The bright moon hung high in the sky, its silver glow casting an air of solemn dignity over the City Patrol Supervisor’s office.
Wen Ranran watched with a tense expression as the doctor examined Wen Junliang’s injuries, unable to restrain herself from asking, “Doctor Gu, how are my Third Uncle’s wounds?”
Doctor Gu carefully palpated the bones and joints throughout his body, finally replying with a smile after a long while, “Don’t worry, young lady. These are just superficial wounds, nothing serious. Apply medicine regularly and take some blood-activating and stasis-dispelling herbal decoctions. He’ll be better in three to five days.”
Only upon hearing this did Wen Ranran feel relieved: “Thank you, Doctor Gu.”
“I told you it was nothing!” Wen Junliang curled his lip, “Making such a fuss over nothing.”
Wen Ranran raised an eyebrow at Wen Junliang, who was still grimacing in pain: So stubborn.
“Since everything’s fine, that’s good,” Yu Shu interjected. “Zhang Si and the others have all been thrown in jail. Even if they’re released in the future, they probably won’t dare bother you again. From now on, the City Patrol Supervisor will definitely increase patrols to ensure such threats to the people don’t happen again.”
Wen Ranran smiled upon hearing this: “Officer Yu cares deeply for the people. Everyone will be grateful to you.”
Yu Shu waved his hand: “This is merely my duty.” He looked at Wen Ranran, “I still don’t know your name, young lady.”
“My surname is Wen. You can call me Wen Xiaoniangzi,” Wen Ranran replied with a smile, her peripheral glance catching Acheng and several others whispering among themselves while occasionally looking into the courtyard.
Following Wen Ranran’s gaze, Yu Shu looked up and saw his subordinates behaving so improperly. His expression instantly darkened.
Acheng and the others were staring at Wen Ranran’s food cart, drooling as they inhaled the rich, spicy aroma, completely unaware of Yu Shu’s expression.
Understanding their behavior immediately, Wen Ranran smiled and stood up, walking over to lift the lid and warmly inviting them: “It’s so late already. You officers must be tired from patrolling the streets and probably hungry too. I still have some unsold Braised Dish and Bo Zai Gao left. If you don’t mind, please have some to fill your stomachs!”
“Don’t mind at all! Don’t mind at all!”
Acheng and the others rushed over in unison, their eyes shining brightly as they stared fixedly at the Braised Dish in the pot.
Acheng swallowed his saliva: “Wen Xiaoniangzi, you have no idea how tempted I’ve been during the whole trip back with the cart! Several times I wanted to lift the lid to see what delicacies were inside.”
“What delicacies? It’s just ordinary Braised Dish,” Wen Ranran laughed. “Chicken Frames, Dried Tofu, Bamboo Shoots, Duck Wings, and such. Nothing valuable.”
“Chicken Frames?” Acheng found this quite novel. “Chicken Frames are edible? Let me try one.”
As he spoke, he reached to untie his money pouch. Seeing this, Wen Ranran quickly said, “These leftovers can’t be sold if I take them back. If you officers don’t mind them, how could I dare accept payment!”
“Must accept, must accept,” Acheng joked playfully. “If this gets out, people will definitely say the City Patrol Supervisor personnel are dishonest, accepting bribes from commoners.”
Hearing Acheng say this, Yu Shu’s expression brightened slightly as he walked over and added, “Rules still need to be followed.”
Wen Ranran understood they felt she wasn’t well-off running a small stall, hence their insistence. After thinking for a moment, she didn’t persist further, making an excuse that since these were leftovers, she’d give them a discount and sell at cost price.
Wen Junliang, rubbing his aching shoulder, came over. Just as he reached out to take a piece of Dried Tofu, Wen Ranran frowned and said quietly, “Third Uncle, you’re injured. You shouldn’t touch these spicy foods.”
“Just one piece!” He pressed his lips together and began bargaining.
“Not even half a piece!” Wen Ranran was firm, but seeing Wen Junliang’s bruised and swollen face, she found him truly pitiful. Smiling, she coaxed, “Once you’re better, I’ll make you fried jelly, bobo chicken, liangpi, pulled noodles, cheung fun…”
As she listed them one by one, Wen Junliang swallowed hard, his mouth watering audibly.
