Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 113 Smearing Soybean Paste on the Edge of a Knife

Enraged, Zhang Changyao snatched the fire poker from Guan Lin's hand and threw it at his feet.

"Changyao, your second brother has tried his best, but now I'm truly out of ideas and have no other options."

Guan Lin sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding his head in his hands, looking helpless.

"Second brother, you still haven't done your best in these villages, among the people you know."

It's impossible that there weren't women who wanted to marry into the Guan family.

"Once you've set your mind on it, Yutian can't marry a foolish wife."

Zhang Changyao left after offering a couple of words of advice.

Little did he know that these two sentences would ultimately become Guan Yutian's death warrant.

"Third Uncle, you're right, it's just that my father didn't come up with a solution."

Zhang Changyao pushed open the door and went out. Guan Yutian, who was eavesdropping at the door, gave him a thumbs up and praised him for being right.

Zhang Changyao patted Guan Yutian on the shoulder, pointed into the house, and told him to go inside and apologize to his father.

Guan Yutian lowered his head and obediently went into the house. Before he even reached Guan Lin, he knelt down with a "thump".

Seeing Guan Yutian like this from outside the window, Zhang Changyao shook his head, sighed, and led the donkey cart home.

"Wu Ni, what happened to your hand?"

After unloading the cart and feeding the donkey, Zhang Changyao went inside and noticed that Yang Wuni was acting strangely.

She was lying there with her hands raised, sweat pouring down her forehead from the pain.

"Zhang Changyao, I put some soybean paste on my hand, thinking that covering the wound with it will help it heal."

Who would have thought this thing would be so sharp and painful, like it was tearing my bones out?

When Yang Wuni heard that Zhang Changyao had returned, she used her elbows to prop herself up on the kang mat.

He raised his hand, which had been cut by a sickle during the day, to show Zhang Changyao.

"Yang Wuni, are you stupid? Applying soybean paste to a burn is fine, but who applies it to a cut?"

Zhang Changyao turned and ran outside, heading towards Zhang the veterinarian's house in the village.

The veterinarian was already asleep when Zhang Changyao knocked on the door, waking him up.

"Who is it?" Veterinarian Zhang asked in a deep voice.

"Uncle Zhang, my wife cut her hand with a sickle and I'd like to buy some medicine."

Zhang Changyao pressed his head close to the door of the outer room and spoke slowly, word by word, afraid that the veterinarian Zhang would not understand.

"Come in, why didn't you come sooner?"

Veterinarian Zhang was short and stout, with a crew cut, puffy eyes, a big mouth, and a face full of fat.

Rubbing his eyes, which were sticky with eye discharge, he opened the door and let Zhang Changyao into the room.

"Uncle Zhang, my wife put soybean paste on her wound, and it hurts so much she keeps crying."

With a sob in his voice, Zhang Changyao stood helplessly in front of Veterinarian Zhang, looking at him.

"Changyao, your wife is amazing! Applying soybean paste to a wound is just as effective as rubbing salt into it."

Tears of pain are nothing compared to what she should be doing. In my opinion, she should tear the house down.

Wait a moment, I'll get dressed and we'll go take a look.

"If the soybean paste isn't cleaned out of the wound, how can that person survive? The pain would be unbearable."

Veterinarian Zhang packed his medical kit, put on his clothes, and followed behind Zhang Changyao.

Inside the room, Yang Wuni remained in the same position as when Zhang Changyao left.

Tears fell "plop plop" onto the blanket, but there was no sobbing or wincing in pain.

It was as bland as if the wound had grown on someone else.

"Oh dear! You child, how come you have no common sense at all?"

If the pain is unbearable, just yell out loud. This is your own home, not outside. It's so uncomfortable to hold it in.

Veterinarian Zhang glanced at Yang Wuni's hand and winced in distress.

Quickly take out tweezers, cotton balls, and antiseptic from the first-aid kit.

