Chapter 13: Treating the Hand

The distance from the town to the village is about six or seven miles. Although Shao Kang had sprained his foot, he insisted he could walk back, but Shao Diandian decided to rent an ox cart instead.

This ox cart belonged to a neighboring village, though old man Li was not the one driving today.

As the family sat on the cart, Shao Diandian suddenly asked, "Who is Fifth Master?"

During the brawl earlier, she had heard someone shout, "You with the surname Shao, aren't you afraid of offending Fifth Master by doing this? Blade Brother is one of Fifth Master's men!"

Shao Erdan asked curiously as well, "That's right, who is Fifth Master?"

Shao Kang replied with a calm expression, "He has a bit of a reputation in the underworld and holds some influence in the prefecture city. I had some dealings with him years ago."

"Sounds like a big deal," Shao Diandian remarked.

Shao Kang chuckled, "Don't listen to Zhang Dao's nonsense; he has nothing to do with Fifth Master."

"What if he does?" Shao Erdan pressed.

Shao Kang let out a dismissive scoff, "So what if he does? There will always be a way to handle it! He was beaten so badly he'll be bedridden for months. By the time he's able to file a complaint, the whole matter will be long gone!"

Shao Erdan asked in a low voice, "And what if it isn't?"

Shao Kang patted his head, "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

Shao Erdan lowered his head, looking aggrieved.

Before the driver who took them near Apricot Blossom Village left, Shao Diandian instructed him, "Please tell Liu Tongsheng's family—whether he comes himself or sends his family—that within three days, they had better bring the money, or they will see blood!"

The man left, trembling with fear.

Shao Erdan gave Shao Diandian a thumbs up, "Sis, you were so imposing!"

"Though, Sis, I don't think he's from Liu Tongsheng's village; he's from Willow Village to the east."

Shao Diandian: "..."

When the three of them entered the village, three children were waiting like little birds expecting to be fed, waving their small arms and gazing eagerly down the village path.

Upon seeing them, the children rushed over.

"Big Tiger, Little Tiger, Second Tiger!"

Shao Erdan’s eyes lit up as he scooped up the three children—carrying one on his shoulders and holding two in his arms.

The three children looked helpless: "..."

Little Mrs. Wu walked up to Shao Diandian tentatively and whispered, "They wanted to wait here..."

The wind at the village entrance was strong and very cold.

She was worried that "Fatty" Shao might scold her for not taking good care of the children.

"Thank you for today," Shao Diandian said, not blaming Little Mrs. Wu. "Did they give you any trouble?"

Little Mrs. Wu hesitated, "They didn't give me any trouble."

Aside from making half the village's children cry...

Shao Diandian smiled slightly, "I knew they were well-behaved."

Little Mrs. Wu braced herself, "...Yes, your sons are very easy to look after."

They aren't my sons... never mind, it’s too complicated to explain. Once Wei Ting recovers, he will naturally take these little ones away.

"Take these pastries with you."

Shao Diandian had bought a few boxes of pastries in town—not from Jin's, of course.

Little Mrs. Wu refused to accept them.

"Take them!" Shao Diandian said sternly.

Little Mrs. Wu took them tremblingly, "N-no other business, I'll be going now."

Shao Diandian watched her hurried back, thinking to herself that she must have really scared the poor woman.

"She's a pitiful soul, too," Shao Kang sighed from the side, a rare moment of not being stingy.

Little Mrs. Wu was married to Liu Shan's eldest son, Liu Ping. Liu Ping’s mother had died in childbirth, and later, Liu Shan married a second wife, Big Mrs. Wu.

Although they both shared the surname Wu, Little Mrs. Wu and Big Mrs. Wu were not related.

Big Mrs. Wu had a son and a daughter; the daughter was already married, and the son was Niu Dan's father.

Big Mrs. Wu only cared for her own biological son, and since Little Mrs. Wu had only given birth to two daughters, even Liu Shan, the father, favored his second son more.

Liu Ping and Little Mrs. Wu were a pair who worked hard—one doing manual labor in town, the other laboring diligently at home.

