Back to the Countryside

Chapter 24: 糾纏 (Pester / Entangled) 

Wu Yulan dragged He Ling into the hall, and with a bang, she put the basket in her hand on the table, obviously some of her anger is still lingering,"What happened just now? Why did those few people help He Zhen to talk?" 

He Ling saw that he was still annoyed, so he took the jug on the table and poured her a glass of water, watching her drink it down then telling her what had happened.

        "Pah! What does he mean by a handkerchief given by Brother Qi? How can an unmarried Ger tell such a lie? And he expect Brother Qi to cure him? In his dream!" Wu Yulan was so angry that she wanted to smash her cup into He Zhen's face, she had never seen such a shameless person.

 "When they sent me to Luo lai zi's house the night before, I was already cold-hearted towards them!" He only thought that deep down in their heart, perhaps they would felt a little bit of guilty and uneasy but today, they gave him the answer.

"What?!" Wu Yulan's hand was unsteady and the cup fell on the table and rolled around a few times with "gū lū lū*" (咕噜噜: grumble) sound. Qi Yue didn't know what kind of person Luo Laizi was, but she knew very well that he was a scoundrel! A rascal! They sent He Ling to his house, even thinking by using her toes, she could think of what is their purpose in doing so, "Then you ....." 

"I'm fine, my husband was afraid that He's family would bully me, so he gave me a bottle of knockout drop!" What happened on that night, He Ling did not want to remember it anymore so he say no more. 

When she heard that he hadn't been harmed, Wu Yulan's heart finally feel relieved. Although he didn't say much, but when she associate it with the way he was brought back last night, generally she could guess what had happened. "In the future, if they come to visit once more, when Qi Yue is not here, just go to our house , let see how would they bully people again!" 

"Next time when I'm home alone, I won't open the door for them!" Wu Yulan's words brightened He Ling's mood a little, no matter what, there were still people who cared about him, and there was no need for him always for people who didn't care about him, feeling sad. 

"That's the right attitude, people like that, they should be 'find the door closed'* (吃閉門羹), Forget about them! 

I've come here to ask you to teach me how to embroider." Wu Yulan took out her half-made clothes and thread from a basket, "In a few days, Xiaohu will go to school, I want to make him a new dress.

You help me take a look at it!"

[吃閉門羹: to be refused entrance (idiom) / to find the door closed]

        He Ling's attention was drawn to the garment, he took over what Wu Yulan gave him and looked at it.The material was made from the silk cloth that Qi Yue had sent them earlier, and it felt very soft and smooth. The pattern was very nice, and he thought that he could embroider some small patterns on the collar or cuffs, which would be simple and pretty.When he mentioned this idea, he got Wu Yulan's approval and the two of them discuss about it together, forgetting all about their unhappiness!

        "Qi Yue, you're really capable, the seedlings in this field grow better than even us old crop farmers!" Lin Sheng couldn't help but admire all over again, the lush green patch was a cut above the others, "I thought it was your first time planting.I'm afraid you're going to make a loss this year!"

        "Although I have never planted before but I'm good at tending the medicinal herbs, so I guess it's the same logic!" It is not difficult task for him to prepare a medicine that nourishes the land and promotes the growth of plants and trees.

Lin Sheng patted him on the shoulder and said, "You're a strange person. Everything that comes to you,it's never too difficult for you!"

        Qi Yue smiled but did not say anything.Naturally there were things that were difficult for him, but nowadays, those things are no longer a problem!

        "Hey, is there a man at your door?"

Lin Sheng pointed to the front door of his house.

        Qi Yue looked over, exactly there was a man sitting with his knees in his arms, leaning against his door, a little too far away to see who it was.

        Lin Sheng was a bit confused, "Who is it? Didn't you say that Ling Ge er was at home, why is he sitting at the door?"

        Qi Yue wasn't sure, but he followed Lin Sheng and quickened his pace. Only when he got closer did he notice that the man had a cloth scarf covering his head and face, and he looked very strange, He raised his eyebrows, he had a speculation in his heart. 

Lin Sheng was quite curious in his heart, so he didn't go forward to his own house and came to his front door first.

        "Big brother Qi, you're back!" As soon as they approached, they were seen by the man, who stood up from the ground, propped up against the wall, and called out.

        As soon as he opened his mouth, the two of them who heard it immediately know who it was, and Lin Sheng's face instantly looked unpleasant, "What? you haven't give up (on Qi Yue) yet?"

        "No, no, no!" He Zhen waved his hands in fear, his voice choked with sobs. "I just want to beg Big brother Qi to treat (in medical term) me!"

        "Treat you? I see that you are healthy and active*(活蹦乱跳) and quite looking good. By the way, there's not just one doctor in this village!" Lin Sheng really admired how thick his skin was, when he dared to show up today after what he had done yesterday.

[活蹦乱跳 : to leap and frisk about (idiom); lively / healthy and active]

        "I've asked Dr. Li to look at it but he can't, so ......" He Zhen cried before he finished his sentence, sobbing a few times and taking off the cloth scarf he was wearing, "Big brother Qi, please help me, I'm like this, it's really 'to live is more sad than death'*(生不如死) !"

