“Hey, you! I told you you’re not allowed to leave!”
Scarface grew anxious, blocking the way with his sword, his expression so fierce it seemed he might devour someone at any moment.
“Lao Jin, mind your manners.”
The man’s words made Scarface even more agitated. “Master, you still need to recover from your injuries. What will you do if they leave?”
“It’s fine.”
After speaking, the man turned his gaze to Jiang A Yao. “Miss Jiang, this matter has implicated you because of me. I naturally owe you an explanation.”
“Really?”
Lu Da tightened his grip on Jiang A Yao’s hand, shielding her behind him.
His tall frame blocked Jiang A Yao’s slightly slender figure, preventing others from seeing her current expression.
The man nodded. “Tomorrow, it will definitely be resolved.”
“Master, you’re injured…”
The man waved his hand, cutting off Scarface Lao Jin’s words.
Lao Jin then turned to look at Lu Da, anger flashing in his eyes. “My master always keeps his word. Now can you rest assured and let my master focus on recovering?”
Lu Da retorted coldly, “When has A Yao not been focused on treating his injuries?”
Lao Jin:……
Well, that was true. Since Miss Jiang entered this room, she had been constantly attentive to his master’s condition. It was even she who noticed when his master developed a fever in the middle of the night.
“My master needs rest. You should go back now.”
Lao Jin pointed irritably toward the door, signaling for Lu Da to leave.
Since his master had already promised to deal with the village gossip, there was no need for Lu Da to worry about how it would be handled. There was no use for him to stay here anyway.
Lu Da didn’t move. Jiang A Yao tugged at his clothes, signaling him to know when to stop and not push these people too far.
Understanding her meaning, Lu Da knew when to quit while he was ahead. But before leaving, he pointed at Zhao Guizhi, who was pretending to be a turtle lying on the ground, and asked, “What about her?”
Lao Jin glanced at his master and, receiving a signal, said, “She stays here. We have use for her.”
With that, he personally grabbed Lu Da’s clothes and escorted him out.
When they reached the courtyard gate, Lao Jin, contrary to his usual aloof temperament, became surprisingly amiable. “Brother, if you have any issues in the future, just come to me directly. I’ll definitely handle it for you. Don’t keep threatening to take your wife away.”
“My master is seriously injured, and this place is remote. Where else could I find a reliable doctor?”
Lu Da said seriously, “I’m not making trouble for no reason…”
“I’m not saying you’re making trouble. I’m just telling you that if you have any issues in the future, come to me. I’ll handle it for you.”
Just don’t go to his master anymore.
His injuries are severe and he can’t handle the disturbance.
Lao Jin suddenly put his arm around Lu Da’s shoulder and said in a deep voice, “From now on, just call me Lao Jin. If you don’t mind, you can even call me Brother Jin.”
“If anything unfavorable happens to you or Miss Jiang in the village in the coming days, just come to me. I’ll definitely beat the troublemaker black and blue, alright?”
Seeing Scarface’s serious expression and sincere tone, Lu Da nodded respectfully.
“Thank you, Brother Jin. I don’t want to make things difficult for anyone, but I also don’t want anyone making things difficult for me and A Yao. That’s all.”
“Understood, understood. When a couple lives together, peace and quiet are naturally best.”
Scarface Lao Jin finished with a laugh, then pushed him to leave.
Seeing this, Lu Da didn’t say anything more and stepped away.
Scarface turned back into the courtyard and saw the bag of flour that had been thrown on the ground. He picked it up as he passed and brought it to the kitchen.
Today, Lu Da would not accept this bag of flour; they could make it up later.
On the other side, Lu Da left the courtyard again. The villagers, hiding in the shadows to observe, noticed he wasn’t carrying anything and that Zhao Guizhi had entered the courtyard but hadn’t come out. Their eyes were filled with confusion, but no one dared to step forward and ask questions anymore.
A meddlesome villager ran to Zhao Guizhi’s home to inform her husband, but after learning the whole story, her husband was so frightened his face turned pale. He didn’t dare go to the courtyard or inquire about the situation with Lu Da.
…
Jiang A Yao continued staying in the room to brew medicine, while Zhao Guizhi, bound hand and foot and covered in blood, huddled in the corner.
When it was time to cook, the injured man took the initiative to ask, “Miss Jiang, what was it you gave me to eat last night?”
Jiang A Yao replied, “Egg noodle paste. Why do you ask?”
The man smiled slightly, a hint of embarrassment on his face. “It was delicious. Could you make it again today?”
“I can make it if we have fine flour.”
Since the patient had a craving, Jiang A Yao naturally wanted to satisfy him. After all, eating well was essential for regaining strength and recovering.
Jiang A Yao went to the kitchen to prepare a small pot of food, while the others outside boiled water and ate dry rations—a simple meal.
Zhao Guizhi, her mouth swollen, watched them all eating flatbreads with envy in her eyes. Suddenly, she caught a whiff of an incredibly fragrant aroma.
She sniffed hard, her eyes lighting up.
What delicious food was that? What heavenly delicacy had Jiang A Yao made?
Zhao Guizhi struggled to shift her body and look toward Jiang A Yao emerging from the kitchen. When she saw Jiang A Yao carrying two large porcelain bowls, she couldn’t help but let out muffled cries.
She wanted to get Jiang A Yao’s attention, but Jiang A Yao didn’t even glance at her. Lao Jin, standing nearby eating a flatbread, sneered at her and gave her a hard kick.
“With that rotten tongue of yours, you think you deserve to eat? Go hungry! Tomorrow will be even worse for you!”
Terrified by these words, Zhao Guizhi’s face paled. She whimpered and frantically tried to shrink further into the corner, wishing she could bury herself underground.
But no one paid her any attention. Besides, with her hands and feet tied, she couldn’t escape. Her swollen cheeks made it impossible for her to speak, so she couldn’t bother anyone else.
The night was far from peaceful. In the later hours, the man developed a fever again, but fortunately, Jiang A Yao had prepared in advance. This time, the fever broke faster than the last, sparing everyone the same level of worry.
The next day, Jiang A Yao made thin hand-pulled noodles, so fine they could almost thread a needle, yet they didn’t turn mushy when eaten.
After finishing his medicine and breakfast, the man felt as if he had been reborn.
“Miss Jiang, may I move around a little today?”
“Do you want to go out?”
Having been confined to this room for the past two days, Jiang A Yao guessed he wanted to go outside.
The man nodded. “I do need to go out for a bit.”
Jiang A Yao thought for a moment before saying, “You can’t walk. They can make a stretcher to carry you out.”
The man looked at Lao Jin, who immediately nodded and hurried out to instruct them to prepare a stretcher.
Soon, the stretcher was ready—made from two wrist-thick wooden poles with thinner sticks tied in between for support. Lao Jin laid a cotton quilt over it, making it quite comfortable.
Seeing the man being carried away, Jiang A Yao was about to tidy up the medicine pots when Lao Jin suddenly called out to her, “Miss Jiang, come with us!”
Seeing Lao Jin lift Zhao Guizhi with one hand, Jiang A Yao asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”
Lao Jin smiled mysteriously, “Going to vent your anger for you!”