The questioning voice echoed in the room, and Li Sheng lowered his head, feeling ashamed.
He mumbled back to Zhao Jiaqi, "We'll do anything you ask, we just don't have any money!"
Anything?
Would they give their lives if asked? They spoke so lightly.
Everyone in the room saw their attitude. They had no lives to give, and no money either.
The village chief looked troubled. Given the current situation, he had no good solutions, as Li Sheng's family truly had no money to spare.
"Uncle Village Chief, how should this matter be resolved?"
Zhao Jiaqi had pushed the village chief into a corner. Even if they didn't want the money for Zhang Cuihua's medical treatment, they couldn't say so.
After deep thought, Li Wencai spoke with difficulty, "They must apologize in front of the entire village. As for the medicine money, perhaps they can pay one tael. For the sake of being fellow villagers, let's all be understanding. What do you think, niece-in-law?"
Whether it was acceptable or not, he had already made his decision!
Zhao Jiaqi nodded, not showing any outward dissatisfaction, "Alright, we'll follow the village chief's suggestion."
After they left, Li Sheng and Bai Damei were still haggling with the village chief, complaining that one tael was too much. They were sternly rebuked by the village chief before they finally quieted down.
"I'm telling you two, if you dare to gossip around the village again, I'll deal with you. Prepare to apologize tomorrow, bring one tael of silver, and buy a few pounds of meat to see the elder. Get out, I'm annoyed just looking at you!"
Despite their unhappiness, Li Sheng and Bai Damei had no choice.
On the way home, Wang Zhaodi looked apologetically at Fan Zehao and his wife, "I... I... Aunt Zhang will be treated like my own mother when she comes to my home from now on. You two can rest assured."
"Why should she come to your house? Can't your father come to mine?" Fan Zehao's only thought was that he didn't want his mother to leave.
Even if they lived in the same village, she would still be away from home.
Fan Guangping was startled and immediately replied, "How can that be? Wouldn't that make my father a live-in son-in-law?"
"So what if he's a live-in son-in-law? We have the same surname, it's not like you're at a disadvantage!"
Fan Zehao threw out the shocking statement and pulled his wife home.
On the road, Fan Guangping and his wife stood frozen. How could it be so difficult to find a wife for his father!
As the sky gradually darkened, Zhang Cuihua finally opened her eyes. She drank the medicine handed to her by Fan He, and the two sat in silence.
After dinner, Fan Zehao, who should have been washing up, found a round wooden stick from somewhere and was diligently sanding it.
The next morning, Li Sheng and Bai Damei arrived with great fanfare, followed by many villagers who had come to watch the spectacle.
Everyone in the village knew about what had happened yesterday.
Such late-life romance was uncommon in the village. If a widow had a daughter, it was understandable for her to marry for a secure future.
But Zhang Cuihua had a son, so it was quite unusual for someone like her to want to get married.
The twists and turns of this matter were not something this crowd of onlookers could understand.
The apology was made, and one tael of silver was given in front of the entire village. Both matters were handled as the village chief had instructed. As for buying a few pounds of meat, the couple hadn't even considered it. As they left, they spat towards the courtyard.
Fan Zehao, who had seen everything, deeply remembered this grievance.
At noon, while the family was gathered, Fan He spoke to Zhao Jiaqi for the first time, "Qiqi, I don't know how to say nice things, but I am sincere towards Cuihua. Regarding what happened this time, I was wrong. I apologize to you all. Please don't be angry with me!"
It must have been difficult for this usually taciturn man to apologize so humbly, being an elder in his forties.
"Uncle Fan, we are not angry with you. Whether my mother can forgive you depends on your efforts. As for marriage, we still support it. We also hope that my mother can find happiness. As the saying goes, a young couple is for the twilight years."
Zhao Jiaqi was open-minded and had no reservations about remarriage. Fan Zehao's thoughts were even simpler: as long as his mother was happy, he would be happy.
Hearing this, Fan He's face lit up with a smile. It seemed like good news was on the horizon!
As expected, after recuperating for half a month, Zhang Cuihua finally agreed to live with Fan He. Wang Zhaodi, emboldened, found some friends who were close to their family and invited the village chief to be a witness.
Let's see who would dare to spread rumors in the village from now on.
The wedding was held with the village chief as witness, and several tables were set. There was chicken, duck, and fish. The feast was even grander than when Fan Zehao got married.
Bai Damei, who hadn't managed to attend the feast, remained unrepentant and started gossiping again under the village's large elm tree. By chance, Fan Zehao, who was returning with something, overheard her.
In the middle of the night, Bai Damei and Li Sheng were sleeping in their house when the kitchen suddenly caught fire. By the time they noticed, it had already spread.
This sent the couple into a frenzy, shouting and carrying on.
When the village caught fire, the village chief was the first to lead the villagers to extinguish it. However, the fire was too intense, and with the dry weather of summer, not only was Li Sheng's house burned to the ground, but the adjacent neighbors' wood sheds and kitchens were also affected.
Now, Li Sheng's family had to compensate their neighbors for two houses. Their accumulated savings were spent in less than a month, leaving them heartbroken and in tears.
She heard about what happened in the village from Sister-in-law Wang, and her heart was only slightly surprised. She glanced at the man eating silently beside her. She guessed correctly; he must have gone out in the middle of the night to do something mischievous.
Good boy, well done. Now Li Sheng and his wife would have no time to gossip.
August, the hottest time of the year. On a day like this, eating chilled watermelon and iced grapes would be incredibly delicious.
Zhao Jiaqi sat under the eaves, cooling herself, and asked the person beside her, "Do you know about something called niter?"
Fan Zehao shook his head, "No, what is it?"
"It's something that can make water freeze into ice. By putting ice into the house, it can cool the room, chill fruits, and even make icy cold fruit juice. In simple terms, it's a way to beat the heat!"
Fan Zehao listened, his face full of doubt, but he actually knew how to make ice.
"Wife, wait for me. I have something that, when thrown into water, can make ice." He put down what he was holding and went to the kitchen to retrieve a white powder from a small jar.
He handed it to her with both hands, "I saw my master making ice, and he used this stuff."
She pinched some of the powder and brought it to her nose, but it had no scent. After careful examination, she realized it was niter, used for making ice.
"Go get two basins, one large and one small, and fill them with well water. I'll try it!"
Zhao Jiaqi was filled with curiosity about his master. What kind of hunter was he to know the method of making ice with niter?