Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Patient

It was unexpected—and yet it also made sense.

Chen Zhong Yi had done too many evil things. There were plenty of people who wanted him dead. Whether the prison quarrel was a true grudge or a set-up didn’t matter. The end result was the same.

The ox cart rattled into the village.

Under the big tree at the entrance, the women who spent their afternoons cracking sunflower seeds and trading stories turned at the sound of wheels. When they saw Li Tao Hua and the others, their eyes lit up—not with kindness, but with the eager shine of gossip finding fresh meat.

“Hui Yin’s mother,” one called, voice stretched long as taffy, “how’s your stepson doing?”

Li Tao Hua didn’t slow. “Which one? Tang Yi Xiao?” She lifted her voice, lazy and loud. “Tang Yi Xiao! Your aunties are asking after you. Aren’t you coming out to greet them?”

Tang Yi Xiao sat up inside the cart, blinking hard. He’d fallen asleep the moment they started moving, exhaustion weighing his head down like stone. Now he rubbed at his eyes until his lids turned red.

Last night, he hadn’t dared sleep at all. He’d kept vigil beside Tang Yi Chen, holding his brother’s hand and whispering every heartfelt thing he’d ever left unsaid. So when he climbed into the cart earlier, sleep had taken him like a blow.

To the village women watching, his worn-out face and swollen eyes looked exactly like grief.

Their expressions shifted into something smug, satisfied—like a prediction confirmed.

“Boy Xiao,” someone sighed theatrically, “the dead can’t return to life. Don’t be too sad.”

“Yeah. Your brother loved you so much. If he sees you like this, he’ll worry even in the afterlife.”

Another woman clicked her tongue. “Your brother was too smart. People that smart don’t live long. They say it’s the Wen Qu Star Deity come down from heaven. When their time is up, they have to return to the sky…”

Li Tao Hua’s jaw tightened. She knew these women liked drama and poison-tongued entertainment, but hearing them curse someone with their eyes open still made her blood surge.

She’d meant to throw cold water on them—to deny them the satisfaction of watching a tragedy. If they tossed out one line, she’d fling back ten and win the entire exchange.

But she’d underestimated just how shameless they could be. From the way they spoke, they’d already decided Tang Yi Chen was dead. They’d camped here like spectators, waiting to perform their fake sympathy.

Tang Lu Wu’s face flushed crimson. “My brother didn’t—”

She didn’t get the words out before Tang Yi Xiao finally snapped awake all the way. He swung his feet down, eyes blazing, and spat, “Did you all eat crap today? Every one of you has a filthy mouth!”

A woman’s face twisted. “You little brat! We were kind enough to comfort you, and you don’t appreciate it!”

“This is comfort?” Tang Yi Xiao barked. “That’s a curse!”

A soft, rough cough came from the cart.

Then Tang Yi Chen’s voice—weak, but unmistakably alive—drifted out. “Thank you for your concern, aunties… but it seems I can’t go back to heaven just yet. And I can’t become any Wen Qu Star Deity either…”

Silence snapped into place.

The women froze as if their tongues had been nailed to the roof of their mouths. They looked at each other, eyes darting, all suddenly desperate to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

One of them tiptoed closer, still not quite believing it. She craned her neck and peeked into the cart. When she saw Tang Yi Chen lying there, pale but breathing, she forced out a brittle laugh. “Boy Chen… you’re all right?”

Tang Yi Chen’s gaze slid toward her. Even drained of color, his calm carried weight. “Thanks for your concern, Auntie. I’m not dead yet. But next time you ‘care’ about someone, you might want to ask first.”

“It was Wang Lai Zi who came back from town,” the woman rushed to defend herself, cheeks burning. “He said you were stabbed, bled all over, and died on the spot. We believed him. We only wanted to show concern…”

Li Tao Hua snorted. “Your concern is really special—sitting here cracking seeds, throwing out cold remarks, then putting on a show of sighing. You’re not worried. You’re enjoying someone else’s misfortune. We live in the same village—who doesn’t know what kind of people you are? Stop pretending. If you really care, bring eggs and meat to their door!”

