FMT 21

Chapter 21 Conflict

After entering September, most of the farm work was almost finished, and most of the villagers had become idle.

Usually, the young and strong men in the households went to town to look for work. The lucky ones could find jobs that lasted through the winter, and if not, even day labor with daily pay was still acceptable.

Chen Shuangning should have also gone to town to look for work, but Liandan told him to stay home and rest well, not letting him go out.

Liandan tried every day to make meals that would help strengthen his body. Even though the coins at the bottom of the cabinet were being used up bit by bit, he never felt any pain in spending them.

With more time at home, when the child napped and there was nothing to do, Chen Shuangning taught Liandan how to read and write.

The two of them sat at the table, reading books and practicing writing. They did not know how much time had passed when a small, chubby hand reached out between them and smacked down on the book lying on the edge of the table.

Both of them were startled and turned their heads almost at the same time, only to see that at some point, Xiaodan had already woken up.

He had been sleeping on the inside of the bed, against the wall, but he had actually rolled over by himself. No one knew how much effort it had taken him, but he had crawled all the way here.

“Ah!” Xiaodan opened his toothless mouth and let out a cry, as if to say, “You’re reading books and didn’t even call me!”

Liandan, delighted, picked up the chubby baby, kissed his plump little cheek, and asked, “Did you crawl over here by yourself? How is Xiaodan so amazing!”

Liandan’s eyes sparkled as he looked toward Chen Shuangning.

Chen Shuangning glanced at him, and finally his lips moved. He also praised, “Xiaodan is amazing.”

But Liandan was still looking at him, his expression encouraging. Chen Shuangning hesitated for a moment, then finally compromised. Not very used to it, he lowered his head and gently touched his lips to the other side of Xiaodan’s round, plump cheek.

When Liandan saw this, joy filled him to the point it looked like it would overflow from his eyes.

Then, he suddenly thought of something, he stole a glance at Chen Shuangning. His eyes quickly swept over Chen Shuangning’s lips and then he lowered his head to hide the heat on his own cheeks.

….

Two days later, Chen Shuangning’s medicine was finished. He was not coughing much anymore, but Liandan still felt uneasy, so he wanted him to go with him to see the old village doctor.

Chen Shuangning went with him.

When the old doctor took his pulse, his brows knitted tightly and he kept saying, “Strange.”

Liandan asked worriedly what was strange. The old doctor stroked his white beard and said, “I have practiced medicine for many years, but I have never seen such a pulse…”

As he said this, his expression suddenly stiffened and he stopped. Liandan leaned in, wanting to hear more details.

But the old doctor suddenly seemed to come back to himself. He shook his head and said, “It must be that my medical skills are lacking, I cannot tell what illness it is.”

Liandan said, “How could that be? Old Doctor, you were able to perform a surgical operation for me, how could your medical skills be lacking?”

The old doctor showed a surprised look and said, “When did I ever…,” but then he stopped again. When he spoke once more, his eyelids drooped, hiding his expression, and he said slowly, “Indeed, you are right…”

In the end, the old doctor never explained clearly what Chen Shuangning’s illness was, but he still prescribed some herbs to stop the cough and clear the lungs, to be boiled and drunk every day. As Liandan requested, he also added some ingredients to strengthen the body.

On the way back, Liandan still looked worried.

Chen Shuangning noticed. After walking side by side for a while, he pressed his lips together, then finally spoke. “It’s an old ailment I’ve had for many years. It flares up when the weather turns cold. A few doses of medicine will be enough.”

Only then did Liandan force a smile.

The two of them walked home together. When they were almost there, Chen Shuangning, carrying the child on his back, glanced toward their house, and his expression suddenly stiffened.

Liandan was still unaware and carried the paper-wrapped herbs toward the door.

At that moment, Aunt Wu came out from next door. When she saw Liandan, she ran over and said, “Something bad happened. Just now, the couple from Old Second Chen’s family came and led away your nanny goat. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t!”

When Liandan heard this, he stomped his foot in frustration. “Xiaodan can barely eat solid food, he still relies mainly on milk. How could they do this!”

Aunt Wu took the herbs from his hands and also carefully took sleeping Xiaodan from Chen Shuangning’s back. She said, “They just took it not long ago. You two should go quickly to their house and see. If you’re any later, they might sell it and then you’ll never get it back.”

Liandan grabbed Chen Shuangning’s wrist and ran in the direction of Old Second Chen’s house.

Most of the Chen family lived in this village, with a few scattered in nearby villages.

Old Second Chen had long since passed away. The couple Aunt Wu mentioned was his son and his son’s husband.

Last time, that husband in his thirties came and took a liking to the nanny goat. Unexpectedly, even after so long, he was still thinking about it. He took advantage of the house being empty and led it away.

That goat was worth three to four strings of copper coins. When it was bought, Old Madam Chen had spent a fortune, and Liandan had been raising it carefully all this time, afraid it might starve or get sick.

If they could not get it back, even though there were still some coins left at home, they still needed food and medicine. There was no way they could afford to buy another one.

