Chapter 5: It Won't Be Better for a Year or Two

After absorbing the memories, Shen Meng remained silent for a long time. The sound of her original mother’s gasping had ceased, likely because she assumed Shen Meng had fallen asleep.

Before long, Shen Fugui walked in with an old man. Seeing this, Wang Guizhi hurriedly gave up her spot.

“Please, take a look at her. Little Meng woke up for a moment and then passed out again. Oh, heavens! If anything happens to my daughter, I won’t want to live either,” Wang Guizhi sobbed.

“Look at you, why are you crying again? The doctor is here, don’t worry, don’t worry!”

Lu Changhong was from Lu Family Village. He was the only barefoot doctor in the surrounding villages. Because he had served in the military, everyone trusted him implicitly.

He walked to the edge of the *kang* and was just about to pull back Shen Meng’s eyelid when the person who had been frowning on the bed suddenly opened her eyes. Even a man accustomed to big scenes was startled.

He gave a light cough, then examined the wound on her head. It had been covered with spiderwebs and soot from the bottom of a pot; the bleeding had stopped. It was a local folk remedy—effective for stopping blood, but unhygienic. He took out the saline solution he had brought, asked Wang Guizhi to hold Shen Meng’s head near the edge of the *kang*, and used a piece of cotton cloth soaked in saline to clean the wound.

Shen Meng looked weakly at the doctor Shen Fugui had summoned. Realizing he was about to clean the wound without any anesthetic, she instinctively raised her hand to stop him.

“Ah—ngh!”

This feeling… it was excruciatingly sharp!

Shen Meng grabbed Wang Guizhi’s arm, her whole body trembling from the pain. She had nearly knocked Wang Guizhi over.

“Oh my, Doctor Lu, why didn’t you give me a warning? I almost couldn’t hold her down.”

“I couldn’t tell you, Auntie. If I had, she would have known, and she definitely would have run off the moment I tried to touch it.”

Shen Meng: “...”

That actually sounded somewhat reasonable.

After Lu Changhong finished cleaning the wound, he applied medicine and wrapped it in gauze. Since the wound was on her temple, he also prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication. As a doctor recognized by the commune, he could get some medicine from the county hospital, but supplies were limited. He always dispensed them sparingly; giving Shen Meng six pills at once was a favor to his brother, Lu Zhenping.

“It’s nothing too serious. The wound looks scary, but it didn’t hit the bone. Just let her rest well for ten days or half a month. Take one pill now, and another before bed tonight. Keep an eye on her during the night to make sure she doesn’t develop a fever. If she does, cool her down immediately. If the fever won’t break, call me.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Doctor Lu. We really owe you today. How much do I owe you? I’ll pay you.”

Seeing Lu Changhong packing his things, Shen Fugui patted his pockets. He and his wife had left in such a rush that they hadn’t brought anything. Not only that, but now that he knew his daughter was fine, the relief hit him, and he realized he was starving.

Lu Changhong looked at Shen Fugui’s state and lowered his eyes indifferently.

“It’s seven *mao* in total. The saline was the expensive part, along with the powder and the pills. If you don’t have the money now, it’s fine; you can pay me later.”

Just as Wang Guizhi and Shen Fugui were about to thank him, Shen Meng hurriedly said, “Wait, wait a moment. Mother, open my *kang* cabinet. In that black cloth bag inside, there’s some loose change. Please give it to Doctor Lu for me.”

Seeing her act this way, Lu Changhong didn’t refuse. Lu Zhenping was such a good man; it was a shame he’d married someone so two-faced. If she were only beautiful, that would be one thing, but she was unkind to the children. If it weren’t for him and the other village aunties keeping an eye out, those children would have been bullied to death.

After taking the money, Lu Changhong turned to leave decisively, not even sparing Shen Meng a glance. Shen Meng knew he had a low opinion of the original owner. Lu Zhenping’s three children were actually the descendants of martyrs; their mothers had either run away, remarried, or passed away, and they had lived miserable lives in their original homes.

Lu Zhenping couldn’t bear to watch and adopted them, though he hadn’t expected to pull them out of one fire pit only to drop them into another.

“Doctor Lu, wait a moment. Doctor Lu, please, if my mother-in-law asks about my condition, could you please tell her that I’m very seriously injured and won’t be able to get out of bed for half a year? Thank you.”

Lu Changhong: “...”

*Heh*, he knew it. This woman was just trying to use her injury to slack off. Who knew how she’d continue to enslave those children once she was back on her feet!

“Zhenping’s wife, it’s not my place to interfere in your family affairs, but Zhenping and I grew up together, and Mingyang and the others are poor children. Could you please have some mercy and treat them better?” At the very least, stop hitting them.

Lu Changhong didn’t dare say the rest. He was afraid of provoking Shen Meng, leading her to abuse the children behind his back. Regardless, she was their mother now, and as an outsider, he couldn’t overstep his bounds.

“Doctor Lu, I’ll call you Brother Changhong. Don’t worry. After going through this, I’ve thought it over. From now on, I will definitely treat Mingyang and the others well. I promise. If you don’t believe me, you can… you can supervise me.” Shen Meng’s head was still throbbing; after saying this, a thin layer of cold sweat had already broken out on her forehead.

Lu Changhong looked at Shen Meng steadily. He didn’t know why, but while he used to be able to tell at a glance that she was full of tricks, she felt completely different today.

He didn’t say whether he believed her or not, simply turning around and walking out.

Once outside, he saw Liu Sanjin being supported by Zhou Jiaojiao, clearly waiting for him.

Liu Sanjin asked with a mix of nervousness and feigned concern, “Changhong, how is the eldest’s wife doing?”

Lu Changhong, who had been about to say it wasn’t a big deal, suddenly remembered Shen Meng’s request. For the sake of those poor children, he decided to trust her one last time.

“Auntie, Zhenping’s wife is in a bad way. If I hadn’t arrived in time, she would have been gone. I cleaned the wound and prescribed medicine; whether she lives or dies depends on her own fate. Even if she survives, she won’t be able to get out of bed for a year or half a year. You’d better prepare for the worst!”

After saying this, he picked up his things and left. Behind him, Liu Sanjin and Zhou Jiaojiao turned deathly pale. When Shen Meng had been brought back earlier, they had played the "good people," claiming she was fine and had just fainted, and would wake up soon.

If Shen Meng really died, the whole neighborhood knew they hadn’t called a doctor. Wouldn’t that give them the reputation of intentionally withholding medical care and killing their daughter-in-law?

How would they ever be able to hold their heads high in Lu Family Village again!

Liu Sanjin grabbed Zhou Jiaojiao, who was supporting her, and scolded her harshly while gripping her arm.

“You short-sighted little hussy, you god-forsaken wretch! Didn’t you say she was fine? My Lu family’s reputation is going to be ruined because of you. I’ll have my son divorce you!”