He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

On the first day of the dog days of summer, the sky was overcast like a damp gray cloth, making it stifling and hard to breathe. The alley was quiet; even the most boisterous children stayed indoors. Only the occasional cry of the ice cream vendor carried by the humid air and dissipated quickly.

He Yuyang was drying last year's corncobs in the backyard—these dried corncobs could be used as firewood and burned longer than dry branches. He was engrossed in drying them when he suddenly heard a heart-wrenching cry coming from the alley entrance, followed by chaotic footsteps, as if someone was running around in a panic.

"Yangyang, listen, isn't that Aunt Zhang's voice?" Liu Yan poked her head out of the house, her face filled with worry. Aunt Zhang's house was right at the entrance of the alley, and she usually had a loud voice, but this was the first time she had heard such a shrill cry.

He Yuyang straightened up and listened carefully. "It sounds like it. Mother, I'll go take a look."

He had just run out of the courtyard gate when he saw Aunt Zhang carrying a child, running frantically into the depths of the alley. The child's head drooped in her arms, its face deathly pale, its lips bluish-purple, and it twitched occasionally, looking quite frightening. Aunt Zhang's husband followed behind, one hand gripping his waistband, the other wiping away sweat, muttering repeatedly, "Hurry! Hurry! Get to the city to find a doctor!"

"Aunt Zhang, what's wrong?" He Yuyang stopped them, his gaze falling on the child's face—it was Aunt Zhang's youngest son, Gou Dan, the same age as He Yuzhu, who usually followed behind He Yuzhu calling him "Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu".

"Dog Egg... Dog Egg ate some wild vegetables, and he's been vomiting and having diarrhea. He's almost dead!" Aunt Zhang cried, gasping for breath, tears mixed with sweat streaming down her face. "Yangyang, move aside! We need to go to the city to find a doctor!"

"It takes an hour to get to the city; the child probably can't wait." He Yuyang frowned, her gaze sweeping over Gou Dan's hands—dark green bits of something, like fragments of some wild vegetable, clung to his fingernails. "What kind of wild vegetable did he eat? Where did he pick it?"

"It's...it's on the slope by the moat, the kind with purple leaves we picked. We've eaten them before, but who knew this time..." Aunt Zhang's husband stamped his feet anxiously, his voice trembling, "Don't say that anymore, it'll be too late if we wait any longer!"

He Yuyang's heart skipped a beat. There was indeed a wild vegetable with purple leaves along the moat called "purple ground ivy," and the tender leaves were edible. But if it was mixed with "heartbreak grass," which looked similar, then it would be troublesome—that thing was poisonous. If ingested, it could cause vomiting and diarrhea at best, and death at worst. Judging from Gou Dan's symptoms, he was most likely poisoned.

"Aunt Zhang, don't rush off." He Yuyang stopped them, trying to keep her tone calm. "The child's condition doesn't allow for any jostling. Do you have any spare herbal medicine prescribed by a doctor?"

"Where would we get the spare money to buy herbal medicine!" Aunt Zhang cried, shaking her head. Suddenly, Gou Dan, whom she was holding, vomited a mouthful of green liquid, and his body convulsed even more violently. "Our family depends on those silkworms for a living. We usually just tough it out when we have a headache or fever. How could we afford to hire a doctor..."

Several neighbors had gathered around, all sighing as they looked at the child. Some said, "Send him to the city quickly," others said, "It's probably too late," and still others whispered, "People have been saying the wild vegetables over the moat aren't clean," but no one could come up with a practical solution.

Liu Yan rushed over and, seeing Gou Dan's condition, covered her mouth in shock, her eyes instantly reddening: "Sister Zhang, what... what should we do? No, we have to pool our money to call a doctor!"

She was about to run home when she said that, wanting to take out the copper coins she had saved. But everyone knew that doctors in the city charged exorbitant fees for house calls. The consultation fee alone was enough for an ordinary family to live on for half a month. Add to that the cost of medicine, and even if you gathered all the money from everyone in the alley, it might not be enough.

"Mother, wait." He Yuyang grabbed Liu Yan, his mind racing. He had planted many herbs in his space, including "Dispelling Fouling Grass," a special treatment for food poisoning. He had deliberately grown it in ordinary soil, without watering it with spiritual spring water, so its medicinal effects were mild and perfect for this situation. The key was how to take it out without arousing suspicion.

His eyes lit up with an idea, and he lowered his voice to Liu Yan, "Mom, didn't Uncle Yan give me a packet of herbs the other day? He said it was something like 'famine prevention herbs,' and that it might come in handy if I get a stomachache. I've been keeping it, so... how about we try it?"

Liu Yan was stunned for a moment. She didn't remember Yan Bugui giving her any herbs, but seeing Gou Dan's critical condition, she didn't have time to think too much: "Will it be alright? Don't... don't let anything happen."

