Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Ji Yongling still felt weak all over, her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, and her throat felt like it was on fire. She tried to open her mouth and said, "Father... Mother... I'm fine..."

Jia Ronghua gently brushed Ji Yongling's hair aside and said, "This kid is still so stubborn, his body is burning up."

Ji Manchuan comforted her, "Don't worry, your grandma went to get you some water and a cloth."

Hu Xirong also lifted the curtain and came in, saying, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? I heard Ling'er sound unwell in the cave."

"She was fine when she first fell asleep, but now she has a fever and her body is very hot," Jia Ronghua said with some worry.

Hu Xirong stepped forward and touched Ji Yongling's forehead with her hand, saying, "Oh, it's quite hot. I'm afraid wiping it with water won't bring it down."

Jia Ronghua looked at Ji Yongling and sighed, "Let's give it a try first."

Hu Xirong turned around and sat on the edge of the kang on the other side of Ji Yongling, saying, "Sister-in-law, you haven't finished your postpartum confinement yet, go over there, I'll clean the baby."

Jia Ronghua shook her head: "No, I have to stay with them. Babies are most vulnerable when they are sick. If we, as their mothers, are by their side, they won't be afraid."

Hu Xirong nodded and said nothing more.

Ji Manchuan searched around the cave dwelling twice, muttering to himself, "This kid doesn't know where he put the medicine powder. There are a bunch of gourds here, but I wonder which gourd's powder can reduce fever. He learned how to treat illnesses and save lives, but when he gets sick, no one treats him. It's really..."

Ji Yongling vaguely heard the conversation of these people and struggled to get up, but Hu Xirong pressed her down: "What are you doing getting up? You're already burning hot, what are you trying to show off for?"

Ji Yongling said weakly, "The medicine... the powder... is... on top of the cabinet... in a wooden box... with a red star drawn on it..."

"Oh, okay, okay—" Ji Manchuan hurriedly searched and found the packet of medicine that Ji Yongling had mentioned, and rushed to the kitchen to soak the medicine.

A moment later, Ji Manchuan and Yang entered the cave one after the other.

Ji Manchuan handed the bowl in his hand to Jia Ronghua and said, "Quickly give it to the child to drink."

So, Hu Xirong helped Ji Yongling sit up, supporting her upper body.

Ji Yongling gulped down the bowl of acetaminophen from Jia Ronghua's hand.

After being sent away by Madam Yang, Ji Manchuan picked up a cloth from the basin, wrung it out, and began wiping Ji Yongling's face and arms.

Gradually, Ji Yongling felt herself recovering, her body felt much better, and she was finally able to open her eyes completely. In the dim cave, the shadows of several people were stretched long and reflected on the wall.

A moment later, Jia Ronghua touched Ji Yongling's forehead again and felt that the temperature had indeed dropped. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's not hot anymore. Mother, you and her fourth aunt go back to sleep first. I'll bring Yong'an over to sleep here tonight."

Madam Yang said with displeasure, "Ling'er is sick, and you bring Yong'an here, are you trying to let the older one pass on his illness to the younger one!"

Hu Xirong said, "Then I'll come and keep Ling'er company."

Madam Yang glared at her and said, "Ru'er is still young, why are you getting involved? Don't say anything more, this old woman will sleep with Ling'er tonight."

Although Ji Yongling was still weak, the flush on her face gradually faded, and she became much more conscious. She said, "Grandma, I feel much better. You all go back to sleep. I'm fine. Besides, I just took that medicine, and it works very quickly. I definitely won't have a fever tonight."

Madam Yang disagreed, saying, "You don't understand. Children's fevers are very prone to relapse. If you dislike this old woman, just say so! You must have been terrified today. We need an adult to calm you down."

Yang wanted to say that it would be best to have a man with strong masculinity like Ji Manchuan to take charge of the town, but she thought that Ji Yongling was too old to sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with her own father, so she had to let her take charge herself.

