Chapter 136: Oh my, my leg is broken

"What's wrong? Why are you retching again?" Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Zhao quickly set down her pruning shears and trotted over to Bai Yan.

Bai Yan threw herself into Mrs. Zhao’s arms, whimpering, "Mother, I don't want any more candied haws. I don't want them."

For the past half-month, it felt as though she had been living on nothing but candied haws; she was truly sick of them.

"I thought you liked candied haws very much?" Jiang Chengyan teased.

"No, I don't like them! I don't like them at all!" Bai Yan shook her head back and forth like a rattle-drum.

"Truly? If you don't like them, I won't buy any more for you in the future, then?" Jiang Chengyan asked again.

Bai Yan nodded immediately. "I won't eat them ever again."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengyan finally agreed. When no one was looking, he tossed the two skewers of candied haws he was holding into the bushes.

The fact that the young man in black in the cave had two skewers prepared meant that this was not his first time seeing the "rabbit," and he even knew the rabbit liked them.

Now, he had successfully made the rabbit feel repulsed by the treat. If that person tried to lure the rabbit with candied haws again in the future, it would no longer be possible.

As for Bai Yan, completely unaware of all this, she simply began to focus on hand-pollinating the flowers. The apple trees were all in bloom; once the pollination was done, all that remained was to wait for the fruit.

***

Although the matter of Mrs. Qian had been resolved, Jiang You’s life was ruined.

Syphilis was not easy to treat. While many expressed sympathy for him, they all kept their distance, as if terrified of catching it themselves.

Jiang You had been living like a rat scurrying across the street for half a month, hiding in his home, until a letter arrived from the county town.

When Jiang You unfolded the letter, his eyes narrowed instantly as he read the lines.

It was true... the person the courtesan Hua Niang had originally intended to target was indeed Father Jiang, not him!

This tiny difference had utterly destroyed his entire life.

Jiang You crumpled the paper tightly in his hand, filled with fury. He had completely forgotten that if he hadn't been driven by lust when Hua Niang first tempted him, he wouldn't have invited such disaster upon himself.

One could only say he had brought this upon himself.

Although Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang were somewhat fearful of the disease, the thought of their favorite youngest son suffering made them deeply distressed, and they searched everywhere in the county for a remedy.

On this day, Mrs. Zhao had made chicken-filled pies, and Bai Yan was sitting on a small stool, waiting expectantly, when their courtyard gate was kicked open with a bang.

Bai Yan was startled, and the two puppies at home began to bark incessantly. Hearing the dogs, Bai Yan acted as though she were calm and hid behind Jiang Chengyan.

"What are you doing here?" Since they had already severed ties, Mrs. Zhao did not mince her words.

"Eldest, your brother's illness can be cured. You must give him a bowl of your heart's blood," Grandma Jiang said sternly, leaning on her crutch.

As she spoke, she placed a large bowl onto the stone table in the courtyard.

Father Jiang was sitting on a stool doing some woodworking. Hearing this, he seemed unable to process the request, staring at Grandma Jiang in bewilderment.

"Do you think he's an immortal? A bowl of heart's blood? Your son caught that disease from chasing after prostitutes; even dozens of bowls of heart's blood couldn't save him!" Mrs. Zhao retorted sharply.

Grandma Jiang had never been able to out-argue Mrs. Zhao, so she always preferred to raise her crutch to strike her.

"Ah! Husband, I... I... my leg is broken!"

A soft, sweet voice rang out from the ground.

This time, it was Grandma Jiang’s turn to be utterly bewildered. She hadn’t even swung her crutch yet, and her target wasn't even the young bride, so why had the girl collapsed on the ground and started framing her?

Her leg was broken, but she certainly hadn't been the one to break it!