Crossing Over to Yamada Love

Mo Lan didn't care. It was normal for people to get bitten by mosquitoes when they went up the mountain. She had been bitten many times in previous years, and the itching would only last for a couple of days.

The next morning, Mo Lan felt something was wrong as soon as she got up. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she shook her head, trying not to think about it anymore. She reached for her clothes and started to put them on, but when she saw her right hand, she froze. Her right hand was now swollen like a risen dough, and even her fingers were much thicker than usual. The spaces between her fingers and the surface of her hand were red.

Is this mosquito bite poisoning? Mo Lan saw her mother-in-law bitten like this once before, and she had to get IV drips for three days to recover. What can be done now? There are no IV drips here, how can she possibly get better?

"Girl, hurry up and get dressed. Come and comb your hair. Your mother has almost finished making breakfast." Madam Wang was waiting for her granddaughter with a wooden comb.

"Yes, I'm here. Grandma, what herbs here can treat mosquito bites?" Mo Lan asked. Her family would find out about her hands sooner or later, so she might as well tell them now and find some herbs to treat them.

"What? Did you get bitten by a mosquito?" Mrs. Wang asked her granddaughter while combing her hair.

"Yes, Grandma. Look, this bite is a little different from usual." Mo Lan stretched out her hand to her grandmother.

Mrs. Wang glanced at her granddaughter's hand, and with a "thud," the comb fell onto the kang (a heated brick bed). What happened? It was terrifying. Her granddaughter's hand was swollen thicker than a steamed sponge cake.

Mrs. Wang hurriedly grabbed her granddaughter's hand and gently examined it. Her palm was swollen. What kind of mosquito was this? It was so poisonous!

"Does it hurt?" Wang asked, her voice filled with heartache.

"It doesn't hurt." Mo Lan didn't tell the truth. In fact, it hurt when she moved. Not only did it hurt, but it also itched terribly. She had been enduring it so that she didn't scratch. Her skin was so tight that she couldn't even move her hands around comfortably, let alone make a fist.

"What kind of herb can repel mosquitoes? Your Uncle Liu has a pot of mosquito-repelling herb, but I don't know if it will work." Wang was at a loss for a moment. She didn't know anything about medicine, but she had heard that Liu Daniu's family had a pot of mosquito-repelling herb. She thought it could repel mosquitoes and also neutralize their venom.

"Let's go get some later and try it." Mo Lan wasn't sure either; she didn't know much about it. All she knew was what she knew from her past life, and she had never heard of mosquito repellent plants.

"Come on, let's go outside first." Madam Wang gently pulled her granddaughter out.

"Changhe, you're quick on your feet, go to your brother Da Niu's house and ask for some mosquito repellent grass." Wang called out to Mo Changhe as soon as she came out.

"Okay, I'll go right now. Mom, what do you need the mosquito repellent for?" Mo Changhe was chopping firewood. Hearing his mother's call, he hurriedly put down his axe, wiping his sweat as he asked.

"Lan's hand is swollen from mosquito bites. Go quickly and get some mosquito repellent herbs to apply to her, see if it helps reduce the swelling?" Wang's voice was somewhat anxious.

"What? Let me see." Mo Changhe hurriedly walked over. Qiu Shi and the others also ran over when they heard this.

Everyone panicked when they saw Mo Lan's hand, which was swollen like a steamed bun.

"Husband, hurry up and go!" Qiu urged Mo Changhe, then took Mo Lan's hand and kept blowing on it, thinking that blowing on it would make her daughter feel better.

"I'm going right now." Mo Changhe panicked and ran out without even changing his clothes.

"Lan'er, are you feeling unwell?" Qiu's eyes reddened. Why did her daughter have to suffer like this? She wished she were the one biting.

"Sister, it doesn't hurt. San'er is with you." Xiao San ran to Mo Lan's side and kept comforting his sister.

Seeing the concern in everyone's eyes, Mo Lan quickly smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it's nothing, it's just a little swollen, it'll be fine in a bit."

"What do you mean 'nothing'? It's all swollen up so high. Doesn't it hurt? Mother, Lan'er said it doesn't hurt, so could she have been poisoned? Is she numb? Didn't someone say that snake bites don't hurt? That means the poison is strong and she's been paralyzed. What should we do? No! We need to quickly call Uncle Liu's car and go into town to find a doctor. Or we can call Uncle Chen to take a look. I'll go get some people right now." Qiu Shi panicked, her mind started racing, and she couldn't sit still.

Wang was also a little scared by what she said. She didn't know if her granddaughter was really not in pain or was just enduring it. She didn't understand this either. If she was really poisoned, it would be no joke.

"I'll go call Grandpa Chen." Erlang got up and walked outside.

"I'll go call the Liu brothers to hitch up the carriage." Mo Quan also hurriedly stood up.

"Wait a minute, don't go. I'm fine, Mother, don't worry. I can feel it. My hand hurts a little and it's a little itchy, but I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. It's not numb." Mo Lan hurriedly called to them, and then told everyone the truth.

"You silly girl, you scared your mother to death! Are you feeling unwell? Let me blow on it. Why isn't your father back yet?" Qiu Shi blew on the inkstone for her daughter, then complained that the inkstone was too slow.

"Lan'er, I remember Uncle Chen once said that dandelion can cure mosquito bites. I'll go and boil some dandelion water for you." Liu was still somewhat rational, and she hurriedly went to get dried dandelion to boil water.

