The man in blue was tall and slender, his frail figure bending to drink water reminded Shen Wan of the Crescent Lake lost in the desert—breathtakingly beautiful.
Shen Wan found herself staring, mesmerized.
Curious, she asked, "Who is that man?"
"That's Wang Qi, a renowned scholar from the capital," Xie Mubai said, his tone slightly sour as he noticed her infatuated expression. "He's an eccentric fellow. Even if he helps you, there's no need to acknowledge him."
"Insisting on thanking him would only provoke his anger."
Do all talented scholars in the world have their quirks?
Shen Wan thought for a moment, then deliberately turned to Xie Mubai with a teasing smile. "What about you? Do you have any peculiar traits?"
Annoyed that this plain-looking girl dared to jest with him, Xie Mubai turned away without sparing her a glance.
He was not a man of many words, yet for some reason, ever since he began traveling with this unremarkable girl, he found himself wasting far too many words.
Seeing the antagonist fall silent again, Shen Wan grew bored.
The journey was long and dreary, and without anyone to chat with, how tedious it was!
In contrast, Zhou Yiniang and the others seemed much happier—at least those women never lacked topics for conversation.
"Third daughter-in-law, buy some water. I'm thirsty," Zhou Yiniang gasped, collapsing to the ground drenched in sweat as they finally reached a resting spot.
The mention of spending money again made Sun Shi's heart ache.
She held little affection for this so-called birth mother of her husband. Her previous efforts to please the old woman were solely because she held control over the household finances and had some use.
By chance, Sun Shi noticed the bamboo tube hanging from Shen Wan's cart. She clearly remembered the plain girl using it to feed water to Xie Mubai earlier.
"The Yamen runners are running low on water themselves—they need to save it for their own use," Sun Shi said, her eyes shifting slyly as she smiled. "Fifth Brother still has water. Why not drink some of his?"
Zhou Yiniang rolled her eyes and sneered, "That plain girl would sooner cut all ties with us. Do you really think she'd give us water?"
"If she won't give it, we can find a way to steal it!" Sun Shi lowered her voice mysteriously. "Besides, with that bamboo tube, we can use it to hold water. It would be more convenient and hygienic for you to drink from."
"Not to criticize, but the Yamen runners' bowls are filthy. Anyone who pays can drink from them—who knows what diseases those people might carry?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yiniang felt a stir of interest. "Then I'll leave it to you."
"When we reach Lin Family Village, I'll repay you double!"
If not for that person in Lin Family Village, why would Sun Shi obey her so readily?
"Don't worry!" Sun Shi replied with a wicked grin.
With that, she quickened her pace and deliberately approached Shen Wan's side.
While Shen Wan was bending over to help Xie Mubai up, Sun Shi seized the opportunity to snatch the bamboo tube hanging from the cart and hurried back to Zhou Yiniang.
As soon as she helped Xie Mubai to his feet, Shen Wan noticed the bamboo tube was missing. Looking up, she saw it in Sun Shi's hands and turned pale with rage. "You thief! How dare you steal the bamboo tube? Put it down now!"Sun Shi turned back, casting a provocative look her way." "Who can prove this bamboo tube is yours? There are plenty of bamboos on these mountains—do you think you're the only one who can make one?"
Shen Wan wanted to retort, but Xie Mubai stopped her.
"Let it go," he murmured, his eyes flickering as he lowered his voice. "If she wants it, just let her have it."
Seeing the strange look in his eyes, Shen Wan seemed to understand something.
"Mom, I want water too," Erbao whispered, leaning on Qian Shi's shoulder.
"Wait until Third Aunt comes, then you can drink," she patted the little one in her arms and said gently.
Just as Sun Shi stepped forward, before Qian Shi could even speak, the small bamboo tube was snatched away by Zhou Yiniang.
She unscrewed the lid and drank it straight down.
Seeing this, Erbao immediately burst into tears.
Though young, he wasn't foolish.
Whenever tasty food or drinks ended up with Zhou Yiniang, there was usually nothing left.
But after just one sip, Zhou Yiniang bent over and spat it all out.
