CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 189 - EATING FROM SOMEONE’S HAND, TAKING FROM SOMEONE’S GRASP (1)

This really is unexpected.

Li Yuzhu put down the gourd ladle for watering, rolled down her sleeves, and walked onto the road.

"Oh, what’s the matter, Aunt Liu?" she asked.

Aunt Liu waved at Li Yuzhu with a smile, "I brought some vegetables from home. If you don’t mind, take them to eat. They were just picked from the field this morning."

Bringing vegetables?

Li Yuzhu was even more surprised, "How can I accept this?" She thought, no merit, no reward.

On the ox cart sat a bamboo basket with a mouth the size of a washbasin, about two feet high, filled with vegetables.

There were beans, greens, leeks, tender eggplants, and even a dozen eggs and a few duck eggs.

The vegetables were still dripping with dew, freshly picked indeed.

Judging by the amount, there were two or three pounds of them.

"I have plenty of land and can’t finish them myself. Selling them isn’t worth much," Aunt Liu said with a smile and then called the man, "Third brother, help me move the vegetable basket down."

"Alright." The dark-faced man got off the ox cart and moved the big basket of vegetables to the doorstep of the Li Mansion.

Aunt Liu patted the child’s shoulder, "This kid is naughty and broke his arm playing. I remember you can set bones. You fixed the village chief’s leg and Sister Daniu’s arm, so take a look at his arm too."

The child looked at Aunt Liu in shock.

Clearly, this sudden concern surprised him greatly.

It also surprised Li Yuzhu greatly.

However, as long as Aunt Liu wasn’t up to no good, she didn’t mind good surprises every day.

"Get off the cart, I need to examine his arm first. It’s inconvenient to do so on the cart," Li Yuzhu beckoned to the child.

The child looked back at Aunt Liu, timid and afraid to get off the cart.

Aunt Liu smiled kindly, "Go on, Hai Zi, she will fix your arm."

Only then did the child dare to get off the cart.

Aunt Liu also followed him off the cart.

Li Yuzhu looked at her, "You’re walking around so soon, be careful, or you’ll recover slowly."

Aunt Liu wanted to rest too but was afraid her family would notice something was wrong, so she had to endure it.

"We farmers have tough bodies; it’s nothing to worry about. Besides, it’s just walking around, not working. You’ve only been in the village a short time, Miss Li. If you stay longer, you’ll find that many women here give birth one day and are in the fields the next. Poor families can’t afford to be delicate."

That’s true, the poor don’t dare to idle for even a day.

Idling equals no income, and no income equals starvation.

"Just take care of yourself, then," Li Yuzhu didn’t say more, letting her be.

Since she was busy just beside the house in the fields, the house door hadn’t been locked. Li Yuzhu stepped forward and pushed it open gently.

She led Aunt Liu and the others into a small room by the house door.

This house was built in the layout of a city courtyard, with a small room beside the door for the gatekeeper to rest.

But Li Yuzhu’s family couldn’t afford a gatekeeper yet; the room was empty, only holding some farm tools.

Aunt Liu’s third brother also brought the basket of vegetables inside.

The room had bamboo tables and chairs, and Li Yuzhu invited them to sit down.

She beckoned the child over and activated the medical equipment from her space to do a thorough check on the child’s arm.

The arm was already swollen, with a very obvious fracture inside.

Just a gentle touch made the child cry out in pain, the kind that brought tears.

If delayed any further, the arm would grow deformed, becoming completely useless.

Li Yuzhu couldn’t help but frown.

Bringing the child here, Aunt Liu wasn’t acting out of conscience but was likely afraid her secret would be exposed, right?

Looking at the large basket of top-quality vegetables beside her, Li Yuzhu chuckled inwardly.

She said, "Fortunately, the child’s injury isn’t too severe. After bandaging and resting for half a month, it will heal. But if it were delayed for a few more days, the arm would grow in the wrong direction and become a backward arm. Even if it healed, it would be useless for heavy work, rendering him a cripple."

Aunt Liu was shocked, "Good thing we came in time."

"Isn’t it?" Li Yuzhu looked at her, hinting at something.

Aunt Liu had an awkward expression.

"Will it be like a normal arm after bandaging?" asked Aunt Liu’s third brother.

"Yes, but during this period, don’t let him run or jump around. Be wary of secondary injuries; bandaging would be in vain and delay treatment, still resulting in a ruined arm," Li Yuzhu said.

"Of course, of course, we definitely won’t let him run around like that," Aunt Liu said, then told the child, "Did you hear what Miss Li said? From now on, just sit still, walk less, and absolutely no running or jumping. Otherwise, your arm will stay like this forever. Did you remember that?"

