"What kind of medicinal ointment is this, costing half a tael of silver? Has this woman gone mad for money..."
Half a tael of silver was five hundred coins. Lu Shi and Liu Cuijin had to wake up early and work late selling steamed buns for several days to earn that much.
"What are you standing there for? Pay up!" Du Tieshan said with a dark expression.
Liu Cui Jin, seeing this, was so angry she was panting. "A bottle of ointment shouldn't cost more than ten coins. You're extorting us! Mother, don't let her..."
"Oh, Cui Jin, put down the cleaver first!" Lu Shi retorted with a worried frown.
Yun Erman shielded Du Tieshan behind him, afraid Liu Cui Jin would suddenly go mad and hurt his wife.
"I won't put it down!" Liu Cuirong glared. "They're just here to extort us. Mother, don't be afraid of them. I'll take responsibility if anything happens..."
Du Tieshan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "If you don't want to pay, that's fine too. I'll scratch you back the way you scratched Erman before, and then we'll be even!"
With that, Du Tieshan grabbed Lu Shi by the collar and reached out to scratch her...
Liu Cui Jin's face turned pale with shock, and she was about to swing her cleaver when Yun Erman knocked her out with a punch.
"Ah! Don't, don't scratch me!" Lu Shi was so scared she broke out in a cold sweat. "I, I'll pay, alright!"
She really is a difficult person to deal with. She can shoot arrows, scratch people, and she's so protective of her husband. Such a wife is indeed better than Liu Cuirong...
Lu Shi grumbled inwardly while fumbling in her money pouch, pulling out a piece of broken silver. "Is this enough?"
Du Tieshan accepted the silver generously and warned Lu Shi, "Let me tell you, our Yun family isn't a pushover. Since Erman and Liu Cuirong are divorced, we'll mind our own business from now on. If she dares to be noisy and show off again, I'll immerse her in the big酱缸 (fermented bean paste vat) until she drowns!"
Lu Shi: "..."
Erman, does your new wife have violent tendencies?
You two should never argue in the future. If you get into a fight, you might not be able to handle her.
"Erman, let's go!" Du Tieshan took Yun Erman's hand and strode out of the steamed bun shop.
Lu Shi quickly helped Liu Cui Jin up, her heart pounding...
This time, she truly understood how formidable the old Yun family was.
In Dashui Village, at the Yun residence.
Little Xi Tian sat at the table, accompanying Jin Xiao Lou and Yun Xiao Bao as they drew. Gu Shi and Old Man Yun looked at Yun San Man and Shangguan Fang Er with sighs and laments...
"Did that old physician really say that? That Fang Er is beyond saving?" Old Man Yun asked.
Yun San Man nodded, took Shangguan Fang Er's finger-sucking hand, and wiped it with a handkerchief. "The old physician from the neighboring village said that once one contracts this illness, they will be foolish and muddle-headed for life, and the condition will only worsen with age..."
Gu Shi sighed softly, "If she were to go to the capital and see a proper doctor at a reputable clinic, perhaps there would still be hope!"
Country folk physicians are rarely reliable.
Yun San Man heard this and stood up. "If it really comes to it, I'll take Fang Er to the capital to see a doctor. I've also been thinking about starting some business..."
He had been divorced from Gao Feng Juan for some time. During this period, he had been spending money without earning any. This couldn't go on.
Yun Da Man, who was nailing a stool by the door, looked up at Yun San Man when he heard this. "Third brother, weren't you planning to go out and collect hides? Why are you thinking of doing business in the capital now? You keep changing your mind. You can't overextend yourself. The capital is not like our village; money isn't that easy to earn..."
He had also wanted to go out with his third brother to trade hides and sell wild goods. It seemed that plan was now out of the question.
Yun San Man gave a wry smile and pointed at Shangguan Fang Er. "With her by my side, I can't do anything!"
Unexpectedly, Shangguan Fang Er jumped up, gesturing excitedly to express her emotions. "I can keep accounts, I can sell things, and I can even run a business and open a shop. I can do anything. Don't drive me away..."
As she spoke, Shangguan Qiao Yun rushed to the table, snatched Yun Xiao Bao's brush, and wrote four characters on the paper. "Here, look, my handwriting is beautiful!"
Little Xi Tian stretched her neck to look and was greatly amazed.
What beautiful handwriting!
Everyone else also crowded over, all praising her...
The four characters 'Long Feng Cheng Xiang' seemed to come alive on the paper, vigorous and elegant, unrestrained yet refined. It was clear she had learned calligraphy deliberately.
Yun Da Man saw this and burst into laughter. "Third brother, from now on, you can take Fang Er out to sell calligraphy. Writing signs or family trees for wealthy families will surely earn money, haha..."
Yun San Man smiled faintly, his gaze towards Shangguan Fang Er filled with love.
Little Xi Tian propped her chin with her hands, staring blankly at Shangguan Fang Er, wondering how she could possibly cure her.
Back at the agricultural base, there were always a few mad cows or horses running out every few days. Because of this, the base had developed quite a few special medicines for treating madness...
As long as the medicine was ground up and mixed into the livestock's drinking water, the madness would slowly be cured.
But this was medicine for livestock. If a person took it, would they directly turn into an idiot?
While they were worrying about Shangguan Qiao Yun's madness, in the back garden, Yun Si Man and Xiao Xin Ling were also arguing loudly...
"You, you really said that to my father?" Xiao Xin Ling shouted.
What sister, what ordinary friend? Has your head been kicked by a door?
Yun Si Man nodded hesitantly, saying nothing.
Xiao Xin Ling stomped her feet in anger, pointing at Yun Si Man's nose. "I'm telling you, my father is taking me away tomorrow. Don't regret it, humph..."
With that, Xiao Xin Ling ran out of the back garden without looking back.
Eunuch Zhao and Mama Gao stood by the moon gate, both sighing helplessly.
"Eunuch Zhao, do you think Yun Si Man has any feelings for the Princess? This whole thing seems so strange," Mama Gao asked.
Eunuch Zhao tucked his sleeves and snorted, "How would I know? He probably won't realize until the critical moment. Let's just leave it for now. You go pack the Princess's things, and we'll leave tomorrow morning..."
This time, the young prince would also be returning to the capital, so the preparations were inevitably a bit more extensive.
They packed a whole cartload of salted duck eggs, fresh eggs, sorghum rice, dried mushrooms, salted dried tofu, mustard greens, stinky bean paste, and so on from the old Yun family.
Even a large sack of dried salted fish was included.
This showed how popular the food from the old Yun family was.
That night, Little Xi Tian tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The brat was leaving tomorrow. Should she spend more time with him?
After much thought, she put on her little floral padded jacket and pushed the door open to go out.
However, as soon as she stepped over the threshold, she saw someone sitting by the well...