Seeing his eager anticipation, Wen Ranran turned to bid Yu Shu farewell: “It’s getting late. Third Uncle and I must return home; our family is worried.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Shu immediately offered to arrange an escort for them. Wen Ranran waved her hands repeatedly in refusal: “If my parents see us being escorted by officers from the City Patrol Supervisor, they’ll surely think something terrible has happened. There’s no need to trouble you, sir.”
Hearing her words, he had no choice but to relent and personally saw them out.
Wen Junliang trailed beside Wen Ranran, watching the officers eat with such relish while he hadn’t even managed to get half a piece of dried tofu. He felt deeply unsatisfied.
“This chicken frame is truly fragrant!” Acheng couldn’t help exclaiming to his companions.
“This dried tofu is delicious too—even better than meat!”
Wen Junliang shot them a glance, lifting his chin boastfully: “You call this fragrant? The chicken frames my San Yatou roasts are what real fragrance is! Crispy and juicy, even the meat shreds in the bone crevices are full of flavor. And her ginger fried duck, shredded potato and glass noodles pancake with pickled peppers and cowpeas—tsk tsk…”
The officers looked up one after another, listening with rapt attention, their eyes gleaming brightly.
Noticing this, Wen Ranran reacted swiftly. Beaming, she promoted her pancake stall: “I sell jianbing at the morning market, right opposite the third locust tree on the east side of the street. If you gentlemen like it, please come support my business!”
“We’ll definitely go!”
“That pickled peppers and cowpeas combination sounds delicious!”
The enthusiastic response left Wen Ranran thoroughly pleased with her promotional success. Her almond-shaped eyes curved into happy crescents, brimming with joy.
Today truly was a blessing in disguise!
The night sky was ink-dark, filled with rampant insect chirps. By the time Wen Ranran and Wen Junliang reached home, it was nearly Hai hour (9-11 PM). The alley was silent, its residents long retired.
“Ranran!”
An urgent voice called from nearby. Before Wen Ranran could respond, she was pulled into an embrace.
Shen Shi hugged her daughter, wiping away tears as she inspected Wen Ranran repeatedly. Only after confirming she was unharmed did she finally release her tightly held breath.
Wen Yiliang also sighed in relief at his daughter’s return. The evening had been torturous; he couldn’t rest easy without accompanying her.
“Why are you back so late? Your father and I were just about to go looking for you!” As Shen Shi spoke, her gaze inadvertently fell upon the bruises covering Wen Junliang’s face. The sight startled her, her pupils contracting sharply. “Third Brother, what happened to you?”
Wen Yiliang looked up as well, astonished by Wen Junliang’s disheveled appearance. Glancing at his daughter and recalling they had returned together, worrisome suspicions immediately arose: “Third Brother, did you go to the night market to find Ranran? Did something happen at her stall?”
Wen Ranran parted her lips, momentarily unsure how to explain. If she told the truth, Shen Shi would worry endlessly, and Wen Yiliang would likely be unable to focus on his studies.
Wen Junliang glanced at Wen Ranran, then furrowed his brows and put on a pained expression to divert the topic: “Second Brother, let me inside first—it hurts!”
“Ah! Yes, yes, come in quickly.” Shen Shi pushed the door open and, flustered along with Wen Yiliang, helped the injured man inside.
Sun Shi came out upon hearing the noise and nearly fainted at the sight of Wen Junliang so badly injured.
Wen Ruru rushed over tearfully to support him, inadvertently waking the main household and Old Mrs. Wen, throwing the entire family into chaos.
Wen Junliang was propped up crookedly on the bed, the palm-sized room crammed full of people.
Old Mrs. Wen wept openly, trembling as she touched her youngest son’s face, too heartbroken to speak.
“Mother, I’m fine!” Wen Junliang grinned, accidentally pulling his injury and unable to suppress a pained “Aiyo!”
“Still saying you’re fine…” Old Mrs. Wen choked out.
