The sky had brightened.
The bright sunlight seemed to be on fast forward, quickly changing from dim to bright, even becoming somewhat glaring.
Yu Hong gazed dazedly at the scene before him, consciousness groggy, his body increasingly burning.
He was already weak, and staying up all night without sleep had worsened his condition.
At this moment, realizing he was safe, he finally couldn't control it and lay down on his side on the ground.
"Are you... okay?" Stammering Yiyi blew out the candle, carefully placing it back in the cluttered corner, then turned around only to see Yu Hong collapsed on the ground. Startled, she hurried over.
Finding Yu Hong's body burning hot, she immediately fetched water, hastily filtering it and pouring it into his mouth.
After giving him water, she went to find medicine, managing to get some from Doctor Xu, and quickly administered it to Yu Hong.
*Yu Hong was aware of Stammering Yiyi's help, but his body had no strength left.*
He felt himself being lifted by Stammering Yiyi and placed on the bed, followed by a used white stone placed on his forehead to cool him down.
The icy white stone began to absorb the high heat significantly, making Yu Hong feel much better.
Feeling somewhat relieved, Yu Hong finally couldn't resist, once again slipping into an unconscious sleep.
This time, he slept with complete loss of consciousness, unaware of the time.
In a haze, he didn't know how long had passed when he finally regained some sense from his stupor.
"It's the fourth day now. His fever has subsided; he doesn't need to take medicine anymore." It was Doctor Xu's voice. She seemed to be standing by the bed, reaching out to feel Yu Hong's forehead.
The delicate touch made him feel a bit itchy, but his body's weakness prevented him from raising a hand to scratch, so he could only let it fade away on its own.
"Just... one more... time...!" Stammering Yiyi's intermittent voice came through.
"There's no need. You've exchanged everything you could. There's nothing good left to trade. The post office hasn't had new stock for a long time, and I don't have much anti-inflammatory medication left." Doctor Xu refused.
"No... more, medicine!" Stammering Yiyi insisted. "Back then... for you... same!"
Upon hearing this, Doctor Xu fell silent for a moment.
"That's right. If it weren't for you, I would have died by the roadside long ago, my bones probably gnawed clean by monsters. Okay, I'll exchange medicine for you one more time. This is the last time!"
"Okay! I'll... give you... food!"
Then there were the rustling sounds.
"This isn't enough, according to the previous exchange rate..." Doctor Xu said helplessly.
"I... still have more!"
"Forget it, let it be, since it's the last time. Really, don't save anyone else. We can hardly manage ourselves." Doctor Xu sighed.
"Thanks..." Stammering Yiyi expressed gratitude.
"Alright, I'm leaving. I'm going to check on Old Yu; don't see me out." Doctor Xu said as her footsteps gradually faded away, followed by the sound of a closing door, and the room became quiet again.
Yu Hong weakly opened his eyes, just in time to see Stammering Yiyi's dirty face, right beside the bed, holding a wooden bowl with some unidentifiable black mush inside.
She took a spoonful of the mush and fed it into Yu Hong's mouth.
Yu Hong no longer resisted; he lay there with a blank face, yellowish complexion, drinking the mush that was fed spoon by spoon.
The two of them, one feeding and the other drinking, unknowingly finished a whole bowl of mush.
Yu Hong licked his lips and, inexplicably, thought that the mush was quite tasty.
"Is there more?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, yes!" Stammering Yiyi, seeing him speak, instantly displayed pure happiness in her bright eyes.
She got up and rummaged around, soon concocting another bowl of black mush, sat by the bed, and fed it to Yu Hong.
However, the mush seemed too low in calories, or perhaps Yu Hong hadn't eaten in a long time and was weak, so he still felt a little hungry after finishing. He asked again.
Stammering Yiyi gladly prepared another bowl for him.
This time, after feeding, Yu Hong finally felt half-full. The icy black mush made his stomach feel much better.
He also regained considerable strength.
"How long... did I sleep?" he asked, looking at Stammering Yiyi.
"Four... days..." Stammering Yiyi showed four fingers, grinning to reveal a mouth full of yellow teeth.
"Thank you." Yu Hong looked at her and expressed sincere gratitude.
He knew that without her care, he might have died in his stupor.
Given the eerie and dangerous environment outside, if there was nobody to look after him here, relying solely on himself, he might not have survived a day.
*A verbal thank you was too insubstantial for such a favor, but it didn't matter; he would have opportunities to repay her in the future.*
*He didn't believe that as a sane, healthy man, he would fare worse than Stammering Yiyi, a disabled girl.*
"No, problem." Stammering Yiyi replied with a smile.
She happily stood up, intending to fetch water for Yu Hong, but after scraping the small jar for a long time, she couldn't even fill a small cup.
"I'll... go out, to the well, to get water." Stammering Yiyi explained with difficulty as she returned to the bedside.
"I'll be back soon!"
"You, don't, open the door, window! For anyone who knocks, don't... open!" Stammering Yiyi seriously instructed.
