Chapter 64: Annulment of Engagement in Public
After she finished speaking, the noisy room instantly fell silent.
Although they did not know the names of those herbs, she explained it clearly and logically. Everyone could not help but feel that she was impressive. Even if it was made up, it was not something that just anyone could do.
“Hey, Old Cui.” Aunt Bai moved to Old Cui’s side and whispered, “Is… is her prescription right?”
Old Cui said unhappily, “Didn’t you say that I’m a quack? How can I know whether her prescription is correct?”
Aunt Bai understood that he was arguing with her. She could not help but glare at him and walk away in disdain. “d.a.m.n old man!”
!!
Although Old Cui had rebuked Aunt Bai, he turned to Shuanzi and his father and said, “What are you waiting for? Go get the medicine!”
This was a tacit agreement to Yu Wan’s prescription.
Of course, in everyone’s eyes, he was a quack with an undeserved reputation. Even if he said it was feasible, no one would believe him. However, there was no other way now. Desperate times call for desperate measures, a drowning man will clutch at a straw, Shuanzi’s father really instructed his son to go to town to get medicine.
“I’ll go with you,” Yu Feng said.
Shuanzi thought for a while and nodded. “Thank you, Brother Feng!”
Yu Feng and Shuanzi left with the prescription. Halfway there, they b.u.mped into Zhao Heng.
Zhao Heng heard the commotion in the cowshed and saw Shuanzi pull Old Cui over with his own eyes. He guessed that Shuanzi’s cow was injured. In the past, in such a situation, he would be invited to take a look. Naturally, he was not invited to take a look at the illness, but to write the prescription. However, he waited and waited, but no one came to invite him.
He was puzzled, but he could not put down his high and mighty pride, so he was about to turn back halfway when he b.u.mped into Yu Feng and Shuanzi.
He greeted them awkwardly. Little did he know that the two of them did not notice where he was going. He cleared his throat and glanced at the cold Yu Feng. He looked at Shuanzi and said, “Is your cow alright? Where are you going?”
Shuanzi treated him politely. “It’s injured. Brother Feng and I were just going to town to get medicine.”
With that, he waved the prescription in his hand.
Although it was called a prescription, it was actually written on the old cotton cloth with charcoal.
Zhao Heng had never thought that there was another person in the village who knew how to read and write.
The sense of superiority that had acc.u.mulated over the years was suddenly impacted. He reached out his hand almost without thinking. “Let me see.”
Shuanzi was stunned. He nodded and handed the prescription to him.
Zhao Heng took the faded cotton cloth and was stunned when he saw it.
It was already surprising enough that there was a second person who could write, but what was more surprising was that person could actually write so well. That Hanyi Senti Floral calligraphy made him feel that he was not holding a rag but a piece of rice paper.
“Have you seen enough?” Yu Feng s.n.a.t.c.hed the prescription without hesitation.
Zhao Heng looked up at Yu Feng. He vaguely remembered that Yu Feng had also gone to a private school in his early years. However, he was naughty and incompetent, and he dropped out of school after a few days. Could it be that these words were written by Yu Feng?
“You…”
Zhao Heng was about to ask when Shuanzi spoke. “How is it? Is there anything wrong with Ah Wan’s prescription?”
“Ah Wan’s prescription?” Zhao Heng looked at Shuanzi in confusion.
Shuanzi nodded and told Zhao Heng about Yu Wan treating the injured cow and writing the prescription.
Zhao Heng was in disbelief. “How can this be…”
“Alright, let’s not delay any longer. Didn’t you hear Ah Wan say that the situation is very urgent? Do you still want to treat the cow?” Yu Feng couldn’t be bothered with Zhao Heng. He pulled Shuanzi and left, leaving Zhao Heng alone.
The two of them walked quickly and bought the herbs before noon. Shuanzi did not have enough copper coins, so Yu Feng paid for them.
