Chapter 166
Ye Yunniang, who was washing up at home, hurried over after being notified.
The doctor had already arrived and was bandaging Niu Dajiao's arm.
Ma Xiaokou was applying medicine for Niu Dajiao.
Niu Dajiao's face was covered in blue and red bruises, looking quite frightening.
Li Pan and Li An stood to the side. Looking closely, there was a trace of fear in their eyes.
Ye Yunniang's heart tightened as she walked over to her children.
"How did she bully you?"
"You surnamed Ye, be reasonable. They hit me, I didn't hit them," Niu Dajiao said, pointing to her face and then to her broken arm.
Ye Yunniang turned her head with a stern look. "If you don't want your other arm broken, shut up."
"Mother, I was wrong," Li Pan lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
"Mother, don't blame my brother, it was her foul mouth," Li An anxiously spoke up from the side. "It was Niu Dajiao who said..."
Li Pan covered Li An's mouth, stopping him from speaking. He didn't want those filthy words to dirty Ye Yunniang's ears.
"What did Niu Dajiao say?"
Someone with a quick tongue spoke up.
"Niu Dajiao said you were a loose woman, saying you hooked up with one man after another, and that heaven knows how many you've been with... Don't get mad at me. Niu Dajiao said it, not me. I'm just repeating her words."
Ye Yunniang reached out and rubbed Li Pan and Li An's heads. "Don't listen to her nonsense."
"Me, talking nonsense? That man hasn't even shown up yet. He simply looks down on you. You used tricks to force yourself on him. Hiring a matchmaker to put on an act is useless," Niu Dajiao looked at Ye Yunniang with great disdain.
"Say one more word and I'll break your other arm," Li Pan gripped the stick in his hand tightly, refusing to let anyone insult his mother.
"Ye Yunniang, look at the good son you've raised, threatening to break people's arms at the drop of a hat. And he still wants to study and become an official? Bah! I think Li Pan will just be a street thug in the future, only fit for the lowest of trades, mmm..."
"My mother, please stop talking, just stop," Ma Xiaokou covered Niu Dajiao's mouth, feeling bitter inside.
His mother really knew how to stir up trouble.
"Yunniang, my mother, there's something wrong with her head. Please don't lower yourself to her level," Chunxing stepped forward to apologize.
Niu Dajiao pushed Ma Xiaokou away. "What are you apologizing for? I didn't say anything wrong. If you want me to apologize to you, fine. Have your man come in front of me and say himself that he is willingly marrying you. I won't just apologize, I'll even kowtow to you. Do you dare?"
"I, Jiang Mingzhe, willingly ask for Ye Yunniang's hand in marriage," Jiang Mingzhe's voice rang out at the entrance of the alley.
The crowd turned around and made way.
Jiang Mingzhe walked up to Ye Yunniang and her two children.
"I'm late."
"Not late, you're right on time." Ye Yunniang looked at Niu Dajiao. "Kowtow."
"How do I know if he's really the man marrying you? Or did you pay to hire him?" Cai Damei said stubbornly.
"No one has ever dared to pay me, Jiang Mingzhe, to put on an act," Jiang Mingzhe said domineeringly.
"Jiang Mingzhe, that name sounds a bit familiar."
"Where have I heard it before?"
"I remember now."
"I remember too."
The crowd shouted, "The richest man in Jiang City, Jiang Mingzhe!"
"Is that possible? It must be fake."
"It's true. Second Master Jiang went to the restaurant to discuss business, and I saw him when I was working there as a waiter. This is exactly what he looks like."
"No one would dare impersonate the Second Master of the Jiang family to deceive people."
"Wasn't the Jiang family's property confiscated?"
"That's ancient history. During the droughts and floods in Jiang City, the Jiang family donated a lot of their ancestral property. They recovered a long time ago."
"Ye Yunniang is too amazing, hooking up with Second Master Jiang."
"What do you mean hooking up? It's mutual affection, a perfect match of a talented man and a beautiful woman."