"Okay! I understand." Yu Hong nodded earnestly.
Getting a response, Stammering Yiyi nodded, picked up the water jar, and rushed out.
The door closed, and the thick smell of mildew drifted in the air, making Yu Hong somewhat uncomfortable.
But he remembered Stammering Yiyi's instructions, *breathing in some mold was better than getting killed by whatever dangers lurked outside.*
More importantly, he remembered the white stone he stuffed into his pocket before falling asleep.
*A sense of curiosity, a bit of expectation, and a touch of nervousness arose in him.*
Reaching into his pocket, he quickly grasped the white stone and slowly took it out.
Holding the stone in his hand, Yu Hong began to examine it closely.
The white stone had transformed.
Originally partly blackened, the stone had turned pure white again.
It now looked like a piece of jade.
The surface had a faint lustrous sheen, resembling jade.
The red symbol in the center had also become more intricate and powerful in stroke.
'This is...' Yu Hong felt a spark in his heart. To confirm what he was thinking, he stood up and rummaged through the sack of unused white stones in the clutter corner.
The contrast between the two white stones was apparent.
The enhanced white stone in his hand was noticeably more advanced than the other one.
The red symbol painted on it was much more complex, completely different, as if the enhancement process had also upgraded the red symbol.
'This enhancement... feels like a level-up?' *Yu Hong's mind was filled with doubts.*
After comparing them, he carefully put the enhanced stone away and returned to sit by the bed.
The intense heat in his body had disappeared, but he was still physically weak, feeling dizzy and lightheaded with just a slight movement.
The wound on his back felt numb, not knowing whether it had worsened or healed, and he couldn't see it without a mirror.
He tried to feel it with his hand, only touching the bandages.
It was evident that Stammering Yiyi or Doctor Xu had helped treat him.
Thud, thud, thud.
Suddenly the door was knocked upon.
"Who is it?" Yu Hong raised his head and asked.
"It's me, Doctor Xu, is Yiyi there?"
Outside the door, a vaguely familiar middle-aged woman's voice spoke.
"She's not here." Yu Hong replied.
"I came to deliver her medicine; it's left on the ground by the door. Don't forget to take it, and let her know when she gets back." Doctor Xu said.
"Okay."
Yu Hong responded.
Soon, the faint sound of footsteps faded away, restoring silence.
Yu Hong took a deep breath, grasping the edge of the bed for support as he slowly inched toward the door.
The medicine was placed by the door; if someone took it, it would be a big loss. From the earlier information he had gathered, medicine was more valuable than he'd imagined here.
Thus, he had to bring it in quickly.
He slowly, step by step, moved to the door, reaching out to grasp the handle.
Click.
The handle turned halfway.
Suddenly Yu Hong halted.
*He remembered what Stammering Yiyi said before leaving: don't open the door under any circumstances!!*
Immediately, a sense of caution rose within him, and he looked down at the gap under the door.
It was broad daylight, with sunlight glaring, and some light seeped through the gap.
But just this one glance made Yu Hong shiver all over.
He saw a shadow standing outside the door!
The light was obstructed by the figure, casting a faint shadow.
It was this shadow that allowed Yu Hong to judge that someone was indeed standing right outside, separated only by a door.
Just quietly, silently standing there, right outside the door.
*It... seemed to be waiting for him to open the door!!*
'Something is wrong!'
With horror gnawing at him, Yu Hong slowly released the handle and backed away.
Step by step, he retreated further away.
Until he stood in the center of the room, reaching into his pocket to grasp the enhanced white stone.
*He had almost been tricked!!*
*That voice just now, it sounded exactly like Doctor Xu's!!*
*Damn it!!*
*Yu Hong was seized with panic, a sensation he couldn't articulate, choking his throat and nearly preventing him from making a sound.*
*His chest felt terribly congested.*
*His panic was not just out of fear of these unknown entities but also from the realization of how close he came to being duped into opening the door.*
His gaze was fixed on the gap, not daring to look away for a moment.
Soon, perhaps realizing they couldn't fool him, the shadow outside the door silently moved to the right and vanished.
As quietly as it had appeared, the shadow's departure was equally serene, with no sound of footsteps.
Only after a long time passed since the figure had left did Yu Hong slowly let go of his tension.
He took deep breaths, still not daring to open the door and instead quietly moved to the window.
Peeking through the gaps in the thick wooden planks nailed over, he cautiously looked outside.
From the window, albeit at an angle, he could see the area outside the door.
He had gone out this way once before and knew this house was located on a cross-cut cobblestone path.
The houses in this village were situated on either side of this cobblestone road.
The house he was in was one of them.
Standing at the window, Yu Hong carefully held his breath, peeking through a slanting crack in the wood to look outside.
But upon just one look.
Outside the crack, a face—Doctor Xu's face—was looking at him with an expressionless gaze.
She was actually standing by the window, watching as he tried to secretly peer outside through the gaps!!