Liandan grew so anxious his eyes turned red. After running for a while, he noticed that the cool hand he was holding had turned and was holding him in return.

He looked back and saw Chen Shuangning’s calm face. Chen Shuangning said, “Don’t worry, we’ll get it back.”

For some reason, those plain words calmed Liandan’s panicked heart quite a bit.

Chen Shuangning squeezed the hand he was holding, then let go again. He walked ahead and said, “Let’s go.”

The two of them went to Old Second Chen’s house, one behind the other. As soon as they entered the yard, they saw Old Second Chen’s son, Chen Wang, chopping wood.

This man worked in town as a bodyguard for rich families. His muscles were knotted and bulging, and even in the cold weather, he wore only a thin short jacket, stretched tight by his build. Last time when there was trouble at their house, he had still been in town, so they had not seen him. Otherwise, it probably would not have been so easy to drive them away.

When he saw Liandan and Chen Shuangning enter the gate, Chen Wang spat into his palm, glared viciously at them with both eyes, and brought his axe down with a loud bang, splitting the firewood into pieces.

Liandan was so startled his heart almost jumped out. He instinctively hid behind Chen Shuangning and clutched the corner of his sleeve.

Chen Shuangning’s face showed no ripple at all. He asked calmly, “Where is the goat?”

Chen Wang did not respond to him. Instead, he turned his head and shouted into the house, “They’re here, come out.”

Before his words had even faded, a husband in his thirties came out from the house. He was the same one who last time had grabbed the nanny goat’s ear and refused to let go.

His surname was Liu. No one in the village remembered his given name. Everyone called him either “Chen Wang’s husband” or “Liu ger.”

When Liu ger saw Liandan and Chen Shuangning, he let out a mocking “Ah” and asked as if nothing had happened, “What brings you here to visit today?”

Chen Shuangning fixed his gaze on him and said slowly, “Where is the goat? If you don’t hand it over, I’ll go inside and find it myself.”

Liu ge’er did not dare meet those frightening eyes. He turned his head aside and said, “Before Chen Wang’s father died, he said your old man once borrowed five taels of silver from him and never paid it back. This goat will count as repayment.”

Chen Shuangning looked back at Liandan. Liandan stammered nervously, “Mo… mother-in-law never mentioned that.”

Chen Shuangning turned back and said, “I have never heard of it either. Do you have a written note?”

Liu ge’er secretly glanced at Chen Wang, and with his support, he felt even more confident. He put his hands on his hips and said, “We’re all relatives. At the time it was just a verbal loan. Where would there be a note? Don’t tell me you’re trying to deny the debt and not pay it back!”

He had been coveting that goat all along. The day he failed to take it, he regretted it bitterly. Now that Chen Wang had returned to back him up, he shamelessly went to Old Madam Chen’s house and led the goat away. He had already thought of this excuse. Even if Liandan and Chen Shuangning knew he was cheating, they would have no way to refute it.

But at that moment, Chen Shuangning suddenly glanced toward the storage room in the yard.

Liu ge’er’s expression changed and he rushed to block the door, but it was already too late. He did not even see how Chen Shuangning moved. He only felt his vision blur, and the next moment the storage room door was open. A nanny goat with its mouth bound tightly with cloth to keep it from bleating was led out by him.

Liu ge’er stomped his foot and howled.

Chen Wang, who had been watching silently from the side, suddenly raised his axe without warning and swung it down toward Chen Shuangning’s back.

The place where he had been chopping wood was right next to the storage room door. When Chen Shuangning came out, his back was toward him.

Chen Wang’s movement was too sudden and too fast. Chen Shuangning seemed completely unaware.

Standing not far away, Liandan saw everything clearly, but it was too late to warn him. His eyes almost split apart from the strain, and even his terrified scream got stuck in his throat.

Without the slightest hesitation, with a nimbleness he had never shown in his life, Liandan suddenly jumped forward, pressed himself firmly against Chen Shuangning’s back, wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, and made a choked sound of fear from his throat.

He heard the sound of someone screaming, a heavy crashing noise, and a strange muffled cracking noise that made one’s teeth ache.

When everything settled, a cold hand pried open his own hands that were clenched against the man’s stomach. Liandan shuddered violently, realizing that the pain he had expected never came.

His fingers were pried apart one by one, then one of his hands was held. He was half-forced, pulled from behind to the front.

His face was full of tears, his complexion pale.

Chen Shuangning enclosed his hand in his palm, lowered his eyes to look at him, and slowly asked, “Just now, why did you risk yourself to protect me?”

Liandan’s eyes trembled rapidly. He looked in panic at the young man before him. His lips moved several times, but not a single word came out.

He had been badly frightened.

Chen Shuangning did not press him further. He raised his hand and pulled him into his arms. With his other hand he held the goat and walked out of the yard.

As he turned, Liandan saw Liu ge’er squatting on the ground and Chen Wang lying collapsed in front of him. Only then did Liandan’s dulled senses gradually return, and he finally heard Liu ge’er’s sharp wailing cries.

Liandan’s shoulders twitched. The man holding him said softly over his head, “He isn’t dead. He’ll be fine after lying down for a while.”