Chapter 159

In Cui Yuan’s memory, he had only ever heard of or experienced floods, but he had never seen a flash flood—especially one as sudden as Wang Yuan’er described.

“Are you sure you didn’t misread it? Flooding happens almost every year, depending on the severity of the disaster, but what you’re saying—coming down from the mountain—is unheard of.” Cui Yuan shifted the person on his back and said, “For such a small mountain, you’re suggesting a flash flood? Isn’t that alarmist?”

Wang Yuan’er became anxious. “I’m not talking about right now. I’m saying in the future—it’s best if it doesn’t happen, of course, but shouldn’t we be prepared just in case? Especially since it has happened historically! If it were to happen again, wouldn’t everyone in Changle Town be doomed?”

Cui Yuan stopped, squinted at her, and smiled. “So, your trip up the mountain this time was to see if a flash flood might occur? Young lady, it’s already September. There’s hardly been a drop of rain—where would the flood come from?”

Wang Yuan’er blushed at his words and stammered, “I just came to take a look. If it does happen, couldn’t the water from the mountain stream be diverted elsewhere, like a dam? That way, at least, there would be a chance for survival! The Wang family has lived here for generations, and of course, I hope everything stays well.”

“Alright, then. Next time, let me have a look at that Le Mountain’s history record.” Cui Yuan thought for a moment and found her words reasonable.

Wang Yuan’er was delighted and quickly agreed.

As the two continued walking, Cui Yuan remarked, “I didn’t expect you to be someone with a big heart—no wonder you managed to do business with Song San!”

“What big heart? I just want my family to live safely and peacefully,” Wang Yuan’er sighed.

That was truly her wish. Wealth and riches ultimately felt meaningless—what mattered most was that people were alive and well. Without people, what good were riches?

Although this was a distant concern, wasn’t there a saying: Before the army moves, provisions must come first? Opportunities favor those who prepare. Taking precautions now would be better than catching off guard when disaster strikes!

Just as they neared the exit, Wang Yuan’er spotted houses in the distance and immediately struggled to get off his back, saying, “You can put me down here! You’ve carried me far enough—let me down quickly!”

“But your home is still far from here!” Cui Yuan said, confused.

Wang Yuan’er, however, grew increasingly anxious—someone in the distance was walking toward them! She quickly said, “Just leave me here! Hurry! If they see us, there’s no explaining this even if we jumped into the Yellow River!”

At this moment, especially after the Wang Min’er incident, if the Wang family caused another scandal regarding a woman’s reputation, it would truly be disastrous!

Wang Yuan’er absolutely could not let Cui Yuan carry her all the way back.

“Hey, I say, aren’t you the type to burn bridges after crossing them?” Cui Yuan snorted.

“Consider it as me owing you one, alright? I’m begging you!” Wang Yuan’er clasped her hands together.

Cui Yuan’s expression softened a bit. He set her down and glanced around, saying, “Sitting here won’t help much; you still need to go back. Stay put—this place is not far from the small courtyard you rented. I’ll go call Du Juan to help you out!”

Wang Yuan’er was momentarily stunned. Looking into the distance, she realized he was right. Grateful, she said, “Then I’ll trouble Young Master Cui to make the trip!”

Cui Yuan nodded, picked up a stick, and handed it to her before hurrying off.

Wang Yuan’er watched his receding figure, then looked at the stick in her hand. A slight smile curved her lips—this man wasn’t so bad after all.

After waiting for about half an hour, Wang Yuan’er finally saw Cui Yuan’s figure—he was even driving a horse carriage.

The carriage stopped at a spacious spot, and Cui Yuan and Du Juan approached. Wang Yuan’er could not thank them enough.

“If I hadn’t made you run, you probably wouldn’t have ended up with a lame leg!” Cui Yuan waved dismissively, seemingly indifferent to the matter.

Wang Yuan’er didn’t think much of it, but Du Juan, hearing this, glanced at the two of them curiously. Had Young Master Cui and Miss Wang been together all along?

The two helped Wang Yuan’er into the carriage. With a crack of the whip, they soon arrived at the entrance of the Wang family’s house.

“Hey, kid, young lady, go inside and call someone—your sister’s leg is lame!” Cui Yuan called out from atop the carriage to Wang Lan’er and Fu Duo, who were playing near the house.

Wang Yuan’er swiftly pulled the curtain open, glaring at Cui Yuan, before turning to Lan’er. “It’s not lame—I just sprained my foot!”

However, Fu Duo had already bolted into the house, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Elder sister’s leg is ruined! Elder sister is crippled!”

His voice was so loud that Wang Yuan’er felt utterly exasperated while Cui Yuan burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Wang Lan’er stepped forward and, upon seeing Wang Yuan’er’s foot wrapped up like a dumpling, pouted and burst into tears, crying, “I don’t want elder sister to be lame! I don’t want elder sister to turn into a cripple!”

Wang Yuan’er, overwhelmed, shot another glare at Cui Yuan and softly comforted her little sister, “It’s okay. I just sprained her foot. A couple of days with medicine, and it’ll be fine!”

“Yes, Younger Sister Wang, it’s nothing serious!” Du Juan added reassuringly.

Just as they were talking, the Wang family members came out of the house—Grandma Wang, Wang Chun’er, and Wang Qing’er—all looking anxious.

“What happened? How did she end up lame?” Grandma Wang, seeing the carriage, paused briefly before instructing Wang Chun’er and the others, “Quick, help your elder sister down.”

“Grandmother, it’s fine. I just ran a bit too fast and accidentally sprained my foot,” Wang Yuan’er explained with a smile as she carefully got off the carriage with Wang Chun’er’s assistance.

