Liu Song pulled his mother until they reached a safe distance, then spun around, pointing a furious finger at the man holding the wooden club. "Wang Youfu, let me tell you, if you so much as lay a hand on me today, you can expect to rot in a prison cell!"

Beside him, Old Woman Liu, having fled too quickly, was gasping for breath. Only when she steadied herself did she chime in to support her son, "That's right! If anything happened to me, you’d be the one waiting for the jail cell!"

Wang Youfu planted the club vertically on the ground, placing one hand on his hip. "If you two keep shouting and making a ruckus here, let’s see if I don't start swinging!"

Upon hearing Wang Youfu's imposing words, both Liu Song and Old Woman Liu involuntarily shivered. They hadn't expected this Old Second Wang to be such a reckless, desperate sort when pushed.

Seeing Old Man Wang subdue the mother and son, a wave of jeering erupted from the crowd.

At the sound, Liu Song instantly flew into a rage, shame curdling into malice. He snatched up several pebbles from the ground and hurled them at Wang Youfu. Wang Youfu had been keeping a close eye on Liu Song, so as soon as the pebbles flew, he twisted his body and dodged them. However, the onlookers were not so lucky. One stone struck the eye of the man directly behind Wang Youfu, causing immediate bleeding. That man was Li Wu, the village bachelor, whom everyone usually called Wuzi.

Instantly, the crowd erupted as if a bomb had detonated. Save for the few people steadying Wuzi beside him, everyone else backed away several paces. Who knew when Liu Song might lose his temper again and start throwing things?

Over on their side, Liu Song and Old Woman Liu realized they had stirred up serious trouble and instantly grew fearful. Taking advantage of the crowd's attention being fixed on Wuzi’s eye, Old Woman Liu hastily grabbed her paralyzed son and bolted toward home.

But the villagers were not about to let things slide. Hitting someone and then trying to run away? That wasn't how things worked around here. Immediately, a villager known to be close with Wuzi pointed ahead and shouted, "Hey! Don't let those two get away!" And a few others quickly followed to intercept them.

When Old Woman Liu saw these men blocking their path, she decided to go all in and threw herself onto the ground, beginning a loud, mournful howl: "Oh, the heavens! So many people ganging up to bully this old woman..."

The men had already witnessed Old Woman Liu’s knack for being difficult, so they ignored her wailing and simply stood firm, refusing to let them pass.

Since this incident occurred right outside the gates of the old Wang residence, the Wang family could not stand idly by. The Old Madam, upon seeing someone injured by a projectile, immediately dispatched Wang Qingyun to fetch Physician Li.

Under the Old Madam's instruction, Wang Youfu, along with a few onlookers, carefully helped Wuzi into the Wang courtyard.

The crowd, momentarily stunned, resumed their hushed gossip.

"I say Liu Song is truly audacious, injuring someone right here in the village and thinking he could just run off..."

"Indeed. Doesn't he realize that Wuzi isn't someone to be trifled with? After suffering such a loss today, Wuzi certainly won't let that Liu boy off easily."

"Wait a minute, didn't Wuzi usually dislike watching crowds and commotion?"

"Exactly! It’s strange he was even here today, isn't it?"

"..."

Before long, Physician Li arrived. He carefully examined Wuzi’s wound, then shook his head. "I can only dress it here and stop the bleeding. It’s best if you take him to the town clinic to see a proper doctor."

Physician Li usually only handled minor village ailments; anything more serious was beyond his capability. Thus, when he realized he couldn't treat it, he promptly urged the patient to seek professional care in town.

Hearing this, the villagers realized Wuzi's injury was quite severe, which instantly turned the faces of the captured Liu mother and son deathly pale. If this man's eyesight was truly compromised, things would not end amicably.

After hearing Physician Li’s assessment, the few villagers closest to Wuzi prepared to take the bandaged Wuzi and the Liu mother and son to the town clinic.

When Old Woman Liu heard they had to go to the town clinic, she immediately protested. "This mess is all Wang Second's fault! It has nothing to do with us. If Wang Second hadn't dodged, how could that stone have hit Wuzi’s eye? Besides, he just stood there like a block of wood; why didn't he dodge? How can you blame us?"

Liu Song remained silent, listening to his mother.

The onlookers felt utter contempt for the Liu mother and son. They were trying to blame the Wang family for this? If Wang Second hadn't dodged, he would be the one lying injured now.

Liu Song found the pointing and whispering unbearable, but the thought of having to pay exorbitant medical fees at the town clinic made him hesitant. He certainly wasn't willing to part with the meager silver he had left. Ever since the family sold their daughter and received fifty taels, they first compensated Wang Shi for her dowry, then spent a fortune hiring a matchmaker to find him a wife. When that failed, he grew irritable and happened to go gambling with some villagers. He had returned multiple times since then, and now he was left with barely a dozen taels.