“Mother,” Qin Hui Yin reminded quietly, “Elder Brother needs peace to recover.”

The women were infuriating, but a warning was enough. Petty people held grudges like knives; there was no need to push them into cutting.

Li Tao Hua lifted her chin, satisfied she’d landed the blow she wanted. She turned to Third Master Tang. “Third Uncle, let’s go. Our Brother Chen needs rest. He can’t be worked up.”

The cart rolled away, leaving the women standing under the tree in a stiff, awkward cluster. For a few breaths, no one spoke. Then, as if embarrassment could be rinsed off by indignation, they recovered their righteous airs.

“How is this our fault? It was that Wang Lai Zi—he tricked us!”

“And what’s Li Tao Hua putting on airs for?” another scoffed. “Everyone knows she doesn’t like her stepson. Look how harsh she was to Song Rui Ze before. The Song Family only had one son, and she still couldn’t tolerate him. You think she can tolerate several kids from the Tang Family?”

“Can Song Rui Ze even compare to Tang Yi Chen?” someone else said, grudging. “Song Rui Ze is Coffin Wretch. Tang Yi Chen is a brilliant student. Even the Licentiate at the private school said he’s sure to pass.”

“That’s true.” A woman leaned in, lowering her voice like a secret. “No matter how capable Song Yi is, he’s still just a hunter. And Song Rui Ze isn’t likable. Li Tao Hua’s always been cold to that father and son. But Tang Yi Chen is different. If he earns a title and becomes an official, Li Tao Hua will be an official master’s stepmother—an official madam! Who would’ve thought Li Tao Hua was pretty smart?”

The topic slid, as gossip always did, into whatever hurt most. “Forget their messy family drama. Is your doggy really going to work at the Dam Worksite?”

“Our family can’t come up with two taels to buy an exemption,” another woman said with a heavy sigh. “If we don’t go, what can we do? Working at the Dam Worksite pays money. He’s idle at home anyway. Might as well send him. I’ve got three sons—if one’s gone, the other two can still work…”

…

Back at the Tang household, Tang Da Fu sat on a small stool at the doorway, cane in hand, staring toward the village entrance as if he could will the cart to appear faster.

The injury had drained him. He looked several years older than he had before. If Qin Hui Yin hadn’t been feeding him well and tending him these days, he would’ve looked worse still.

When the ox cart finally came into view, he lurched to his feet in excitement—and immediately winced, his face twisting with pain as he leaned hard on the cane.

“Wife, wife—”

“What wife?” Li Tao Hua snapped the moment she saw him. “Your son is injured. Why are you calling for your wife instead of your son?”

Tang Da Fu barely heard the scolding. His eyes tracked Third Master Tang and Tang Yi Xiao as they lifted Tang Yi Chen down from the cart with careful hands.

“I knew Eldest was fine,” he blurted, voice thick with relief.

For once, Qin Hui Yin couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

Tang Lu Wu and Tang Yi Xiao were long used to their father’s strange priorities. Tang Yi Chen didn’t react at all.

Before Li Tao Hua came into the household, Tang Da Fu hadn’t shown much fatherly warmth. Only after her arrival did they discover he even had that side to him.

At this point, they’d adapted. If he suddenly started acting like a different man, it would feel more unsettling than comforting.

Tang Da Fu hovered uselessly. “Is Eldest’s injury all right?”

“Can’t you see?” Li Tao Hua snapped. “What are you sitting here for? What use are you?”

“I… I just wanted to be the first to see you all,” Tang Da Fu said quickly, then turned his devotion toward the safest target. “Wife, you walked to town—you must be exhausted.”

“I’m fine.” Li Tao Hua turned away and started unloading the pot and shovel Qin Hui Yin had bought.

After Third Master Tang carried Tang Yi Chen inside and settled him, he came back out to help with the rest.

Tang Lu Wu carefully carried the borrowed books from the tutors, handling them as if they might crumble in her hands. The volumes were old; a careless grip could tear a page straight out.

When everything was finally inside, the yard quieted. And for the first time in days, the Tang household felt like it was breathing again.