Zhang Changyao climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), wrapped one arm around Yang Wuni from behind, and covered her eyes with the other to prevent her from seeing.

"Zhang Changyao, I can't be blind, it will hurt even more."

Yang Wuni shook her head, shaking off Zhang Changyao's hand that was covering her eyes.

He lowered his head and stared intently at the tweezers in Dr. Zhang's hand.

Veterinarian Zhang poured the anti-toxic water into Yang Wuni's palm.

Fine white foam covered the dried-out soybean paste.

To alleviate Yang Wuni's pain, Veterinarian Zhang poured anti-toxic water three times before starting the cleaning.

When the cotton wool on the tweezers is inserted into the bottom of the wound.

Yang Wuni couldn't help but hiss and gasp.

"Wu Ni, bite my hand if it hurts, bite harder."

Unable to alleviate Yang Wuni's pain, Zhang Changyao had no choice but to put the back of his hand into her mouth.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"

"Zhang Changyao, take your hands off. Did you not wash your hands after coming back from the outhouse? They taste awful." Yang Wuni spat out her saliva in disgust.

Yang Wuni's words made Zhang Yisheng, who was focused on cleaning the wound, tremble.

Yang Wuni couldn't help but tremble, and tears uncontrollably slid down her face.

"Changyao's wife, if you're in pain, just yell, it's not shameful." Veterinarian Zhang continued to comfort Yang Wuni without stopping his hands.

"No...it doesn't hurt...I can bear it, back when I was catching fish in the river."

A twig was stuck in my foot, and I pulled it out myself.

He limped home, scraped off a layer of soot from the bottom of a pot, applied it, wrapped it with strips of cloth, and it healed in a few days.

What's the use of crying out? It doesn't hurt, and it doesn't cure anything.

Yang Wuni clenched her teeth, her lips turned up in a smile, but tears were still falling.

Veterinarian Zhang cleaned the wound thoroughly, his forehead already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

He took a bottle of pale yellow powdered medicine from the first-aid kit, poured it onto the wound, and wrapped it with gauze.

"Changyao, don't let your wife do laundry or cook these next few days. In short, don't let her get wet."

Just from what she said, I could tell that her skin was healing, and the wound would heal in a few days.

"Come to my house every day to change your dressings and keep an eye on your wife. You can't just stay home and do whatever you want."

Veterinarian Zhang glanced at Yang Wuni with concern before leaving with his medicine kit.

"Wu Ni, did you hear what Veterinarian Zhang said?"

He has absolutely no medical knowledge, yet he dared to do it himself.

You're married now, pregnant, and have a man in your bed.

She can't continue acting like a reckless wild girl like before.

Besides, it won't cost much, so we can't do anything reckless, understand?

Zhang Changyao spread out the bedding, then gently laid Yang Wuni down in bed, supporting her head.

"Zhang Changyao, let me tell you, folk remedies can cure serious illnesses."

"A person with a lowly fate is easier to raise; the more careful they are to care for, the shorter their life will be."

Today I fear the wind, tomorrow I fear the rain; I'm afraid of everything and can't bear to face wind and rain.

Du Qiu has a girlfriend who is about my age.

Her mother was always worried about her being frightened, and she kept her in her mouth for fear that she would melt.

What happened in the end? He had a high fever and was hospitalized, but he still died in the clinic.

Look at me again, I've never even known what it means to be sick.

I don't know where I sleep or where I get up every day.

The moment I open my eyes, I'm already thinking about whether I'll be able to eat my fill today.

As long as I'm hungry, I'd even dare to rip off a hanged ghost's tongue and roast it to eat.

That's not the case anymore. Once you're full, you start thinking about more things.

"Build a house, serve Lin Qiu's man, earn enough money to bring my uncle here to enjoy a peaceful retirement..."

Yang Wuni lost her earlier liveliness and stared blankly at the rooftop.

"Wu Ni, don't worry about these unfounded things."

Look at this thing I brought back, have you seen it before?