{"id":18286,"date":"2026-08-22T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/?p=18286"},"modified":"2026-08-15T17:11:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T21:11:43","slug":"teld022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/teld022\/","title":{"rendered":"Two or Three Events in the Last Days 022"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Chapter 22: Bitten<\/span><\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After marking all the known black lotus flowers, the four of them left the lotus pond and agreed to come back the next day. On the way home, Jing Lin also deliberately observed the height of the wild grass along the roadside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Halfway there, they heard Zhao Chenghuai shouting for them from a distance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cDad, what happened?\u201d Zhao Zhiwen asked hurriedly when he saw the worried expression on Zhao Chenghuai\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Zhao Chenghuai frowned and said, \u201cYour Aunt Yinghua\u2019s grandson, Xiaoyuan, was bitten by poisonous ants. Half of his body swelled up, and he\u2019s unconscious. Everyone in the village has gone to Grandpa Zhao\u2019s house.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The group was shocked when they heard that. \u201cIs it that serious?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Jing Lin quickly asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s Le Le?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cYour Aunt Zhou is watching him, so don\u2019t worry.\u201d They had been taking a nap with Le Le when the crying of Liu Yinghua and her daughter-in-law next door suddenly woke them. When they went over to look, nine-year-old Ma Xiaoyuan was lying on the ground, his whole body convulsing. He had already lost consciousness, and the exposed skin on his arms and thighs was covered in thumb-sized blisters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When they arrived at the doctor\u2019s house, the courtyard was already packed with people. Zhou Yu sat beneath the eaves holding Le Le. The moment Le Le saw Jing Lin, he immediately threw himself into Jing Lin\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Ma Xiaoyuan\u2019s condition was horrifying. Even adults felt uncomfortable looking at him, let alone a child Le Le\u2019s age. Zhou Yu had kept Le Le outside the entire time and had not allowed him to see the boy. Still, the solemn expressions on all the adults around him had frightened Le Le somewhat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

After comforting Le Le, Jing Lin told him to stay obediently with Zhou Yu before heading inside to check on Ma Xiaoyuan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Zhao Zhiwen and the others had already gone in ahead of him. Inside the house, Liu Yinghua and Liu Suqin were still quietly sobbing. The eldest daughter, Ma Xiaomei, sat curled up in Liu Suqin\u2019s arms, staring blankly at her unconscious younger brother, tear tracks still visible on her face.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD)\u00a0 is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ma Xiaoyuan\u2019s clothes had been cut apart. His exposed skin was covered with blisters, and he lay unconscious on a bamboo bed in the Zhao family\u2019s main hall. An IV drip hung from his hand. Doctor Zhao and his only son, Zhao Shaoqian, each held a syringe, puncturing the blisters and drawing out the accumulated fluid. Zhao Shaoqian\u2019s wife, Zhang Juan, and his daughter Zhao Xinyu, who had just started university, were applying ointment to the boy\u2019s body.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWhat kind of ants are so venomous?\u201d Zhao Zhiwen exclaimed in disbelief. Having grown up in the countryside, this was the first time he had ever seen someone bitten by ants to such an extent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

After all the blisters had been treated, Liu Suqin anxiously asked, \u201cUncle Anguo, when will my Xiaoyuan wake up?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Zhao Anguo\u2019s expression was grave. He shook his head and said, \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t wake up by tonight, there\u2019s nothing I can do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

He felt powerless himself. The medicine he had left was limited, and he lacked the best treatments. Ma Xiaoyuan\u2019s poisoning was severe, and he could not guarantee that the boy could be saved.<\/span><\/p>

The moment those words were spoken, Liu Yinghua and Liu Suqin collapsed to the floor and burst into tears. Their wails were so heartbreaking that several soft-hearted villagers nearby had tears welling in their eyes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Ma Renshan hated seeing scenes like this. Although the two families were distant relatives, they still visited each other during holidays and were closer than most villagers. He had watched Ma Xiaoyuan grow up, so the incident weighed heavily on him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

After watching silently for a while, Yan Fei spoke up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cUncle Renshan, since such poisonous ants have appeared in the village, we need to eliminate them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, what happens if they bite someone else?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

This was also one of Jing Lin\u2019s greatest concerns. He had Le Le at home and could not allow such a thing to happen to him.<\/span><\/p>

Hearing this, Ma Renshan asked several village women to comfort Liu Yinghua and Liu Suqin. Then he beckoned to the red-eyed Ma Xiaomei and led her outside.<\/span><\/p>

Hearing this, Ma Renshan let several aunts around comfort Liu Yinghua and Liu Suqin, then rushed to the red-eyed Xiaomei beckoned and took Xiaomei out of the house. \u201cXiaomei, tell everyone exactly what happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Since Ma Xiaomei had been the only person with Ma Xiaoyuan at the time, everyone gathered around to hear her account.<\/span><\/p>