"Disgusting!" she frowned and glared at Sun Shi. "I told you to buy water from the yamen runners, but you refused, insisting on stealing from that ugly woman."
"That ugly woman's water must have come from some ditch—it's awful!"
Seeing this, Shen Wan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Third Sister-in-law, why are you snatching a chamber pot?" she laughed heartily, deliberately raising her voice. "Do you really have such a peculiar taste?"
Zhou Yiniang's face turned pale. "W-what did you say? This is a chamber pot… what's inside is…"
"Yes, didn't you notice the strange smell?" Shen Wan bent over, almost laughing herself breathless.
Someone really was full of wicked ideas—this trick was just too cruel!
Hearing this, Zhou Yiniang bent over and vomited until even bile came up.
While retching, she pointed at Shen Wan and demanded, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You didn't ask!" Shen Wan shrugged, feigning innocence. "Besides, I told Third Sister-in-law to put the bamboo tube down, but she wouldn't listen, insisting it was hers. You saw it all yourself."
Furious, Zhou Yiniang turned her anger toward Sun Shi.
"What an idiot!" she scowled and cursed.
Sun Shi, looking aggrieved, muttered in defense, "How was I supposed to know there was urine inside?"
Witnessing the Xie family's dynamics, the fellow prisoners couldn't hide their astonishment.
A mere concubine dared to shout at her proper mistress—so this was the famed family discipline of Zhen Guo Gong Fu.
"What's all this wailing in the hot weather!" Big Beard, his face pale, raised his whip at Zhou Yiniang.
Zhou Yiniang was terrified.
She feared pain, but even more, she dreaded losing face in front of everyone.
Just as the whip was about to strike, Big Beard's eyes rolled back, and his bull-like body collapsed to the ground.
Foaming at the mouth, his limbs convulsed violently as if electrocuted.
The other yamen runners rushed forward upon seeing this.
"What do we do? The boss's epilepsy is acting up again!"
"Hurry, find a Lang Zhong!"
"But we're in the middle of nowhere—where are we supposed to find a Lang Zhong?"
"Exactly, the nearest village is two hours away round trip. Can the boss hold on?"
Big Beard's condition worsened, his face growing paler, while the yamen runners anxiously paced around.
Seeing this, Shen Wan knew her opportunity had come.
The journey from the capital to the remote northwest was long and arduous. Even with immense wealth, life on the road would be difficult without someone to rely on.
Moreover, she could tell that Big Beard wasn't an irredeemable villain—just greedy for money.
After a moment's thought, Shen Wan walked straight over.
Seeing a wooden stick by the roadside, she picked it up and stuffed it into Big Beard's mouth.
"What are you doing?" Scarface's gaze turned cold as he shouted sharply.
He immediately bent down, attempting to remove the wooden stick.
Shen Wan said expressionlessly, "If you want him to bite off his tongue, then go ahead and take it out!"
Hearing this, Scarface was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand.
His small triangular eyes lit up as he eagerly asked, "Do you know medicine?"
Shen Wan nodded slightly, "A little."
"You?" Sun Shi sneered contemptuously upon hearing this, "Shen Wan, I advise you not to show off. I know you're looking for a backer, but you can't gamble with the official's life!"
"Sir, you'd better go find a Lang Zhong quickly. I've known this ugly woman since we were children—she can't even recognize a basketful of characters, let alone know anything about medicine!"
Shen Wan smiled disdainfully, not bothering to hide the mockery in her eyes, "If you truly knew me, you should know exactly how skilled I am in medicine."
"Yet you're deliberately preventing me from treating the official—I wonder what your intentions are? Could it be that you're hoping something happens to him?"
The Yamen runners were already agitated, and now, hearing them argue so fiercely, their irritation grew even more.
"Do you really know medicine?" Scarface looked at her with a mix of doubt and hope.
Shen Wan sneered, "If you don't believe me, then forget it. You should go find a Lang Zhong."
A Lang Zhong must be summoned, but the question was—could Big Beard hold on until then?
The Yamen runners couldn't help but exchange uneasy glances.
Big Beard had done them a favor—they couldn't just stand by and watch him die.