"Whatever Uncle Lu says goes," Liu Ergou declared solemnly.

Seeing Liu Ergou's serious expression, Lu Hongda chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Hey, Er Gou, what's there to be nervous about! You grew up before my eyes. There's no need to be tense with me. It's just about your clinic."

"The village chief has already coughed up the public funds he took. Your clinic has been relocated and is currently under construction, and the village has taken care of the business license for you."

"The only thing left is your medical practice certificate. Have you obtained it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ergou immediately nodded. "Uncle Lu, rest assured. I went to town specifically for this, and I've passed the exam. The certificate is just at home!"

Hearing this, Lu Hongda was quite surprised. He hadn't expected Liu Ergou to quietly secure his medical practice certificate.

So efficient.

"Ah? That quickly!" Lu Hongda looked at Liu Ergou in astonishment. "Liu Jingming thought you went to town to report him, but you were actually taking the exam for your medical practice certificate!"

Liu Ergou didn't say anything, just chuckled foolishly.

Lu Hongda didn't beat around the bush. "That's all I had to discuss with you. There's nothing else."

"Other than that, just wait for my notice in a few days to go pick up the new university student."

"Alright, that's everything."

"You can go now. I won't keep you!"

Liu Ergou immediately stood up and left the office.

In just a few minutes, he was back home.

Originally, Liu Ergou wanted to continue their unfinished business, but Xu Yulan was no longer in the mood.

"That's enough, Er Gou. Don't mess around in broad daylight. If someone saw us, your reputation would be ruined!"

"It wouldn't be a problem for me, your sister-in-law, but it would be for you!"

Liu Ergou wanted to say he didn't care, but seeing Xu Yulan's firm stance, he could only ruefully agree.

And so, Liu Ergou was idle for the rest of the day. Utterly bored, he grabbed a hoe and went out to work in the fields. There was plenty of work waiting for him on his family's few acres of land. His sister-in-law couldn't possibly handle it all alone, and besides, he had been away for so long. It was time for him to help out.

Carrying his hoe, Liu Ergou walked down the road. Just as he passed the village entrance, he overheard the chatter of the village ladies. Usually, Liu Ergou wasn't interested in their gossip, since it was always just badmouthing one person or another. There was no point in listening.

But today, he heard something different. They were talking about the old bachelor.

During the time Liu Ergou was away, the old bachelor had, for some reason, taken a nasty fall on the road. After he got home, he suffered a stroke. The man, who had been robust and rarely even caught a cold, was suddenly left half-paralyzed.

The old bachelor had no wife or children, so now he was bedridden with no one to care for him. They said his life was utterly miserable. He never knew where his next meal was coming from, and in just a few days, he was a shadow of his former self.

Hearing the village ladies' words, Liu Ergou nodded in satisfaction. Then, shouldering his hoe and whistling a tune, he headed toward his fields.

Liu Ergou was so happy because, as it turned out, this matter was related to him. That day, when the old bachelor harassed his sister-in-law, Liu Ergou had flicked a pebble that struck one of his acupuncture points. It was this very point that triggered a chain reaction, increasing his chances of having a stroke from a mere one percent to fifty percent. That was the root cause of the old bachelor's stroke.

Serves him right for daring to harass my sister-in-law. This is all his just desserts. Letting him die would be too easy. He has to live and endure endless torment. Only then will my hatred be assuaged.

Because he was in such a good mood, Liu Ergou's pace was exceedingly fast, and he covered the hour-long journey in just thirty minutes.

Once he arrived at the fields, he started working.

Time flew, and soon it was afternoon, when the sun was at its most vicious. Even Liu Ergou could barely stand the heat. He ducked under a large tree, planning to rest for a while and continue working when the sun wasn't so harsh.

No sooner had he sat down than he heard a cacophony of footsteps from what sounded like seven or eight people.

Liu Ergou didn't pay it much attention.

What does that have to do with me? It's probably just people passing by.

Just as he closed his eyes, ready to take a nap, a voice tinged with sobs rang out.

"Er Gou brother, Er Gou brother!"

"Save me, please save me! They're taking me away!"

Hearing that familiar cry, Liu Ergou shot up from the ground.

Isn't that Xiaorou?! From the sound of it, she's in trouble!

At that thought, he scrambled to his feet and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw Xiaorou running frantically toward him. Behind her, seven or eight men followed leisurely, chatting and laughing as if her capture was a foregone conclusion.

On closer inspection, he saw the leader of the group was none other than Er Lü, and he instantly understood what was happening.

Counting the days... It's about time. There are only three or four days left of the fifteen-day deadline. Looks like Er Lü couldn't wait any longer and came to take her by force.

In the time it took Liu Ergou to piece things together, Xiaorou had already reached him and dived into his arms.

"Sob... Er Gou brother, you have to save me!" she cried. "Er Lü brought his men to take me away and marry me. I don't want to marry him!"

Looking down at the tear-streaked Xiaorou in his arms, Liu Ergou gently patted her head. "Alright, alright, stop crying!"

"Don't worry, I won't let Er Lü take you away. Get behind me. I'd like to see who dares to take you today!"

By the time Liu Ergou finished speaking, Er Lü and his men had arrived in front of them.

Looking at Er Lü, who was as round as a meatball, Liu Ergou made no effort to hide the disdain in his eyes.

"Er Lü, what are you doing here?" Liu Ergou sneered, standing protectively in front of Xiaorou. "You're not welcome. State your business or get lost. Stop loitering in front of me!"

Er Lü was in a good mood today, so he didn't get angry at Liu Ergou's words. He just waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.