“That's preposterous,” PawPaw said. “Who on earth could be that important?”
The boy opened his eyes and glanced around the room. When his gaze met Hok's, a terrible scowl settled across his face.
“They were looking for … a traitor…. A girl … with brown hair….”
Hok could hardly believe her ears. Was an entire village really attacked because of her?
The boy in the doorway straightened up and took a step toward Hok, still scowling.
“Stop right there,” PawPaw said. “You will not lay a hand on her. There has been enough violence today.”
Behind her in the bedroom, Hok heard a noise. She looked over her shoulder and saw Cheen puff out his chest. He walked to her side and stared hard at the boy.
Hok hardly knew what to say. She didn't want anyone to fight over her, and she felt horrible about the attack. She looked at the boy. “I am very sorry about your village. I am not a bad person. Let me prove it. I will help heal your wounded.”
The boy continued to scowl. “You can't help us! This is all your fault. Besides, you're just a girl.”
PawPaw looked the boy in the eye. “Listen to me, young man. I believe this girl has done nothing wrong. She has proven to be an experienced healer, and she can help your fellow villagers. I suggest you let her help. I also suggest you keep your mouth shut about who you think she might be.”
The boy's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms.
“Let me put it this way,” PawPaw said. “If she doesn't go, I don't go. The fate of your village lies in your hands.”
Anxiety filled the boy's eyes. “Okay,” he said. “I won't tell. Please, hurry!”
“Good,” PawPaw said. She opened a cabinet drawer and removed a straight razor. She handed it to Hok.
Hok was dumbfounded. “A weapon?” she asked.
“By the heavens, no,” PawPaw said. “It's for your head. You can't go looking the way you do. Even if I had a large hat or turban to cover your brown hair, there are still risks. You must shave it off. You need to change your clothes, too. You'll have to pretend to be a boy.”
Hok frowned. “I understand. What about Sum and Seh? Won't we be gone for a while?”
“They could be asleep for a day or more,” PawPaw replied. “Come, help me now at the village and I promise I will do everything I can for Sum and your brother when we return. The four of you can stay with me until Sum and Seh make full recoveries.”
Hok hesitated, then nodded.
PawPaw turned to Cheen. “There should be a boy's robe and pants in that trunk I showed you that Hok can wear. Could you please find them for her?”
Cheen nodded and headed for the other room.
PawPaw looked at Hok. “Behind the house you will find a rain barrel. Shave your head, then come back in and change. I will finish gathering the necessary items. Hurry!”
While they raced as quickly as possible, in the heavy rain, it still took them more than half an hour to reach the village by foot. PawPaw had said the river was too swollen and treacherous to attempt to travel by boat.
As they approached, it was clear the soldiers had already left. The scene reminded Hok of Cangzhen and Shaolin. She wondered how people could be so cruel to one another.
The village was large by local standards, but it was nowhere near as big as Kaifeng. Hok saw perhaps one hundred buildings of various sizes, and several of them were smoldering in the rain. They passed by rows of storefronts riddled with holes from qiangs on their way to the central square.
Once they reached the square, Hok immediately identified the xiang mu tree that PawPaw had mentioned. Hok thought about how she might use it to wake Seh, but that thought only lasted a moment. Once the villagers realized that PawPaw had arrived, Hok and PawPaw were overrun with injured people of all ages.
A group of men quickly set up a small tent, and Hok and PawPaw set up their makeshift clinic inside it. Hundreds of injured villagers lined up outside in the fading afternoon light, shivering in the cold rain. By the time night had fallen, the rain had mercifully ceased. Several large fires were started to help chase away the chill for those still awaiting treatment, and oil lanterns were brought into the tent to work by. It was a very long night.
Most of the wounds Hok saw were from qiangs, and they were unlike any she had treated previously. Weapons-practice mishaps were fairly common at Cangzhen, and she had gotten quite good at dealing with those types of injuries. While a sword or spear could slice flesh and cause blood loss, the wound could be treated in a rather straightforward and obvious manner. The wounds simply needed to be wrapped tightly and the dressings changed often.
Qiang wounds, on the other hand, required much more skilled attention. The lead balls fired from a qiang left gaping holes in the skin that could not be closed by simply realigning the remaining sections of flesh. The holes had to be filled, and clean packing material was in short supply. Additionally, the qiang balls shattered bone, crippling the victim and leaving fragments that needed to be removed. Fragments of bone could lead to infection.