Not afraid of causing trouble, Zhao Dawen cleverly shifted the blame to Zhao Dashu.
Wang gave him an approving look, thinking that even a deadbeat like him could still have some sense when it mattered most.
"Third brother, what do you have to say? A dignified scholar like you is going to let your nephew get beaten up? Have you no shame?"
Zhao Dashu shrugged. "I'm too proud to help my second brother. I won't get involved in his business with the Pan family; it's shameful."
"Third brother!"
Old Mrs. Sun was so angry that she choked and coughed for a long time, pointing at Zhao Dashu but unable to speak.
What a disaster! She can't control this wretched thing anymore.
"Mother, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but ask Second Brother why they hit Dazhuzi so hard?"
Zhao Dawen turned his head. To be honest, he really didn't know the reason, and probably the whole village didn't know either. They all thought that Dazhuzi was unwilling to give up and went to the Pan family to cause trouble, or that he couldn't let go of Pan Shi and was pestering her to come back.
"Second brother, why? Why would Dazhuzi still go looking for that bitch Pan?"
Zhao Dayong's face flushed red as he glared resentfully at Zhao Dashu.
“Mother, don’t ask about this. If the third son doesn’t want to help, he doesn’t want to. I don’t care. The scholar is not what he used to be. He looks down on us peasant brothers and thinks we are useless. That’s fine, but I don’t dare to aspire to his level.”
Li pinched him, but she couldn't say anything angry now, as her son's leg would still need his help.
"Third brother, don't listen to his nonsense. Your second brother has been confused lately because of anger. Dazhu is useless and the Pan family is too bullying. He's in a bad mood, so naturally he speaks rudely. Don't take it to heart."
Zhao Dashu glanced at Li Shi. His second sister-in-law had changed. When did she learn not to add fuel to the fire?
"Second sister-in-law, what are you saying? Second brother is right. I did get very arrogant after passing the imperial examination."
Li: ...
This person has never been normal; she should get used to it.
"Third brother, second sister-in-law, can I ask you for a favor? Dazhu's leg and hand are injured. Could you please find him a doctor to take a look? I'm afraid it will become a chronic condition."
Zhao Dashu frowned. "Weren't you supposed to be looking around the county town?"
"The doctor in the county town said he might become lame, but his hand is probably fine. However, it's uncertain. If something happens, he might not be able to work in the future. What will he do then?"
Third brother, second sister-in-law, please, please be magnanimous and don't hold a grudge against Dazhuzi or your second brother, okay?
Old Mrs. Sun could still bear it when she heard that her beloved grandson was going to be lame. "Third son, I beg you..."
Zhao Xiaoyu was speechless; she knew they wouldn't let her family off easily. See? Here they go again.
“You were not very satisfied with the doctor you saw before. He is the best doctor I know.”
"Just him, please, please ask him to come and take a look, okay? I'm begging you, Third Brother!" The doctor could tell at a glance that she and her husband were not in good health, and she trusted his medical skills.
"Second sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want to help you, but you said he's a fraudster and has already offended people to death last time."
"Don't even mention me going to their door to invite them; even if the county magistrate intervened, they probably wouldn't come back. Let me tell you the truth, their backing is incredibly strong; they can disregard everyone's feelings."
Mrs. Li was dumbfounded. "He's just a doctor."
"The doctor cured the nobleman's illness, which is a favor. He has been practicing medicine for many years. He treated patients in the prefectural city in his early years and later went to the capital. If he weren't so old now, do you think he would have come back to our county? He only came back because he was old and missed his hometown."
"Shall we go and apologize to him?"
"No, they have their own temper. It really won't work. I don't want to offend them so badly that they won't even be able to see a doctor for us anymore."
Having said all that, Li understood everything. The previous doctor was no longer an option; he refused to treat them.
"What should we do about Dazhu's leg? Third brother, second sister-in-law, please help me think of a solution, okay?"
Zhao Dashu shrugged. "I'm sorry, Second Sister-in-law, I really have no choice."
He was already thinking, how could he possibly sever ties with him? How could he possibly help him find a doctor? It's just that he might be lame, not really.
His people had already consulted a doctor, and even if he was lame, it would only affect his walking and wouldn't affect his work. They also said that if he took good care of his hand, there wouldn't be any problems.
Evil people have good fortune, and Big Pillar has extremely good luck.
Since there's nothing wrong, why should he bother himself?
Zhao Dawen watched the show from the sidelines, and seeing that Zhao Dashu refused to help no matter what, he couldn't help himself. If he wouldn't help even this, how could he help his son in the future?
It seems the third brother went to the prefectural city for a year or two, and his personality became even more independent and ruthless.
Zhao Dayong wanted to yell and lose his temper, but Li stopped him.
She knew she couldn't completely fall out with Zhao Dashu, no matter how angry she was.
Erzhuzi's wife remained silent. She saw it clearly: it wasn't that her third uncle couldn't find a doctor, but that the doctor simply didn't want to help.
Is it simply that they don't want to help Dazhuzi, or do they not want to help them as well?
My father-in-law is incredibly stupid. People were trying to help, so how could they blame them instead? They're so muddle-headed, no wonder people aren't helping anymore; they're afraid to help.
It's just that the occasion isn't suitable for her to strike up a conversation.
Old Mrs. Sun knew that her grandson was sick and couldn't come for the New Year, so she told Mrs. Huang to send some good food over later. She wasn't stingy this time.
"Second brother, tell me in detail about Dazhu's injuries."
As for the reason, once they've all left, we can just keep the second brother behind and ask him. He's unwilling to talk about it now, so he must have some unspeakable reason.
"My whole body is covered in wounds, big and small, I can't even count them all. Fortunately, most of them are superficial and will heal with time."
"If he can recover, that's good. Once he's better, give him a proper explanation. And whatever you do, don't go looking for Pan again. That woman is a menace; she's good for nothing but harming people."
Li nodded, agreeing with her mother-in-law; that woman was indeed a menace. Her biggest regret in life was not doing her due diligence when choosing a daughter-in-law; she'd ended up with a string of terrible women.
All that talk about a good reputation is just a bunch of lies. How could villagers speak ill of girls from the same village? And matchmakers are like worn-out shoe soles; not a single word they say is true.
Neither of her two daughters-in-law was filial, nor did she like either of them.
"Mom, it's New Year's Day, so don't talk about the bad things. Let's put the past behind us and have a good year next year."
"Yes, yes, you're right, boss. All the bad things are in the past now. Just live well from now on."
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