After returning home, Shao Diandian went to deliver medicine to Wei Ting as usual.

Perhaps discouraged by his own appearance, Wei Ting was even more withdrawn than the previous two days and didn't say a word to Shao Diandian.

He was in low spirits, but Shao Diandian was quite happy!

Shao Diandian smiled and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner—fried eggs, scallion oil hand-pulled noodles, and a bowl of braised pork belly with Chinese cabbage.

Hmm... if they keep eating like this, will they finish it all before the cured meat is ready?

Having been in a fight during the day, the three of them had expended a lot of energy and had large appetites.

The three children also ate quite a bit, like three busy little squirrels.

She had intentionally cooked an extra pot of rice, thinking that if there were leftovers, she could make scorched rice for the next morning.

Before long, the food in the large pot was completely gone.

This family... they truly were ravenous eaters in the literal sense.

As the night grew deep, Shao Diandian carried a basin of hot water into Shao Kang's room.

Shao Kang was lying on the bed, hissing in pain.

He hadn't been in such a fierce fight for a long time, and he felt as if his bones were falling apart. His right hand and right ankle were particularly bad—one numb, the other in throbbing pain.

"Dad, I'm coming in," Shao Diandian said softly.

Shao Kang immediately stopped his hissing and quickly sat upright.

"Not asleep yet?" he asked, feigning composure.

"Going to sleep soon." She walked to the bedside with the hot water.

"What's this for?" Old Man Shao sniffed, smelling the medicinal scent, "Did you buy medicine?"

Of course, she hadn't bought medicine; these were from the base’s pharmacy that she had packed into her first-aid kit. They were effective for reducing inflammation, relieving pain, and promoting blood circulation.

Wei Ting didn't need them for the moment.

...Even if he did, Old Man Shao would get them first!

Shao Diandian said with a straight face, "I bought some... wound medicine while I was in town yesterday. Put your foot in and soak it."

Shao Kang waved his hand, "Just save it for your husband; I don't need it."

"Why are you always thinking about him?" Shao Diandian scolded. "I told you to put it in, so put it in!"

Old Man Shao obediently placed his foot into the wooden basin.

His ankle was just a standard sprain and would recover in a few days; the real trouble was his right hand.

In the original owner's memories, Old Man Shao had an old injury in his right hand that would flare up whenever the weather was damp and cold, causing anything from dull aches to total numbness and loss of sensation.

A traveling physician had once come to the village and prescribed a few doses that kept the injury at bay for several years.

Today's fight with Zhang Dao had triggered the old injury once again.

If it couldn't be cured completely this time, his right hand might be permanently crippled.

Seeing his daughter staring blankly at his right hand, Shao Kang cleared his throat and pulled his hand back, saying, "It's fine, it doesn't hurt!"

Shao Diandian said solemnly, "I will find a way to heal your hand. From now on, you must not use this hand for heavy labor!"

Thinking his daughter intended to go to town to hire a doctor, Shao Kang disapproved, "I told you it's fine; why waste the money?"

He knew his hand better than anyone; it was useless. Even that highly skilled traveling physician had only managed to stop the pain, but could never restore his original strength.

He would never be better in this lifetime.

After leaving Old Man Shao’s room, Shao Diandian went to Shao Erdan’s room.

Shao Erdan had gone to the latrine, and the three children were standing by the table, standing on tiptoes to see what was on it.

"Do you want some pastries?" Shao Diandian walked over and asked.

The three children raised their round little heads, blinked, and nodded.

"If you want them, you have to say so." Shao Diandian picked up a box of osmanthus cakes and squatted down to look at the three of them.

The three said nothing.

Shao Diandian: "If you ask, you can have them."

Still, no one spoke.

Shao Diandian thought for a moment, set the osmanthus cakes aside, and brought over some candied haws from her room.

The eyes of the three children lit up instantly.

Sure enough, the appeal of candied haws was greater than that of osmanthus cakes.

Shao Diandian coaxed them, "Can-died-haws."

Thinking it was perhaps too long and difficult, she simplified it, "Candy."

The three children: "Mom."

Shao Diandian: "???"