“How could you be so careless!” Grandma Wang said, taking over from Qing’er to help Wang Yuan’er, then instructed, “Go to Uncle Guanghe’s house and ask him to come over. Tell him your elder sister sprained her foot.”

Uncle Guanghe was known for his excellent skills in treating injuries.

“Alright, alright, I’m on it!” Wang Qing’er dashed off in a hurry.

“Miss Wang, we’ll take our leave now,” Du Juan said as she saw everything was under control and bid farewell.

Wang Yuan’er turned back and said, “I’ve troubled you so much. I’ll definitely visit to express my thanks later!”

“No trouble at all; we didn’t even do much,” Du Juan replied with a faint smile.

Grandma Wang glanced back at the two, her gaze lingering briefly on Cui Yuan, but she didn’t say anything. Soon, she helped Wang Yuan’er into the house.

Uncle Guanghe quickly arrived with his medicine chest after hearing about the fall on the mountain. Upon inspecting Wang Yuan’er’s wrapped foot and the herbal poultice already applied, he exclaimed in surprise, “No bone injury—just a strained tendon. The treatment for the sprain was quite good. This herbal paste promotes blood circulation and reduces swelling, which is why your foot isn’t worse. I’ll apply some medicine for a few days, and you’ll be fine!”

Wang Yuan’er now truly believed that Cui Yuan wasn’t lying—he really had served in the military and assisted army medics.

Grandma Wang stood to the side, seemingly lost in thought.

Soon, Uncle Guanghe applied his specially-made injury ointment to Wang Yuan’er’s foot. He instructed her not to let it touch water to avoid future rheumatism. He added that she should change the medicine daily and take her time to recover.

Wang Chun’er paid him the medical fee and hurried back into the house to ask, “How did you manage to hurt yourself like that?”

“I saw a green bamboo snake on the mountain, got scared, and ran—which led to the fall,” Wang Yuan’er explained.

“What? You encountered a green bamboo snake?” Wang Chun’er’s face turned pale as she urgently asked, “You weren’t bitten, were you?”

Wang Yuan’er shook her head.

Just as Wang Chun’er was about to ask more, Grandma Wang interjected, “Enough. Your elder sister has been through enough today and is tired. It’s almost nightfall—go to the kitchen and prepare dinner. Let her rest!”

Wang Chun’er acknowledged with a quick “oh,” pulled Wang Qing’er along, and said, “Come help me out. Elder sister can’t move easily and will need hot water to wash up later.”

As the two sisters went to the kitchen, Grandma Wang’s eyes focused intently on Wang Yuan’er.

“What’s going on here? Why on earth did you go up the mountain? And who is that young man? Tell me the truth!”

A young lady like her went up the mountain for no apparent reason. At this time of year, when food was scarce, if she were looking for something to dig up, this wasn’t the time to do so. And now, ending up like this, being brought back by a man—of course, Grandma Wang would think too much about it. Yes, she had completely overlooked that Du Juan girl. All she remembered was that handsome Young Master Cui!

That Young Master Cui, with his fine brows and handsome features, was quite unmatched in Changle Town. Among all the young ladies, who wouldn’t like a young man like that? Especially someone like Wang Yuan’er, a young lady of her age!

It wasn’t that Grandma Wang didn’t trust Wang Yuan’er. It was just that, after the troublesome Wang Min’er incident, she was terrified. She feared her granddaughter might suffer again and get involved in another disgraceful scandal. If something like that happened again, the Wang family would truly be unable to maintain their standing in Changle Town.

“Grandmother, don’t overthink it. I just wanted to see if I could gather some mountain goods. Who would have thought I’d encounter a green bamboo snake? It was as thick as a finger! I panicked and ran, which is why I twisted my foot!” Wang Yuan’er was unfazed by Grandma Wang’s interrogative tone. With the matter of Wang Min’er still unresolved, Grandma Wang’s worry was understandable.

“Then how come it was that man who brought you back?” Grandma Wang asked, her face full of disbelief.

“That was Young Master Cui, who rented the Zhao family’s courtyard. Isn’t the mountain entrance near the north? He happened to be wandering around there, saw me, and then went to get that girl Du Juan to help bring me back!” Wang Yuan’er explained.

“Is that really the case?”

Wang Yuan’er nodded firmly. “That’s exactly what happened. What else could it have been?” She smiled slightly and added, “Grandmother, rest assured. Your granddaughter isn’t as reckless as Min’er. I know my boundaries. Our family can’t afford another scandal—I’m very mindful of that!”

Seeing Wang Yuan’er’s serious and sincere expression, Grandma Wang finally believed her and sighed, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but our family… losing one granddaughter is bad enough. We can’t afford to lose another!” She was terrified, afraid that one issue wasn’t yet resolved before another arose. This situation had her jumping at shadows.

Wang Yuan’er nodded and changed the subject. “What’s going on with Min’er? How are things with the Tang family?”

“Your second uncle said he’ll go to the Tang family tomorrow to finalize the date. They’ll probably come to take her next month,” Grandma Wang said with a cold expression.

Wang Yuan’er pursed her lips and saw that Grandma Wang’s eyes were a little wet. She knew her grandmother was reluctant, but what could be done? You can’t force a cow to drink water if it refuses to lower its head. Wang Min’er had chosen her path—who could stop her?

“Grandmother, we can’t let the Wang family just take this slap to the face. If we do, we’ll never be able to hold our ground again.”

If they yielded to the Tang family, it would be far too easy for them. Something needed to be done to put the Tang family in a difficult position as well. Otherwise, Wang Min’er would remain nothing more than a disposable pawn.