keep this doctor

The north wind was still howling outside, the door panels and window lattices were shaking from time to time, and the room was quiet.Shen Ji maintained the posture of standing against the wall, and he was worried and confused: for a moment, he thought about his elder brother going out of the city gate in the wind and snow that was full of the city, rushing towards the camp, and then whether he was going to put on the armor and waist knife soon What about long guns and going into battle to resist the enemy?

And the third brother and the second brother, they said they would rush back to the general's mansion first, so where will they be assigned next?They definitely won't be too leisurely, seeing how serious their expressions were before they left... Could it be that the number of enemy attacks this time is too large, and the front is already bleeding like a river?

Thinking of those bloody and dangerous scenes, Shen Ji became worried, his face wrinkled into a [-]-fold bun.

"Hey...they haven't eaten enough yet, so they will definitely suffer a disadvantage on the battlefield. They are hungry and have no strength to fight. If I had known earlier, I would tell them not to drink, and eat their fill first—no, if I had known earlier, how could they go home? It's the winter solstice, I'm really confused..." Shen Ji muttered to himself, momentarily annoyed and momentarily blamed himself.

When he calmed down and sat down again listlessly, all the food was completely cold: the stewed mutton with angelica had a thin layer of oil floating on it, the braised pork ribs was covered with thick white lard, and the dumplings and roast mutton were also No exception.

Forget it, I don’t have the appetite to continue eating anyway.Shen Ji pulled himself together, took all the dishes on the table away, and washed the dishes slowly. As for the wrapped glutinous rice balls, just put them in the sieve, anyway, they won't be broken. Let's talk when you feel like it.

After finishing all the work that could be seen outside, Shen Ji walked around the room a few times irritably.At this time, the sound of the horn could no longer be heard. It is expected that everyone in the city already knew the news of the enemy's attack.I don't know how ordinary people here view this kind of thing, why haven't I heard it mentioned before?Could it be a taboo?

I can't calm down, I want to find someone to talk to, and there is no one!Apart from him, Xiaotu was the only one in the house, but it was a pity that when it was dark, Xiaotu would hide in the nest when he was full, and waited until he was full of sleep to go out for a walk and have fun the next day.Shen Ji could only find something for himself to do——

He flipped through several books on the table in turn, but he couldn’t read a single word, let alone the “Lingshu” which he couldn’t understand when he was calm and absorbed in it; let’s practice calligraphy, unfortunately, his hand is unsteady and distracted Underneath, all the big characters are out of shape, without charm, dumb and dumb, just look at it and feel ashamed!

Hey, why don't you prepare more wound medicines!Shen Ji's eyes lit up, and he immediately put away all the pens, ink, papers and inkstones on the table.Turn around and take the medicine box off the shelf.

A while ago, he prepared a large bottle of Jinchuang medicine, and took great pains to find two special flexible and strong sheepskin bags, which were waterproof and could withstand beatings. The prepared Jinchuang medicine was divided into two parts, poured in and tied up I gave it to the eldest brother and the third brother respectively—fortunately, I gave it to them early in the morning, otherwise, if it was delayed for a few days, I would regret it now.

There are still some medicinal materials left over from the last time I bought them. The Jinchuang medicine he prepared is mainly used to treat knife wounds, blood flow or bruises and pains.Shen Ji lit a fire in the small stove specially used for concocting medicinal materials, poured the remaining nuxe into it, and kept stirring it, the slowly rising and dense medicinal fragrance permeated the room, finally calming him down slowly.

Early the next morning, he had something on his mind and couldn't sleep. After getting up, he hurriedly heated up a bowl of dumplings left over from last night and finished eating them. After leaving food for Xiaotu in front of the hearth before going out, Shen Ji couldn't wait to get on his horse to go out.

Maybe it was still early, and there were not many people outside, but from the faces of the few passers-by, it could be seen that they were quite natural, without the panic and extreme uneasiness that Shen Ji imagined.This made him somewhat relaxed.He was frightened by the days of war and chaos in his hometown, and he was very worried about seeing the scene of civilians being displaced, panicked, and running away as soon as the war broke out.

When they arrived at the medical center, Shen Ji led his horse in through the back door, fastened his own horse and walked quickly towards the front hall. Unfortunately, Sun An and the others hadn't arrived yet, so Shen Ji's original idea of ​​inquiring about the news immediately couldn't be helped. implemented.