Yu Wan checked the herbs one by one. After confirming that there were no mistakes, she ground them into powder and took half a bowl of her own sesame oil. She made a bowl of ointment and applied it on the cow’s wound. She took the herbs for internal use and boiled it into soup. Then, she mixed some forage to make it into paste.
The cow was in great pain and was unwilling to eat. Yu Wan fed it for a full fifteen minutes before it finished the small bowl of medicinal paste.
Old Cui did not say a word throughout the entire process. From time to time, a hint of incomprehension flashed across his eyes.
Half an hour later, the medicine began to take effect. The cow no longer moaned in pain and had an appet.i.te. Yu Wan brought over the gra.s.s. It opened its mouth and slowly chewed.
Everyone was relieved once they saw that the cow was willing to eat.
“It’s… It’s going to live!” Aunt Zhang said excitedly. Her cow didn’t eat so quickly back then.
Old Head Cui nodded and murmured, “It can indeed live.”
Although he always bragged about how fabulous he was in his early years, he had never boasted about anything to the patients. If he said that it could live, then it was really saved.
Everyone heaved a long sigh of relief. For them, it was not only the remaining cattle in the village that were saved, but also their farming and their business.
The way everyone looked at Yu Wan changed. Then, they came back to their senses. Ah Wan was born and raised in the village. She couldn’t read a word in the past. How did she suddenly know medicine?
“Ah Wan, are you hiding something from everyone?” The village headman voiced out everyone’s doubts.
Yu Wan said calmly, “To be honest, my aunt’s family is a courier doctor. I learned some superficial medical skills there and studied for a few days, but I only know a little bit. It’s not presentable.”
Realization dawned on the village headman. “I see.”
However, this was not just superficial knowledge. She was even more powerful than the local doctor.
The village headman did not suspect that Yu Wan was lying. After all, Yu Wan’s medical skills were real and her beautiful handwriting was not fake. How could she have learned these things from a brothel?
Everyone also felt that they had wronged Yu Wan and lowered their heads in shame.
Yu Wan did not blame anyone at all. She slowly said to the village headman, “I don’t know what I did wrong to make Sister Zhao misunderstand me like this. I’ll have to trouble you to invite her over and allow me to confront her face to face.”
The village headman nodded. “Of course.”
Zhao Baomei was called over, and Zhao Heng came with her.
Zhao Heng was still a little immersed in the huge impact Yu Wan had on him. Medical skills? Literacy? This was something that had nothing to do with that rustic village girl.
However, Zhao Heng had to admit that Ah Wan was indeed different from before. Last night, she did not even frown when he questioned her like an angry lion.
“Are you done?” She left this sentence and turned to enter the house.
For the first time in his life, he felt Ah Wan’s coldness.
Of course, he would have a second time soon.
Yu Wan asked, “Zhao Baomei, let me ask you, where did you hear the nonsense that I entered the brothel? Was it your big brother?”
“I…” Zhao Baomei wanted to deny it, but her eyes betrayed her.
Aunt Bai put her hands on her hips and cursed, “Zhao Heng, you son of a b*tch! Ah Wan paid for your studies back then! You made it out of the village and you don’t like Ah Wan anymore so you want to harm Ah Wan? F*ck you!”
Zhao Heng was wronged. “I didn’t!”
Yu Wan wondered if she should cooperate and act like she had suffered a blow. She imitated Mrs. Jiang’s posture of holding her heart, but she really couldn’t imitate her. Those who didn’t know better would think that she was choking.
The village headman was about to hand her a cup of tea when she let out a long sigh and said, “Zhao Heng, I’ve really misjudged you. Since you’re so unwilling to marry me, I won’t force you. Today, I’ll ask the village headman to be a witness and annul the engagement between the Zhao and Yu families. From now on, the Zhao family and I will go our separate paths.”
Zhao Heng was overjoyed!
“At the same time, please return the money I’ve spent on you for the past few years.”
Zhao Heng’s expression froze.