[Urban] Sorghum Fields Wet with Dew (Full) - 22-24

Chapter 151: The Melodious Song of Birds

Cui Huahua blushed and remained silent, her eyes shimmering. Yang Leiluo, not wanting her to back down, brought his thing to her lips. When her head involuntarily tilted back, he quickly cupped it, preventing her from retreating. He then swept his hand back and forth between her lips, trying to open them again. Slowly, her hot lips began to part slightly, still struggling with a mixture of acceptance and resistance. Finally, she gradually opened her lips, allowing Yang Leiluo's large member to slowly slip inside. She tried to pull away several times, but her movements were not resolute.

Yang Leiluo's member moved slowly in and out of her mouth. Perhaps feeling that his member was a bit long, Cui Huahua used her fingers to encircle the base of his penis, preventing it from fully entering. When Yang Leiluo thrust his hips, her throat emitted stimulating "mmm" sounds, and her other hand also supported his member, moving it back and forth. After playing for a while, Cui Huahua spat out the stick and said, "Da Lei, stop playing like this. Hurry up and help your auntie with her vagina. We need to apply medicine afterwards. It's getting late, and people will be home soon!"

Yang Leiluo also felt that they couldn't waste any more time, so he climbed on top of her, held his penis, and circled it around the entrance a few times. With the help of the slippery water, with a squelch, half of it went in. With another push, it was all the way in. The tender, warm, and tight vaginal flesh enveloped his member, making Yang Leiluo take a deep breath in pleasure. Cui Huahua also let out a satisfied sigh, tightly hugging his body, her own body instinctively arching.

Yang Leiluo, aroused by pleasure, twisted his waist vigorously, grinding the head of his penis against her clitoris, and said, "Auntie, are you comfortable now?"

Cui Huahua wrapped her arms around Yang Leiluo's neck and said, "My dear baby, don't talk. What's needed now is action, not words."

Cui Huahua's voice was so gentle and charming, full of provocation, making Yang Leiluo very excited, and his penis became even thicker.

Yang Leiluo slowly thrust in, feeling the beauty of his aunt's body. He felt as if his hard penis was being tightly gripped by her small hands, and every thrust made his glans incredibly itchy. Cui Huahua also moaned softly and slowly twisted. Yang Leiluo could no longer control himself and began to speed up. Cui Huahua's moans grew louder and more intoxicating.

As Yang Leiluo thrust vigorously, he said, "Auntie, you moan so beautifully, like singing."

He felt that the moans were infinitely charming, melodious and pleasant to listen to, like the melodious chirping of birds in the forest in spring.

At first, Cui Huahua was a little hesitant, afraid of waking the child again. But as her desire intensified and his penis thrust faster, she became more and more uninhibited. Eventually, she cried out wildly, oblivious to everything else.

Yang Leiluo was increasingly delighted and thrust even more vigorously. At the peak of his pleasure, Yang Leiluo pushed Cui Huahua's arms away, exposing her breasts. In the dim light, her two large breasts were clearly visible. Under the swaying of his penis, they resembled two lotus flowers, rhythmically shaking and trembling, displaying their towering beauty, elasticity, youthful vitality, and vivacity, making Yang Leiluo drool. That was the sight Yang Leiluo was most obsessed with. His first encounter with his aunt's breasts was with them, and seeing those two beautiful peaks, he couldn't control himself.

Unable to resist any longer, Yang Leiluo reached out with both hands, kneading them with both hands, wishing he could crush them. After a while, he put his mouth on them and sucked on them like a greedy child. Meanwhile, the penis below continued to thrust in and out, each stroke reaching the deepest part of Cui Huahua, bringing her immense pleasure. She cried out as she caressed Yang Leiluo's strong body, her hips moving in rhythm. At this moment, Cui Huahua was no longer passive; she was exercising her rights as a woman, enjoying the pleasures of being a woman. Her moans grew louder and more beautiful, urging Yang Leiluo to thrust in and out with a frenzied pace.

Cui Huahua felt his penis swelling inside her again, knowing it was time, and cried out, "Pull it out!"

Yang Leiluo almost forgot about this, hastily pulling out his member. It was a close call; his engorged penis, barely out of her opening, began to ejaculate violently. The first shot hit her breasts, flowing down her cleavage, followed by countless more spraying onto his stomach.

After the climax, catching her breath, Cui Huahua got up and wiped the sticky semen from her body, still playfully scolding him for almost ejaculating inside her again. Yang Leiluo said awkwardly, "I always forget about it at that time. I'll have to remember next time!"

Taking advantage of the feeling of relief as Yang Leiluo's large member stretched open Cui Huahua's vagina, Yang Leiluo prepared to apply medicine. He picked up the rubber tube and tentatively inserted it into her opening. Because the tube was only as thick as a little finger, much thinner than Yang Leiluo's penis, and Cui Huahua's newly opened passage hadn't fully recovered, it went in easily without Cui Huahua feeling any pain. However, it hurt a little when it was fully inserted, and Cui Huahua cried out, "It's all the way in! Don't go any further!"

Yang Leiluo stopped; the tube was only two-thirds inserted, with her breasts exposed.

Yang Leiluo pondered what to do next. He first opened the small paper packet, which contained a small amount of brown Chinese medicine powder. Yang Leiluo thought for a moment, then rolled the unfolded paper packet into a small cylinder, the opening of which was slightly smaller than the tube's opening. He then inserted it into the tube's opening and gently flicked the small paper cylinder with his hand, sending the medicine into the tube. Yang Leiluo, of course, knew what to do next. He leaned between Cui Huahua's legs, put the tube end in his mouth, took a deep breath, and blew hard into the tube. He blew hard several times in succession, then asked Cui Huahua, "Can you feel the medicine going in?"

Cui Huahua hurriedly replied, "Yes, I can, and it's even itchy!"

Only then did Yang Leiluo feel relieved and slowly pulled the tube out. He glanced inside the tube with one eye, and sure enough, the medicine powder had been blown into his aunt's secret passage. This method really worked! How did Grandpa come up with this idea!

Cui Huahua felt she couldn't complete the process of blowing the medicine herself, so she said worriedly, "You said I need to apply the medicine twice a day, but I can't do it myself. You don't have the opportunity to apply it twice a day for me, what should I do?"

Yang Leiluo thought for a while and said, "It's okay, I've thought of something. I'll apply it to you once after school every day, and the other time will be in the middle of the night. After everyone is asleep, I'll sneak over!"

Cui Huahua was immediately overjoyed and said affectionately, "Oh, Leiluo, you're so smart, your auntie loves you so much!"

As she spoke, she hugged his head and kissed him a few more times.

The next morning, Yang Leiluo still got up very early, saying he was going to practice boxing. But today he had no interest in practicing boxing, so he went straight to his grandfather's house. Today wasn't just about washing his penis; he was worried that his grandfather might have already discovered the medicine was missing. He braced himself and went into his grandfather's house.

Yang Leiluo carefully observed his grandfather's expression, noticing nothing unusual. He figured his grandfather wouldn't notice anything amiss now, only when he got his medicine. His heart was in his throat, his eyes glued to his grandfather's every move.

When Yang Wanji opened the drawer, took out the brown paper package, and opened it, Yang Leiluo's heart nearly jumped out of his throat. His eyes widened in shock. Thankfully, Yang Wanji didn't check carefully to see if any medicine was missing; he just grabbed a packet and left.

A huge weight lifted from Yang Leiluo's shoulders. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow; this ordeal was finally over.

Yang Leiluo washed his second child with a relaxed expression, glancing at his grandfather smoking his pipe. Suddenly, he felt like asking a question that had been troubling him. He looked at Yang Wanji and said, "Grandpa, didn't you say you'd tell me about that later? It's still early today, I have time!"

Yang Wanji looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What is it? I don't remember."

"It's about you and Xin Damei. Wasn't it because of her that you refused to treat women for this disease? Why was that?"

Yang Wanji's eyes darkened instantly. He puffed on his pipe, and the events of that year swirled in his mind like the smoke before him.

(Chapter 152: The Watery Girl)

The Yang family's medical tradition began with Yang Wanji's father. Yang Wanji's maternal grandfather was a court physician. Having no sons, he passed his medical skills to his son-in-law. Before his death, the old physician bequeathed his treasured collection of court medical books to Yang Wanji's father, who in turn passed the books to Yang Wanji before his own death. Yang Wanji learned medicine from his father from a young age and quickly became quite skilled, gaining some renown by his thirties. Initially,

Yang Wanji didn't take his father's medical books very seriously. However, one year, he suddenly developed severe hemorrhoids, which proved ineffective despite numerous medications. In his excruciating pain, he remembered a prescription from his ancestral medical book, which almost cured him.

From then on, Yang Wanji changed his opinion of the ancestral medical book, believing it to be a truly valuable resource. From that moment on, he cherished the book greatly and treasured it carefully.

Yang Wanji inherited his father's teachings: a doctor should practice good deeds and accumulate virtue, not be blinded by greed. Before liberation, a terrible plague struck the Jiapigou area, and people from every household were carried out. To save lives, Yang Wanji searched through medical books. Although he couldn't find a cure for the disease, he found herbal remedies for prevention. He did his utmost to give these to many uninfected people, and they indeed survived. People lined up every day seeking the medicine, and not only did his family's herbal supplies run out, but he also nearly exhausted his savings buying more. Yang Wanji was so focused on preventing and treating others that he neglected his own family. Soon after, his wife and two children contracted the disease, and within a month, they all perished. His eldest son, Yang Beian, was studying at a teachers' college in the provincial capital and thus escaped the plague. Overwhelmed with grief, Yang Wanji began to doubt the saying that good deeds are rewarded. He had given everything to save others; surely Heaven would be watching over him? Yet, his wife and two children had all left him.

Although Yang Beian had experienced a devastating catastrophe and setback, he did not abandon his belief in practicing medicine. After the plague, people trusted his medical skills even more. Patients from dozens of miles away came to him for treatment. He cured countless patients with difficult and critical illnesses, not to mention minor ailments. Throughout his

medical practice, Yang Wanji always adhered to his father's dying wish: never to make money through dishonest means, and even showing great care for the most impoverished patients. Every year, he treated dozens of patients without charging a penny. It is said that good deeds are rewarded, but acts of ingratitude are also common. In the summer of

Yang Wanji's fortieth year, Xin Damei, the eldest daughter of Xin Laogeda from the same village, suddenly approached him. Xin Damei was seventeen years old that year. Although her clothes were patched and shabby, they couldn't hide the figure and charm of a beautiful young woman. Xin Laogeda's two daughters were both very pretty, but unfortunately, they were born into a poor family, and their beauty was somewhat overshadowed by their tattered clothes. Even so, their beauty still stirred the hearts of men.

When Xin Damei arrived at Yang's Pharmacy, she knelt down before Yang Wanji with a thud. Tears streamed down her large, bright eyes as she pleaded, "Uncle Yang, I beg you to save my father! He's getting very sick!" Yang Wanji had also heard that Xin Laogeda had been suffering from lung disease for the past year and had even been to hospitals in the city, but his condition hadn't improved and was only getting worse. However, Xin Laogeda hadn't yet asked him to come and see him. The reason Xin Laogeda didn't seek his treatment was likely not because he distrusted him, but because he was too ashamed to come to him again. Over the years, Xin Laogeda's wife had accumulated a large debt for medication to treat her mental illness, year after year, and they couldn't repay it. Yang Wanji was also embarrassed to ask for payment. Thus, the Xin family felt ashamed to continue seeking Yang Wanji's treatment.

Yang Wanji was well aware of this reason. Seeing Xin Laogeda's daughter, Xin Damei, pitifully begging him again today indicated that Xin Laogeda's illness was indeed quite serious, and he had reached a point where he had nowhere else to turn.

Yang Wanji hurriedly helped Xin Damei up from the ground, saying, "Please don't be like this. Treating illnesses is my duty. As long as I can cure it, I won't refuse. However, I heard that your father's illness has already been treated at a hospital in the city, but it hasn't been cured. There's nothing I can do then!"

Xin Damei wiped away her tears and said, "It's not like that, Uncle. You can definitely cure him. I heard that you've cured many people with illnesses like my father's. The reason I didn't come to you before was because my family owed you money, and I was afraid you wouldn't treat him!"

"Girl, you think too harshly of me. Does not having money mean I won't treat him? We're all from the same village! It's just that I feel your father's illness has reached this stage, and I'm afraid there's nothing I can do!"

Yang Wanji shook his head and said. He wasn't trying to shirk responsibility; he felt that since he hadn't intervened before, and the situation had become so serious, the chances of a cure were slim. He shouldn't get involved anymore.

Xin Damei knelt down before him again, pleading desperately, "Uncle, please have pity on my family! My mother has a mental illness, and my younger brother is only three years old. If my father collapses, our family is finished. My father isn't even fifty yet; he shouldn't die! Uncle, I beg you!" She

crawled on her knees, supporting Yang Wanji's knees.

Yang Wanji couldn't bear it. He quickly grasped her small hand and helped her up, saying, "Don't be sad. I'll go to your house and see. If it can be cured, I will definitely treat your father!"

Yang Wanji followed Xin Damei to her home. Xin Laogeda lay on the kang (heated brick bed) covered with a tattered quilt, his face sallow, seemingly on the verge of death. Xin Damei's mother, a woman in her forties, often suffered from mental illness, her clothes disheveled and hair loose. Fortunately, she was in a normal state at this moment, and she was also watching over Xin Laogeda by the kang, her eyes filled with dazed disbelief. Two children were wiping away tears on the ground: a fourteen-year-old girl named Xin Ermei and a three-year-old boy named Xin Erga. Xin Erga, too young to understand anything, cried along with the adults.

Yang Wanji sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), grabbed Xin Laogeda's thin arm, pressed it to his pulse, and then listened to his chest for a long time with a stethoscope. He then stood up and said to Xin Damei, "I'll get some Chinese medicine for your father first. You'll come with me to my house to get it later!" With that,

he shouldered his medicine box and left.

Xin Damei followed Yang Wanji home to get medicine. As they walked, she anxiously asked, "Uncle, how is my father's illness? Can it still be cured?"

But she immediately added, "Uncle, you can definitely cure him! There's no illness you can't cure!"

Yang Wanji slowed his pace and said, "I can't guarantee a cure. We'll have to wait and see after he finishes these three doses of medicine!"

From Yang Wanji's words, Xin Damei sensed hope. She looked at him with warm eyes and said, "If you can cure my father's illness, I'll repay you in any way I can!"

(Chapter 153: Old Ox and Tender Grass)

This girl's filial piety touched Yang Wanji's heart. He quickly said, "Girl, as a doctor, curing patients is my wish. Don't talk about repayment!"

Yang Wanji couldn't help but look at her a few more times. Xin Damei was an exceptionally gentle and clever girl. Thinking of her impoverished family background, he felt a pang of pity.

Xin Damei blinked her watery eyes and said, "Uncle, that's not how it works. It's your duty as a doctor to treat people, but you're paid. My family already owes you money for medicine, and we still can't afford to pay for my father's medicine this time. If it were any other doctor, would they even prescribe medicine for my father? I've really rarely seen such a good person as you, Uncle!"

"Girl, I'm not a good person, but I understand the hardship of not having money. Nobody wants to be sick, but you can't just ignore it. If I can save a life, I can't just stand by and do nothing. Don't think too much about it. Even if your family doesn't have money for me, they won't refuse to prescribe medicine for your father. Besides, it's rare to see your filial piety. You even knelt down for your father's illness!"

Yang Wanji felt a surge of pity and compassion when he thought of the girl kneeling before him.

"Uncle, please have pity on me. I'm the eldest in the family. If my father falls ill, I'll be in big trouble!"

As Xin Damei spoke, she seemed to wipe her eyes again.

"Alright, as long as your father takes these three doses of medicine and shows improvement, it means he can be saved. I will do everything I can!"

Xin Damei's mood immediately brightened. A warm sense of gratitude made her unable to resist grabbing Yang Wanji's hand, saying, "Uncle, you're so kind! With you, I have hope!"

Yang Wanji, his heart churning at the warm hand of the unfamiliar girl, blushed. He nervously glanced around, quickly pulling his hand away, saying, "Girl, let's go quickly, get your father his medicine as soon as possible!"

In the Yang family's pharmacy, Xin Damei watched intently as Yang Wanji evenly distributed the medicine onto the paper with a small scale, chatting happily. Later, she murmured, "Uncle, my aunt has been gone for several years, why haven't you..." "Remarry?"

Mentioning this topic, Yang Wanji's heart stirred for a moment. He shifted his gaze and said, "Remarrying isn't so easy. I'm already forty years old, and I have an eighteen-year-old child. I'm not satisfied with good women, and no good women want to marry me. So I've been dragging this on. Being alone isn't so bad!"

Xin Damei's eyes flickered as she thought for a while and said, "That's because you're too picky , Uncle. With your conditions, someone like you wouldn't have trouble finding a young maiden. Why do you say there aren't any good women to marry you?"

Yang Wanji was embarrassed by her words and became flustered like a young man, saying, "Girl, you're flattering your uncle. I'm not that good. After all, I'm already forty years old. I'm old!"

"Uncle, how can you say you're old at forty? Besides, you don't look forty years old. I'd think you were under thirty. Don't say you're old anymore!"

Xin Damei stared at him intently, her tone extremely serious. In fact, what she said wasn't wrong; Yang Wanji, both in appearance and physique, exuded youthful vigor.

Yang Wanji felt very comfortable being told that. For men over forty, the most taboo thing is being told they're old. At this watershed moment, people are extremely sensitive, always unwilling to accept that their youth has passed. Yang Wanji showed a smile rarely seen on his face and said, "You're quite the smooth talker, young lady. You've made this old man sound young. But, though, I really am no longer young!"

