Twinkling Star

Chapter 14 Can’t Move and Be in Pain

Martin took out a small medicine box from under the cashier desk to Elizabeth and said to her, “There

are snakes in the mountain, be careful.”

“Well, I see. Then I’ll go up to the mountain to get the medicine!” Elizabeth took the medicine box in her

father’s hand and put it in the bamboo basket behind her. Then she went to the back door, stepped on

the field path and went to the opposite mountain.

She helped her mother to go up to the mountain to collect herbs every day during this period she

stayed at home. When one mountain was finished, she went to the next, and each mountain was

deeper than the last.

Maisie always compared her with Snow or Winnie.

In a word, other people’s daughter was the best, and Elizabeth was not as good as other people’s

daughter.

Maisie wanted Anthony Lawrence her brother to learn medicine to her grandmother, but he was not

interested in Traditional Chinese medicine and did not want to spend his whole life in this remote and

poor village.

Elizabeth had been collecting herbs in the mountains with her grandmother since she was a child, and

she was very interested in Traditional Chinese medicine. Unfortunately, she failed to get admitted to a

medical university, and Maisie refused to pay for her to study again. Therefore, she had to make do

with life in this way.

The mountain was not bustling and noisy like a city, but it had the prosperity of nature.

Elizabeth squatted under a tree, collecting herbs in the withered branches and green grass, while ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

listening to the singing of insects and birds.

Today she was lucky that she picked lucid ganoderma and ginseng. Unconsciously, she had entered

the deep mountain with towering trees and streams. Although it was summer, it was warm as spring.

When Elizabetht picked a pinellia grass, she lifted eyes inadvertently and found a few beautiful deep

purple flowers in the bush. From a distance they looked like pretty corn poppy.

It was natural for girls to love flowers. Since the flower was beautiful, she wanted to took it back and

plant it.

When Elizabeth went over to have a look at them, she shocked.

This was not a corn poppy, but...poppy!

Poppies were an alien species. They were naturally absent in the village.

Why, then, were there poppies in the mountains?

Elizabeth thought for a while and pulled out the poppies, put them into the bamboo basket behind and

covered them with other herbs.

Following the shapeless winding mountain road, Elizabeth continued to walk until she reached the top

of the mountain, where she stood on a big rock and looked into the distance.

The clouds were around the mountains, and it is as beautiful as arcadia.

Elizabeth looked down from the distance. At the foot of the mountain, surrounded by mountains, there

was a large field of red, pink, orange, yellow and purple flowers.

Obviously, that vast field of flowers did not grow naturally.

Those flowers...were poppies?!

Who on earth was hiding in these mountains and wild forests to grow poppies?

Elizabeth suddenly understood, turned and ran.

The speed went down from the mountain was faster. When she was halfway down the mountain, she

heard a scream.

It was a man’s voice.

Elizabeth, frowning, subconsciously hid in a pile of bushes.

“Crack -- crack -- crack --”

“Is the snake dead?”

“I don’t know! Get on my back and I’ll carry you down to the doctor.”

After hearing the voice of this person, Elizabeth suddenly felt familiar with it.

“No...I can’t move. My feet are numb...And it hurts!” It was another man’s voice.

Darkened her eyes, Elizabeth tried to find where the two men’s voice came.

Under a tree not ten metres away, there were two men in their Hmong costumes.

Seeing two blood holes in one of the men’s ankles and a motionless black and white snake lying near

his feet, Elizabeth put down the bamboo basket on her back to check the man’s wounds.

“Coral snakes don’t usually attack people. You must have stepped on it by accident.” Elizabeth took out

the medicine cabinet from the bamboo basket and took out a small wooden box. There were several

small brown pills in it.

Without another word, she took one of the small pills, put it directly into the man’s mouth, and told him

to swallow it.

Then, Elizabeth took out a syringe and snake venom serum to give the man a shot.

The two men looked at each other, but they didn’t fight back because they knew she was saving him.

Then, Elizabeth took out the kettle from the bamboo basket and unscrewed the cap, and while she was

washing the man’s calf wound, she took out the tamping medicine bowl from the medicine box. Then

she took the herbs from the basket and put them in the bowl, mashed them and put them on the man’s

calf wound, and took gauze to help him to fix it.

“After going down the mountain, see a doctor in town.” Elizabeth said and caught the eyes of another

man when she raised her eyes.

He had cold dark eyes and defined face. Though his dry lips and chin were covered with beard, his skin

on his face showed that he was a young man in his twenties.

They put on make-up to disguise who they really were. Although they were dressed in their own

clothes, the accents with which she had just heard them were not at all like those of the people who

lived there.

“Thank you for saving my friend.” The man thanked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was familiar with his voice. Suddenly, something came to her mind. She put her hand into the

man’s face and tore off the beard.

“It’s you again!” Elizabeth clutched the fake beard in her hand and stared at Jasper Marsh.

This man was really haunted!

Jasper pressed his lips and showed a shy smile. “Hi, Honey, we meet again!”

“Do you know each other?” Paul Han, bitten by a snake, looked at Elizabeth with a startled look.

Jasper poked Paul on the shoulder with his elbow and said solemnly, “She is Elizabeth, my girlfriend.”

“Thank you for saving my life, Elizabeth!” Paul nodded.

Frowning, Elizabeth did not pay attention to the two men, but casually picked up a branch to stir that

coral snake.

“Dead already?” Elizabeth soliloquized, wondering whether she should take the snake back to make

Chinese medicine. But the snake suddenly moved again.

Seeing the snake moved again, Paul was scared and shrunk in into the arm of Jasper, hanging his

hands around Jasper’s neck like a girl.

He was terrified of it biting him again.