The Cultivator's Reborn to 1970s
Chapter 100 - 86

Chapter 100: 86

Mo Junhua’s leg became the object of Chunhua’s practice. After busying herself for several hours, Chunhua finally applied the plaster on Mo Junhua according to Lan Tian’s instruction. She used the palm of her hand to rub the plaster to promote the absorption by the injured muscles and the bone break, then reapplied the cast. When she turned and saw Lan Tian giving her a thumbs-up in praise, she shyly smiled.

"Well done, keep up the good work. Brother Junhua, I’m leaving now." Lan Tian was in a good mood. She bid farewell to Mo Junhua before leaving. Mo Junhua was not in good spirits all night but grunted in response. Lan Tian, not minding his cold demeanor, waved her hand and left without a trace.

On the fifth day, Mo Junhua was able to move about, although his left leg could not endure long-standing pressure and still needed support when walking. The family did not know how to make a crutch, so Mo Junhua had to take matters into his hands. Mo Yuanle came for a follow-up visit and seeing him making a crutch, remembered the one Lan Tian had made for him previously and decided to find it and have Lan Tian bring it over.

When Lan Tian arrived, she saw Mo Junhua leaning on a rough crutch, practicing walking in the yard. It was hot, and he was wearing only a military green tank top, his back drenched with sweat. He would walk to the gate and back repeatedly, dripping with sweat as if he had just been fished out of the water. Seeing Lan Tian enter, his eyes brightened. As he stepped forward, he stepped into a mud pit and lost his balance, falling to the side.

In this fall, he landed directly on his left leg, causing the newly healed bone to break again, thus nullifying days of treatment. Lan Tian hurried to his side, holding him up, then placing his left arm over her shoulder to help him to the porch to sit. Mo Junhua leaned his whole weight on her, his head resting against hers, sweat from his face dripping into her collar, rolling down her porcelain skin. Watching this scene darken Mo Junhua’s eyes.

Seeing him act out, Lan Tian could not hold back her anger, though she did not notice his unusual demeanor. She snapped, "What’s the rush? You’ll be able to walk in a few days. Would a day without antics kill you? Can’t you stop causing trouble? Do you really want to end up crippled?"

Mo Junhua’s expression remained calm, not showing any anger; it was as if the scolded person wasn’t him. Lan Tian helped him sit properly, ran back into the yard to pick up the crutch, and brought it to him, saying, "Here, my uncle asked me to bring this to you, try and see if it fits?"

Mo Junhua took the crutch and looked out of the yard. Curious, Lan Tian followed his gaze.

At the entrance of the yard, a young woman in a floral dress, with her hair tied in a thick braid, kept glancing back and forth at both of them, particularly focusing on Mo Junhua’s leg and then on the crutch in his hand, before she suddenly ran off.

Lan Tian, bewildered by the woman’s strange behavior, felt an ominous premonition, suspecting that something bad was about to happen. She handed the crutch to Mo Junhua and left. Mo Junhua’s leg was recovering well and would soon be able to walk normally; Mo Yuanle would handle the follow-up treatments as Lan Tian had packed up, preparing to leave for Shanghai in a couple of days.

"Girl, make a peach bead bracelet for Hua Zi. Being a soldier is dangerous; consider it a return of favor." During lunch, Mo Yuanle suddenly asked Lan Tian to make a peach bead bracelet for Mo Junhua, and Grandma Sun Zhao Li agreed by nodding.

Without a word, Lan Tian made a pendant at home that afternoon. As carrying a bracelet would be inconvenient for a soldier, Lan Tian decided to make a pendant instead, considering she had plenty of peach branches in her Sleeve Universe. Once done, she handed it to Mo Yuanle to deliver.

Sure enough, in just two days, trouble brewed as new rumors spread throughout the village. The villagers affirmed that Mo Junhua’s leg was indeed crippled. The rumor reached the village of his fiancee; at first, she did not believe it—how could he suddenly become crippled when they were about to get married? As more people talked, the girl became uncertain and secretly slipped to Mo Village to see for herself.

The girl witnessed Mo Junhua’s disability with her own eyes. There in his yard, she saw him using a crutch, his walk shaky and unstable. He hadn’t walked a few steps before falling, unable to get up without assistance.

Back home, the girl broke down crying, telling her family she wanted to call off the engagement, adamantly refusing to marry. If her family forced her, she threatened to drink rat poison; what hopes could she have for the future married to a cripple, forever subject to derogatory whispers?

Who in the military would want a cripple?

Every parent loves their child!

Her parents intended for their daughter to marry a good man and lead a happy life, not to push her into the fire. There were girls married into Mo Village, and upon inquiries by her father, it was confirmed that the guy was indeed crippled. His elders had been concealing it, waiting for the marriage to finalize, making regrets too late.

