Chapter 462: Two Months in a Coma?

“Ahh! Shui Miao woke up, Shui Miao woke up!!”

Right after that, another excited shout rang out.

Shui Miao turned around and saw a figure running out of the house. Judging from the back, it looked very much like Chen Bing.

“Huh?”

Shui Miao looked around the room. Wasn’t this exactly his grandfather’s house?

He looked down at his clothes. He was wearing baggy shorts and a black sleeveless undershirt.

“Oh my god! This is just too amazing!”

Shui Miao pinched his thigh hard. The pain was so intense that tears almost came out.

Quickly licking his lips, Shui Miao sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and tried to enter a meditative state… After about ten seconds, he sighed in disappointment. Not only couldn’t he reach a meditative state, he couldn’t even sense any spiritual energy. His dantian felt completely empty. All he felt was hunger.

“Grandpa, hurry! Hurry up! Shui Miao really woke up!”

Chen Bing excitedly brought the old man into the house.

When Xiong Ying saw Shui Miao sitting up with his eyes sparkling, tears of joy streamed down his aged face.

Chen Bing jumped up and down excitedly, “Ha ha, I told you this brat wouldn’t die, look, he’s alive! Brat, do you know how many days you’ve been unconscious? You scared us to death! You’ve been in a coma for almost two months!”

“What!?” Shui Miao was shocked and jumped out of bed.

Seeing this, Xiong Ying quickly wiped his tears and pushed Shui Miao back onto the bed, covering him with a blanket. He touched Shui Miao’s forehead, took his pulse, and more tears welled up, “You brat, you’re finally awake. Your body is still weak, so lie in bed and rest. I’ll go heat up some chicken soup for you. Chen Bing, take good care of him, don’t let him run around…”

Xiong Ying exhaled deeply and hurried to the kitchen.

Shui Miao quickly grabbed Chen Bing’s arm. He had obviously lost a lot of weight, “Brat, quickly tell me, what’s going on? Two months?”

“Bro! You really don’t remember!?”

“Ah! Shuimiao’s awake, Shuimiao’s awake!!”

Immediately after, another wave of excited shouts followed.

As Shuimiao turned around, he saw a figure running out of the room. From the back, it looked very much like Chen Bing.

“Huh?”

Shuimiao looked around the room. Wasn’t this his grandfather’s house?

He then glanced at the clothes he was wearing—a pair of loose shorts and a black tank top.

“Oh crap! This is just too unbelievable!”

Shuimiao pinched his thigh hard, the pain bringing tears to his eyes.

He quickly licked his lips, sat up cross-legged, closed his eyes, and tried to focus, attempting to enter a meditative state… After about ten seconds, he sighed in disappointment. There was no meditative state, not even a trace of spiritual energy. His dantian felt completely empty, and aside from hunger, all he felt was more hunger.

“Grandpa, quick, hurry! Shuimiao is really awake!”

Chen Bing urgently brought Grandpa into the room.

Grandpa Xiong Ying saw Shuimiao sitting up, his eyes darting around, and immediately felt his own eyes grow warm, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Chen Bing jumped excitedly, “Haha, I told you this brat wouldn’t die. Look, he’s alive! You brat, do you know how long you’ve been unconscious? You scared us to death—you’ve been out for almost two months!”

“What!?” Shuimiao was shocked and tried to get out of bed.

Seeing this, Xiong Ying quickly wiped away his tears, pushed Shuimiao back onto the bed, and covered him with a blanket. He felt Shuimiao’s forehead and checked his pulse, tears welling up again. “You brat, you’re finally awake. You’re still weak, so stay in bed and rest. I’ll go heat up some chicken soup for you. Chen Bing, take care of him. Don’t let him run around…”

Xiong Ying let out a long sigh of relief and hurried to the kitchen.

Shuimiao grabbed Chen Bing, who had clearly lost weight. “You brat, tell me, what’s going on? What do you mean two months?”

