The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 115: Cut Off Retreat

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Cut Off Retreat

Upon exiting the room, he saw a man standing in the courtyard wearing a blue changpao, with a slim and tall stature. His oversized sleeves billowed as the wind entered the courtyard, emphasizing his crane-like figure and an indescribable air about him.

He stood out like a flowerpot placed in a vegetable patch or a goose that wandered into a chicken coop – glaringly out of place.

The man, with his back to the door, joined his hands behind him and bent over with great interest to examine the jasmine flowers by the entrance; all the while, he chatted with Wang Laozhu, seemingly indifferent: "It’s been quite some days since I last returned. The home appears tidier than before, and these jasmine flowers are quite exceptional – they have a certain vitality! Although as a son I’m unable to serve my parents at home, seeing that they still have such delightful hobbies sets my mind at ease."

That voice, it couldn’t be anyone else but Wang Yongan who only returned once a year.

Wang Laozhu didn’t understand all this talk of ’vitality’ or ’delightful hobbies’?

He always held scholars in high esteem, even if the scholar was his own son; he was slightly intimidated around him. His second son had been a fierce reader since childhood, always muttering literary words that even made the chanting of his wife’s Amitabha seem less daunting!

Moreover, with his ability to pass the Scholar exams, his second son had indeed brought glory to the Wang Family’s name, and as such, Wang Laozhu treated this son with even more careful courtesy.

Although he didn’t quite grasp the acidic words his son was uttering now, it didn’t prevent him from nodding routinely, adding a couple of agreeable responses: "These lao shizi plants, not only can’t be eaten but also take up space. Only your younger sister and other girls insist on planting them, claiming they ward off mosquitoes or something. I don’t see the use! If you like them, feel free to take some back with you, it would be no waste."

Wang Yongan, who had been gently touching the petals, stiffened his hand for a moment and coughed before withdrawing it subtly and rising with exaggerated self-restraint, "The charm of these flowers lies in their wild nature; they should stay in these wilds. I just mentioned it casually – Father, don’t take it seriously."

Wang Laozhu felt that talking to his second son was such a mental strain; a simple sentence could become a twisted mess that took ten more to clarify, and he couldn’t understand why scholars all had such a quirk.

Deciding to cut through the pleasantries, he went straight to the point: "You’re aware of your eldest brother’s situation. We found the culprit who harmed your brother yesterday, and now the difficulty lies in how to deal with this criminal."

He then recounted the situation concerning the Li Family and Li Jinlong.

Wang Yongan’s hands, which had been behind his back, continuously fidgeted with the jade thumb ring on his thumb, and it took him a long while to speak: "Eldest Brother is in such a state now, seeking the Li Family’s life in return will be difficult. We can only ask for more compensation, at least for his medical treatment. As for Li Jinlong, this matter is easy to handle. He wishes to sit for the imperial examinations, doesn’t he? It’s a pity his innate talents are lacking, and his tutor is just so-so, unaware of the rules of the examinations. Those with physical defects or blemishes are ineligible for official exams – Li Jinlong was born with six toes, a heretical sign. If discovered, not to mention Scholar; he won’t even be allowed to sit the primary-level exams!"

This move would utterly destroy Li Jinlong’s possibilities with the Li Family.

Li Dagui has been protecting his son so strongly simply because he harbors hope that his son can continue his studies and rise in status.

All Li Jinlong’s calculations were just to sit for the examinations and become an official, weren’t they?

By severing all of Li Jinlong’s potential paths to advancement at the root, this one move would ensure he could never turn his life around.

Such a ruthless move!

Wang Yongzhu stared at Wang Yongan’s retreating figure, feeling that he was truly the most ruthless member of the Wang Family. Seemingly impassive, he had decided Li Jinlong’s fate in just a few words.

How naive Wang Yongzhu had been in the past to think that Wang Yongan was a good person!

Wang Laozhu was also taken aback, but he immediately agreed. Li Jinlong had crippled Eldest Brother for life; nothing they did to the Li Family could be considered excessive.

Still, he hesitated a bit, "Should we report this to the authorities?"

Wang Yongan waved his hand dismissively, "Such a trivial matter can be left to me; I’ll take care of it on my way back. But is there really no remedy for Eldest Brother’s injury?"

At the mention of this, Wang Laozhu’s eyes reddened, "There’s nothing to be done in the town. Right, you live in the county town, Laosan. Do you know any Divine Doctors there who could take a look at Eldest Brother to see if he could still be saved? We can’t just stand by and watch him be bedridden for the rest of his life, can we? You brothers share the same breath and branches, and now your Eldest Brother has suffered such a misfortune; you can’t just stand by and do nothing ——"

Smoothly, Wang Yongan tried to console him, "Father, rest assured, I’ll inquire about it once I’m back, to see if there are any good doctors in the county town! However, good doctors are hard to find, so don’t worry too much, dad. It takes a hundred days to recover from muscle and bone injuries, and Eldest Brother has been seriously injured, so he’ll need at least three months of rest. If I manage to find a good doctor, I’ll send someone back with news for you——"

After much comforting, he had not made a single solid promise, and Wang Laozhu wasn’t fooled; he could hear the evasion in his second son’s voice.

If it had been in the past, he might have banged his tobacco pipe and scolded him a few times.

But now, with the Eldest Brother incapacitated, Laosan being unreliable, and Laosi still unmarried, his only hope was Laosan. Even if Wang Laozhu was dissatisfied, he had to endure it.

Did he feel awkward in front of this son, as if he were the son and the son was the father?

Wang Laozhu lifted his head and met Wang Yongzhu’s gaze. He nodded and managed a smile, "My girl is up. Did you sleep well last night?"

When Wang Yongan heard Wang Laozhu’s words, he leisurely turned around and saw a chubby and somewhat familiar girl standing on the steps, grinning at him, revealing a row of white teeth, "Second Brother, you’re back! Did you bring me malt sugar?"

The moment Wang Yongan turned to face her, Wang Yongzhu decided to play dumb, to hoodwink with feigned ignorance, since the Wang Yongzhu of the past was indeed naive and only ever remembered malt sugar when Wang Yongan returned.

Wang Yongan’s face wore a smile, but a hint of disdain flitted across the bottom of his eyes. The Wang Yongzhu of the past would have been unaware, but the Wang Yongzhu of the present saw it all; she just pretended not to understand and looked at Wang Yongan with feigned innocence.

Wang Yongan paused, then adopted an expression of indulgent affection as if he were spoiling his younger sister, "You, you little ungrateful one, are only thinking about malt sugar. Aren’t you worried about your Second Brother at all?"

Wang Yongzhu chuckled, "I do worry about Second Brother, but I worry more about Second Brother’s sugar!"

Wang Yongan affectionately reached out and flicked Wang Yongzhu on the forehead before assuming an apologetic look, "I’m sorry. When I received father’s letter, I hurried home and forgot to buy sweets for my little sister. That’s my fault! But your sister-in-law happened to buy some rouge and face powder and other things that young girls like, and asked me to bring them back for you. How about I give them to you later as an apology, alright?"