After cursing Xu Ermao, the villagers showered Lin Shu with praise:

“I used to think she was all soft and weak, but who knew she was so tough!”

“Thank goodness she shouted in time; she saved Shui Fang.”

Old Man Lu, hearing the news, rushed over. He initially feared his third daughter-in-law was badly hurt, but seeing she was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Deng the Loudmouth said to Old Man Lu, “Shaotang’s wife and Shaotang himself are truly admirable. If it weren’t for them, who knows how many more young girls Xu Ermao would have harmed!”

Old Man Lu, hearing this, also felt a surge of righteous pride.

“This beast, he usually looks so honest.”

Many men and women from Lu’s Village rushed over.

They had all gone to the commune to deliver pigs and were happily queuing at the supply and marketing cooperative to buy New Year’s goods when they heard that Xu Ermao from the rear had committed murder!

With the help of the loudspeaker, the militia squad leader from the commune had demanded iron shovels and pickaxes from the villagers and was digging up Xu Ermao right on the spot.

When Shui Fang’s mother saw her daughter’s body, she suddenly became lucid, screamed, and started tearing at Xu Ermao.

Shui Fang’s father, who had hurried back from sending pigs, also jumped in and started beating Xu Ermao’s father.

After the militia took Xu Ermao away, the angry relatives and friends of the victims stormed into Xu Ermao’s home.

“Help! They’re going to kill someone!”

Xu Ermao’s father tried to call Lu Shaotang to stop the villagers.

But Lu Shaotang had already taken Lin Shu home.

Such civilian matters were handled by the public security and pulis, not his concern.

Fang Dihua was busy keeping Tiantian and Panpan at home.

Qiu Pozi, being cautious and not liking dangerous commotion, heard about the murder.

Although she didn’t know exactly what was going on, she immediately took the children to hide at Lu’s house and locked the door, waiting for Fang Dihua.

At this moment, Fang Dihua brought some candy for the children and asked Tiantian and Panpan to read picture books.

When Lu Shaotang came back carrying Lin Shu, the children rushed over immediately.

Hearing about the murder at the other village had scared them badly.

Their mother had gone there to deliver clothes!

Lu Shaotang gently said, “Your mother caught a big bad guy.”

The children’s eyes widened in surprise.

Lu Shaotang placed Lin Shu on the kang in the west room and helped her take off her shoes.

Seeing her flushed cheeks and tearful eyes, and noticing his clothes had damp spots, he felt heartbroken.

His wife was scared.

Lin Shu wasn’t crying from fear but from pain.

Initially, she didn’t feel much, but later her right foot started hurting more and more until it became excruciating.

Lu Shaotang took off her socks to check.

Not only was her ankle swollen, but her big toenail was also split, bleeding a lot.

Tiantian and Panpan were heartbroken and rushed to blow on their mother’s foot.

Fang Dihua brought some hemostatic powder and injury medicine that Lu’s father had prepared himself.

Lu Shaotang first mixed warm water to clean the blood from Lin Shu’s foot, then used small scissors to trim the split nail.

The split nail was digging into the flesh, causing intense pain.

Lin Shu kept pulling her foot away.

Lu Shaotang held her ankle firmly, decisively, and quickly cleaned up the wound.

After applying the medicinal powder, Lin Shu’s injury was simply bandaged.

She was already sweating profusely from the pain.

Tian Tian and Pan Pan used handkerchiefs to wipe her sweat.

Lu Shaotang then applied medicinal alcohol to her ankle to massage the bruising away.

Though he tried to be gentle, his strength still caused Lin Shu’s face to turn pale from the intense pain.

She felt that the pain from rubbing out the bruising was worse than leaving it alone—it was a sharp, short pain compared to a dull, ongoing one.

Given the choice, she preferred the slow, lingering pain over the agonizing short bursts that felt like her bones were being crushed.