“Bro! You don’t remember anything!?” Chen Bing was almost hysterical with excitement. “That night, remember when we went to the graveyard to catch fish?”

“Yeah, and then we ran into a water ghost.” Shuimiao had returned to the past, but his memories remained intact.

Chen Bing slapped his thigh. “Exactly! Later, you ran to the stern of the boat and accidentally fell into the water. By the time we pulled you out, you had stopped breathing. Luckily, Grandpa arrived in time and carried you on his back for miles to save your life. But after that, you never woke up. Grandpa asked Third Granny from Li Village to see you. She said most of your three souls and seven spirits had wandered off, taken by an immortal. The only way to bring you back was if that immortal released your spirits.”

Third Granny was blind but well-known locally as a mystic. Whenever anyone had trouble, they went to her—even for something as trivial as losing a wallet, she could divine where it was.

“No way…” Shuimiao was stunned. This was just too far-fetched!

Listening to Chen Bing, Shuimiao felt as though he had truly been unconscious for dozens of days. Those events had turned into nothing more than a dream.

“What do you mean, ‘no way’! I even skipped work in Zhonghai to stay with you every day. You kept muttering someone’s name in your sleep, and you even had the audacity to dream about Miss Tang, like a toad lusting after swan meat.” Chen Bing looked at him disdainfully, as if to say, “You brat, lying in bed all day having wet dreams while I skipped work to take care of you. Now that you’re awake, you don’t even say thanks, just keep denying it.”

Shuimiao’s eyes shifted. “What about Lin Haiyang? Ye Haibing? And Li Hua? Where are they?”

“Come on! You still don’t believe me!?” Chen Bing stood up in frustration, grabbed a calendar, and pointed at the date, sputtering with excitement. “Look, just look—it’s July 19 today. In ten days, it’ll be exactly two months. They’re not as loyal as I am; they all went back to work. Remembering you? Yeah, right…”

Shuimiao took the calendar and flipped through it. The pages were clearly worn from use.

He tried to get out of bed again, but Chen Bing stopped him. “No, no, no. Grandpa said you can’t get out of bed yet.”

“I need to pee!”

Shuimiao wanted to go outside to see the reeds by the river. In his memory, he recalled how they had been growing. According to Chen Bing, if it had been over a month, those reeds should have grown tall and thick.

But to his surprise, Chen Bing pulled out a chamber pot from under the bed.

“Are you kidding me? In broad daylight, you want me to use this?” Despite his hunger, Shuimiao was full of energy.

Chen Bing glared. “What’s wrong with it? You even wet the bed while you were unconscious.”

“Whatever. I’m fine. I need to go outside and see.”

Shuimiao forced his way out of bed.

It was July, and the heat was intense—a stifling, irritable afternoon.

Inside the house, the sweltering heat was unbearable.

Outside, on the northwest side, a parasol tree thick enough for two people to embrace was swarming with summer cicadas screeching incessantly.

Seeing that he couldn’t stop Shuimiao, Chen Bing went to fetch Grandpa.

Shuimiao darted out the door, immediately hit by a wave of heat. His body was still weak, and he felt suffocated.

Fortunately, there was a stool by the wall outside. Shuimiao quickly sat down. Since there was no wind, Xiong Ying didn’t say anything. He had Chen Bing bring out a small wooden table, bowls, and chopsticks, then brought over a pot of freshly heated chicken soup. They each had a large bowl—it was lunch, but also a celebration of Shuimiao finally waking up.

But Shuimiao was staring intently at the reeds by the southern riverbank. They were tall, thick, and lush—definitely not something that could have grown in just a few days.

“Was I really unconscious?”

“Was everything that happened just a dream?”

“But how… how could it feel so real?”

Shuimiao muttered to himself, the inability to distinguish dream from reality gnawing at him.

“Shuimiao, stop spacing out. It’s good that you’re awake. I was worried you’d be unconscious forever. Now that you’re up, you should be happy. Rest today, and tomorrow I’ll buy some things. We’ll go together to thank Third Granny.” Xiong Ying had also lost weight these past days, having endured much hardship.

