Chapter 131: Dazhu’s wife’s Threat

The Zhao family members continuously apologized to Su Zhi, asserting that Zhao Xiaohua had not intended any harm, attributing her earlier cries to a misunderstanding.

In contrast, the Shen family seized the opportunity and persisted in their accusations, insinuating that Zhao Xiaohua had been feigning distress all along. They even began to doubt Su Zhi’s diagnoses, expressing concerns that Zhao Xiaohua might cause trouble later on.

“Physician Huang, you mentioned earlier that Xiaohua only had superficial injuries, is that correct?” Shen Zhang Shi inquired. Unwilling to be wrongly implicated, she looked disdainfully at Zhao Xiaohua, harboring a mix of disdain and repulsion. She had long understood the nature of Zhao Xiaohua, recalling the incident where she continuously gazed at her son, Shen Ziju’s face. She was steadfast in preventing Zhao Xiaohua from entangling herself with her beloved son.

Physician Huang interjected, “Indeed, I believe that Miss Zhao has only superficial injuries, but since the injury is on her head and she complains of dizziness, there might be underlying issues. That’s why I suggested having Zi’an’s Wife take a look. Perhaps she might have a remedy that could save a life.”

Shen Zhang Shi nodded in agreement, acknowledging Physician Huang’s expertise. She continued, “Physician Huang, since you found nothing amiss, we can be fairly certain. However, Xiaohua refuses to accept anyone’s diagnosis and insists that her head still hurts. If Zi’an’s Wife examines her and finds nothing wrong, but Xiaohua persists with her complaints, what should we do? As you all witnessed, when Zi’an’s Wife merely assisted her, Xiaohua accused her of using excessive force. Who knows what more she might claim next?”

Su Zhi couldn’t help but think that her cunning mother-in-law had finally abandoned her dignified facade and started to worry about the Shen family being extorted by the troublemaker. She was even more concerned about the potential repercussions on Shen Ziju. Indeed, it seemed that when it came to family, only a birth mother could truly make a difference. When Shen Zi’an and she were accused by Zhao Dazhu and his wife, she was nearby but didn’t show herself, as Li Shi later recounted. Shen Zhang Shi insisted that none of the family members should leave, ostensibly to prevent chaos, but everyone knew she simply refused to lend a helping hand.

Su Zhi was contemplating letting Zhao Xiaohua pin the blame on the Shen family.

Upon hearing Shen Zhang Shi’s words, the Shen family members readily agreed. They had never believed that Zhao Xiaohua was severely injured from a simple fall; especially after falsely accusing Su Zhi earlier, they had even more reason to doubt her. They all suspected that Zhao Xiaohua intended to shift the blame onto the Shen family. Given the Zhao family’s tarnished reputation in the village and their recent attempt to implicate Shen Zi’an and his wife, they were now more convinced that Zhao Xiaohua aimed to target her brother and sister-in-law.

Sun Shi added acerbically, “Well, my head is spinning too. I can barely see. Physician Huang, come quickly and check on me too. There might be something wrong inside my head.”

Dazhu’s exclaimed, “Sun Shi, stop pretending here. Your whole family simply refuses to believe that our sister really got hurt! You want to harm someone and then shift the blame onto them! If you want to play this game, I’ll make sure the whole village knows that not only did you harm someone, but you also tried to falsely accuse someone. Let’s see how a family like yours can produce a scholar in the future!”

This was a threat, a blatant threat!

The Zhao family members had now openly turned hostile, discarding any pretense of being good neighbors. Their expressions clearly conveyed a message: if you don’t let us live in peace, we won’t let your family have it easy either!

Shen Zhang Shi furrowed her brows. Her earlier concern was to prevent the Zhao family from implicating her son, Shen Ziju. However, she didn’t expect the Zhao family to shamelessly escalate the situation, openly threatening them by targeting Shen Ziju’s future prospects.

Upon hearing the Dazhu’s Wife’s words from outside, Shen Zhu frowned. Shen Zhu then walked in and said, “Dazhu’s Wife, what you’re saying is not right. How could you claim that it was my Third Sister-in-law who harmed Xiaohua? It was clearly my Third Sister-in-law who said that Xiaohua hurt her. You’re simply trying to reverse the situation. Earlier, Physician Huang can attest to this; Xiaohua immediately accused my Fourth Sister-in-law, showing her clear mind and intentions. I refuse to believe that there’s anything amiss in her head. If you keep insisting on her mental instability, it’s not beneficial for her. After all, who would want to be associated with a crazy or foolish person in the future? Xiaohua, isn’t that right?”

Shen Zhu fixed her gaze firmly on Zhao Xiaomei, her tone accentuating the weight of the words “crazy or foolish.”

Upon hearing Shen Zhu’s words, Zhao Xiaohua felt a jolt of fear. She had heard stories of people becoming mentally impaired after hitting their heads, and she certainly didn’t want to be seen as crazy or foolish.

“Second Brother, I’m just dizzy, not crazy or foolish,” Zhao Xiaohua quickly reassured.

Zhao Xiaohua had always relied heavily on her second brother, Zhao Daliang, who, despite being away from home in recent years, was the most capable person in the Zhao family. She sought his immediate support.

Zhao Daliang comforted her, saying, “Xiaohua, don’t worry. Those who become crazy or foolish typically exhibit those symptoms upon waking up. You’re clear-headed now, so you’re definitely not crazy or foolish. Everything will be fine. Shen Zhu, don’t scare Xiaohua. She’s already scared enough. If you make her more anxious, it could worsen her headache.”

