Shen Wei nodded with a serious expression, "I know. They want to bully you, but with me protecting you, they can only bully Eldest Brother."
Li Yue Shu, who had been a little nervous by his first two words, was speechless.
She patted Shen Wei's head, saying nothing.
She didn't know if his relationship with Shen Wang had been good before. If he recovered his memory later, would he blame her?
Thinking of this, Li Yue Shu couldn't help but secretly glance at Shen Wei.
As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head and grinned, looking quite silly.
Li Yue Shu was speechless.
That evening, as Li Yue Shu was about to close the door for the night, a bruised and swollen man suddenly appeared.
Hearing the commotion, the children all ran out. Shen Wei stood protectively beside Li Yue Shu, his expression vigilant.
The man was startled by the sight but still forced himself to take two steps forward, "Madam Shen, I've completed what you asked. Look at this antidote..."
Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow and didn't make things difficult for him, directly tossing him a pill. "Kuai Shu Ge."
Upon receiving it, the man quickly turned and ran, as if afraid of being chased.
At the same time, Shen Wang, leaning on a cane, returned to the Shen family with trembling steps.
He walked slowly with an awkward gait, several bruises on his face. Shen Mother and Yang Shi didn't recognize him at first.
Upon seeing who it was, Yang Shi rushed over worriedly, "Husband, what happened to you?"
Before her raised hand could touch him, Shen Wang suddenly slapped her.
"Slap!"
The crisp sound of the slap echoed. Yang Shi was sent to sit on the ground, and Shen Wang himself staggered, nearly falling.
Shen Mother, who had just arrived, immediately retracted her foot, her face full of shock.
Shen Wang panted, his trembling finger pointing at Yang Shi, "If you come up with any more of your schemes, I'll divorce you!"
Yang Shi's ears rang from the slap. As soon as she recovered her senses and heard his words, the color drained from her face in fear.
She looked up at Shen Wang in shock, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.
Shen Wang, however, had no time to deal with her and hobbled into the house.
Shen Mother then rushed to help Yang Shi up, "What happened? Did it fail again?"
Yang Shi, having just been slapped for no reason, was filled with anger. "He hit me as soon as he got back. How would I know what happened!"
In the past, Shen Mother would have gotten angry if Yang Shi spoke to her like this.
But Shen Wang had even threatened divorce, so she didn't bother arguing. "Ask him what happened tonight. If he really divorces you in anger, you'll have nowhere to cry!"
Hearing this, Yang Shi felt even more wronged.
But she knew Shen Mother was speaking the truth. She could only suppress her unwillingness and planned to ask him properly tonight.
However, she didn't expect that as soon as she climbed onto the bed, before she could even speak, she was kicked off.
Yang Shi's temper finally couldn't be contained. "Shen Wang, you..."
As she looked up, she saw Shen Wang shrink into a corner, his face filled with terror, like a startled bird.
Yang Shi froze, her words changing. "You... what's wrong with you?"
Shen Wang seemed to finally register her presence. He let out a heavy sigh, but his expression remained grim.
Yang Shi got up from the ground, enduring the pain in her stomach from being kicked, and moved to step forward again.
But Shen Wang, as if stimulated, suddenly shouted, "Don't come near me!"
Yang Shi was so frightened she froze in place.
She finally realized something was wrong. "Husband, what exactly is wrong with you?"
Shen Wang, as if remembering something, his expression a mixture of terror and distortion. "You go... sleep in Chengcai's room tonight."
Yang Shi looked bewildered and was about to say something, but Shen Wang bellowed, "Get out!"
Seeing his genuine anger, Yang Shi felt a little intimidated. Enduring the pain, she left the room.
...
Li Yue Shu was unaware of these developments.
She usually avenged herself on the spot. If the Shen family lived honestly from now on, that would be fine. If they were still foolish enough to provoke her, she wouldn't be polite.
For the next few days, Li Yue Shu took Shen Wang to the county office's dungeon every day.
Zhang Lao San was indeed stubborn. Even after being tortured half to death that day, he still didn't yield, though he no longer dared to speak disrespectfully to Li Yue Shu.
Over the past few days, Li Yue Shu had tried both soft and hard tactics, but Zhang Lao San still wouldn't budge.
He even burst into laughter when he learned that her goal was to take his lungs after he died.
"You are such a strange young woman. You've been wasting days here with me, only wanting my lungs."
Zhang Lao San laughed until tears streamed down his face. "Someone like me, who will have no one to collect my body when I die, you can go to the mass grave to pick up my corpse. You can dig out my heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys, and no one will stop you. Why are you trying to bargain with me!"
Facing his mockery, Li Yue Shu's expression was calm. "From birth to death, only the body accompanies a person. In this world, the person with the ultimate say over their body is themselves. This is the most basic human right."
"Moreover, I intend to use your lungs to save someone. I can't let the source be impure."
Zhang Lao San looked at the person before him in a daze. Although they were in the dimly lit dungeon, he inexplicably felt as if he saw sunlight.
Noticing the emotion in his eyes, Li Yue Shu spoke again, "Organ transplantation, in a sense, is a continuation of life. Death is natural, but..."
"No matter what you say, I won't agree," Zhang Lao San suddenly interrupted her, his expression turning cold.
Li Yue Shu was taken aback, clearly not expecting his sudden change of demeanor.
After a moment of silence, she said, "Think about it again. I'll come again tomorrow."
Li Yue Shu left the county office with Shen Wei, planning to investigate Zhang Lao San's specific situation the next day.
Today, she still had to pick up the children from the academy and didn't have time.
...
Meanwhile, Shen Yi Min, Shen Ting Wen, and Mo Lian had been waiting at the academy entrance for some time.
They thought the pharmacy was busy and Li Yue Shu couldn't get away, so they decided to go to the pharmacy themselves.
But before they could leave, a carriage blocked their path.
The curtain was lifted, revealing Li Xiang Ru's delicate and gentle face. "Young Master Mo, aren't you going home yet?"
The three naturally recognized the recent popular figure at the academy and cupped their hands. "Miss Li."
Li Xiang Ru smiled gently. "If the three young masters don't mind, perhaps I can give you a ride?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Li, but we are only a short walk away," Shen Yi Min replied, representing them, directly refusing.
Li Xiang Ru didn't seem annoyed, just smiled at Mo Lian. "I have some questions about ancient texts that I haven't figured out. I happened to meet Young Master Mo and wanted to ask for your advice."
Mo Lian frowned imperceptibly and was about to speak when a voice cut in, "Sister, you've been to prosperous and lively places like Chongzhou. What kind of questions do you need to ask a child from a remote village?"