Chen Bing, who hadn’t eaten well in days, devoured his food like a starved animal.

Shuimiao looked up at his grandfather, noticing the bloodshot eyes, and felt a pang of sadness. He silently vowed to take good care of his grandfather and repay his kindness, regardless of whether it was a dream or reality.

“Grandpa, I’m fine. You should eat more.”

Shuimiao took the nearly empty bowl from his grandfather and replaced it with his own, which was filled with chunks of chicken.

Xiong Ying was taken aback.

Shuimiao said, “Grandpa, eat. If you don’t, I’ll feel terrible. From now on, I’ll take care of you. I won’t let you worry or exhaust yourself anymore.”

“Ah, good, good child…”

Xiong Ying was deeply moved, nearly shedding tears again.

Chen Bing put down his bowl and grinned foolishly at Shuimiao. He was overjoyed. If Shuimiao hadn’t woken up, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. Now that Shuimiao was awake, he couldn’t be happier. They could go back to bragging, exploring, working, and adventuring together.

After gulping down a large bowl of chicken soup, Shuimiao felt energized and stood up to stretch his neck.

At first, Xiong Ying was worried.

But after a few minutes, Shuimiao’s face flushed healthily, his eyes bright and clear. Xiong Ying felt relieved.

After finishing the soup, Shuimiao rushed to clean the bowls.

But Xiong Ying insisted that a recovering patient shouldn’t be exposed to cold drafts, as it could lead to illness.

Chen Bing chuckled, snatched the bowls, and dashed toward the river.

Watching Chen Bing’s retreating figure, Xiong Ying sighed. “Ah, these days have been hard on Chen Bing. You should treat him well from now on. We can’t let down someone so sincere.”

“Grandpa, I understand. I’ll be good to him.” Suddenly, Shuimiao had a thought. “By the way, Grandpa, do you know how Chenxiang is doing? Is she okay lately?”

“Chenxiang? She came to see you every day, but her father is no easy man.” Xiong Ying curled his lip, clearly not fond of Chen Jian.

Splash!

Suddenly, a sound came from the river!

Shuimiao and his grandfather turned to see Chen Bing had fallen into the river.

Both were startled and rushed toward the riverbank. But just as they reached it, Chen Bing threw a large turtle onto the shore!

The turtle, upside down and flailing its legs, was as big as a washbasin—at least three and a half pounds.

Chen Bing climbed out of the water, laughing. “Today’s luck is amazing! I spotted it and jumped right in. This guy must’ve lost its mind—it swam right into my arms. Grandpa, grab it and make some soup for Shuimiao…”

Xiong Ying also broke into a smile, stepping on the turtle just as it tried to flip over.

“Haha, Chen Bing, you’ve done a great deed this time…”

Wild turtle was highly nutritious, perfect for someone recovering from a serious illness.

Xiong Ying had been running low on money, wondering how to afford another chicken for Shuimiao and gifts for Third Granny, not to mention how to make ends meet. But now, with this turtle, he could save the money for the chicken and stretch their resources a bit longer. In a couple of days, he could make some money by helping people with feng shui.

“I’ll get the knife. Let’s butcher it now…”

Chen Bing was excited, dashing to the kitchen to fetch a cleaver.

Xiong Ying told Chen Bing to change clothes—he would handle the turtle.

In the sweltering heat of the early afternoon, Chen Bing went back to his room, put on a pair of shorts, and ran back shirtless.

He had brought all his clothes here to take care of Shuimiao.

Xiong Ying, in high spirits, cleaned the turtle while chatting happily. “Let’s rest today. Tomorrow morning, after we thank Third Granny, we’ll go into the city. Some big shot has been asking me to check his feng shui for days. I’ve been putting him off, but tomorrow we’ll go before eleven and let him treat us to a fancy meal.”

“Grandpa, is that person named Wang Yong?” Shuimiao’s heart stirred. Here was his chance to verify whether it was all a dream.