"Shen Ji, you came quite early. That's right. Young people have to be motivated. They can't be lazy because of the cold weather. That's too lazy. I think back when I was studying medicine with a teacher, I got up at dawn. You have to boil water and wash your face for Master, and you are enjoying the blessings now, it’s different." Dongfang Yan was shaking his head while holding a teacup to stretch his muscles and bones.

"Morning Dongfang doctor, I, I only get up so early occasionally... Sometimes it's very late, and it's definitely not comparable to your old man." Shen Ji explained with some embarrassment, he paused, or Couldn't help but ask:

"Doctor Dongfang, did you hear the sound of the horn last night? Excuse me, I just came to Hezhou not long ago, and I was a little puzzled—"

Dongfang Yan waved his hand and said gently: "I can't blame you for not knowing that this is the first time the horn has sounded since the beginning of winter. Our Hezhou is like this. It is different from other places. Who made Hezhou and Jin Guo get so close? How many years of old grudges, there will be one from time to time. If you hear the sound of the horn in the future, don’t be afraid. It tells us that there is another war, the whole city is under martial law, and there is no waist card or travel documents, then you are Can't go out of town."

Shen Ji asked: "Does this happen often? How long does it usually last?"

"How can this be accurate, those hateful gold thieves, will he tell you in advance when he wants to sneak attack? It's fine if he wins, three to five days, ten days, eight days, months, months , it’s all possible.” Dongfang Yan explained with a smile, and at the end he gave a few words of comfort:

"Haven't you ever been frightened? In fact, there is no need to be afraid. The Zhenbei Army is very strong and brave. In the battle more than ten years ago, there were only a few people in the Zhenbei Army at that time. The gold thieves broke through the city." The door rushed in, but it was not wiped out in the end. So, don't be afraid, do what you have to do!"

Shen Ji wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that the old doctor had put down the teacup and was about to do something, he had no choice but to step aside and not disturb him any more.

"Morning Dongfang Doctor, Xiao Ji, have you had breakfast? My mother fried steamed buns for me, do you want to try them?" Chen Li's nose was red from the cold, and he rushed into the inner room with a few big strides. I jumped up and down several times, shaking off the snowflakes all over my body.

"Well, you're early too. Steamed buns are delicious. Unfortunately, the old man has a weak spleen and stomach and can't digest them. You young people can eat them." Dongfang Yan smiled and watched Chen Li hold the steamed buns wrapped in handkerchiefs in front of him. film, declined.

Chen Li smiled, put his hand back in front of Shen Ji's nose, and asked him brightly: "Then do you want to eat it, Xiao Ji? Does anyone in your hometown make steamed buns?"

Shen Ji smelled the tempting aroma of steamed buns, couldn't help but dragged people to the back hall, he picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, smashed it a few times, and asked hesitantly:

"Egg wash and pepper?"

"Hehehe, yes, I like the smell of pepper, and my mother will sprinkle some on whatever she gives me." Chen Li smiled until his eyes narrowed, and only after seeing Shen Ji's envious eyes did he think of his friend's parents He had already passed away, and after realizing it, he quickly changed the topic a little bluntly:

"Why haven't Dashan and the little monkey come yet? They will definitely be scolded soon."

Shen Ji was also a little puzzled: "Brother An is always early, maybe there is something wrong this time." After finishing speaking, he hurriedly asked again:

"Hey, did you hear the sound of the horn last night? Tell me what's going on. To be honest, I think it's scary..."

Chen Li put his arm around his companion's shoulders, shook it vigorously, and said hesitantly: "Of course I heard it, everyone in the city can hear it as long as they are not deaf. Well... last night, last night, didn't your brother and the others talk about returning Is the winter solstice at home? Then they later...?"

Shen Ji tilted his head, rubbed his hands on his knees, and replied uneasily: "Yes, they left when they heard the sound of the horn, I, I'm really worried, Brother Chen, tell me, is it already fighting? "

Chen Li scratched his head, looked up at the roof, and replied uncertainly: "If the gold thieves are coming, then we must stop them, and there will definitely be a fight. But you don't have to worry too much. It's quite common, really! In times of crisis, all the young and middle-aged men in the city will go to the barracks to help. My dad went there when he was young, but he just helped to lift the wounded soldiers, transport stones and so on After winning the battle, my father got a reward and a waist knife..."

