Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Early in the morning, someone from Wang Family Village came looking for the Shen family.

They said the Li family's situation had taken a turn for the worse, and they urgently needed the Shens to come over and help steady things.

They had just returned from the Li family yesterday, and within a single night, things had deteriorated to the point where the Shens were needed there. You didn't need to guess how bad things had gotten overnight.

It might even come to someone dying.

Shen Dashu and Liu Chunxia definitely had to go, and Shen Zhun and Shen Chong needed to go as well.

Shen Song wanted to know what was going on, so he tagged along.

Delivering the vegetables to the restaurant was left to Chi Jiu.

As for Xie Zhiyu, Shen Song needed to go there personally, so he didn't ask Chi Jiu to make that delivery.

First, he'd go check on the Li family, and after that, he'd bring the vegetables to the Xie estate in the county town, then go see Qi Yuanjing to give him an update on his third brother-in-law's condition for reference.

He didn't expect to end up staying at the Li family's place until noon.

Li Geng had brought up the topic of divorce with Shen Ning last night.

Shen Ning didn't agree.

In the middle of the night, when no one was watching, Li Geng bit his tongue trying to kill himself.

He truly wanted to die. Afraid Shen Ning would catch him and save him again, he waited until she was asleep before biting down with all his strength.

But it wasn't Shen Ning who discovered him—it was their two-year-old daughter, Li Taotao.

Kids don't sleep through the night, and she suddenly woke up in the dead of night.

Li Taotao rubbed her eyes and sat up, wanting to snuggle up to her dad. She crawled from the foot of the bed toward him and saw his mouth covered in blood, his eyes bulging like they might pop out.

A two-year-old seeing something that horrifying screamed in terror.

That's what woke Shen Ning.

When Li Geng saw Shen Ning's eyes open, despair washed over him.

But he was also relieved—at least he hadn't bitten too deep. Even if they found him and saved him, he wouldn't cause Shen Ning any more trouble.

Shen Ning was at her breaking point.

She could tell both her husband and her mother-in-law were dead set on dying.

Even if they hadn't acted yet, it was only because they hadn't found the right moment to die before anyone could stop them.

Once they found that moment, they wouldn't hesitate at all.

Li Geng biting his tongue was only the beginning.

Shen Ning was afraid the kids wouldn't be looked after if she left, so she sent Yu Ge'er to go get the doctor first.

There was a doctor in Wang Family Village, and for anything in the surrounding villages, he was the first one they called.

She also sent her second son, Li Xingsheng, to fetch the neighbors. When the neighbors came, Shen Ning gave one of them a peach pastry her mother had brought yesterday and asked them to go to Shen Family Village to get her family.

Both Li Geng and Old Madam Li had death on their minds. Whether it was because their bodies were too weak to endure the suffering, or their minds couldn't accept the pain, or for the sake of Shen Ning and the four kids being able to live on—neither of them wanted to live.

Poor families couldn't afford to take risks.

After exhausting every option they had, the only way they could deal with risk was to die.

To make room for the ones still alive.

In times of natural disasters and man-made calamities, when food was scarce, that's when the elderly and the chronically ill walked that path to the end.

That path had become the only road left for poor folks.

What else were they supposed to do?

Li Geng was saved, but he was weak, and with his injured tongue, he couldn't talk. He just looked at Shen Ning and the kids, tears silently running down his face.

Why even bother saving him? It was just a waste.

The money spent on saving him could've kept them alive for a few more days.

At that moment, Li Geng finally understood the despair his mother had felt when she tried to drown herself, and he could understand the anguished, heartbroken wailing she'd let out after being rescued.

When the Shens got there, Liu Chunxia went to see Old Madam Li, and the two talked quietly for a bit.

Old Madam Li kept apologizing and blaming herself, while Liu Chunxia's eyes brimmed with tears as she whispered comforting words.

Shen Dashu sat on the edge of the bed where Li Geng was lying.

Li Geng couldn't talk, and Shen Dashu was a man of few words anyway, so there wasn't much conversation—he just sat there quietly, staring at the door. Shen Chong came over and started talking to Li Geng.

The two weren't just in-laws; they'd been classmates when they were young.

They were ten years apart, and back when they studied together, the older Li Geng had looked after Shen Chong quite a bit.

When he was a kid, Shen Chong had figured Li Geng would take the imperial exams.

But unexpectedly, the Li family never got on their feet, and Old Master Li passed away.

