Zhang Xiu and the others quickly thanked the doctor.
The doctor said nothing and went to write down the prescription.
At this moment, Wan Kongshan also spoke to Zhang Xiu with a hint of reproach: "This is the magistrate's young master. Now that he's fallen into the water, how are we going to explain this to him..."
Zhang Xiu looked apologetic and lowered his head, saying softly, "It was my oversight. If the magistrate blames me, I will apologize on my own..."
Wan Suizhou overheard their conversation. He walked up to them, stopping their pointless complaints, and then comforted Zhang Xiu, saying, "Children often bump into each other while playing. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, so don't worry about it anymore..."
The Wan family was busy with Cao Chengye's affairs, unaware that Zhao Damei outside had overheard everything.
Zhao Damei was just worried about not knowing where to find fault with the Wan family, and she immediately had another idea.
She left Zhang Xiu's house in a hurry and spread rumors to everyone she met.
"Hey, have you heard? Zhang Xiu and the little girl she picked up lured the magistrate's son to the sea and almost drowned him. He's still unconscious..."
"Really...?"
"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself at Zhang Xiu's house. They've kept the news very well hidden. I think they're probably trying to cover it up from the whole world."
"That would be terrible! If the county magistrate blames us, our Blue Ocean Village will be in deep trouble!"
The crowd discussed the matter animatedly, all expressing deep concern.
Within half a day, news of the magistrate's son getting into trouble in Lanhai Village spread throughout the entire village.
Some villagers, worried that the matter would affect Lanhai Village, went to the village chief to ask him to handle it.
Left with no other option, the village chief led the villagers to the Wan family's house.
At that time, Zhang Xiu and others were brewing medicine for Cao Chengye when they suddenly heard a commotion outside.
The group went outside to check and saw the village chief, surrounded by many villagers, come to the courtyard.
"Village chief, what's going on?"
Upon hearing the commotion, Wan Suizhou felt a slight unease, but still asked politely.
"Don't you know why I'm here?!" The village chief's face showed a mixture of helplessness and fear.
Wan Suizhou looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if asking him to explain.
The village chief pointed to his house, his tone not very friendly: "I don't need to tell you who's lying in your house right now!"
The village chief's face showed a hint of anger, and his words stunned both Wan Suizhou and Zhang Xiu.
Meanwhile, Zhao Damei had already gone to the county town to report the news with Wan Suijin.
Firstly, she wanted to inform Magistrate Cao about Cao Chengye's situation. Secondly, she had a big plan in mind, and she was waiting for today to ensure that Zhang Xiu's family would never have a chance to recover.
"Let's just say what everyone wants to say..."
Unable to bear the reproachful looks from so many people, Wan Kongshan, with a hint of impatience, addressed the crowd.
Unexpectedly, these words caused the villagers to disregard everything else and angrily rebuke Zhang Xiu's family: "Your family has harmed the magistrate's young master, putting our village in danger! If you anger the magistrate, what will become of our village!"
"That's right! You should take responsibility for your own actions, but don't drag the village down with you..."
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, and although Zhang Xiu was somewhat puzzled, he managed to glean some understanding from their words.
What's more, the village chief came up again and said that she should go to the county magistrate to apologize herself.
Cao Chengye is still unconscious, so even if Zhang Xiu claims she is innocent, no one will believe her, leaving her utterly unable to defend herself.
After finally calming down the villagers' agitated emotions, several more voices came from the doorway.
Zhang Xiu went to look at the sound and saw two strangers she had never seen before.
"What can I do for you two?" Zhang Xiu asked, though he had a headache. He went to the door and greeted the two.
The two men each produced an order form and said to Zhang Xiu, "We are waiters from Chunhe Restaurant and Lefu Inn. The boss sent us to inquire whether you have collected enough fish for the order..."
As if things weren't going to go wrong, one problem after another arose.
Zhang Xiu looked at the orders the two men had produced and was speechless for a moment. He could only say, "Isn't there still five days left?"
One of them said, "My manager heard that something happened to you and was worried that you wouldn't be able to complete the number of orders you requested, so he sent me to inquire..."
He paused, then continued, "Our manager also said that you signed off on the previous orders, and if they aren't delivered on time, you'll have to compensate our restaurant for the losses..."
Zhang Xiu was truly at his wit's end.
Although she was anxious and impatient, she still promised to submit all the orders within the stipulated time.
After finally seeing the two off, Cao Taining's sedan chair appeared before everyone's eyes.
After Cao Chengye fell into the sea, Wan Suizhou immediately sent Wan Kongshan to inform him of the news.
Before Cao Taining could even leave, Zhao Damei, eager to claim credit, also sent Wan Suijin to inform on him.
Her original plan was to make Magistrate Cao angry after learning about this, which would eventually lead to Zhang Xiu's wrath.
But to everyone's surprise, Cao Taining did not show much anger after arriving late.
Instead, the village chief and his group took the lead in apologizing and kowtowing to Magistrate Cao, hoping not to be implicated in the matter.
Cao Taining glanced helplessly at the group of ignorant villagers, then walked towards Wan Suizhou.
Wan Suizhou was not one to shirk responsibility. Upon seeing Cao Taining, he first bowed deeply to him, and then said apologetically, "It was my fault for not taking good care of your son. Magistrate Cao may beat or scold him, but my family will not say a word."
Upon hearing this, Cao Taining quickly pulled the man up and said gently, "I had already heard from others that it was my son's unruly behavior that led him to insist on going. Since the accident happened, it's because he didn't realize the danger. You can't blame him for this, sir..."
The group entered the house while talking.
After calming Wan Suizhou down, Cao Taining went to check on Cao Chengye's condition.
He was lying on the bed, covered with a soft blanket. Although his face was a little pale, his breathing was even, and he did not seem to be in any great danger.
Magistrate Cao breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "This child was spoiled by his mother since he was a child, unlike children from the sea who are more resilient. He will probably need to lie down for a few days, but I think it should be fine."
Wan Suizhou felt extremely apologetic and said to Magistrate Cao, "If you still trust our family, please let the child stay here. We will take good care of him until he wakes up."
Cao Taining then said, "In that case, I'll trouble you all."
This was originally a very minor matter, and the matter should have been resolved by now.
However, Zhao Damei was extremely unhappy that Zhang Xiu's family had escaped unscathed, so she instigated a group of people to morally blackmail Zhang Xiu.
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