“I remember. Later we also encountered a water ghost.”

“That’s right! Then you ran to the back of the boat and accidentally fell into the water. When we pulled you out, you had already stopped breathing. Fortunately, Grandpa arrived just in time. He carried you on his back and ran for miles before he managed to save your life. But since then, you’ve been in a coma. Grandpa invited the old madam San from the Li Village behind us to take a look. She said most of your three souls and seven spirits were gone, taken by an immortal. To bring you back to life, the immortal must return your soul.”

Madam San was blind, a famous local fortune teller. Whenever someone had a problem, they would go to her for help. Even if you lost your wallet, she could tell you exactly where it was.

“No way…”

Shui Miao was somewhat stunned. This was too incredible!

Listening to Chen Bing’s story, Shui Miao couldn’t help but feel like he had really been in a coma for dozens of days, and those events had really become a dream.

“What do you mean no way! I even skipped my job in Zhonghai to stay with you every day. You kept mumbling names in your sleep, and often had your head in the clouds, thinking about Sister Tang.”

Chen Bing looked at him in disdain, as if to say, “You’ve been lying in bed having sweet dreams while I skipped work to take care of you. Now you’re awake, not even saying thank you, and still doubting me.”

Shui Miao’s eyes turned, “What about Lin Haiyang? Where are Ye Haibing and Li Hua?”

“Hey! You still don’t believe me!?” Chen Bing stood up impatiently, grabbed the calendar, and pointed at the date, spitting as he spoke, “Look, look! Today is already July 19th. In another ten days, it will be exactly two months. They don’t have the loyalty I have. They went to work already. And still remember you, really…”

Shui Miao took the calendar and looked. The pages were clearly worn.

Shui Miao got out of bed again, but Chen Bing stopped him, “No, no, no! Grandpa said you can’t get out of bed for now.”

“I need to pee!”

Shui Miao wanted to go outside to check the reeds by the river. In his memory, he still remembered how the reeds were growing. According to what Chen Bing said, after more than a month, those reeds should have grown very tall.

But to his surprise, Chen Bing actually pulled out a chamber pot from under the bed.

“Are you kidding me? In broad daylight, you want me to use this thing?” Shui Miao was hungry, but his energy and spirit were very good.

Chen Bing glared, “What’s wrong with using this? You even wet the bed while lying there.”

“I’m not going to argue with you. I’m fine now. I want to go out and take a look.”

Shui Miao forced his way out of bed.

It was mid-July, very hot, and it was a particularly sultry afternoon.

Inside the house, the heat was oppressive and uncomfortable.

Outside, on the locust tree in the northwest corner, cicadas were screaming non-stop.

Chen Bing saw Shui Miao forcing himself out of bed but couldn’t stop him, so he went to call Grandpa.

Shui Miao ran out the door in a flash. Immediately, a wave of heat hit him. His body was still weak, so he felt short of breath right away.

Luckily, there was a bench by the wall outside the door. Shui Miao quickly sat down on it. Fortunately, it was windless outside, so Xiong Ying didn’t say anything. He had Chen Bing bring out a small wooden table, set out bowls and chopsticks, and brought over a steel pot of chicken soup that had just been heated. Each of them had a big bowl for lunch, which was also a celebration of Shui Miao finally waking up.

Shui Miao was staring straight at the reeds by the river to the south. Those reeds were tall and thick. They couldn’t have grown that way in less than a month.

“So was I really in a coma?”

“Was everything that happened before just a dream?”

“No way! How… How could it be so real?”

Shui Miao murmured to himself. That feeling of being unable to distinguish between dream and reality was really troubling.

“Shui Miao, stop daydreaming. It’s good that you’re awake. I was originally worried you’d be in a coma forever. Now that you’re awake, you should be happy. Rest here today, and tomorrow I’ll buy some things, and we’ll go together to Madam San’s house to thank her.” Xiong Ying had also lost weight. He had endured a lot of hardship these days.

Chen Bing hadn’t had a good meal in days and was slurping his food like a pig.