After that, Li Geng had to take care of his frail mother and support the family. Studying was out of the question for him anymore.

Shen Chong sighed. No matter how much he tried to talk him into it, in the end, Li Geng had to want to live for himself.

But right now, things were so dark there was no end in sight. Shen Chong had always thought that although Li Geng wasn't particularly cheerful—sometimes even prone to overthinking—he was a man of integrity.

And precisely because Li Geng was principled, kind, and honorable, he didn't want to live.

If he'd had even a hint of selfishness, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

Outside, Shen Zhun was helping chop firewood and carry water.

Shen Song was keeping the three children company.

Shen Ning sat alone in the thatched shed by the stove, staring blankly into the dark opening of the fire pit.

Everyone's spirits were low, especially the three children—they were all terrified.

Shen Song stayed there with them for quite a while and didn't head home until nearly noon.

He fixed up the greens for Xie Zhiyu, then headed into the county town.

By the time he arrived at the Xie residence, it was indeed quite late.

However, no specific time had been set beforehand—only that he would personally deliver every day—so Shen Song didn't think twice about only bringing the vegetables that afternoon.

At the back gate of the Xie residence, Shen Song knocked as usual.

Someone opened the door quickly.

The young servant on duty saw Shen Song and was so worked up he nearly cried.

He'd nearly convinced himself Shen Song really wasn't coming today.

"Young master, you've finally come. What kept you so late today?" The servant had to ask, as he'd need to report to the master.

Shen Song said he'd had business at his third sister's place, and left it at that.

The servant nodded. Shen Song handed over the vegetables and was about to leave when the servant grabbed him.

"Young master, would you come with me to see my master?"

This wasn't Xie Zhiyu's idea, and it wasn't the servant's own call either.

It was Qi Yuanjing's intention.

The servant hadn't dared agree at first—no one in the Xie household would dare take orders from anyone over Xie Zhiyu.

But when it was said, his master was right there. After Master Qi spoke, the servant heard no objection from his master, who just kept his head down, tossing bits of something into the pond to feed the fish.

The servant hesitated, then heard Master Qi say it was settled and wave him off.

He nodded uncertainly, ready for his master to object at any moment.

But even as he turned away, he heard no word from his master, nor any sign of rebuke for presuming to accept Master Qi's words.

After a few steps, he did hear Master Qi shouting in a huff for the attendants outside the pavilion to grab a net and fish something out.

Because his master had overfed several fish to death.

Shen Song didn't want to go in—he needed to hurry off and find Qi Yuanjing.

"I'm very busy today, so I won't go in."

Shen Song turned to leave, but to his surprise the servant dropped to his knees, grabbed his sleeve, and begged desperately.

Shen Song was completely taken aback.

He'd never dealt with anything like this before.

Shen Song didn't know what to do with his hands. His face flushed red with panic, his round, bright eyes full of helplessness. "Get up, please get up! Why are you doing this..."

The servant hadn't expected Shen Song to get so flustered over his kneeling plea, but he still had to get him inside. Sensing Shen Song's soft heart, he said in a pitiful voice, "I beg you, young master, to save me. Please come inside with me to see the master, or I'll definitely get punished for failing my duty."

Shen Song broke into a nervous sweat, thinking, how could Xie Zhiyu be like this!

Even if he refused to go in and see him, he had no right to punish someone.

"I really have urgent business today."

The servant's heart sank at that, figuring a beating was in the cards. But then he heard Shen Song say, "I can only go in for a quick minute. Hurry and lead the way—we'll run to save time."

"Okay, okay, I'll run with you, young master." The servant scrambled to his feet, didn't bother dusting off his knees, and led Shen Song at a run toward the pond pavilion.

As they neared the pavilion, Shen Song spotted Qi Yuanjing at a glance—the very person he'd been dying to see.

"Qi—Yuan—jing!"

Shen Song sped up, leaving the servant in the dust, and made a beeline for Qi Yuanjing.

In the pavilion, Qi Yuanjing was lounging while a servant fanned him. With ice basins set around, the breeze carried a nice chill—not stuffy at all.

Hearing someone shout his full name with excitement—only Xie Zhiyu and Shen Song, who'd saved his life, would call him that in Lanxi County—he got up to look and saw a figure approaching from a distance.

Qi Yuanjing froze in surprise.

From that far away, could Shen Song have seen him in the pavilion? Or had the servant told him he was here?

