Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 35 - 32: Mix-up

"Jing, stop! Your hand is injured, and it’s bleeding so much. Can’t you feel it? Look, your clothes are all stained red."

Zhao Jing looked down at her words, frowning as if he had just noticed the wound. "I’m not sure where I got cut. I don’t feel any pain at all... It’s just a shame about these clothes. I wonder if the stain will wash out."

Chen Wanqing shot him an exasperated look. "Are clothes more important than your hand? How can you be worried about something so trivial at a time like this? It’s just a bit of blood; it’ll come out with a good scrub. It’s your wound you should be worried about. Look how long it is! I don’t even know what to say to you."

Chen Wanqing was frantic. She quickly pressed her handkerchief against the wound while her other hand fumbled open her sachet and pulled out a small porcelain vial.

The vial was filled with a white medicinal powder used to stop bleeding and reduce bruising.

She held his wrist with one hand and gently shook the powder onto the cut with the other.

’The cut is a little long, but thankfully it’s not too deep. As long as he keeps it out of water for the next few days, it shouldn’t leave a scar.’

As these thoughts ran through her mind, Chen Wanqing deftly bandaged the wound with her handkerchief.

Her movements were quick yet gentle. The warmth of her breath and her sweet scent wafted over Zhao Jing’s wrist and nose, making his scalp tingle.

"You’re injured. I’ll carry the basket. We need to get home quickly so I can treat your wound properly. You’re a scholar; you can’t have a scar on your hand, let alone any lasting damage..."

As Chen Wanqing continued to fuss, Zhao Jing tightened his grip on the basket’s straps, refusing to let go. He sighed with a smile. "Wanqing, it’s just a small cut... Besides, it’s my hand that’s hurt, not my shoulders or back. Don’t argue with me. De’an and I are men. It wouldn’t be right to let you, a young woman, carry the basket."

Chen De’an chimed in sourly, "That’s right. It’s not that heavy. Just let Jing carry it. Sis, you walk up front. Let’s just go home."

He was dying of jealousy.

’Just now, when Sis was tending to Zhao Jing’s wound, her voice was all anxious and gentle, and she was so flustered. But whenever I get hurt, she just gets mad and looks like she wants to smack me a couple of times to teach me a lesson.’

’We’re both like younger brothers to her, so why the different treatment?’

’It must be because I’m her real brother that she gets so furious. Jing isn’t related to her by blood, so no matter how close they are, she can’t just go around giving him noogies.’

With that thought, Chen De’an was satisfied.

Still, he shot Zhao Jing a fierce glare, warning him with his eyes: ’Don’t you dare try to win Sis’s favor over me!’

Zhao Jing glanced over and sneered, as if finding him childish.

This only infuriated Chen De’an more. He deliberately bumped Zhao Jing with his basket, then took off running.

"Sis, help me! Jing’s gonna hit me!"

...

The mountain path was wet and slippery, so the three of them couldn’t move quickly.

The path was also muddy with leaf mold, each step sinking into a hole. The slightest misstep would leave one covered in mud.

Eventually, Chen Wanqing had no choice but to grab both their arms and walk between them.

Supporting one another, the trio took twice as long as usual to descend the mountain.

To their surprise, a crowd was still gathered at the foot of the mountain. Everyone was craning their necks and raising their heads, trying to peer past the rope cordon. They looked as if they wished they had the eyes of a god so they could see what was happening inside.

The crowd of villagers was shocked to see the three of them emerging from the mountain.

"Where did the three of you come from?"

"De’an, have you seen your father? Did they go into the mountains to look for clues to catch Shusheng’s killer?"

Amid the clamor, the trio quickly grasped the main point, their brows furrowing one after another.

"Shusheng is dead?"

"When did he die?"

"How could he be dead? I thought they said he’d be fine as long as he got through the high fever."

Anxious, the three of them strode forward.

When they reached the rope barrier, they first greeted the constables on duty before stepping past it and into the crowd of villagers to ask about Shusheng.

Shusheng had a hard life. His father died before he was even born. His mother was decent enough to give the old couple a child to remember their son by before she remarried.

But she married far away, and her new family didn’t like the boy, so after visiting twice, she stopped coming altogether.

The poor boy was raised in a slapdash way by his elderly grandparents. During the busy farming season, they were rarely home, and the child would get so hungry he’d dig for earthworms to eat. The other villagers couldn’t bear to see it, and anyone who saw him on the road would take him home for a bowl of rice.

The boy was mischievous, but he knew how to repay a kindness. If a family fed him, he would carry a load of firewood back to their home.

So hearing that something had happened to him was truly heart-wrenching for everyone.

The trio headed home with heavy steps. Just as they were approaching their front gate, they saw Mr. Qu in the distance, wearing a straw raincoat and conical hat, stumbling through the mud as he came from the direction of the village entrance.

He was running toward the village in the pouring rain, taking huge strides like a madman.

As he drew near, the three of them hurried to stop him. "Mr. Qu, our condolences. You’ll get through this..."

"Mr. Qu, you still have your wife to look after. You can’t fall apart."

Mr. Qu looked utterly dumbfounded, his old, haggard face a mask of confusion.

’What in the world are they talking about?’

’"Our condolences"? "You’ll get through this"? "You can’t fall apart"?’

’I was feeling happy, so why are they trying to rain on my parade?’

If these two young men weren’t among his favorites, and if the girl, Wanqing, hadn’t so often slipped food to Shusheng, Mr. Qu would have cursed them out right then and there.

After a moment, they finally got the story straight.

Shusheng wasn’t dead at all—he was alive and well!

"My grandson’s fever broke just before I headed back. But his injuries are serious, so he can’t be moved easily. Plus, he’s just a boy, and he had quite a scare, so his condition might be unstable. The clinic’s doctor suggested we stay for a couple more days. I just came back to grab some food and clothes, and some silver to settle the bill. We left in such a hurry yesterday, your father was the one who fronted the money for the medicine..."

Then he put his hands on his hips and started yelling, "Those rotten rumor-mongers, talking nonsense about my family behind our backs. My grandson is blessed and has a long life ahead of him; he’ll see plenty of good days. Those bastards with shit for brains can go fall in a latrine pit for all I care."

Mr. Qu was still fuming. When he heard the villagers were all gossiping at the foot of Xiaoao Mountain, he decided not to go home just yet. Instead, he stalked off toward the mountain, cursing under his breath.

’All these people spreading nonsense, putting a curse on my grandson!’

He was going to give the old hag who started this rumor a piece of his mind.

The trio watched Mr. Qu’s imposing figure stalk away. Without another word, they hurried inside, shut the main gate, and made a beeline for the kitchen.

The kitchen was thick with smoke, and the fire in the stove blazed fiercely. The moment they stepped inside, they were hit by a wave of intense heat.

Xu Su Ying was busy making large meat buns. When she saw the three of them enter, she couldn’t help but grumble, "What took you so long? You were right at the gate, why didn’t you come in?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Don’t even ask. We saw something else today."

Chen De’an quickly recounted what had just happened. As he undid his conical hat and raincoat, he couldn’t resist adding a couple of curses of his own. "Those rotten bastards. How can you curse someone to die behind their back? That’s just plain evil."

"It takes all kinds to make a world. You’re still young and haven’t seen much. Live a few more decades, and nothing will surprise you anymore."

"Heavens, weren’t you wearing raincoats? How did you all get soaked to the bone? Hurry up and go change. Jing, don’t bother going home. I’ll get you a set of your Uncle Dashong’s clothes. You had a hard day today, helping this girl dig for huangqi and waiting on the mountain in that downpour..."