Chapter 112: The Festivities Continue

The next day.

Song Weimin returned from the county town, his face weary. Before he could even sit down for a drink of water, he was summoned to the commune.

He reported the entire sequence of events regarding the wolf pack descending from the mountain.

Then, he led a group of armed militia back. The militia, carrying their weapons, immediately ascended the mountain upon arrival to conduct a thorough search.

After a full day, there was no trace of the wolf pack—only a few foolish cubs were caught and brought back to the commune.

The next day, they returned again, bringing back several wild game animals, but still found no sign of the wolves.

For seven consecutive days, the militia combed through all the nearby village mountains but found no trace of the wolf pack.

They eventually concluded that the wolves had escaped back into the deep mountains.

At last, the nearby villages breathed a collective sigh of relief.

News of the wolf pack descending upon Guyue Village had reached the surrounding villages, and everyone feared such an incident happening in their own village.

Now, learning that the wolves had retreated into the depths of the mountain, everyone finally relaxed.

With the threat lifted, their minds turned to more trivial gossip.

First and foremost was the ill-fated couple from Guyue Village.

Because of a quarrel over a matter on the kang bed, one died and one was injured—a tragedy that drew much sympathy.

Outsiders devoured the juicy gossip, and of course, the villagers themselves paid even closer attention.

For half a month, the residents of Guyue Village watched the drama unfold.

Song the Third’s wife had died, and the aftermath was far from simple.

For example, Song Qingniang and Hu Sihai had been involved in an illicit affair and, by rights, should have been publicly humiliated.

But now, with one dead and the other injured, Hu Sihai having lost a leg and still hospitalized, the situation was more complicated.

Hu Sihai’s father had visited almost every household in the village, humbling himself to plead for mercy to save his son.

Faced with the old man’s sincere entreaties, the villagers of Guyue Village found their hearts softened.

Law is law, but human compassion is another matter. Both Hu Sihai and Song Qingniang had already paid a heavy price; if they were officially branded as bad elements, given Hu Sihai’s current condition, he likely wouldn’t survive long.

So, when the town’s Revolutionary Committee came down to investigate, the villagers surprisingly presented a united front, dismissing the rumors circulating outside as baseless gossip.

They claimed that Song the Third’s wife and Hu Sihai were injured because each had encountered wolves in the mountains, though at different locations.

As for why they were admitted to the hospital naked, it was because Tang Zhiqing said it made acupuncture easier.

Considering the visiting elder’s presence, Tang Zhiqing tacitly accepted this explanation when questioned by the committee.

The committee members had heard of Tang Banxia’s powerful connections and only asked cursory questions before letting the matter drop.

As for the Song family, Old Madam Song declared she would not interfere.

Song the Third, facing the two hundred yuan offered by Hu Sihai’s father, simply kept silent.

Though inwardly resentful, two hundred yuan was a fortune—something he might not earn in ten years.

Thus, the matter quietly closed.

Hu Sihai’s issue was resolved, but the matter of Song the Third’s wife was even more troublesome.

The trouble lay with Song Qing’s maternal grandmother’s family.

Upon hearing of her daughter’s death, they said nothing but immediately demanded compensation, even trying to extort Tang Banxia.

However, Tang Banxia’s efforts over the past year were not in vain; before Song Qing’s maternal relatives could cause a scene, Aunt Hu and Sister Sun, along with several others, joined forces to push them back.

Confronted with such resistance, that family immediately backed down and turned to bully the soft target—that is, Song the Third.

Song the Third was already frustrated and desperate for an outlet for his anger.

Now, seeing the family of the woman who cuckolded him, he finally had somewhere to vent.

Thus, the quarrel with his in-laws was fierce and ongoing.

This drove Old Madam Song to exhaustion; she would often retreat to Tang Banxia’s clinic to vent her frustrations.

Tang Banxia listened for amusement.

“Madam Song, if you could be ruthless, why not just kick him out?” Tang Banxia leisurely handed Song Yu a skewer of candied hawthorns. “That way you won’t drag the other sons into trouble.”

When the family divided, Song the Third’s household was given a separate room but had never moved out, still living with the rest of the Song family, merely having built an independent stove.

Now, with Song the Third’s in-laws causing trouble, Old Madam Song was at her wit’s end.

But that family was tough—they couldn’t be driven off by insults or violence and clashed repeatedly with Song the Third.

Initially, they even tried to cause trouble for Old Madam Song, but she sternly rebuffed them.

Now, they shifted their focus to Song the Third.

If Old Madam Song spoke up, they would simply retort, “If you care so much, why don’t you pay back his debts?”

That one sentence completely broke Old Madam Song’s spirit.

She could only keep withdrawing.

“Besides,” Tang Banxia said, pinching Song Yu’s plump cheek, “what if they get careless and hurt our Li Bao?”

Old Madam Song looked thoughtful.

Tang Banxia let the subject drop and turned her attention to teaching Song Yu about medicinal herbs, simultaneously testing Hu Xiayu’s grasp of herbal knowledge.

Hu Xiayu stammered through her recitations.

Tang Banxia frowned in dissatisfaction. “What’s going on? It’s been a year, and you still can’t master the most basic herbal knowledge?”

Hu Xiayu’s face flushed with embarrassment, muttering incoherently.

“How about the acupuncture points?” Tang Banxia shifted to another topic, pointing to the web between the thumb and index finger. “What point is this? What is its effect?”

Hu Xiayu glanced up briefly then dropped her head again.

Tang Banxia: …

“Hu Xiayu!” she slammed the table. “Are you even trying to remember?”

Hu Xiayu pouted. “Master Tang, I really am trying, but I’m just not cut out for this.”

Tang Banxia pinched her brow. “Then how about preparing herbs? How do you process honeysuckle vine?”

Hu Xiayu: …

“Master, please have mercy on me!” Hu Xiayu was close to tears.

Tang Banxia: “You may leave.”

“Don’t torment me here anymore.”

Although she hadn’t been particularly strict with Hu Xiayu, she had always taught seriously. Yet, this was the result?

She felt quite defeated.

Hu Xiayu left dejectedly.

Old Madam Song and Song Yu exchanged a fearful glance before quickly averting their eyes.

Afterward, Tang Banxia was surprised to find that Song Yu’s learning efficiency improved dramatically.

She didn’t overthink it; seeing Song Yu’s enthusiasm, she taught earnestly.

Old Madam Song and her grandson lingered in the clinic until nightfall before reluctantly heading home.

As they neared their house, they heard loud curses.

No need to look, Old Madam Song immediately recognized Song the Third’s voice.

Since his first outburst, Song the Third had completely let himself go, trading barbs back and forth with his in-laws.

Holding her precious granddaughter’s hand, Old Madam Song calmly passed through the crowd and slammed the door shut.

She shut all the chaos outside.

Calmly washing her hands, preparing and eating dinner, washing up, then going to bed.

But in the middle of the night, sudden wailing woke her—much to her fury!

She went outside to see Song the Third’s in-laws, dressed in white mourning clothes, crying loudly.

Old Madam Song’s face darkened instantly.

This was damn bad luck.

“Song the Third, get your ass out here!” she shouted.