Last time Shen Song saw him, he hadn't acted like this. How to put it—he was really worked up, like he was meeting someone super important, not wasting a second, sprinting all the way over. As he got closer, the excitement and anticipation on his face were plain to see.

The way Shen Song was looking at him now was like a devout worshipper at a temple.

Like he was begging for something.

Qi Yuanjing straightened up a bit and called out, "Song Geer, why are you running? The cobblestones on the path are uneven—watch your step."

"Qi Yuanjing—Qi Yuanjing—Qi Yuanjing—"

Shen Song yelled as he ran, his whole mind and heart set on only Qi Yuanjing.

He was so focused, so desperate in his shouting, that Qi Yuanjing went quiet, watching him closely, and found himself stepping forward to meet him.

Shen Song finally made it to the pavilion, sweat beading on his forehead, not bothering to wipe it off. His cheeks were flushed, he was out of breath, and his round eyes were locked on Qi Yuanjing.

Before Shen Song could speak, Qi Yuanjing smiled and asked, "So eager to see me—did something happen?"

Shen Song's doe eyes went wide, and he nodded eagerly.

Qi Yuanjing casually poured Shen Song a cup of cooled tea, telling him to drink up and catch his breath before talking—no rush.

Shen Song gulped the whole cup down, his delicate brows furrowing—he wasn't a fan of tea.

But once the tea was down, Shen Song had fully caught his breath. He said he wanted to ask Qi Yuanjing to take a look at his third brother-in-law's back.

"Sit down and tell me properly," Qi Yuanjing said.

Shen Song sat down and told Qi Yuanjing everything he knew.

Qi Yuanjing listened with a weird look on his face, genuinely puzzled why things had gotten so life-or-death.

He knew Zhang Huan, the bone specialist in the prefectural city—even a consult would only cost three hundred taels at most.

Why would it come to that?

And because of this, Shen Song had shown up late, Xie Zhiyu had thrown a fit, and he'd gotten an earful for nothing.

Thinking of Xie Zhiyu, Qi Yuanjing had a bad feeling about what was coming.

Shen Song ran all the way here and didn't even say hi to Xie Zhiyu!

Qi Yuanjing turned to look at Xie Zhiyu. The second their eyes met, Xie Zhiyu's thin lips curled into a cold smirk, and he turned to walk off.

That smile that didn't reach his eyes sent a chill down Qi Yuanjing's spine.

His Lord Xie was about to throw another fit.

"Shen Song, it's not that I don't wanna help you, but I'm Xie Zhiyu's personal physician now—all my time belongs to him. If you want me to check on your third brother-in-law's back, you gotta get Xie Zhiyu's okay first."

Just as Xie Zhiyu was about to reach the edge of the lakeside pavilion, Qi Yuanjing quickly rattled off the explanation to Shen Song. Only after finishing did he dare to breathe, scared that if he paused for air, Xie Zhiyu would walk out of the pavilion before he could finish, and Shen Song wouldn't be able to stop him.

Only then did Shen Song look toward Xie Zhiyu.

Xie Zhiyu was almost at the steps, and Shen Song was sitting on the round stool nearby.

Two steps apart, one standing, one sitting.

Xie Zhiyu held his head high, looking down at him. Shen Song crossed his arms over his chest, chin tilted up, looking at him.

Neither of them said a word; they just stared at each other.

The light from the lake refracted off Xie Zhiyu's blue-purple robes. The outer robe had a layer of sheer gauze that shimmered with iridescent pearl tones in the light.

Today, Xie Zhiyu had all his hair pulled up. The gold-threaded crown looked like phoenix feathers, with long, delicate gold chains hanging from both sides, studded with tiny sparkling rubies.

His skin was fair, his frame lean, and his bone structure was strikingly beautiful. His crow-black lashes drooped slightly, casting a small shadow that hid the emotion in his dark eyes.

Shen Song lost the staring contest because Xie Zhiyu was too dazzling—covered head to toe in sparkle—and he couldn't help but blink.

"Xie Zhiyu, from now on, if I make you unhappy, take it out on me. Don't take it out on other people," Shen Song said.

Qi Yuanjing, who had expected Shen Song to beg Xie Zhiyu for permission, was stunned. He stared at Shen Song in bewilderment, wondering why he was saying this out of nowhere.

Xie Zhiyu's expressionless face suddenly turned fierce. "What I do is none of your business?"

