Zheng Cailian's mind went blank, her beautiful eyes wide open.
Wang Hao's overbearing manner made her ears turn red, and for a moment, she actually forgot to resist.
She didn't know how much time had passed until she was almost suffocating, and then she suddenly came to her senses.
"Smack!"
With a crisp sound, Zheng Cailian fiercely pushed Wang Hao away and slapped him across the face.
After hitting him, she felt a pang of reluctance, but ultimately did not show it.
Wang Hao, who had been slapped without warning, also snapped back to reality in a moment.
Reflecting on his own recklessness just now, he felt a twinge of self-reproach in his heart.
"Haozi, you've had too much to drink. Think it over when you're sober about what you just said."
Zheng Cailian bit her lip, turned her face away so Wang Hao couldn't see the tears falling from her eyes, and spoke.
In fact, she felt incredibly distressed.
Wang Hao was among the few college graduates from Chen Village. In contrast, she was just a woman who had lived like a widow for eight years. She couldn't be a drag on Wang Hao; that would be far too selfish.
Seeing that Zheng Cailian had issued an eviction order, Wang Hao opened his mouth but, in the end, sighed and picked up his sickle and walked out.
On his way back, Wang Hao touched his face, which stung from the slap, and felt a bitter taste in his heart.
"Could it be that Cailian doesn't like me? That shouldn't be..."
Wang Hao knew very well that what he had just said came from his heart. Perhaps his actions had been too hasty and scared Zheng Cailian, which was why he had received a slap?
By the time Wang Hao got home, his parents had already gone to bed.
Having had a few drinks, he also went to bed early after taking a bath.
The night passed without words, and the next morning, Wang Hao was promptly roused by his mother for breakfast.
"Reeking of alcohol. Where did you go drinking last night?"
As Wang Hao sat down at the breakfast table, his mother Huang Yufen voiced her dissatisfaction.
What struck Wang Hao as odd was that for the past few days, his parents hadn't asked him about his tattoo.
He was pleased by their silence and casually brushed it off, saying that he had helped Zhao Youquan harvest wheat yesterday and had a few drinks afterward because he was tired.
Upon hearing this, Huang Yufen immediately exploded in anger, cursing Zhao Youquan as being no good.
Wang Dazhu, sitting beside them, lost his appetite upon hearing this, thinking to himself that when you're poor, people push you around, just like a good horse is ridden hard.
"Dad, why aren't you eating?" Wang Hao noticed that his father had barely touched his noodles and asked in confusion.
"Your dad's leg has been hurting again these days, probably doesn't have much appetite," interjected Huang Yufen with a tone full of concern.
Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhu gave Huang Yufen a glance and then tried to sound carefree: "It's alright, just a minor issue."
Wang Hao frowned; he could clearly see that his father didn't want him to worry.
But then, an idea struck him, and he spoke up, "Dad, why don't I have a look at it for you?"
"You know how to treat illnesses? Aren't you studying software development?" Wang Dazhu looked at Wang Hao skeptically.
"That doesn't stop me from learning about medicine," Wang Hao replied with a grin, not keen on discussing the topic further.
Wang Dazhu exchanged a glance with Huang Yufen, then nodded lightly, "Alright, take a look."
So, Wang Hao put down his chopsticks and approached Wang Dazhu.
He carefully rolled up Wang Dazhu's pant leg, and suddenly, a pair of withered, bloodless legs were exposed to Wang Hao's gaze.
"How could it be so serious?"
Wang Hao felt a sudden jolt in his heart. He gently touched his father's legs a few times and found that there was no sensation at all.
"Enough, let's talk about my legs later. You eat your breakfast," said Wang Dazhu, noticing Wang Hao's brows were deeply furrowed, and softly reassured him as he prepared to pull down the pant leg.
Wang Hao felt terrible inside, yet he had no good solutions.
Just then, a green dragon shadow charged straight for Wang Dazhu's legs.
Wang Hao's heart leaped with joy, and he hastily said, "Dad, don't be busy, maybe I can heal your leg!"