"Uncle, I'm telling the truth. Age isn't the main thing; the main thing is that you are a reliable person. How safe it would be for anyone to be your woman! You're like a big tree; women can lean on you, sheltered from the wind and rain!"

Xin Damei spoke with such sincerity and charm.

It was rare to hear a woman comment on him, especially a young woman like herself. Yang Wanji felt a strange stirring in his heart, but he didn't want to continue. So, while wrapping the medicine, he said, "When you go back and brew the medicine, make sure to brew it for a longer time. Add a bowl of water for the first batch, a large portion for the second batch, and a small portion for the third batch. Got it?"

"Yes, I'll remember. Uncle, you're so thoughtful. I have to ask doctors for help elsewhere, and sometimes they get impatient!"

Three days later, Yang Wanji went to Xin Laogeda's house. As soon as he entered the courtyard, Xin Damei greeted him with the lightness and joy of a butterfly, grabbing Yang Wanji's hand with a face full of happiness and exclaiming, "Uncle, your medicine is truly a miracle cure! My father has recovered after taking three doses of your medicine. He rarely coughs up blood anymore, and he even ate today. He's got more energy!"

Yang Wanji was also thrilled to hear this news. The happiest thing for a doctor is for his patients to recover, and based on his judgment, he had a chance to cure Xin Laogeda's illness. He said happily, "Yes, there's hope if he's recovering. Heaven has eyes and won't let your family fall apart!"

But he felt a restlessness mixed with his excitement as he held Xin Damei's small hand.

"Uncle, what a blessing! It's all thanks to you, my living saint!"

Xin Damei held Yang Wanji's hand tightly until they entered the house. Yang Wanji felt the warmth of her hand linger for a long time.

Xin Damei's father, Xin Laogeda, could sit up now, and he held Yang Wanji's hand, too moved to speak. But just then, Xin Damei's mother, for some unknown reason, suddenly went mad, screaming and running out. She returned shortly after, brandishing a kitchen knife. At that moment, Xin Damei was standing at the door when the madwoman yelled at her, "You Japanese devil! I'll kill you!"

and swung the knife at Xin Damei.

This was something no one expected, and Xin Damei froze in terror. Just then, Yang Wanji swiftly pounced, pushed Xin Damei away, grabbed the woman's wrist holding the knife, and snatched it from her. The woman ran out the door again, shouting incoherently.

Xin Damei, still shaken, woke up and threw herself into Yang Wanji's arms, sobbing, "Uncle, I'm scared! I'm so scared of this family!"

A tender feeling stirred in Yang Wanji's heart. He held Xin Damei and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Once your father gets better, you'll have someone to rely on!"

"Uncle," Xin Damei still huddled fearfully in Yang Wanji's arms.

Chapter 154: Uncle, I'm Cold...

Xin Damei's second time... Five years ago, in that spring, Xin Damei's mother, Yu Feng, and Liu Er's wife from the village went to dig wild vegetables on the hillside near Moon Lake. Just as the two women filled their baskets with wild vegetables and were about to head back, dozens of Japanese soldiers came from the mountain path. The two women tried to run away in panic, but it was too late; the Japanese soldiers, like hungry wolves, chased after them from behind. Then tragedy struck. Dozens of Japanese soldiers gang-raped them on the hillside. Liu Er's wife, six months pregnant, refused to be violated and crushed one of the soldiers' testicles with her bare hands. The Japanese soldier yelled and stabbed Liu's wife with his bayonet, then disemboweled her. He even used the bayonet to pull out the baby from her womb and cruelly shook it.

Yu Feng, already on the verge of collapse from being violated by more than ten Japanese soldiers, witnessed this inhumane scene and suffered a mental breakdown. Fortunately, the Japanese soldiers didn't kill her and she escaped.

Yang Wanji was genuinely shocked to hear this tragic story. Everyone knew about the rape and murder of Liu Er's wife by Japanese soldiers, but they only knew it was Liu Er's wife; they hadn't heard of Xin Damei's mother, Yu Feng, being involved. Therefore, it was indeed a secret.

Xin Damei wiped away her tears and said, "When my mother ran back, she had already gone mad. Later, when she was lucid, she could only vaguely explain what had happened. Since then, she has been acting strangely, often shouting 'Japanese devils'!"

Yang Wanji hated these Japanese beasts in his heart, but comforted Xin Damei, saying, "It's a miracle your mother wasn't killed by the Japanese. Even if she's crazy, it's better than not having a mother at all. Maybe as she gets older, her illness will gradually improve. When I treated her before, it had some effect, but I don't know the root cause of her illness. In the future, I'll look for a prescription and treat her again!"

Xin Damei looked at Yang Wanji with teary eyes and said, "Uncle, it's so good to have you. With you, my life feels like it has hope! I'm always afraid, afraid that one day my mother will have a relapse and cause a big problem!"

"Girl, don't be afraid. In the future, I'll find a prescription, and maybe I can cure her!"

Yang Wanji tried his best to comfort this pitiful girl.

Xin Damei stared intently at Yang Wanji, her high chest rising and falling slightly.

Yang Wanji really put a lot of effort into treating Xin Laogeda's illness. To ensure accurate and timely medication, he only prescribed three days' worth of medicine at a time. Every three days, Xin Damei would come to Yang Wanji's house to get the medicine. Each time she came to get the medicine, Xin Damei would give a detailed report on her father's condition. After reporting the condition and getting the next dose of medicine, Xin Damei wouldn't leave immediately but would chat with Yang Wanji for a while. Yang Wanji usually only talked to patients, and his son, Yang Beian, was studying in the provincial capital, so he really had no one to talk to. He sincerely hoped that this girl could keep him company and chat every now and then. The two seemed to get along very well, and gradually the time they spent chatting increased. Later, in addition to chatting with him, Xin Damei also began to help him with some housework, such as tidying up the house and heating the kang (a heated brick bed). As Xin Laogeda's condition improved day by day, Xin Damei's mood brightened. Her gratitude and admiration for Yang Wanji transformed into a dependence. She didn't know when it started, but Xin Damei began visiting Yang Wanji's house daily, seemingly without a reason. Their relationship subtly grew closer.

Over time, Yang Wanji's longing to hear Xin Damei's footsteps entering the yard became a habit, a daily expectation. His gaze would unconsciously drift out the window. But one day, Xin Damei didn't come. This left Yang Wanji, who had grown accustomed to her visits, feeling an emptiness, as if something was missing from his life. She still didn't come the next day. Yang Wanji felt restless, so he couldn't resist going to Xin Damei's house. His reason, of course, was perfectly valid: to check on Xin Laogeda's condition.

To Yang Wanji's surprise, while Xin Laogeda could walk around on the floor, his eldest daughter, Xin Damei, was shivering under the covers on the kang (heated brick bed). When Xin Laogeda saw Yang Wanji arrive at his house, he was overjoyed and said, "Dr. Yang, you've come at the right time! My daughter is sick. These past few days, her mother has taken Ermei and Xiaoga to her parents' house. Damei has been busy taking care of me, and yesterday she got caught in the rain and somehow fell ill. I wanted to go to your house to find you, but I couldn't walk. Now that you're here, please take a look at her!"

Yang Wanji was startled and hurriedly lifted the blanket to touch Xin Damei's forehead. It was burning hot, clearly a high fever, and quite severe. Xin Damei was delirious, her body trembling constantly. In her dazed state, she weakly called out, "I'm cold!"

Xin Laogeda hurriedly called to his daughter, "Damei, your Uncle Yang is here! Get up quickly and let him see what's wrong!"

Upon hearing the words "Uncle Yang," Xin Damei immediately opened her eyes. But when she saw that the man standing in front of her was indeed Yang Wanji, she couldn't help but grab his hand and say, "Uncle, you really came to see me! I was just feeling bad because I couldn't help you with the chores these past two days

, and then you came, Uncle. I'm cold, I'm scared!" Yang Wanji's heart warmed at her words, and he quickly held her small hand tightly, saying, "Girl, Uncle noticed you hadn't come these past two days, so I came to see you. It turns out you're sick. You're cold; you must have a high fever. Let me check your pulse!"

Xin Damei struggled to sit up, but Yang Wanji quickly stopped her, saying, "You don't need to get up. I can check your pulse like this!"

Saying this, he sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) and placed her fair wrists on his lap, concentrating on checking her pulse. After checking both hands, Yang Wanji was startled; this girl seemed to have typhoid fever. After asking Xin Damei about some of her symptoms, he had already determined that she had typhoid fever. Yang Wanji said to Xin Laogeda, "This girl most likely has typhoid fever!"

Xin Laogeda's face changed, and he said with a sob, "Dr. Yang, what are we going to do? Why is our family so unlucky!"

In those days, typhoid fever was difficult to cure, and people died everywhere because of it. This disease was similar to a plague.

When Xin Damei heard that she had typhoid fever, she was also frightened and started to cry. She grabbed Yang Wanji's hand and wouldn't let go, saying, "Uncle, will I die?"

Yang Wanji held her small hand tightly, looking at her with warm eyes, and said, "Girl, you won't die. With Uncle here, you don't have to be afraid of anything!"

Xin Damei nodded on her pillow; she believed this man's words. At that moment, Xin Damei suddenly felt that Yang Wanji had become a solid support in her life, just like the "uncle" she had mentioned. Unconsciously, a few hot tears fell from her eyes. Her hand gripped his tightly, refusing to let

go. Chapter 155: It Seems She Has Feelings for Him.

Xin Damei was tormented by a high fever, but the sound of Yang Wanji's footsteps calmed her. Yang Wanji not only gave Xin Damei traditional Chinese medicine but also administered Western medicine injections daily. He even sometimes did extra chores, like preparing meals for the two of them.

After half a month of meticulous treatment, Xin Damei finally recovered. A few days later, Xin Damei's typhoid fever was cured. Although the terrible illness had made her somewhat haggard, her frailty possessed a captivating charm.

Xin Damei regained her energy and began visiting Yang Wanji's house daily again, chatting with him and helping him with housework, preparing traditional Chinese medicine, and even doing laundry. Anyone who didn't know better would think Yang Wanji had gained a daughter. Their intimate and dependent relationship resembled that of a father and daughter. Yang Wanji also felt that he truly had an inseparable daughter.

One day, Xin Damei unexpectedly disrupted this harmonious and warm relationship. She suddenly changed her address, calling Yang Wanji "Big Brother." Yang Wanji was immediately surprised: "Girl, what's going on? How did I become your Big Brother again?"

Xin Damei blushed, her watery eyes darting around, and said, "Calling me 'Uncle' isn't appropriate; it makes you sound old!"

"I am old, you're not calling me old!"

Yang Wanji looked at her beautiful expression, something inexplicably stirring within him, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You're not old at all, why do you say you're old! You're not that much older than me, yet I still call you 'Uncle'!"

Xin Damei genuinely felt that Yang Wanji shouldn't be her elder.

Yang Wanji couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. "Huh? Not much older? I'm forty this year, and you're only seventeen. Calculate how much older you are! Your dad's not even fifty yet!"

"It's only twenty-three years older! Why are you making it sound so dramatic?"

Xin Damei tilted her head and stroked him, her little lips pouting mischievously, her expression simply delightful.

"Huh? Twenty-three years older isn't that much?"

Yang Wanji almost burst out laughing at her, and emphasized, "I'm using this analogy to make you think it's much older. For example, when I was twenty-three, I was already married, but you were just born then. How much older do you think that is?" "

That's not unusual. If your parents had a younger brother when you were twenty-three, what would he call you? Wouldn't he call you 'older brother' or 'uncle'?"

Xin Damei presented her evidence seriously, but couldn't help chuckle.

And indeed, this evidence was irrefutable. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for families to have children more than twenty years apart; many villages had this problem. In fact, Yang Wanji didn't dislike her calling him "Big Brother," but this sudden change left him somewhat bewildered. He began ambiguously, "You're so quick-witted, I can't argue with you!"

"So, you agree to me calling you Big Brother?" Xin Damei pouted smugly, her eyes genuinely expectant.

"Then why do you insist on calling me Big Brother?"

Yang Wanji sensed she was serious and had to press her for an answer.

"No reason, I just want to call you Big Brother. Calling you 'Uncle' is so serious all the time, it's not good!"

"Call me whatever you want!"

Yang Wanji seemed to realize the awkwardness between them and didn't object anymore; it seemed he had no choice but to comply.

Xin Damei's face flushed with excitement as she said, "From now on, I'll call you Big Brother. You can't go back on your word, you're a man, you have to keep your promise!"

"What's there to go back on? I'll call you whatever I want, as long as I'm happy!"

Seeing her lively and playful demeanor, Yang Wanji was also infected, as if he had suddenly become younger, truly becoming a big brother.

"You can call me whatever you want?"

Xin Damei seemed to have found another teasing opportunity, winking mysteriously, "Then I can call you Husband, okay?"

Yang Wanji's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately glared at her and said, "Don't talk nonsense, there's no such thing as an old husband!"

"You're not allowed to say you're old from now on, okay? How come you can't remember? Where are you old?"

Xin Damei said reproachfully, cleverly covering up the previous statement.

"Okay then, I'm not old, I'm just like you, only seventeen!"

Yang Wanji's mood brightened instantly, and he joked back.

“Hmm, that’s more like it! Let’s call him Big Brother first, we can talk about the rest later!”

Xin Damei’s eyes shone with a burning intensity, and a strange blush appeared on her face.

“Huh? There’s something else?”

Yang Wanji seemed to understand her unspoken meaning, but pretended not to.

“Yes, I might change my way of addressing you later!”

As she spoke, her face turned even redder, but she chuckled. Then she immediately said very seriously, “Then let’s be brother and sister for now, I’ll call you Big Brother first! Big Brother! You always answer?”

Yang Wanji had no choice but to answer with a “Yes!”

At that moment, he didn’t know what to feel, he felt both warm and awkward, his son was a year older than her, and she was his sister.

Xin Damei seemed to be still not finished, looking at him and saying, “I’ve finished calling her, now it’s your turn, call her Sister, call her!”

Yang Wanji had no choice but to call her very seriously, “Sister!”

“Yes!”

Xin Damei answered sweetly. But she immediately added, "Even though you're the eldest brother, you still have to love me like an uncle!"

"Huh? What generation are we then?"

Forty-year-old Yang Wanji seemed to have been revitalized by her, reverting to his youthful playfulness.

"Figure it out yourself. Anyway, I'm relying on you. You have to be both the eldest brother and the uncle!"

Xin Damei said something cryptic.

Autumn passed quickly, and winter arrived. By the time winter came, Xin Damei's father's lung disease was truly cured, and he was fully able to work in the fields. However, the now energetic Xin Damei noticed a strange problem. He had heard his daughter call Yang Wanji "elder brother" several times, which puzzled him. She had always called him "uncle," so why the sudden change? Although the two families weren't related, age-wise, she shouldn't be calling him "elder brother." Yang Wanji was forty, only about ten years younger than him, while Yang Wanji's son, Yang Beian, was a year older than Damei. How could his daughter call Yang Wanji "elder brother"? Xin Laogeda seemed a little wary of something. He couldn't help but ask his daughter, "Damei, I heard you call Yang Wanji 'Big Brother,' what's going on? Didn't you used to call him 'Uncle'?"

Xin Damei was a little nervous and said, "Dad, what does it matter what I call him? He's our family's benefactor

. If he hadn't saved you, you might not be alive today!" Xin Laogeda, of course, was also deeply grateful to Yang Wanji for saving his life, and said, "That's for sure, I'll remember his kindness. We'll repay him. But, girl, why do I feel like you have feelings for him?"

(Chapter 156: To Be Your Woman

) "We'll reimburse him, but, girl, I have a feeling you might have feelings for him?"

Xin Damei panicked for a moment, tilting her head and asking, "Dad, what are you talking about? What do you mean?"

Old Master Xin was still unsure how to explain, and after a moment's hesitation, he bluntly said, "To put it simply, have you ever thought about him being your man?"

Xin Damei blushed, her heart pounding. Perhaps her father had truly hit the nail on the head. Seventeen-year-old Xin Damei did indeed have a budding romance with this man much older than herself, and it wasn't just a simple budding romance. She felt her dependence on Yang Wanji had reached an uncontrollable level; seeing him immediately made her feel at ease. Xin Damei also wanted to test her father's intentions, so she stammered, "If I really had those thoughts, would you agree?"

Xin Damei wanted to get straight to the point.

Xin Laogeda was somewhat taken aback. After thinking for a while, he said, "Daughter, don't think about it this way. It's impossible. Kindness is kindness, and we'll repay it in other ways in the future. We can't mix it with your life's important matter!"

Xin Damei had expected Xin Laogeda's attitude. She also confessed without any concealment, "Dad, why do you say it's impossible? Actually, it's not just about repaying a debt of gratitude. I genuinely like him, and I feel like I can't live without him!"

Xin Laogeda couldn't accept this easily and said, "Yang Wanji is a good person, but he's not a good match for you. He's twenty-three years older than you. That's too outrageous! Even ten or eight years older would be acceptable. This is too disparate!"

Xin Damei, however, didn't care and said, "Being more than twenty years older isn't a big deal. As long as we're in love and he loves me, an older age is even better!"

“Girl, you’re only seventeen this year. It’s not like you can’t find someone suitable. Marrying a man about your father’s age, what will people say?”

Xin Laogeda said, then suddenly remembered something else on his mind and seized the opportunity to say, “Daughter, have you noticed? Qu Haishan, the son of the wealthy Qu family, seems to have feelings for you. That young man is also seventeen; you two are quite a good match!”

Xin Damei’s heart stirred. She vaguely felt that every time she went out, she would intentionally or unintentionally encounter Qu Haishan’s gaze. But she didn’t have a good impression of that young man, and their social status was vastly different, so she didn’t want to think about those useless things. Since spending time with Yang Wanji, she had no one else in her heart. So she said to her father, "Dad, don't think about unrealistic things. We can't reach those kinds of people, and even if we could, they wouldn't be reliable. Let's not think about it anymore. Let's talk about Yang Wanji instead!"

