"True or false, you have to try it to know." Old Luo said, "Co on, old brother, let help you rub it."
"How can I let you help ? I’ll have my wife do it."
"No worries, no worries, between us brothers, you’ve always treated like an elder brother. I still rember when I first hit the docks pulling ropes, not knowing the rules and suffering a lot of hidden losses, it was you who gave many pointers and taught techniques. You never minded my lack of strength, sharing a rope with . Old brother, I’ve rembered all the good you’ve done for . Co, let’s rub the dicine."
"It hurts a lot, doesn’t it? I’ll rub it gently."
"I’m not afraid of pain, even if it kills , it doesn’t matter." Old Chen said, "What I’m most afraid of is lying here half-dead on this bed."
"No rush, take it slow, it’ll get better."
Uncle Luo rembered Chun Nuan’s instructions, using his hand to probe which places hurt.
"Yes, yes, right there, it hurts when you press it."
"Old sister-in-law, help get a hot towel for a warm compress first." Old Luo said, "After the warm compress, then we’ll rub the dicinal wine."
"Old Luo, brother, you’re making feel embarrassed."
Seeing Old Luo seriously apply the compress and then rub the dicinal wine, he felt very awkward.
"What are you saying? I’ve already told you, I see you as my blood brother." Old Luo said, "Old sister-in-law, you should also watch rub it, I’ll teach you. Later on, you rub it for our big brother three tis a day, make sure to keep at it for a few days to see the effect."
"Alright, alright, I’ll learn." Eldest Sister-in-law Chen was quite pleased hearing that it worked: "Uncle Luo, where did you get this dicinal wine from, how much is it per bottle, I’ll pay you."
"Old sister-in-law, what money? It’s not worth much, we’ll see how effective it is first. If it works, I’ll beg that expert for two more prescriptions to regulate our elder brother."
"That would be great."
Eldest Sister-in-law Chen was even more grateful.
"Little brother, why does it feel a bit burning?"
After rubbing for a while, Old Chen started to feel sothing.
"The burning feeling is right, let tell you, old brother, later it will itch too, it will itch so much that it feels like all your pores are opening up, which is very soothing. These are normal reactions showing it’s working, you must bear with it."
"Alright, I’ll bear with it."
The brothers were discussing the pain and the effects of the dicine when suddenly lightning illuminated the whole room.
"Another thunderstorm is coming."
"Yeah, this weather is like a baby’s face, changes just like that." Old Luo said, "The weather’s changing, I should be heading back, if it gets later I might not be able to leave."
"Stay for lunch here." Eldest Sister-in-law Chen quickly said, "You were so thoughtful bringing dicinal wine to Brother Chen, you must stay for a al, thunderstorms co and go, after a couple of downpours the sky will clear up, it won’t delay your return."
"Yes, stay for lunch." Old Chen quickly added, "These days you’re not working at the docks pulling ropes, you have nothing else to do, just keep company, I haven’t been out in days, almost don’t know what it looks like outside now..."
"Well..."
Before he could finish, there was another thunder, followed by rain pouring down like beans.
"This rain ca down fiercely." Eldest Sister-in-law Chen ran outside to collect the drying clothes, but ended up getting soaking wet and ran back: "The river will probably swell again."
"It’s coming down hard and fast, the brothers pulling ropes by the river will suffer."
"Indeed." Old Luo also sighed, "People in our line of work depend on the heavens to make a living."
"See, even the sky wants you to stay." Old Chen looked at the water pouring from the eaves like a waterfall, "Let’s have a good chat, brother."
"Then I’ll shalessly stay for a al."
"What are you saying about shaless? We’ve been brothers for years, you haven’t left a al at my house yet." Old Chen said, "You’re so thoughtful bringing dicinal wine... and to be honest, it’s really starting to itch now, itching so much that it feels like all my pores are open."
"Then it’s showing effects. Old brother, listen to , you must rember to rub the dicinal wine, do it three tis a day for a few days and it will surely improve."
"May your words be prophetic. I even don’t say pulling ropes by the river again, just being able to walk on the ground would be good."
"It will, it certainly will."
The brothers talked about so things at the dock again.
Old Luo stayed for a al at Old Chen’s ho; it was all homade dishes, everyone was poor and didn’t care for niceties.
After the al, the rain was still coming down.
"I wonder if there are boats on the river now?"
"Probably can’t avoid it."
"If they’re pulling a boat by the whirlpool, that’d be really unfortunate."
"..."
Old Chen was speechless for a long ti.
The brothers never expected that what they said would manifest in reality.
Around the hour of the Monkey, the rain subsided quite a bit, and Old Luo prepared to bid farewell and go ho.
"Uncle, it’s still raining, rest a bit more, leave after dinner, as long as you go back before dark it’s fine."
"Haha, thank you old sister-in-law, I really can’t eat any more, while the rain has let up a bit..."
Suddenly soone ran inside the house.
"Sister-in-law, is my eldest brother pulling ropes at the docks?"
"It’s you, Third Uncle. Your eldest brother’s leg hurt for a few days, he hasn’t been able to get out of bed, so he can’t go to the docks to pull ropes."
"Didn’t go, really didn’t go?"
"Didn’t go, he’s in the back room, chatting with Brother Luo. What’s wrong?"
"It’s great he didn’t go, really great." Chen Laosan was so emotional he shed tears: "Sister-in-law, you don’t know, sothing happened at the docks, sothing big."
"What happened?"
Old Luo helped Old Chen out from the back room, and they both asked in unison.
"When the heavy rain hit, there was a big boat at the edge of the whirlpool, suddenly the rain and wind beca intense, it was pitch dark, they couldn’t see the way, and over a dozen rope-pullers fell into the whirlpool."
"What?"
"Pulling a big boat requires over a hundred people, and over a dozen fell into the whirlpool. Where are the people?"
"They were swept away, nowhere to be seen." Chen Laosan said, "As soon as I heard about this, I ran over, my heart was in my throat the whole way, elder brother, luckily you’re okay!"
"I’m fine, but those brothers..."
"Let’s go to the docks and take a look."
"Alright, let’s go to the docks."
Regardless of the light rain still falling, Old Chen went to the dock supported by Old Luo and his own brothers.
At the dock, there was wailing and a sea of people.
"Don’t cry, don’t make a fuss, all of you be quiet!"
Sixth Master Xiao shouted with a booming voice: "Crying won’t bring people back! You all listen to now, send soone who knows the situation to tell , how many rope-pullers were on this boat? Who went on?"
No idea how many people went? How many are missing?
Old Chen and Old Luo saw a few familiar faces and quickly went over to ask.
"Old Ma, who didn’t make it up?"
"Brother Chen, my mind’s a blank right now, I can’t rember, I can’t rember." Old Ma held his head and suddenly burst into tears, "The water was too strong to land, the boat went sideways, and then..."
Watching helplessly as brothers were taken one after another, he tried to grab the brother ahead, but failed, as another wave hit, a few more brothers vanished without a trace.
Now when asked who didn’t make it to shore, he really couldn’t rember!
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