"Okay, thank you, Auntie." Mo Lan thought it was fine, since dandelion water is anti-inflammatory and there was no harm in drinking it.

A moment later, Mo Changhe ran back, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from his brow, and handed over the grass in his hand, saying, "This is mosquito-repellent grass, quickly give it to Lan'er to use."

Mo Lan glanced at it; the grass was now yellowish-green, with small, densely packed leaves.

Qiu took the mosquito-repellent herb, then paused, asking Wang, "Mother, how do we use this? Should we boil it in water to drink? Or should we crush it and apply it to the affected area?"

Wang was also taken aback; she didn't know how to use it either.

"Make it into a juice and apply it to me. This doesn't look like something you'd boil into water to drink," Mo Lan hurriedly suggested. She didn't want to drink water boiled from this stuff; who knew if there would be any problems?

"Okay." Qiu hurriedly crushed the mosquito-repellent grass and applied it to Mo Lan.

Just a short while after applying the ointment, Mrs. Qiu asked, "How is it? Can you feel anything? Has the swelling gone down?"

"Mother, it's only been a short while, I don't feel anything yet. Let's eat first, and then I'll send my brother and Xiao San to the private school. Everyone else can go about their business, I don't think I have anything to do." Mo Lan wasn't sure if it had worked, but she wasn't too worried. How poisonous could mosquitoes be? Even without medicine, she figured it would get better in a few days.

Seeing how easily Mo Lan spoke, everyone had no choice but to eat breakfast first, since even if the mosquito repellent herb was effective, it wouldn't work so quickly.

After breakfast, urged by Mo Lan, Erlang and Xiao San went to the school. The boy chopped wood and fetched water, while the girl prepared noodles and chopped fillings.

Mo Lan couldn't do anything, so she could only sit on the bench and rest.

A little while later, Mo Lan felt her hands were itching even more. When no one was looking, she washed off the mosquito repellent. To her surprise, her hands were even more swollen and redder than before. The mosquito bites were oozing fluid. Was it effective or not? Mo Lan had no idea.

But since water has come out, let's squeeze it out; it's always good to get rid of the toxic water.

Acting on her impulse, Mo Lan began squeezing out water, leaving the mosquito bites covered in fingernail marks, red and swollen, almost bleeding.

"Lan'er, how are you? Has the swelling gone down?" Qiu asked, her heart filled with worry, as she prepared the filling.

"I'm feeling better. You guys go ahead with your work, I'm fine." Mo Lan quickly replied, then went to get the dandelion water and smeared the remaining dandelion residue on her hands. Since things were already like this, she might as well try anything.

After thinking for a moment, Wang went inside. She picked up Mo Lan's hand and examined it, her brows furrowing even deeper.

“Girl, this won’t do. Let’s call your Grandpa Chen to take a look first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll go to town. We can’t just mess around at home. If we push it too far, it’ll be no laughing matter,” Wang Shi advised Mo Lan.

"Grandma, it's alright. I've seen this before. It's just mosquito bite poisoning. It'll be fine in a few days. Don't worry." Mo Lan comforted Wang Shi. Going to town wouldn't be of much use. At most, she could get some herbal medicine to treat mosquito bites, either applied or given to drink. It wouldn't make much difference if she prepared it herself.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Wang asked her granddaughter with some disbelief.

"Yes, don't worry. If it gets even worse later, I'll go check on Grandpa Chen."

"Zhong, girl, don't keep quiet about it. Everyone's worried about you. We can only be at ease when you're all better." Knowing her granddaughter was determined, Madam Wang didn't try to persuade her further, but told her to be careful at all times.

As noon approached, Mo Lan frowned as she looked at her hands. The swelling hadn't gone down; in fact, it had gotten worse, and even her arms were starting to swell. This couldn't go on; she couldn't hide it any longer. She had no choice but to say that she was going to see Doctor Chen.

Wang was going, and Qiu was even more determined to go. Mo Quan also went, while the rest of the people stayed in the shop. After all, business would start soon, and besides, sending too many people wouldn't make a difference; having one errand runner would suffice.

When they arrived at Doctor Chen's house, Doctor Chen frowned as he looked at Mo Lan's hands. What kind of mosquito was that? How could it bite someone like this?

He took Mo Lan's pulse and examined her carefully.

"Lanlan's hand has been poisoned, but it's nothing serious. She'll be fine in three to five days with some herbal medicine," Dr. Chen concluded after a careful examination.

"Uncle, why is Lan'er's hand so swollen? Is she really alright?" Qiu asked anxiously.

"This is when the poison is at its most potent. After tonight, the swelling will begin to subside slowly tomorrow. This cannot be rushed; it won't get better immediately," Doctor Chen said kindly, stroking his beard.

"Good, I'm relieved that everything's alright. Thank you, Uncle Chen." Mrs. Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. She had been terrified today. What would she have done if something had happened to her daughter's hand?

Doctor Chen applied some herbal medicine to the affected area. He didn't wrap it with cloth, saying that it would help it heal faster that way.

The family bid farewell to Doctor Chen and left. Madam Qiu pulled Mo Lan aside and gave her an order: "From now on, you're not allowed to go up the mountain. You've been bitten like this; if you encounter a snake or anything, your mother will be devastated."

Before Qiu could finish speaking and before Mo Lan could even reply, Mo Changhe arrived in a carriage.

That's the Xue family's carriage. And this is...? Mo Lan raised an eyebrow.

Mo Changhe saw Mo Lan and her group, and jumped down before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, asking repeatedly, "How are you? Is Lanlan's hand alright?"