Chapter 40 The Man with a Broken Leg (Revised)

Chapter 40: The Man with the Broken Leg

Wu Qiu tugged at his hand. "Just go ahead. I'm actually quite tired and need to lie down for a bit anyway, so I won't go out. You mentioned earlier that the Liu family isn't a kind one. They have many people this time, so please be careful. Don't get into any arguments with them."

Lei Ding nodded, settled Wu Qiu comfortably, and then went out. He first found Yang Shu and asked her to keep Wu Qiu company, then went to the front himself. As soon as he entered, he saw many people standing in the main hall, all dressed in servant attire. In the middle of the crowd, a long bench was placed on the floor, with a man lying half on it, evidently having been carried in that way.

This person was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with fair teeth and red lips, a small round face, clearly someone who had lived a pampered life. He wasn't exactly obese, but certainly plump. Lei Ding recognized him at a glance. This was Liu Yu, the youngest son of the Liu family. Being a young master and having two older brothers already holding official positions in the court, his family didn't restrain him too much, indulging and spoiling him excessively, which had long fostered a spoiled and unruly temperament. At that moment, he was wailing and howling. Though his curses weren't as crude as those of street ruffians, he kept up a steady stream of abuse.

His servants, emboldened by their master's status, were also making a racket. Lei Xun had told his two children to stay in the study. He had originally wanted Cui Nanshan to go inside and avoid the commotion too, but Cui Nanshan insisted on staying, preparing the necessary items for him nearby.

The masters of the Liu family didn't usually come to the clinic for medical treatment. They kept two physicians at home, said to be assigned from the Imperial Hospital. It was unclear why they had come to the clinic this time. A servant saw Lei Ding approaching, grabbed him by the sleeve, and pushed him toward the center. "Our young master is in such pain, and you physicians dare to be so negligent? Hurry up and treat his leg injury!"

Lei Ding didn't want to cause trouble and didn't argue with him. He walked closer and asked Lei Xun what had happened. It turned out Liu Yu had gone out horseback riding for fun. Without waiting for his servants to lead the horse, he tried to gallop recklessly. Unaccustomed to riding, he fell off, breaking his left shin and suffering numerous other scrapes and bruises. Coincidentally, one of the family physicians had taken a month's leave to visit his mother in his hometown, and the other wasn't skilled in treating bone injuries, so they had no choice but to bring him to the clinic.

Although Lei Xun was displeased with Liu Yu's arrogant behavior and harsh words, he didn't want to argue much. He just cooled his expression and asked them to watch their language. These people didn't dare to truly anger Lei Xun, fearing he might refuse to treat Liu Yu properly, so they quieted down for a while, leaving only Liu Yu himself still lying there crying and shouting, his voice already hoarse. Lei Xun ignored him for the moment and prepared with Lei Ding to set Liu Yu's bone.

Liu Yu was, after all, young and robust, making the treatment relatively easier. However, Liu Yu refused to cooperate. The slightest touch made him scream in pain and kick out with his other leg. His servants didn't intervene, so Lei Ding had to step forward and hold him down, saying in a low voice, "Young master, please don't move. If you struggle and affect the injured leg, you might really be left with a lasting problem."

Frightened by this, Liu Yu stopped moving, but he glared at Lei Ding hatefully, as if the person before him wasn't a physician treating his injury but an enemy who had caused him harm. His left and right glaring gradually stirred anger in Lei Ding's heart. At that moment, Lei Xun had finished examining the injury, applied medicine to the wound, and tightly splinted the leg with bamboo and cedar wood. This made Liu Yu scream even more in pain, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He grabbed Lei Ding's clothes and demanded, "It hurts so much! Are you deliberately trying to harm me?"

Before Lei Ding could speak, Lei Xun called out to him, signaling him not to argue. With his hands, he tightly bound the bamboo splints with linen strips. Lei Ding had no choice but to hold back, pressing down Liu Yu's hands as well, but he didn't reply, letting Liu Yu cry and shout wildly.

Lei Xun worked deftly, finishing the treatment in short order. He straightened up and asked, "Where are Young Master Liu's personal attendants?"

