud, not what he had imagined.
Bai Dazhu breathed a sigh of relief, then cursed, "The state of you two! Are you trying to scare me to death?" He had already been scared stiff after being abandoned on the field ridge by Bai Dabao. For these two to suddenly appear looking like that, he had nearly jumped out of his skin.
Da Bao yelled, "Dad, you’re blaming us? We were rushing to find you, and we fell into a ditch because we were going too fast! That’s why we’re covered in mud."
Bai Erzhu reached out to help his big brother. "Let’s not worry about that now. We can talk once we’re back."
The moment Bai Erzhu tried to pull him, Bai Dazhu let out a shriek like a butchered hog. "Don’t move! Stop moving! It hurts! It hurts too much!"
Bai Dabao asked in alarm, "Dad, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?"
Bai Dazhu pointed to his leg. "My leg... my leg’s broken! If it wasn’t broken, wouldn’t I have gone back already? Would I still be waiting here for you to find me?"
’Bai Erzhu’s heart sank. His big brother had already broken his arm, and it had cost four taels of silver to heal. Now his leg was broken. They’d also offended Doctor Lu, so to get it treated, they’d have to go to a clinic in town. How much would that cost? Would the little bit of silver in their mother’s cash box even be enough?’
"Erzhu, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to carry me back. My leg hurts too much to walk."
Bai Erzhu was furious, but seeing his big brother in this state, he couldn’t bear to just leave him. He and Bai Dabao helped him up, one on each side, before he hoisted Dazhu onto his back.
The three of them hurried to the village entrance when Bai Dabao suddenly remembered something. "Oh no! We forgot the earth melons."
Bai Erzhu stopped and turned his head to look at Da Bao. "You didn’t grab a single one?"
Bai Dabao shook his head and turned to look back down the path they had just come from. The moon was now hidden by clouds, making the night even darker. As the wind blew, the sounds of the river and rustling leaves made his scalp tingle with fear.
"Not a single one. I was in too much of a hurry and didn’t even think about it."
Bai Erzhu wanted nothing more than to dump the man on his back—heavy as a mountain—and just walk off. ’This father and son duo, are they good for anything?’ Today had been a classic case of suffering a double loss, with absolutely nothing to show for it. If the villagers found out, they’d be laughed to death.
Bai Erzhu said to Da Bao, "Why don’t you go back and grab some? We can’t just go back empty-handed, can we?"
Bai Dabao shook his head frantically. "No, no way! I’m not going! Not even if you kill me!" ’The two glowing green eyes of that venomous snake were still flashing before his eyes. There was no way he’d dare go back.’
Bai Dazhu was in so much pain he felt like he was dying, and he certainly wasn’t in any state to care about some stupid earth melons. "Forget all that! Quick, get me back home! I can’t take it anymore." With every step Erzhu took, his broken leg throbbed with a pain so intense he wanted to die.
Resigned, Bai Erzhu had no choice but to carry his big brother back to the Bai family home.
Old Mrs. Bai and Liu, who had been waiting at the courtyard gate, heard Bai Dazhu’s groans from far away. He was moaning "OW, OW..." nonstop.
Old Mrs. Bai’s heart relaxed, and she smiled. "His voice is so robust. He must be fine, he must be fine."
Liu wiped the tears from her face, smiling and nodding. "As long as he’s okay, as long as he’s okay."