Seeing that his daughter really had feelings for Yang Wanji, Xin Laoge felt a little uneasy and said again, "I don't think they're a good match. You're still young, and you're prone to acting impulsively. You need to think carefully!"

Seeing that her father wasn't strongly opposed, Xin Damei pressed her advantage and began to persuade him, mainly emphasizing that if she and Yang Wanji became a couple, her father's food would be guaranteed, and he would surely live to eighty. This argument made Xin Laoge somewhat tempted and hesitant, saying, "Don't rush into it. Let us think about it some more!"

Xin Damei, of course, knew that this wasn't something to rush into. After all, she and Yang Wanji didn't seem like a good match on the surface, and she could only try to get her father to accept it gradually. Moreover, Xin Damei didn't know if Yang Wanji was interested in that. Although he should be overjoyed that a seventeen-year-old virgin like her was willing to marry a forty-year-old man, there was always a chance that he might not agree.

Xin Damei came to Yang Wanji's house every day, and it wasn't just about keeping him company and talking anymore. She mostly helped him with chores while talking, as if she had become a member of the family. This sense of connection and dependence was felt by Yang Wanji as well. If he didn't see Xin Damei one day, he felt a profound emptiness. But Yang Wanji didn't seriously consider what kind of feeling this was; he probably just saw it as familial affection, like suddenly having a daughter to keep him company.

But one day, Xin Damei shattered this warm familial bond, and their hearts inevitably began to clash.

That day, Xin Damei was sitting in a chair, carefully grinding Chinese medicine with the mortar and pestle. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and frowned, going to lie down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). Later, she even rolled around in pain, crying out. Yang Wanji rushed to her side, asking with concern if she needed some medicine. Xin Damei blushed and said, "You're a doctor, don't you understand? This isn't an illness, it's just menstrual cramps! You don't need any medicine!"

Yang Wanji felt a little embarrassed about touching on the girl's private topic, but being a doctor, he said, "Not all women experience cramps during their periods; it's a kind of illness too!"

"Brother, my cramps really aren't an illness, a little massage will make it better!"

Xin Damei said, seemingly in pain again, groaning softly.

"Then massage it!"

Yang Wanji looked at her in pain and didn't know what to do.

"I want you to massage it for me, my hands are too weak," Xin Damei looked at him with watery eyes, full of expectation.

"I'll massage it for you?"

Yang Wanji stood there awkwardly, flustered, "How can I do that?"

"Why not? Aren't you a doctor?"

Xin Damei said, reaching out and grabbing his hand, naturally placing it on her abdomen. She lifted her floral cotton-padded jacket and slipped his hand inside. At the same time, Xin Damei loosened the waistband of her cotton pants, allowing his hand to slide directly from her stomach to her lower abdomen.

Yang Wanji's palm touched the girl's warm, smooth abdomen, and he instantly felt a burning sensation throughout his body, as if his blood was rushing faster in a daze. He was swept up in this sudden, strange impulse, as if in a dream.

"Big brother, just rub it already! I didn't ask you to put your hand inside!"

Xin Damei urged, blushing.

Since he had already put his hand inside, he had no choice but to rub it. Yang Wanji was also tempted by the woman's smooth skin and began to rub very earnestly. Several times, Yang Wanji's fingertips seemed to accidentally touch the furry area at the very back, and he quickly withdrew his hand, carefully preventing it from crossing the line.

Xin Damei, her lower abdomen being rubbed, blushed, her eyes filled with a warm, alluring gaze. Later, Xin Damei's breathing became rapid, her proud chest heaving violently, and her gaze changed from warm to burning. Suddenly, she stood up, hooked her arm around Yang Wanji's neck, and cried out, "Big brother, I want to be your woman!"

Chapter 157: Unexpectedly,

Yang Wanji rubbed Xin Damei's lower abdomen. Her face was red, and her eyes were filled with warm desire. Later, Xin Damei's breathing became rapid, her proud chest heaving violently. Her gaze shifted from warm to burning. Suddenly, she stood up, hooked her arm around Yang Wanji's neck, and cried out, "Brother, I want to be your woman!"

Everything happened so suddenly, yet also so naturally. Yang Wanji's hand had just withdrawn from Xin Damei's lower abdomen when she passionately wrapped it around his neck. Before he could react, Xin Damei's warm lips were on his. The burning kiss made Yang Wanji's mind go blank, his blood rushing. Xin Damei's lips only sucked on his twice before Yang Wanji lost control, quickly embracing her head. Their lips intertwined passionately, turning and shifting at different angles. The girl's fragrant scent swept over Yang Wanji's consciousness; he was ecstatic.

All of this happened without the need for many words; their passionate kiss had opened the passage between their hearts. Much later, Yang Wanji finally came to his senses. His lips left hers, and he said nervously, "Girl, don't act impulsively. Take back what you just said. Pretend you didn't say it!"

Even as he said this, the lingering warmth and fragrance on his lips uncontrollably stirred his blood.

"Can we take back our kiss too? Just pretend we didn't kiss?"

Xin Damei tilted her head, looking at him with a shy yet playful expression.

"Girl, a kiss is like a brother kissing his sister, but you can't just say things like that. It's not something to joke about!"

Yang Wanji remembered her weighty words, which were like a stone thrown into his calm heart, still rippling.

"I'm going to be your woman. Who was joking with you? Is this something to joke about?"

Xin Damei pouted and said seriously.

Yang Wanji's heart churned violently again. He paused for a moment, then said, "Girl, don't be serious. You're only seventeen, and I'm forty. This is impossible. Don't get carried away!"

"Who's getting carried away? I'm perfectly calm. It's precisely because you're forty that I want to marry you. I like older women; they're caring and reliable. If you were really in your twenties, I wouldn't even want to!"

This time, Xin Damei didn't flatter him about his youth. Instead, to leave him speechless, she went straight to the point: she said she liked older women! Once a young girl's feelings are opened, they're hard to close. Yang Wanji's gaze burned, his heart pounding. A single man, especially one who had been with women, would naturally be happy to receive the favor and tenderness of such a delicate flower. However, when he thought about it calmly, it felt somewhat abrupt and unreliable. His biggest worry was that this young girl was making a decision impulsively out of gratitude, and that she would regret it later, which wouldn't be good for either of them. So Yang Wanji asked again, very seriously, "Girl, is that really what you think? Do you really like a man my age?"

Xin Damei's eyes were moist, and she said emotionally, "Haven't you felt it? I've gotten used to relying on you. Without you, I feel panicked, afraid, and helpless. Only by being your woman do I feel truly at ease!"

Yang Wanji seemed genuinely moved by her words. Like parched, hardened land nourished by a gentle spring rain, it suddenly burst forth with latent vitality. He suddenly realized that this poor girl truly needed his care and love, and he seemed to need her tenderness and gentleness even more—something he longed for. But could this be just a dream? He tried to find something vaguely related to the dream. "Girl, even if you say it's all your true feelings, it won't work. Your father won't agree. I'm only ten years younger than him!"

He had to remind her of everything.

"Why do you always bring up your age? Is the idea of an older man marrying a younger woman still novel? You're my father's savior; even if he's not entirely happy about it, he won't object. I already talked to him about it the other day, and he didn't say anything particularly objecting, just told me to think it over!"

"Yes, girl, this is something you need to think through yourself; it's not a small matter!"

Although Yang Wanji felt a warm, restless feeling in his heart, longing for the wonderful life he could spend with this beautiful young woman, he was still uneasy, wondering if this was all a dream.

"Please don't call me 'girl' anymore, okay? I have a name, Da Mei. And from now on, I won't call you 'Big Brother' anymore; I'll call you Wanji!"

Xin Damei stared at him with a fascinated look, seemingly deliberately interrupting his earlier words.

"Ah? You changed your mind so quickly? Didn't you say we'd be brother and sister forever, and that neither of us could go back on our word?"

Yang Wanji immediately shifted from the heavy topic to a lighter one. Just being with her for a short while made him truly happy and warm; who cared about the future!

"Of course I have to change it, step by step. If we're always just brother and sister, how can I be your woman?"

Xin Damei argued like a child, her expression playful yet earnest, like she was still playing a game. Her beautiful breasts heaved, her eyes warm and alluring.

"What's so good about being my woman? Aren't you being foolish? You're still a flower just blooming, and you want to spend your life with an old man like me? Don't you feel wronged?"

Yang Wanji still wanted to pour some cold water on her at this moment.

“Wanji, I only feel at peace when I’m with a man like you, like I’ve truly found something to rely on. I can’t live without you!”

Xin Damei said, then lunged at him, naturally throwing herself into his broad arms. Yang Wanji didn’t think any further, instinctively throwing himself into their passionate embrace. The two began kissing again, and Yang Wanji couldn’t help but caress her body. Several times he penetrated her private parts, and Xin Damei didn’t stop him, but rather encouraged him with great pleasure. She said sweetly, “Wanji, I love you, I can’t live without you, I want to be your woman right now!”

As she spoke, her hands roamed over his body.

Yang Wanji impulsively carried her to the edge of the bed several times, wanting to pull down her cotton trousers several times, but he restrained himself each time. He simply held her tightly, saying, "You're still so young, I can't touch you. If you really want to marry me, then I'll formally marry you and make you my woman, then we'll consummate our marriage, and then you'll be my woman! If I touch you now, and you regret it, then I'll be guilty!"

Xin Damei was still a young girl; she only wanted to express her intentions and offer herself to him. Hearing Yang Wanji respect her so much, she felt even more at ease and secure. She hooked her arms around his neck and said, "I'm seventeen this year, and I'll be eighteen next year. Eighteen is adulthood. I want to be your woman when I'm eighteen! Is that okay?"

Her voice was gentle and melodious, like a cheerful bird.

"Okay, then I'll wait until you're eighteen before marrying you. By then, you'll have thought things through. You don't have to marry me then, that's fine too, I won't say anything!"

Yang Wanji was still handling this matter rationally. This stroke of luck in love came too suddenly; he couldn't quite believe it.

"You rascal, you still don't quite trust me, do you?"

Xin Damei pouted, gently poking Yang Wanji with her hand, but then she immediately giggled and said, "I hope that by this time next year, you can marry me. You have to dress me up beautifully. Look at me now!"

"That's for sure. If you haven't changed your mind by then, I'll make you the most beautiful bride in the world!"

"Change what? You really don't trust me?"

Xin Damei seemed quite displeased.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I can't believe I'll suddenly be so lucky!"

Yang Wanji pinched the flesh on his leg hard.

"You still know how to feel pain, huh? Are you dreaming?"

Xin Damei giggled again. 03-25

Chapter 158: Dreams Can Really

Reappear In one's life, there are indeed many beautiful dreams, but when you wake up... Yang Wanji felt that he had a dream he shouldn't have had that year.

Seventeen-year-old Xin Damei stirred warm dreams in a forty-year-old man, Yang Wanji, who waited expectantly, only to be met with an ending as cold as winter. This was the end of that dream.

Just as that winter, filled with warm anticipation for Yang Wanji, had ended, on a day in March, eighteen-year-old Xin Damei indeed got married. But the man she married was not Yang Wanji, but Qu Bapi, the village's wealthy landowner.

Yang Wanji suddenly felt that this spring was so gloomy and cold, even more chilling than the winter that had passed.

This change occurred within two or three months. Before this, Yang Wanji seemed to have a cold premonition, because after the Spring Festival that year, Xin Damei suddenly stopped visiting his home for a long time. Confused, Yang Wanji made an excuse to go to the Xin family's house. He didn't see Xin Damei there, as her father had sent her to her aunt's house. But the news Yang Wanji received struck him like a thunderbolt: Xin Laogeda told him that Xin Damei was going to marry Qu Bapi, and the wedding date was set for a month from now.

Yang Wanji was almost completely disoriented, barely remembering how he got home. He couldn't remember when this warm dream had begun, yet it had ended so unexpectedly. But throughout the courtyard and the house, he could vividly imagine Xin Damei's image. Had the girl who came here every day simply vanished from this place? He couldn't believe it. Yang Wanji truly understood what it meant to lose one's heart and soul.

But the day before her wedding, Xin Damei told Yang Wanji that her marriage to Qu Bapi wasn't of her own volition; it was forced upon her by her father. The main reason was that her family owed the Qu family a lot of debt. If she didn't marry him, Qu Bapi would have her father arrested and imprisoned. For her father's sake, she had no choice but to submit.

Yang Wanji, overwhelmed by this blow, lost some of the rationality expected of someone his age. He recklessly said, "How much money does your family owe Qu Bapi? I'll pay it back! Don't marry him!"

At that time, Yang Wanji truly wanted to marry Xin Damei, willing to give everything.

Xin Damei bit her lip, her eyes darting around, and shook her head, saying, "I can't repay a lot of it. I accept my fate. I'm sorry!"

Her voice was very low, her eyes avoiding Yang Wanji's gaze, her expression one of utter guilt.

"How do you know I can't pay it back? Even if I have to go bankrupt, I'll pay it back! You promised to marry me when you were eighteen, you can't go back on your word!"

Yang Wanji was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable impulse brought on by sudden loss.

Xin Damei still had her eyes downcast and shook her head, saying, "It's not just about the debt. The Qu family promised to forgive all the debts, give my family a good plot of land, and waive the rent on the land we rent from them. That way, my family won't have to worry about not being able to support us children!"

Yang Wanji seemed to understand a little now. Xin Damei had climbed the social ladder. The Qu family was one of the wealthiest families in the surrounding area. How could he, a mere doctor, compare? Xin Damei's claim that she was forced to marry Qu the Skinflint might just be an excuse to appease him. He calmed down, his heart cold, and said, "I really can't give you the conditions the Qu family offered you. Marrying into the Qu family might be a blessing for you, and I can't really say anything about it. We shouldn't have had those past events happen in the first place. I just wanted to ask you, you agreed to marry Qu the Skinflint, right?"

Xin Damei neither nodded nor shook her head, but her eyes were filled with sorrow as she said, "I had no other choice but to agree. I'm sorry! But I will always remember your kindness to my family and to me, and I will repay you in the future!"

Yang Wanji held the money for the medicine that Xin Damei had just brought, and said in an icy tone, "You've already paid back all the money you owed me for the medicine. You don't owe me anything anymore, so don't talk about gratitude anymore. Just pretend nothing happened!"

A cold knife was cutting into his heart.

As Xin Damei was leaving, she kowtowed to Yang Wanji, choking back tears, and said, "I will never forget the warmth and support you gave me. I'm so sorry!"

Then she quickly left. This time, her figure disappeared through the doorway, carrying a different meaning than any of her previous departures.

Yang Wanji's heart suddenly felt empty. This emptiness stemmed from the emptiness of the courtyard and the house. Perhaps it was because Xin Damei would no longer come here every day, and everything was truly empty. But even before Xin Damei came, there was emptiness, but that emptiness was a tranquility and peace that he had guarded. This peace had been shattered by this woman, and returning to that tranquility was impossible. Why had Xin Damei appeared in his life, disrupting his peace? It could only be explained as a dream, a dream he shouldn't have had. But the dream was gone, yet its shadow lingered everywhere, a cruel reality for Yang Wanji. He often hallucinated that Xin Damei's graceful figure reappeared somewhere in the house, smiling gently at him.

But that could only be a dream that would never be repeated. A month later, he clearly heard the sound of Qu's bride's suona horn from the Qu family compound. A long string of firecrackers followed, and Yang Wanji knew that Xin Damei's bridal sedan chair had arrived at the Qu family compound.

At eighteen, the girl was indeed married, but not to him, the one who had waited all winter. This spring was the darkest spring of Yang Wanji's life; he felt as if the willow catkins were falling cold snowflakes.

This unexpected blow also made Yang Wanji fall ill, but fortunately, he was a doctor and quickly recovered. Afterwards, he returned to his original life. Although the coldness and loss in his heart could never be dispelled, he didn't harbor hatred for Xin Damei. That dream was just a pipe dream; what he lost was something he shouldn't have had. She married into the wealthy Qu family and was sure to live a life of luxury; Xin Damei hadn't done anything wrong.

But Yang Wanji still wanted to prove himself, and that same spring, he also married a twenty-five-year-old woman as his second wife. Yang Wanji hadn't married before, not because he couldn't find a wife. This 25-year-old girl had long wanted to marry him, but he hadn't considered it. Yang Wanji had always felt that being single was fine, and he mainly planned to wait until his son, Bei'an, finished his studies and got married before considering marriage himself. However, Xin Damei's unexpected advances shattered his peace of mind, and Yang Wanji changed his mind, deciding to get married. This change of heart was, of course, driven by Xin Damei. He wanted to show Xin Damei that he could still marry a young woman, and he also wanted this woman to drive away the lingering shadow of Xin Damei in his heart. Although he didn't hate Xin Damei, truly forgetting her wouldn't be a matter of a day or two.

Yang Wanji's wife was indeed very fortunate; she became pregnant a little over a month after their marriage, and ten months later gave birth to a boy, Yang Beisheng. Yang Wanji's fate seemed quite resilient; after living with her for fifteen years, this woman also died in an accident.

Just three months after Xin Damei married Qu Bapi, bandits came to smash the Qu family compound. Although the compound wasn't breached, Qu Bapi was shot and his manhood was shattered, leaving him a eunuch. When Yang Wanji heard this news, he felt little schadenfreude, but rather lamented Xin Damei's unfortunate fate. By then, Xin Damei's image in his heart had gradually faded, only occasionally resurfacing.

The affair between Yang Wanji and Xin Damei was considered over, like a dream, and Yang Wanji had gradually emerged from that terrible despair, starting a new life with his new wife. But sometimes, dreams do reappear.