[生不如死 : Life is better than death is a Chinese idiom, pronounced shēng bù rú sǐ, which is a metaphor for being extremely sad in the heart. To live is more sad than to die. It's better to die than to live.]

        Lin Sheng was stunned and was unable to say anything harsh. After all, he was a gentleman at heart, so no way he could mock a disfigured ger, since it was already miserable enough.

        "Big brother Qi, I know you probably still blame me, but I was just too .... pleased with you so I did what I did.I already know I was wrong!" He Zhen's teardrops were falling one by one, and his face was so miserable and pathetic, "My cousin hates me too.No matter how much I begged him, he wouldn't willing to forgive me and now he doesn't even want to see me. These all, I deserves it."

        Lin Sheng blinked, feeling that something was wrong with his words but he couldn't tell what was wrong! (Tl: OMG lol  I could imagined it, Lin Sheng, you are too "pure" in heart) 

Qi Yue had a smile on his lips, but his eyes had already lost the warmth, making a roundabout way to express his feelings for him and even insinuating that his A Ling was too petty. Really such a smart-ass*(自作聪明) !

[ 自作聪明: to think oneself clever (idiom) He thinks he's clever and makes arbitrary opinions / Refers to overestimating yourself and doing things subjectively]

        He Zhen held back the pain and let the tears flow all over his face so that he could look more pathetic, "I really don't mean anything else this time, I just want to ask Big brother Qi to help me, take a look!"

        If the person had come to look for trouble, Lin Sheng would have sent him away, but the person had come to seek medical help and had apologized sincerely, so he didn't know what to do, and he could only look at Qiyue.

        Looking at his eyes, Qi Yue sighed in his heart, this Lin Sheng is an honest man, who is very affectionate and loyal, but his brain is not always very clever and he trust a person easily. Luckily, he married a smart wife!

"Big brother Qi!" Seeing that he kept quiet, He Zhen looked at him with a begging face, the pain in his body was torturing him every moment and he didn't want to go on like this!

        Qi Yue look at him up and down for a few moments before shaking his head, "I can't cure it."

        "How is that possible?!" He Zhen's voice rose for a moment, then softened, "I'm sorry, I'm too excited, Big brother Qi, take a closer look, your medical skills are so good, how can you not be able to cure it?"

        "I only know a little bit about medicine, but I really can't cure such a strange disease!" He was not very proficient in the art of healing, and that was what he had said from the beginning, wasn't it?

        "But, but, last time, my cousin's face ......" He Zhen was still a bit undeterred, but he didn't dare to mention it in detail, for fear that the other party might get angry and refuse to treat him.

Qi Yue lowered his eyes to hide the emotion in it, "I once got the ointment from a miracle doctor*(神醫), that's what cured A Ling!"

[ 神醫: highly skilled doctor / miracle-working doctor (Tl: if you watched wu xia or ancient times setting drama, you must know this!) ]

        Lin Sheng showed an expression of realization, he had said it before, within two days of applying the medicine, He Ling's face was cured, in the beginning he had thought that Qi Yue's healing skills were really miraculous but it turned out, the medicine was actually the one he had gotten from a miracle doctor.No wonder ne!

        He Zhen bit her lip and said hesitantly, "That medicine ......"

        "There's only one box, there's some left, but it's definitely not enough for you!" He naturally still had the medicine, but why should he give it?

        "if it could heal my face first,then It would be good !"He Zhen said hurriedly, If he had that medicine, eventually he could still be saved.

        "Oh?" Qiyue asked in return, "That medicine is worth a lot of money, are you sure you want to buy it?"

He Zhen was stunned, not expecting him to mention money.He seemed to never care much about money since he arrived in the village, for him even to say that,then it must worth a lot of money, it's definitely not cheap at all! Even if he could spare the money, Qian would not, "Can ...... you lend me the medicine ...... first?"

        Lend? If I lend it, could it still be able to return? Qi Yue sneered in his heart, did he take himself for a fool?

        Lin Sheng was not happy either.

The medicine is so good, it must not be cheap, so he borrowed it out by some words only, without even asking the price, he must be thinking to not return it. Is he treating people as a dupe*?( 冤大头) "He Zhen, even if Big brother Qi has money, it doesn't come from the wind.You can't take advantage of it for nothing!"

[ 冤大头 : spendthrift and foolish / sb with more money than sense/ blockhead in money matters, foolish spender (used with irony)]

        "I ...... don't mean that!"He Zhen explained, but in his heart, he was annoyed, these Lin family's couple,both of them were so difficult to deal with!

Qi Yue looked at Lin Sheng and choked him before speaking slowly, "That medicine may not be right for your symptoms, if you use it wrongly, it may backfire, I advise you to go to the town and find a proper doctor to have a look, if you keep dragging this on, you may never get well again!"

        He Zhen was shocked, if he was never going to get well again, then he might as well die! He was not yet sixteen years old, he was in his prime, how could he be ruined like that?

        There was a 'creaking' sound of the door being opened from the inside, Wu Yulan and He Ling were standing behind it, both frozen at the sight of them.