Chapter 75 - 71: Dividing the Fish
"Please, Doctor, you have to help him," the old woman pleaded, her hands clasped together as she begged the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor they had called from Renhe Hall.
The old doctor’s face was grave. Without a word, he knelt beside the old man who was propped against the wall and began by carefully examining the bite marks.
"It’s a venomous snake."
At his words, the old woman nearly lost her footing.
"From your description, it must be a Silver Ring Snake. In traditional Chinese medicine, its venom is considered a ’wind toxin.’ Are you feeling no pain right now? Is the wound numb? Are you having trouble breathing?"
The old man’s eyes fluttered open. His expression was dazed as he slowly nodded before closing them again.
The old doctor frowned. He lifted the old man’s eyelid and shone a small flashlight on his pupil. Frowning again, he felt for a pulse. After a moment, he asked, "His pulse is faint and rapid. The venom has already spread. How long has it been since the bite?"
The old woman said, "It’s been a little over half an hour, I think."
The old doctor said, "Normally, the venom wouldn’t take effect this quickly. He must have engaged in strenuous activity after he was bitten."
The old woman didn’t understand, but she nodded anyway.
"I can prescribe something, but whether he pulls through is up to fate."
The old doctor turned to the young man beside him. "Xiaoli, go back and prepare a decoction. Chop up a five-centimeter piece of sweet flag root and a small amount of gentian root. Boil them for ten minutes, then for another five after the water comes to a boil. Have Xiaojie bring some of the sweet flag root here immediately."
"Right." Xiaoli quickly ran off.
The old doctor explained to the woman, "The Silver Ring Snake’s venom is what we call a ’wind toxin,’ which means it’s a neurotoxin. Traditional medicine can only do so much. His survival depends mainly on the amount of venom the snake injected. If it was a small dose, he has a chance of pulling through."
He left one thing unsaid: the critical factor in a Silver Ring Snake’s bite is respiratory paralysis. The core issue is whether the body can maintain basic oxygen supply as breathing function diminishes.
It all came down to an individual’s tolerance for the neurotoxin and their compensatory metabolic rate.
In that regard, the young had a significant advantage over the old, as their pulmonary function and the detoxifying capacity of their kidneys were much stronger.
A short while later, a young man in a gray jacket ran over, holding the sweet flag root. The old doctor crushed it and held it under the poisoned man’s nose.
The sharp scent of the root stimulated the poisoned man, and his eyes opened.
"He can’t sleep. He has to stay conscious," the old doctor told the old woman. "You hold this. Don’t let him drift off." The old woman quickly asked, "What about your fee, Doctor?"
The old doctor waved his hand, dismissing the question of payment. He stood up and addressed the onlookers. "All of you, be careful when you go in the water. Watch where you’re stepping so you don’t get bitten. This forest is teeming with snakes and insects."
Amid the roar of the water pump’s engine, as the water level neared the bottom, the old man against the wall’s head slumped to the side. He had stopped breathing.
Beside him, the old woman clutched his body and wept.
...
In the garage, the water level had almost bottomed out, leaving only three inches of standing water. At the bottom was a layer of silt.
The air was thick with the stench of rot and dampness.
As the water receded, the fish were left stranded.
They hid under cars or in the corners of the garage.
Some people descended with torches, others with flashlights.
Qin Ziwen pulled a solar-powered flashlight from his pocket and switched it on, illuminating a large area before him.
"There’s a fish over there!"
Deng Guang pointed to the side of a load-bearing column, where a large, black-backed fish lay motionless against the corner of the wall.
From the side, someone with a bucket hurried after it. The fish, startled, darted away. The person lunged for it, but his vision suddenly went dark—Qin Ziwen had switched off his flashlight.
The man stood up. Seemingly aware that he was in the wrong for freeloading off the light, he shot a glance back at Qin Ziwen before taking his bucket to another area.
Once the man was gone, Qin Ziwen switched the flashlight back on. With the aid of the bright beam, he soon caught several fish.
"Hold on, there," Zhao Pu said, pointing at a sedan off to the side.
Qin Ziwen aimed his flashlight in the direction Zhao Pu was pointing. A snake was coiled on the roof of the car. It was grayish-green, over a meter long, with a pointed head. Startled by the light, it launched itself into the water and slithered away.
As the four of them worked in the muck, Deng Guang said, "I’m going to get my wife and kid. We’ll catch fish faster with more people."
Zhao Pu looked at Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen waved a dismissive hand. "No, don’t. My flashlight only lights up this small spot in front of us. More people will just get in the way. We’ll be casting shadows everywhere and won’t be able to see a thing. Plus, with all the snakes around here, it’s better to be careful."
Deng Guang looked a little ashamed. Qin Ziwen was not only contributing his own labor but also the flashlight; Deng Guang felt he was taking advantage of Brother Qin.
As more and more people waded in to catch fish, the newcomers who had been watching couldn’t hold back any longer and joined the large group.
This, of course, made a joke out of Huang Tao’s suggestion from yesterday that only those who donated gasoline should get a share of the fish.
It was every man for himself as they all scrambled to catch fish in the garage.
「Four hours passed.」
The crowd had essentially turned the entire garage upside down.
Qin Ziwen wiped the sweat from his forehead as he headed upstairs through the underground service tunnel of Building Eight.
The buckets Deng Guang and Zhao Pu carried were filled to the brim with fish.
Deng Guang came over to Qin Ziwen. "Brother Qin, Dr. Zhao and I talked it over. Since we caught all these fish together, let’s split them by headcount. He and I will take one bucket, and you two can have the other."
Qin Ziwen accepted readily. "Sounds good."
"Great," Deng Guang said with a chuckle. "I’ll clean the fish when I get back. I’ll save the guts for you to use as bait in your Earth Cage."
"Oh, crap! My Earth Cage!" Qin Ziwen slapped his forehead. He suddenly remembered that he’d set an Earth Cage in the creek downstream from the cave and hadn’t gone back to retrieve it.
Qin Ziwu turned his head. "Brother, I think today’s the third day."
"Don’t worry," Deng Guang reassured him. "It’s normal to leave an Earth Cage out for two or three days. When we set it, part of it was sticking out of the water, so whatever’s inside won’t have drowned."
Qin Ziwen sighed. "I’m worried about the floodwaters. What if they washed it away?"
Deng Guang thought for a moment. "I doubt it. I remember the ground is pretty high there. Besides, you tied it to a nearby tree with a rope, right?"
Qin Ziwen proposed, "It’s noon now. Why don’t we head over there this afternoon to check on it? We can take a look at that cave while we’re at it."
"Sounds good," Deng Guang agreed without hesitation. "I’ll go home, change my clothes, and we can head out after lunch. Oh, right, should we ask Dr. Zhao to come along?"
"Let’s go ask him together," Qin Ziwen said.
When he heard their plan, Zhao Pu readily agreed. "Of course. These fish just came out of the floodwaters. It’s a good idea to let them sit in clean water for a day anyway."
Afterward, Qin Ziwen returned home, carrying the large bucket of fish.
The fish were of all sizes, weighing at least twenty or thirty pounds all together.
He found two large basins, filled them with fresh water, and put the fish inside.
The Beaked Eagle heard the commotion and hurried over. Staring at the fish swimming in the basins, its eyes went wide. ’Is this an all-you-can-eat buffet?’
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