It turned out that Liu Suqin was always afraid that Ma Xiaoyuan would go play in the water during the summer, so she usually made him take a two-hour nap after lunch before allowing him outside.<\/span><\/p>

However, it had still been raining during lunch that day, so she had not watched him as closely. While she was washing dishes, Ma Xiaoyuan quietly slipped out. She then sent Ma Xiaomei to look for him.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ma Xiaomei eventually found him in their vegetable garden, picking cucumbers and eating them. She told him to come home, but he refused. The two chased each other around the garden. Since it had just rained, the ground was muddy, and Ma Xiaomei ended up splattered with dirt.<\/span><\/p>

When she saw that he absolutely refused to return, she became annoyed and snapped off a tree branch, pretending she was going to discipline him. Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaoyuan suddenly tripped and fell.<\/span><\/p>

Before she could laugh at him, she saw a string of pitch-black creatures crawl onto his leg. Moments later, she heard his agonized screams.<\/span><\/p>

Ma Xiaomei had been badly startled. When she saw her brother rolling around in pain on the ground, she immediately rushed over. Ignoring her fear, she used the branch to sweep the creatures off him one by one.<\/span><\/p>

When one of them crawled up the branch toward her hand, she finally saw it clearly. Although it was much larger than normal, it was unmistakably a black ant.<\/span><\/p>

Terrified, she immediately threw the branch away to avoid being bitten. Then she dragged and pulled Ma Xiaoyuan all the way home. By then, however, he had already lost consciousness.<\/span><\/p>

Afterward, Liu Suqin\u2019s cries woke Zhao Chenghuai next door, who carried Ma Xiaoyuan to Zhao Anguo\u2019s house.<\/span><\/p>

In front of everyone, Ma Xiaomei spread her hands apart to demonstrate. \u201cI saw it clearly. It was an ant\u2014an ant this big.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Everyone gasped.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re not making that up, are you?\u201d one man blurted out. \u201cAn ant that size would be as long as one of my fingers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

With her younger brother lying unconscious inside and both her mother and grandmother still crying, Ma Xiaomei became even more upset when someone questioned her. \u201cI\u2019m telling the truth,\u201d she choked out between sobs.<\/span><\/p>

Ma Renshan shot the man a glare, patted Ma Xiaomei comfortingly, and then addressed the crowd.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWhether Xiaomei\u2019s description is completely accurate or not, everyone saw what happened to Xiaoyuan. My opinion is simple: whether it\u2019s ants or some other strange creature, we need a group of people to go eliminate it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

No one responded. Anyone who had seen Ma Xiaoyuan\u2019s condition knew how deadly the creatures were. There was no guarantee a person would survive being bitten. The moment they heard they would have to approach the creatures at close range, no one was eager to volunteer. It was a matter of risking their lives.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Seeing this, Yan Fei stepped forward with a smile.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cUncle Renshan, how about this? Each family sends one person. Even if not for yourselves, you should at least do it for your children, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

In truth, Yan Fei did not want to risk his life either. The appearance of the black lotus flowers and the giant ants described by Ma Xiaomei both clearly indicated that the environment was changing. Such changes would only become more common in the future. Avoiding them simply because one did not want to face them was impossible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll go for my family,\u201d Jing Lin said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll go for mine too,\u201d Zhao Zhiwen immediately followed.<\/span><\/p>

Having just washed his hands, Zhao Shaoqian stepped forward with a cheerful smile.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThen I\u2019ll represent my family. We\u2019re already running low on medicine. If someone else gets bitten, I won\u2019t have enough supplies left to save them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

He had inherited his father\u2019s medical skills and worked in the county seat. After the power outage, he had immediately brought his wife and daughter back home.<\/span><\/p>

Once he volunteered, those villagers who had hoped to avoid responsibility could no longer stay silent.<\/span><\/p>

In the end, only households consisting entirely of women were exempt. Out of the village\u2019s twenty-some families, fifteen young and middle-aged men were assembled.<\/span><\/p>

The matter could not be delayed. While there was still daylight, everyone returned home to put on the most protective clothing they had before gathering at Ma Renshan\u2019s house. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Words from the Translation Crew<\/strong><\/h3>

Miiya: Two of two for the week.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Translator: Miiya<\/em>
Editor:\u00a0<\/em>MushroomKnight73
<\/em>Proofreader:\u00a0<\/em>Yume<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Avid BL reader, editor, and translator with 1 story completed (CLWP) and 1 story in progress (TELD). Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":15070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[92,35,93],"class_list":["post-18286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teld","tag-apocalypse","tag-bl","tag-farming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/clwp.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18286"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18296,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18286\/revisions\/18296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}