Chapter 19

“I’ll go find Doctor Zhong. You all go home and wait for me!” Zhou Jing turned around, just lifting one foot to leave when his sleeve was suddenly tugged. He turned back to see Shen Mo.

Shen Mo looked disheveled; his clothes were torn in countless places, blood seeping through them, soaking a short garment that had been patched so many times it was hard to tell how thick it had become.

The pitiful sight of Shen Mo made even the indifferent passersby feel a twinge of sympathy. However, for Zhou Jing, seeing him like that twisted his heart, making him feel that this pain was nothing compared to the despair and helplessness Shen Mo must have felt while being beaten.

Zhou Jing’s entire being was filled with suppressed anger. If it weren’t for the constraints of reality, preventing him from openly confronting that family in front of so many witnesses, he feared he would have gone completely mad.

Shen Mo, however, seemed unaware of this. He had grown up in an environment where he had to repress his emotions, and every time his father beat him as a child, his mother would follow it with words of resentment.

He then assumed that this was the reaction everyone should have.

He mistakenly thought that Zhou Jing’s calm face along the way was because he had caused trouble by sneaking back home while Zhou Jing was out handling affairs.

He also believed that Zhou Jing was irritated because he had spent so much silver to bring back a ‘useless’ ‘burden.’

So, Shen Mo timidly said, “It’s fine, this little injury is nothing serious. You came right on time, so I didn’t actually get beaten much. The beatings I received from the past were much harsher, but if I endure it, it’ll pass.”

Shen Mo was his wife, the person he held closest to his heart, and now he had been beaten like this, yet he felt it was no big deal!

The anger that Zhou Jing had been suppressing in his heart could no longer be contained, and he ended up losing his temper at Shen Mo.

“This is what you call not getting beaten much? This is what you call a little injury? Then what counts as a serious injury? Do they have to beat you to death for it to be considered serious?”

Shen Lin, who had remained silent all along, knowing he was the source of the trouble, had been quietly trying to stay invisible.

However, when he saw Zhou Jing angrily lashing out at Shen Mo, and noticed his eyes turning red as if he was about to hit someone, Shen Lin rushed forward from behind, trying to push away Zhou Jing, who was steadily approaching.

“Why are you yelling at my brother? I’m the one who caused the trouble! If you want to scold or hit someone, take it out on me. It has nothing to do with him!”

However, before Shen Lin could even get within arm’s reach of Zhou Jing, Zhou Jing swung him aside with a single move. Then, he bent down, picked up Shen Mo in his arms, and strode inside their thatched house.

“Big brother, big brother, what are you trying to do? Let go of my brother! If you want to hit someone, come after me!” Shen Lin got up and rushed toward the hut.

But Zhou Jing had already barricaded the straw door from inside, and Shen Lin didn’t dare act recklessly, afraid he might break it.

He had already caused Zhou Jing to waste two silver coins on his behalf, and now, if he broke the straw door, he feared that too would be blamed on Shen Mo.

It wasn’t surprising that Shen Lin valued those two silver coins so much; for a farmer, this amount was large.

 The yearly harvest might only leave about fifteen silver coins of savings, and with a farmer’s frugality, two silver coins could last for months.

Shen Mo was thrown heavily onto the bed, and the impact made his wounds ache with a muffled pain.

The person above him, however, seemed to have lost all sense, pressing down heavily. Zhou Jing pressed down on him, kissing his lips with reckless abandon, as if mad. His large hands kneaded Shen Mo’s skin, but in his frantic movements, he unintentionally pressed down on Shen Mo’s bruises from the beating.

“Ah!” Shen Mo could no longer hold back and cried out in pain.

The scream was stifled, barely audible, like the faint hum of a mosquito, but the agony in that sound was unmistakable.

Zhou Jing seemed to be jolted awake, suddenly snapping back to reality, realizing the despicable thing he had just done.

He was filled with regret, wishing he could slap himself to vent the anger on behalf of his little wife.

“Xiao Mo, it hurts, doesn’t it? It’s all my fault. Just wait here; I’ll go fetch a doctor for you.”

“I…” Shen Mo anxiously managed to say one word but couldn’t continue.

He wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but just moments ago, when he had said that, Zhou Jing had exploded in anger.

He didn’t know what he had said wrong, but he was reluctant to provoke Zhou Jing.

He feared that if Zhou Jing became too upset, he might not want him anymore.

Shen Mo’s unease was too evident, and Zhou Jing saw it at a glance. He let out a deep sigh and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

“Xiao Mo, I don’t know how to make you feel at ease, but everything I have said and done for you has been sincere. You know I come from another world, and the only reason I willingly stayed here is because of you! Do you truly not understand that?”

Shen Mo exclaimed, “I—I understand!” He rushed over and hugged Zhou Jing. The tears that he had been holding back finally fell.

Shen Mo continued, “I understand everything, Brother Jing! Please don’t be angry! It was my fault. No one taught me how to win someone’s affection when I was growing up, and I didn’t know how to act when someone liked me! I could only try to navigate this in the way I thought was right, so I might not have grasped your feelings. But please don’t think that I don’t understand your sincerity or that I’m belittling it, okay?”

Zhou Jing cautiously wrapped his arms around Shen Mo and said with concern, “It’s okay, as long as you know my true feelings. Xiao Mo, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to do it. I can teach you step by step; you just need to feel with your heart!”

“Mm, mm…” Shen Mo cried uncontrollably, nodding through his sobs.

