Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

“The county…the county magistrate?” Zheng Jiasheng stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

The neighbor couldn't stand it and pushed him inside.

Inside the room, Meng Changqing was writing a prescription for Zhou Erya when Xi Dong asked worriedly, "How is my mother?"

Meng Changqing frowned and did not answer. Just then, Wen Dong followed Zheng Jiasheng in, and Meng Changqing asked him to take Wen Dong's pulse.

"How is the injured person?" Meng Changqing asked after Wen Dong had examined the patient.

Wen Dong carefully considered his words and said, "Worries have accumulated in your heart, causing deficiency of both qi and blood... I'm afraid you'll need to recuperate for a while."

Meng Changqing handed him the prescription he had just written, asking, "Do you think this prescription is suitable?"

Wen Dong knew that Meng Changqing was skilled in medicine. He had heard from Doctor Hu that this Magistrate Meng's skill was no less than his and Qin Hezheng's. When he came in and saw Meng Changqing here, he didn't intend to help.

Looking at the prescription now, he really couldn't find any fault with it. "It's usable."

"Did you bring all these medicinal herbs?" Meng Changqing asked again.

Wen Dong truthfully replied, "Before coming here, I thought the patient had serious external injuries, so I only brought hemostatic and sedative medicines, which is not complete."

"Send someone with you to get the medicine," Meng Changqing said. Wen Dong didn't mention anything about consultation fees or medicine costs, but Meng Changqing brought it up himself, "As for the expenses..."

“I’ll pay,” Xi Dong immediately replied, but then remembered what she had said earlier and added, “Doctor, I’ll pay you back next month.”

Wen Dong nodded: "Of course. Sir, I'll take my leave now."

As Wen Dong turned around, Zheng Jiasheng also wanted to follow him out, but was stopped by the aunt inside. "Jiasheng, let the young men run the errand for you. The county magistrate is here; why are you going out without accompanying him?"

The person has woken up, the medicine has been prepared, and now it's time to get back to the key issue.

The kind-hearted aunt, who had always insisted on reporting the matter to the authorities, recounted the absurd affairs of Zheng Jiasheng's family from beginning to end. At the end, she asked, "Your Honor, do you think Zheng Linsheng should be arrested?"

While this aunt was speaking, the oldest woman kept giving her meaningful glances.

She was also afraid that her good intentions would backfire and she would be blamed by others.

Meng Changqing was perfectly aware of this subtle dispute, so she said, "Whether or not to arrest someone depends on whether there is a plaintiff."

Xi Dong looked at her father, "Dad, what are your thoughts on this? How do you plan to handle it?"

Zheng Jiasheng remained silent, meek and unable to utter a single word. Xi Dong then asked her mother, "Mother, what are you thinking?"

Zhou Erya's expression was complicated, and in the end, she didn't say a word.

Faced with such parents, Xi Dong felt utterly powerless.

Xi Dong sighed inwardly, "If someone doesn't want to stand up, no amount of help from others will help them; they can only ever rely on others."

But if reality can only be this way, Xi Dong is willing to continue to bear the weight of her mother, but only her mother.

"Why isn't anyone saying anything?" Meng Changqing said. "With so many people here, why isn't anyone speaking up?"

The aunties in the village smiled awkwardly, "It's other people's family affairs, we shouldn't talk about it." Meng Changqing nodded in agreement, "Xidong, now that your mother's condition has stabilized, I'll go out and wait for her."

The aunties were taken aback.

After Meng Changqing left, the aunties gathered around Xidong and asked, "The county magistrate just left? He's not involved in this matter?"

"Lord Meng is only here to treat my mother's illness." Xi Dong's gaze fell on Zheng Jiasheng. "Since no one has reported this to the authorities, this can be considered a family matter, right, Father?"

“Yes.” After Meng Changqing left, Zheng Jiasheng felt much less pressure. “There’s no need to take family matters to the authorities.”

The village aunties couldn't stand him. "He's assaulting people and robbing them. How can this be considered a family matter!"

Some even said, "You call yourself a man!"

Zheng Jiasheng blushed deeply at their words, but ultimately, they were all women who were saying these things, so he could ignore them.

“Father, it seems you don’t want to punish Uncle no matter what he does wrong,” Xi Dong said.

"How can you talk about your elders like that!" Zheng Jiasheng retorted, "He's still your uncle no matter what."

Xi Dong sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked her mother earnestly, "Would you rather stay with me or with Dad?"

Zhou Erya's lips moved, but she didn't answer Xi Dong's question. Instead, she asked, "If I go with you, what will happen to your brother?"

“You’re always thinking about what to do for him, but why doesn’t he ever think about you?” Xi Dong suppressed her emotions and softened her tone, saying, “If he cared about you, he would have agreed to let you come with me.”

The women nearby listened and nodded in agreement.

But Zheng Jiasheng refused, saying, "Why are you leaving? I have a perfectly good home, why are you causing trouble?"

Just as he had never paid attention to Xi Dong's thoughts, Xi Dong would not pay attention to him at this moment.

She just stared at her mother, waiting for an answer.

"I need to ask Xichun." No sooner had these words left his mouth than Zheng Xichun squeezed through the doorway. "Follow my sister! Mother, we're all with my sister!"

Some busybodies spread the news of Anxi Village to the school, and Zheng Xichun was allowed to leave school early by the teacher.

When Meng Changqing went out, he was already waiting in the yard, his head close to the door, listening to the conversation inside.

Xi Dong looked at her mother again, "You have to give me an answer."

Zhou Erya closed her eyes in despair, "I'll go with you."

"Okay." Xi Dong stood up. "Then let's pack our things."

Zhou Erya tried to get up by supporting herself on the kang (a heated brick bed), but Xidong said, "You're not feeling well, why are you moving around?"

"Aren't we supposed to be packing our things?" Zhou Erya asked, puzzled.

“It wasn’t you, it wasn’t us,” Xi Dong said. “Father, pack your things and let’s go.” (End of Chapter)