That summer, his wife, heavily pregnant, went back to her parents' home. Yang Wanji was pounding medicine in the pharmacy when suddenly the door opened, and Xin Damei's flamboyant figure appeared at the door again.

(Chapter 159: Take Off Your Pants)

Yang Wanji couldn't believe it was real; he was lost in a dreamlike past. "Uncle, let me help you grind the medicine. Look how sweaty you are!"

"Brother, do you think my medicine is as good as yours? Hehe, I'm not bad at work, am I? I'll help you with chores more often from now on!"

But Xin Damei was no longer dressed in shabby clothes; she was now dressed in luxurious clothes like a wealthy woman. Yang Wanji finally woke up from his dream and realized that Xin Damei had come again, but she was no longer the little girl she used to be. Her face was heavily made up, and she had a much more seductive look. Her eyes had lost their former clear and pure quality and were now filled with a flirtatious air. She had become a very seductive woman.

Moreover, after Xin Damei came in, she was followed by a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old, Qu Haishan, the son of Qu Bapi. When

Yang Wanji saw Xin Damei and Qu Haishan come to his house together, he was puzzled: What was she doing here again? But he immediately thought that she had come to see a doctor. But why would she have a bodyguard with her when she was seeing a doctor? He immediately understood that she was there to monitor Xin Damei. The villagers all said that ever since Qu Bapi's manhood was shot off by Hu Zi's bullet, he had been watching Xin Damei like a prisoner, fearing she might have an affair. Especially since Qu Bapi knew about their past relationship, it was natural for someone to monitor Xin Damei's visit for medical treatment. But the shrewd Yang Wanji seemed to catch a glimpse of ambiguity in the exchange of glances between Xin Damei and Qu Haishan, which stirred even more turmoil within him.

Yang Wanji stared at Xin Damei and Qu Haishan for a long time, his eyes filled with coldness and suspicion, before coldly asking, "Who's here for medical treatment?"

"Big brother, I'm here for medical treatment," Xin Damei said awkwardly, her eyes darting around, avoiding Yang Wanji's gaze.

Qu Haishan, who had been carefully observing the two, sensed something was amiss when Xin Damei called Yang Wanji "big brother." Yang Wanji was already forty years old, while Xin Damei was only eighteen. Their families weren't related, yet he addressed her as "elder brother," indicating their relationship was far from ordinary.

Yang Wanji gave Xin Damei a few cold glances before asking, "What's wrong? Tell me!"

Xin Damei blushed and stammered for a long time before finally managing to explain her embarrassing ailment. Yang Wanji's eyes widened in astonishment. To be honest, this was the first time he'd ever encountered a woman seeking treatment for this kind of illness. She said she was incredibly itchy—just how itchy could it be? Why did she get this disease? Regardless of the illness or how she contracted it, he had no interest in treating her. His emotions, which had just calmed down, didn't want to be stirred up again. Yang Wanji waved his hand and said, "I've never treated this kind of illness before, and I can't. You should find someone more skilled!"

Xin Damei stared at Yang Wanji for a long time, then knelt down before him, pleading, "Brother, please don't abandon me! This illness is killing me! I beg you! I know you can cure anything. Even the hospitals in the city couldn't cure my father's illness, but you cured him!"

Yang Wanji's eyes were filled with a complex emotion that no one could understand. He recalled the first time Xin Damei begged him to treat her father, kneeling down as well. Such a scene inevitably stirred up pain that had faded from his memory—pain that, though intangible, was real. He felt extremely disgusted: "I just happened to cure your father's illness, but I really can't cure yours. You should leave!"

Xin Damei knelt there, wiping away tears, and said, "If you don't agree to cure me, I'll stay kneeling here and won't get up!"

Yang Wanji paced back and forth on the floor for a while, conflicted. Although everything in the past was gone, he still couldn't bear to hurt this woman. He softened his tone and said, "Well then, I really haven't seen this illness before. Let me analyze it before prescribing medicine. You go back first, and come back tomorrow!"

Xin Damei got up from the floor, looking at him expectantly, and said, "Brother, don't just brush me off. I'll come back tomorrow. I'm entrusting my meals to you. You must cure me!"

She looked at him pitifully but didn't leave. It seemed that Xin Damei understood Yang Wanji's temperament; she wouldn't go back on her word unless he genuinely agreed.

Yang Wanji hesitated for a moment, then seemed to sigh, and said, "Alright, I will do my best to cure you, but whether I can be cured or not is up to fate. You go back first, and come back tomorrow!"

Just as Xin Damei and Qu Haishan were about to leave the room, Yang Wanji added, "When you come again tomorrow, come by yourself. My medical practice is an open and aboveboard business; I don't want to be monitored by anyone!"

After Xin Damei left, Yang Wanji's heart remained unsettled for a long time. He had thought this woman had disappeared from his life and he didn't want any further entanglement with her, but she had haunted him like a ghost. But upon reflection, he realized it wasn't a big deal. It was just treating patients; he was a doctor and couldn't refuse any patients. The past was the past; it was like a dream. Besides, he hadn't truly hated her.

Yang Wanji had never experienced such a strange illness before. He took out his precious book and flipped through it page by page, spending half a day and a night until he finally found records of the disease and its treatment. Yang Wanji was immediately shocked. This disease was caused by the same pathogen as the venereal disease that women in brothels suffered from, only much more stubborn and terrifying. He knew this disease was transmitted from man to woman, then from woman to other men, and then from man to other women—a terrible vicious cycle. This made him even more uneasy, wondering how Xin Damei had contracted the disease. There were no other ways to transmit it except through sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. How did Xin Damei get it? Could it have been Qu Bapi who infected her? But Qu Bapi had been a eunuch for several months and couldn't possibly have been with Xin Damei anymore. Could it be that she was infected before Qu Bapi's incident? Then why did she only come to see him today? Judging from her tone, she had only recently contracted it.

Then Yang Wanji recalled the subtle, unusual glances between Xin Damei and Qu Haishan, and a sudden realization struck him: Could Qu Haishan be having an affair with this stepmother? It wasn't impossible. Qu Haishan and Xin Damei were both quite old, and it was said that Qu Haishan had taken a liking to Xin Damei before. Now that Xin Damei was living a life of widowhood, it would be logical for them to have such an affair under the same roof.

The thought of Xin Damei and Qu Haishan possibly having an affair filled Yang Wanji with inexplicable anxiety. However, he had already promised to treat Xin Damei's illness, and he couldn't go back on his word. Besides, he wanted to treat this illness he had never treated before, so he would have confidence if others sought his help.

To ensure his prescription remained unseen, Yang Wanji prepared the medicine beforehand according to the book, waiting for Xin Damei's visit the next day. The thought of facing this woman again tomorrow caused Yang Wanji's heart to churn uncontrollably, inevitably bringing back memories, and he couldn't sleep a wink all night.

The next day, near noon, Xin Damei indeed arrived. This time, she came alone. Xin Damei stood there nervously, her eyes lowered. Perhaps she was afraid to look at the room, because it held too many memories of her and Yang Wanji. Back then, she came to this room almost every day, as familiar as her own home. Now, everything had changed, and her heart was in turmoil.

Yang Wanji seemed to have returned to a past gloom, a faint pain tugging at his heart. He quickly banished the tormenting memory, his face darkening, and asked, "Why did you come alone this time? Didn't your son come with you?"

Clearly, he carried a hint of sarcasm.

Xin Damei's face flushed inexplicably. Fearing Yang Wanji would discover her relationship with Qu Haishan, she stammered, "Didn't you tell him not to come? How could I dare let him come? Besides, it's not like he's sick, what would he need to come for?"

Yang Wanji smiled disdainfully, "The Qu family won't feel at ease with you coming here. Maybe he's waiting for you outside right now?"

He glanced subconsciously out the window. Although he suspected Qu Haishan was waiting outside, he didn't want to confirm it; it was none of his business anymore.

"Brother, he really didn't come, so please treat me!" Xin Damei pleaded, fearing Yang Wanji would resent Qu Haishan for refusing to treat her. As she spoke, she glanced at him again and whispered, "Big brother, let me take off my pants so you can give me a proper check-up!"

Chapter 160: Inevitable to See

Yang Wanji heard that Xin Damei wanted to take off her pants, and hurriedly waved his hands in a panic, saying, "No need, no need, didn't you say your insides are itchy? You can't find anything inside, it's no use taking them off!"

"I'm a little itchy on the outside too, but not as itchy as inside, you should still take a look?"

Xin Damei felt that she had no more taboos with this man. Although nothing like that had happened between them, he had already touched her body. She mainly thought that it was too abrupt for a doctor to prescribe medicine without even examining her symptoms. She couldn't wait to cure her itching.

Yang Wanji really couldn't tolerate her taking off her pants in front of him. If a man and woman alone together didn't take their pants off, what would the Qu family suspect? But if she did, it would be impossible to explain herself. The Qu family were all wicked; he didn't want to cause any trouble . He quickly stopped her, saying, "I don't need to see you; I already know what's wrong with you!"

Yang Wanji actually regretted agreeing to treat her yesterday. Wasn't he just asking for trouble? And now he felt a pang of guilt.

"Brother, then tell me what's wrong with me?"

Xin Damei genuinely wanted to know what illness she had and how serious it was.

Yang Wanji didn't answer her directly but asked, "How long have you had this illness?"

He wanted to know if she had it a long time ago or recently.

Xin Damei truthfully replied, "My illness hasn't been long, no more than a month!"

Yang Wanji's mind raced for a moment before he began to answer her question: "Your illness is similar to the venereal disease women get in brothels; it's all contracted from men having sex. I wonder what kind of men you've been with?"

Although Yang Wanji felt this woman was no longer a part of his life, subconsciously he still wanted to know about her married life, especially whether she was a virtuous wife.

Xin Damei immediately blushed like a rooster's comb and said, "Brother, what are you talking about? How could I do that kind of thing with other men! It's not like I don't have men!"

Clearly, her tone lacked confidence, her eyes lacked courage, and she seemed a little guilty. "But is your man still a man? You wouldn't say your man is still capable of doing that kind of thing with you, would you? His thing hasn't lasted for more than three months; that's not a secret, is it?"

Yang Wanji stared at her, asking bluntly.

"That's true, his manhood is gone, how could he do that kind of thing? But I wouldn't go and sleep with other men, Qu Bapi is keeping a close eye on me. Even if I had the desire, I wouldn't have the opportunity. Brother, don't overthink it!"

Xin Damei was panicked; she didn't want Yang Wanji to think she was a promiscuous woman.

"Since you haven't done 'that' with any man, how did you get your illness?"

Yang Wanji pressed on.

"I don't know how I got this illness. I'm asking you, you're a doctor!"

Xin Damei would never admit to having an affair with Qu Haishan, especially not in front of Yang Wanji. She didn't want to leave a bad impression on the man she once liked.

Yang Wanji sneered and said, "I've already made it very clear that this meal was transmitted to you by a man. Since you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask any more questions. I'm just getting your medicine. Take it home and use it!"

As he spoke, Yang Wanji turned and took the Chinese medicine he had already prepared for her from the medicine shelf, placing it on the octagonal table.

Xin Damei held the packet of medicine in her hand but didn't move. Instead, she looked at Yang Wanji and asked, "Brother, I don't know how to put this medicine inside?"

Yang Wanji was immediately troubled. He thought, "Logically, I should be the one applying the medicine, but I really can't bear that suspicion." He said, "Go back and figure it out yourself. Just do whatever you think is best to put it inside. I can't personally apply the medicine for you!"

“Brother, I can’t figure out how to get this ointment inside. Didn’t I tell you, the itchiest place is the innermost part? How can I get it in there? You have to apply it to me once first, then I’ll know how to do it!”

Xin Damei looked at him expectantly, standing there without leaving.

Yang Wanji also began to hesitate. If he let her go home and try to do it haphazardly, ruining the medicine would be a minor issue; the main problem was that she would think his medicine was ineffective and that he would lose face if he couldn’t cure her, especially since it was the first time he had treated this illness. He had to cure her. Yang Wanji thought for a long time before saying awkwardly, “Then I’ll apply the medicine to you once, and you don’t need to come to me again. You can apply it yourself at home!”

“Brother, you’re such a good person!”

Xin Damei looked at him with warm eyes, the same kind of eyes she had long ago.

Yang Wanji felt a pang in his heart and hurriedly said, "By the way, don't call me 'Big Brother' anymore. There's no reason to call me that. You'd better not call me anything at all. I'm already tired of people's sweet talk!"

Because she called him "Big Brother" again, it naturally stirred up those memories that had long been dormant in his heart.

Xin Damei immediately lowered her eyes, looking very guilty, and said, "Big Brother, I know I've wronged you a lot, but I'll never forget all the good things you've done for me. I'll still call you 'Big Brother.'" "I've forgotten everything from the past. Don't bring it up again. Now we're doctor and patient. If you want me to apply your medicine, then hurry up. Maybe the people outside are getting impatient!"

Yang Wanji didn't want to touch his healing wounds, so he coldly interrupted her.

Xin Damei felt even more embarrassed and awkward. She almost dared not meet Yang Wanji's gaze and did not want to mention anything related to the past anymore. She said, "Brother, then please apply the medicine for me, but I don't know how."

Yang Wanji knew that he could not avoid it today, so he said, "To apply the medicine, you should take off your pants. Didn't you want to take them off before? Why are you shy now? If you don't want me to apply the medicine for you, then go back and do it yourself!"

Xin Damei blushed and hurriedly said, "Who said I didn't want to take them off? Didn't you tell me not to take them off before? I was wearing a skirt, so I could just lift it up. It's very convenient. Isn't it you who's being shy?"

As she spoke, Xin Damei sat down on the edge of the wooden bed. It was the height of summer, and Xin Damei was wearing a purple floral skirt. She put her buttocks on the edge of the bed, lifted the skirt up, and then pulled down her underwear, down to her knees. She lowered her head and waited for Yang Wanji to apply the medicine for her.

Although Yang Wanji and Xin Damei had a close relationship, they never had sex. Of course, Yang Wanji had never seen Xin Damei's private parts. Now that Xin Damei was someone else's woman, he had the opportunity to see them—a truly ironic situation. Yang Wanji was a physiologically healthy man; seeing a woman's private parts would inevitably arouse him, but he controlled himself and tried not to look too much, thus reducing his fantasies. However, since he wanted to insert the medicine into her, he couldn't avoid looking.

Yang Wanji had already found the method for applying medicine to a woman's private parts in a book. He found a short, finger-thick rubber tube on the medicine shelf, took a small packet from the bag of medicine he had given Xin Damei earlier, and then inevitably approached between Xin Damei's open legs. Yang Wanji's breathing quickened instantly. The pink cleavage hidden by the downy hair of the woman he had once liked was now clearly displayed before his eyes. Worse still, his crotch was now uncontrollably erect, seemingly spying on the woman's private parts. (

Chapter 161: That Hidden Territory)

Yang Wanji restrained his agitation. He needed to adopt a doctor's mindset, treating every part of the woman's body as indifferent, like examining a woman's mouth. Before inserting the tube into Xin Damei's secret passage, Yang Wanji naturally needed to carefully observe the area. What he saw surprised him: the two petals between her pubic hairs seemed disheveled and wet, indicating that someone had just used that method. But Yang Wanji couldn't pry into her privacy; his task was to insert the tube and blow the medicine in. However, he was clearly somewhat confused, mainly wondering why there was liquid inside—had they just done that?

The tube in his hand was a very soft rubber tube. He had been worried that it would be difficult to insert it into her, but to his surprise, the groove was very loose and slippery, and he easily inserted it all the way in. Moreover, when it was fully inserted, Xin Damei didn't show any pain; instead, she seemed to be enjoying herself and let out a soft moan. Yang Wanji became even more certain that she had just been with a man, and that her narrow passage had been opened. This made Yang Wanji think of Qu Haishan.

Yang Wanji inserted the tube all the way in, stopped, and was about to pour the medicine into the tube when, at that moment, a white, viscous liquid flowed out of the end of the tube. Yang Wanji was even more certain that she had just been doused by a man. Yang Wanji frowned, pointing to the liquid dripping from the tube, and asked Xin Damei, "Look at this, what is it? Why is this coming out of your body?"

Xin Damei, seeing the liquid flowing from the tube, exclaimed, "The feeling of being a widow is even worse; this comes out every night!" Seeing she was still not telling the truth, Yang Wanji became angry. He smeared some of the liquid from the tube with his finger, held it up to her eyes, and asked, "Look at this, is this your bodily fluid? This is clearly a man's semen. Am I, a doctor, not even able to tell the difference?"

Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Xin Damei lowered her eyes and said, "Brother, you're so clever, you can't even fool me. This thing is definitely a man's thing. I just did it with someone when I came here!"

Xin Damei's face turned as red as a rooster's comb.

"You did it with a man in such a short time? You've got quite the addiction! Who was that man?"

Yang Wanji's heart was in turmoil. Was this young woman really so promiscuous? Was this the same pure young girl he once loved? Seeing Xin Damei still looking down, as if she couldn't speak, Yang Wanji explained, "I don't care which man you slept with. My only purpose in asking these questions is to know how you got this illness so I can know how to treat it!" Xin Damei bit her lip, looked up at him, and pleaded ,

"Brother, if I tell you about that man, you have to keep it a secret! If Qu Bapi finds out, I won't be able to live!"

Yang Wanji smiled bitterly and said, "I won't pry into things that don't concern me. Everything about you is no longer my concern. I'm only asking these questions to understand the origins of your illness! Don't worry!"

Although Yang Wanji made this promise, he felt uneasy. Xin Damei hesitated for a moment, then frankly recounted her shameful affair with Qu Haishan. Afterward, she emphasized, "

Actually, the first time wasn't my choice. It was on the way to the market; I went to urinate, and he followed me in and forced himself on me. That's how we ended up like that. When we came here just now, he said if I didn't let him, he would come into your house with me. I had no choice." Yang Wanji quickly interrupted her explanation, saying, "Your relationship with Qu Haishan and how that happened are none of my business. I just want to know if you contracted this disease after having sex with Qu Haishan?"