Two young servants stepped forward. Cui Nanshan had already prepared and handed over a powdered copper-based medicine, then poured some wine. Lei Xun instructed them to have Liu Yu take the medicine with the wine and gave detailed instructions for future care. Seeing Liu Yu's condition, he specifically emphasized, "This injury may appear to heal quickly on the surface, but internally it requires careful recuperation. After seven days, you must have a physician examine it again. Be sure not to take it lightly. It's best to rest in bed for a hundred days."

The servants agreed and called over other attendants to lift the long bench and carry Liu Yu out to the sedan chair. They casually tossed down a pouch of silver—no one knew how much was inside, but it was estimated to be several taels, already exceeding the amount Lei Xun had quoted. The whole group then left in a clamor.

Lei Ding had been holding Liu Yu down the entire time. Although Liu Yu was a pampered young master, when driven by pain, he struggled with considerable strength. After nearly an hour of this commotion, Lei Ding's inner clothes were soaked with sweat, and he felt even more irritated. Lei Li and Lei Tan also came out to help tidy up the room. Lei Tan, being straightforward and outspoken, exclaimed angrily, "Such a family still has the nerve to call themselves a scholarly household, a distinguished clan! If Father hadn't told me not to go out earlier, I would have given them a good scolding! The physicians kindly treat him, and instead of thanking them for saving his life, he curses them. Truly ungrateful."

Cui Nanshan sighed. "That may be so, but arguing with them would only waste breath. Given the Liu family's usual behavior, even if we filed a complaint with the authorities and had many neighbors as witnesses, the officials would only reprimand them superficially at most, perhaps making them pay a few taels of silver. We'd just waste a lot of effort. Now that Xiao Qiu is far along in his pregnancy, it's better to avoid trouble and maintain peace in our household. That young master of the Liu family may be troublesome, but at least his leg injury is treated. He's unlikely to cause us trouble in the future."

He then asked Lei Ding, "Why did you come back alone just now? Where's Xiao Qiu?"

Cui Nanshan knew Lei Ding would have settled Wu Qiu properly, but he was still somewhat worried, hence the extra question. Lei Ding explained, which put Cui Nanshan's mind at ease. He told Lei Xun and Lei Ding to go back to their rooms to change clothes to avoid catching a chill from the damp garments. Lei Ding took the opportunity to return to his room in the east courtyard. Wu Qiu had said he would lie down, but in reality, he was too restless to lie still. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking outside. Yang Shu tried to chat with him to distract him, but he seemed listless.

Yang Shu also grew anxious. "It's been almost an hour. Qiu Er, don't worry. When I went to the courtyard gate earlier to look, it seemed quiet outside. It should be almost over."

Wu Qiu had never dealt with the Liu family before, but after hearing Lei Ding's description and faintly hearing occasional shouts from outside, he grew even more anxious. Suddenly seeing Lei Ding enter the courtyard, he didn't care about anything else. Leaning on Yang Shu's arm, he stood up and walked toward the door.

Lei Ding had already entered the room. Wu Qiu, not daring to throw himself directly at him now, reached out his hands. Lei Ding hurried over and embraced him. "It's alright, Qiu Er. Don't be afraid. Everything's fine."

He went back to the room to change clothes, with Wu Qiu following him. Yang Shu stayed in the outer room for the moment, waiting to hear about what had happened outside earlier. As Lei Ding took off his clothes, Wu Qiu saw that his inner garments were soaked with sweat in many places, and his outer robe was quite dirty. He couldn't help but frown, his face distressed. "Why such a hassle? It's just treating a patient. It looks more like you were in a fight. Are you alright, Brother?"

Seeing his concern, Lei Ding quickly smiled. "It's nothing. I just wore too much when I went out earlier, and it's warm inside. Moving a little makes me sweat."

Then, he bent down and whispered in Wu Qiu's ear, "I'll get cleaned up tonight before I hold you."

Only then did Wu Qiu smile. Since Yang Shu was still in the outer room, he quietly said while helping Lei Ding fasten his pants, "I don't dare. If you hold me, you'll definitely get all sweaty again. Sleep by yourself tonight. I don't want you to hold me."

Lei Ding formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger and lightly flicked Wu Qiu's cheek. "You said it yourself. If I'm not by your side for a few nights, you'll start missing me."

Wu Qiu laughed. "Where would you go without being by my side? Brother couldn't bear to leave."