Liang Shi glanced sideways at Wen Ranran, noticing how much closer Old Mrs. Wen had grown to her recently, which grated on her: In the past, the old lady only had eyes for Rong Ge’er. How could this girl’s fawning and flattery possibly surpass my Rong Ge’er?
Considering Wen Junliang had returned with Wen Ranran, Liang Shi assumed his injuries were because of her.
Her eyes shifting craftily, she put on a concerned expression: “Did something happen with Ranran? Is Third Brother injured like this because of her…”
Old Mrs. Wen’s face turned cold at these words, while Sun Shi and Wen Ruru looked at Wen Ranran with clear displeasure.
Shen Shi and Wen Yiliang watched Wen Ranran anxiously, their hearts in their throats.
Feigning concern, Liang Shi sighed with worry and continued: “Ranran, perhaps you should stop running that night market. Look how your Third Uncle has suffered because of you.”
Wen Ranran looked at Liang Shi, feeling a sudden admiration: Even at a time like this, she can still find opportunities to sow discord?
“Stop talking nonsense! When would I have time to bother with her?” Wen Junliang suddenly sat up. “I saw some ruffians robbing a beggar earlier and couldn’t stand it, so I got into a fight with them.”
Liang Shi naturally didn’t believe him: “Third Brother, no need to cover for Ranran. You clearly returned together.”
“Cover for her my ass!” Wen Junliang rolled his eyes at her. “I ran into San Yatou on the way back.”
He pulled out the ointment from his robe and pointed to the medicine packages in Wen Ranran’s hands: “She saw I was injured and took me to the pharmacy to buy medicine. Eldest Sister-in-law, look at her and then look at yourself. If you’re so free, find something to do instead of gossiping and stirring up trouble all day at home.”
“You!” Liang Shi choked, her face turning red with stifled anger.
Wen Ranran listened in astonishment: Third Uncle, you dare to spin such tales! You make it sound so real.
“Enough, everyone quiet down.” Old Mrs. Wen interjected at the right moment, silencing Liang Shi before turning to Wen Ranran with approval. “Ranran has become much more sensible lately.”
Sun Shi grasped Wen Ranran’s hand, her eyes already red-rimmed. Though she and Wen Junliang argued frequently, they had nearly twenty years of marital affection. She felt genuine gratitude toward Wen Ranran for her generosity.
But… some calculations still needed to be made.
Wiping her tears, she sighed mournfully: “Thank goodness for Ranran, otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do. But Ranran, we’re rather short on funds right now, could you…”
Wen Ranran quickly waved her hands upon hearing this: “It was barely any money, Third Aunt, please don’t dwell on it. The physician said they’re just superficial wounds, no broken bones. He’ll recover completely with regular application of medicine, so don’t worry, Third Aunt.”
Besides, she hadn’t actually spent any money – she couldn’t take credit for that!
“Ah?” Sun Shi paused in wiping her tears. She had originally intended to discuss with Wen Ranran about getting some extra time or repaying a small amount monthly, hoping Wen Ranran might eventually forget about the debt over time so it wouldn’t need to be fully repaid.
But she never expected Wen Ranran to be so straightforward, not asking for a single coin. Sun Shi’s lips trembled slightly, feeling somewhat ashamed of her own calculations.
Liang Shi watched the Third Uncle’s family, her heart souring with envy: She won’t even accept payment for medical consultation – she must have earned plenty!
Shen Shi felt distressed seeing her daughter work so hard, and whispered quietly: “We can handle things here, you should go back to sleep. Don’t you need to deliver Braised Dish to the Fu residence tomorrow?”
Hearing this, Sun Shi quickly added: “Exactly, you’re just a child, no need for you to stay and care for anyone. Go back and rest now.”
Wen Ranran glanced at Wen Junliang, and only spoke after seeing him nod: “Then I’ll take my leave first.”
Old Mrs. Wen also said: “Go on back.”
Wen Ranran turned to leave, but couldn’t help looking back as she reached the door. Wen Junliang was being helped to lie down again, his features contorted in pain.
Tomorrow I must definitely stew a pork knuckle to nourish Third Uncle!