Chapter 63: Misunderstanding
Su Yaoguang looked sharply at Hu Shi: “Auntie, you’d better have a reasonable explanation, or this matter isn’t over.”
Hu Shi was from the neighboring village, and she was used to being arrogant there too.
She puffed out her chest and said fiercely: “What can a little girl like you do to me?”
Su Yaoguang picked up a stone from the ground, gripped it tightly, and when she opened her hand again, the stone in her palm had turned into powder.
The arrogance on Hu Shi’s face froze, her eyes bulged out, and when she looked at Su Yaoguang again, the arrogant look on her face had dissipated quite a bit.
“This man is mine. Your mother was pulling and tugging at him—I think she just needs a beating.” Hu Shi pointed at Doctor Lin to declare her claim.
Doctor Lin said angrily: “Nonsense! When did I become yours? I’m an old man, don’t tarnish my reputation.”
At the doorway, Yang Shi asked Zhong Shi beside her: “Did you bring melon seeds?”
Zhong Shi opened her hand and gave her a small handful of melon seeds from her palm.
“Doctor Lin has never taken a wife. A few years ago, everyone introduced quite a few to him, but he didn’t like any. Is he planning to take a wife now?”
“My sister married into the neighboring village. I often go there to see her. I’ve heard of this Hu Shi—she gave birth to five sons, and her man died two years ago.”
“Doctor Lin is the only doctor within ten miles around here. Plenty of people have their eyes on him. How did he end up with such a shrew?”
“If she were pretty, that would be one thing, but she’s so ugly too.”
Several women huddled together whispering, but quite a few people had gathered here, and everyone heard them.
At this moment, they looked at Zhang Zhaodi and Hu Shi. With the two standing together for comparison, they actually thought Zhang Zhaodi looked much prettier.
“Did Yaoguang’s mother become fairer?”
“And her hair—is it glossy black?”
The attention of the several women turned again to the changes in Zhang Zhaodi. They hadn’t noticed before, but now that they had, upon closer observation, they discovered that Zhang Zhaodi had become younger recently.
And Su Yaoguang too—her little face had become a shade whiter, and her originally thin hair had become thicker. In short, her entire appearance was refreshed.
“I heard that she and her daughter are making and selling cosmetics. They said before that they hadn’t made any money, but today they bought an ox cart and came back. I think they did make money.”
“Whether they make money or not isn’t important. The important thing is that they’ve become beautiful. What kind of cosmetics are those? Are they expensive? If not, I’d like to buy a bottle too.”
Seeing that Doctor Lin wouldn’t admit it, Hu Shi sat on the ground and wailed loudly: “You heartless man! You clearly promised to marry me, and now you’re going back on it, making me a laughingstock. I won’t live anymore. I’ll bash my head in your house and haunt you every day as a ghost to demand justice from you.”
“When did I ever say I would marry you? I did agree, but I wasn’t agreeing to you.” Seeing the matter growing bigger, Doctor Lin couldn’t care about his old face anymore and explained the whole story. “Five days ago, my sister came back to find me, saying my brother-in-law was ill and asking me to go see him. I followed her, but she took me to the riverside and pointed at a woman washing clothes, saying that was the wife she had found for me to meet, and asked if I was willing. I… how was I to know she meant you? I thought she meant the one next to you.”
After he said that, the whole scene fell silent.
Doctor Lin had already said half of it, so there was no reason not to continue. He went on: “I did nod. When my sister took me to deliver the betrothal gifts, I realized I had the wrong person and dragged her back. I didn’t deliver betrothal gifts to you, so of course the matter was dropped. Why are you still coming to my door to make trouble?”
“Your sister said with her own mouth that you nodded. The whole village knows I’m to marry you, and then you came back with the betrothal gifts. Are you trying to force me to death?”
“I later explained it clearly to my sister, and had her come to your door to clarify it too. To express my apologies, I even sent quite a few pills as compensation.” Doctor Lin said, “I’m thirty-eight this year, you’re forty-five. I would never have thought the person my sister meant was you.”
“Luckily Doctor Lin is smart and didn’t acknowledge this shrew.” Zhang Zhaodi straightened her hair and said gloatingly, “Look at you. If Doctor Lin married you back, I’m afraid no patients would dare come to the door. The old lady and Doctor Lin were talking in the courtyard openly, with the courtyard gate wide open, and you barged in and started hitting—that’s crazy.”
Doctor Lin bowed to Zhang Zhaodi in apology: “Sorry, Yaoguang’s mother. I didn’t expect her to do this. Later, take a bottle of healing medicine home—no need to pay.”
“This isn’t your fault.” Zhang Zhaodi touched the wound at her mouth.
“It doesn’t blame Uncle Lin, but it blames this person.” Su Yaoguang said, “My mother can’t be hurt for nothing. She should pay for this healing medicine, and also compensation to my mother to recuperate her body.”
“In your dreams. If she hadn’t shamelessly talked to my man, would I have hit her?” Hu Shi said stiff-neckedly and fiercely.
“Truly shameless, still calling him your man—has Doctor Lin admitted it? Doctor Lin said he mistook the person, that’s why he nodded. Since no betrothal gifts have been delivered, you two have no relationship at all. You’re so desperate for a man that even when he’s unwilling, you cling on relentlessly.” When it came to arguing, Zhang Zhaodi feared no one.
If she weren’t fierce enough, she and Su Yaoguang would have been bullied to death by the villagers long ago.
“Mom, let’s not bother with these matters, just focus on her unprovoked attack on you.” Su Yaoguang said.
The words that needed saying had mostly been said, and the injustice had been addressed. If they kept speaking up for Doctor Lin, rumors would spiral out of control again, turning nothing into something.
“Compensation!” Zhang Zhaodi rolled up her sleeves and charged forward.
With her daughter here, she had full confidence. After all, even if Hu Shi’s five sons all came, they might not be her daughter’s match. The previous family was an example.
Hu Shi said stubbornly: “I have no money. You didn’t suffer any loss. The injuries on me are all from you—call it even.”
“You attacked the old lady without reason and still want me to swallow this silent loss? Dream on. Today you must compensate me, or I’ll go to your house and beat all five of your sons once.” Zhang Zhaodi said viciously.
The villagers: “…”
Zhang Zhaodi and Su Yaoguang, this mother-daughter pair, were becoming more and more fierce. Anyone who provoked them was truly out of luck.
Hu Shi also knew she was in the wrong and that this mother-daughter pair was not to be trifled with—she had kicked an iron plate today. Reluctantly, she rummaged around and pulled out a string of copper coins.
“Only this much, nothing more.”
Zhang Zhaodi wasn’t easy to fob off and directly reached into her bosom to search.
“What are you doing? Robbery, robbery!” Hu Shi struggled, trying to stop Zhang Zhaodi’s actions, but Su Yaoguang pinned her hands at the side, and she couldn’t move.
Zhang Zhaodi pulled out three strings of copper coins, took one string and gave it to Doctor Lin, stuffed one back into her bosom, and snorted coldly: “The old lady only wants compensation, not to rob. These two hundred copper coins will cover my injury treatment and recuperation. The one hundred copper coins for Doctor Lin is to cover his medicine money—after all, the old lady’s wound must be medicated.”
After saying that, she said to Doctor Lin again: “Doctor Lin, please keep the matter I mentioned earlier in mind. I’ll wait for your good news tomorrow.”
Doctor Lin nodded: “Yaoguang’s mother, rest assured. Since I promised, I’ll definitely get it done for you.”