However, Liu Song’s calculations were merely paper tigers against absolute force. Wuzi, who hadn't spoken until now, said darkly, "Take the mother and son to the clinic too. If they can’t cover the medical bills, we’ll use them as collateral."

Liu Song and Old Woman Liu were aghast. Old Woman Liu’s finger trembled as she pointed at him. "You... you you... I’m telling you, what you’re doing is against the law! You'll go to the big jail..."

Wuzi shrugged carelessly. "Fine. Then I’ll go to the yamen first and sue your son for assault. We'll see whose son ends up in jail first."

It must be said that even though his eye was injured, Wuzi spoke with considerable authority. Faced with this, Liu Song and Old Woman Liu dared not utter a single word of refusal.

And so, Wuzi, his companions, and the Liu mother and son headed for the town clinic. After walking only a short distance, Wuzi glanced back toward the old residence, then turned and continued on. The onlookers followed suit, then dispersed.

The Liu mother and son had come to cause trouble for the Wang family, but unexpectedly, they had brought a huge disaster upon themselves. The villagers talked about this incident for a long time.

Upon reaching town, Wuzi’s eye could indeed be treated, though it wouldn't return to its previous condition. Just the treatment alone would cost about twenty taels of silver. The Liu mother and son had tried to wriggle out of it, but they had met someone even more obstinate than themselves. Thus, they were forced to go back and gather the money. Their existing silver wasn't enough, so Old Woman Liu eventually pawned a few pieces of jewelry before they finally scraped together the treatment fees.

After the medical bills were paid, the Liu family assumed the ordeal was over. Who knew that this was merely the beginning of their misery? Wuzi was a bachelor with nothing to lose. Under the pretext of needing to recuperate, he moved into the Liu household and refused to leave. The Lius were reduced to enduring his presence in silent anger, even having to provide him with good food and drink. If he was slightly displeased, Wuzi would threaten to have Liu Song imprisoned, and the Lius would immediately comply.

Seeing how completely Wuzi had subdued the Liu family, the two villagers who witnessed the scene remarked with grim satisfaction that only a villain could keep another villain in check.

Recently, the main topic of discussion among the people of Wangjia Village revolved around the Wuzi and Liu family affair. However, before long, it was replaced by another piece of news.

It turned out that Zhang Wenbing's parents had indeed found him a wife from another region.

Madam Zhang was usually quick to learn about village happenings. While helping out at Wang Youfu's house, she shared the news with Madam Yang.

"We were right after all! Zhang Yunzhu's family did go out of town and brought a wife back for their son!" Madam Zhang remarked cheerfully.

Madam Yang sounded slightly surprised. "Oh, that quickly? Perhaps once he’s married, their son will finally settle down and stop messing around all day."

"Settle down? There’s an old saying: A leopard can’t change its spots. Do you really expect him to suddenly become a good person and turn over a new leaf?" Madam Zhang pursed her lips.

"If he can reform, having a decent life ahead is always a good thing," Madam Yang replied.

"You always look on the bright side of things. But a child, ah, is like a tree. If it grows crooked, it’s hard to straighten it out again!" Madam Zhang nodded firmly to herself.

"Also," Madam Zhang continued on the topic, "it seems Zhang Yunzhu’s family wants their son to marry quickly. I heard they've already started preparing the bridal chamber."

"Really? That fast? It hasn't been that long since the news first broke," Madam Yang said, sounding puzzled.

"Exactly! That's why the villagers are surprised!" Madam Zhang said, though she wasn't personally shocked. In her view, since Zhang Yunzhu's son had become such a disgrace, the sooner the marriage was secured before people knew their family's true standing, the better, to avoid complications later.

"But an earlier marriage might be for the best. The family can hold a grandchild sooner, and perhaps with a wife and child, their son will pay more attention to home matters," Madam Yang analyzed.

Madam Zhang laughed. "Let's hope it turns out as you wish!"

And with the arrival of that petty thief [referring to the flower buyer], Wang Qingchen’s attention focused more intently on his flowers. These past few days, Wang Qingchen had been contemplating sending the remaining batch of flowers to Boss Xue. Boss Xue had already taken the previous two pots back to the capital himself. However, before leaving, he had visited the schoolhouse and made arrangements with Wang Qingchen: if he had more flowers, he could simply deliver them to Xue’s residence in Qingshan Town; Xue had left a steward there to handle all flower purchasing matters.

After considering it for a day, Wang Qingchen decided to send twelve pots this time. He then went to town to buy pots, and upon returning, resumed the transplanting work. After preparing the twelve pots, Wang Qingchen informed his family that he would be taking the flowers over. Since he was delivering a larger quantity this time, Wang Qingchen discussed it with his family and arranged to borrow an ox-cart from a neighbor, using their own ox to pull it. Furthermore, he decided that Wang Qinghua would accompany him this time.

Just as these arrangements were finalized, Wang Qingtong arrived to see him.

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