The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 474 - 472 Naturally Woke Up After a Good Sleep

Chapter 474: Chapter 472 Naturally Woke Up After a Good Sleep

"Eldest Brother, we don’t need to make our own people suffer like this for someone else!"

"Exactly, Eldest Brother! If it comes to it, we just won’t do this deal and return the silver. Even if we can no longer mix in Shiqiao Town, at most we’ll go back to our old trade..."

"That’s right, doing our old trade was much more comfortable, eating big pieces of meat, drinking from large bowls, why bother stifling ourselves in this lousy place, where this isn’t allowed, that’s forbidden, and suffer all these indignities..."

Boss Ma’s men were all persuading him in a clamorous chorus.

Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu exchanged a knowing look, sensing a trace of curiosity and wariness about their old trade.

Boss Ma’s expression shifted, and after a long time, he finally clenched his teeth and said, "I say! But I have a condition!"

"You think you’re in a position to make terms with me?" Wang Yongzhu swept his gaze across the entire scene.

Boss Ma’s face fell.

After a long sigh, he slowly began to confess.

Turns out, they were hired by Qian Dahao, the largest local trader of mountain goods in the town, who used to press down prices with other traders, big and small, to establish a unified low price before selling at a high markup.

They made a fortune.

Ever since the Wang Family’s mountain goods acquisition became famous, it had the most significant impact on him.

His business worsened day by day.

To snatch someone’s livelihood and break their wealth was an enmity greater than killing one’s father.

Qian Dahao was never a good man; originally, there were several fair traders of mountain goods in the town, but he’d driven them out or ruined them with various means, leaving their families broken and members dead.

That’s why he was unrivaled in Shiqiao Town.

How could he let the Wang Family take his business without retaliation?

He had also investigated the Wang Family; they weren’t wealthy to begin with. Even if that Wang Family girl made some money from her dyeing and received rewards, the mountain goods trade was a delicate business—one wrong purchase could lead to ruin.

So, first, he hired people to pass off inferior goods as quality ones, hoping to swindle money from the Wang Family. Then, when the Wang Family sold the counterfeit goods, he planned to blow the whole thing up into a scandal.

At that point, the Wang Family’s reputation would have been utterly destroyed, and even if they obtained goods, they wouldn’t be able to sell them.

Unexpectedly, the Wang Family actually had some skills, or perhaps it was just luck, but the counterfeit goods he carefully crafted were discovered.

Luckily, at the time, he had the foresight to use a trusted person to do this, so no one could trace it back to him.

After worrying for a long time and realizing the Wang Family remained quiet, he finally relaxed, assuming they had no powerful support and couldn’t trace it back to him.

However, when one plan failed, Qian Dahao came up with another idea.

The Wang Family was like a thorn in his flesh, pricking the eyes if left alone.

If the Wang Family’s sons knew how to appraise mountain goods, then destroying these sons would ruin their mountain goods business.

Once he made up his mind, Qian Dahao began to look for capable people everywhere.

At this time, Boss Ma and his gang caught the eye of Qian Dahao.

Boss Ma was efficient and ruthlessly decisive in his actions, clearly a man who had seen blood; he was the perfect candidate for this kind of task.

Hearing that Boss Ma and his brothers had a rather shady past, Qian Dahao felt even more reassured. Such people, as long as they were paid enough silver, would do anything, even murder or arson.

He found Boss Ma and promised them five hundred taels, asking them to make a move on the Wang Family. It didn’t matter whether they beat them or used other methods, as long as they forced the Wang Family to give up the mountain goods business, then the deed would be considered done.

Boss Ma hesitated at first, but since they had fled their initial trouble in such a rush, they hadn’t brought much gold, silver, or valuables with them. Moreover, they were people accustomed to good wine and meat. After spending a few years in Shiqiao Town, the silver coins they brought with them were almost used up.

Furthermore, he contemplated setting up homes for his brothers and finding wives for them so they could live peaceful lives, not wanting to go back to the life of licking blood off their knives. Yet, with empty pockets, he had been unable to fulfil this desire.

Qian Dahao’s five hundred taels were not a small sum but barely enough to stir his heart.

Qian Dahao paid a deposit of one hundred taels of silver and went home to wait for the news from Boss Ma.

After giving all the orders, Boss Ma’s vitality seemed to have reduced by half. With his disheveled and dusty appearance, and having lost too much blood, he looked quite wilted.

Wang Yongzhu really had no recollection of this Qian Dahao, so she looked towards Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin nodded, indicating that indeed such a person existed.

Wang Yongzhu felt at ease and was about to speak when Jindou brought Doctor Liu back.

Poor Doctor Liu, at his advanced age, had been dragged around by the endless troubles of the Wang family over the past year, nearly exhausting him.

It took him a long time to catch his breath, and before he could even express his anger, he was pulled in front of Wang Yonggui, "Doctor Liu, quickly, take a look at my third uncle..."

It was Jinhoo.

Doctor Liu had no choice but to take a look at Wang Yonggui’s pulse and examine the wounds, and then he spoke in a leisurely manner, "It’s nothing serious, just a superficial skin injury, and the bones are not harmed. Apply medicinal alcohol three times daily and it will heal in ten to fifteen days. Eat lightly for a few days and avoid moving this shoulder, and you’ll be fine. Is such a minor issue worth dragging me here with such urgency? I’m old; my bones can’t stand this kind of rough handling."

Jinhoo piled on the apologies with a smile, before asking again, "But my third uncle is still unconscious, is there something wrong?"

Doctor Liu replied impatiently, "What could be wrong? If he’s not awake, it’s because he’s either terrified or in pain. Once he’s rested well, he’ll naturally wake up."

Saying this, he took out a bottle of medicinal alcohol from his medicine box: "Here’s the medicinal alcohol, pay up! One hundred wen."

Old Granny Zhang hastily took out the money and handed it to Doctor Liu, "Thank you, Doctor Liu. The children at home have not experienced much, and seeing their third uncle knocked unconscious while defending his father scared them badly. Please be forgiving for any offense caused."

Doctor Liu’s countenance eased a bit, and he gave a few more instructions, "Don’t touch water for next couple of days. Tomorrow the shoulder will swell and turn dark purple, all of which is normal. Don’t worry about it; just remember to apply the medicine."

Not just Old Granny Zhang, but the Wang Yongfu family and Lady Jiang all remembered these instructions well.

Wang Yongzhu then asked Doctor Liu to check on the other clan members who had sustained minor injuries.

Since Doctor Liu was already here, and observing each additional person meant a bit more consultation fee, he became patient and checked them one by one. In the end, his old face turned outright grim; they were just minor scrapes. Such thick-skinned people, were these really worth seeing a doctor for?

"Lucky that I arrived early, otherwise—" Doctor Liu sighed, looking at the last youngster, who had scraped off a patch of skin no larger than a soybean on his pinkie finger and yet was counted among those with light injuries.

Hearing Doctor Liu sigh, the youngster got nervous, "Doctor Liu, what would have happened otherwise?"

Doctor Liu gave the youngster’s hand a hard pat: "Otherwise, you’d be fine! What else could it be?"