She had always been strict with this child. Others didn’t know why his arm was broken, but she knew very well.

It was because she pushed the child, and he fell off the slope, breaking his arm on the ground.

The child was deathly afraid of her, like a rabbit seeing a wolf, and didn’t dare to tell outsiders.

"I... I know... Mom..." the child timidly replied.

"Good that you know." Aunt Liu said with a stern face.

Aunt Liu’s third brother asked Li Yuzhu, "Is the cost of bandaging expensive?"

"How much could it cost? Why bother to worry?" Aunt Liu scolded her brother, then turned to Li Yuzhu with a smile, "Please do the best bandaging, as for the money, easy to say, I brought money with me."

"Alright." Li Yuzhu responded with a gentle smile.

It seemed Aunt Liu was very afraid that she would let the secret slip.

Treating this stepson as if he were her own child, and trying hard to please her.

Li Yuzhu took an old bowl from the kitchen, retrieved plaster powder, clean water, a stirring knife, bandage splints, and other things from her space, and went to the small room by the mansion gate.

The child hadn’t seen such a scene before and was a little scared.

Li Yuzhu comforted him with a smile, "Have you seen Sister Daniu’s arm? Her arm was bandaged like this, and it will stop hurting once it’s bandaged."

"Will it really not hurt anymore?" The child blinked his eyes, asking Li Yuzhu, not quite believing.

"Yes, her arm is almost fully healed now," Li Yuzhu said with a smile, "If you don’t believe it, you can ask her when you go home."

Having a relative with the same condition helped calm the child down a bit.

He was no longer afraid and nodded, "Okay, I’m not scared anymore."

Li Yuzhu mixed the plaster and skillfully bandaged the child.

The bandaged arm looked peculiar.

The child lifted his arm, curiously looking up and down.

Li Yuzhu hurriedly held him down, "Be careful not to move around, if it gets ruined, it will have to be bandaged again, and it’ll hurt more."

These words scared the child, and he didn’t dare to move.

"That’s better," Li Yuzhu said, patting his head.

Aunt Liu pulled out a small string of money from her pocket and placed it on the table, "Miss Li, this is the medical fee, one hundred wen, I don’t know if it’s enough."

"That’s more than enough, besides, didn’t you also bring vegetables?" Li Yuzhu said with a smile.

Aunt Liu breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good then." She feared it wasn’t enough and after thinking for a moment, added, "By the way, your family’s fields haven’t been fully plowed yet?"

Li Yuzhu said, "They’re all hard grounds that have never been farmed before, so it’s plowing slowly. There’s only one ox, and it has to plow for a day and rest for a day, so the fields aren’t finished yet."

Aunt Liu pointed to her third brother, "My third brother’s mother-in-law’s family has an ox, and now both families’ fields are finished plowing, so the ox is idle. If your family doesn’t mind, I’ll have him come over to help, how does that sound?"

It was something eagerly desired.

Li Yuzhu smiled, "That would be greatly appreciated, there’s another person plowing the field in my family, the pay can be the same."

Aunt Liu hurriedly waved her hand, "It’s just helping out, why talk about money? No need, no need."

Aunt Liu’s third brother also said no need.

Li Yuzhu said, "What I should pay, like for treating you, I’ll take labor and material fees, as much as I should take. What I should give, I won’t be short of a penny, this is my family’s principle. If you don’t accept money, my big brother and father would blame me."

Grasping a handle should be moderate, too much could force someone to a breaking point.

Otherwise, you’d lose benefits, not worth the gain.

One can’t be overly demanding or greedy.

She insisted, so Aunt Liu and her brother had to agree.

Aunt Liu thanked her and gratefully went back.

Aunt Liu came by ox cart; her health wasn’t suitable for long walks. On her way back, Li Yuzhu let her brother drive the ox cart to see her home and come back to help plow the fields.

After they left, Li Yuzhu went back to the field.

She told the brothers about Aunt Liu sending her brother to help with the plowing.

"Huh, how come that woman suddenly became so agreeable?" Li Xing’an wondered, "Could she be plotting something?"

The Princely Heir said, "She did change a bit too quickly."

Li Yuzhu curled her lips smugly, "Don’t worry, she wouldn’t dare to act up unless she has a death wish."

"Oh?" The brothers looked at her curiously.

Li Yuzhu said with a smile, "Aunt Liu Da Niu did something bad. I saw it, and she’s afraid I’ll tell, so she’s sending vegetables and an ox."