Chapter 32: Cures Cheap Mouths For Twenty Years
Shang Wan: “Taking the child for a stroll around the village.”
Aunt Zhou happened to be weeding in the field and asked with concern: “How is Yuan Yuan girl’s injury?”
“Thank you for your concern, Aunt.” Shang Wan smiled, “Yesterday we had Doctor Yuan take a look. Fortunately, the bone wasn’t injured. Doctor Yuan gave us medicine, and she needs to rest for ten days or half a month to make sure this girl knows not to run around wildly in the future.”
“That’s good. Yesterday the child suffered so much, all because of that black-hearted…” Aunt Zhou wanted to curse a couple of sentences, but thinking that the person was already gone, she stopped.
She got up and plucked a few bright red cherries from the largest cherry tree in the field, wrapped them in large leaves, and handed them to Shang Wan. “Home-grown, for Yuan Yuan to eat and play with.”
“Thank you, Aunt.” Shang Wan didn’t stand on ceremony and took them for Yuan Yuan.
“Thank you!” Yuan Yuan grinned, revealing two millet teeth, her chubby little face white and tender enough to pinch.
“Oh my, such a young doll already knows to thank Grandmother.” Aunt Zhou fondly held Yuan Yuan’s uninjured little meat hand and shook it. “In a bit, Grandmother will pick a basket and send them to your home.”
“Aunt, don’t spoil her. She’s teething right now and shouldn’t eat too many.” Shang Wan thanked her again before bidding Aunt Zhou farewell, hugging Yuan Yuan as they headed to the Li Family in the north of the village.
The Li Family were the village’s specialists in woodworking. Before even entering the gate, the sound of wood planing could be heard from the courtyard.
Shang Wan knocked on the door and called out: “Is Big Brother Li at home?”
“Coming!” Li Dashan wiped the sweat from his forehead with a sweat towel and came to open the door. Seeing Shang Wan, he was stunned for a moment. “You are?”
He had been rushing work at home yesterday and hadn’t seen the excitement at the Lin Family, so he didn’t recognize Shang Wan.
“Big Brother, she’s Lady Shang.” A little head popped out from behind him. Li Xiaoshan hugged his big brother’s sturdy leg. “I didn’t lie to you, did I? Doesn’t she look just like a fairy?”
Li Dashan pushed his head back and smiled at Shang Wan: “Xiaoshan is immature, Lady Shang, don’t take offense. What brings Lady Shang here?”
“My husband injured his leg, and I want to make him a wheelchair.” Shang Wan grabbed Yuan Yuan’s little meat hand that was about to pat the door panel. “I heard from the villagers that Big Brother Li’s woodworking is excellent, so I came to ask.”
Li Dashan said honestly: “I’ve never made a wheelchair. Do you have a blueprint? If you do, I can try making one.”
Shang Wan asked: “What kind of blueprint do you need?”
Li Dashan invited her in. Li Xiaomei saw a guest had arrived and hurriedly went to the kitchen to pour water.
Yuan Yuan enthusiastically offered her a cherry. “Here!”
Li Xiaomei looked at Li Dashan. Seeing him nod, she took it and ran back to the room to get Yuan Yuan a piece of candy she was reluctant to eat herself.
Li Xiaoshan came over. Yuan Yuan was a generous child and grabbed two cherries with her little meat hand to give him.
Li Xiaoshan happily ate the cherries and pulled a corn cake from his pocket, breaking off half to give to Yuan Yuan.
The cake wasn’t soft to begin with and was even harder when cold. Yuan Yuan couldn’t bite it but wouldn’t give up, drool stringing down. Li Xiaoshan didn’t even eat his own, just wiped her drool.
Li Dashan brought over a few blueprints for Shang Wan to see. “Just like this. As long as there’s a model and rough dimensions, it’ll do.”
Shang Wan had thought it would need something more precise, but she could draw something like what was on the paper.
She said immediately: “I have a blueprint. I’ll send it to you this afternoon.”
“Alright.”
Shang Wan looked around. The Li Family’s not-too-large courtyard was piled with many wooden items, big and small.
“Big Brother Li, do you have a door panel here? Our home’s door panel is broken, and I want to buy one.”