Shui Miao looked up at his grandfather. Seeing the bloodshot eyes, he felt a pang in his heart. He silently vowed that no matter whether all of this was a dream or reality, he would take good care of his grandfather and repay his kindness.

“Grandpa, I’m fine now. Please eat more.”

Shui Miao took the nearly empty bowl in front of his grandfather and exchanged it with his own bowl full of good meat.

Xiong Ying was slightly taken aback.

Shui Miao said, “Grandpa, please eat. If you don’t eat, I’ll feel really bad. From now on, I will take care of you and never let you worry or work hard again.”

“Ahh, okay, good child…”

Xiong Ying was moved, almost shedding tears again.

Chen Bing put down his bowl, looked at Shui Miao and laughed foolishly. He was very happy. If Shui Miao hadn’t woken up, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. Now that Shui Miao was awake, he was extremely happy. In the future, they could once again chat, play together, go out to work, and travel around the world.

Gulping down a big bowl of chicken soup, Shui Miao felt his strength returning and stood up to stretch his neck.

At first, Xiong Ying was still worried.

But after a few minutes, Shui Miao’s face became rosy, his complexion normal, and his eyes bright. Xiong Ying then felt reassured.

After finishing his chicken soup, Shui Miao rushed to collect the bowls and chopsticks.

But Xiong Ying said that a recently recovered patient shouldn’t catch a chill; being hit by a cold wind could make him sick again.

Chen Bing chuckled and quickly grabbed the bowls and chopsticks, running quickly toward the river.

Watching Chen Bing’s back, Xiong Ying couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah! These days, it’s been hard on Chen Bing too. You brat, you should treat him well in the future. We can’t let down a sincere person.”

“Grandpa, I know. I will treat him well.” Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, “By the way, Grandpa, do you know how Chen Xiang is doing? Has she been okay lately?”

“Chen Xiang! She comes to see you every day, but her father is not an easy person.” Xiong Ying frowned, clearly not fond of Chen Jianguo.

“Plunk!”

Suddenly, a splash of water!

Shui Miao and his grandfather turned their heads and saw Chen Bing fall into the river.

Both were startled and quickly ran to the riverside. But just as they arrived, Chen Bing threw a big turtle onto the bank!

The turtle was on its back, flailing its legs, as big as a basin, at least three and a half catties.

Chen Bing climbed out of the water, laughing happily, “Today’s luck is really good! As soon as I saw it, I jumped down. This guy was confused and actually ran into my arms. Grandpa, quickly catch it and make some soup for Shui Miao…”

Xiong Ying also grinned, stepping on the turtle that had just turned over with his foot.

“Haha, Chen Bing, this time you’ve really done a great job…”

Wild turtles are very nourishing, perfect for someone who has just recovered from a serious illness.

Xiong Ying didn’t have much money left. He was just thinking about buying another chicken for Shui Miao and using the remaining money to buy some gifts to thank Madam San. Now that Chen Bing had caught a big turtle, he could save the money for the chicken and have more soup for a couple of days. In two days, he could go out and do some feng shui work to earn some money.

“I’ll go get the knife and kill it right away…”

Chen Bing was excited and ran to the kitchen to get a cleaver.

Xiong Ying told Chen Bing to go change clothes, leaving the turtle-killing to himself.

It was a hot afternoon, around one o’clock. Chen Bing went back to his room to get a pair of shorts and ran back naked.

He had brought his clothes here to take care of Shui Miao.

Xiong Ying was happy, laughing as he removed the turtle’s innards, “Rest today. Tomorrow morning, after we visit Madam San to thank her, we’ll go to the city together. There’s a guy in the city who has been asking me to do feng shui for quite a while. I’ve kept delaying because I didn’t have time. We’ll get there before eleven tomorrow and let him treat us to a good meal at a fancy restaurant.”

“Grandpa, is the person you’re talking about named Wang Yong?”

A thought struck Shui Miao. This might be his chance to find out whether he was dreaming or not.