Chapter 119: Setting a Trap

Su Wan watched in the direction where Mrs. Hu had left and sighed inwardly. Mrs. Hu hadn’t had a good day since she married into the Song family.

Now that Song Dalang is dead, her days are likely to be even harder.

“Mrs. Hu is a good person. Last time, when Song Dalang set up a trap to break my leg, Mrs. Hu warned me the night before not to go to town. She hasn’t had it easy in the Song family, and she was desperate when she came to me for help.”

Su Wan took Mother Gu’s arm and led her into the courtyard. “She is also a pitiable woman.”

Mother Gu’s expression softened slightly, but she still didn’t relent. Instead, she became even more cautious and said, “What if Madam Jiang deliberately had her get close to you? Then, using your soft heart for Mrs. Hu, she could create trouble for you on purpose. What would you do then?”

Su Wan remained silent. There was indeed such a possibility.

“Mrs. Hu is indeed pitiful. She hasn’t had a single good day since marrying Song Dalang. Madam Jiang is a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong. If Mrs. Hu had stood up for herself and dared to resist Madam Jiang, how would she have suffered so much?”

Mother Gu had gone through such experiences and knew that weakness was useless. If you don’t stand up for yourself, no one can save you. “I’m worried that if you get involved in Mrs. Hu’s affairs, Madam Jiang might exploit her weakness. If she ends up betraying you, you won’t gain anything but might even end up sacrificing yourself.”

Su Wan understood that Mother Gu was looking out for her, so she softly reassured her, “I’ll act within my limits.”

Mother Gu knew that Su Wan was careful in her actions, so she went to the kitchen and brought out a bamboo basket. “There aren’t many vegetables at home. I’ll go to the field to pick some greens.”

“You rest. I’ll go.” Su Wan took the basket and left.

After watching Su Wan walk away, Mother Gu turned to Gu Huaizhi, who was packing the boxes, and asked, “Does the old lady really like you?”

“She’s fine with me,” Gu Huaizhi replied as he instructed Mo Chen to send the items prepared by the old lady for Mother Gu to her room.

Mother Gu watched as the large and small boxes were moved into the house, feeling a deep discomfort in her heart. “Wanwan didn’t call me ‘Mother.’ This means she doesn’t see you as someone to rely on.”

This remark struck Gu Huaizhi right in the heart, sharp and merciless.

“She took me to see the old lady,” Gu Huaizhi tried to defend himself.

Mother Gu let out a cold laugh. “I’m counting on myself. As long as I can still move, I hope to hold a grandchild in my arms.”

Gu Huaizhi: “…”

—

Su Wan deliberately took a detour past the Song family on her way to the vegetable field to gather some information. On the way, she encountered a village woman.

“Mrs. Gu, are you going to pick vegetables from the field?” The village woman was very enthusiastic. She took a handful of fresh, tender greens from her basket and placed them in Su Wan’s basket. Smiling so widely that her face was full of wrinkles, she said, “These greens are very tender and sweet. When you stir-fry them at home, they’ll be especially crisp and tasty.”

Su Wan smiled and said, “Thank you, Auntie.”

The village woman waved her hand dismissively. “No need to be so polite. It’s just from our own field.”

A scream came from the Song family, and then it suddenly fell silent.

The village woman’s expression changed drastically. She quickly pulled Su Wan past the Song family, and whispering to her, “Madam Jiang has always been a vicious woman, constantly tormenting Mrs. Hu. Since Song Dalang died, she keeps blaming Mrs. Hu for his death and has been abusing her even more severely. Just now, it must have been that crazy woman Jiang beating someone again. If this continues, Mrs. Hu will be beaten to death sooner or later.”

Su Wan’s face darkened, and she glanced towards the Song family courtyard. It seemed likely that Madam Jiang knew Mrs. Hu had come to see her and had resorted to violence again.

“Mrs. Hu must have done something terrible to the Song family in a past life, and now she’s paying for it by marrying into the Song family in this life.”