Just when she was about to lose her temper and curse, Lu Shaotang finally said, “There’s no bone injury; you’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”

Fang Dihua, feeling sorry for her third daughter-in-law, went to the kitchen to steam some egg custard for her.

Tian Tian and Pan Pan sat beside Lin Shu, comforting her in their sweet, childish voices.

Tian Tian gently patted Lin Shu’s hair like Fang Dihua, whispering softly, “Touch your fur, don’t be scared. Grandma on the kang, please bless her. Kitchen God, please protect her too…”

Pan Pan, on the other hand, unwrapped a big White Rabbit candy and fed it to Lin Shu. “Mom, eat some candy, and you won’t be scared anymore. Huzhi said when he’s scared, he just eats something.”

Granny Qiu was delighted to see Lu Shaotang back and, after chatting for a bit, took the other children with her and left.

Soon after, Lu Da returned with a few kids.

Many commune members had followed the militia to the commune to watch the commotion.

Lu Ping, Lu An, and Lu Cuicui had gone too, but Lu Da had seen them and pulled them back.

Meanwhile, Lu Dage and Lu Erge accompanied the village secretary and the brigade leader to the commune’s Revolutionary Committee.

Many women from the village came by to check on Lin Shu and catch a glimpse of Lu Shaotang.

Aunt Li, Granny Wang, and others brought a few eggs to calm her nerves.

Others came purely for gossip, hoping to hear every detail so they could share it with their friends and relatives later.

Fang Dihua, however, turned away everyone except those who were close, explaining that her daughter-in-law needed to rest.

Xu Xiaoyou, holding two eggs, came running to comfort her aunt, crying pitifully out of sympathy.

Tian Tian and Pan Pan saw Xu Xiaoyou crying, also started to cry, feeling heartbroken for their mother.

Lin Shu quickly reassured them, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. As long as I don’t walk, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

Pan Pan immediately shouted, “Dad, Mom can’t walk. You have to take good care of her!”

Lu Shaotang agreed, “I will.”

He told Lin Shu to stay on the kang (heated bed), and that he would take care of everything.

Lin Shu quipped, “…You can’t exactly take me to the bathroom, though.”

Fang Dihua noticed that Lu Hehuan hadn’t come and was displeased.

Xu Xiaoyou explained that she had wanted to come, but her younger brother had suddenly developed a fever, so their mother took him to the commune clinic.

Xu’s mother refused to ask Old Man Lu for help again.

Because he wouldn’t provide free treatment, she refused to let him make any money.

After dinner, Lin Shu asked Sister-in-law Lu Da to return Xu Xiaoyou and also deliver the clothes.

Sister-in-law Lu Da came back and reported that Xu Yaoyao indeed had a fever, and Lin Aidi had also caught a cold and was bedridden.

She was afraid of infecting others, so she hadn’t come to pick up the clothes.

Lin Shu’s foot looked quite serious, but after Lu Shaotang’s timely and proper treatment, it felt much better by evening. Her ankle wasn’t painful if she didn’t put weight on it, but her toenail was still throbbing.

To ensure she could rest properly, Fang Dihua took the children to her room.

At first, Lin Shu had trouble falling asleep, so Lu Shaotang helped her by massaging a few acupoints.

As he massaged, she eventually fell asleep.

In the morning, when she woke up, the toenail area had scabbed over and felt less painful.

Brother Lu Dage and the village secretary arrived early and went straight to find Lu Shaotang.

Without having breakfast yet, Fang Dihua boiled water to make egg flower soup for them.

Everyone gathered in Brother Lu Dage’s room to listen to their report.

Xu Ermao also confessed to the case from three years ago.

**** During the summer wheat harvest, everyone was either working in the fields or at the threshing ground.

Even babies were taken to the field by the elderly; there was hardly anyone idle in the village.

Shui Fang had been in a bad mood due to arguments with her parents and had been unwilling to talk to them or work with them.

At noon, she returned home from the threshing ground and was unfortunately targeted by Xu Ermao among the haystacks and bushes.