"Let's try anything, even if it's a dead end," He Yuyang said, turning around and running home. He rushed into his small side room, closed the door behind him, and with a thought, took out a small packet of herbs from the corner of his spatial storage warehouse—he had already sorted them out, wrapped in ordinary oil paper, and they looked no different from the coarse herbs sold in the market.

He ran back with the herbs and handed them to Aunt Zhang: "Aunt Zhang, this was given to me by Uncle Yan before. He said it can cure food poisoning. Hurry home and boil it to make Gou Dan some medicine. It might work."

Aunt Zhang looked at the dusty bag of herbs, then at her son lying dying in her arms, and gritted her teeth: "Fine! We have to try anything! Yangyang, if Gou Dan pulls through, I'll remember your kindness for the rest of my life!"

She carried the child and ran home, her husband close behind. Many neighbors followed, hoping to offer some assistance. Liu Yan, her palms sweaty, pulled He Yuyang along, asking, "Yangyang, this herbal medicine... will it really work?"

"I don't know either, I can only hope it works." He Yuyang actually had a good idea. Although the anti-poisoning grass was ordinary, the soil in the space was fertile and the medicinal effect was much stronger than that outside. It should be more than enough to deal with this kind of wild vegetable poisoning.

The couple followed them to Aunt Zhang's house. The courtyard was bustling with activity. Aunt Zhang had already put the herbs into a pot and was using three stones to prop it up on the stove to simmer. The flames licked the bottom of the pot with a "whoosh," and the aroma of the herbs quickly filled the air, carrying a slightly bitter, herbal scent.

Gou Dan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), his little face still deathly pale, his breathing so weak it seemed like a thread might snap at any moment. Aunt Zhang's eldest daughter sat by the kang, wiping away tears and cleaning the filth from her brother's mouth—a heartbreaking sight.

"Why isn't it ready yet..." Aunt Zhang stared at the medicine pot, rubbing her hands on her apron, pacing anxiously.

"Almost done, almost done. This medicine looks like it's almost ready." An elderly woman from the neighborhood came over, lifted the lid of the pot to take a look, and said, "The color is dark enough. Let it cool down a bit."

Aunt Zhang hurriedly poured the medicine into a bowl, added some cold water, tested the temperature, and then used a small spoon to slowly feed it into Gou Dan's mouth. The child clenched his teeth, and it was only with great difficulty that he managed to get half a bowl down. As soon as she put the bowl down, Gou Dan suddenly vomited a large mouthful of dark green liquid and then began to cough violently.

"Cough cough...cough..."

This cough seemed to expel something stuck in his throat; his chest began to rise and fall noticeably, and although his face was still pale, it was no longer as lifeless as before.

"It moved! Gou Dan moved!" Aunt Zhang's eldest daughter exclaimed in surprise.

Sure enough, Gou Dan slowly opened his eyes. Although he didn't have the strength to speak yet, he looked at his mother who was guarding the kang (a heated brick bed), and his lips moved as if he was calling "Mother".

"Oh! Mom's here! Mom's here!" Aunt Zhang rushed over and hugged her son, tears welling up again, this time tears of joy. "Good child, it's alright, you're alright..."

The neighbors all breathed a sigh of relief, chattering amongst themselves: "It's truly a blessing from our ancestors!" "This herb really works!" "It's fortunate that Yangyang was so clever, otherwise we would have been in serious trouble!"

He Yuyang stood at the door, watching Gou Dan slowly recover on the kang (a heated brick bed), and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't say much, and quietly took Liu Yan, who was still wiping away tears, back home.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Aunt Zhang arrived carrying a cloth bag. Her eyes were still a little red, but she seemed much more energetic. As soon as she entered, she grabbed Liu Yan's hand and insisted on kowtowing to her: "Sister, thanks to your Yangyang yesterday, otherwise my Gou Dan would... he would be gone! We will never forget this kindness!"

"Sister Zhang, get up quickly, you can't do this." Liu Yan quickly helped her up, "We're all neighbors, it's only right to help each other."

"That's true, but I can't forget your life-saving grace." Aunt Zhang opened the cloth bag, inside were two bolts of coarse cloth. Although they weren't as fine as the ones Liu Yan wove, the stitches were dense and they looked sturdy. "This is something we wove ourselves. It's not anything fancy, but please don't mind, sister. I won't feel at ease otherwise."

She knew the He family had plenty of cloth, but they simply didn't have anything more valuable to offer. These two bolts of coarse cloth were something she had washed and ironed overnight, as a small token of her appreciation.

Liu Yan wanted to decline, but He Yuyang said from the side, "Mom, Aunt Zhang's offer is kind, please accept it. If there's anything we can do to help Aunt Zhang's family in the future, we'll lend a hand."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes! In the future, if you need any sewing or washing work, just come to me! I may not have many other skills, but I'm quite good at needlework!"

Liu Yan then accepted the cloth and packed a few steamed buns mixed with fine flour for Aunt Zhang to take back and help Gou Dan recover. Aunt Zhang left, thanking her profusely. The story quickly spread throughout the alley, and everyone said that the He family was kind-hearted and could provide life-saving herbs in a critical moment, making them much more reliable than those noisy and boastful families.