After saying this, the village woman heard her husband calling her from home. “I have to go now and cook for your Uncle.”

Su Wan lowered her eyes, planning to take Mrs. Hu away.

—

After picking the vegetables and returning home, Su Wan informed Mother Gu that she was heading to Xinglin Medical Hall in Xihe Town.

When Doctor Zhou suddenly saw Su Wan, he greeted her with delight, “Mrs. Gu, you’re back already!”

He led Su Wan towards the backyard and began discussing the medicinal ointments. “The house you bought—Master Gu had it renovated. Everything we need to process the medicinal herbs has been prepared by him.”

“We have two physicians in our workshop, eight apprentices knowledgeable in medicine, and about ten others who help with sorting herbs, bottling, and delivering the goods. All these people were found by Master Gu. He’s really remarkable, managing to gather everyone in such a short time.”

Su Wan was quite surprised, not expecting Gu Huaizhi to have organized everything so efficiently.

“How much of the wound medicine have we supplied to General Zhao?” she asked.

“Our people have been working overtime to rush the orders, and we’ve produced forty to fifty thousand bottles,” Dr. Zhou said with a worried expression. “It seems that General Zhao’s large purchase of wound medicine has attracted attention, and now many people are coming to buy it as well. The number of orders has suddenly surged. I’m considering whether we should acquire another workshop and hire more people to meet the demand.”

Su Wan knew that this was Zhao Wei helping her. He had mentioned last time that he would distribute the wound medicine to his colleagues, many of whom were generals commanding large numbers of soldiers.

Perhaps the medicine’s effectiveness had impressed them, or maybe they were buying it out of respect for Zhao Wei, leading them to purchase the wound medicine from her.

“We can open another workshop, and if that’s too troublesome, we can simply hire more people to handle the workload,” Su Wan suggested.

As she looked at the medicine cabinets filled with jars and bottles, she continued, “Set aside some of the wound medicine to sell at the medical hall to build up our reputation.”

Su Wan had many people to support, so the more money in her hands, the better. “When I have some free time, I’ll develop more specialized medicines to sell.”

Doctor Zhou’s eyes lit up instantly. “Alright, I’ll go make arrangements right away!”

Su Wan watched as Doctor Zhou left excitedly, unable to help but smile. She then prepared to contact Qi Guang.

“Bang—”

A muffled sound suddenly echoed.

Su Wan turned her head and saw a dark bundle hit the ground as Qi Guang climbed over the wall.

Qi Guang picked up the bundle from the ground, dusted it off, and grinned. “Young lady, this is something from the families of our soldiers. It’s just a small token of appreciation, please accept it.”

Su Wan took the bundle and caught the aroma of cured meat. Delighted, she exclaimed, “Is this homemade cured meat? I love cured meat!”

“It’s smoked with pinewood by the families themselves.” Seeing Su Wan hugging the bundle and taking in the scent repeatedly, Qi Guang knew she genuinely liked it and breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve recruited about ten new soldiers, and they’ve already started training. Their condition is pretty good.”

“You’ve handled things well, and I trust you. The dowry has already been retrieved. Tonight, have some men come and take it back to use as military funds,” Su Wan said with a stern expression, leaving no room for refusal. “You can’t reject this.”

Qi Guang knew Su Wan’s temperament well. He didn’t refuse and felt even more loyal to her in his heart.

Su Wan invited Qi Guang into the house, closing the door behind them, and said, “Uncle Qi, I need your help with something.”

Qi Guang, full of confidence, patted his chest. “Young lady, you don’t need to be so polite. Just say the word, and my brothers and I will risk everything to get it done!”

In a low voice, Su Wan instructed, “The village head’s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Hu, needs to be rescued. I want you to help her sever ties with the Song family.”

Qi Guang was momentarily stunned, a bit surprised by the request.

Su Wan added a hint, “Set up a trap that lures Song Erlang in, and then have Madam Jiang offer Mrs. Hu as payment for the debt.”