Edward looked at me and mumbled something. I couldn't make it out, but it sounded like he was cursing at me.
The herbal bath was ready soon enough. Lucy dumped the entire sack of snakes and scorpions into the tub.
Maybe the alcohol was too strong, because the creatures immediately started scrambling out. Snakes and scorpions crawled all over the floor, filling the room.
Susan screamed in panic.
"What are you scared of?" Lucy snapped.
Holding a wooden stick, she pushed each escaping creature back into the tub one by one. "These are medicinal ingredients. The more poisonous they are, the better the effect!"
Then, she turned to Edward. "Hurry up. Take off your clothes and get in!"
Edward's mouth was still twisted, and his words slurred. "A-are you sure this will work?"
"Of course it will. I paid three thousand for this remedy!" she shot back, glaring at him. "Hurry up. Soak for three days, fifteen hours a day. I guarantee you'll be fine."
Kenneth chimed in from the side, "Dad, when has Mom ever been wrong? Remember when I had a fever of 104? Mom burned mugwort and smoked my feet, and the next day my fever was gone."
I stood in the corner, watching coldly, saying nothing.
Using a folk remedy for a fever might not be a big deal, but this was a stroke. Without proper treatment, even the aftereffects would be the least of their problems.
The whole family depended on Edward's pension. If something happened to him, they wouldn't even have time to cry.
"Edward, just give it a try. Lucy's just trying to help you. She went all over the place looking for a cure for you," I said gently.
He hesitated and glanced at me. In the end, he took off his clothes and carefully lowered himself into the tub.
"Ah!"
The moment he sat down, he cried out. "It... it hurts..."
Several snakes wrapped around his legs, and scorpions crawled onto his arms.
"Just bear with it. That means the medicine is working!" Lucy pressed down on his shoulders and coaxed him patiently. "Don't move. I'll start the acupuncture now."
She pulled out a bundle of long silver needles from her clothes. The tips were rusted, and who knew if they'd ever been sterilized. She didn't hesitate and started sticking them into his head.
"Lucy, do you even know how to do acupuncture?" Susan asked timidly.
Lucy shot her an impatient glare. "Why wouldn't I? I've watched old doctors do acupuncture plenty of times. Didn't I treat your leg pain last time?"
Susan awkwardly stepped back and went quiet.
A few years ago, she had leg pain. My mother-in-law had done the same thing then, grabbing silver needles and just stabbing them into her leg until she said the pain was gone.
But after that day, she started to walk with a limp.
Lucy insisted it was because Susan had been born with a disability.
Now, Lucy looked completely confident as she jabbed several needles into Edward's head.
He winced in pain. His mouth was still crooked, making his face look even worse.
I sneered inwardly. A stroke patient should never be moved around like this, especially not during an acute episode. But here he was, sitting in alcohol, being bitten by venomous creatures, and getting random acupuncture on top of it. Even if he didn't die, he'd be left in terrible shape.
But I said nothing. I just quietly stepped aside and took a few photos of them.
"Emily, why are you taking pictures?" Kenneth asked, sounding a little annoyed.
"For memories," I said.
I gave Lucy a thumbs-up. "When Edward gets better, he can look at these photos and see how good you were to him. Doing everything yourself like this, you really are the model of a head of the family."
Kenneth frowned, but didn't say anything else.
After the first day of soaking, Edward was already pale and trembling all over.
On the other hand, Lucy looked pleased.
"See? It's working! He's detoxing!"
