Chapter 162: Handling
Yan Changrong, full of worries, returned to the residence first with his wife. The once lively house was suddenly left with just the two of them.
Sitting under the eaves, gazing at the bright moonlight and the brilliant Milky Way in the sky.
If not for the wrong timing, Yan Bei would have sighed that the night was as alluring as she was.
“Since that lingzhi mushroom grew in such a perilous environment, you must not go pick it alone. Leave this to Jiaming, and we’ll talk when he returns.”
He was the first to break the silence, as if knowing her intentions, opening with a warning.
If he didn’t say it, given her personality, she might really handle it quietly without a word.
“Alright, then we’ll wait for Jiaming and the others to return first.”
The lingzhi mushroom had already been picked and transplanted into her Peach Blossom Spring Space, so there was no point going to that cliff anymore.
While still thinking about how to transplant it properly, she met his worried warning gaze, and Su Ning could only nod with a wry smile.
“The medicinal water and things you asked me to prepare earlier are all ready, kept in the small courtyard in the city. Is that person really reliable?”
“Yes, just hand everything over to him directly when the time comes.”
“Good, then tomorrow I’ll go back to the city and stay a few days to handle everything, and wait for him to come by.”
“Trouble… fine, fine, I won’t say it.”
They exchanged smiles, then Yan Bei stood up. Though he wanted to stay with her longer, it was getting late, they weren’t partners yet, and being alone like this wasn’t good for a female comrade.
“Rest early, and don’t set out too early tomorrow—it’s not safe.”
“You too, get some sleep early. Before I leave, I’ll lock the courtyard gate from the outside. The backyard small door will stay unlocked—if you need anything, just come get it yourself.”
“Good.”
“Good night, Ning Ning.”
“Good night.”
……
The next day, as usual, she got up very early. Su Ning, bleary-eyed, washed up completely before fully waking.
The grain and vegetables in the kitchen should be enough for the Yan Family’s three people for a few days. To avoid accidents, before leaving, she took a bit more out from the space.
She locked the courtyard gate properly, then walked briskly to the village entrance.
She thought she was early, but unexpectedly, the ox cart stopped by the roadside was already more than half full.
After the last incident with the educated youth, everyone in the village knew she was a distant relative of the Brigade Leader’s family and the owner of the most grand house in the village.
So when they saw her, several big aunts gave her exceptionally warm smiles.
Among them, one was practically wearing her flattery on her face.
She waved her hand to decline the invitation. Even without knowing the gossip about her behind her back, she just wasn’t used to sudden enthusiasm from strangers.
Under the fiery, overt and covert gazes and scrutiny from the whole cart of people, Su Ning felt her entire back burning up.
Once they reached the county town, she jumped off the ox cart almost without thinking and left quickly.
“Caihua Niang, look how you scared the Brigade Leader’s family girl!”
“Hah, what do you mean I scared her? I didn’t do anything or say anything!”
“With that look in your eyes like you want to swallow her whole, who needs words?”
Truly a toad with two hairs stuck on its face, not knowing if it’s a bird or a beast.
Anyone could see the dirty schemes in her heart!
She spat, and the one who spoke didn’t wait for her to argue further, twisting her fat waist and walking away.
Caihua Niang, furious, stood there with hands on hips, cursing at her back for a good while.
Su Ning, having bought her ticket and boarded the route bus, touched her pocket and smuggled out a teardrop-shaped Ink Jade jade pendant from the space, quickly putting it around her neck.
She felt today was perfect for wearing this color: to ward off evil and dispel bad luck!
……
Northeast, Reclaimed Land Farm.
Yan Ziyu and his family had just arrived at their destination when, without time to say much, the men and women were separated and taken away, to be locked in different places.
Xiang Mingyu watched her husband, who could no longer stand and was being dragged away, full of anxiety but powerless.
“Mom, with big brother and second brother there, Dad will be fine!”
“What are you yelling for? Get in there quick!”
A strong push from behind made her lose balance and stumble forward, but Yan Xi reacted quickly and, being trained, caught her around the waist just in time.