Xin Damei thought carefully and said, "Yes, I did contract this disease shortly after having sex with him. But he denies that he infected me. He says there are other women in the village who have this disease too?"

"Other women? Who are they?"

Yang Wanji wasn't one for sensationalism, but he seemed interested in the origins of the disease. "

I heard that Widow Zhou also had this disease!"

Xin Damei hadn't just heard that Qu Haishan had told her Widow Zhou had also contracted the disease. She even went to ask her personally, and sure enough, Widow Zhou had it too. Xin Damei questioned her about how she got it, but Widow Zhou had no idea. She'd been in contact with too many men, and she couldn't pinpoint which one had infected her.

"Widow Zhou? Oh, I understand now. Qu Haishan's disease must have come from Widow Zhou. In other words, Qu Haishan and Widow Zhou had an affair!"

Yang Wanji seemed to have solved his mystery upon hearing this.

Xin Damei hurriedly defended Qu Haishan, saying, "Qu Haishan would never have had an affair with Widow Zhou. How could an eighteen-year-old lad be interested in an old, rotten woman? He's not someone who can't find a wife!"

Xin Damei genuinely didn't believe that Qu Haishan and Widow Zhou could have had an affair.

Yang Wanji sneered, saying, "You really trust Qu Haishan, huh? Looks like he's bewitched you. He even sleeps with his own father's woman, is there anything he wouldn't do?"

Xin Damei was so embarrassed she couldn't speak, and quickly lowered her head. At this moment, she was still sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs spread apart, the rubber tube still inserted in her vagina, and the tip of the tube was still leaking liquid. Yang Wanji didn't want to say anything more, and seeing that her place was still leaking semen, he reached out and pulled the tube out, saying, "You're too dirty inside, I can't apply the medicine!"

Xin Damei was so scared she was about to cry, crying out, "Big brother, don't abandon me! I just want you to apply it this once, I won't bother you to apply the medicine again, big brother." "I didn't say I wouldn't apply it, I just want you to drain all the semen inside, and then I'll apply the medicine when it's clean. Now you can get that filth out yourself!"

As he spoke, he turned his face away.

Xin Damei, of course, dared not disobey. She hurriedly squatted down, spread her legs, clutched her skirt, and swayed her body, trying to let the semen inside her flow out. Qu Haishan had indeed ejaculated a large amount of semen into her body in the cornfield. Shortly after ejaculating, she came out and arrived at Yang Wanji's house. The liquid inside was still there, and after this attempt to drain it, quite a bit flowed out. At the same time, Yang Wanji was not idle either. He rinsed the semen out of the tube with water and spent a lot of effort drying the inside of the tube.

Xin Damei squatted there for a long time before looking up at Yang Wanji and saying, "Brother, there's no more inside. Please apply some medicine for me!"

Yang Wanji also wanted to get rid of her quickly, so he didn't care whether there was still semen in her secret passage. He said, "You, you should sit back on the bed!"

Xin Damei sat back on the edge of the bed, lifted her skirt, and spread her legs, fully displaying her private area. Yang Wanji tentatively inserted the tube. Just as it was inside, Xin Damei suddenly reached out and hugged Yang Wanji's head.

(Chapter 162: Spreading Legs)

Xin Damei sat back on the edge of the bed, lifted her skirt, and spread her legs, fully displaying her secret place. Yang Wanji tentatively inserted the tube. Just as it was inside, Xin Damei suddenly reached out and hugged Yang Wanji's head. Xin Damei's restlessness had two reasons. Originally, after being rubbed by Qu Haishan's hard object in the cornfield, the itching inside her had subsided, and her passage had widened. In the Yang family pharmacy, Yang Wanji easily inserted the soft tube. The small tube actually aroused her itching again. However, Yang Wanji discovered semen inside her passage and angrily pulled it out. Xin Damei had been enduring the itching. Now, Yang Wanji inserted the rubber tube into her passage a second time, and... It was inserted all the way in, the soft tube tip poking right at her clitoris, triggering a sharp itch. At that moment, she desperately craved something hard to penetrate her. There was another factor: a yearning in her heart. Watching Yang Wanji so carefully apply medicine to her crotch, she couldn't help but recall the good things Yang Wanji had done for her in the past, especially the days when she had typhoid fever, and how Yang Wanji had treated her and taken such good care of her. This man was the man she loved, but he had never possessed her body. A sense of self-reproach and guilt made Xin Damei especially want Yang Wanji to touch her.

A morbid physical craving intertwined with a deep emotional yearning, and Xin Damei couldn't help but lose control. She tightly hugged Yang Wanji's head and cried out, "Brother, I'm so itchy inside! I want your hard thing inside! Brother, don't you want it?"

Yang Wanji was initially shocked, then his own instinctive impulse began to surge. That tender little crevice was right before his eyes, and his own body was reacting intensely and uncontrollably. But looking at her somewhat disheveled area, he immediately remembered that Qu Haishan had already touched it. Disdain and disgust instantly overwhelmed his impulse. He hurriedly pushed away Xin Damei's hands that were hugging his head and said disdainfully, "What do you take me for? I'm not a hungry wolf, I won't be indiscriminate in my desires. I'm not a beast, I won't touch what doesn't belong to me!"

Xin Damei was in a state of intense, itchy longing. With hazy eyes, she said, "Brother, you should have had my body all along. That time I already..." "I was willing to give it to you, but you didn't want it! If you had taken it that time, maybe I wouldn't have married Qu Bapi!"

Recalling that incident, Yang Wanji's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He said angrily, "Was it wrong for me to respect you? I said I would enjoy that wonderful feeling after you actually married me, and you promised to marry me after you turned eighteen. Did you not marry Qu Bapi if I took your body that time? I believed your promise without a doubt. Since your promise is so light, how much weight does your virginity carry? I waited for you for a whole winter, looking forward to you turning eighteen after the New Year. But you did get married when you turned eighteen, but it had nothing to do with me!"

Xin Damei lowered her head in shame and said softly, "Brother, I'm sorry. I don't want to explain anymore. Consider it a debt I owe you for the rest of my life. Yes, now I just want to repay you once. I'm sincere." As she spoke, her body swayed slightly.

Yang Wanji became even angrier and said, "I don't care about your body. You can save it for the man who does. I'm not a beggar. I have my own woman. Do you want me to apply the medicine or not? If not, then leave!"

Xin Damei was so ashamed that she wanted to

disappear. She hurriedly said, "Then, brother, please apply the medicine for me. I'm sorry, I insulted you just now!" Yang Wanji didn't say anything more. He just wanted to finish applying the medicine and send her away. The tube was still inserted in Xin Damei's secret passage. Yang Wanji unfolded the small packet of medicine, rolled the paper into a small tube, carefully poured the medicine powder into the tube, then put the tube end in his mouth, blew hard, and blew twice more before finally pulling the tube out.

Yang Wanji handed the rubber tube to Xin Damei, saying, "Now you know how to apply the medicine, right? Here's the tube too. Go back and apply the medicine yourself every day. I prescribed seven days' worth of medicine. You need to apply it twice a day. If you finish the seven days' worth, you should be better. If not, then there's nothing I can do, and you shouldn't come looking for me!"

After saying that, Yang Wanji turned away, refusing to look at her.

Xin Damei pulled up her underwear, put down her skirt, and stood up, wanting to say something to Yang Wanji, but he ignored her and even gestured for her to leave. Helpless, Xin Damei picked up the packet of medicine and the rubber tube, lowered her head, and walked towards the pharmacy door. Just

as Xin Damei reached the door, Yang Wanji called her back, saying, "After you finish these medicines in seven days, whether you're better or not, you have to find a way to let me know. Can you do that?"

Yang Wanji was a doctor; he instinctively cared whether his medicine could cure the patient's illness.

Xin Damei nodded and said, "Brother, I remember, I will definitely tell you, and I believe your medicine will work!"

Xin Damei stood at the door for a while, her eyes seemed to have a lot to say, but she still went out of the house.

In the following days, Xin Damei did not visit Yang Wanji's house again. Seven or eight days passed, and Yang Wanji still hadn't received any news from Xin Damei about her condition, which made him somewhat unhappy. It wasn't that Yang Wanji wanted to see Xin Damei again, but rather that he wanted to know if she was better or not; he wanted to test the effectiveness of his medicine. Just as Yang Wanji was thinking about how to find out more, Xin Damei's younger sister, Xin Ermei, suddenly came to his house.

It was shortly after lunch; Yang Wanji's wife was taking a nap in the east room, and Yang Wanji was checking the Chinese medicine in the pharmacy. When fifteen-year-old Xin Ermei floated into the pharmacy like a butterfly, Yang Wanji immediately felt as if he were in a dream. Xin Ermei looked remarkably like Xin Damei, which inevitably stirred up many memories of Xin Damei in this room for Yang Wanji. But Yang Wanji rubbed his eyes and snapped out of his daze: this little girl was not Xin Damei, but her younger sister, Xin Ermei. Yang Wanji had a fairly good impression of the fifteen-year-old girl. This impression stemmed not only from his past relationship with her sister, Xin Damei, but also mainly from the fact that whenever Yang Wanji visited the Xin family, Xin Ermei was even more welcoming than her sister, Xin Damei. Xin Ermei constantly mentioned the kindness Yang Wanji had shown her by curing her father's illness. What moved Yang Wanji most about this girl was Xin Ermei's strong support for his relationship with Xin Damei, and her many behind-the-scenes assistance.

Seeing Xin Ermei at his home now, Yang Wanji felt a sense of warmth than usual. He turned to look at her and asked, "Ermei, is there something you need?" Yang Wanji

's question wasn't awkward, as Xin Ermei rarely visited the Yang family; when she did, it was always for a reason.

Xin Ermei blinked her bright, watery eyes, looked at Yang Wanji for a moment, and said, "Uncle, my sister asked me to tell you that she's cured!"

Yang Wanji was overjoyed. For a doctor, nothing was more exhilarating than hearing the news of a patient's recovery; it was a doctor's sense of accomplishment. But he had some doubts, so he asked Xin Ermei, "Do you know what illness your sister had?"

Xin Ermei thought for a moment and said, "My sister said she had a stomachache, and it got better after taking your medicine!"

Yang Wanji understood; Xin Damei hadn't mentioned her illness to her family. Of course, Yang Wanji didn't need to reveal this secret, so he asked again, "Ermei, did your sister send you to tell me this news?"

He was still somewhat disappointed that Xin Damei hadn't come to tell him the news herself. But upon reflection, it was understandable that Xin Damei hadn't come; he had already given her a cold shoulder, so why would she come?

“Yes, my sister came back to my house today specifically to tell you, Uncle, you’re a miracle doctor! You can cure any disease!”

Xin Ermei’s bright eyes were indeed full of admiration.

Since Yang Wanji had already been hurt by Xin Damei once, he was somewhat disgusted by girls’ sweet talk, so he said, “I know!”

and turned back to do his own thing. He was now somewhat afraid of girls; perhaps once bitten, twice shy?

But Xin Ermei hadn’t left yet, standing there asking, “Uncle, why are you still treating my sister? Don’t you hate her?”

Yang Wanji turned back in surprise and said, “I have no reason to hate your sister. She’s enjoying a good life marrying into the Qu family. Why would I hate her?”

“But, Uncle, I do hate my sister a little. I didn’t agree to her marrying Qu Bapi. I’m so annoyed by the Qu family. Since she married into the family, I haven’t been to the Qu family even once!”

After saying this, Xin Ermei unexpectedly left. Yang Wanji stared blankly at Xin Ermei's retreating figure for a long time

. Chapter 163: The Rape Case

Although Yang Wanji's cure of Xin Damei's disease was a closely guarded secret, several women from the village came to him for treatment in the days that followed. Of course, the second woman to come to him after Xin Damei was Widow Zhou. At first, Yang Wanji was cautious and didn't openly admit he could cure the disease. But as more people came for treatment, he stopped caring. He was a doctor; he treated illnesses and earned money, so what did it matter what kind of illness it was? Also, he had initially considered keeping Xin Damei's secret, but since it wasn't him who leaked it, there was no need to worry. From then on, Yang Wanji began to seriously treat women for this disease. In less than a month, he cured four or five women with the disease.

But Yang Wanji never dreamed that, without offending anyone, a disaster would suddenly befall him.

As darkness fell, Yang Wanji had just locked the gate and hadn't even turned around when he heard banging on it, followed by shouts: "Yang Wanji, open the door! We're from the town police station, we need to talk to you!"

The town police station? What do they need me for? Yang Wanji felt tense and confused. He quickly opened the door again. As soon as the door opened, three or four armed policemen rushed in and handcuffed him without explanation. Yang Wanji struggled and asked, "Why are you arresting me? What law have I broken?"

One of the policemen said, "Don't you know what you've done? Someone reported you, saying you used the guise of seeking medical treatment to rape a respectable woman and get her pregnant. Now you understand why you're being arrested, right?"

Yang Wanji was completely bewildered. What was going on? Where did those eight things come from? He hurriedly protested, "You must have made a mistake! I've been practicing medicine honestly and have never done anything so heinous. You must have made a mistake!"

The policeman chuckled, "A mistake? We'd make a mistake? Are you Yang Wanji? Are you a doctor?"

Yang Wanji nodded, "Yes, that's right, but I really didn't do what you're saying. Can you tell me who's framing me like this?" Yang Wanji was taken aback by

this sudden accusation. "None of this is our business. We're just here to arrest you. As for whether you did anything or not, you'll have to go to the police station to find out. We're just doing our job. You have to come with us to the police station!"

the policeman said with a snort. As he spoke, he grabbed Yang Wanji's arm.

At this moment, Yang Wanji's pregnant wife came out. Hearing that the police were going to arrest her husband, she was terrified and started crying, begging the police not to arrest him. The policeman wouldn't listen to her and shoved Yang Wanji into the yard. Yang Wanji turned back to comfort his crying wife, saying, "Don't be afraid. I haven't done anything wrong or illegal. Nobody can do anything to me. You need to take good care of the house and wait for me to come back!"

Yang Wanji was taken back to the police station in Jiapigou Town that night and locked in a dark room. The next day, Chief Cui of the police station personally interrogated him. During the interrogation, Yang Wanji finally understood what had happened. It turned out that Qu Bapi had accused him of raping his wife, Xin Damei. Qu Bapi claimed that one day Xin Damei went to see Yang Wanji for a medical checkup, and Yang Wanji made her take off her pants for an examination. He then took advantage of this opportunity to rape her, and this wasn't the first time. Later, Xin Damei became pregnant because of Yang Wanji.

Yang Wanji was stunned by this sudden misfortune. After careful analysis, he realized that Qu Bapi was deliberately framing him. But why would Qu Bapi frame him? The Yang family and the Qu family had no enmity. Could it be just because of his past relationship with Xin Damei? That couldn't be right. Xin Damei was already Qu Bapi's wife, and he hadn't even provoked her. Yang Wanji couldn't understand why Qu Bapi would so viciously frame him.

Although Yang Wanji couldn't figure it out yet, he knew in his heart that he absolutely couldn't admit to this fabricated crime. He hadn't done anything, and no amount of framing could change that. His standard for judging the world was that white can't be blackened, and black can't be whitened; if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

In reality, the police's so-called interrogation was just a form of forced confession, essentially forcing Yang Wanji to sign and fingerprint a pre-written interrogation record. Yang Wanji carefully read it; it contained all the fabricated facts made up by Qu Bapi. He returned the record to the police, saying, "That's all fabricated! I didn't do any of those things! How can I admit it? Qu Bapi is framing me!"

Chief Cui chuckled, "No prisoner will confess to their crimes right away; it's all wishful thinking. However, the human body may seem like iron, but the law is a furnace. We have plenty of ways to make you confess! Men, hang him up first, let him taste the feeling of a whip dipped in cold water!"

Several policemen came over. They hung Yang Wanji from the rafters. Sure enough, a policeman brought a basin of cold water and placed it on the ground. Another policeman held a leather whip, dipped it in the water for a moment, then pulled it out and brandished it. The policeman stared at Yang Wanji and asked, "Will you confess or not? It's not too late to confess now, otherwise you'll suffer physical pain. You'd better learn your lesson; you'll have to confess sooner or later!"

Yang Wanji knew he had no room to speak. They just wanted him to confess; it was clearly the old method of torture and forced confession. But why was it like this? Then, looking at Chief Cui, he suddenly remembered. The police chief was related to Qu Bapi by marriage; Qu Bapi's second daughter had married Chief Cui's son. Qu Bapi must have ordered him to do this, or perhaps even bribed him behind the scenes. It seemed he was truly in deep trouble, but no matter what, he couldn't confess; he had to grit his teeth and endure. Yang Wanji stubbornly said, "I'm innocent! What are you trying to make me confess to? Your police station is forcing me to confess without any investigation. Is there any justice in this world?"

Chief Cui smiled coldly, "Our various forms of torture are justice!"

He then ordered the policeman with the whip, "Let him taste the whip, and he'll know what justice is!"

The policeman swung his arm and mercilessly lashed Yang Wanji with the whip. In a short while, Yang Wanji's clothes were tattered from the whipping, and his muscles were covered in welts, glistening with blood. But Yang Wanji gritted his teeth and endured it, not uttering a sound.

Two days passed, and the police interrogated Yang Wanji every day. Of course, he wouldn't confess, so they resorted to torture, using all sorts of methods. Yang Wanji fainted several times, but he still stubbornly refused to admit to the so-called crimes. Yang Wanji knew that once he confessed, it would be the end of him; he would either die or go to jail.

