Eighty-nine
You Shu felt as if he was floating in darkness, but he always felt as if someone was talking in his ear. He tried hard to open his eyes to see, but failed after several attempts. His eyelids were heavy as if stuck together with glue and he couldn't open them at all.
When he finally tried to open his eyes, a ray of light came in, which made him squint subconsciously. It took him a long time to adjust to the brightness of the surroundings.
The first thing that caught his eye was the rough and old beams on the roof, which looked like a simple thatched house of a villager. At that time, You Shu's mind was not very clear, and he had no idea where he was. His eyes were scattered and out of focus.
At this moment, a loud and rough voice came from not far to his left, with a strong sense of surprise:
"My benefactor! My benefactor, you are finally awake!?"
You Shu was unable to concentrate on his thoughts because of his loud voice, so he had no choice but to turn his head. However, just as he was about to move, he found that he was in severe pain all over his body, so painful that he almost cried out.
But he managed to control himself. The years of brutal training in the Shadow Guard Battalion had made him habitually swallow all the cries of pain. He coughed a few times and found that his throat was dry and painful. He weakly whispered, "Water..."
After hearing what he said, the person next to him seemed to stand up and hurriedly pour water. You Shu heard the sound of dishes colliding with each other in a panic, and then he felt his head being gently lifted up, and a broken large bowl was brought to his lips, and water was poured into it carefully and clumsily.
When the warm water flowed down his throat, You Shu couldn't help but sigh in relief, and only then did he feel a little better.
After his throat was moistened, he finally had the strength to speak. At the same time, he also saw clearly who the person next to him was: "Liu Tiezhu?"
Perhaps because this body was too badly injured, You Shu's voice was completely different from before. It was hoarse, low, weak, like the sound of a broken gong, or a drake stretching its neck and neighing. Even You Shu himself was startled.
Hearing his surprised tone, Liu Tiezhu smiled innocently. He was dressed in plain cloth and replied naively: "My benefactor, you are finally awake. I have been taking care of you for more than ten days. The village doctor came again and again but didn't respond. I thought..."
Ten days
At this time, You Shu finally remembered everything. He remembered that he had been ambushed and injured and fell into the water. He was not surprised: "You saved me?"
Liu Tiezhu nodded. Although he had a full beard, one could still see his simple and honest nature. "After I surrendered, the prince really didn't make things difficult for me. He released us brothers halfway through the journey."
"We all got together but couldn't figure out a way to work, so we had to go our separate ways and return to our hometowns to farm as before." Liu Tiezhu smiled innocently, "Coincidentally, my home is just downstream. That day when I was washing clothes by the river, I saw you, my benefactor, floating over. You were covered in blood and didn't move. I was almost scared to death."
"I thought you were dying, but the doctor said that although your pulse was weak, it refused to stop. You are a man with a strong life, so he asked me to take good care of you."
"My benefactor, you are truly a man. You were injured so badly and haven't eaten for so many days, but you still managed to wake up. I admire you so much!"
You Shu listened to Liu Tiezhu's rambling, calculated silently in his mind, and asked again: "What day is it now?"
"Today is the eighth day of the tenth month." Liu Tiezhu said heartlessly, "Are you hungry, benefactor? Can I make you some rice porridge?"
You Shu wanted to say that he was not hungry, but his stomach growled. He blushed slightly and whispered, "Thank you."
Because he was so polite, Liu Tiezhu felt a little embarrassed: "No thanks, no thanks, my benefactor, why are you being so polite to me? My life belongs to you!"
After saying that, he stood up and happily went to add water to the pot. His back looked very virtuous, which did not match his burly appearance at all. Looking at his busy back, You Shu suddenly felt a sense of security.
Yes, this is the real world.
The tearful eyes of his sister in the dream still vaguely flashed before his eyes. You Shu stared blankly at the beams of the house, and he seemed to be unable to feel even the severe pain as if all the bones in his body were broken.
He still remembered his sister's warm embrace and his mother's smile. Being in such a happy and beautiful family was the luckiest thing in his previous life. But perhaps because his luck had run out, he left after living for such a few short years.
Liu Tiezhu boiled some water and came to see him, but he shouted in surprise: "Why are you crying, benefactor?"
"Does it hurt? I'll go find a doctor!"
After hearing his shouting, You Shu realized that he was crying again. But before he could say anything, Liu Tiezhu had already run out rashly. When he came back, he was followed by a middle-aged man carrying a medicine basket.
The doctor came forward and felt his pulse first, then carefully examined his limbs, and said with a sigh, "Young Master's tenacity is beyond the reach of ordinary people. I thought there was no way he could be saved."
You Shu forced himself to raise his head and whispered, "Doctor, when can I... get out of bed?"