"I'm not managing you," Shen Song explained. "I'm just saying, don't get upset because of me and then punish other people."

Xie Zhiyu let out a scoff. "You little ungrateful brat, who are you sticking up for?"

Even as he asked, Xie Zhiyu's gaze had already shifted to the servant standing not far away, still panting heavily as he caught his breath from running.

Shen Song stood up, took a step forward, and blocked Xie Zhiyu's line of sight.

"Don't look at him. Look at me. I'm the one talking to you like this. I'm not a wolf—I'm a human."

Xie Zhiyu lowered his head slightly to look at the person who only came up to his shoulder.

"Do I even know you? What right do you have to say something like that? On what basis do you talk to me like this? What gives you the right?"

Qi Yuanjing, listening from the side, broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew Xie Zhiyu was upset, but he had no idea what exactly was bothering him. Xie Zhiyu had said stuff like this to other people before.

He was basically telling Shen Song he wasn't good enough to talk to him. Usually, after hearing Xie Zhiyu say something like that, there were only two outcomes.

One: the person would cry and avoid Xie Zhiyu from then on.

Two: the person would be so humiliated they'd never go near him again.

Qi Yuanjing was guessing which type Shen Song would be. He thought Shen Song had a good personality—he'd never seen him angry, always cheerful. He was a young man, so being talked to like that would probably make him cry.

But Shen Song showed Qi Yuanjing a third outcome he'd never seen before.

He saw Shen Song's eyes light up, as if a thought had hit him, and he said in a cheerful tone, "Oh, right!"

Shen Song hadn't understood Xie Zhiyu's meaning at all. He genuinely thought Xie Zhiyu was just asking him a question and wanted an answer.

So, Shen Song sent Xie Zhiyu a second friend request.

"I want to be friends with you. Do you agree this time? If you do, then I'm saying this as a friend. If you don't, then I'm saying it as Shen Song."

Qi Yuanjing was dumbfounded. He thought Shen Song was a once-in-a-century talent.

Xie Zhiyu would surely tell Shen Song to get lost and storm off himself.

But Xie Zhiyu didn't move. Coldly and disdainfully, he said, "Who wants to be friends with a liar like you?"

Shen Song wasn't having it. He looked up and pressed, "When did I ever lie?!"

"Don't stand so close to me." Xie Zhiyu frowned and stepped back. "You know when yourself."

"I don't know!" Shen Song genuinely couldn't figure it out. He had no clue.

Xie Zhiyu's face stayed cold as he offered a begrudging hint. "Said you had no friends, wanted me to be..."

The mushy words about being the first friend wouldn't come out of Xie Zhiyu's mouth. His voice turned even colder, almost frigid. "And then you went and made a close friend across generations. Shen Song, was it fun lying to me?"

Shen Song followed Xie Zhiyu's words, thought for a moment, and quickly figured it out.

"It's because you rejected my friend request back then. I asked you first."

Xie Zhiyu said coldly, "Not interested."

Shen Song went "oh" and continued, "So are you agreeing this time or not?"

"I said not interested." Xie Zhiyu's voice got heavier.

Shen Song looked puzzled and had to explain to Xie Zhiyu, "'Not interested' means you don't like it. You should say 'unwilling,' 'no,' or 'don't want to.'"

"Do you want to or not?" Shen Song looked up, his round eyes fixed intently on Xie Zhiyu, waiting for his answer to the second friend request.

Xie Zhiyu had been looking down at Shen Song, but suddenly raised his head and looked away.

After a moment of silence, Xie Zhiyu said coolly, "If you're friends with me, you have to listen to me. No betrayal, no leaving. Shen Song, if you can't do that, then never say those words again."

"Okay!"

Okay to what? Agreeing to his terms, or agreeing to never say those words again? Xie Zhiyu's mind was racing.

Shen Song said, "I can do that. Xie Zhiyu, you're now my second best friend!"

Hearing "second," Xie Zhiyu felt his heart seize up.

Qi Yuanjing had no idea how to react anymore.

He studied Xie Zhiyu carefully but couldn't read anything from him.

Shen Song then went on about not punishing others, and Xie Zhiyu frowned, refusing to nod.

"If I don't punish them, am I supposed to punish you?"

Shen Song said, "Sure, fine by me—if I really did something wrong."

Shen Song's logic was simple: whoever messes up gets punished. No way was he taking the fall for someone else.