Jia Ronghua also felt that Yang Shi was old and could keep demons and monsters at bay, so she got off the kang and said, "Alright, let your grandma keep you company tonight. Your grandma is old and has been through a lot, so little ghosts won't dare to come easily. Fourth Aunt, let's go, you've had a long day."

Hu Xirong helped Ji Yongling lie down, jumped off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and followed Jia Ronghua out.

At this moment, Ji Manqing, standing at the door, whispered inside, "Mother—the sieve and everything are ready. When are we going to call Ling'er's soul back?"

Yang patted Ji Yongling and said, "Sleep well, Grandma will call your soul back to you." Then she lifted the straw curtain and went out.

Yang took the coarse porcelain bowl filled with clear water, covered it with a fine sieve, and wandered around the courtyard, muttering, "My Yonglingwa, come back soon... My Yonglingwa, come back soon..."

Ji Manchuan followed behind Yang, holding one of Ji Yongling's coats and shaking it incessantly, muttering, "He's back, he's back... Yongling is back, Yongling is back..."

Ji Manqing followed behind Ji Manchuan, wildly waving a kitchen knife in the air while chanting, "The Xuanwu Emperor is before us, gods return to temples, ghosts return to graves, demons and monsters return to the mountains and forests..."

But in his heart he was cursing, "May dogs and cows go to hell and be reborn as animals!"

Yang led everyone around the courtyard and back to the entrance of Ji Yongling's cave dwelling. She removed the sieve and inserted a pair of chopsticks side by side into the bowl, and the chopsticks stood upright without falling over.

Yang immediately exclaimed, "Yonglingwa's soul has returned and is now back in its place."

The others echoed joyfully, "The soul has returned to its place, the soul has returned to its place."

Then, following the same procedure, everyone walked around the courtyard again, and finally, Yang led the way into Ji Yongling's cave dwelling.

Yang dipped her chopsticks in the water in the bowl and kept splashing it around the cave, muttering, "He's back, he's back... My Yonglingwa is back, my Yonglingwa is back..."

Ji Manchuan repeated, "He's back, he's back... I, Yonglingwa, am back, I, Yonglingwa, am back..."

Yang splashed water all over the cave dwelling, stood on Ji Yongling's kang (heated brick bed), closed her eyes, and recited: "Playing by the Hunyuan River, Vajra stands on both sides. A thousand miles away, the soul arrives, hurry to enter the body."

Ji Manchuan immediately covered Ji Yongling with the coat he was holding and whispered, "The soul has returned to its place!"

After completing this sacred soul-calling ritual, everyone dispersed when they saw that Ji Yongling had returned to normal. Only Yang stayed behind, quietly blew out the oil lamp, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and gently lay down beside Ji Yongling, occasionally reaching out to touch Ji Yongling's forehead.

Ji Yongling's fever has subsided, and her mind has returned to clarity.

The sound of Ji Manchuan and Ji Manqing muttering could be heard from outside the window.

"Third Brother, bring me my red underwear and tie it to the door for Ling'er. It's really effective at warding off evil spirits!"

“Heavenly God, your red underwear is so tattered it’s full of holes. It could be used as a net bag. I’d rather give it to you as a ‘rag’ than use it. How dare you take it out to ward off evil spirits?”

"What's wrong? It's because I'm wearing a lot of clothes and have absorbed a lot of yang energy, which makes it more effective at warding off those demons and monsters."

"Get out of here! Your tattered underwear isn't just tattered, it's so filthy you could use it as a rag. If a ghost came, it wouldn't be stunned, it would be suffocated by the stench of your underwear."

"Third Brother, you don't understand. This is a man's masculine energy, full of manliness and vigor. Ghosts are most afraid of this kind of energy, and they dare not come near him within a three-mile radius."

"Heavenly God, what kind of mysterious weapon is that tattered pair of underpants of yours? It can cover an area of ​​three miles! It might not kill ghosts, but it'll knock out a whole bunch of people. Quickly present it to General Wudu and let it suffocate the Tartars!"

"I've heard that the Tartars are even more stinky."

.......