ch 26 – Smart GIrl (2)
“OW!!!” When Mrs. Gu woke up in the morning, she noticed excruciating pain from her lips, and there seemed to be a stinging feeling coming from her face as well. She picked up the copper mirror that she put away carefully and took and look. She was mortified by what she saw and couldn’t help but let out a loud shriek.
Alas, what should have been a loud shriek did not produce any sound at all. Mrs. Gu, mortified, held her throat and try to scream as loudly as she could, but still not a sound could be heard.
What was going on? She had only went to bed for one night. Not only did she wake up with her face swollen like a pig’s head, now she couldn’t even talk? Mrs. Gu woke the man from deep sleep and pointed at her own opened mouth; her beady little eyes filled with anxiety and fear.
Gu Qiao, who had slaved all day long in the mountain yesterday, took a look outside the window after being woken up. Seeing that the sky was barely bright, he rolled over impatiently and closed his eyes again with his back to Mrs. Gu.
Nevertheless, how could he keep on sleeping under Mrs. Gu’s persistent rocking. Gu Qiao sat up and shouted angrily, “Damn you, woman! Why are you waking me up so early! There’s no need to go into the mountain so early, can’t you just let me get some good rest?”
Looking at Mrs. Gu’s swollen and purple face through his sleepy eyes, he let out a loud “OH!” and swiftly kicked her off the bed stove, “Where did this devil come from?”
Mrs. Gu land on her back with all her limbs thrown up. Her fat buttocks landed loudly on the ground. The pain made her screamed again, and yet, still no sound coming from her!
Gu Qiao rubbed his eyes a few times and finally recognized Mrs. Gu. A sense of distaste flashed passed his eyes. Reluctantly he got off the bed stove and gave it all his might to get his woman back onto the stove and complained, “Did you go steal someone’s chicken in the middle of the night? How did you get beaten up so badly?”
Mrs. Gu tried a few more times to talk and still couldn’t make a sound. Sweat started pouring down from her. She pointed at her mouth and mouthed to him, “I can’t talk any more! I am a mute!”
It took Gu Qiao a while before he figured out what she was trying to say. He frowned and said, “How did that happen? Did you eat random stuff up in the mountain yesterday? I have heard that there were wild fruits that could turn one into a mute in the mountains!”
Mrs. Gu shook her head vigorously and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Gu Qiao saw the two pile of cooties on his wife’s eyes and the swollen, big face. He couldn’t help but turned away from her. If it wasn’t that Miao woman, he would never been in this situation to begin with. Being stuck in this remote village that has nothing to offer; and his second wife was such a brute.
His difficult life had rid him off all feelings he had for his late wife; even the two kids she left behind weren’t all that, especially the brat Gu Ye!
“You wait here, I will go fetch Dr. Wu to come and check on you!” Gu Qiao put on his clothes and slowly opened the door and walked outside. He didn’t even bother looking at Gu Ye who was busy preparing breakfast for everyone.
Dr. Wu, the only doctor in the village, came over to the Gu’s and after hearing the details he shook his head, baffled, “This is odd. Nothing seem to be out of the ordinary according to her meridian. And her throat was not swollen either… why wouldn’t she be able to talk?”
Mrs. Gu stared anxiously at the doctor: who was the doctor here? Why you are asking me?!
Even though Gu Qiao thought Mrs. Gu sometimes talked too much, he still didn’t want his wife to become a mute. Concerned, he asked, “Dr. Wu, do you think there’s a way to treat her illness?”
Wu Danggui had learned his lesson from past experiences. When it came to illnesses that he had never encountered before, he no longer pretend that he knew what he was doing. He shook his head in respond to Gu Qiao’s question and said, “Pardon me for being ignorant. I have never seen anything like this before. I suggest for you to go seek out the doctor from Jimin1 Hall in town!”