After a moment of tenderness, Lei Ding went to invite Yang Shu inside. Then, he gave them a detailed account of Liu Yu coming for his leg injury. Neither Yang Shu nor Wu Qiu were natives of Yongning City, and hearing about Liu Yu for the first time, they were both indignant. Wu Qiu frowned. "I originally thought those from wealthy, prominent families, taught by tutors since childhood, with money and worldly experience, would surely be cultured and reasonable. I never imagined they could be like this."

Lei Ding shook his head. "Distinguished families vary too. But fortunately, we have no grievances with the Liu family. This time, they just happened to come once. I doubt they'll cause trouble again in the future."

Liu Yu returned home wailing and howling. His grandmother, who doted on him the most, heard about his injury and punished many servants in a fit of anger. Not only the servants who had accompanied him that day but even the groom and others were beaten. She instructed Liu Yu to return to his own courtyard to recuperate properly, ordered careful attendance, and said she would invite a ritual master to perform rituals and pray for blessings for Liu Yu.

Liu Yu was lying alone, sulking, when suddenly a servant reported that Wu Peng had arrived.

He didn't get up, lying on the bed with great displeasure. When Wu Peng entered and bowed to him, he ignored him, only dismissing everyone else in the room to wait outside. Wu Peng, however, was unconstrained. He sat down on a stool by the bed himself. "The Old Madam asked me to come and offer prayers for the young master."

He deliberately didn't continue, just looking at Liu Yu with his eyes. Liu Yu wanted to turn over but remembered his leg injury as soon as he moved, growing even more furious. He said irritably, "What's the use? Your methods can't make my leg heal immediately."

Wu Peng didn't speak. The smile remained on his face, but the warmth in his eyes gradually faded. Liu Yu only glanced at him twice before his expression changed. He even propped himself up on the bed. "How... I didn't mean you, just..."

Liu Yu grunted twice. "A broken bone—of course it hurts."

Wu Peng shook his head and sighed. "That clinic is utterly incompetent. To let you suffer like this, they must not have taken proper care of you."

Hearing this, Liu Yu perked up a bit. "Exactly! Those two physicians held me down forcefully, not letting me move an inch. Look—"

As he spoke, he wanted to lift his trouser leg to show Wu Peng his other leg, but suddenly remembered he was a young master and Wu Peng was a man, feeling it somewhat improper. He stopped but continued verbally, "My good leg was almost crushed too, with a big red mark. Besides, they're men—how dare they be so disrespectful!"

Wu Peng took out several talisman papers and two brocade pouches from his sleeve, hanging them at Liu Yu's bedside and placing the talismans under his pillow. "Our Yu Ge'er has been wronged. Those physicians truly don't know their place. Think about it—the Liu family is such a prominent household. It's inevitable that some people envy you. Now that you've injured your leg, someone might take advantage to vent private grudges. Who knows? Alright, these are blessings for you. Don't move them. Just leave them like this."

Wu Peng had been at the Liu residence for a month. With his silver tongue and many novel stories, he had long since intimidated Liu Yu. Last time, when Liu Yu threw another tantrum, crying and making a scene at him, Wu Peng secretly added something to Liu Yu's incense. It caused such an uproar that the entire courtyard was in chaos; even the servants sleeping in the rooms were terrified at night, seeing ghostly illusions everywhere. Wu Peng sternly said this was divine punishment for offending the celestial messenger. Liu Yu was so frightened he knelt crying at Wu Peng's feet, begging for forgiveness and asking him to send the evil spirits away. Now, hearing Wu Peng say he had bestowed talismans, Liu Yu felt as if he had received heavenly favor. He hurriedly tried to get up to thank him. Wu Peng still acted considerate, not allowing him to rise, only leaving with the words, "Be obedient." Seeing Liu Yu nod like a chick pecking rice, he went out satisfied.

He was nearly twenty years older than Liu Yu. Controlling Liu Yu was, in his eyes, like manipulating a child. With a few sweet words and a mix of kindness and intimidation, he had Liu Yu firmly in his grasp.

Wu Peng knew Lei Ding had already become somewhat aware and didn't dare to act conspicuously outside. He was like a venomous snake hibernating in winter, patiently waiting for the opportunity of spring, and finally got it with Liu Yu's fall. He thought to himself, *Poor little fool*, so obedient and compliant, unaware he had already become his pawn.

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