"I, I'll think about it."
Seeing Lin Fan's serious expression, Tian Yu's mind raced as she tried to recall.
In fact, she had pondered the cause of her husband's illness countless times over the years.
"There's something, I don't know if it's related."
Tian Yu's eyes lit up, then dimmed again.
"Tell me everything you suspect, Fan."
Lin Fan instructed.
Tian Yu nodded. "When the quarry first opened, our An Fu went to work there. Later, the boss said he needed someone to cook, so he called me over. Wan Ling's grandmother was still alive then, and I could earn a little more to supplement the household income by working."
"And then?"
Lin Fan pressed eagerly.
Tian Yu lowered her head, a blush spreading across her face, and continued, "We were still young then, so... An Fu was always restless."
Tian Yu's voice grew softer and softer, eventually becoming no louder than a mosquito's hum.
Lin Fan, with his exceptional hearing, caught every word and already had an answer in mind.
"During lunch breaks, he... he always dragged me to a cave near the quarry... that one."
As Tian Yu spoke, her face turned as red as a cooked crab.
If not for Lin Fan's great kindness to her family, she would never have revealed such a shameful secret, not even at gunpoint.
Lin Fan felt a bit speechless.
You two really were looking for trouble with a lantern!
To go and do *that* near the snake demon's home!
No wonder the necrotic center on Wan An Fu's body was where it was.
Even an ordinary person would find this rather unpleasant, wouldn't they?
To be at home, only to have two people sneak in and start making noise.
Lin Fan imagined the scene and shook his head in resignation.
"Later, we discovered that the condom An Fu threw the day before had somehow disappeared. Logically, there shouldn't have been anyone else going there."
Tian Yu added.
Lin Fan felt a tightness in his chest.
Going about your business is one thing, but to leave your used items at someone else's place?
Lin Fan suddenly felt that Wan An Fu's current state wasn't entirely undeserved.
"An Fu suspected that someone had discovered our secret and was hiding in the cave watching, so he wanted to go in and find them, but I held him back with all my might."
Tian Yu appeared visibly relieved, "That cave was so dark, we couldn't see the end. What if something had happened?"
"Sigh~"
Lin Fan sighed.
If Wan An Fu had gone in, his wife would probably have remarried by now.
"Dr. Lin, do you think it has anything to do with this?"
Tian Yu asked nervously, timidly glancing around the empty fields as if monsters might emerge from the darkness at any moment.
"What happened next?"
Lin Fan continued to press.
"Later... the quarry was all men, and it wasn't appropriate for me to be there, so An Fu stopped me from going to work."
Tian Yu said with half-closed eyes.
Lin Fan understood. Someone must have coveted her beauty or made advances, which had displeased Wan An Fu.
Now that the matter was clear, Lin Fan patted Tian Yu's shoulder and smiled. "Luofeng Mountain has returned to normal. Our书记 (shūjì - Party Secretary) leads the villagers in establishing a medicinal herb planting base on the mountain every day. Nothing has happened all this time."
"Oh."
Tian Yu nodded.
She knew Lin Fan wouldn't tell her the whole truth, so she wisely decided not to ask.
"I'm leaving."
Lin Fan waved his hand.
"Dr. Lin!"
Tian Yu called out, her beautiful eyes flickering.
"You've helped my family so much, I can never repay you in this lifetime. I know you don't like to hear this."
Seeing Lin Fan's impatient expression, she quickly added, "Why don't you help me one more time, and let Wan Ling recognize you as..."
Under Lin Fan's stern gaze, she changed her words, "...her master, and learn medicine from you?"
"We'll talk about it after she finishes school."
Lin Fan replied and turned to leave.
Normally, he charged low fees for treating patients, and the villagers were grateful, so they would send him agricultural products every few days.
Rabbits caught in traps, wild chickens, their own free-range eggs, and various other mountain goods.
These were all normal.
But someone offering their daughter was something he had never encountered before.
This wasn't the old society; taking in such a young child as an apprentice would not only earn him criticism but was also illegal!
Returning to Wangjia Village.
"Coming, coming."
Song Yue responded repeatedly after Lin Fan knocked on the door.
"Xiao Fan, why are you back so late today?"
After being tossed around mercilessly by Lin Fan a few times before, Song Yue still had some lingering psychological shadows. However, with Xia Xue keeping such a close watch recently, Lin Fan had become desirable again in her heart, and she missed him terribly when they were apart.
Creak~
The door opened.
Song Yue's face lit up with joy.
Immediately, however, a nauseating stench assaulted her nostrils.
Song Yue covered her mouth and nose, stumbling backward. "Xiao Fan, did you fall into a cesspit?" she muffled.
"You're the one who fell into a cesspit,"
Lin Fan retorted grumpily and walked straight into the courtyard.
Song Yue, afraid of touching Lin Fan, kept backing away.
The more she did this, the closer Lin Fan moved toward her.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
Xia Xue came out, looking surprised at the two of them moving back and forth.
"Sister Xue'er, Xiao Fan fell into a cesspit."
Song Yue fled behind Xia Xue, saying with disgust.
"We're familiar, but don't spread rumors,"
Lin Fan warned, sniffing his arm.
"Ugh~"
The putrid smell almost made him gag.
During the debridement surgery, he had been solely focused on saving Wan An Fu's life and hadn't paid attention to anything else. When he returned across the open fields, the wind was strong, and he was preoccupied, so he hadn't really cared.
He hadn't expected it to smell so bad!
"Sister Xue'er, look, he's still saying he didn't fall into a cesspit!"
"Stop talking. Go boil some hot water quickly."
After instructing Song Yue, Xia Xue said to Lin Fan, "Xiao Fan, take off your clothes and throw them in the courtyard. I'll wash them for you tomorrow. I'll get you some clothes from inside."
"Alright."
Lin Fan nodded, feeling a warmth in his heart. No matter what, his sister-in-law was always the best!
After changing clothes and taking a shower, dinner was ready.
At the dining table.
Lin Fan ate heartily.
The fragrant rice, topped with a layer of mashed tofu, chunks of meat, and stewed cabbage and vermicelli, was cooked to the perfect consistency, whetting his appetite.
"Did anything go wrong after you removed so much flesh from the patient?"
Song Yue asked nervously, sitting beside him. "Also, his flesh stank, is the person really okay?"
The moment she uttered the word "stink," Lin Fan's throat rumbled, and he lost his appetite.
"What are you doing?"
Lin Fan slammed his chopsticks on the table, glaring at her angrily.
"Alright."
Xia Xue smiled faintly, patted Lin Fan's shoulder, and comforted him, "Your Sister Yue didn't mean it. Eat your meal. You must be hungry after coming back so late."
Lin Fan glared fiercely at Song Yue and continued eating.
"You only bully me."
Song Yue muttered softly.
Why have I never seen you glare at your sister-in-law?