Chapter 51 Broken Leg
Li Daya lowered her head and remained silent.
"Are you holding a grudge against me? Are you planning to take revenge on me when you grow up?"
Zhou was furious. She threw down her chopsticks and yelled at Li Daya.
Because she often mentioned bastards, Li Daya knew from a young age that she wasn't her biological daughter.
Zhou always felt that Li Daya was not docile enough, so her attitude towards her became increasingly hostile.
Unlike ordinary children who cry and fuss, Li Daya was unusually calm, which was why Zhou Shi disliked her more and more.
Although she was only six years old, she didn't cry or beg her mother not to scold or hit her; she would just quietly do her things.
"Mother, I didn't."
Li Daya looked up at Zhou Shi, who shook her head in explanation.
She sensed that the Zhou family was on the verge of collapse.
Leaving aside what will happen twenty years from now, she can't survive on her own right now. She can't be abandoned, and she doesn't want to be sold.
Li Daya clenched her fists, unable to shed a tear, so her gaze towards Zhou Shi appeared cold. Li Daya said to Zhou Shi, "Mother, I will always be filial to you."
If she really becomes a female general, she will be filial to Lady Zhou.
She wouldn't have grown up without Zhou Shi.
Zhou Shi wasn't particularly kind to her, yet so many people saw her but didn't pick her up, simply because she was a girl. Zhou Shi took her in and raised her, which was considered a great kindness.
"I'll ask that girl again tomorrow."
Zhou's voice softened considerably. Li Daya wasn't one to say nice things, even though she wasn't her biological daughter, she was the one who raised her.
She has to do whatever she's told. If she really becomes a female general and dares to be unfilial, she can be reported to the authorities. No matter what kind of general she is, she will be punished.
Thinking this way, Zhou felt much more at ease: "Go and clean up the dishes, then boil some water for Mother to wash her feet."
"good."
Li Daya had no complaints and did her job efficiently.
Seeing her lowered head and meek expression, Zhou felt even more at ease.
——
The old man's name is Qu Hui. He was abandoned as a child and taken in by a Taoist temple to be raised. He studied metaphysics from a young age and learned all kinds of metaphysical arts. His ability to read faces and predict good and bad fortune is not just talk.
Even after returning home, he still felt uneasy.
It wasn't dark yet, so to prevent himself from getting hungry later, he quickly ate his meal until he was stuffed.
Fortune telling isn't always accurate, so it's certain that someone will cause trouble for you.
To prevent anyone from causing trouble, he quietly left the Taoist temple and returned to the city to sleep at an inn, thinking that even if someone caused trouble at the inn, he wouldn't get beaten up for nothing.
The innkeeper would always try to stop them.
Since the master passed away, the incense offerings at the Taoist temple have gradually declined.
He only knows this much, barely enough to make a living.
He didn't rely entirely on esoteric arts; he also observed the people who came for fortune telling and told them what results they preferred.
He didn't know anyone at the inn, and he even used a fake name to check in, so he refused to believe that anything could go wrong.
Break his leg! Who would dare break his leg?
It's even less likely that he'll fall into a ditch; he's staying at the inn tonight, where are there any ditches!
Even after ensuring there were no oversights, Qu Hui was still uneasy and took out a tortoise shell to perform divination.
The divination results showed that he frowned.
How could it be such a bad omen?
Qu Hui, refusing to believe in superstition, cast the divination again, but all three results were extremely inauspicious.
Qu Hui's scalp tingled, but his mind was in a mess. He couldn't figure out where his leg had fallen into the ditch.
As darkness fell.
Qu Hui left the room and went to the outhouse.
He ate too much in the afternoon, and there happened to be no chamber pot in the room; if there had been, he wouldn't have gone downstairs.
The inn's outhouse was in the backyard, and there was a narrow ditch about a foot wide in the yard, which the innkeeper had probably dug to bury bamboo tubes for drawing water.
After leaving the outhouse, he decided to hurry back to his room.
I only felt safe when I got back to my room and lay in bed, after all, that was a very inauspicious divination.
He lost his footing and fell forward.
He felt his vision darken and heard a 'crack' sound of bones breaking. He couldn't tell whether the pain from hitting the ground or the pain from his broken leg was worse.
A scream had already escaped his lips.
"Ahhh—"
A bloodcurdling scream came from Qu Hui's mouth, which quickly attracted the attention of the shop's staff.
"Sir, what happened to you? How did you fall into such a small ditch? Are you trying to scam us?"
"Let me make this clear: you fell down on your own. We even have lanterns lit in our backyard. Your leg has nothing to do with us!"
The waiter who came over felt dizzy and immediately thought it was a deliberate extortion attempt. Otherwise, how could someone break their leg in a ditch that was only a foot wide?
Neither of the men had a friendly look on their faces. They only earned a few dozen coins a night at the inn, and if he succeeded in extorting them, they would lose their wages for the month.
"Report to the authorities! We must report to the authorities!"
The two men looked at each other and firmly reached a consensus.
We absolutely must report this to the authorities; we absolutely cannot allow ourselves to be extorted.
"Quickly, take me to the clinic! I'm not trying to extort you, this has nothing to do with you, I can provide proof..."
Qu Hui was sweating profusely from the pain. Seeing that the two men were still not moving and were about to report to the authorities, he endured the pain and spoke up.
Reporting this to the authorities is troublesome; after all the investigation, when will they be able to send him to the clinic?
What if this delay causes my leg to become useless later?
"If that's what you're saying, then we won't report it to the authorities. Wait a minute, you need to sign this document first."
Qu Hui seemed easy to talk to, not making trouble, and the two men lowered their guard, but he was very meticulous in doing what needed to be done.
After Qu Hui signed a statement proving that he was not related to the injury, the two men found a stretcher and took Qu Hui to the clinic.
When they arrived at the clinic, the doctor frowned as soon as he saw the injury: "What happened? Your injury is too severe; it may have long-term effects."
If you injure your bones and muscles, it will be difficult to fully recover even after treatment.
"Doctor, just treat him as you see fit."
Qu Hui felt disheartened, but no matter what, he still had to get treatment.
After his injured leg was immobilized, Qu Hui calmed down.
He began to worry about whether he should go tomorrow.
If he doesn't go, no one will ever ask him to tell their fortune again. But if he does go... it's embarrassing. People will know he's inaccurate and won't ask him to tell their fortunes anymore.
He can't make a living anymore, what will he do in the future?
He was born with a castration and was weak in his limbs, which is why his parents abandoned him. He couldn't do heavy work, and he couldn't tell fortunes, so he had no way to survive.
If I don't go, will I really have bad luck for a whole year?
Qu Hui pondered. He had a feeling that with his current luck, a year of bad luck might kill him.
As dawn broke, Qu Hui, pale-faced and with dark circles under his eyes, sighed and said to the young doctor, "Come here for a moment, I have something I need you to do."
...
Early in the morning, Qin Jin'an obediently boarded the carriage and followed Qin Tianhai and Qin Shi into the city.
Once in the city, Qin Tianhai said to Qin Shi, "Are you alright on your own? I'll take Yu Bao to meet a friend."
Madam Qin already knew, but she resisted the urge to look at Qin Jin'an. She nodded and said, "Father, you go ahead. I can manage."
Qin Tianhai took Qin Jin'an's hand and walked away. After a few steps, Qin Jin'an turned back and smiled at Qin Shi, saying, "Mother, I will be good."
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