Chapter 4

The man, tall and with long arms, clamped directly onto Qiu Er's forearm. His twisted palm curved upward in a strange arc, forcibly twisting it in the opposite direction.

Qiu Er slipped to the ground, and the children, spineless, scattered in a circle, watching the horrifying scene.

The man looked a little sick, his face motionless, yet he could easily clamp down on a scoundrel like Qiu Er, rendering him unable to move. Qiu Er wailed miserably.

"Ah--!"

His fingers pierced his heart, and the pain was so intense that he almost fainted. But the man clearly had no room for him to faint. With an indescribable movement, he pressed his fingertips somewhere, and another scream erupted, startling the chickens in the Jiang family's courtyard so much that they fluttered their wings, their feathers falling in a chaotic mess.

Such piercing pain jolted the man, nearly fainting, back to life. Drenched in sweat, Qiu Er collapsed to the ground, but a hand held high in the hands of this seemingly elegant man prevented him from falling, and even support was unavailable.

Facing the morning light, the man, dressed simply, defined his figure. The early morning light streamed down softly, unstintingly favoring his form. His once dull eyes, now imbued with a touch of life, were now filled with life.

A breeze blew by, bringing a delicate scent of jasmine.

The man's brows twitched, softening their cold brows. "Come in first."

Jiang Fuying, startled by the scene, was also caught off guard. Before she could react, she heard Chang Yuan speak, snapping back to her senses and running behind him.

The children, frozen in place, watched the ever-dominant Qiu Er wail in such a way that they forgot to flee.

Seeing Jiang Fuying about to run home, Qiu Er, recovering from the excruciating pain, lashed out with curses, "Let me go, you bastard! Do you know who I am? How dare you do this to me—Ah!"

His harsh words had no deterrent effect. Instead, they made Chang Yuan's lips straighten in annoyance, his brow furrowed.

"A wild dog barking

like that, don't bother me," Qiu Er cursed, then, unable to continue. Tears streamed down his face, his entire body throbbing with pain.

He tried to fight back, but his body slumped to the ground, covered in mud. He couldn't even lift his other hand. The slightest movement would cause the blind pretty boy to press down on him, his arm feeling like it was breaking, and he begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Let go, let go," Qiu Er gasped, breathing heavily. "Who is this young man? I was wrong, and I know I was wrong."

His voice was weak, and Jiang Fuying had never seen him beg for mercy so kindly.

Chang Yuan didn't move at all, but just slightly shifted a few inches in the direction of Jiang Fuying. Qiu Er, who always claimed to be a "roaming the world", immediately understood everything. Regardless of his face full of snot, he cried out: "Sister Jiang, Madam Jiang! Kind-hearted Bodhisattva Jiang - please tell the madam to let this good man loosen his hand and spare my life..."

Chang Yuan turned his head slightly, obviously paying attention to her movements. Jiang Fuying thought for a moment, shook her head and said in a deep voice: "Who asked you to do this?"

She knew Qiu Er was a rogue, but his mind was not clear. He could think of a way to ruin her reputation, but he spent money so quickly to find a few children to sing around her house - it seemed that he was even more vicious!

Her mother was not in good health and couldn't stand being angry. Everyone in the neighborhood knew it. This was to force her family into a dead end!

"Yes, yes..."

Qiu Er, still determined to break free, saw that Chang Yuan wasn't paying attention to him. However, as soon as he moved and tried to stand up, he was kicked in the knee from behind, and fell to his knees in front of Jiang Fuying.

In that instant, Jiang Fuying didn't even notice when Chang Yuan made the move. She saw him looking calm and composed, looking down at the embarrassed Qiu Er with contempt.

"Be honest," Chang Yuan's voice was not loud, and it fell lightly into everyone's ears, "maybe you can suffer less."

"Oh - yes, it's someone from the Zhang family, Mr. Zhang's servant," Qiu Er cried out. He had fought with people in his life, but he had never had such a moment when he was powerless to fight back. "I just followed orders and did things for the money--"

"Where are the others?"

Jiang Fuying was shaking with anger, "Is there any other way to deal with me? What are your friends plotting behind my back?"

"It's gone, it's really gone!"

Qiu Er's knees hurt so much, he knelt on the muddy ground with gravel and cracked by the summer sun, "I took the money and didn't want to share it with them, so I came alone... It's really gone!"

Jiang Fuying felt a little better, and snorted, "You deserve to suffer."

