The barbecue was selling like hotcakes, and Lan Yamei was all smiles. But then the weather turned against them. A sudden gust of wind and rain transformed the sunny afternoon into a stormy night with dark clouds gathering and the wind howling. The streets became deserted, and the restaurant was nearly half empty. Just as she was about to go to the door to check on things, a drenched child darted into the lobby.
He was soaking wet, as if he had just been pulled from the water. The long, strenuous run had caused his chest to heave violently. He spotted Lan Yamei, knelt down with a thud, panting heavily, and pleaded, "Please save my family! They ate poison in the ruined temple!" Fearing for his loved ones' lives, he burst into loud sobs.
Lan Yamei and Aunt Guan quickly helped the child up, and only then did they see his face clearly. It was the child that Tie Tou had caught during the day. They hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened? Tell us slowly."
The child was extremely anxious. Rainwater mixed with tears, his face was wet, and his hair and clothes were stuck to his body. He kept wiping away his tears and pleading, "It will be too late if we wait any longer, it will be too late. Please, please go and save them, please." The child was about to kneel down and kowtow again, but Aunt Guan stopped him.
With their hands not busy, everyone gathered around. In this day and age, there are many families that are not well-off, but this is a child, and they couldn't bear to leave her alone. They looked at Lan Ya Mei and Aunt Guan, waiting for them to make a decision.
With lives at stake, there was no time to think. Lan Yamei immediately shouted, "Tie Tou, drive the carriage, we need to go out right away."
The matter was of great importance, so Tie Tou quickly went to catch the carriage. Lan Ya Mei instructed everyone to guard the shop well, and then, taking Guan Da Niang with her, they sped towards the dilapidated temple outside the city, following the route indicated by the child.
Pushing open the door, they found all three of them bleeding from their mouths and noses, seemingly unconscious. Upon seeing this, the child's legs went weak and he fainted. Lan Yamei reacted quickly, catching him and placing him on the ground.
Aunt Guan rushed over and took the pulses of the three of them one by one. After confirming the general situation, she immediately took out silver needles and inserted them into the acupoints. As her fingers continued to twist, the three of them vomited continuously.
The dilapidated temple let in drafts and rain; a pile of straw served as a bed, and they huddled around a campfire for warmth; there was nothing to eat. The two men felt sorry for this family, thinking they were even worse off than the tenant farmers in the village.
After glancing at the watery vomit, Aunt Guan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, it's good that you've vomited. This old man is alright, but the other two are in bad shape. Let's go back to the shop and talk about it."
Lan Yamei had complete faith in Aunt Guan's medical skills; she had previously easily neutralized the red spider venom and saved three petty thieves. She had been truly worried about the situation just now, but Aunt Guan said it was alright, and her heart finally settled. Without asking any more questions, she helped lift the person onto the carriage.
The rain was still heavy, the sky was gray and gloomy, accompanied by rumbling thunder. The shops on the street were all closed and deserted, so I could ride my horse back to the shop at full speed.
After changing the three into dry clothes and settling them in, Aunt Guan immediately conducted another thorough examination before writing two prescriptions and arranging for Er Gou's wife to buy the medicine. She then gave the three acupuncture treatments, inducing vomiting while asking the child, who had already woken up, "Tell Grandma what you know."
"Grandma, these are my parents and grandpa. They all ate poisoned porridge. The poison must have been given to us by Manager Mei of Hua Man Lou because we didn't have money to buy medicine to commit suicide. My parents' tendons were all severed before, and they couldn't move. I don't know who injured them. Later, Grandpa brought us from Chang'an to Lin'an, and we came to Longyang Town based on someone's directions. We went to find Manager Mei of Hua Man Lou to treat them, but she made me do her work first." The child held back tears, explaining the situation with a mix of grievance and strength.
"Manager Mei? What did she ask you to do?" Lan Yamei was getting more and more confused. Manager Mei was right in front of her, so why was this child talking nonsense?
