...
News came that Old Lady Jiang had an accident.
Mr. Jiang rode his horse at full speed back to the county town.
He summoned all the doctors in the county to the Jiang residence.
Even Dr. Liu, who specialized in treating foot ailments, was called.
There was no choice; the medical conditions in the county town were just like that.
Jiang Changtian now held sway over Ming County, albeit over a small domain.
He led people into the Jiang residence.
Heir Apparent Han had already left, and he was also startled, wondering if they had really killed the old woman. It wasn't his business, but if his father found out, he would surely be angry. He remembered that he came here in the first place because his father told him to take care of the Jiang family, saying that Old Lady Jiang was his mother's close friend from her maiden days.
He had been so bored on this journey that he couldn't help but fall back into his old habits.
Moreover, he really hadn't accomplished anything.
His sister-in-law had an extremely soft body but a fiery temperament, not so easy to handle.
Jiang Changtian rushed to Old Lady Jiang's side.
Seeing Old Lady Jiang's miserable state, tears immediately flowed from his eyes.
Tears of joy.
"Mother, what happened to you? How could Big Brother have wounded you with his sword? Can't anything be discussed properly without resorting to violence? Mother, you absolutely cannot die. I've brought all the doctors in the county to treat you, guaranteeing that you'll survive."
The room was crowded with doctors, all marveling at Mr. Jiang's filial piety. Despite how Old Lady Jiang had treated him, almost driving Mr. Jiang to suicide, he still showed her his heart and soul.
Even though he knew Old Lady Jiang wasn't his birth mother and tormented him daily.
But even they were at a loss as to what to do.
It was a sword wound, and what use was a midwife? Mr. Jiang was truly grasping at straws in his desperation.
Indeed, a pig butcher wouldn't know how to treat illnesses either.
However, at least there was someone who knew how to treat sword wounds.
Though only half-skilled, it was still somewhat relevant expertise.
But the doctor was male, and the old lady's wound was in a somewhat... delicate location, on her chest.
In the end, it was the midwife who had to remove the clothing, with the doctor giving instructions from outside.
Everyone thought that Mr. Jiang truly lived up to his name; fortunately, he had called for a midwife, otherwise, this would have been truly difficult to treat.
...
"It doesn't seem to have injured the heart or lungs, it's just a flesh wound. However, given its location, it will be very painful. In the future, she won't be able to exert her right arm forcefully; if she does, it will hurt. In a while, brew the medicine and have her drink it. Keep a close watch tonight, and if there's no fever, she'll be fine," the old doctor said, looking at Mr. Jiang.
Jiang Changtian breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she wasn't dead, it was fine. As for the pain when exerting force, it shouldn't be a problem. Old Lady Jiang had always been calm and collected, unafraid of pain. Last time when he accidentally stepped on Old Lady Jiang's hand with his foot, she hadn't made a fuss.
Jiang Wan had originally been by her grandmother's side, taking care of her, but when she saw Jiang Changtian arrive, she became a bit dazed.
That feeling of broken legs and lost breath gave her immense anxiety and discomfort.
She found it difficult to be in the same room as this man and hurriedly went out to brew the medicine.
This left the groaning Old Lady Jiang alone with Jiang Changtian.
In front of everyone, Jiang Changtian said, "Mother, putting aside the facts, I don't care why Big Brother hurt you, but the fact that he dared to stab his own mother with a sword is utterly unfilial and disloyal. I, Jiang Changtian, don't have such a brother."
Old Lady Jiang, looking at the room full of people, felt a searing pain in her chest.
To make matters worse, this cursed creature was still hovering before her eyes.
She was furious but could only manage a faint curse: "Get out... you, don't come in. The Jiang family doesn't welcome you."
Jiang Changtian nodded: "Alright, Mother means to expel Big Brother and his family from the household, to make them get out, right? I'll see to it right away. Mother, you rest well. If you don't want to see me, then Wan'er will come to take care of you in a while."
Jiang Huaisheng, having stabbed his mother, was also terrified.
He thought he had killed someone.
Killed his own mother.
He didn't know how it had come to this.
He couldn't understand why his mother would shield an outsider from his sword.
It was utterly baffling.
Even after Heir Apparent Han had said such things, his mother still defended him and even went so far as to slander Jing'er.
Jing'er was one with him; how was slandering Jing'er any different from slandering him?
He didn't know how things had escalated to this point.
But even worse things were to follow.
His mother actually wanted to expel him from the family.
Fortunately, upon hearing that his mother was alright, just with a flesh wound, Jiang Huaisheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He was too ashamed to face his mother.
But being driven out with his entire family, they were like stray dogs without a home.
Jiang Wan begged to stay behind to take care of her grandmother.
Jiang Huaisheng, along with his wife, their not-yet-one-year-old daughter, and a son who muttered to himself, were all thrown out.