“You…”
“Xi Xi!”
She shot a hateful glance at that person, suppressed her anger, changed from holding to supporting, and helped her to an empty bunk inside the room to sit.
The three earthen walls were full of blemishes, with not only black mold spots but also an indescribable musty stench.
What they called a bed was just a few wooden boards covered with a thick grass mat.
Besides the mother and daughter who just arrived, there were four other women in the room, their faces completely obscured, dirty and disheveled with hair half-covering.
“Xi Xi…”
“Mom, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Taking a deep breath, Yan Xi positioned her mother toward the inside and blocked those prying, inquiring, or malicious gazes with her own body.
On the other side, Yan Ziyu was treated even more roughly, thrown into the room, rolling two circles before stopping, his breathing quickening as the world before him blurred further.
Yan Dong and Yan Nan, with hands and feet shackled, saw this and nearly burst with rage. If not for remaining reason, they might have broken free and fought on the spot.
Once the room door closed, the two quickly went forward, one on each side, to help him up.
“Dad, how do you feel?”
“Dad, Dad?”
“I’m fine, I can hold on.”
Glancing at the injury on his leg, Yan Dong’s hand at his side clenched tightly.
His wound was worsening, festering with surrounding blood and flesh showing signs of rot. Without treatment soon, that leg would really be ruined.
Biting his lower lip, as if resolved, Yan Dong ignored his father’s arrangements, quickly felt his bulging pocket, “Little Nan, watch Dad!”
“Big brother, what are you going to do?”
“Get medicine to treat Dad’s injury.”
With that, he stood and strode to the door, pounding on it with bangs until cursing voices sounded outside.
Shi Dali opened the door in a rage, raising the whip in his hand, but saw the man blocking the door with an even fiercer expression, his hand revealing a corner of big black ten from his trouser pocket.
A glint in his eyes, he roughly dragged the man outside.
……
After waiting a long time with no sign of big brother returning, and father now in high fever completely unconscious, curled up like a shrimp scalded by boiling water.
Yan Nan pursed his lips, feeling powerless for the first time.
“Click~”
“All of you behave! After eating, go work at the farm!”
With a shout, Yan Dong was shoved back inside backward, the door slamming shut again.
“Big brother! Dad has passed out!”
He strode quickly to them, then straightened his bent waist, revealing what he held in his arms.
“Little Nan, crush this first and feed it to Dad—two round ones, three long ones.”
“Good.”
Without a word, he took the two small paper packets handed over, carefully opened them, and found that by big brother’s count, the medicine inside was only enough for three doses.
But they couldn’t worry about that now, only handle the present.
He took out the pills, rewrapped the medicine packet.
Tore a corner from his own shirt, wrapped the pills inside and placed it on the ground, then raised his fist and pounded it several times.
Until the small packet flattened, he immediately picked it up, spread it a bit, and poured all the powder into his father’s mouth.
The powder dissolved on contact with saliva, instantly bitter enough to make the unconscious Yan Ziyu frown deeply.
“Dad, it’s medicine. Swallow it quickly.”
Vaguely hearing his son’s words, Yan Ziyu stretched his neck and swallowed hard.
Only when she saw his throat move did Yan Nan exhale the held breath, turning to look at big brother.
She found him using iodine to clean the wound, finally applying some erythromycin ointment.
“This… will this work?”
“It has to work, whether it does or not.”
Just as the father and sons thought, the people here who turned a blind eye were not only greedy but also ruthless.
All the money was only enough to exchange for these things.
But no matter what, it was better than letting him tough it out untreated.
Originally, Yan Ziyu’s plan was to save this money for Xiang Mingyu and her daughters; they were women, and even if Yan Xi was a tough girl, there would come a time when they couldn’t endure, and the money could be put to the greatest use then.
“Little Nan, did Dad take the medicine?”
“He did, I watched him swallow it!”
“Keep the rest close to your body.”
“Yes, I know, big brother.”
Yan Dong gently lowered his father’s trouser legs, the light flickering in his eyes dimming and brightening.
