Ger, So Proud

Chapter 18: Accidental Injury

As He Ze approached, Lin Yu glanced up at him, seemingly surprised. “He Ze, what are you doing here?”

“The basket,” He Ze said, taking the bamboo basket off his back and giving it a pat before holding it out to Lin Yu. “Remember?”

“…”

Alright, he had actually forgotten about it.

Lin Yu placed his longbow on the table and took the basket, walking towards the wall where several other baskets were stacked.

He Ze stood there, his gaze sweeping around the courtyard before settling on a few arrows on the table. The arrowheads seemed freshly sharpened, glinting coldly in the light.

A vague memory of the day he passed out flashed in his mind: Lin Yu shooting an arrow that pierced the bear’s eye.

Had he not been on the brink of death then, he might have felt a surge of excitement.

He Ze glanced at Lin Yu and couldn’t help but speak up. “Your archery skills are impressive.”

“…I think so too.”

Lin Yu paused for a moment but didn’t mince his words.

“…”

He Ze fell silent, his eyes again drifting to the bow and arrows on the table. Suddenly, his hands itched to try them. “Can I give it a shot?”

Men always have a special enthusiasm for weapons.

“You know how to use this?”

“No.”

He Ze shook his head but picked up the longbow. He didn’t know what kind of wood it was made from, but it was unexpectedly heavy.

Although he had never used a bow before, he had plenty of experience with guns and ammunition in the apocalypse, at least honing his aim. This shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

He Ze fumbled to nock an arrow on the bowstring, struggling to pull it back fully. He managed only a half-draw before giving up. Instead, he closed one eye and aimed at a haystack against the side wall of the courtyard, ready to release the arrow.

“Stop! Just stop right now!” Lin Yu turned his head and saw what He Ze was doing, panicking instantly. He rushed forward in a few steps and knocked He Ze’s arm down. “You dare to mess around without knowing how to use it? It’s very dangerous! What if you hurt someone?”

“…Ow…” It really hurt!

He Ze didn’t respond immediately, but he couldn’t help frowning. He placed the bow and arrow on the table and carefully shook his hand.

The pain was one thing, but it was self-inflicted.

Even though he was only a yard away from the haystack and the arrow was pointed downward, Lin Yu’s worry was understandable.

Still… he now had a firsthand experience of Lin Yu’s incredible strength.

Judging by Lin Yu’s casual slap, it felt like his hand was about to break.

“He Ze, are you… are you okay?” Seeing He Ze’s pained expression, Lin Yu immediately realized he might have overdone it. He felt guilty and grabbed He Ze’s sleeve, trying to roll it up.

“I didn’t mean to, I…”

He hadn’t paid attention! Really! Lin Yu’s voice was full of remorse.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” He Ze pulled his hand back and carefully massaged it. “It’s probably just a minor injury. It should be fine after a while. But your strength… it’s really impressive.”

He felt a bit ashamed, especially as a fellow man.

He Ze pressed his lips together, looking at Lin Yu with a complex expression.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lin Yu still seemed worried. “Maybe I should call Doctor Xu? He’s here today checking on my dad. He’s still inside.”

Even though his dad had asked him not to call Doctor Xu, Lin Yu knew he always felt better when he visited, and now the two were chatting inside.

“Really, it’s not serious,” He Ze waved his hand. “At most, it’s just a bit swollen. I’ll take care of it myself later.”

Lin Yu stared at him for a moment, frowning deeply. After a while, he said, “…No, I’ll get you some medicinal wine. At least apply some, it will heal faster.”

Before He Ze could respond, Lin Yu ran to his room in a few quick steps. Helpless, He Ze had no choice but to sit down by the table.

Lin Yu returned swiftly, holding a small porcelain bottle. As soon as he removed the cap, the scent of medicinal wine filled the air. “This was prepared by Doctor Xu. I often sprain or bruise myself while hunting, and applying this heals it quickly.”

Lin Yu sat down next to He Ze and rolled up his sleeve again. There was a bruise at the bend of his elbow, already swollen and looking quite alarming.

“Uh, I really didn’t mean to…” Lin Yu glanced at He Ze cautiously and poured a bit of the medicinal wine onto the wound. The hot, stinging pain made He Ze frown involuntarily.

Seeing this, Lin Yu felt even more guilty. He was about to use his fingers to spread the wine when He Ze’s other hand intercepted him. “I’ll do it myself.”

He Ze moved his hand away and used his other hand to gently spread the wine. After a while, his body adjusted to the pain, and it felt much better.

Although he had grown up in the village, he had been quite pampered. In the post-apocalyptic world, getting slashed a few times wouldn’t have felt this bad.

He Ze clicked his tongue, rolled his sleeve back down, and bent his elbow. Then he said to Lin Yu, “See? It’s really nothing. The swelling will go down by tomorrow.”

This minor injury was something he would have to get used to; otherwise, he would be too delicate.

Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and went back inside with the porcelain bottle.

He Ze shook his head, stood up to say goodbye, but his eyes suddenly caught something, and he paused.

When Lin Yu came back out, He Ze was standing by the wall.

There were a few rows of earthen bricks stacked there, with some sieves on top, drying mountain treasures and wild herbs.

“What are you looking at?” Lin Yu walked over to He Ze, who was now leaning in to sniff the sieves. Unable to resist, Lin Yu explained, “This is wild Baizhu, which has the effect of tonifying Qi and strengthening the spleen.”

There’s a saying that a long illness makes the patient a doctor, though it wasn’t him who was ill, it made no difference to him. After a pause, Lin Yu added, “Sometimes when I don’t find any game in the mountains, I gather some herbs.”

If the herbs were in his dad’s prescription, it would save some money. If not, they could be sold at the town pharmacy. If the herbs were of good quality and rare, they could fetch a good price.

Over time, it became a habit for him to never return empty-handed from the mountains.

“Herbs?” No wonder he smelled a medicinal scent.

He Ze stared at the semi-dried Baizhu in the sieve, deep in thought.

(T/N: It’s chinese common name is baizhu and its roots are used as medicine.)