It provided quite a spectacle for the people of the county.
Old Lady Jiang was truly something, always quick to call her sons unfilial.
This Second Young Master Jiang was said not to be her biological son.
Could it be that the eldest wasn't her biological son either?
Old Lady Jiang had directly driven out her younger son back then, reportedly without giving him a penny.
But she had favored the elder son much more, providing him with servants and a wet nurse, as well as a hundred taels of silver.
Jiang Huaisheng knelt at his mother's door and kowtowed three times before leaving with his wife and children.
Old Lady Jiang, half-unconscious with pain, hadn't expected Huaisheng to leave without even seeing her. It truly broke her heart. The real pain wasn't from the wound, but in her heart.
It was heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking.
Just one word of apology would have sufficed, but for that wretched woman, Huaisheng had actually raised his sword against his own mother and Heir Apparent Han. Old Lady Jiang's heart had truly turned cold.
Jiang Huaisheng had also had enough. He was tired of Jing'er's discomfort at home, always having to be on her toes, still being slandered.
He was tired of his mother's inexplicable favoritism, even treating an outsider with more affection than him.
He was also too ashamed to face his mother.
He only hoped that his mother would recover well, and once she had healed, he would apologize to her.
He really hadn't meant to do it; he never expected his mother to throw herself in the way.
Jiang Huaisheng moved to another small courtyard in the county town.
The courtyard wasn't large; it had been left by his father. His father had once told him that a crafty rabbit has three burrows, and if anything were to happen, he could hide here for a while. Little did he expect that it would now become his shelter.
Though the courtyard was small,
At least he could make his own decisions here.
Jing'er also seemed much more at ease.
She had followed him in being expelled from the family without a word of complaint, just as she had when they were driven out of the capital.
However, at night,
When Jiang Huaisheng held Jing'er, his mind kept replaying the swaying bed curtains and those familiar gasps.
He pushed Jing'er away for no reason.
The next day,
He thought about how his younger brother, after being driven out of the family, had still managed to make something of himself.
He could do the same.
But as soon as he went out, he heard people gossiping about him.
They pointed and whispered.
He seemed to hear the words "unfilial" and "disloyal."
He also thought he heard the term "cuckold."
He had only been out for a short while before he ran back home.
At home, the baby's cries filled the air.
It turned out that Rong'er had another sudden outburst, frightening Shu Shu to tears.
Jiang Huaisheng complained that Jing'er hadn't taken proper care of the children, and he didn't know what she was doing.
Wu had experienced such a great upheaval, nearly suffering humiliation. As a result, her husband ran out with a sword and returned with it, saying with a guilt-ridden face that he had hurt his mother, that he was a beast, that he had failed his mother...
Then the whole family was thrown out of their home.
What could a hundred taels of silver accomplish?
It wouldn't even cover the monthly wages of the maids, wet nurses, and servants for long.
She never had the opportunity to manage the household before, and now that she had taken over, it was a mess of affairs.
Rong'er needed to take calming medicine daily, and that medicine wasn't cheap.
Shu Shu was still young and required dedicated care, needing several feedings of milk each day. The wet nurse's diet also had to be properly balanced.
She herself had only recently given birth and still needed to recuperate.
Her husband's face was also injured and required medication.
Every single thing was a matter of concern.
Yet her husband still lashed out at her, his face displeased and cold.
Thinking of how her husband had turned his back on her last night,
Wu finally couldn't bear it anymore and burst into loud sobs.
In poverty, a couple faces a hundred sorrows.
Consumed by endless worries about basic necessities, there's no room for romance.
Seeing Wu cry, Jiang Huaisheng felt inexplicably more annoyed. He hadn't said anything, had he? He'd only asked her how she was taking care of the children. He had even hurt his own mother for her sake. Wasn't what he had done good enough?
...
In Kan'er Village.
Jiang Changtian saw Mianmian sitting in a tree and said to his wife with a smile, "Xia mei, how are you watching the child? Look at her, she's climbed all the way up the tree."
Jiang Mianmian wailed from the treetop, "Father, Mother, I'm too scared to come down. What should I do?"
She had seen her older sister often climbing trees, and with the family busy dealing with her sister's affairs these past two days, she had suddenly had the idea to try climbing a tree herself.
Then she had scampered up easily.
But while going up was easy, coming down was difficult.
Boo-hoo.
Jiang Mianmian hugged the tree trunk, crying dry tears.
She had to cry; she was afraid she'd get spanked if she came down.
Mother's palm could deliver quite a sting.
"Jump down, Mother won't spank you," Qin Luoxia stood beneath the tree, speaking to her daughter on the tree with gentle affection.
Jiang Mianmian shook her head, hugging the tree even tighter.
Mother was clearly going to spank her; the muscles in Mother's hand were already tense.
...