On the third day of interrogation, they did not torture him again. Instead, Chief Cui held a complaint in his hand. He handed it to a policeman, saying, "Show him this. The evidence is irrefutable. Let's see what he has to deny!"

The policeman held the complaint in front of Yang Wanji, saying, "Take a look for yourself. This is the victim's own confession!"

Yang Wanji was startled and quickly looked at the handwriting. The first line made his head spin. It read: "My name is Xin Damei. I confess to Yang Wanji's crime of raping me and causing me to become pregnant."

The

rest of the text was almost identical to Qu Bapi's complaint, also stating that the alleged rape occurred at Yang's Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic at a certain time. At the bottom were Xin Damei's black circle of fingerprint and bright red handprint. Yang Wanji was utterly bewildered. If Qu Bapi had framed him for some reason, it would be perplexing but still acceptable. But he never dreamed that Xin Damei would also frame him so unjustly! Why? Xin Damei had repeatedly said she wouldn't forget his kindness; not repaying kindness was one thing, but why repay kindness with enmity? Had people's hearts become so wicked? But then Yang Wanji thought carefully, could this indictment also be fake? Xin Damei had no reason to frame him. After reading the indictment, Yang Wanji looked at Officer Cui with suspicion and said, "Do I know if the testimony on this is Xin Damei's?"

Officer Cui rolled his eyes and said, "Can a signature and fingerprint be faked? Those can be verified. Yang Wanji, if Xin Damei comes to court to confront you, you'll have nothing to say, right?"

Yang Wanji's heart trembled. He thought, it seems Xin Damei's testimony can't be fake; otherwise, why would he let Xin Damei confront him? Yang Wanji felt a chill run down his spine. If Xin Damei really had framed him, then she was a heartless and ungrateful wretch! No matter what, he couldn't ruin his innocence. He looked at Officer Cui and said, "What's the point of Xin Damei confronting me? I didn't rape her at all. Even if she does come to confront me, it's because she conspired with Qu Bapi to frame me. I didn't do anything, so I won't admit it!"

Officer Cui's face twitched, and he said fiercely, "They say you won't shed tears until you see the coffin, but you're not shedding tears even when you see the coffin! The witnesses and evidence are right here. If you still want to deny it, then you have no choice!"

He then ordered the police officers next to him, "Press him down and force him to sign and put his fingerprints on the document!"

It seemed that the police station was really experienced; forced signing was more direct and effective than torture.

As three policemen rushed past, Yang Wanji felt a wave of despair. He knew he was truly in deep trouble. Even if he didn't face the death penalty, a few years in prison would be a grave injustice. How could he have done such a thing? Only then did he truly understand what it meant for disaster to strike from the sky. It seemed that accumulating good deeds didn't necessarily guarantee a good outcome. Looking at the bright red cement stain on his fingers, Yang Wanji felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Officer Cui, holding the confession signed and fingerprinted by Yang Wanji, smiled smugly and said, "No matter how much you try to cover it up, the end result will be the same. You might as well confess sooner rather than suffer any more physical pain."

In despair and anger, Yang Wanji shouted, "You officials and the corrupt official are colluding to frame me! I won't let this go so easily! I'm going to report you!"

Officer Cui, with a sinister look, said, "I'm afraid you'll never have the chance to report me!"

Yang Wanji felt a chill run down his spine, staring at him in astonishment, and asked, "Is my crime serious enough to warrant execution? Why won't I have a chance?"

Officer Cui grinned maliciously, said nothing more, and waved his hand. "Take him away!"

Yang Wanji was then taken back to his cell.

Since the town's police station only had the authority to handle criminals, after the evidence was verified, the criminals had to be transferred to the county government, where the county had the authority to determine their crimes. The day before Yang Wanji was to be taken to the county seat, Qu Bapi, the plaintiff in the case, arrived in the county town by carriage. Qu Bapi, of course, was there to see his in-law, Chief Cui. The two met in a quiet room in the police station. Although their social statuses differed greatly, Qu Bapi was a wealthy man; money talks, and Chief Cui didn't dare underestimate this country bumpkin. Take this case, for example: they were fabricating Yang Wanji and Xin Damei's adultery into rape. Out of consideration for their in-law relationship, Chief Cui also wanted to extort three hundred silver dollars from Qu Bapi.

Director Cui knew Qu Bapi had come about that case again, so before Qu could ask, he said, "You've come at the right time. I was just about to tell you. Yang Wanji has confessed. After a lot of effort, he'll be escorted to the county town tomorrow. You can settle this matter now!"

Qu Bapi stroked his goatee and asked, "For a crime like his, how many years can he serve in the county?"

Qu Bapi seemed to be plotting something.

"Only three to five years is a major hurdle. How serious could his crime be? Yang Wanji raped your woman. If you raped his woman, would you still be guilty? Huh? Hahaha!"

Director Cui laughed lewdly, but he was telling the truth. These things are a matter of who says what.

Qu Bapi laughed too, but he immediately said seriously, "My dear in-law, I'm not satisfied with this outcome. Three to five years?"

"Huh? Three or five years isn't enough? It's just raping a woman, and you and I both know it wasn't rape, it was adultery. He's already had enough bad luck, what more do you want?"

Director Cui was puzzled, wondering what this ruthless Qu was thinking.

A sinister glint flashed in Qu's eyes, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Can you do this to him?" As he

spoke, Qu gestured with his hand, making a beheading gesture. The insidious and ruthless Qu seemed to feel that Yang Wanji shouldn't be allowed to live.

Chief Cui was immediately taken aback and whispered, "What are you thinking? Just raping a woman, and it's a capital offense? What dynasty has such a law? Unless you're the emperor and make it yourself!"

Qu Bapi smiled mysteriously and said, "Of course, legally speaking, this isn't a capital offense. You can think of other ways!"

"Other ways? What do you mean? I don't have the right to change the regulations, nor do I have the right to convict anyone. We only conduct interrogations and collect evidence!"

Qu Bapi glanced cautiously at the door and lowered his voice even further, saying, "Over the years, haven't any of the suspects you've arrested died unexpectedly here? Like, committed suicide or hanged themselves?"

Qu Bapi seemed to have already devised that insidious plan and was subtly manipulating Chief Cui.

Chief Cui immediately became alert and shouted, "What do you mean? You don't mean you want me to kill that Yang Wanji, do you? Are you kidding me?"

"Hehe, as a police chief, would you just kill a prisoner like that? I'm talking about an accident, like a prisoner having a moment of despair and hanging himself!"

Chief Cui looked terrified and said, "Accidents are unavoidable, but which police station wants such an accident to happen? Even if a prisoner commits suicide, there's still responsibility involved, and it will cause a lot of trouble. Only a devil would want such an accident to happen!"

Qu Bapi's eyes darted around, and he added, "My dear in-law, now that we're practically family, there are some things I have to say about matters of interest. What if Yang Wanji comes out after a few years and sues us? That signature and fingerprint you obtained through torture was forcibly obtained!"

Chief Cui stared at him in astonishment. "You still have the nerve to threaten me? Wasn't I doing this according to your wishes?"

"My dear in-law, if I didn't give you three hundred silver dollars, would you have done what I wanted?"

Qu Bapi bluntly exposed his weakness.

He was indebted to the man, and Director Cui was speechless after being questioned like this. He smiled awkwardly, "What are you saying? If it were anyone else, would three hundred silver dollars be enough to order me to do something so big? This money is just in case things go wrong, so I can bribe my superiors!" Qu Bapi

pressed his advantage, saying, "My dear in-law, let's go all the way. Since we've already been wronged, let's go all the way. I'll give you another thousand silver dollars. You find a way to kill Yang Wanji, how about that?"

Director Cui was indeed tempted. A thousand silver dollars! That's enough for five years' salary! But with a life at stake, he was still somewhat hesitant. Just then, Qu Bapi raised the stakes again, saying, "Add another five hundred, making it fifteen hundred in total!"

Chief Cui's eyes lit up immediately. Although this was no joke, in these chaotic times, people died every day. So he said, "Give me the money first!"

Qu Bapi pulled a silver note from his sleeve. (03-25
Chapter 165: Treating a Woman's Illness

) Yang Wanji was locked in a temporary cell in the police station. It was pitch black inside, without even a window. The floor was covered with damp straw, making it less comfortable than the ground. Especially since Yang Wanji was covered in bruises, the damp straw felt like salt rubbing into his wounds.

Yang Wanji lay dazed in the dark, damp cell, no longer caring about his injuries. He was carefully thinking about the ins and outs of this disaster. What he couldn't understand most was why Xin Damei and Qu Bapi had conspired to frame him? Was this what people meant by repaying kindness with enmity? It seems that people cannot do good deeds. When the plague struck, he was only concerned with preventing and treating others, yet his own wife and children fell ill and died. He kindly cured Xin Damei's father's illness and then her typhoid fever, but he gained nothing and instead brought trouble upon himself. What kind of cause and effect is this? Yang Wanji lived to be forty years old, yet he was more confused than when he was young.

Later, Yang Wanji was so exhausted that he fell asleep with a hazy body pain. He didn't know when, but he was awakened by the sound of the cell door opening. In the darkness, he felt two figures rushing towards him. Before he could cry out, a very thin rope was tightened around his neck, and he couldn't breathe. The rope tightened more and more, and he was about to go into shock. Just then, he seemed to hear the sound of fighting, and the rope around his neck loosened. He finally caught his breath. He moved his limbs and found that he was still alive.

Yang Wanji felt the fighting inside the house would soon end. He heard the two men who had tried to strangle him lying on the ground, howling in pain. Just then, a hand reached out and a voice whispered, "I'm here to save you. Can you walk by yourself? If not, I'll carry you out. Hurry, or the police will come again!"

Yang Wanji was overjoyed; he had escaped death and someone was actually saving him. He quickly scrambled up from the grass. At that moment, the two thugs in the cell were still crying out for their parents.

The person who saved him turned out to be a highly skilled individual. When they reached the back wall of the police station, this person carried Yang Wanji on his shoulder, flipped over the wall, and then easily climbed to the other side, as if he were carrying a light bundle rather than a person.

A horse was tied to a tree outside the back wall of the police station. This person first helped Yang Wanji onto the horse, then leaped up in front of him. He told Yang Wanji to hold onto his waist, and then rode away from the backyard of the police station.

The clatter of hooves on the mountain path broke the stillness of the night. The horse, carrying two people, ran for a while before reaching the main road. Only then did Yang Wanji regain his senses and ask, "My benefactor, who are you? Why did you save me?"

A confident, loud voice replied, "It's not convenient to talk on the road. Let's talk at my house. You're already very weak; you should ride carefully so you don't fall off!"

Yang Wanji didn't ask any more questions, but simply held onto the man's waist, feeling the horse galloping.

The horse ran for about an hour, until they vaguely entered a village. The sounds of dogs barking came from the courtyards of houses on both sides of the street. Outside the gate of a house, the man reined in his horse and said to Yang Wanji behind him, "We're here. This is my house!"

Then the man dismounted and helped Yang Wanji down. Because it was very dark, Yang Wanji couldn't see the courtyard clearly; he only felt that he was walking on a paved path.

It was a long house, with about seven or eight rooms. The man led Yang Wanji into one of the rooms and then lit a candle. By the candlelight, Yang Wanji was able to see his savior clearly. The man was not tall, but quite robust. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be no more than forty years old, but he had a long, black beard on his chin, which made him stand out from the crowd. Especially striking were his eyes, which, though not large, always gleamed brightly.

The room was furnished elegantly, clearly indicating that it was not a poor family's home. When Yang Wanji's gaze fell on the kang (a heated brick bed), he saw a woman who looked to be in her thirties lying on it. The woman was pretty, but her face was pale and haggard. Based on his doctor's intuition, Yang Wanji knew that the woman was ill. The woman on the kang (heated brick bed) only slightly bent over but didn't get up. She seemed unsurprised by the unexpected visitor the man had anticipated. Instead, she said weakly to the bearded man, "You're finally back! I was so worried!"

Then, she politely said to the astonished Yang Wanji, "Please sit down, you're a very important guest in our home!"

Yang Wanji was even more puzzled, but he was indeed very tired and his wounds ached, so he sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He looked at his savior and asked, "Savior, who are you? Why did you save me?"

The man smiled frankly and said, "My name is Li Hongyuan, but no one calls me by my name; they all call me Li the Big Beard! As for why I saved you, I won't go into the nicer stuff. I just wanted you to treat my woman's illness. You are a renowned doctor, after all!"

He pointed to the woman on the kang and said, "This is my woman!"

Yang Wanji admired the man's generosity and straightforwardness and sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you for saving my life. I will definitely repay you!"

Then he asked, "How old are you?"

Yang Wanji looked him over carefully again.

Li Dahuzi hurriedly replied, "I'm only thirty-eight years old this year. It's just that I like to grow a beard, so people don't know my actual age!"

"Then you're not even as old as me! I'm forty this year, so I'll call you brother!"

Having escaped death, Yang Wanji felt an immense sense of kinship with Li Dahuzi. Regardless of Li's motives for saving him, he would never forget the life-saving grace. Yang Wanji was an exceptionally loyal man.

"Alright, from now on I'll call you Big Brother. Brother Yang, please accept my bow!"

Li Dahuzi even clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Yang Wanji quickly stood up and said, "Brother, I still don't know how to repay your life-saving grace!"

At the same time, Yang Wanji seemed to remember something and asked, "Brother, how did you know my surname is Yang?"

Li Dahuzi chuckled and said, "Brother Yang, are you really confused? If I knew nothing about you, how could I have saved you today?"

Yang Wanji also realized he was confused. Since Li had saved him so quickly, it couldn't have been a coincidence. Out of politeness, he didn't rush to ask about these mysteries. Instead, he looked at the woman on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, then asked Li Dahuzi, "Brother, tell me what illness my sister-in-law has?"

Mentioning the woman's illness, Li Dahuzi's eyes immediately dimmed. He said, "She's had this illness for several years now. At first, she just felt stiffness in her hands and feet, unable to bend them. We saw several doctors, but none could give her a proper diagnosis. Then it got worse year by year, gradually causing stiffness in many parts of her body. I took her to big hospitals in the city, but they couldn't give her a complete diagnosis. She's taken a lot of medicine, but it hasn't helped. This year it's even worse; she can barely get off the kang. Recently, a friend told me about a doctor named Yang in Jiapigou who can cure any difficult illness, and suggested I try him!"

With that, he let out a long sigh.

Yang Wanji pondered for a moment and said, "Brother, I will do my best. Let me take your sister-in-law's pulse first?"

Li Dahuzi hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Brother, don't rush. Her illness isn't life-threatening. You should focus on healing your own injuries first, and then you'll have the energy to treat your sister-in-law!"

Yang Wanji was indeed exhausted at the moment, so he said, "Alright, I brought my medical supplies today. I'll take a good look at your sister-in-law another day!"

Yang Wanji was mainly concerned that he had never seen such an illness before and needed to look it up in his family's medical book.

Looking at the battered Yang Wanji, Li Dahuzi said, "I don't have any medicine at home to treat your wounds. Why don't you rest early? I'll go to town tomorrow to buy you some medicine!"

Yang Wanji hurriedly replied, "No need, my wounds are just skin and flesh; they'll heal naturally in a couple of days!"

At this point, Yang Wanji wanted to know how Li Dahuzi had saved him, so he asked, "Brother, tell me first, how did you save me? How could you be so timely? If you had come any later, I would be dead!"

Chapter 166: The Mystery of Adultery

The village where Li Dahuzi lived was more than ten miles from Jiapigou, called Beiwujiatun. Li Dahuzi lost both his parents when he was eight years old. A镖师 (bodyguard/escort) named Hong Hu, who was passing through the area, took him in. He learned martial arts from Master Hong, and by the age of seventeen or eighteen, he was already a well-known镖师. Li Dahuzi and his master's daughter, Hong Liu, were childhood sweethearts and deeply in love. His master also intended to entrust his daughter to Li Dahuzi. On a later escort mission, they were ambushed by a bandit leader. The entire escort agency was wiped out, and the master was killed in the battle. Li Da Hu Zi and his master's daughter, Hong Liu, were also injured but managed to escape. That year, Li Da Hu Zi was in his twenties. He decided to quit the escort business and returned to his hometown with Hong Liu.

Since Hong Liu had some savings, the two bought land and built a house after their marriage, settling into a peaceful life. Soon after their marriage, Hong Liu contracted a strange illness causing muscle stiffness and was unable to conceive. Over ten years later, Hong Liu's condition worsened year by year, reaching its current state. Over the years, Li Da Hu Zi took his wife to seek medical treatment everywhere, trying countless medications, but to no avail.

When Li Da Hu Zi learned of a doctor in Jiapigou who could cure difficult diseases, he rode his horse there. When Li Dahuzi arrived at Yang's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, he didn't find Yang Wanji, but instead saw Yang Wanji's wife, who was heartbroken. She told him that the night before his arrival, Yang Wanji had been arrested by the town police on charges of raping a woman. Li Dahuzi was shocked and asked, "Did your husband really do such a thing?"

The woman cried and protested, "He's a kind and virtuous doctor. How could he do something so heinous? It's obvious someone is framing him. I know what kind of person he is. He would never do such a thing. He must be innocent!"

Li Dahuzi, of course, didn't believe Yang Wanji was that kind of person. Although he hadn't met him, he knew from those who knew him that Yang Wanji had an excellent reputation; no one spoke ill of him. How could he suddenly be embroiled in such a lawsuit? Li Dahuzi also felt something was amiss. The woman continued to sob.

Li Dahuzi hurriedly comforted Yang Wanji's woman, saying, "Don't worry. Since I've gotten involved, I'll go and find out what really happened. As long as he didn't do that, there's nothing to fear!"

