Chapter 38: It’s All My Fault
The dumplings with chives, eggs, and tofu were originally fragrant and delicious, but now they tasted like chewing wax. Bai Erniu mechanically stuffed them into his mouth one by one.
The three children were already frightened into confusion, unsure of what to do. Seeing Bai Erniu’s anger, they dared not move.
Only Zhang remained sitting on the ground, her face smeared with blood, tears, and mucus, blaming Su Mulan once again in her heart.
“Wretched woman…”
Su Mulan led Bai Lixia and Bai Midou back home. Bai Shuiliu, supported by Bai Zhuye’s shoulder, had also arrived in the courtyard and was resting on a stool.
“Looks like the injury is quite severe.” Su Mulan examined Bai Shuiliu’s ankle, swollen like a steamed bun, and frowned. “Lixia, go to your Uncle Sancheng’s house and ask him to come over and check on Shuiliu.”
“Okay.” Bai Lixia hurriedly ran out the door.
Su Mulan called Bai Zhuye and Bai Midou to help fetch some hot water while she went inside to look for a comb.
Although dealing with Zhang went smoothly and she clearly had the upper hand, during Zhang’s struggle, she had pulled out quite a bit of her hair and scratched Su Mulan’s cheek with her nails. Now, her hair was messy, making her look like a madwoman.
Life might have become more frugal, but maintaining a certain dignity was still necessary.
After combing her hair and washing her face, over at the other side, Bai Sancheng had already arrived with a medicine box.
Bai Sancheng was already over forty years old, mature and composed. Squinting his eyes, he carefully examined Bai Shuiliu’s swollen ankle, gently pinched it, and then furrowed his brow slightly. “It’s fortunate. No bone or tendon injury, just a sprain causing swelling.”
As he spoke, Bai Sancheng searched inside his very worn-out medicine box and took out a white porcelain bottle, handing it to Su Mulan. “No need to drink any medicinal soup. Just use this medicinal wine. Apply it carefully three to four times a day, massage it gently, rest more, and avoid walking around too much. It should be better in about ten days.”
“Thank you, Brother Cheng.” Su Mulan accepted the white porcelain bottle and went to find her purse. “How much is it?”
Refusing to accept it for free seemed insincere, but Su Mulan’s family situation was really…
Bai Sancheng pondered for a moment and said, “I made this medicinal wine myself. Just give me a small amount for the herbs, five wen will do.”
“Thank you so much, Brother Cheng.”
Su Mulan could tell that Bai Sancheng was also trying to help her save money. She quickly counted out five wen and gave it to him warmly, then saw him off at the door.
After seeing off Bai Sancheng, Su Mulan returned to the courtyard. She scooped warm water and helped clean Bai Shuiliu’s ankle. Then, she cradled Bai Shuiliu’s foot in her lap, poured some medicinal wine as instructed by Bai Sancheng, rubbed it in her palms until they warmed up, and massaged it onto Bai Shuiliu’s swollen ankle.
Seeing Su Mulan not at all disgusted by helping her massage her ankle, and considering that the small bottle of medicinal wine cost only five wen, Bai Shuiliu felt both touched and guilty.
“Mom, it’s all because I wasn’t careful, and I sprained my ankle…”
Five wen can buy quite a bit of grain, almost enough for a pound of meat. Yet here she was, having to rub it on her ankle. The more Bai Shuiliu thought about it, the more distressed she felt.
“You didn’t intend to sprain your ankle. It’s just an accident; they say accidents can’t be avoided. It’s not your fault. If you ask me, this should be considered lucky. Be grateful it didn’t injure your bones; otherwise, it would have been a real ordeal.”