"Don't be impulsive!"
Chen Wanshui stopped him, then turned to his wife and nodded: "Go out and ask him what he's up to."
The family had just suspected that Lin Haodong was behind the trap, and now he's come knocking on their door? Is he feeling guilty?
Chen Wanshui had some doubts; the Lin family mother and son were not the kind of people who would feel guilty for doing something wrong.
Aunt Chen walked out of the yard with a flashlight in her hand. The faint light of the flashlight swayed outside the door and finally settled on Lin Haodong's face and the bunch of wildflowers in his hand.
She stared at the bouquet of flowers for a long time, her eyes turning cold: "Lin Haodong, it's so late, is there something you need?"
"Auntie, is Qiuyu's foot alright? She was injured so badly this afternoon, I'm a little worried about her."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Chen's eyes grew even colder. What was a married man trying to do, coming to someone else's house in the middle of the night to care about an unmarried young girl?
She stared coldly into Lin Haodong's eyes: "You've shown some consideration. Her injury isn't serious. You can go back now!"
"Auntie, can I take a look at Qiuyu? I'm really worried about her."
Lin Haodong held up the bouquet in his hand as he spoke: "I even went out of my way to pick this bouquet for her, hoping it would keep her in a good mood—"
A figure stormed out of the house, raising a broom and smashing it over Lin Haodong's head: "Lin Haodong, you bastard, you hurt my sister and you still dare to pick this dead man's flower to curse her."
Startled by the sudden attack, Lin Haodong quickly took a few steps back before realizing it was Chen Qiuyu's younger brother.
Fortunately, a courtyard gate blocked his way, allowing him to escape. He quickly explained, "I didn't hurt her. I didn't injure her."
"If you hadn't harmed her, would you be so kind as to come and care for her?"
"Of course not, I didn't harm her, I didn't."
"If it wasn't your fault, why did you take her to the hospital? What are you planning to do?"
The boy's face, now showing early signs of hardening, was filled with resentment. He stretched out a broom, the broom, covered in chicken droppings, almost touching his face.
He quickly took a few steps back: "No, I absolutely didn't. I just feel a little guilty. I should have stopped her this afternoon and not let her go that way."
"You still dare to say you didn't? It was a trap you set, wasn't it?"
"Of course not, I didn't."
Lin Haodong waved his hands repeatedly, while Chen Song sneered, "If it wasn't a trap you set on purpose, why are you apologizing?"
"No, I'm just sorry. I discovered there was a trap there a few days ago, and I saw Qiu Yu going there today. I should have stopped her."
Lin Haodong explained apologetically, "I just forgot for a moment, and I only remembered it after Qiu Yu got injured."
Chen Bai interrupted him: "So, you are responsible for Qiu Yu's injury this time."
Seeing the figures that came out from behind Chen Song, Chen Wanshui, Chen Bai, and Lin Haodong looked even more ashamed.
"Yes, I also feel very sorry, so I'm willing to make it up to you—"
Just as he was about to offer his help again, a strange smile appeared on Chen Bai's still-childish face: "Lin Haodong, you're really different now that you're in college. You're much more responsible than before."
He said this as if he knew himself very well, but Lin Haodong was in high spirits and didn't realize that there was anything wrong with it.
He nodded repeatedly: "Of course, I did study at university for half a year, so I know about benevolence, righteousness, and integrity."
Chen Bai nodded and replied seriously, "Since you admit it's your responsibility, then compensate me. Lost wages, nutrition expenses, shock expenses, mental distress compensation, and medical expenses will all be settled together."
He took out an old abacus from behind him: "Let's do the math. The medical bills today were thirteen yuan and eighty cents. The doctor said it was a fracture, and that it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. He suggested that my sister take three months off. Her monthly salary is thirty-eight yuan, so three months would be one hundred and fourteen yuan."
"These bones are injured, so they need to be nourished. Two packets of milk powder and two bottles of malted milk powder every month. The doctor said to use the principle of 'like cures like,' so we'll stew a pig's trotter every five days..."
He tapped the abacus beads rapidly, the crisp, dynamic sound like chess pieces falling, making Lin Haodong's heart pound.
After a long pause, Chen Bai raised his head: "Medical expenses, nutrition expenses, lost wages, shock expenses, and compensation for mental distress, all added up to two hundred and forty-nine yuan and thirty cents. I won't haggle over the change, two hundred and forty-nine it is!"
Lin Haodong's expression changed slightly as the two of them chimed in: "It wasn't me who caused her injury."
Even if he caused the harm, there's no reason for him to pay several hundred dollars in compensation. Even the money earned by risking one's life isn't that expensive, is it?
Chen Song sneered: "You just said it yourself that it was your responsibility."
"I just forgot to stop her from stepping on the trap; I didn't set it."
"If you didn't set the trap, why are you claiming it's your fault? If you didn't cause this, why would you be so kind as to rush to take my sister to the hospital? This is clearly a guilty conscience..."
"When a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless; you can't reason with people like you—"
Lin Haodong threw the bouquet of flowers on the ground and ran away.
It's too difficult for him to get close to Chen Qiuyu in front of the Chen family; he needs to find a way to appear when she's alone.
As the Chen family watched Lin Haodong walk away, Chen Bai shouted after him, "Lin Haodong, you deliberately set a trap, causing my sister to injure her foot. You are utterly heartless! We are going to report you to the brigade leader and Secretary Ji!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Haodong ran even faster.
Chen Wanshui snorted coldly and suddenly said to his two sons, "You two, go over to those houses and remind them to be careful of their daughters, lest Lin Haodong plot against them again."
The Chen brothers, Chen Song and Chen Bai, also knew about Lin Haodong and his mother's scheme last time. Upon hearing this, they readily agreed, opened the door, and hurriedly ran away.
Chen Wanshui closed the courtyard gate, turned around and returned to the living room, and sneered at Ji Xia and Chen Jing: "This method works well. As soon as we mentioned compensation, he ran away."
Ji Xia shook her head inwardly. How could she have fallen for a man like this in her past life?
Without her support, this man is utterly useless; all he knows is how to plot against people.
She shook her head and whispered a reminder: "From now on, don't go out easily without someone with you, lest he pester you again."
Chen Qiuyu looked at his ankle, which was wrapped up like a dumpling, with a pained expression: "Look at my feet, how can I go out?"
Ji Xia shook his head inwardly, thinking, "If you've been a thief for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?"
Unless there's nothing worth stealing.
He squinted at Chen Qiuyu's playful face for a long time and said, "I have a way that might make him give up his idea about you."
"Really? What's the solution?" Chen Qiuyu asked urgently.
Hearing this, Aunt Chen was also tempted and pleaded in a low voice, "A-Xia, do you have a way to make him give up? What way? Tell us?"
Ji Xia smiled faintly, "Didn't you say you'd have Xiao Song come to the city with you after the New Year? Then spread the word that you broke your leg, let others know that you can't work because of your leg injury, and have your brother take over your job?"
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