Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Controlling the Second Aunt
"Talking to herself? And then, when you tried to communicate with her, she didn’t speak? Uncle, how can you say something so contradictory?"
"She was just talking to herself, but when I tried to communicate with her, there was just no getting through. I began to suspect she was cursed by some evil spell. Could it be, she really encountered something supernatural?"
"Uncle, what are you talking about? How could such a thing happen out of nowhere? Right, you mentioned Aunt went up the mountain yesterday, didn’t you?"
"Yes, she went up the mountain yesterday, and I’m not sure what exactly happened, but today she began showing symptoms of aversion to cold and chills."
"Aversion to cold and chills? Doesn’t that just mean she caught a cold on the mountain? But, you’re saying her mental state seems a little abnormal. Let’s go, I’ll come with you to see what’s going on."
As he spoke, he walked over, picked up his first aid kit, slung it over his shoulder, and followed Uncle’s steps as they left the village.
Uncle and Aunt were just simple farmers, with only some basic illnesses common in older people; none of which were life-threatening.
Just as they approached the doorway, Liu Zheng heard a scream from inside. Hearing it, he immediately became flustered and hurriedly ran inside.
Liu Zheng was just following behind when, before he even entered the room, he heard the sound of something shattering.
"Oh dear, my partner, what have you done now?"
Upon entering the room, Uncle immediately saw that everything breakable in the room had been smashed, and at that moment, Aunt was cowering in a corner like a frightened, or a guilt-ridden child, shaking uncontrollably.
"Aunt, do you recognize me? It’s Liu Zheng."
He approached quietly, but Aunt acted as if she saw a stranger, burying her head between her knees, desperately trying not to make a sound.
"Liu Zheng, don’t come any closer. See how she is? She’s terrified of strangers. This has been her state since yesterday morning after she came back from the mountain – that’s when this ailment struck her."
"This is a clear sign of neurological shock. If that’s the case, I need to administer medication right now and give her an injection. After that, we should be able to temporarily control her condition, but even after temporary relief, she may need long-term treatment."
"Neurological shock? How could this happen? Could it be, as I said, that she encountered something unclean, something that scared her this much?"
"We can’t jump to any conclusions just yet. Oh, hold on a moment."
While speaking, Liu Zheng placed the first aid kit aside and then took out a white syringe.
"Uncle, no matter what, you’ll have to be firm and hold her down on the bed. Only after I inject this into her can we temporarily control her symptoms."
"Alright, I understand, don’t worry."
Upon hearing this, Uncle nodded, then walked over and picked up Aunt in his arms. One could see Aunt struggling ceaselessly in his embrace, but ultimately, as a woman, she could not match the strength of a man.
Somehow they managed to pin Aunt down on the bed, and then he quickly proceeded to inject the medicine into her muscle.
The effect was indeed pronounced. As the liquid was injected, he noticed her struggles began to diminish.
"Is this... is this taking effect?"
"Yes, it’s a fast-acting drug. It takes effect immediately after injection. Aunt, Aunt?"
He gently shook her body, and at that moment, the woman seemed to change her expression completely as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Liu Zheng, you... you’ve come?"
"Aunt, tell me, did you go up the mountain yesterday?"
"Yes, I went up the mountain, really I did. Liu Zheng, I’m telling you, it was terrifying. You must not go, absolutely must not go!"
Just mentioning the mountain seemed to noticeably increase her tension, and even now as she spoke, her voice shook with fear.
"Okay, Aunt, I won’t go. But tell me, what exactly did you encounter on the mountain?"
"Ghosts, there were ghosts, and also wild men, there were wild men too."
"What? Ghosts and wild men? What does that mean? Aunt, what exactly happened?"
"I saw them, I saw people who had died before; they’re all up in the mountains now."
"People who had died before? Aunt, you need to be clearer, those dead people..."
"The old man with white hair, and, and the tramp, both of them were in the mountains, and they moved so fast, they just flashed by in front of me."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng furrowed his brow, not expecting all these events to be connected to these two individuals.
"Aunt, do you mean they’re now on the mountain?"
"Yes, they’re on the mountain, on the mountain, and you all must not go, absolutely must not go."
"Understood, Aunt. I’ll prepare some calming medicine for you to take regularly. Also, remember not to leave the house for a while, just stay at home and rest quietly. In 7 days, you should be fine."
"Don’t go up the mountain, you must not go up the mountain, must not..."
Although Liu Zheng was giving her medical advice, Aunt seemed not to hear him at all and kept repeating her own words.
"Uncle, I’ll write out the prescription for you. Then you can get the medicine from my clinic. Just make sure she takes it twice a day as I’ve instructed, and this should be under control in 7 days. Right now, she’s just frightened and there shouldn’t be any serious issues."
"Okay, I got it. Liu Zheng, what’s really going on? And why does she keep talking about those two people being on the mountain? We villagers said that we saw them around the village before. So why did she see them on the mountain?"
"It might be a hallucination. Also, remember, Uncle, you must not spread the word about this. If it gets out, she will no longer be able to stay in the village peacefully. Do you understand?"
"Sigh, I know, I know. That’s why I came to find you in such a hurry and didn’t tell anyone else."