Shen Ji raised his ears and listened carefully, for fear of missing a word, he finally asked:

"Why do you notify the people with great fanfare during a war? What should you do if there is a turmoil? I also experienced a war in my hometown before. Everyone ran around and messed up everywhere. It was impossible to live a normal life."

Hearing this, Chen Li raised his head and proudly replied: "That's because of your lack of experience and cowardice, so you are in such a mess. We in Hezhou are different. We fight every year, big and small. Can we be afraid? We have not been afraid for a long time. In a critical moment, no matter men, women, young or old, they dare to rush up to defend the city with a hatchet and pole, and those who are afraid of death are not Hezhou people!"

Uh, is that so?

Shen Ji felt underestimated, touched his nose, and was a little embarrassed, but he wanted to refute and explain but couldn't find any strong reason - the local people in Hezhou are indeed brave and fearless, which is also true, so he had to ignore it and listen to his friend continue .

"...Anyway, don't be afraid. When there is a series of firecrackers outside, it means that the Zhenbei Army has returned from victory. Anyone in the city who can afford the firecrackers will release them. Let's celebrate... "Chen Li talked for a long time, his mouth was dry, and Shen Ji handed over a cup of tea with great eyesight.

"Set off the firecrackers...then I know..." Shen Ji kept these words in mind thoughtfully, he knew that only after successfully repelling the golden soldiers, the eldest brother and the third brother could come back.

**

One day has passed, two days have passed, three days have passed since the sound of the horn was heard on the night of the winter solstice—but Shen Ji still did not hear the "series of firecrackers" coming from outside.He had prepared a set of firecrackers long ago, and specially placed them in a conspicuous place in the hall, just waiting for the army to return from victory, so that he could light the firecrackers with everyone and celebrate.

While waiting anxiously, time passed so slowly.

Shen Ji even felt that he had the symptoms of auditory hallucinations: when the dry wood "beeped" when cooking, his heart would thump, and he always thought it was the sound of firecrackers; when reading a book, the wick flickered and burst into a flower , He couldn't help but thump in his heart, as if he heard the sound of firecrackers again.

In the tossing and turning sleep at night, my mind is full of a series of "cracking, crackling" cheerful and festive firecrackers.

Until the evening of the fifth day, when Shen Ji returned home after a tiring day, and was eating a bowl of noodles lazily, he heard the vague sound of firecrackers again, just like in a dream, coming from far away It's like it's coming.

——It's over, I also have auditory hallucinations during the day, and I have to cook a soothing soup tonight.

When Shen Ji was worrying about his "auditory hallucinations", suddenly there was a louder sound of firecrackers, "Crackling... crackling...", he immediately put down his chopsticks, closed his ears and listened.

Not long after, the sound of firecrackers outside has become one, extremely clear, mixed with many cheers and shouts.Shen Ji jumped up, opened the door and rushed outside, and found that the neighbors were stepping on chairs to hang the firecrackers on the treetops, and said beamingly: "Oh, our Zhenbei Army is really amazing. It’s a victory! Zhuzi’s mother, hurry up and bring the torches, our family will also come to celebrate and congratulate those brave sons!”

——Hahahahaha...the battle has been won!Oh, oh, I have to take out my firecrackers too!

In ecstasy, Shen Ji turned his head and ran back to the house, holding firecrackers and firecrackers in a hurry. There was no tree in front of their house, so they had to hang on the courtyard wall.Shen Ji was so happy that his hands were shaking, it took him a while to successfully ignite the fuse, and then he quickly backed away to the open space.

Sure enough, the sound of firecrackers became one, the city was full of fiery debris and gunpowder smoke, and there were laughter and laughter everywhere—this is Hezhou.

Shen Ji closed the door of his house and followed the crowd to the street to see the soldiers who had returned from victory, but unfortunately he was done, and the soldiers who returned to the city with the news of victory had already rode away.But he was not disappointed either. He happily stood in the crowd and let go of his throat, shouting and laughing, and they didn't disperse until they had gathered for a while.

Unexpectedly, after he returned home and waited patiently for another three days, the eldest brother and the third brother were still silent, not even a message.

How is this going?Could it be...are they injured?So can't make it back?

When Shen Ji was fidgeting and anxiously trying to find someone after guessing to no avail, Wang Quan, the steward of Yong'an Inn, came to the door, and the first sentence he spoke was:

"The third master didn't want me to tell you, but we can't hide this matter."