Li Dahuzi rode his horse to Jiapigou Town. He bribed a policeman at the town's police station who knew the inside story and managed to find out the basic facts about Yang Wanji's case. The policeman told him that Qu Bapi, a wealthy man from Jiapigou, had accused Yang Wanji of raping Qu Bapi's wife and getting her pregnant. The police didn't know the specifics, but they were currently interrogating him!

Li Dahu sighed inwardly. He was indeed framed. He asked the policeman again, "In your opinion, is Yang Wanji innocent?"

The policeman looked around to make sure no one was watching, then whispered, "I think he is. They tortured him like that, and he still refuses to admit it. If he really did it, he would have confessed long ago!"

Then the policeman added mysteriously, "Considering the money you gave me, I'll give you a piece of advice: whether Yang Wanji is innocent or not, don't worry about it. Let me tell you a secret: our chief and that Qu Bapi are related by marriage. This case will only be one-sided. Yang Wanji will be convicted regardless of whether he did it or not!"

Li Dahu felt even more strongly that there was more to this than met the eye. He decided to return to Jiapigou Village, sneak into Qu Bapi's house, and uncover the truth. For several nights in a row, he climbed over the wall into the Qu family compound to eavesdrop on Qu Bapi and Xin Damei's private conversations, but he didn't get any valuable clues. Later, he also risked entering the Qu family compound several times during the day. Finally, one day he discovered a secret: Qu Bapi's son, Qu Haishan, was having an affair with Qu Bapi's young wife. He also learned the whole story from their conversation. It turned out that Qu Haishan and Xin Damei had been having an affair, and Qu Haishan, to avoid exposing his shameful affair, conspired with Yang Wanji to frame him. Qu Bapi actually believed that Xin Damei and Yang Wanji were having an affair and reported Yang Wanji to the police.

Having learned the truth and confirmed that Yang Wanji was innocent, Li Dahuzi decided to help him. However, he wasn't sure how, but he vaguely felt he should start with Qu Bapi, letting him know that the person having an affair with Xin Damei wasn't Yang Wanji, but his son, Qu Haishan. Li Dahuzi worried that Yang Wanji might be tortured and forced to confess in the police station, so he felt it necessary to go to the police station to see Yang Wanji and tell him to hold on, that someone was trying to save him. Li Dahuzi rode his horse to Jiapigou Town again.

He loitered in front of the police station, trying to find that policeman again to bribe him to see Yang Wanji, but just then, he saw Qu Bapi sneak into the police station. Li Dahuzi followed him. He saw Chief Cui and Qu Bapi go into a room, seemingly plotting something. Li Dahuzi went around to the back window of the room and eavesdropped on their conversation. Hearing this, he broke out in a cold sweat. It turned out that Qu Bapi was spending a large sum of money to kill Yang Wanji. That very night, Li Dahuzi crouched around the cell where Yang Wanji was being held, on guard against anyone trying to harm him. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, two figures came to the cell, seemingly carrying ropes. One of them opened the cell door, and the two slipped inside. When Li Dahuzi followed, the two men were strangling Yang Wanji with the rope. Li Dahuzi used his fists and feet to beat them both to the ground, unable to get up, and then he rescued Yang Wanji.

After hearing how Li Dahuzi saved him, Yang Wanji was almost speechless with shock. It took him a long time to finally manage a proper bow, saying, "Brother, if it weren't for your thoughtfulness, I would be dead tonight. I will never forget your life-saving grace!"

Li Dahuzi quickly waved his hands, saying, "We're already brothers, why be so polite? Besides, I had my reasons for saving you. If I hadn't gone to you to get treatment for my woman, I wouldn't have had the chance to save you even if I wanted to!"

Still shaken by the experience, Yang Wanji pondered for a moment and then asked, "Brother, based on the information you've gathered, the reason Qu Bapi wanted to kill me was because..." "Does he really believe that I had an affair with Xin Damei? Is he certain that the child Xin Damei is carrying is mine?"

Li Dahu nodded and said, "That should be the case. Qu Bapi is still in the dark about Qu Haishan and Xin Damei's affair because Xin Damei herself admitted to having the child with you, completely covering up her and Qu Haishan's shameful affair. As far as I know, you and that Xin Damei did have that relationship before, so Qu Bapi hasn't suspected anyone else!"

Yang Wanji felt a mix of coldness and anger. It turned out that this disaster was actually imposed on him by Xin Damei and Qu Haishan. He had truly been blind, failing to see the true face of this vicious woman, Xin Damei. From this, he judged that the statement Xin Damei presented by Chief Cui at the police station was also true. This woman repaid kindness with enmity; she was utterly despicable!

Seeing Yang Wanji's angry and anxious state, Li Dahuzi comforted him, saying, "Brother, you must calm down. After all, their plot failed, and you'll be safe and sound here. Just stay here with peace of mind!"

Yang Wanji said worriedly, "I only escaped death because I met you, my benefactor, but they won't let it go. They'll come to my house to cause trouble, and I can't go home anymore; I'll be arrested again!"

Li Dahuzi thought for a moment and said, "Brother, don't worry about that. Since I've taken this matter into my own hands, I'll see it through. Tomorrow I'll go to Qu Bapi and let him know that it wasn't you who committed adultery with Xin Damei, but his son. I also have a way to get Qu Bapi to go to the police station and clear the case himself. As long as Qu Bapi drops the case, you'll be innocent!"

"Brother, are you really sure you can do that?"

Yang Wanji asked with boundless gratitude.

"Don't worry, I can do anything I set my mind to!"

Li Dahuzi confidently patted Yang Wanji's shoulder.

Chapter 167: Unveiling the Mystery

The next day, Li Dahuzi arranged for Yang Wanji to rest in another room, instructing him to take good care of his injuries. He said he was going to settle Yang Wanji's case and then rode off on horseback. Watching the man's retreating figure, Yang Wanji was secretly amazed that this was truly a remarkable person, feeling grateful to have met such a benefactor. Thinking of how he had almost died unjustly, he felt endless sorrow for the wickedness and ruthlessness of the world. Especially when he thought of the ungrateful Xin Damei.

In the afternoon, Li Dahuzi returned on horseback, his face beaming with a mysterious air. He told Yang Wanji that Qu Bapi had returned to the Qu family compound to catch them in the act of adultery, and he was sure to catch Qu Haishan and his stepmother in their scandalous affair.

Yang Wanji asked with slight doubt, "Brother, so you've already seen Qu Bapi? You've already told him about Qu Haishan and Xin Damei's affair?"

Li Dahuzi chuckled and nodded, saying, "That old guy seems to have heard about your kidnapping at the town police station. He was on his way to town in a carriage, but I robbed him halfway and took him to the old forest, where I told him the inside story of his family's scandal!"

"Will Qu Bapi believe you? He's a cunning old fox!"

Yang Wanji asked worriedly. He felt this whole thing was really suspicious.

"Of course he won't believe me easily, but I told him to go home immediately and catch them in the act. If he catches Qu Haishan and Xin Damei cheating on him, won't he believe me? As long as he catches them, your injustice will be cleared!"

Li Dahuzi said confidently.

Yang Wanji was still doubtful, saying, "How can it be so easy for him to catch them when he gets back? Since he's been

kept in the dark for so long, it means those two are very secretive and have a way of fooling him!" "Brother, just you wait and see. I don't do things I'm not sure of. Today, I've been lying in wait in the Qu family compound. As soon as Qu Bapi left the compound, Qu Haishan couldn't wait to go to Xin Damei's room. I quickly left the compound, rode my horse, and waited by the roadside. Qu Bapi hadn't been out of the village long before I intercepted him. I told him to hurry back to catch them in the act. He'll definitely be there in time, because Qu Haishan and Xin Damei know that Qu Bapi took a carriage to town. They'll enjoy themselves without worry and won't finish so quickly. So, Qu Bapi will catch them red-handed when he gets back." "Brother, even if Qu Bapi really catches that adulterous couple, he might not be willing to go to the police station to clear my name!"

Yang Wanji still said with concern. Based on his intuition, even if Qu Bapi knew in his heart that this matter had nothing to do with him, he wouldn't overturn the case.

Li Dahuzi hurriedly said, "Brother, you don't trust your brother enough! What did I go to do today? I went to handle this matter. I scared Qu Bapi so much he wet his pants. He promised me that he would go to town tomorrow to withdraw the lawsuit. I warned him that if he didn't do as I said, he would be dead. Of course, a rich man's life is more important, and he already knows in his heart that this matter has nothing to do with you, so why would he joke with his own life!"

His analysis was reasonable and well-founded; he was indeed a highly intelligent person.

Yang Wanji felt that what he said made sense, and his uneasy heart was somewhat relieved. At the same time, he really admired Li Dahuzi's meticulousness and boldness. He was indeed a person who had been in the world since childhood, and he was even more grateful to have met such a benefactor. This also somewhat diluted the terrible shadow of the wickedness of people's hearts that Xin Damei had left him with.

The next day, Li Dahuzi went to Jiapigou Town again, and returned with the good news they had been waiting for. Qu Bapi indeed went to the police station, withdrew his complaint, and explained to Chief Cui that he had wronged Yang Wanji; it turned out there was a scandal within his own family. Chief Cui had received the money and hadn't caused any deaths, so he was eager to settle the matter and readily dropped the case, as if nothing had happened. Yang Wanji was overjoyed by the news Li Dahuzi brought back; this disaster was finally over. He couldn't help but thank Li Dahuzi profusely. Afterwards, the two got along better and better, and Li Dahuzi even proposed to become sworn brothers with Yang Wanji. Yang Wanji was even more delighted, so the two lit incense and kowtowed, with Li Dahuzi's woman, Hong Liu, as a witness.

From then on, the two not only addressed each other as brothers, but truly lived like blood brothers, helping each other in times of trouble and misfortune. Later, Yang Wanji even sent his grandson, Yang Leiluo, to Li Dahuzi's tutelage to learn martial arts, further strengthening the bond between the two families.

Li Dahuzi resolved Yang Wanji's predicament, and afterwards, Yang Wanji naturally devoted himself to treating Li Dahuzi's wife. He carefully examined Hong Liu's pulse and said, "Brother, I can only examine her now. For specific treatment, I need to go home and get the medicine for your wife. Let her take a few doses and see the effect. Although I can't guarantee a cure, I will do my best and believe I can almost cure her!"

Li Dahuzi hurriedly said, "Now we are family, how can you not do your best? I'll wait for your good news!"

Yang Wanji rode Li Dahuzi's horse back to Jiapigou. Yang Wanji's wife was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked how her husband had returned. Yang Wanji told the woman how Li Dahuzi had saved his life. The woman was overjoyed and cried, repeatedly saying, "You've met a benefactor! It seems good deeds are rewarded!"

Yang Wanji had already obtained the prescription and medicine. Since he didn't have some of the herbs at home, he went to the county pharmacy to buy them. After some trouble, he finally managed to gather all the herbs on the prescription.

A few days later, Yang Wanji rode back to Li Dahuzi's house and personally brewed the medicine. After observing Hong Liu for a few more days, a miracle occurred: Hong Liu's condition began to improve. Six months later, Li Dahuzi's woman was completely cured and regained her former vitality and beauty.

After Yang Wanji's ordeal, he heard news of the internal strife in the Qu family compound: that day, Qu Bapi had indeed caught Qu Haishan and Xin Damei in the act of adultery. Qu Bapi severely beat Qu Haishan and Xin Damei, and even threatened to expel Qu Haishan from the house. That night, Qu Haishan nearly strangled his father, Qu Bapi, to death, but luckily Qu Bapi was prepared and escaped. It was also rumored that Qu Bapi tied up Qu Haishan and planned to throw him into Moon Lake to feed the fish, but Xin Damei secretly released him.

Although no one witnessed these rumors firsthand, one thing was certain: after that, Qu Haishan truly disappeared, and no one knew where he went. Xin Damei was also imprisoned by Qu Bapi like a criminal, and no one ever saw her leave the Qu family compound again.

Although Yang Wanji harbored hatred for Xin Damei, he still wanted to find her to verify the truth about how he was framed. For the next three or four years, Yang Wanji never had the chance to see Xin Damei again. This was because Xin Damei only had one opportunity a year to leave the Qu family compound to return to her parents' home, and she was always accompanied by servants.

Later, Yang Wanji learned the true version of the story from Xin Damei's younger sister, Xin Ermei: Xin Damei's accusations against Yang Wanji were true, but Xin Damei only admitted to adultery with Yang Wanji. As for the accusation at the police station that Xin Damei accused Yang Wanji of raping her, that was fabricated by Qu Bapi, because Xin Damei was illiterate.

Despite this, Yang Wanji's hatred for Xin Damei did not disappear. This led to Yang Wanji refusing to deliver Xin Damei's baby during her difficult childbirth after liberation.

Chapter 168: A Heartless Woman.

Yang Wanji, puffing on his pipe, finally told Yang Leiluo what had been hidden in his heart. His face then became gloomy and solemn, as if he were still immersed in those unbearable memories.

Yang Leiluo almost forgot to wash himself while listening. He looked surprised and thought for a while before asking, "Grandpa, is that Xin Damei Xin Erga's sister?"

Yang Leiluo seemed to have vaguely heard the name Xin Damei, but didn't know who she was.

Yang Wanji nodded and said, "Of course, but Xin Erga was only a few years old then, he didn't remember much!"

"No wonder Xin Erga was so bad, he took after his sister!"

Yang Leiluo said thoughtfully. He hated Xin Erga so much that his teeth itched, and what he couldn't tolerate most was that Xin Erga had violated his aunt and even infected her with that disease.

"There's something else you might not know, right? Actually, Xin Damei is Qu Yong's biological mother!"

Yang Wanji felt it necessary to clarify these things.

Yang Leiluo was indeed very surprised, staring at his grandfather with wide eyes. "Huh? Isn't Qu Yong's mother Sui Caiyun? How come it's Xin Damei?"

"Sui Caiyun is just Qu Yong's stepmother. Qu Yong spent the last ten years of his life at his second aunt Xin Ermei's house. Didn't I just tell you? Xin Damei died in childbirth, but her child survived—that's Qu Yong!"

"Oh, I see. That's why Qu Yong is so wicked—his father Qu Haishan and mother Xin Damei were both bad people!"

It seemed that in Yang Leiluo's mind, Xin Damei was even worse than Qu Haishan.

Although many years had passed and Xin Damei was long dead, the thought of that ungrateful Xin Damei still caused Yang Wanji a pang of pain. He lit another pipe, smoking it intently, his eyes fixed on the swirling smoke.

Yang Leiluo splashed water from the basin, washing his private parts, his thoughts still on what his grandfather had told him. He asked again, "Grandpa, did you not go to deliver Xin Damei's baby because you hated her?"

Mentioning this, Yang Wanji also felt a pang of guilt, his voice heavy as he said, "I did hate her, but if I had known she was having a difficult childbirth, I would have gone. No matter who she is, I couldn't just stand by and watch her die. The problem is, at the time I only thought Qu Haishan was humiliating me again, forcing me to deliver his and Xin Damei's child, deliberately trying to provoke me, so..." "I didn't go. I never expected that Xin Damei would really die in childbirth!"

Seeing his grandfather's pained and remorseful expression, Yang Leiluo hurriedly said, "Grandpa, you were right not to go and deliver her baby. That kind of heartless woman deserved to die; it was retribution. Who told her to treat you like that!"

Yang Wanji sighed and said, "All grudges are insignificant compared to life and death. Although she hurt me terribly, if I had known she would really die in childbirth, I still would have had no reason not to go!"

Seeing his grandfather's expression growing heavier, Yang Leiluo changed the subject. "Grandpa, since then, you've said you'd rather die than treat that kind of disease for women. Was it because of Xin Damei? I only know your reason for not treating her today. I used to blame you for it!"

"Yes, I think that every woman who gets that kind of disease is a bad woman. I wish I could watch them suffer from that disease, preferably to death!"

Yang Wanji said fiercely, as if the scene of treating Xin Damei had resurfaced in his mind.

Yang Leiluo felt extremely embarrassed and awkward because he also had the same illness, and of course, he wasn't a good man either. Although he felt aggrieved that his aunt and he himself had contracted the disease out of necessity, he couldn't say anything, fearing that his grandfather would get angry again, so he quickly changed the subject. "Grandpa, my master saved your life back then, but why has he never mentioned it to me?"

Yang Wanji exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Your master is a man who never boasts. He thought that although he saved my life, it was because he wanted me to cure his woman's illness, and since I cured his woman's illness afterward, he felt that he didn't owe him anything anymore, and their subsequent relationship was just brotherly affection. He didn't want to bring up that matter again, especially in front of you, a junior!"

"Oh, I see? My master is a bit strange! Grandpa, do you know where my master has been for the past year? Why hasn't he come back?"

Yang Leiluo seemed to miss his bearded master as he spoke.

"Before he left, he told me that he and your master's wife were going to live in a secluded place. Later, he sent me a letter. It's said to be an extremely remote but beautiful place, and he even said that I should go there if I had the chance!"

"Grandpa, will my master be able to come back? He said he would teach me another set of boxing after I finish my studies!"

Yang Leiluo had been washing for a long time and, feeling it was time, began wiping his private parts with a clean rag.

Yang Wanji, looking bewildered, said, "Who knows if he'll come back? It's still a long time before you finish school. Maybe he'll be back by then!"

Mentioning school, Yang Leiluo was depressed, saying, "Grandpa, our school doesn't really have proper classes anymore. They often let us out after half a day."

Yang Wanji was somewhat alarmed and asked, "Your school has stopped having classes too? What are they doing?"

Yang Wanji had already heard about the chaos outside.

"Who knows? They say they're doing some kind of revolution, denouncing class enemies, anyway, there are always meetings and study sessions."

Yang Leiluo seemed uninterested in these things, always thinking they were adult matters, none of their business.

