Chapter 17: Trick
The next day, just after dawn, a thin layer of frost covered the entire Pingjiang Village.
Feng Lan got up early and cooked a few eggs for her daughters. She felt relieved only when she saw their little faces flushed with joy after eating.
"Remember what mother said. Don't cause trouble in town, but don't be afraid of it either. If anyone bullies you, go find the town's patrol constable and tell him your fourth uncle, Chen Kangsi," Feng Lan warned. Although she didn't have a favorable impression of her fourth brother, at least his name could still make a difference in town.
Daya nodded solemnly. She held Erya's hand in one hand and Sanya's hand in the other, with the two younger ones following behind her. Like a little adult, she led her sisters out of the yard.
Watching their daughters disappear at the entrance of the village, Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo looked at each other, with a raging fire of war burning in their eyes.
"Let's go meet our good village head!"
The headman's house is at the east end of the village. It is an imposing blue brick and tile house, and the courtyard wall is higher than that of other houses.
Before the couple reached the door, they saw that the gate of the village head's house was closed, as if to refuse visitors.
Chen Kangbo stepped forward and banged the door knocker several times.
After a long while, the door finally opened a crack, and the village head's wife, Wang, poked her head out from behind the door. She was bleary-eyed and looked impatient.
"Who is it? Reincarnation so early in the morning?"
When she saw that it was Chen Kangbo and Feng Lan, the impatience on Wang's face instantly turned into vigilance and perfunctory. She blocked the door and didn't even want to let them in.
"Oh, it's Comber and his family. What's going on so early in the morning?"
Chen Kangbo said in a deep voice, "Aunt, let's go find the village head to discuss what happened to Tian Laosan yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Wang yawned and waved her hand. "Oh, unfortunately, my husband left home before dawn. He said he was going to the neighboring village to discuss the important matter of repairing the canal in the spring. I'm afraid he won't be back until tonight."
As she spoke, she was about to close the door.
Feng Lan was quick-witted and quick-handed. She pushed the door panel against her with one hand, but a smile appeared on her face. That smile was creepy no matter how you looked at it.
"Auntie, what nonsense are you talking about? Building the canal is a big deal, and so are the lives of my husband and daughter! You see, I'm so upset. I didn't sleep all night last night, and my chest feels like it's been blocked by a huge rock, making it hard to breathe. I heard that when you were young, you learned a few tricks from the old man in town, and you're really good at soothing people. Would you... help me take a look?"
As Feng Lan spoke, she moved closer to Wang, holding her chest, looking like she was about to faint at any moment.
Wang was taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm and subconsciously took a step back. She didn't know any medical skills; it was just a bunch of boasting from her youth. But Feng Lan's reputation as a crazy woman was well-known, so she didn't dare to confront her directly.
"Hey, you... I was just talking nonsense, don't take it seriously..."
"Why can't you take it seriously? Auntie, please stop being so modest!" Feng Lan grabbed Wang's hand without hesitation, while pounding her chest with her other hand. "Oh, I can't take it anymore. I can't breathe and my head is dizzy. Auntie, please give me a massage. Just go out in the yard and get some sun. Maybe it will help."
While yelling, she dragged Wang out of the door and pressed her against the stone pier at the gate.
Wang was stunned by her combination of punches and tried to break free, but Feng Lan held her tightly and kept muttering gossip about the villagers, her voice so loud that half the village could hear it.
"Auntie, let me tell you, the boy from the Li family has taken a fancy to the girl from the Zhang family. He even asked me to help him the other day..."
"And that old sow at Butcher Wang's house gave birth to eighteen piglets in one litter. It's really rare..."
Wang was dizzy from her noise, and was afraid that she would really have a seizure at her doorstep and blackmail her, so for a while she was firmly restrained by her.
Just as Feng Lan was using her eloquent tongue to entangle Wang, Chen Kangbo had quietly moved to the other side of the village head's courtyard wall.
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