Chapter 26: Saving a Life by the Roadside

Wen Xiuyi was stunned to see the siblings had bought so much.
"Why did you buy so much?" He rummaged through the pig’s head and spotted the offal underneath. "Oh, there’s quite a bit of intestine here too."
Wen Yao nudged Wen Xiuyi with her shoulder, grinning. "We knew you liked this, so we bought it especially for you." Fifteen copper coins, dirt cheap.
This was music to Wen Xiuyi’s ears.
"You really are father’s little darling. If only there were some wine, it’d be perfect." As he spoke, he swallowed involuntarily, sighing with nostalgia.
Wen Yao leaned in and whispered mysteriously, "Tonight I’ll sneak you a bottle of Erguotou, just for you, but don’t let Doctor Wen find out."
"That’s wonderful," he replied. Having wine to drink was a rare treat. In his previous life, he’d quit drinking because he was diagnosed with fatty liver, but this body was much younger and stronger, so there was no sign of that ailment.
Wen Yao knew this well, which was why she reluctantly agreed to let him drink a little.
Standing nearby, Wen Jun listened to their exchange, full of helplessness.
"Yao Yao, you won’t be able to carry all this home. How about you go back first, and Father and I will bring it to you after we close the stall tonight," Wen Jun suggested.
Wen Yao shook her head. "That won’t do. I have to go back and make the marinade and start braising everything. The flavors need time to soak in, or the food won’t be tasty."
Wen Xiuyi looked at the pile of goods. He couldn’t let Wen Yao, a ten-year-old girl, go home alone with all this. Even if his daughter wasn’t truly ten years old, her body was.
"Jun, you take your sister home. I can handle things here myself. If needed, I’ll ask Liuzi to help out for a day," Wen Xiuyi decided immediately.
Liuzi, standing by, nodded as well. "Yes, Wen Jun. Yao Yao can’t carry all that home herself. Not to mention the difficulty of the road, if someone sees such a young girl alone, who knows what trouble could arise? I’ll be here; you should take her home first."
Wen Jun looked at the sky. It was still early. If he walked fast, he could return to help Wen Xiuyi. Liuzi was right—he wouldn’t feel at ease leaving Wen Yao alone.
"Alright, then I’ll trouble you with this. I’ll take Yao Yao home and come straight back."
"Leave it to me, don’t worry," Liuzi said, patting his chest. He’d been eating and drinking at Uncle Wen’s stall every day lately and was starting to feel embarrassed. Especially since Uncle Wen never charged him, helping out was only right.
So, the siblings set out again, carrying their loads. At the city gate, they thought about finding an ox cart heading their way—paying a little for a ride would be worth it.
Unfortunately, it was still early. Those coming into town hadn’t finished shopping, and the ox carts from the villages weren’t heading back yet.

They had no choice but to carry on, chatting and laughing as they walked home on foot.
They’d barely gone two hundred meters beyond the city gate when there was suddenly a commotion ahead. A horse-drawn carriage, which had been moving steadily along the official road, seemed to have been startled and veered toward the roadside ditch.
The carriage rocked wildly, on the verge of tumbling over. Even the coachman was thrown to the ground, but disregarding his pain, he scrambled up to try and rein the horse in.
The crowd was in chaos, with many rushing over to watch the spectacle. People on the roadside kept their distance, and not a single person stepped forward to help. The siblings immediately broke into a run toward the scene.
As they drew close, a cry came from inside the carriage. "Help! Help!"
The coachman was struggling to calm the frightened horse, which gradually settled, its nostrils still flaring with hot breath.
Wen Yao placed her basket in a spot where she could keep an eye on it, then quickly stowed everything covered by cloth into her space. Using the same method, she helped Wen Jun set down his basket as well.
She dared not gamble on people’s honesty—if someone took advantage of the chaos to steal their things, they’d be at a terrible loss.
The carriage was overturned, one wheel stuck in the ditch and unable to move. Wen Yao jumped down and opened the door at the back.
A disheveled old woman crawled out, and on looking up, saw Wen Yao and Wen Jun.
Seeing Wen Yao, a young girl, the old woman’s face lit up with relief. But when she spotted Wen Jun, a teenage boy, her expression changed and she quickly used her body to block the carriage’s entrance.
"There’s someone else inside. What are you doing?" Wen Yao tried to pull her aside to rescue the others inside, but the old woman not only refused to come out, she actually blocked the door.
Thinking of the lady’s disheveled state inside, the old woman stood firm, refusing to budge. "My mistress is inside. You must not be disrespectful."
Wen Yao was baffled.
She realized at once—the damned feudal etiquette, forbidding men and women from interacting freely.
"Brother, go find some aunties to help!" Wen Yao pushed Wen Jun away, and he turned and left immediately.
The old woman visibly relaxed and thanked Wen Yao repeatedly. "Thank you, miss, thank you."
Wen Yao leaned in and peeked inside. There she saw a young lady, disheveled, her hair and ornaments in disorder, but otherwise unharmed. She held a small child in her arms, facing away so Wen Yao couldn’t see their face.

Noticing Wen Yao peering in, the young lady nodded gratefully.
Seeing they were unharmed, Wen Yao breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back. The old woman hurried inside to look after her mistress.
But before Wen Yao could take a single step away, a shrill scream erupted from the carriage.
"Yier, Yier, what’s wrong? Don’t frighten your mother!"
Wen Yao’s expression changed. She dove back into the carriage to see the child in the lady’s arms, face flushed red from suffocation, clutching his neck in obvious pain.
He was clearly choking on something.
The lady was terrified, tears streaming down her face as she clung helplessly to her child. The old woman beside her was so frightened that she fell to her knees.
The child looked about the same age as their own Da Tou.
Seeing the situation worsen, Wen Yao shouted out the carriage door, "Brother! Brother! Doctor Wen! Hurry, someone’s in trouble!"
Wen Jun heard Wen Yao’s panicked cry and rushed back, stepping right into the ditch and muddying his shoes.
He pulled open the carriage door and saw what was happening inside. "Yao Yao, what’s wrong?"
The old woman, startled by Wen Jun’s sudden appearance in the carriage, shrieked, "You—you—you can’t come in!"
In contrast, the young lady was much calmer. If she’d heard correctly, the young girl had called for a doctor.
"Please, save Yier, I beg you, save him!"
The old woman still protested, "Mistress, this is your carriage. If the old madam finds out…"
Wen Yao was utterly fed up with the old woman at this point.