Chapter 87: Will it Scar?

Shen Zi’an saw blood on Shen Ziju’s head, so he hurriedly pulled him into the main room, intending to bandage his wound first. When he saw the wound on Shen Ziju’s forehead, he furrowed his brow, thinking it was necessary to fetch a physician.

“Wife, bandage Fifth Brother’s wound. I’ll go fetch the physician. Fifth Brother, you stay here. Your wound will be fine,” Shen Zi’an patted Shen Ziju’s shoulder, instructed Su Zhi, and then hurriedly left.

Su Zhi had already taken out some clean cloth from the inner room. These were leftovers from making quilts a few days ago, but now they were being used for this purpose.

“Fifth Brother, this cloth is new and clean. I’ll bandage your wound first. Bear with the pain a little!”

Su Zhi saw the wound on Shen Ziju’s forehead and wanted to furrow her brow, but she was afraid of worrying him too much. Her eyebrows only twitched slightly, then she spoke kindly to Shen Ziju. In her heart, she kept thinking that Lianhua was always causing trouble. She had only gone out to play for a while and managed to bring back trouble for herself. And not just any trouble, but a big one. Although Su Zhi hadn’t seen Shen Ziju many times, she had heard enough to know his position in the Shen family. He was their precious treasure, and the Shen family was pinning their hopes on him to become an official and bring wealth. Now that he was injured, and on the head at that, the Shen family would definitely be furious. Just the old man from the Shen family alone was enough to cause a commotion.

“Sorry to trouble you, fourth Sister-in-law. Please go ahead and do it. I’m fine,” Shen Ziju said, feeling a sharp pain now. Being hit on the face, and on the brow bone, the blood had flowed into his eyes, and he had closed them immediately. He hadn’t recovered yet. He was feeling a bit panicked, but when he heard Su Zhi’s gentle voice, he calmed down a little and managed to respond politely.

Su Zhi glanced at the flustered Zhao family members who were standing there dumbfounded. She frowned and said, “Whoever it is, go to the kitchen and fetch a basin of warm water. There’s hot water in the pot!”

Zhao Yuanbao had already been pulled aside by Zhang Shi to hide. Old Man Zhao was now standing there in a daze, as if he hadn’t heard anything. Lianhua was now crying uncontrollably, but she was still pinched and scolded by Zhao Yangshi to go fetch water.

Su Zhi wiped the blood from Shen Ziju’s face with the cloth, carefully examining the wound. She cleaned the blood from the wound, noting that it was just above the right eyebrow. If it had been a bit lower, it could have hit his eye, which would have been perilous. The wound was about the width of a finger and quite deep. The delicate skin on the face was prone to scarring, so it was likely to leave a mark. The thought weighed heavily on Su Zhi’s mind.

Throughout history, one’s appearance had always been crucial. Although it sounded unfair, those who looked good always had an easier time in life compared to those who looked average or unattractive.

Having worked in personnel matters in her past life, Su Zhi was well aware of how important one’s appearance was for their future prospects.

Shen Ziju was determined to become an official, so his appearance was particularly crucial to him. Su Zhi wondered if there were any rules in the Liang Dynasty that prohibited individuals with facial disfigurements from holding government positions. If such rules existed, Shen Ziju would be in a dire situation! Even if he could become an official, a scar on his face would not look good. There would undoubtedly be some obstacles ahead. Apart from the career aspect, there would also be troubles in daily life. Just imagine how people would react when they first see a scar on your face. They might assume you’ve been in a fight and be cautious around you. Some might even use the scar as a weakness to attack you with harsh words.

The more Su Zhi thought about it, the more annoyed she became with Lianhua for causing trouble. However, she continued to gently bandage Shen Ziju’s wound and reassure him.

“Don’t worry, the bleeding has stopped. Your fourth brother will soon fetch the physician, and everything will be fine.”

“Thank you, Fourth Sister-in-law.”

Shen Ziju’s head was throbbing, but Su Zhi’s words calmed him down considerably. He had noticed Su Zhi’s intention not to further agitate him by refraining from frowning, which made him appreciate her sensitivity even more. He silently sat there, his attention almost entirely focused on his wound due to his concern. He also noticed Su Zhi’s gentle movements, which, although still causing pain, somehow alleviated it. Even when the cloth pressed against the wound, it didn’t hurt as much.

Su Zhi stood by Shen Ziju’s side as she bandaged him. Shen Ziju’s gaze inadvertently fell on her waist, and he noticed her attire for the day: a light blue blouse paired with a pale green skirt. Despite the winter season, she had adorned herself with cotton clothes, yet her slender waistline was still evident, evoking a certain phrase in his mind – “delicately graspable.” As Su Zhi finished bandaging him and turned around, he felt as if she were a supple willow branch swaying gently in the wind.