Hearing this from Shen Song, Xie Zhiyu finally gave a nod with that precious head of his.

"Then can Qi Yuanjing come with me to take a look at my third brother-in-law's back?" Shen Song asked.

"No."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

"You're just trying to use me, aren't you, Shen Song?"

Shen Song said, "No way, aren't good friends supposed to help each other out?"

He helps Xie Zhiyu out, so Xie Zhiyu should help him out too.

Xie Zhiyu, remembering those two times with the Gu poison, had a lot of his fire put out. But Qi Yuanjing didn't actually need Xie Zhiyu's permission to go treat someone, like he'd just claimed.

That was Qi Yuanjing just making stuff up.

Xie Zhiyu shot Qi Yuanjing an impatient look. "You going or not?"

If Qi Yuanjing wouldn't go, he'd just have that three hundred taels dragged over from the prefectural city.

Easy enough.

Save Shen Song the hassle of bugging him.

Qi Yuanjing snapped back to reality, glanced at Xie Zhiyu, then at Shen Song, and nodded. "Alright, I'll go."

Yeah, they'd go today.

The back injury had been bothering him for a while now; the sooner it got looked at, the better.

There were three people in the Xie family carriage.

Xie Zhiyu sat in the middle, flanked by Qi Yuanjing and Shen Song.

Not long after the carriage got going, Shen Song pulled a rough flour bun out of his little satchel and started munching on it.

He ate it himself, but still remembered to ask Xie Zhiyu and Qi Yuanjing if they wanted a bite.

Qi Yuanjing, remembering that awful texture, immediately smiled and said no thanks, he wasn't hungry.

Xie Zhiyu let out a cold snort. "Not hungry."

Qi Yuanjing said, "Xie Zhiyu hasn't eaten all day. Song Geer, just give it to him."

"Huh? Why haven't you eaten anything yet?" Shen Song looked worried and quickly shoved the bun he was about to put away into Xie Zhiyu's hand.

Being hungry was the worst—his chest would get all jittery if he skipped even one meal.

Xie Zhiyu initially wanted to shove the bun back, but when he caught Shen Song's worried look, he pressed his lips together and slowly peeled off bits of the bun's crust, putting them in his mouth.

"From now on, when you deliver veggies to the Xie estate, come around the end of the Chen hour—around 9 AM. Don't be late."

Shen Song stopped chewing. "Is it because I brought the veggies late today that you didn't eat?"

Xie Zhiyu gave a cold laugh. "How could that be?"

Qi Yuanjing sat next to them rolling his eyes. How could it be? It totally was! He'd been so pissed he wouldn't eat a thing, and he'd even overfed the fish until a bunch of them died!

Keep playing dumb, Xie Zhiyu. Just keep playing dumb.

Folks at the entrance of Wang Family Village saw a fancy carriage roll by. The chatter about Shen Ning's family immediately died down, then exploded even louder once the carriage passed.

Such a fancy carriage was a first for their village—even in the county seat, you didn't see stuff like that often.

A bunch of villagers followed the carriage, curious to see whose house it was headed to.

Turns out it was the Li family's place at the end of the village.

Well, I'll be—it was for the Lis?

Weren't they just as broke as his in-laws, barely scraping by? When did they ever get chummy with rich folks like this?

The folks in the carriage soon stepped down on the stool. A few villagers recognized Shen Song.

After all, they'd seen him just yesterday, and he'd made quite an impression.

The villagers of Wang Family Village whispered among themselves, but the folks who got off the carriage didn't pay them any attention and headed straight into the Li house.

Liu Chunxia and the others hadn't left yet. Seeing the carriage, they knew Shen Song hadn't listened to them and had gone to get someone anyway.

Shen Ning had no idea who Qi Yuanjing and Xie Zhiyu were. Seeing such a grand carriage and two people even grander than the carriage step out, with her youngest brother tagging along, left her stunned, her head spinning.

Liu Chunxia, scared of offending the distinguished guests, pulled Shen Ning aside and whispered quickly, "Those two are high and mighty. San'er, snap out of it—don't cross them. They're somewhat acquainted with Xiao Ba. One of them's a top-notch doctor Xiao Ba brought to look at Li Geng's back."

Shen Ning felt a mix of excitement and fear hearing that.

Excited that her husband might actually get treated, scared that her brother might end up paying for it.

Those two were clearly big shots with connections reaching to the heavens.

