Next to the study courtyard are two guest courtyards, which contain guest rooms fully equipped with everything needed, allowing Brother Cheng to recover well.
"Old Sheng, you follow and watch over Brother Cheng, and wait for him to wake up before saying more."
Brother Cheng is not yet ten years old, and children under ten are prone to dying young. Master Ouyang is worried about Brother Cheng and has Doctor Sheng follow and watch over him. He hands a box to Doctor Sheng that he took down from the bookshelf: "The brothers have external injuries on their bodies; use alcohol to clean their wounds and then apply wound medicine."
The box contains alcohol and antiseptic medicine sent by Little Xiao Yu. The combined use of these two items is much more effective than the wound medicine from the Capital.
"Yes," Doctor Sheng responds, taking the box.
Gu Jinâan hugs Brother Cheng and thanks Master Ouyang: "Thank you, Master."
Knowing better than to delay, he hurriedly carries Brother Cheng to the guest room next door, being cautious of disturbing the wounds on Brother Chengâs back.
Master Ouyang doesnât follow them but sends two nannies to the guest room to assist.
Upon entering the guest room, Doctor Sheng says: "Young Master Gu, lay the young man flat on the bed, remove his clothes, and let me wash his wounds before applying medicine."
Gu Jinâan quickly complies, yet Brother Chengâs injuries are serious. His undergarments are torn apart, with fabric embedded into the flesh of his wounds. Gu Jinâan and Doctor Sheng wet the clothes with warm water before carefully peeling them off.
Doctor Sheng washes Brother Chengâs back wounds with clean warm water and white cotton cloth before wiping them with alcohol, then applies antiseptic medicine.
Doctor Sheng: "Itâs done. Put a garment on the young man and let him sleep in this position."
"Young Master Gu, these are clean clothes sent by the Second Old Master." A nanny hands over the new clothes: "There are no childrenâs clothes in the house, these are slightly big, but let the young man make do with them for now."
Gu Jinâan nods, takes the clothes, seeing they are soft Chouduan undergarments, feeling more at ease putting them on Brother Cheng.
Brother Chengâs wounds benefit from him wearing Chouduan undergarments.
Gu Jinâan carefully avoids Brother Chengâs back wounds, dresses him, and places a hand on Brother Chengâs forehead, frowning: "Doctor Sheng, Brother Cheng is still feverish, please check his pulse to ensure he doesnât become muddled from the fever."
"Alright." Doctor Sheng checks Brother Chengâs pulse and says: "Young Master Gu doesnât need to worry. The young man has improved a lot; after taking medicine, the fever will completely subside if nothing unexpected occurs."
He already administered a round of acupuncture, significantly lowering the fever. With a few more doses of medicine, itâll likely be enough.
Doctor Sheng looks at Gu Jinâanâs expression, seeing heâs genuinely concerned for Brother Cheng, and adds: "Young Master Gu, rest assured, the young man has a strong constitution; though he has a tendency to startle easily, he can endure this."
This Gu Family young man likely had congenital weaknesses, suffered greatly after birth, but fortunately raised a strong constitution later, thus can withstand illness.
Despite hearing this, Gu Jinâan is still uneasy, asking further: "In the village, many children have brain issues after a high fever... My Brother Cheng will be fine, right?"
Doctor Sheng: "Young Master Gu, rest assured, the young manâs high fever was suppressed soon after it started, it wonât damage his brain."
Only now does Gu Jinâan breathe a sigh of relief, knowing he couldnât forgive himself if Brother Chengâs fever caused permanent harm.
But just as he relaxes, he hears sobbing, rushing to check on Brother Cheng... The little fellow lies on the bed, eyes tightly shut, tears rolling down his face, his mouth convulsing with sobs, appearing incredibly aggrieved.
Gu Jinâanâs eyes redden, quickly holding Brother Cheng and gently strokes his head: "Donât cry, donât cry, big brother is here... Itâs big brotherâs fault, shouldnât blame Brother Cheng; Cheng is a good child."
Brother Cheng, in a daze, doesnât hear Gu Jinâanâs words and continues crying with eyes closed, tears streaming, truly appearing aggrieved.
Seeing this, Gu Jinâan is very anxious, turning to Doctor Sheng for help: "Doctor Sheng, please save Brother Cheng!"
Gu Jinâan previously saw Cheng this way, when they were back home, when Brother Cheng faced severe beatings and scoldings from the Old Gu Family during the day and cried continuously at night without waking.
Doctor Sheng says: "Heâs been possessed; Iâll perform acupuncture to let him sleep deeply."
With that, he takes out silver needles and administers several on Brother Cheng, who then sleeps soundly.
Though Brother Cheng sleeps peacefully, tears rise in Gu Jinâanâs eyes, pressed down to prevent them from falling... Ever since he grew sensible, he vowed to protect his sisters and younger brother, not allowing them to suffer the slightest hardship; yet today, Brother Cheng suffered greatly because of him.
Ah Song has returned with the medicinal herbs, currently brewing them under the eaves.
The herbal decoction takes considerable time to brew, so itâs over an hour before Brother Cheng is able to take medicine.
Gu Jinâan doesnât dare delay, blowing the decoction to a drinkable temperature and quickly feeding it to Brother Cheng.
Doctor Sheng: "... Young Master Gu doesnât need to rush; you can take your time."
Gu Jinâan would prefer not to force-feed, but: "Feeding with a spoon loses more than gets consumed; forcing it down ensures more ingestion and quicker medicinal effect."
Doctor Sheng refrains from saying more, and after more than a quarter of an hour, Gu Jinâan says: "Doctor Sheng, please check Brother Chengâs pulse."
Doctor Sheng is somewhat helpless, saying: "Young Master Gu, no need to be so anxious, the medicine takes at least an hour to take effect."
Pulse checks so soon yield little.
However, aware of Gu Jinâanâs care for his brother, he approaches Brother Cheng to check his forehead, saying: "The fever has further subsided, rest assured, Young Master Gu."
Gu Jinâan nods, anxiously waiting, asking Doctor Sheng to check the pulse as soon as an hour passes.
Doctor Sheng is resigned but understanding Gu Family brothers came through hardship together, their significant age difference leading the older brother to care for the younger, he says nothing, promptly checking Brother Chengâs pulse.
He carefully checks, seeing he has no other choiceâcarelessness isnât an option, lest Gu Jinâan request multiple checks: "Yes, the medicine is effective, matches the symptoms well, and the young man is recovering well. Let him sleep well and he should wake at the latest by tonight."
"Tonight heâll wake?" Gu Jinâan looks at the newly bright morning sky, furrowing his brows tightly.
Doctor Sheng: "If quickly, he could wake by morning, Young Master Gu doesnât need to worry."
Ah Song adds: "Doctor Sheng is right; Brother An neednât be anxious, things canât be rushed. The Second Old Master has already instructed me to visit Da Feng Village after Chen Hour to explain to your parents that you brothers need to assist him for several days. Donât worry about the family finding out."
Originally, Brother Chengâs illness shouldnât be hidden from Gu Dashan and his wife, but its cause is related to Third Miss. With the marriage unsettled, the Second Old Master doesnât want too many people knowing, hence the secrecy.