The girl’s father felt that Wang Guiyu’s family was too dishonest. How could they deceive their family? He was relieved his daughter did not marry into such a family; his honest daughter, if married into that family, would be thoroughly exploited. The very next morning, he dug out two hundred yuan from a chest, intending to go to Mo Village to call off the engagement.

Despite Wang Guiyu’s attempts to explain that Mo Junhua’s leg was not broken and he would be walking soon, the girl’s father refused to listen. He placed the money on the table and left. Upon returning, he hurriedly arranged for his daughter to meet an eligible young man from the neighboring village, fearing that Wang Guiyu’s family might harass them.

Wang Guiyu fell ill because of this matter. Her illness struck her like a collapsing mountain, draining all her vitality. She aged over a decade in an instant and refused medical treatment from her family, and no persuasion was effective. People in the village who love gossip spread rumors that Mo Junhua could neither continue as a soldier nor farm on the land, that he either would stay a bachelor all his life or have to marry a widow.

The atmosphere at Lan Tian’s family wasn’t great these days either. After Grandma Sun heard these rumors in the village, she was sighing all day and felt downhearted, which made Lan Tian anxious and forced him to postpone his trip to Shanghai.

"Grandma, Mo Junhua’s leg has already healed. He will be able to walk normally in a few days, so you don’t have to worry," Lan Tian was really concerned that Grandma Sun might fall ill from worry.

"What use is my belief, when people in the village don’t believe it? The rumors about breaking off the engagement have spread; everyone knows about Hua Zi being crippled. In the future, no matchmaker will come to propose for him, and no girl from the neighboring villages will marry him." Lan Tian felt helpless; she obviously couldn’t change into a woman for Mo Junhua.

"Grandma, maybe he has someone in his military unit," Lan Tian spoke up when she saw that Grandma Sun was listening, "Grandma, besides male soldiers, there are also female soldiers, female military doctors, and nurses in the army. I think he isn’t interested in village girls. Maybe he has someone in the unit; otherwise, why hasn’t he come back to get married after so many years?"

Grandma Sun remained silent for a while, pondering if that was a possibility.

"Grandma, you should stop worrying senselessly."

At the Mo Junhua’s family, these days were also gloomy; they had an extra cripple at home, and now one more person was bedridden needing care, leaving all household chores to the two daughters-in-law. Chunlai’s wife was constantly speaking ironically and sarcastically every day. Chunhua had to care for her sick mother while enduring her sister-in-law’s harsh words.

People from the village who went to the town brought a message to Chuntao, who learned that Mo Junhua had become crippled and that the engagement was off, which made her mother furious and fall ill. She couldn’t stay put for a moment longer, so she took her son and came back by ox cart. Upon seeing Mo Junhua splitting wood in the courtyard, she hurried over to check his leg.

"Brother, is your leg alright?" Chuntao put down her son and circled around Mo Junhua, "The villagers told me you were crippled. Who’s been spreading these lies? I’ll tear her mouth apart."

When Chunlai’s wife saw Chuntao had returned, she took her to the hall to talk, "Chuntao, it’s good you’re back. Third brother, stop splitting wood, everyone is here; let’s clear things up."

Chuntao entered the hall and saw everyone at home except Wang Guiyu who was lying in bed. Chuntao shook off her hand and glared angrily at her elder brother. Seeing Chuntao’s look, Chunlai lowered his head to avoid her gaze. Ever since his sister-in-law came through the door, she would create drama at home whether there was an issue or not, and her elder brother never intervened.

"Sister-in-law, if you have something to say, just say it. As long as it’s reasonable, our parents will listen," Chuntao dragged a stool over and sat down. She saw her third brother coming in with a crutch and her eyes focused on his left leg. The shock was too great, and Chuntao couldn’t accept it immediately.

Everyone was assembled, and Chunlai’s wife spoke, "I think our mother’s illness can heal if things go well, and if not, it could get worse."

Chunhua couldn’t help but scoff, "Since when did my sister-in-law become a doctor? She can heal now?"

Chunlai’s wife truly disliked this younger sister-in-law. Being a girl of seventeen or eighteen who always stayed at home and never found a husband, she was constantly coaxing their mother-in-law to side with her. In a few more years, she’d be an old maid, and then who would want her? That’s how she would wear the younger sister-in-law down.

"Chunhua, don’t assume you’re the only one who knows about medical matters. Our village had a similar case before. According to the old doctor, our mother has a psychological illness. What psychological illness? It’s the matter of third brother getting married. As long as the third brother gets married, our mother’s illness will naturally heal."

Everybody’s eyes brightened; indeed, that was the reason, her illness stemmed from the cancellation of the engagement.

Chuntao quickly took over the conversation, "Call the matchmaker to propose a marriage then."

The mood darkened in everyone’s eyes; if only the girl had agreed to marry, none of this would’ve happened.