How could ordinary folks like them ever rub shoulders with people like that?

Xie Zhiyu and Qi Yuanjing stood in front of the run-down mud house, looking totally out of place.

Especially Xie Zhiyu—wherever he stood, folks didn't dare look at his fancy clothes, and his face was so stunning they didn't dare even sneak a peek.

Xie Zhiyu had been frowning in annoyance since he got off the carriage, not used to the air and the surroundings.

Qi Yuanjing, having traveled with his sect to practice medicine, had been through way worse and dirtier situations. His obsession with cleanliness had mostly been beaten out of him by his medical training.

Now, he could put up with anything while working, but he absolutely had to scrub himself clean afterward.

The house was a bit dark. The Shen family and the two Li kids all followed Shen Chong's lead, clasping their hands in greeting to Xie Zhiyu and Qi Yuanjing.

Li Taotao was too little to copy the gesture, so she just pressed her palms together and gave them a bow.

Like a little novice monk greeting pilgrims.

Qi Yuanjing also kept a medical kit at the Xie estate.

This time, the one they brought was the one kept at the Xie residence.

Li Geng had an injured tongue and was physically weak.

Seeing Qi Yuanjing, he looked confused but couldn't manage to ask.

He just did whatever Qi Yuanjing told him to do.

After checking his pulse, Qi Yuanjing had someone flip Li Geng over, pressed a few spots on his lower back, and asked how it felt. Li Geng described what he felt, and Qi Yuanjing had him nod or shake his head in response.

After that, he used long acupuncture needles to probe the area, asking over and over how it felt.

Everyone waited, tense and silent.

They tried to read Qi Yuanjing's face for answers, but his expression stayed blank, giving nothing away.

After a bit, Qi Yuanjing had them turn Li Geng back over.

He took a small bottle from his medical case, uncorked it, and poured the liquid onto a clean cloth he had in there. While carefully wiping his hands, he said calmly, "It's nothing serious, don't worry."

Everyone in the room went still.

Nothing serious?

An injury other doctors had said was beyond saving—could it really be cured that easily?

Qi Yuanjing looked down at Li Geng, who was more shocked and hopeful than anyone else. He didn't even dare breathe, scared he'd misheard.

Qi Yuanjing smiled. "Don't hold your breath and kill yourself, or even I won't be able to save you. The back injury is no big deal. Just because others can't fix it doesn't mean I can't. Relax. I'll go talk to Song Geer first."

The Shen and Li families realized they hadn't misheard—it really could be cured! Their faces lit up with excitement and joy they couldn't hide. Shen Ning and the three kids rushed to Li Geng's bedside, eyes full of tears, too happy to say anything.

Qi Yuanjing went outside to look for Shen Song.

He didn't spot Xie Zhiyu or Shen Song.

He walked over to the carriage and saw the two of them sitting in there.

Xie Zhiyu didn't want to stand around outside, so he had Shen Song sit in the carriage with him.

Qi Yuanjing lifted the curtain and looked in, seeing one of them chomping on a rough wheat bun while the other lounged around reading.

He called out to Shen Song, saying he wanted to talk about his third brother-in-law's condition.

Shen Song quickly stuffed the half-eaten bun into his small bag and hopped off the carriage.

The two of them went to the thatched shed where the stove was.

It was empty.

Qi Yuanjing first told him that Li Geng's injury could be treated.

Hearing that his third brother-in-law would recover, Shen Song's eyes lit up even more as he looked at Qi Yuanjing.

Qi Yuanjing liked that reaction. He said, "Your third brother-in-law's injury is on me. I also have a favor to ask you. I'll need your blood later, and I'll need you to be free to meet up with me and Xie Zhiyu whenever I need you."

He wanted to try to find a way to completely suppress the Gu Poison.

Blood might not work, but it was worth a shot. If that didn't work, he'd try something else.

Shen Song knew it was about Xie Zhiyu's weird illness. "Let's swap that out. Even without this, I'd help you without expecting anything back."

Xie Zhiyu was his friend. He'd help no matter what.

So if he agreed to Qi Yuanjing's deal, Qi Yuanjing would be getting the short end of the stick.

"I can't think of anything else right now. How about I let you know when I do?" Qi Yuanjing said.

Shen Song said okay. "Also, I gotta thank you for sending someone to keep an eye on my family's vegetable patch. Adding all this up, I owe you a ton."