Yang Wanji smoked his pipe, silent, his eyes filled with melancholy. Perhaps, based on his life experience, Yang Wanji sensed something was about to happen.

Yang Leiluo finished washing, pulled up his pants, and seemed quite happy. Not only did his grandfather not discover his theft of medicine, but he also told him the secret he had been keeping in his heart. Although those things seemed unrelated to him, he at least understood three things: why his grandfather wouldn't treat women's illnesses; that Xin Damei was Qu Yong's mother and Xin Erga's sister; and that his master, Li Dahuzi, had saved his grandfather's life years ago.

A ray of morning sun shone through the window, and Yang Leiluo hurriedly said to his grandfather, "I should go home for breakfast; I have to go to school afterward!"

He then happily left his grandfather's house.

After breakfast, Yang Leiluo pushed his bicycle out of the house, his schoolbag hanging on the handlebars. Feng Dongmei was waiting there right on time. Feng Dongmei didn't say a word, but hung her schoolbag on his handlebars as well, and then sat on the back seat. Yang Lei noticed that Feng Dongmei looked a little gloomy today, as if something was on her mind. After the bicycle ride became more stable, he asked, "Dongmei, what's wrong with you today? Why are you unhappy?"

Feng Dongmei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lei, it seems like a work team is coming to our brigade." Yang Lei was surprised and asked, "It's his work team coming, what does it have to do with you? Didn't our school have a work team coming a few days ago?"

Feng Dongmei hesitated again for a while, then said, "Last night, the brigade leader, Qu Haishan, came to my house and talked with my dad for a long time in the east room!"

Yang Lei was interested in this, so he asked, "Qu Haishan saw your dad? What did they talk about?"

"They were talking behind closed doors. I overheard them outside, but I didn't hear the whole thing. It seemed to be related to our arranged marriage. Qu Haishan seemed to be asking my father who agreed to it. My father said both families agreed, and Qu Haishan said, 'You'll get into trouble if you say that. How can a poor peasant like you be so feudalistic?'"

Yang Leiluo's heart sank, and he hurriedly asked, "What does our arranged marriage have to do with whether or not the work team is coming?"

"Who knows!"

Feng Dongmei's face was filled with a melancholy and uncertain expression.

Chapter 169: Two Men and One Woman

A big event happened in the village today. Sun Sanhouzi's wife died last night from a serious illness. Actually, she wasn't Sun Sanhouzi's first wife, but the wife of his deceased elder brother. After his elder brother died, she lived with him. This deceased woman was also the biological mother of Sun Dabao, the militia company commander of the brigade. Because the Sun family were notoriously poor peasants, and Sun Dabao was the brigade's militia company commander, the production team took the funeral seriously. Team leader Xin Ergazi issued an order that all members of the commune would have a day off to help with the funeral arrangements at the Sun family's house.

Even before Sun Sanhouzi's wife's coffin was carried out, crowds had already gathered on both sides of the village street to watch the spectacle. Taking advantage of this relatively busy day, one man, Cui Huahua's father Cui De, decided to set up a stall again to earn some extra money. Cui De had inherited his family's fortune-telling business. Besides his usual face reading and birth chart analysis, he was sought out for divination and fortune-telling for weddings, funerals, house repairs, and choosing auspicious dates. He wouldn't miss any opportunities, like today when there were many idle people on the street. He would move his fortune-telling stall to the street, mainly because people were usually busy working and didn't have time to come to the street for divination; only when there were many idle people on the street would someone join in the fun and have their fortune told.

It was after breakfast, and the golden sunlight streamed into the village street. Cui De placed a small stool on the east side of the street and sat down, setting up a sign made of a wooden frame in front of him. The sign read, "Predicting life and death, foretelling fortune and misfortune." At that time, the idlers on the street were all at the west end, waiting for the coffin of Sun Sanhouzi's woman to be carried out. Cui De's place was deserted.

Just then, three people on bicycles entered the village street from outside. The one riding in front was a woman in her thirties, fair-skinned and pretty, wearing a white shirt and Zhongshan suit trousers; the two cyclists following closely behind were men. One of them, wearing a yellow military uniform, was about forty years old, and the other, wearing a cadre's uniform, was about thirty.

As they approached, Cui De recognized the woman. The three men on bicycles who had arrived at Cui De's fortune-telling stall all dismounted, staring at him in astonishment. Then, Liu Guizhi led the way, setting up their bicycles on the side of the street and walking towards Cui De's stall. Cui De, assuming the cadres wanted their fortunes told, quickly stood up and greeted them with a smile, saying, "Comrades, you want your fortunes told? Fortune-telling is free!"

Although Cui De recognized Liu Guizhi, he didn't think she would recognize him, so he pretended not to.

Liu Guizhi, with a very serious expression and arms crossed, coldly said, "What a joke! We can tell fortunes? I have a question for you. Has Brigade Leader Qu Haishan passed by here on his way to the brigade headquarters?"

Cui De hurriedly replied, "Brigade Leader Qu? I haven't seen him. It seems it's still early. He wouldn't be going this early. He might pass by here soon. You should rest for a while!"

With that, Cui De nervously moved his small stool in front for Liu Guizhi to sit on.

Liu Guizhi didn't sit, nor did the two men; they both stood there, looking around. After a while, the man in the yellow military uniform said, "What kind of place is this? It's so backward. There isn't even a single slogan in the whole village. What year is this? Why is it so quiet?"

Cui De sensed that this man was someone important, not like a rural cadre. Cui De quickly chimed in, "Comrade, you're right. How could this poor, remote place not be backward? It's a poor place!"

The man in the yellow uniform then said sternly, "Poor? Poverty is no excuse. The Central Committee is cracking down on counter-revolutionaries right now. In Beijing, right next to Chairman Mao, a counter-revolutionary has emerged. The situation is extremely serious! This time, the Central Committee is very determined. No matter where they are in the country, no demons or monsters will be easily let go! They must be wiped out completely, leaving no one alive!"

As he spoke, the man forcefully waved his fist, as if there was something beneath it.

Hearing this, Cui De was astonished, thinking, "Does this mean this village will never be peaceful again?" He was terrified and dared not say anything.

At this moment, the younger, cadre-looking man behind Liu Guizhi stepped forward, pointed at the sign Cui De was standing there, and ordered, "Take that sign down right now! What is this thing?!"

Cui De was startled, squatted down and then stood up again, asking in confusion, "Why? Why take down the sign?"

The man shouted, "Just take it down! What are you asking for? Predicting life and death, foretelling fortune and misfortune—this is clearly a remnant of feudal superstition!"

Just as Cui De was at a loss, a person approached from the other side of the street, drawing the attention of all three. It was none other than the brigade leader, Qu Haishan. He seemed to have just finished breakfast, puffing out his chest and picking his teeth as he walked towards them, presumably on his way to work at the brigade headquarters. Cui De quickly pointed at the man and said to Liu Guizhi, "See, wasn't I right? The brigade leader is here; he's definitely going to work!"

Liu Guizhi turned her head to look, but didn't show any sign of delight, remaining motionless. The other two also stood there arrogantly.

Qu Haishan seemed to have recognized Liu Guizhi. Sensing something amiss, he changed his previously carefree gait after about twenty paces, rushing over and calling out, "Cousin, it's you! Why aren't you at my house? Why are you still standing here?"

Liu Guizhi coldly replied, "There are no cousins here. We are a Cultural Revolution work team, here in Jiapigou to carry out our work."

Pointing to the man in the yellow military uniform, she said, "This is Zhou, the cadre from the county's armed forces department."

Then, pointing to the younger cadre, she added, "You recognize this one, Assistant Huang, who's in charge of education and culture in our town!"

Qu Haishan quickly stepped forward and shook hands with both men. Assistant Huang seemed quite familiar with Qu Haishan, so he took the initiative to say, "Captain Qu, we're both subordinates of Director Liu. Director Liu is the group leader, and we're both group members!"

Zhou, the officer from the county's armed forces department, seemed to know their relationship after hearing Qu Haishan call Liu Guizhi his cousin. He changed his previously serious expression and said with a smile, "Captain Qu, from now on, we'll fight side by side!"

Qu Haishan, as if seeing long-awaited relatives, said, "Welcome, work team! You've come at the perfect time! I've been waiting for you!" Just

as Qu Haishan was about to lead the work team towards the brigade headquarters, a funeral procession arrived from the other side of the street. More than ten men carried a large coffin on eight poles. A man dressed in mourning clothes walked in front of the coffin, carrying a yellow paper banner on his shoulder, which fluttered in the wind. Behind the coffin were the deceased's family members, also dressed in mourning clothes, wailing and crying.

Seeing that the work team's three bicycles were in the way, Qu Haishan quickly moved them to the side of the street. Before Liu Guizhi could say anything, Zhou, the cadre in military uniform, frowned and asked Qu Haishan, "What's going on here?"

Qu Haishan hurriedly replied, "Sun Sanhouzi's wife died, and the funeral is today!"

Qu Haishan was also puzzled; you don't even know about funerals?

Zhou snorted and said, "Of course I know about funerals. I'm asking what that person in front is carrying?"

Qu Haishan explained again, "That person is the deceased's son, carrying a spirit banner, used for summoning the soul and guiding the way!"

"Summoning the soul? Guiding the way? Isn't this typical feudal superstition? No wonder your brigade is so backward; what are you doing?"

Zhou shouted angrily.

Just then, the funeral procession arrived in front of them. Officer Zhou hurriedly stopped the man carrying the funeral banner, pointing at it on his shoulder and shouting, "Throw that away!"

The man was none other than Sun Dabao, the militia company commander. Sun Dabao trembled in fright. Although he didn't recognize the man who had stopped him, he recognized Liu Guizhi and Assistant Huang. He guessed that someone from above had come to launch a political movement, and somewhat at a loss, he looked at Qu Haishan for help.

Qu Haishan hurriedly came over and whispered in Zhou's ear, "He's the militia company commander of our brigade, and his own mother died!"

Upon hearing that the person carrying the funeral banner was the brigade's militia company commander, Zhou became even more furious, saying, "As a brigade cadre, leading the way in feudal superstition, what kind of behavior is this!"

Sun Dabao, knowing what was going on, quickly threw away the funeral banner, kicking it twice, and repented, saying, "I was wrong, I was wrong, as a proletarian, I shouldn't have believed this!"

Saying this, he turned around, went to the top of the coffin, and kicked over the steamed buns and leftover rice on it, shouting, "No feudal superstition!"

(Chapter 170: The Pink Gullies in the Fluff)

Sun Dabao knew what was going on, quickly... He threw away the spirit banner and kicked it twice, confessing, "I was wrong, I was wrong! As a proletarian, I shouldn't have believed this!"

With that, he turned and went to the head of the coffin, kicking over the steamed buns and offerings on it, shouting, "No feudal superstition!"

The funeral procession, faced with this unexpected situation, had to stop. At this moment, Sun Dabao, the dutiful son, had already smashed the spirit banner and overturned the offerings at the head of the coffin. Qu Haishan, who was standing nearby, hurriedly came over to smooth things over, saying to Zhou, "He's already thrown all that away, which shows he still has class consciousness. No matter what, the dead should be laid to rest in the cemetery!"

Zhou, of course, couldn't stop the funeral procession, so he stepped aside. The funeral procession continued on its way. Qu Haishan said to Sun Dabao, who had already started to move, "Sun Dabao, after you bury your mother, hurry back to the brigade headquarters. We need to discuss our work!"

Sun Dabao replied decisively, "I will return to the brigade headquarters!"

With that, he walked away empty-handed in front of the coffin.

Watching the funeral procession disappear into the distance, Qu Haishan hurriedly said to the three members of the work team, "Shall we go to the brigade headquarters to talk?"

Then, like a deity, he followed behind the three men on their bicycles towards the brigade headquarters.

The villagers were as if Beijing had sprung up from the ground; a counter-revolutionary had emerged from Chairman Mao's side. This time, Director Liu led the work team, personally coming to our Jiapigou Brigade, and even brought an official letter written to him by Chairman Mao himself, to arrest the counter-revolutionary in our brigade. A few days ago, I went to the county town to have my fortune told, and I was immediately terrified. Guess what happened? The City God of the City God Temple was carried to the street by students from the county middle school and beaten to a pulp. Later, the county magistrate intervened and even dragged the student into a struggle session. And then there's the blacksmith shop in town; they haven't slept for days, working overtime to forge spears (red-tasseled spears), saying everyone needs one. And there's something even more interesting!" Cui De deliberately teased the crowd, then suddenly stopped, fiddling with his fortune-telling bamboo clappers.

The villagers, who hadn't been outside for generations, knew very little about the outside world. Hearing Cui De recount these strange tales, they were all itching to hear more, urging him on, saying, "Getting you to talk is harder than taking a dump! What's even more interesting? Tell us!"

Cui De coughed and continued, "The young people walking on the main street of the county town all have short hair. A relative's daughter of mine cut her braids. If you don't call her around, and only look at her from behind, you'd think she was a boy!" As darkness fell, I went to the outhouse. Seeing a short-haired man go in ahead of me, I followed. Just as I pulled out my penis and said I needed to pee, the man squatted down in the latrine, and with a loud splash, I saw the pink cleavage beneath his pubic hair—it was a girl! I was startled and rushed out. Good heavens, I'd gone into the wrong place! Hey, what a mess this is! These days, you can't even tell if someone is male or female! Chaos! Utter chaos! This whole situation is a mess! It's really not a joke that our village has a counter-revolutionary in it!"

At this moment, Little White Shoes, who had somehow appeared beside Cui De, shook his head, clearly disbelieving, and said, "What? Our village? What nonsense are you spouting? A counter-revolutionary coming to our village? Coming to our village to starve! Aren't you just stirring up trouble?"

Cui De continued, "You dare not believe me? Who knows, maybe you're the counter-revolutionary!" "Let's see if you believe me!"

Cui De turned his head and stared at the woman in white shoes with large breasts.

"If it were you, you'd be more like it. You're always drawing lots and telling fortunes. You don't look like a good person at all!"

the woman in white shoes retorted sharply.

Seeing the two men's provocative behavior, the crowd burst into laughter. Immediately, a glint appeared in their eyes; everyone wished they could find one or two counter-revolutionaries to liven things up, though it was simply too difficult to pass the time in their otherwise mundane lives. Of course, this was only the thought of some; many more harbored a sense of unease. If there really were counter-revolutionaries lurking in the village, wouldn't that be a terrible thing?

As they were talking, militiaman Sui Erzhuzi, carrying a gun, pushed through the crowd and walked in front of Cui De. Before Cui De could react, Sui Erzhuzi reached out and grabbed the signboard in front of him, saying, "Who told you to engage in this feudal superstition? Throw it away immediately! Comrade Zhou from the work team gave the order!"

Cui De hurriedly tried to grab it, but failed; it was thrown to the ground and stomped on. This happened so suddenly. When everyone looked again, Sui Erzhuzi had already walked away. The rifle he carried was still swaying, seemingly indicating something.

Cui De chased after him for a few steps, then, fearing someone would trample his stall, turned around, jumped three feet high, and unleashed a torrent of vulgarities he'd learned since birth, hurling insults at Sui Erzhuzi's retreating figure. The onlookers were delighted, laughing heartily, feeling the sun grow redder and a wave of heat wash over them.

Cui De's insults grew more and more enthusiastic, and he even blurted out his past affair with Sui Erzhuzi's mother in the wheat field. Not satisfied with that, he claimed Sui Erzhuzi was his seed. Everyone said no, but Cui De insisted, demanding they think carefully: did Sui Erzhuzi's speech and walk resemble his? Well, upon closer inspection, whether it was imagination or something else, there was indeed a resemblance. Just as everyone was about to laugh, a woman suddenly emerged from a group of women under the locust tree opposite. Everyone turned around and saw it was Sui Erzhuzi's mother.

Sui Erzhu's mother, holding a shoe sole and a steel needle between her fingers, yelled at them, "Who did you fuck? Look at yourself! Who told you to fuck someone? So what if you have an extra beard? My son stepped on your sign, there must be a reason, right? If the brigade hadn't instructed him to do that, would he have gone looking for trouble? You're like a black ball covered in powder, everyone else knows, but you know it yourself. You even said you fucked someone in the wheat field, you really don't know your own limitations. If you have nothing better to do, take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror, see what you look like!"

The woman's spittle flew everywhere as she cursed. Cui De could only lower his head and endure it, chuckling softly, and muttered, "Even if you don't admit it, it happened!"

He squatted down, scratching his not-so-robust head, not daring to say another word. Logically speaking, he understood that the people from town had just informed him. The town officials came without saying a word; who in the village would go looking for trouble by taking down his sign? He was just venting his anger on Sui Erzhuzi.

Sui Erzhuzi's mother was under the locust tree, cursing Cui De until her face turned red with rage. After several women nearby tried their best to persuade her, she calmed down and stopped. Besides, this woman and Cui De did have some ambiguous relationship; words don't always reflect the heart. Just

as everyone's enthusiasm waned and they were starting to feel bored, they saw the militia company commander, Sun Dabao, with a dark face, mysteriously calling the passing militiamen to assemble at the brigade headquarters. People couldn't help but be surprised; Sun Dabao had just been dressed in mourning clothes to bury his mother, how come he was here so soon? Most likely, he hadn't even finished burying his mother before returning to the brigade headquarters to show his enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the brigade clerk, Feng Sihai, also hurriedly headed to the county town with a satchel, saying he had to buy five hundred copies of the "Three Old Articles" before lunch the next day. The work team had said they would strive to ensure that each of the main laborers had a copy. From now on, everyone would no longer have to toil in the fields, focusing instead on studying and attending meetings. Everyone was overjoyed at this news, anxiously awaiting the return of the "Three Old Articles." But they were also filled with unease; who could be the class enemy hiding in the village?

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[Urban] Sorghum Fields Wet with Dew (Full) - 22-24

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