“Little Fifth Brother, all done. Sit here for a moment. The physician will be here soon, so don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

After finishing the bandaging, Su Zhi noticed Shen Ziju’s lowered gaze and assumed he was worried about his wound. She offered a few comforting words, her impression of him neither particularly good nor bad. However, realizing the unfortunate incident that had occurred in her own home, where her brother had been injured by her own sister, she imagined that Shen Ziju must be worrying about the potential consequences she had earlier pondered regarding facial injuries. Thus, she spoke a few words of consolation.

Shen Ziju was snapped out of his reverie by Su Zhi’s words, feeling a tinge of embarrassment as he recalled his earlier gaze fixed on his sister-in-law’s waist. His face reddened slightly, and he simply grunted in response, refraining from further conversation or eye contact with Su Zhi. Instead, he caught a faint yet pleasant scent in the air. It was subtle but captivating. Glancing at Su Zhi, who was holding the basin nearby, he wondered if it was her perfume. When Su Zhi moved away, the scent disappeared, confirming his suspicion.

Passing the basin to Lianhua, Su Zhi instructed her to dispose of the water. She felt quite angry with her sister at the moment, considering the trouble she had caused. This annoyance felt more burdensome than simply asking her for money!

Lianhua glanced at Shen Ziju, wiping her tears as she took the basin and left the room.

Old Man Zhao stepped forward to apologize to Shen Ziju. Despite being timid and ineffectual, he had the kindest heart in the family and, after being momentarily dumbfounded, quickly regained his senses, realizing he should apologize first. However, after uttering a few words, he found himself at a loss and looked to Zhao Yangshi. In this household, Zhao Yangshi was always the one in charge, handling matters whenever they arose, while he remained obedient and obedient.

Zhao Yangshi immediately stepped forward to speak, first expressing affection for Shen Ziju and then scolding Lianhua for her actions. She then urged him not to take offense, citing their familial relationship, and even lamented their financial hardships. Finally, she skillfully shifted the conversation to emphasize the supposed wealth of Su Zhi’s family, leading the discussion down a convoluted path.

Shen Ziju wanted to furrow his brows in response, but refrained as it caused pain to his wound.

Su Zhi, meanwhile, couldn’t help but furrow her brows. She thought her mother was despicable, with all her convoluted talk. Essentially, she was implying that their family was poor, and if Shen Ziju wanted someone to take responsibility, it should be Su Zhi, as she was Zhao Lianhua’s sister and a member of the Zhao family. If there was money, it was Su Zhi’s family’s responsibility to compensate Shen Ziju!

“Mother, please stop talking. Fifth Brother is injured, he needs peace and rest. As for his treatment, you and Father should discuss it carefully. Although you are my family, Fifth Brother is just the same. I won’t let him suffer in vain for your sake. Fifth Brother, rest assured, Fourth Sister-in-law will take charge of this matter!”

Su Zhi tossed the trouble back to Zhao Yangshi, making it clear in front of Shen Ziju that this was the Zhao family’s problem. She would demand compensation from the Zhao family for Shen Ziju. Being an educated man, Shen Ziju wouldn’t think she was taking this trouble for the Zhao family. As for what the Zhao family would do next, that could be discussed later. In any case, she wouldn’t suffer this loss in silence!

The Zhao family members all glared at Su Zhi, but seeing Shen Ziju’s pale face, they dared not say anything further.

Shen Ziju felt both ashamed that the Zhao family had dumped all the trouble onto his sister-in-law and also admiring of her. After witnessing her intelligence over these days, he was certain that this sister-in-law was smart and wouldn’t suffer losses. Thinking of Su Zhi’s bright eyes and her words that left people helpless, he couldn’t help but feel amused when he saw the frustrated look on the faces of the Zhao family members whose plans had been disrupted.

“Thank you, Fourth Sister-in-law.”

At this moment, Shen Zi’an brought the physician over. The physician untied the bandage Su Zhi had wrapped and praised her for her excellent wrapping skills. Then, he began to examine Shen Ziju’s injury, furrowing his brows as he did so. However, he still cleaned the wound and applied medication before wrapping it up again.

“Physician Huang, will this injury be okay? Will it scar?” Shen Ziju asked, observing the physician’s furrowed brow with concern. He had always been proud of his appearance, and considering his aspirations to become an official, his facial appearance was crucial to him.

Physician Huang replied, “It’s hard to say for sure right now, but it’s likely to leave a scar. However, if you’re lucky, it won’t be too deep.”

Shen Ziju’s heart sank upon hearing the physician’s assessment. Despite initially hoping for a less severe outcome, the reality turned out to be just as serious as feared. The thought of living with this scar for the rest of his life, potentially bringing him numerous setbacks and troubles, filled him with gloom and despair.

At this point, Lianhua had already cowered behind her parents, and the Zhao family members had retreated as far as they could, as if hoping to escape the trouble by distancing themselves from it.

“Son, how did you get injured like this?”

A sorrowful cry rang out from outside the door as Shen Zhang shi rushed in, throwing herself beside Shen Ziju. She gazed at the injury on his head, hesitant to touch it, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Upon seeing this, Su Zhi noticed Shen Youfu’s arrival as well, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot. In her mind, she thought that another drama was about to unfold.