47 I Broke Their Legs
Qiao Heting choked when he heard what she said. His face flushed from coughing, and he pointed at Zhao Chuchu for a long while, unable to get a word out.
Zhao Chuchu snorted. “So you know now what it feels like to be asked a question you don’t want to answer?”
When Qiao Heting finally recovered, he was still speechless.
Looking at Zhao Chuchu, who was totally unfazed, he said after quite a while, “You are all about shock effects!”
Zhao Chuchu raised an eyebrow and said, “Then don’t keep on interrogating me.”
“Okay, okay, I was wrong, okay?” Qiao Heting gave up. After pausing for a while, he continued, “What if I answered your question?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know what to make of that.”
“Fine. Tell me then, why are you keep staring at me?”
“I heard that there was a great doctor in Yuanjiang County who had managed to pacify the plague, and I would like to make his acquaintance.”
“That’s it?”
“Uh-huh.”
But Zhao Chuchu found it hard to believe that was all there was for Qiao Heting.
This man had an extraordinary temperament and was by no means someone ordinary.
But Zhao Chuchu couldn’t fathom his true purpose. However, until now, she had not yet detected any malice from Qiao Heting either.
“Are you accepting apprentices?” asked Qiao Heting.
“Young Master Qiao, you should know that I’m already married. Even talking with you on the road like this will likely get me in trouble. Just now, Zhao Baogen said some very terrible things to smear my name, and are you about to turn around and make that a reality by forcing me to accept you as an apprentice?”
“Are you really the same person that I heard about?”
“Why don’t you go and ask my husband?”
“Don’t be angry, Mrs. Xie. I’m just curious.”
“It doesn’t sound so good to be curious about a village woman. If Young Master Qiao wants me to heal someone, just say it. I really don’t have time to waste dancing around the subject. I must get home soon, or my family will be worried.”
Seeing that Zhao Chuchu was getting impatient, Qiao Heting put his hands together as a sign of apology and smiled. “Then I won’t be troubling you any longer.”
Zhao Chuchu walked past him and continued towards Lengshui Village.
For someone to claim knowing medical skills to deceive a bunch of simple villagers was easy, but it would not be so easy to fool someone like Qiao Heting!
She had to get the story right with Xie Heng when she got back, or else there would be endless troubles if they were exposed.
Zhao Chuchu was contemplating this matter as she made her way back to the village.
All the villagers knew that Zhao Chuchu had broken the legs of people from the Zhao clan who had tried to rob her on the road.
When they saw her, many avoided her simply out of fear.
They were afraid of accidentally getting beaten down by Zhao Chuchu, who seemed like a woman possessed at the moment.
Naturally, Zhao Chuchu sensed their fear.
This was precisely the effect she desired!
This would prevent them from thinking she was an easy target and picking on her later.
Niu Tongsheng moved quickly and had already repaired the Xie family’s house, including the tile roof.
At this moment, he was moving the bricks so the wall could be built tomorrow.
Seeing that Zhao Chuchu was back, Niu Tongsheng greeted her and said, “Chuchu, is it true that the Zhao clan tried to rob you on the way?”
“It’s true,” she nodded.
“The broken legs…”
“Does the village chief wish to hear the truth? I did break their legs.”
Niu Tongsheng felt the hair on his neck stand up.
If Zhao Chuchu did the same thing yesterday, wouldn’t that mean his leg would also be broken?
“I am sick of those people bullying me again and again. If I don’t show them what’s what, they will really think I can’t stand for myself.”
“It’s going to be spring planting season soon. I’m afraid they won’t let you off the hook so easily.”
“Just cure them.”
Zhao Chuchu was okay with it either way.
Death may be spared, but some discomfort was inevitable.
“So, are you willing to treat them?”
“Of course. After all, they are part of the Zhao clan.”
She said those words imbued with so much meaning. She had to deepen their fears, after all.
Anyway, the medicines for bone-setting were not that expensive and were easily accessible everywhere. All that was needed was just a little effort on her part.