He didn't die after falling from such a high place. It's likely that the guys he dragged to be buried with him acted as cushions, which cushioned a lot of the impact. However, the Yellow River is fast and strong, and there are many reefs and rocks in the river. You Shu was wounded after floating in the water for so many days. He can't move his whole body now, and he doesn't know if he will be disabled in the future.
If he was really disabled, such as lame or crippled, then how would he go back and face Xiao Weixin
He hadn't helped him ascend the throne yet, so he couldn't just lie there like a useless person.
After all, the medical skills of a country doctor could not be as exquisite as those of the famous doctors in the capital. He had tried his best: "It's hard to say. Your injuries are too severe. You can't walk like a normal person without recuperation for a few months."
"I see that you are also a martial artist, so perhaps your health will recover faster than others. Fortunately, your tendons and veins are not damaged. I will prescribe some medicine for you to recuperate first, and don't think about other things anymore."
You Shu knew that he was just trying to comfort himself. No doctor would tell his patients all the bad things about their condition. He would always leave some hope. He still thanked him in a low voice:
"Thank you very much."
The doctor then turned around and gave Liu Tiezhu some instructions, "I'll write you a prescription now. Find some time to go to the pharmacy in town and ask the clerk to prepare the medicine for you."
"Okay!" Liu Tiezhu agreed happily, and did not forget to remind him: "Doctor Qi, you must treat him well. My benefactor is very skilled in martial arts, so we must not leave any root of disease."
You Shu listened to the two of them talking as they walked out, and stared at the beams in a daze for a while. He struggled again and tried to get up, but no matter how hard he tried, all the muscles in his body were completely out of control. He collapsed on the bed, panting heavily, feeling a little desolate.
Even if Dr. Qi didn't say it directly, he knew that the possibility of his full recovery was slim.
If he loses his skills, he won't be able to survive as a shadow guard. His prince is in need of people right now, so how can he fail
You Shu endured the pain and stared at the beam, holding his breath and struggling with himself.
When Liu Tiezhu came back, he first checked the stove and found that the rice paste was ready. He hurried to get a bowl of it, still using the broken big bowl. He clumsily and carefully brought it over and said in a loud voice: "My benefactor, shall we eat first?"
You Shu came back to his senses. Liu Tiezhu helped him sit up and fed him mouthful by mouthful with a spoon. The rice in the village could not be compared with the fine grains in the mansion. Even the food in the Shadow Guard Camp was good, but the brown rice in the countryside tasted large and coarse. Especially since You Shu's throat was already dry and sore, it was difficult for him to swallow such a coarse bowl of rice.
But he was so hungry that he was fed a bowl of food without realizing it.
Liu Tiezhu happily served him another bowl and suddenly said, "My benefactor, Doctor Qi told me on the road just now that you are in very good health and will definitely recover in a few months! Then you can still fly in the sky without any delay."
"If you want to beat up ten of them, it won't be a problem for me."
You Shu was eating brown rice porridge, and after hearing his words, he felt a warm current in his heart. How could he not know that Liu Tiezhu's words were to comfort him? He knew his own body, and such a serious injury would not last for a few months.
But he still chose to believe it: "Really?"
"Of course!" Liu Tiezhu said happily, "You just need to rest and recuperate here."
"If you can write, I'll ask someone to deliver the message and have someone come to pick it up."
You Shu was silent for a while. Although he wanted to go back to Prince Ling's Mansion to see him immediately, what should he do in his current state
"Why don't you speak, benefactor?" Liu Tiezhu fed him another bowl of rice porridge. Seeing that he was still not answering, he asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you, benefactor?"
You Shu shook his head and said with a sigh, "It's okay."
After he ate something, he felt better and finally had the strength to speak: "Thank you for saving me."
Liu Tiezhu said with a fierce face that it was not necessary, and went back to put the large bowl back. You Shu was then put back down to lie down.
He didn't expect to come back alive, but since he survived, he didn't want to waste this rare opportunity.
Maybe his body won't be fully recovered in the future, but as long as he works hard and sticks to rehabilitation training, he might be able to recover. The doctor said that his tendons and veins are not damaged, so it shouldn't be a big problem. You Shu tried his best to be optimistic. He refused to think about the possibility of being really disabled.
It's okay, you'll be fine.
You Shu tried hard to comfort himself. The jade fishtail pendant slipped out from his collar. He looked down at it for a long time with difficulty. With moist eyes, he wanted to raise his hand to touch it, but his hand was completely uncontrollable.
I can't give up like this, my prince must still be waiting for me.
You Shu gritted his teeth and looked at the beams, trying not to let himself have any frustrated thoughts.
My sister said that once you have chosen what you want most, you can't give it up easily no matter what.
So, he'll be fine.