“She asked me to poison the well in your shop, but I was worried about the complex water veins and didn’t want to make a big mistake, so I backed down. Then she went back on her word and refused to treat my parents or take us in. My grandfather probably wanted to end it all, so he took the medicine she gave him.” The child knelt down with a thud and confessed, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I almost harmed you. You still saved us. I, Wang Fengyang, will repay you even if I have to be your slave.”
The two exchanged a glance. Hua Yuhe came from a wealthy and powerful family, wielding considerable influence in Longyang Town, the largest town in Lin'an. What more could she possibly want? Why would she extend her reach to a small barbecue restaurant that had only been open for a day? What could possibly make her so intolerant of Aunt Guan?
Aunt Guan's expression changed slightly, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. She tried her best to control herself and helped the child up, saying, "Tie Tou, take him to get something to eat."
Tie Tou took the child's hand and walked outside.
"Grandma, will they die?" the child asked fearfully, turning around. His voice trembled slightly, but his stomach was growling loudly; he hadn't eaten properly for two days.
"No, Grandma's here, you can go without worry." After Tie Tou and the child went downstairs, he closed the door and said to Lan Ya Mei, "It seems that Hua Yu He doesn't allow me to live in Longyang Town and is forcing me to leave."
"The worst part is that she's ruining your reputation! What exactly is she trying to do?" Lan Yamei couldn't figure it out for a moment, but with a strong sense of law, she decided to fight back.
Since Hua Yuhe has so brazenly plotted against me, I will fight back. "No matter what she's up to, since she dared to send someone to poison me and try to make things difficult for me, I will not let her off easily. I will go to the county government office right now to file a complaint and have her thrown in jail and beheaded as a warning to others." Lan Yamei wanted to defeat her opponent through normal means.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Don't rush. We need to investigate this matter thoroughly before taking action. In this seemingly prosperous era, undercurrents are surging, and the country is not at peace. No county magistrate is willing to do anything for the people; they are all busy extorting money from them. Hua Manlou is already deeply entrenched in Lin'an. It won't be easy to touch her." Aunt Guan was very worried that if things were exposed, there would be no room for maneuver.
"What's there to be afraid of! If the county magistrate refuses to act according to the law, I'll tear down the county government office. If officials don't serve the people, they might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes! If he dares to protect Hua Yuhe, I'll fight this evil force to the end!" The other party is already pushing their luck; how can she be a coward? How can she possibly make a name for herself in Longyang Town then? Ignoring Aunt Guan's advice, Lan Yamei went downstairs to find someone to write a petition.
Just then, Er Gou's wife had finished brewing the Chinese medicine and was bringing it upstairs when she nearly bumped into Lan Ya Mei, who was storming down the stairs. Lan Ya Mei didn't explain and ran off.
Er Gou's wife asked blankly, "Auntie, what was she rushing off to?"
"She's going to the authorities to sue Hua Yuhe!" Aunt Guan shook her head helplessly. In this day and age, there's no reason to listen to reason. Being so reckless will definitely lead to a big loss.
"Who is Hua Yuhe?" Er Gou's family lived in the village and had just moved to the city. They didn't know how to distinguish between the powerful and the wealthy, so they asked without understanding.
"Give them the medicine first, there's no time to lose. Give them the medicine every four hours, and after that, give them thin porridge and let them vomit as much as they can. As long as they get through tonight, they'll be out of danger." After giving these instructions, Aunt Guan explained, "Hua Yuhe is the manager of Hua Manlou, one of the most powerful and influential people in Lin'an City."
"The manager of Hua Man Lou!" Er Gou's wife exclaimed, covering her mouth in disbelief. "How could Manager Lan have made an enemy of her? We're no match for her; it's like ants trying to move a stone!"
“Even you understand, but this girl won’t listen. Find two careful people to keep watch here. Don’t be careless; it’s a matter of life and death. I’ll go after her now; we can’t let her do something foolish.” After giving these instructions, Aunt Guan hurried downstairs to chase after her.
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