Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 103 - 98 Li Shuang’s Self

"Who is it?"

"Back when you were a kid, I used to take you to play at the Second Branch Farm all the time. You remember, don’t you?" Li Dayu said in a low voice. "It’s the one who’s the village party secretary there now."

"Zhao Chunming?"

"Watch your mouth!" Li Dayu stopped and shot Li Shuang a glare. "Is that any way to address him? You’re asking for help and you call him by his full name? Show some respect! How old are you?"

The implication was clear: Li Shuang was being disrespectful and didn’t know his manners.

Li Shuang, realizing his mistake, glanced at his father with some embarrassment and corrected himself. "What’s wrong with Uncle Zhao?"

Seeing Li Shuang back down, Li Dayu continued pushing the cart forward and explained, "He’s gotten involved with the Cai Family recently."

A puzzled look crossed Li Shuang’s face, so Li Dayu went on, "I took him to see Xiao Jian for a check-up yesterday, and we happened to run into Cai Qiong."

"Cai Qiong is... from the Cai Family?" Li Shuang asked.

"Yes," Li Dayu laughed. "The daughter of the Cai Family. She was with Wang Jian. I heard she even stayed at Wang Jian’s house last night."

Li Dayu added that last detail pointedly, worried that Li Shuang wouldn’t grasp the significance of their relationship. Little did they know that the daughter of the Cai Family wasn’t interested in men at all; the scenario they were imagining had never happened.

Li Shuang clicked his tongue in amazement. He had never expected such a development, but a flicker of excitement ignited within him. "Then Miss Cai probably hasn’t left yet, has she? I could just go straight to Wang Jian’s house and find her."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Li Dayu frowned. "You fool. You call Zhao Chunming ’Uncle Zhao,’ so at best, he might ask around for you. But what would you call Cai Qiong? Do you even know her? Or are you planning to go to Wang Jian...?"

At the mention of Wang Jian, Li Dayu sighed. "If you two had just gotten along better as kids, I would’ve told you to go straight to Wang Jian. The fact that you came to me instead means you’re aware of the situation, right?"

He certainly was. They had never fought as children, but their relationship was practically nonexistent. If they hadn’t been from the same village, they probably wouldn’t have ever spoken to each other. Although things had thawed slightly during their trip to the city, that was the extent of it. When it came to a matter that could offend a thug like Gao Yang, there was no guarantee Wang Jian would help. Li Shuang knew this well, so he understood immediately what his father was saying.

"Is the car parked at the village entrance?" Li Dayu asked. When Li Shuang nodded, he said, "Let’s go. We’ll take the car. Leave the bicycle at the village committee office."

They didn’t say much on the way, and in less than ten minutes, Li Shuang had driven the Cadillac to the bridge at the entrance of the Second Branch Farm.

"Dad, which way is Uncle Zhao’s house again?"

The road forked at the bridge, and Li Shuang had no memory of the layout, so he had to ask.

Li Dayu glanced at him and pointed to the right. "Cross this bridge, drive a few hundred meters, then cross another one. Does that ring a bell?"

"It does, it does." The mention of two bridges brought a faint image to Li Shuang’s mind, stirring up old childhood memories. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

They crossed the two bridges and drove smoothly along the paved road right up to the Zhao family’s doorstep. They encountered no difficult sections at all. This was a far cry from Paigou Village, where you couldn’t even be sure a car could get through.

But as they arrived at Zhao Chunming’s house, they sensed something was wrong.

"What’s going on?"

Before even getting out, Li Shuang looked toward the neighboring houses. "Why does the atmosphere feel so strange?"

Li Shuang wasn’t the only one who found it strange; Li Dayu was also puzzled. The Second Branch Farm was quite large, comprising many villages. Geographically, it was the section closest to town. Unlike Paigou Village, its flat terrain allowed for a much larger population and made travel convenient. Consequently, the population in each village was substantial. Even though many people had left to find work, similar to Paigou Village, the area still felt bustling.

Normally, there should have been people around Zhao’s house, but now there wasn’t a soul in sight. Instead, neighbors on both sides were pointing toward the house, whispering amongst themselves. Judging by their expressions, something had definitely happened.

"Hold on," Li Dayu said, stopping Li Shuang from getting out of the car. "Let me go check first. It might not be a good day to ask for favors."

Hearing this, Li Shuang felt a wave of frustration. What rotten luck. It feels like wherever I go today, I run into trouble. If we can’t get help from Zhao Chunming, I might really have to go to Wang Jian. But doing that would almost certainly make Wang Jian uncomfortable, and the relationship we just started to mend might turn cold again. Still, to save Liu Zi, I can’t worry about that now.

All he could do was watch his father’s back as he walked toward the Zhao’s front door, waiting anxiously in the car.

After a few moments of boredom, he pulled out his phone to scroll through some short videos. But as soon as he unlocked it, a series of message notifications popped up:

"Is the money ready?"

"If you don’t show up by noon, I’m getting rid of the goods."

"Don’t even think about calling the police. We signed a contract. If you don’t pay the final balance by noon, you’ll have to pay a penalty."

"..."

Li Shuang’s anger flared as he read the messages. The person who had introduced him to the deal had set him up from the start, waiting for this exact situation. He had been completely scammed.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he felt an overwhelming urge to crush the phone in his fist.

Even thugs had their own hierarchy. Li Shuang had always known this in theory, but it was only after going into business for himself that he truly understood how much he fell short. He couldn’t compete in cunning, connections, or even ruthlessness.

By comparison, he felt like a damn saint. The irony was bitter, making it feel as if he’d wasted the last twenty-odd years of his life.

At this point, all he could do was wait for his father to walk back out that door.

"Here he comes!"

The thought had barely formed when Li Shuang saw Li Dayu walk out of the Zhao’s front door. His expression was grim. Li Shuang also noticed he was carrying something in a plastic bag.

"What’s going on...?" Li Shuang frowned, sensing something was terribly wrong. As soon as Li Dayu got back in the car, he asked anxiously, "Dad... what happened?"

Li Dayu shook his head. "Big trouble. Quick, drive back to our village. This time, we have to find Xiao Jian, whether we like it or not."

Li Dayu’s evasiveness only made Li Shuang more curious.

Seeing his son’s expression, Li Dayu explained briefly, "I was planning to go in and subtly ask around for you. But as soon as I got inside, I found Lao Zhao lying on the bed, breathing his last. I’m afraid he’s not going to make it."

"It’s that serious?" Li Shuang was shocked. "But wasn’t Uncle Zhao fine yesterday?"

He remembered his father mentioning their visit to the doctor yesterday. Everything had sounded perfectly normal. How could Uncle Zhao suddenly be in such a critical state?

With a dark face, Li Dayu continued, "Xiao Jian was right. Your Uncle Zhao was poisoned. I just didn’t expect it to be this severe."

After speaking, he glanced down at the bag in his hand.

Li Shuang was stunned. He couldn’t believe someone could be poisoned in this day and age. And according to his father, Wang Jian had said as much just yesterday.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Li Shuang stopped asking questions. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, spun the steering wheel, and turned the car around to head back the way they came.

This time, their destination was Wang Jian’s home.