Chapter 24: That Mouth of Yours

He tried to prop himself up but winced in pain and obediently lay back down.

Lin Bingwei rolled her eyes. “See? You know pain too.”

Zhang Tingyuan: “……”

“A three-year-old kid, why would he think so much?”

“Every child has a different personality, so the same education method doesn’t work for all of them. Haven’t you noticed? Jianguo is always observing us when we talk. He’s cautious even when approaching you, yet you still pinched him.”

Zhang Tingyuan felt wronged. “How was I supposed to know? My parents never told me these things.”

Li Yurong and Zhang Yuanxiu always shielded him from bad news. Their reasoning was that he was stationed far away in the army, and telling him wouldn’t change anything—only make him worry needlessly.

And every time he came home, they didn’t want to burden him with family troubles. So, they never spoke of such things.

Lin Bingwei talked to him about everything—the grievances his family endured and the challenges they faced. She also explained that Zhang Jianguo wouldn’t respond well to his tough approach. He needed trust and a sense of security first before he would open up.

“He’s not mute. He can talk. But without security, he won’t want to. Keep that in mind and be more careful in the future.”

Zhang Tingyuan hadn’t realized his nephew had such deep-seated issues. He nodded repeatedly. “Alright, I’ll listen to whatever you say. Wife, can you help me to the latrine?”

Lin Bingwei: “……”

“So soon? Didn’t you just drink water?”

“I need to go. Number two.”

Huh?

She had to help him to the latrine?

This was bad. Given how rustic the village latrine was, she barely wanted to use it.

Every time she went, it was only when she couldn’t hold it any longer, and she made sure to get in and out as fast as possible.

To be honest, the village latrine had successfully cured her habit of spending half an hour in the bathroom.

Lin Bingwei grabbed a four-legged stool and set it in the latrine before coming back to help him over.

“Put as much weight on my shoulder as you can. Don’t press down on your bones.”

Holding her breath, she helped him up and got him to lean on the stool for support before making a quick escape.

Zhang Tingyuan’s face darkened. “Hey, are you that disgusted by me?”

Lin Bingwei was speechless. “Ever consider that I’m disgusted by the latrine?”

Zhang Tingyuan: “Isn’t that something everyone has to use every day? What’s there to be disgusted about?”

“Just because I have to use it doesn’t mean I can’t hate it,” she retorted.

Once they had the means, her first priority was fixing that latrine.

“You can call me when you’re done.”

With that, she ran far, far away.

A while later, she spotted Zhang Tingyuan propping himself against the wall, struggling to get out on his own. She hurried over to support him. “Didn’t I tell you to call me?”

Zhang Tingyuan chuckled. “I’m just a little injured, not crippled.”

The doctor had warned that standing upright would put pressure on his wound. Seeing him forcing a smile while clearly in pain, she knew he was just being stubborn.

But Lin Bingwei didn’t argue. She simply helped him back into the house.

“Call me if you need anything. I have to cook—Dad will be back soon.”

“Alright.”

Tonight’s menu: white radish stew with pork leg, stir-fried winter greens, and stem lettuce.

Not long after, Zhang Yuanxiu and Li Yurong returned with Zhang Jianguo.

Zhang Yuanxiu had brought his grandson a little bamboo toy, and the child happily played with it.

After setting down his things, Zhang Yuanxiu immediately went inside. Ever since he heard his son had been injured, he had been worrying nonstop.

But since the host had already paid, they had to follow through with the process before coming back.

Li Yurong went into the kitchen to help Lin Bingwei with cooking.

As usual, she handled the fire while Lin Bingwei was in charge of the dishes.

The two women chatted while they worked, with Zhang Jianguo playing with his little toy nearby.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanxiu and his son were talking inside the house.

After hearing Zhang Tingyuan’s account, he could Weirdly imagine how dangerous that gunshot had been.

If not for that compass, his son might not have made it.

He had already lost his eldest son three years ago—if he lost his youngest as well… he didn’t even dare think about it.

Zhang Yuanxiu sighed seven or eight times as he held the compass, now with a hole in it.

Zhang Tingyuan huffed, “Dad, do you feel bad for me, or for that thing?”

Zhang Yuanxiu replied, “Why should I feel bad for it? It saved your life. But this compass has been passed down for generations. It’s the longest-lasting heirloom in our family—I’ve always kept it on the altar. Now that it’s broken, I’m afraid our family’s Daoist skills will be lost with my generation.”

“Then let them be lost. It’s not like I was ever going to learn them. Or do you actually plan to pass them down to Jianguo?”

“…Yes.” That was exactly what he intended.

Zhang Tingyuan was momentarily speechless.

After a long pause, he muttered, “Back when they were cracking down on old superstitions, they should’ve hauled you away too.”

Zhang Yuanxiu: “Hmm?”

His face turned red with anger. He planted his hands on his hips and barked, “You brat! What kind of superstitions am I practicing? I just look at burial sites and set up Daoist rituals for people. Sure, I work with the dead, but I bring peace to the living. It’s not like I go around catching ghosts—why would they arrest me for that?”

“Why are you so worked up? I wasn’t calling you superstitious. I was saying, why didn’t they arrest those Daoist priests back then?”

Zhang Yuanxiu: “……”

“You know, I think that bullet hit the wrong place. It should’ve taken care of that mouth of yours instead.”

“Cough, cough.” Zhang Tingyuan cleared his throat awkwardly before grinning. “Dad, I didn’t mean it like that. I just think… there’s no future in this line of work. Nowadays, even in the cities, when someone dies, they don’t bother with Daoist rituals anymore. If you make Jianguo take over, he won’t even be able to put food on the table. You should send him to school instead. Let him get into university.”

“Hmph. We’ll see about the future when it comes. Your say doesn’t count.”

By then, Lin Bingwei had finished cooking. She placed some of each dish into a large bowl and brought it over for Zhang Tingyuan. She also told Zhang Yuanxiu, “Dad, the food’s ready. You should eat first.”

“Alright. You should hurry and eat too.”

“Got it.”

Lin Bingwei carefully propped Zhang Tingyuan up, tucking a pillow behind him so he could lean comfortably.

Once he was settled, she placed a small table on the bed and set the dishes and soup on it, holding the rice bowl in her hand to feed him.

The moment he took the first bite, Zhang Tingyuan froze. “This isn’t my mom’s cooking. Did you make today’s lunch?”

“Mm.” Lin Bingwei gave a nonchalant hum and scooped up another spoonful, gesturing for him to eat.

“This tastes really good! And you said your cooking was just ‘about the same’ as my mom’s? It’s way better!”

Lin Bingwei’s hand was getting sore. “Alright, just hurry up and eat. I still have to eat after feeding you.”

After another bite, Zhang Tingyuan said, “Give me the bowl. I’ll do it myself.”

“Didn’t you say it hurts when you lift your arm?”

“It’s fine. Just a little pain, nothing serious. And the weather’s cold—if you don’t go eat soon, your food will get cold too.”

Lin Bingwei pursed her lips. “Then why aren’t you eating faster?”

In the end, she still fed him quickly before heading outside to eat.

But to her surprise, everyone was sitting there waiting for her.