Seeing Shen Song all worried about how to pay him back, Qi Yuanjing couldn't help but smile. "If we're friends, wouldn't you stop worrying about it?"

"You're willing to be friends with me!" Shen Song said happily.

Qi Yuanjing had never been into making friends. His one and only friend, Xie Zhiyu, had worn him out completely and made him scared of friendship.

But he felt comfortable around Shen Song and didn't mind him—especially since Shen Song could actually handle Xie Zhiyu.

Just for that, he'd be friends with Shen Song.

From now on, whenever Xie Zhiyu pissed him off, he could get Shen Song to get back at him.

How great was that!

Having made two friends in one day, Shen Song was so happy he put his hands on his hips and laughed to himself.

Xie Zhiyu and Qi Yuanjing left, and Shen Song waved goodbye with a smile along with the Shen and Li families.

After the carriage left, the villagers of Wangjia Village crowded around, chattering nonstop, asking who those people were and how they knew such fancy folks.

Shen Chong and Shen Zhun blocked them. Shen Chong said the noble guests didn't want them spreading the word. "I really can't say. If the nobles found out I was talking behind their backs, they might take it out on all of you too."

The villagers listened to Shen Chong's stiff, formal way of talking, but since Li Geng talked the same way, they could understand what he meant.

They wanted to ask more, but they also knew you couldn't offend these big shots. Whatever they said, you had to listen, or if they got mad, you'd really be in trouble.

Since they couldn't get any answers, they didn't dare push it. They scattered, since it was almost evening and time to make dinner.

When Li's mother found out her son could be cured, she was so happy her pale face got some color back.

But she also fretted about the medical bills.

Shen Song said no money was needed. "He's my friend. He wants to help."

He stressed the word "friend," and his smile got even bigger. He was genuinely thrilled to have made new friends.

The Shen family frowned at that, and even Shen Ning didn't like it.

Free treatment was the priciest kind of all.

"Son, did you promise that nobleman something awful?" Liu Chunxia asked, worried.

Shen Song said no, he hadn't promised anything.

He hadn't promised anything yet. The thing with Xie Zhiyu didn't count.

"Qi Yuanjing said he hasn't figured it out yet. He'll tell me when he does."

Shen Ning immediately said, "Xiao Ba, no matter what that nobleman asks of you later, your sister, brother-in-law, and the whole family will do everything we can to help you get it done. Don't hide anything from us. Otherwise, even if the Li family hates me, I won't let your brother-in-law take the treatment."

Shen Ning spoke seriously and with finality—she didn't want her brother sacrificing anything to get something in return. In that case, she'd rather have nothing at all.

If Li Geng ended up hating her for it, so be it.

She couldn't stand letting someone else suffer for her.

Shen Song's brow furrowed slightly, his heart feeling warm. A smile spread across his lips, a happiness that couldn't be shaken.

"I understand, sister."

Since Li Geng needed treatment, Qi Yuanjing couldn't come to Wangjia Village every day.

So the next day, the people Qi sent came and took Li Geng to the Qi residence.

Since Shen Song was around, he could still visit the Qi place now and then, to keep both the Shen and Li families updated on Li Geng's condition, which put his mind at ease.

-

It wasn't realistic to have Qi's guards watching the vegetable field forever, so Shen Song decided to train a patrol team of dogs.

The idea was his clever fifth brother's.

But for that, they'd need some fierce dogs.

As luck would have it, right after that thought crossed Shen Song's mind, his fourth brother-in-law came down the mountain.

He brought a wolfdog puppy for the Shen family.

He said it was for the family, to guard the house later on.

When Shen Song heard wolfdogs were fierce and loyal, he quickly asked his fourth brother-in-law if he had any more.

Zhao Lu asked him how many he needed.

Shen Song thought for a moment. "Around fifteen, I guess."

"What do you need that many wolfdogs for?" Zhao Lu was surprised.

Shen Song told him about the vegetable field situation.

Zhao Lu thought about it and agreed it made sense—couldn't have people watching it all the time. He didn't ask anything else, just told Shen Song to wait a few days and he'd bring them over.

Liu Chunxia happened to have some things for her fourth daughter and son-in-law, so she had her son-in-law carry them up the mountain.

The next day, a bunch of minor officials came to the village to collect taxes.

The Shen family paid their summer tax and head tax without any fuss.

The tax collector grinned. "This year your family's been quick about it. In past years, you'd stall for ages and make us run back and forth multiple times."