But this matter also attracted the attention of one person—Yi Zhonghai.

That afternoon, Yi Zhonghai arrived at the He family's house, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, saying he was "just passing by and wanted to rest for a while." He sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, drinking the coarse tea brewed by He Daqing, but his eyes subtly scanned the activity in the courtyard, as if he were looking for something.

"Da Qing, I heard that Aunt Zhang's child had an accident yesterday?" Yi Zhonghai said slowly, his tone as if he were chatting casually.

"Yes, he accidentally ate some poisonous wild vegetables and almost didn't make it," He Daqing said without looking up from weaving a bamboo basket. "Thanks to the packet of herbs Yangyang had saved, the child was saved."

"Oh? Yangyang has this skill?" Yi Zhonghai looked at He Yuyang, who was sitting to the side chopping wood, his eyes filled with inquiry. "Where did those herbs come from? I've never heard of such an effective medicine on the market."

He Yuyang paused for a moment with the axe in his hand, then looked up with a perfectly appropriate look of bewilderment on his face: "It was given to me by Uncle Yan. He said it was 'weed for disaster relief,' and he gave it to me last autumn, saying it would be useful in case I got an upset stomach. I can't remember exactly what kind of grass it was; I didn't ask for details at the time."

"Yan Bugui gave it to you?" Yi Zhonghai frowned. Yan Bugui was a calculating man; why would he give the child herbs for no reason? There must be something fishy going on here.

"Yes," He Yuyang lowered his head and continued chopping wood, his voice muffled, "He said he dug this grass in the mountains and dried a lot of it, and gave me a small bag. I thought it might come in handy, so I kept it. I never expected it to actually come in handy."

He spoke casually, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary, but Yi Zhonghai felt it wasn't that simple. A while ago, the He family exchanged silkworm cocoons, and the cotton cloth they used looked finer than ordinary ones; later, when they hid silver dollars, Yangyang's suggestion of a cellar was indeed safe; now they've brought out life-saving herbs, saying they were given to them by Yan Bugui... This child has far too many "rare things" in his possession.

"This Yan Bugui does have some ideas." Yi Zhonghai smiled, didn't ask any more questions, chatted with He Daqing about the restaurant for a few more minutes, and then left, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.

But as he walked through the alley, his brow remained furrowed. The He family's life was becoming increasingly smooth, yet something inexplicably strange about it. Yangyang was too composed, too clever, unlike an ordinary nine-year-old. Just how many things were going on in their family that others didn't know?

He Yuyang could vaguely sense Yi Zhonghai's suspicion. Watching Yi Zhonghai's retreating figure, he knew that taking out the herbs this time was indeed a bit risky and would inevitably arouse suspicion. But he didn't regret it—Aunt Zhang's family had always been very kind to the He family, giving them extra silkworm pupae last time, and Gou Dan was Zhu Zi's playmate; it was only right and proper to help.

"Yangyang, Brother Yi's look just now was a bit strange," Liu Yan asked softly as she came out of the house.

"It's nothing." He Yuyang put down the axe, patted the sawdust off his hands, and said, "Uncle Yi was just curious, after all, that herb saved someone. Mother, let's not mention this herb to outsiders in the future, to avoid trouble."

"Yeah, I know." Liu Yan nodded, feeling a little uneasy. "Don't take it out so easily in the future, it's too eye-catching."

He Yuyang didn't speak, but looked towards the backyard. The herbs in the space were still growing wildly. Besides the antidote, there were herbs for treating colds, stopping bleeding, and even a few he had specially cultivated as tonics. This experience of saving Gou Dan made him realize that these herbs could not only save his family, but also help those who deserved help in critical moments, only the methods needed to be more cautious.

As evening fell, He Yuzhu ran back from outside, clutching a handful of mulberries. He said they were given to him by Aunt Zhang's sister, who also told him to thank his brother for saving Gou Dan.

"Brother, Gou Dan said he can come out to play tomorrow, and he even said he'd give me his slingshot!" He Yuzhu handed the mulberries to He Yuyang like a treasure, his eyes sparkling.

"Keep it for yourself." He Yuyang patted her younger brother's head and watched him skip and hop back into the house, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

Perhaps taking a few risks now and then is worthwhile. At least it can make life more stable for those around us, and bring a little more humanity to these turbulent times.

Night slowly descended, and scattered kerosene lamps lit up the alley. The cicadas began to chirp, mingling with the distant barking of dogs, carrying a hint of smoke. He Yuyang sat on the doorstep, watching the stars slowly emerge in the sky, pondering—the herbs in his spatial storage needed to be sorted. Perhaps he could find an opportunity to trade some common medicinal herbs with the herbalists in the mountains, mixing them together for easier use later.

Life goes on. If you're careful, you can always move forward more steadily.