Shen Zhu snorted and remarked, “It’s not easy to scare her. I don’t see anything wrong with her now. I believe my Third Sister-in-law is in a much more serious condition.”

Sun Shi immediately pretended to feel dizzy and disoriented on the side.

Observing the scene, Su Zhi found it almost comical, akin to watching a play. She felt like an outsider witnessing the drama unfold before her, finding it all so staged and unbelievable.

Dazhu’s Wife remarked, “Even if someone becomes crazy or foolish, it doesn’t matter. After all, today’s incident happened at the Shen household. Whether alive or dead, someone will take care of it. If there’s no money for treatment, someone will provide it. If there’s no food or drink, someone will handle it. If there’s no one to marry, they’ll find someone to take care of it!”

Inwardly impressed by the Dazhu’s Wife’s shamelessness, Su Zhi almost wanted to applaud. She thought the last time the Zhao family tried to shift blame onto her was extreme, but now, this was the pinnacle of audacity. It was clear they intended to offload Zhao Xiaohua onto the Shen family, not just for money but also for the men in the Shen household. Shen Zhu’s earlier concerns were indeed valid, as the situation had now unfolded.

Su Zhi knew someone like Zhao Xiaohua had high standards and only sought men who could provide her with a good life. Currently, there were only two men in the Shen family who met her criteria—her own husband and Shen Ziju. If Zhao Xiaohua had designs on Shen Ziju, Su Zhi wouldn’t stand by idly. If she dared to set her sights on her husband, she would make sure she regretted ever pretending in this manner!

Shen Zhu frowned and questioned, “Have you no shame left? Physician Huang already confirmed there’s no issue, and my Fourth Sister-in-law hasn’t even rechecked. Are you just trying to push this onto our family? Was this whole incident planned in advance?”

Dazhu’s Wife retorted defiantly, “Nonsense! What does your family have that we would scheme for? Xiaohua is so beautiful; she could marry a wealthy landlord in the city. There’s no need for us to create trouble by causing her to hit her head. You’re overestimating yourselves!”

Shen Youfu roared, “That’s enough! Stop arguing. Let Fourth Daughter-in-law take another look. She’s skilled; perhaps she can resolve this. Fourth Daughter-in-law, do your best.”

Observing Shen Youfu’s intense gaze, Su Zhi thought, “What’s with this attitude? Even if I don’t get involved in this matter today, it has nothing to do with me and Zi’an. But just because Zhao Xiaohua dared to consider Shen Zi’an, I’ll take care of her. Let the Shen family benefit from it.”

At this moment, Zhao Dazhu emerged, playing the peacemaker, “Let’s not get angry, everyone. My wife cares deeply for Xiaohua, which explains her urgency. Please don’t take offense. Fourth Sister, could you please take another look?”

Su Zhi said, “Alright, I’ll take a look. Xiaohua, please don’t cry out again. I won’t dare to touch you forcefully, especially with so many people watching.”

With a smile, Zhao Xiaohua responded, “Sister Zhao, it was a misunderstanding. I must have felt my wrist hurting at that moment and wrongly assumed you touched it.”

Su Zhi reassured her with a smile, then extended her hand, pretending to feel her pulse. In reality, she didn’t know how to read pulses. However, since Physician Huang had already confirmed there was no issue, she was confident it was fine. After a light touch, Su Zhi mischievously pinched Zhao Xiaohua’s wrist.

In pain, Zhao Xiaohua screamed louder than before, pushing Su Zhi’s hand away.

“What’s wrong, Xiaohua?! Are you doing this on purpose?” Su Zhi feigned indignation, glaring at Zhao Xiaohua, biting her lip. She turned to Physician Huang, saying, “Physician Huang, please check Xiaohua’s wrist again. Let’s see what’s going on. I won’t touch her again!”

Physician Huang, keen on learning medical skills from Su Zhi, had been observing her closely. He couldn’t discern how Su Zhi had treated Zhao Xiaohua. Seeing Zhao Xiaohua’s behavior and feeling greatly dissatisfied, he suspected that she might have been pretending earlier, claiming to feel dizzy and nauseous. He believed she was trying to implicate the Shen family. Physician Huang had worried about his own medical skills and had been deceived by Zhao Xiaohua’s act, finding it despicable.

“Miss Xiaohua, let me take a look at your wrist.”

Despite Zhao Xiaohua’s genuine pain, she presented her wrist to Physician Huang for examination. However, there were no visible marks on it. After checking, Physician Huang found everything to be normal, further convinced that Zhao Xiaohua was feigning her distress.

“Miss Xiaohua, Madam Zhao kindly came to help you with your injury. How could you falsely accuse her? It’s simply unreasonable!” ^[1]Take note that Su Zhi’s original name si Zhao Xiaomei that is why she is still sometimes called as Zhao or in this case ‘Madam Zhao

With a stern expression, Physician Huang turned away and stood aside.

Su Zhi informed Physician Huang, “Thank you, Physician Huang. Upon my examination, I found everything normal with Xiaohua’s head.”

Dazhu’s  Wife interjected, “Zhao girl, how can you be so sure? You are from the Shen family. If you favor the Shen family, you may claim everything is normal even if my sister’s head isn’t right. In that case, won’t our Xiaohua suffer?”

Su Zhi thought to herself, “I knew you would say that. You manage to twist everything. It’s fortunate I have a plan to deal with this, or you might have succeeded in shifting the blame onto us.”