"Right, right, a perfect match."
"Second Master Jiang, congratulations."
"Congratulations, Second Master."
...
"I accept everyone's congratulations. When Yunniang and I get married, please do us the honor of coming to the Jiang Manor for a wedding drink."
"Great, great, I will definitely go."
"I'll go, I'll go."
"I absolutely must go drink Second Master Jiang's wedding wine."
"How much should we give for the gift money?"
"Whatever amount is fine, Second Master Jiang is rich and won't mind."
"Everyone, there's no need to give money. For Yunniang to be willing to marry me is my, Jiang Mingzhe's, greatest fortune in three lifetimes. The wedding banquet will be a continuous feast for three days, and we won't accept any gift money. You only need to say congratulations and wish us a century of harmony."
The crowd's words confirmed Jiang Mingzhe's identity. Niu Dajiao's face turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled.
In her heart, she endlessly regretted how she could have spoken such nonsense.
Ma Xiaokou pushed Niu Dajiao. "Hurry up and apologize."
Niu Dajiao snapped back to reality and got up. "Second Master, I was wrong, I was wrong. It was my foul mouth, I was talking nonsense."
As Niu Dajiao spoke, she raised her hand and slapped herself across the face. How could she not control her own mouth?
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Jiang Mingzhe did not accept Niu Dajiao's apology.
"Oh, right, Lady Ye, I am old and muddled. I was speaking nonsense." Niu Dajiao turned to Ye Yunniang.
"I do not accept your apology." Ye Yunniang's words made Niu Dajiao's body stiffen.
"Lady Ye, look at how badly my face was beaten by him, and my arm is broken too." Niu Dajiao felt wronged, as she had suffered actual physical harm.
"How much for the medicine?" Ye Yunniang looked at the doctor.
She would pay the medical expenses for Li Pan injuring Niu Dajiao, but she would absolutely not forgive Niu Dajiao for the harm caused to her children.
"No money needed." Ma Xiaokou waved his hand in refusal. Given what his mother had done, he had no face to ask for money.
"Why shouldn't we take the money? He injured me, so he has to pay compensation." Hearing about silver, Niu Dajiao instantly felt no pain in her face or her arm.
"Not only do you have to pay for my medical bills, you also have to pay for my recovery. My arm is broken, it takes a hundred days for bones and sinews to heal, and I can't work. You have to compensate for all my losses during this time."
"Calculate it, how much money?"
"One hundred taels, no, one thousand taels of silver." Niu Dajiao, thinking that Jiang Mingzhe was rich, wanted to ask for more.
"Mother, you're crazy." Ma Xiaokou grabbed Niu Dajiao and dragged her toward home.
"Lady Ye, my mother started this. She spoke harshly, so it's normal that she got hit. Can we just let this matter pass?" Ma Xiaokou knew their family couldn't afford to offend the Jiang family and didn't want to cause more trouble.
"What kind of nonsense are you saying? He injured me, so he should pay." Niu Dajiao was unwilling.
"Let go of me."
"Stop making a scene and come home with me."
The mother and son pulled at each other.
Crack.
"My arm—" Niu Dajiao yelled, looking at her good arm.
"Doctor, quick, take a look."
The examination revealed that Niu Dajiao's good arm had been dislocated from the pulling.
After some discussion, Ye Yunniang compensated Niu Dajiao with a total of 10 taels of silver for medicine and nutritional expenses.
Ye Yunniang took out the silver and handed it to Niu Dajiao.
Niu Dajiao took it joyfully and bit it with her teeth. This was what she had exchanged a broken arm for.
Ye Yunniang didn't bother to look at Niu Dajiao's joy over getting the silver. She said to Li Pan and Li An.
"In the future, if anyone spouts nonsense in front of you again, just hit them. As long as you don't kill anyone, it doesn't matter if you break their arms or legs. Your mother and your step-father have the silver to pay for it."