She signaled Chang Yuan to let go, and didn't want to get entangled with such scum anymore. Who knew that Chang Yuan just let go and then pressed Qiu Er's shoulders condescendingly again.

He was forced to his knees, unable to move once again.

Qiu Er couldn't remember how long he had been wailing. He only heard Chang Yuan say, "Madam Jiang knows some medical skills, maybe she can heal you."

Jiang Fuying looked at him in disbelief. She wouldn't do that to someone like him...

"So," Chang Yuan's voice was emotionless, yet it chilled the June sun. "Apologize to Madam Jiang and ask her to heal you."

Jiang Fuying stood there, staring blankly in his direction.

The herbs in the backpack still smelled of earth. The children around were too frightened to move. Qiu Er was in a state of disarray, clearly on the verge of peeing. As the sun rose a few degrees, she could feel beads of sweat on her forehead.

She blinked, watching Chang Yuan's knuckles pressing against Qiu Er's shoulder.

The edges of his fingertips were white from the pressure, and the slight redness of his palms from the friction he had just applied to Qiu Er's body showed that his strength far exceeded what he had shown today.

"Madam Jiang, please…Madam Jiang, I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that. I was wrong. I offended this lady..."

Qiu Er trembled with fear, terrified that if he said anything wrong again, Chang Yuan would silently clamp down on him, sending a piercing pain through his bones.

"Madam Bodhisattva, please forgive me. I will never, never again…"

Qiu Er babbled incoherently, his eyes blinded by the pain. When Chang Yuan released his grip, a dull thud rang out, and Qiu Er collapsed to the ground, convulsed and wailing.

"I misremembered,"

Chang Yuan suddenly said. "Madam Jiang only treats humans, not animals. Let's seek help from someone else."

Qiu Er cried out, as if he had seen a ghost. Gritting his teeth through the excruciating pain, he stood up and ran a long way.

He could faintly hear him utter more harsh words, but Jiang Fuying had no intention of getting angry. She simply stood there, watching Chang Yuan, who clapped his hands as if he had touched something deeply filthy.

When her eyes fell on his cheek, Chang Yuan seemed to feel something and raised his head to meet her face.

He obviously couldn't see it, but Jiang Fuying felt a little guilty for no reason. She held the backpack with a little force to calm herself down.

"How much money did he give you?"

Jiang Fuying heard him ask.

The few children who had been mischievous at first saw that Qiu Er was beaten without any resistance. After hearing what he said, they thought that a disaster was about to happen.

The big child who was in the lead mustered up the courage and gave him all the money he and his friends had collected. His legs trembled, and he said, "That's all..."

Chang Yuan didn't ask for money. He simply extended his hand and, with lightning speed, pointed out several of the child's acupuncture points. The child immediately burst into tears and admitted his mistake. Several other children burst into tears, shaking with fear.

"I pointed out your acupuncture points. You will die within a day," Chang Yuan said coldly. "Tell your parents to bring you to Madam Jiang to apologize today."

The crying gradually subsided. "To absolve yourself of your acupuncture points, you will need three taels of pork, half a catty of rice wine, and a bag of rice and flour. Otherwise, your qi and blood will flow backwards by this time tomorrow

, and you will die suddenly." Chang Yuan turned away. "Don't forget this today."

He turned around and knew that Jiang Fuying had been standing there. He passed by her and raised his hand imperceptibly, touching her sleeve.

"Go back."

The children had already run away crying. Jiang Fuying came to her senses. The fingertips in her sleeve trembled slightly, just touching the fingers reaching out to her.

Their fingertips touched, like the merging of cold snow and blazing sun. The warmth left her touch and then faded, still burning her heart.

"...Thank you very much,"

Chang Yuan said, pausing slightly and nodding. "Madam Jiang, there's no need for formalities. You saved my life, so this is a trivial matter. Madam Jiang, you should return home soon... Your mother must be waiting for you."

-

"Mother," Jiang Fuying hurried into the house, a smile on her face. She set down her backpack and opened the tightly closed window to let in some fresh air. "How long have you been awake, mother? Are you feeling unwell?"

Luo Xujun had little strength, so she smiled helplessly. The window was wide open, the warm sunlight streaming onto her daughter's face, casting a soft glow over her fair skin, like the most flawless jade in the world.

She quietly watched her daughter.

It was still early, the sun not yet scorching. A gentle breeze blew through the wooden window, stirring her daughter's hair and dress, making them look incredibly fresh and light.