“Alright, you’re hurt very badly. I’m going to get a doctor for you right now,”

Zhou Jing said sternly. “You must not refuse. Think about it from my perspective: if I were the one who suffered such a serious injury, what would you do? Would you let me endure it just to save a few coins?”

Shen Mo was unwilling to see a doctor not only because he felt it would cost money, but also because Zhou Jing had already spent two silver coins on his brother. That 2 silver coins is a significant amount.

Furthermore, they had just purchased a plot of land for building a house, so money was tight. He thought that this was merely a flesh wound and that he could heal on his own without wasting money. He had endured worse injuries in the past and had always gotten through them, hadn’t he?

However, if the situation were reversed… he would do anything, even sell everything, to get a doctor for Zhou Jing.

“You see, you must be thinking that you would sell everything to get me treated, right?”

Zhou Jing saw right through Shen Mo’s thoughts. “So why do you think I can  endure seeing you like this?”

The thatched door was finally opened by Shen Lin, who had found a way to do so while keeping it intact.

Shen Lin was impulsive, unlike his older brother’s calm demeanor.

When he rushed in and saw his brother crying with tear-streaked eyes, he immediately assumed that Zhou Jing had done something to him.

Without asking any questions, he went straight up and pushed Zhou Jing.

“Get away! You’re not allowed to hurt my brother anymore!”

Unfortunately, Shen Lin was not only a ger but also lacked the physical strength to match Zhou Jing.

In terms of martial prowess, he was no match for Zhou Jing, who easily pushed him down. Zhou Jing showed no patience or kindness toward Shen Lin, unlike when he was with Shen Mo.

Zhou Jing shouted, “Calm down! This mess was caused by you, yet your brother is the one who got hurt. You can’t even handle this situation, and you’re making a fuss!”

Zhou Jing’s words were fueled by anger.

With Shen Mo injured so severely, it was hard for him to choose his words carefully; just handling the situation rationally was already a struggle.

Shen Mo quickly reassured him, “Xiao Di,  your brother-in-law is going to get… a doctor for me. He didn’t hurt me, so don’t be upset! Since I got hurt, your brother-in-law is bound to be in a bad mood, so please give him a little time.”

Shen Lin struggled a bit, and Zhou Jing released him in response. He rushed over to Shen Mo, carefully inspecting him.

Although his brother had serious injuries, he felt relieved to see that no new wounds had been added.

—o—o—o—

Zhou Jing was in such a hurry that he didn’t know how to explain things to Dr. Zhong.

By the time Dr. Zhong arrived at the Zhou Family’s house with his medical kit, Shen Mo seemed stable, but Zhou Jing was nearly out of breath from the urgency.

Zhou Jing didn’t let Dr. Zhong catch his breath and urged him to examine Shen Mo’s injuries.

In that era, physicians did not differentiate between internal and external medicine as later generations did; they emphasized general practice.

This did not mean they lacked expertise; on the contrary, traditional Chinese medicine had always stressed the unity of the body.

Just like the renowned physicians Bian Que and Hua Tuo were considered divine doctors in later times, during that age, they understood techniques like trepanation and bone scraping for treatment. However, they had not yet proposed the concept of surgery.

Every era had its own strengths and weaknesses in medical practice. While later generations boasted advanced medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, when it came to healing without relying on auxiliary means, they could not necessarily claim superiority over the doctors of ancient times.

Doctor Zhong took Zhou Jing’s pulse and examined a few of his wounds. He shook his head and let out a heavy sigh: “Zhou Jing, it’s not that I’m criticizing you, but if your wife was being unreasonable and made a mistake, you shouldn’t have beaten him so severely. Are you trying to kill him?”

As Zhou Jing recalled how Shen Mo had received his injuries, he felt an overwhelming hatred, and his face darkened instantly.

Shen Mo hurriedly explained, “No, these injuries on me weren’t caused by my husband; they were caused by my father.”

“What? Your father?” Doctor Zhong couldn’t believe it. He knew Zhou Jing’s character, which was not at all good, and he was known to be temperamental.

He could hardly believe that Father Shen had beaten Shen Mo to this extent. “What did you do to make your father so furious that he wanted to kill you? But let’s take a step back—parents shouldn’t treat their children this way. After all, you’re already married. Even if you make a mistake, it should be the head of your household who should discipline you. In short, it’s not your parents’ place to intervene!”

Shen Lin feared that Doctor Zhong would misunderstand and think that Shen Mo had done something wrong to deserve such treatment from Father Shen, so he quickly explained, “It was my father who wanted to sell me to the village’s crippled old widower. My brother disagreed, and that’s how he ended up being beaten like this.”

“I will first prescribe three sets of internal medicine for him. You need to boil it and give it to him to drink every morning, noon, and night. Additionally, this ointment is for external use; apply it to his wounds for about seven days, and that should suffice. Your wife is fortunate, as the injuries, though serious, are merely flesh wounds and haven’t harmed any bones. However, your wife has suffered greatly and needs to be properly nourished. Otherwise, not only is it difficult for him to conceive, but even his lifespan might be at risk.”

Zhou Jing was taken aback, his face turning pale. “Don’t worry, I will make sure to take good care of him. As for the medicine, should he take anything else?”

This left Doctor Zhong momentarily stunned. For peasant families, the most they did was eat nourishing food; there were only so many supplements they could afford. Looking at Zhou Jing, who didn’t even have his own home and was crammed into such a shabby place, he was surprised that he was willing to spend money on his wife. Who could have imagined that someone like Zhou Jing, with such a reckless character, would treat his wife so well?