“It needs to be made to order.” Li Dashan said, “I’ll go to your home to measure the size. You can come pick it up tomorrow.”
With that, he remembered Shang Wan had just said her husband had a leg injury, and seeing her slender figure, he changed his words: “Don’t come. Once it’s done, I’ll deliver it directly to your home and install it for you.”
Although Shang Wan could carry it herself, she didn’t refuse Li Dashan’s kindness.
“Xiaomei, I’m going to Lady Shang’s home for a bit and will be back soon. Remember to feed the chickens.” Li Dashan called into the house. Hearing Li Xiaomei agree, he grabbed his tools and followed Shang Wan out.
Li Xiaoshan followed along too, making faces behind to make Yuan Yuan giggle.
Rounding the bend, a donkey cart came head-on. Lin Jianshan, driving it, darkened his face upon seeing Shang Wan.
“Brother Jianshan.” Li Dashan greeted him and peeked into the donkey cart, puzzled. “What’s wrong with Aunt?”
Liu Shi lay in the donkey cart with her eyes closed, her head wrapped in a thick layer of white gauze, her aged face bruised purple and blue, as if she had been brutally beaten.
Zhou Shi sat beside her, tending to her.
Lin Jianshan said darkly: “She fell by accident.”
Li Dashan was surprised. How could a fall make her like this?
But seeing Lin Jianshan’s bad expression, he wisely didn’t ask further. He pulled Li Xiaoshan aside a couple steps to let Lin Jianshan drive the donkey cart past first.
Shang Wan stood in the middle of the road without moving and asked Lin Jianshan: “Did the Village Chief pass my words to the Chen Family? Today is the second day.”
Lin Jianshan’s face grew darker. Zhou Shi cursed outright: “Surname Shang, has your conscience been eaten by a dog? The Chen Family just lost someone and you’re rushing to demand debt. Be careful you get the money but no life to spend it—all turned into coffin savings!”
“Slap!”
No one saw Shang Wan’s movement clearly before Zhou Shi had been slapped.
Zhou Shi stared in disbelief, eyes wide. The second time! This bitch had slapped her a second time!
“Specializes in curing cheap mouths for twenty years. This slap of mine doesn’t spare anyone.”
Shang Wan’s gaze was like a knife, falling on Zhou Shi’s flushed face.
“Only you have a conscience, talking without back pain. As if it wasn’t your family’s child who almost got killed. Now the perpetrator has reaped what she sowed and died, and as the victim, I still have to sympathize with her? What kind of reason is that?”
“If the Chen Family doesn’t pay, I’ll take the main culprit and the accomplice to the yamen together. Lord An has the reputation of Little Qing Tian and will surely give me justice. Then, compensation and prison time—none will be spared.”
That big uncle still owed her a huge favor.
Zhou Shi was furious and lunged to tear at Shang Wan, but Lin Jianshan reached out to stop her.
Zhou Shi was enraged: “Husband, you’re just watching this bitch… her bully me? Are you even a man?”
Thinking of how formidable Shang Wan was, she didn’t dare curse out “bitch.”
“Shut up!” Lin Jianshan roared angrily, his face terrifying. Zhou Shi’s arrogant momentum wilted instantly. She bit her lips, aggrieved and wiping tears, but didn’t dare make a sound.
Shang Wan watched the two leisurely: “Well? Settle privately or publicly? If publicly, I’ll go to the county yamen to file a complaint right away.”
“Privately!” Lin Jianshan said through gritted teeth. “Before tomorrow evening, I’ll personally deliver the silver to you.”
“If you’d done this earlier, wouldn’t that have been better.” Shang Wan hugged Yuan Yuan and stepped aside. “Come on, let them pass.”
Lin Jianshan’s teeth were nearly ground to pieces, but thinking of his father’s exhortation, he forced himself to endure, face iron-blue as he drove the donkey cart away.
Only after the donkey cart was out of sight did the Li Family brothers recover from the confrontation. Li Xiaoshan rushed to Shang Wan and gave her a thumbs up. “Sis, you’re awesome.”
Yuan Yuan immediately imitated him. Unable to do thumbs up, she waved her little fist. “Awesome!”
