Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 423: The Vastness of the World

The situation quickly descended into chaos.

The sound of a child's crying echoed from the bathroom. Hearing the commotion, Liu Zhiyue rushed in after his father, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Without hesitation, Liu Changqing strode forward, squeezing past his mother-in-law to push her hands aside.

His left hand grabbed the pet turtle's shell from the basin while his right fished a lighter from his pocket.

He held the flame to the turtle's tail.

Turtles, once they bite down, rarely let go easily. There are several methods to make them release their grip—one being placing them in water. Since turtles need to breathe, they'll naturally let go after about ten seconds underwater.

Liu Changqing had just witnessed his mother-in-law trying this method, but it hadn't worked—likely because there wasn't enough water in the basin.

Hence, he resorted to this alternative approach.

It proved effective. After a few seconds of burning, the turtle that had been stubbornly clamped onto his daughter's finger suddenly released its grip. Its head stretched out long as it shook violently, seemingly trying to bite the hand that held it.

The moment the turtle let go, An Yuanyao immediately pulled the kneeling Liu Xiazhi into her arms, anxiously examining the bleeding finger.

Her face had gone pale—she'd been badly frightened too.

Liu Xiazhi's index finger had a small chunk missing, with some blood but not too much.

Seeing his daughter's injury, Liu Changqing tossed the turtle back into the basin and, without another word, moved to his wife's side to take the child into his arms.

"I'll take her to the hospital first."

With those words, Liu Changqing carried his wailing daughter out the door. As it slammed shut behind them, the house fell silent once more.

The three remaining stood by the entrance, none speaking.

Having accompanied his father to see Zhou Shiyan and her mother off at the train station, Liu Zhiyue had no idea what had transpired in that short span of time.

Observing the two still visibly shaken women, he voiced his confusion.

"How... how did Xiazhi end up touching that thing?"

"I don't know either..."

An Yuanyao hung her head. Even now, she seemed rattled.

"I was inside changing the baby's diaper... Mom was mopping the floor. After you and your father left, Xiazhi had been playing on her phone on the sofa... Then suddenly, for some reason, she went to poke at it in the bathroom. Neither Mom nor I noticed until she started screaming after being bitten..."

"..."

Hearing this, Liu Zhiyue found himself at a loss for words.

Who could fathom what went through his sister's mind? Ever since they'd bought the turtle, their father had repeatedly warned her not to touch it with her hands, even giving her a chopstick to poke it with instead.

For days since its arrival, nothing had happened. Yet the moment he and his father stepped out...

Thinking this, Liu Zhiyue couldn't help but feel exasperated.

This sister of his...

Really didn't seem to listen very well.

Downstairs.

The recently parked car started up again, heading toward the hospital.

Even after getting in the car, Liu Xiazhi continued to wail from the backseat, her cries so prolonged she seemed on the verge of hyperventilating.

Seeing his daughter in this state worsened Liu Changqing's mood considerably.

Unable to hold back, he scolded her.

"How many times did I tell you? Over and over—don't touch it, don't touch it! Why couldn't you use your head? Why did you have to poke it with your hand?"

"I... waaaaah... I-I..."

A string of incoherent "I"s spilled from her mouth without forming a complete sentence.

Hearing his daughter so distraught she couldn't even speak properly doused much of Liu Changqing's anger.

Seeing her pitiful state, he couldn't bring himself to keep yelling.

Fortunately, a small hospital stood not far from their home. Upon arrival, Liu Changqing parked hastily, then rushed to the backseat to scoop up his daughter and charge inside.

"Small hospital" might have been generous—"clinic" would've been more accurate.

No registration was needed. Having visited before for prescriptions, Liu Changqing went straight to the doctor's office.

Pushing the door open, he entered while speaking.

"Doctor, my daughter got bitten by a turtle. Does she need a tetanus shot?"

At his words, the doctor—who'd been examining another patient's mouth—turned to look at father and daughter.

After a pause:

"Did it bleed?"

"Yes."

"Let me see."

The doctor stood from his seat and approached them.

This action displeased his current patient, who immediately jumped up from the chair, making agitated noises.

"Mmmpfh! Mmph mmph!"

"..."

"Waaah... huh?"

Both father and daughter froze at the sight before them.

Even Liu Xiazhi, who'd been crying nonstop, momentarily forgot her tears as the doctor took her injured hand. Her teary eyes stared in shock at the man.

He was... impossible to miss.

After all... anyone would be stunned speechless seeing a grown man with a lightbulb stuck in his mouth.

The Liu family was no exception. Witnessing this patient's... condition, Liu Changqing realized anew how vast the world truly was—filled with all manner of bizarre occurrences.

The man appeared utterly distressed.

He waved his hands frantically, emitting continuous "Mmmph! Mmmph mmph!" sounds.

He seemed desperate to communicate something, but no one could understand.

Drool trailed from the corners of his mouth.

Just looking at him made Liu Changqing uncomfortable.

Having a lightbulb in one's mouth—what kind of torment must that be?

From the man's frantic eyes and flushed face...

It was clear this predicament had persisted for some time.

Ignoring the noises behind him, the doctor examined Liu Xiazhi's finger briefly before declaring:

"Not serious... but turtles are shelled oviparous creatures. Since they live in muddy or aquatic environments, there's risk of tetanus bacteria. Better safe than sorry—let's get a shot. Follow me."

"Ah? Oh... alright."

Nodding, Liu Changqing set his daughter down and took her uninjured hand, following the doctor.

Seeing the physician about to leave, the lightbulb man grew frantic again, making garbled protests as he grabbed the doctor's shoulder, clearly demanding to be dealt with first.