She had been frail for years, bedridden for a long time. After her husband passed away, Jiang Fuying was the only one who supported the family.

Luo Xujun looked at his daughter. She was already tall, with a serene face. She was as tender as a newly sprouted willow, almost enough to squeeze water out of her.

At an age when most girls would still be acting spoiled and mischievous with their parents, Jiang Fuying had become calm and composed early on. She knew only to report good news and not bad news, and everything was kept secret from her.

Her mother's long silence made Jiang Fuying feel a little uneasy - she was afraid that her mother would be sad and worried, and she was also afraid that she would be angry with her for hiding the truth.

"Mother..."

she took the initiative to speak.

Luo Xujun stirred, tears streaming before she could speak.

"Why, why did you have to hide it from me."

Tears stung Jiang Fuying's eyes. Her throat choked, her nose swollen, and she cried out, "Mother."

This cry seemed to bring out all the bitterness she had felt during this period. She had been suppressed in her heart for so long, and finally found an outlet to vent.

Luo Xujun reached out his hands to hug her, holding her tightly in his arms, as if she was still a crying baby who needed her mother's nourishment.

Tears soaked the clothes on her chest, and Jiang Fuying bit her lips and cried, as if she wanted to shed all the tears she had been crying for so long.

Luo Xujun was naturally heartbroken. When she learned about this yesterday, her eyes rolled back and she fainted. She was afraid that her daughter was shocked and scared and could not rest. When she woke up this morning, she heard a noise outside the yard and saw the chaos outside through the slightly open wooden door. Ah Ying has been very proud since she was a child. If it were not for the help of the young man from the Chang family who was rescued, she didn't know how the day would end.

She patted her daughter's slender back, comforting her while crying: "Don't cry, don't cry, mother is here, mother will hold you for

a while, you will be fine..." Jiang Fuying cried hard, and finally her eyes were swollen like peaches. Luo Xujun exuded a soft, motherly fragrance, as if just smelling it could bring her back to her mother's arms, a carefree little girl. After

she'd cried enough, Luo Xujun pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her face.

"I thought you'd grown up," Luo Xujun forced a laugh. "You've cried like a kitten, but it seems you haven't grown up yet, needing your mother to hold you and comfort you."

Jiang Fuying wiped away her tears and whispered coquettishly, "No matter how old I am, I'm still my mother's daughter."

"When you were little, your father told me that our Ying was beautiful and would definitely marry the best son," Luo Xujun said softly. "So many years have passed, and you've grown up now. Tell me the truth, do you have a son you like?"

Jiang Fuying shook her head and said nothing.

"If not... then what do you think of the Zhang family?"

Luo Xujun's family was well-off in her youth, and she spoke in a gentle manner, with a soft temperament. Tonghua had enviously told Fuying more than once that she wished her mother could be as gentle.

Jiang Fuying, however, would rather her mother not be so gentle, or even if she was a bit more aggressive like Cai, and was strong and could walk ten miles in one breath.

She felt only sorrow for her mother.

"Mother," she said, "you know, I hate rich families like that. How could I have any thoughts about the Zhang family?"

Luo Xujun couldn't help but feel hot and wiped away her tears. "You've always wanted to be strong and respectable. But as a mother, I don't even want to tell you when my daughter is in trouble... You're useless, mother."

"Mother, how can I let you worry about me when you're sick?" Jiang Fuying didn't want her mother to worry about her, but she didn't expect that she would still make her mother sad.

"You are my daughter. How could you not know what kind of personality you have?"

Luo Xujun wiped her tears and said sadly, "What you think is nothing more than that even if I tell you, it will be useless and will only cause more trouble. Isn't that right?"

Jiang Fuying shook her head. Anyone who heard her loving mother say these words would be moved. She lowered her head and wiped her tears, "Mother is not in good health. What if she gets angry about my daughter's affairs... My daughter only has a mother now."

"I know you have an idea in your mind. I just ask you," Luo Xujun looked at his daughter's face and couldn't bear to cry, "Have you thought about what to do?"

Jiang Fuying wiped her tears, her mother's slightly gray hair reflected in her eyes, and the corners of her lips were straightened into a line.

"All the troubles are just originated from my daughter's face."

Her fingertips trembled slightly, she closed her eyes, and listened to her own words coming out of her mouth.

"I will cut off my face now, and everything in the future will have nothing to do with my daughter anymore."