The once tranquil small mountain village was shattered by a piercing scream and cries for help that rose while everyone was in their dreams...
When the aroused villagers rushed out of their homes to the widow Lv’s house, they were all stunned for a moment, no obscene thoughts crossing anyone’s mind despite Widow Lv lying there stark naked, because beside her was a man collapsed in a pool of blood.
"Quick, call for the village chief..." someone shouted, "Call the doctor..."
Soon enough, the village chief from Dong Family Village arrived, followed by the local doctor. However, his medical skills were limited to simple dressings, and now, confronted with Wang Sheng, even he shuddered; the injury was severe. A knife had sliced diagonally from the left eye extending to the right cheek. Suppressing his revulsion, he glanced at the village chief, "This one needs to be sent to a medical facility, I really can’t..." He couldn’t bring himself to bandage such a wound, but he had no choice. Using bandages, he managed to cover Wang Sheng’s injury for the time being.
In the end, the villagers had to hurriedly find a bull cart to transport the two to Dapu East Village and sent a swift-footed young man ahead to inform Li Yi and Wang Sheng’s family.
After all, Li Yi had the highest medical expertise in the vicinity, and going to him would be faster than heading to the town; Dapu East Village was conveniently located between Dong Family Village and the town.
Widow Lv didn’t know where she had been hurt and dared not move, so several strong women came over to check on her and discovered a knife wound on her left breast. Fortunately, because she had been lying face-down, unseen and blocked by a pillow, the wound hadn’t bled excessively.
At that moment, the doctor could not be choosy and quickly came over, sprinkled some powdered medicine and bandaged her with cloth strips. Yet, the wound was too large and the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
Luckily, the bull cart arrived soon. The village chief found several strong young men to take the two away. Meanwhile, they contemplated reporting to the authorities, as it was a matter of two human lives. If the worst happened... he, as both the village chief and Lizheng, would be finished.
Amidst all the hustle, the people of Xiaobudong Village were stirred up as well. Word of the incident also reached across the river to Dapu East Village.
However, since Yang Ruxin lived far from the village, she only faintly sensed some disturbance that night and thought little of it. She learned of the events only when it was nearly noon the following day.
Yang Rulin and He Donglai came over to deliver a cart to Yang Ruxin, bringing the news with them.
It’s worth noting that Yang Ruxin felt the earnings from shrimp paste alone weren’t satisfying her needs, so she had to do business. Food-related business brought in money quickly. She had previously made pork-stuffed buns that everyone praised for being filling and delicious. Making pancakes, however, was tricky without a flat pan. With the arrival of the cart that day, she could finally start her own business.
"Xinxin, how do you like this cart? According to your drawings, Grandfather and I pondered over it for a long time. Look here, where the stove goes..." He Donglai enthusiastically explained the cart’s structure to Yang Ruxin, "I forged the stove and the pan you wanted, and Brother Rulin made the rest..."
"It’s very good." Yang Ruxin was pleasantly surprised, "Much better than I imagined..."
Yang Ruxin breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he had been nervous, afraid that his sister would not be satisfied.
He Donglai smiled too, then suddenly remembered something, "Oh, by the way, did you know that something happened at Wang Family’s place?"