"What's so strange about that?" Shen Wan said indifferently with a cold laugh. "Shi Hui Fen has disinfectant properties. My husband has a leg injury and I was afraid it might get infected, so I used some to disinfect his personal items."
"But surely you didn't apply that entire large packet of Shi Hui Fen to your back?"
Sun Shi deserved this – who told her to be so greedy?
Applying that whole large packet of Shi Hui Fen to her back, no wonder she was in pain. It was fortunate her back wasn't burned to a crisp like roast suckling pig.
"Nonsense! Who's ever heard of Shi Hui Fen having disinfectant properties?" Sun Shi sneered contemptuously.
Although the exiled convicts knew nothing about medicine, they didn't believe Shi Hui Fen had such uses either.
Wasn't that stuff only used for building houses?
"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it's not possible!" Wang Qi leaned against an old tree, his handsome face wearing a lazy smile. "How laughable. The Sun family always prides itself on being a scholarly family, yet their daughter turns out to be nothing but a foolish woman who doesn't even know such a simple thing."
Hearing this, Sun Shi was so angry she nearly exploded, yet she had no retort.
Wang Qi was a famous talented scholar from the capital. In terms of learning, he could indeed look down on anyone.
Although the exiled convicts didn't believe Shen Wan, they trusted Wang Qi's words.
If he said Shi Hui Fen could disinfect, they believed it. Even if he claimed it could raise the dead, they wouldn't have doubted him in the slightest.
Noticing Wang Qi speaking up, Xie Mubai couldn't help but glance at him again.
This strange man seemed particularly concerned about that ugly woman, having helped her twice in a row.
If he wasn't certain this man suffered from misogyny, he would suspect Wang Qi had taken a liking to that girl.
"Shameless!" Hu Dahai spat viciously at Sun Shi and cursed, "First you steal, then you falsely accuse my sister of hiding poison to harm others? What a venomous woman!"
As he spoke, he looked toward the other Yamen runners: "Starting today, no one is allowed to sell food to them."
"And also, whenever other prisoners have dirty clothes, these women will wash them from now on!"
"If they dare refuse, I'll chop their hands off!"
At these words, not just Sun Shi, but even Zhou Yiniang and the others turned pale with fear.
Chewing on those black, hard Wo Wo Tou was one thing, but how could they be made to wash clothes?
They were noble young ladies who never did manual labor – when had they ever done such rough work?
But the scene of Hu Dahai ordering people's tendons severed was still vivid in their minds. Merely washing some clothes now could be considered an act of great mercy.
With the matter resolved, everyone dispersed, and Shen Wan returned to lie down on the cart.
Xie Mubai was watching her and asked calmly, "You did it on purpose?"
"If they hadn't harbored evil intentions, I wouldn't have had the chance to act!" Shen Wan admitted with a laugh. "What, do you feel sorry for them?"
Xie Mubai raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
He wasn't, never had been.
Showing mercy to evil people was being cruel to oneself, even if those people were his relatives.
"Of course you're not." Shen Wan smiled playfully. "But aren't I clever?"
"Seriously, aren't you deeply impressed by my intelligence and wisdom? Have you considered appointing me as some kind of great general or something in the future?"
The great villain would become Chief Minister later, wielding immense power. It wouldn't be bad to secure an official position under him someday.
In short, she absolutely refused to live as miserably as the original owner had. If she could teach those scumbag father and sister a lesson along the way, that would be even better.
Seeing this ugly woman becoming narcissistic again, Xie Mubai simply turned over and ignored her.
"This guy is so boring," Shen Wan muttered to herself. "No wonder the Shen sisters didn't fancy him."
Feeling utterly bored, she closed her eyes and slept as well.
But Xie Mubai remained awake.
He lay on his side, his dark eyes gleaming with a cold, desolate light in the darkness.
The ugly woman had indeed bought many things at the market, but he was certain that Shi Hui Fen wasn't among them.
He couldn't have missed the smell of such a large packet of lime on the way, and that distinct odor had only appeared after she got on the cart.
Clearly, she had seen through Sun Shi and the others' scheme and prepared it for them on the spot.
How many more hidden secrets did she possess?
With this thought, Xie Mubai turned around and coldly stared at the little woman sleeping soundly before him…
As dawn barely broke, the group of exiles hastily ate something and set off.
The day was exceptionally hot, with not a cloud in the sky nor a breath of wind.
The sun scorched the earth with its fierce rays, causing the ground to steam with faint white mist.
The slightest movement made people sweat profusely.
Compared to today, the exiles realized the heat of the previous days had been mere child's play.
Feeling it improper to let the Yamen runner push the cart alone, Shen Wan took over.
Within a few steps, her clothes were already soaked with sweat.
In this dreadful weather, heatstroke was inevitable.
As her mind wandered, someone collapsed ahead.
"Da Niu, wake up! Don't scare your mother…" A woman knelt on the ground, crying as she clutched a little girl to her chest.
Shen Wan craned her neck for a look and realized it was Wang Qi's sister-in-law!
Without a second thought, she hurried over with the cart.
At the sight of her, Wang Qi's eyes lit up, and he grabbed her arm, dragging her forward.
"Wait until I put the cart down!" Shen Wan exclaimed in alarm.
What if the Great Villain got injured? Could Wang Qi afford to compensate for that?
Hearing this, Wang Qi reluctantly let go.
Shen Wan set the cart down and rushed to the little girl's side.
The child was pale with cold, clammy limbs—classic symptoms of heatstroke and dehydration.
Shen Wan carried the girl under a large tree by the roadside, soaked a towel in the ditch, and placed it on her forehead.
She had gathered some Huoxiang, but given the urgency, brewing medicine now would be too slow.
"Take your sister-in-law and step aside for a moment," Shen Wan said, looking up at Wang Qi. "The child needs ventilation and shouldn't have too many people around. Besides, I prefer not to be disturbed when treating patients."
The woman wanted to stay, but Wang Qi dragged her away.
Once they were at a distance, Shen Wan quickly administered some Agastache Oral Solution to the girl, followed by oral rehydration salts.
After a while, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
Not seeing her mother nearby, her lips quivered, and she burst into loud sobs.
Hearing the cries, the woman rushed over in tears.
"Da Niu, you scared me to death!" she wept, holding her child tightly. "If anything happened to you, how could I ever face your father in the afterlife?"
So she was a widow.
Shen Wan couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.
That father and son pair of the dog emperor truly committed heinous sins. In their attempt to eliminate the meritorious Zhen Guo Gong who overshadowed the throne, they actually implicated so many innocent people.
Da Niu blinked her big, watery eyes and said in a childish voice, "Mother, I'm fine now, really."
After confirming the child was unharmed, Wang Qi straightened his clothes and respectfully bowed to Shen Wan.