Shen Dashu smiled sheepishly and said stiffly, "Sorry for the trouble, officers."

"With this scorching sun, of course it's a hassle. When autumn tax comes around, you better pay up just as fast."

Shen Chong took over from his father and said gently, "We've got some brown sugar water at home—want a bowl before you head out?"

The officials didn't hold back. Each had a bowl of brown sugar water, then waved and left.

They paid taxes today, and the day after tomorrow was when they had to report for corvée labor at the assigned place.

The Shen family had to send three men.

Shen Song had offered to pay silver to buy them out, but his parents wouldn't go for it.

They said this wasn't a dire situation. Half a month of labor and they'd be back home. It'd be rough, but they were used to farm work—they weren't cut out for an easy life.

If they were going to pay silver, it had to be silver they'd earned through their own hard work.

Only then could they feel right about it.

His parents weren't the only ones against it—all his brothers objected too.

His fifth brother said even if no one knew they'd used someone else's silver, they could fool others but not themselves.

Other people might not know, but they would.

And they'd said from the beginning they wouldn't touch it unless there was no other choice. This wasn't that kind of situation.

Using it now would be lying to themselves.

When someone lies to you, you can get mad at them, cut them off.

But when you lie to yourself, what do you do?

Lie once—would there be a second time, a third? Over time, a person's standards would slip.

And then, that person wouldn't be human anymore.

Shen Song listened to his fifth brother and something clicked.

He'd learned another lesson about being a person.

The Shen family steamed buns the night before. When Shen Song delivered vegetables to the Xu family restaurant, Zhou Niandong gave him two clay jars of pickled veggies and two jars of meat sauce.

He really hadn't expected Shen Song to bring him food earlier.

He'd thought it was a joke, but the kid had actually remembered. So he'd thought he'd return the favor with this.

Zhou Niandong only knew the Shen family was sending two people for labor, not three.

As for Li Geng's situation, Zhou Gu hadn't told her own family.

Pickled veggies and meat sauce kept for a long time, so they could be taken by the ones going to labor to spice up their meals.

Zhou Niandong knew how bad the food was at the labor site.

He'd made these with the whole Zhou family helping.

Shopkeeper Xu's business had grown several times over thanks to the vegetables Shen Song supplied. He could've easily hired a better cook, but he didn't—instead, he gave Zhou Niandong a nice raise.

Shen Song definitely had something to do with that decision.

But another reason was that Zhou Niandong's cooking was good enough for the restaurant. Xu had no ambition to open a big place; he just wanted to be comfortably well-off. Being the top restaurant in Qingyun Town was all he wanted.

The Zhou family had once worried Xu might fire Zhou Niandong, but they'd relaxed since then. As long as the Shen family kept supplying vegetables to Xu, Zhou Niandong's job at the restaurant was safe.

The Zhou family kept this in mind.

Shen Song thanked Zhou Niandong and took the stuff home.

Liu Chunxia set aside some of the pickled veggies and meat sauce for Shen Lie, telling him not to wander too far from his two brothers.

With three members of the Shen family gone, the household felt much emptier.

Liu Chunxia, along with her daughter-in-law and her two sons-in-law, kept busy making clothes and shoes, so she had no time to dwell on their absence.

The clothes were easier to make, but the shoes were a bit trickier.

The tricky part was the soles—they needed hammering to hold up well.

They used old clothes and rags for the sole fabric.

They only added new cloth when they ran short.

Shen Song and Chi Jiu, besides delivering vegetables and tending to the vegetable patch, spent their days playing with the little wolf pup sent by the fourth brother-in-law.

San Qiu and the younger kids also adored it—the pup had soft fur and a chubby look, and loved running after people's feet.

When it ran, it would sometimes trip over its own paws and roll forward, then scramble up, blinking its round puppy eyes in a daze, utterly adorable.

Shen Song figured that once his fourth brother-in-law sent more wolf dogs, he'd train his own dog patrol squad.

But instead of wolf dogs, a plain carriage showed up.

Calling it plain was relative—compared to Xie Zhiyu's and Qi Yuanjing's carriages.

Once you've seen fancier rides, everything else looks plain to Shen Song.

A man stepped down from the carriage.

Shen Song didn't recognize him.

He was short and pudgy, with a handlebar mustache and squinty eyes.

The man stood outside the fence yard and introduced himself.

He claimed to be the manager of the largest restaurant in Yunxi County.