At that moment, Li Baoshan arrived, leading young Shan-zi through the gate. Knowing his mother was at the old Xiao residence, he spoke up immediately.
“Ma! I’ve found the men for the roof repairs. We start first thing tomorrow morning—it shouldn’t take more than a day!”
Noticing Shen Li was there, he gave her a quick, respectful nod. “Sister-in-law, you’re back?” He peered past her toward the side wing. “Is Er-lang inside? Can I go see him?”
“Of course,” Shen Li replied sincerely. “Er-lang will be happy to know you’ve come to visit.” From her observations, Er-lang’s vocal cords weren’t damaged; it seemed more like he had simply chosen silence. If she truly couldn’t return to the modern world, she had all the time in the life ahead of her to find a way to make him speak again. For now, letting him talk with a childhood friend was exactly what he needed.
“Hold on, Baoshan! Finish your work first! You can see Er-lang when you’re done,” Uncle Li barked suddenly.
“Huh? What work?” Baoshan scratched the back of his head, looking confused.
“The things on the ox cart! Did you expect us two old-timers to haul it all, or were you planning on letting a girl like A-Li do it?” Uncle Li shot his son a look. Baoshan was a good lad, but he could be terribly thick-headed.
“Oh! Right! Sorry, Dad, don’t be mad—I’m going!” Baoshan turned and scrambled back out.
“I’ll help Dad!” little Shan-zi chirped, puffing out his chest. “I’m really strong!”
Auntie Li’s eyes crinkled into crescents. “Good boy! Off you go then!”
Watching the warmth of this family, Shen Li felt a slight sting in her eyes. In her past life, she had been an orphan; the master who raised her had passed away not long ago. She had never known what it felt like to belong to a family like this.
Inside the room, Er-lang listened to the lively chatter and laughter drifting in from the courtyard. He felt as though he were in a trance.
It all felt too much like a dream. Only yesterday, he had been struggling to survive under Xiao Huai-ren’s fists and Shen Li’s curses and beatings. Today, he lay here in peace, his pain eased, with food in his belly and fresh quilts to sleep on.
And then there was Shen Li. She was like a different person. Not only had she not sold them off, but she had actually run to the medical hall to buy him medicine. The more he thought about it, the less he could believe it. He felt a sudden, desperate urge to see her again.
Gathering every ounce of strength, he tried to push himself up to sit. But as he moved, he accidentally scraped his raw, bloodied back against the bed.
Er-lang collapsed instantly, his entire weight crashing down onto his wounds.
He clamped his eyes shut, teeth gritted as his face turned a deathly pale. Large beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, the veins in his neck bulging with the effort not to scream. Tears escaped his eyes against his will.
“Brother! Brother!” San-lang cried out, terrified as he watched Er-lang teeter on the verge of fainting from the pain.
Out in the yard, Shen Li heard the cry. Her face went pale; she dropped the bundle she was carrying and sprinted into the room.
“San-lang! What happened?”
“Sister-in-law… Brother is hurting!” San-lang sobbed, his tiny hands stroking his brother’s arm in a frantic attempt to comfort him.
Shen Li took one look at Er-lang and immediately bolted back out.
Er-lang endured the stinging salt of sweat running into his eyes. Through his blurred vision, he watched her retreating figure and let out a self-deprecating internal laugh. Auntie Li must have been fooled by her. Perhaps she only went to town to see which brothel would take a broken man like me.
A few moments later, however, Shen Li returned. She carried a basin of water, with a large roll of folded oil-paper tucked under one arm and a thick roll of fine cotton cloth under the other. She had bought the oil-paper from an umbrella shop specifically so she could wash Er-lang in bed without soaking the mattress.
“I’m going to wash you,” she said firmly. “We have to get you clean before I can treat the wounds.”
She had already set the water to boil earlier, originally planning to clean the brothers after dinner. But seeing Er-lang in such agony, she couldn’t wait another minute.
The sun hadn’t set yet, and even if it did, her purchases included an oil lamp and a jar of tung oil. She handed most of the meat buns to the Li family and asked them to head home for the evening. She knew Er-lang wouldn’t want anyone else to see him in this state, so she made an excuse to Baoshan, promising he could visit his friend tomorrow instead.