"Really?" Wang Dazhu was startled, and even Huang Yufen showed a look of surprise.
"Why not give it a try?" Wang Hao said with a mysterious smile, then began to massage Wang Dazhu's legs in an exaggerated fashion.
After all, the existence of the green dragon shadow was too fantastical; it wouldn't make sense for him to just squat there and do nothing.
As the green dragon shadow continued to move over Wang Dazhu's legs, Wang Hao also sensed that the dead meridians in his father's legs were gradually healing.
However, the once intensely green dragon shadow slowly began to fade.
About ten minutes later, it had almost turned transparent, and Wang Hao felt his head spin, nearly collapsing to the ground.
"So when the dragon shadow's color fades, it can drain my strength."
Wang Hao muttered to himself.
Nevertheless, after this treatment, Wang Hao became even more certain that the green dragon shadow possessed a miraculous healing ability.
But this ability wasn't limitless; it could be depleted.
Seeing that the green dragon shadow had overstretched its energy, Wang Hao guessed it would take some time to recover. He didn't dare let it continue healing, and with a thought, he drew it back.
"Dad, try to feel it again, do your legs feel a little better?"
Wang Hao stopped his motions, looking at Wang Dazhu with a hopeful expression.
"You rascal, your old man's legs have been necrotic for years, how could they be healed just by your pressing them?"
Wang Dazhu chided with a smile, but sensing his son's hopeful eyes, he still seriously tried to feel his legs.
After only a few seconds, he suddenly widened his eyes, excitedly saying, "How can this be... wife, my legs... my legs can feel again!"
"Is that true?" Huang Yufen, who hadn't taken it seriously before, was startled by his words. She saw Wang Dazhu's excited face and became a bit flustered.
"It's true! I couldn't feel my legs at all before, but after Haizi massaged them, they felt warm and very comfortable inside!"
"That's great!" Huang Yufen cried with joy, hugging Wang Dazhu tightly.
And Wang Hao, watching this scene, was overjoyed as well.
It seemed that the nine dragon tattoos were truly magical; green must represent vitality, able to mend broken wild ginseng, and also able to heal his father's necrotic legs.
Although they weren't healed in one go, if he continued the treatment several times, perhaps his father could fully recover.
However, just then, an untimely voice rang out in the courtyard.
"Old man Wang, are you all at home?"
"Huang, why are you here again, constantly coming to our house to collect debts? Is that fun for you?" Upon seeing the visitor, Huang Yufen's face turned cold before Wang Dazhu could say anything, and she spoke sharply.
Wang Hao also recognized the visitor at this moment; it was Huang Shancai, infamous for his usury throughout the neighboring villages. But, what puzzled him was the implication from his mother's words that their family owed the man a high-interest loan?
"You can go back now. Who comes to collect debts early in the morning? Don't worry, I'll come to find you another day," Wang Dazhu's expression also cooled down as he issued a dismissive command.
Huang Shancai, hearing the words of the old couple, chuckled, "Alright, then I'll go to the next house. Make sure to hurry up."
After watching Huang Shancai leave, Wang Hao frowned and asked, "Dad, Mom, what's going on?"
Huang Yufen opened her mouth, then finally sighed deeply, saying, "To come up with your tuition and living expenses, your father sold off a big part of our farmland and even borrowed money from this Huang guy. We thought we could pay it back after the autumn harvest, but who would have expected this damn fate..."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? How could you borrow from loan sharks? The interest rates will bleed us dry!" Wang Hao's eyes reddened, and he felt more indebted to his parents than ever.
If he had known that his parents borrowed high-interest loans for his education, he would rather have dropped out than continue schooling.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll find some odd jobs nearby in the next few days. I should be able to earn some money to pay it off," Wang Dazhu tried to reassure with a smile.
Looking at his father, who was barely over forty but already had white hair and a face full of wrinkles, Wang Hao felt a pang in his heart.
With tears in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Dad, Mom, leave the money worries to me!"
With that, he strode out.
He was going to find Su Lin because a few days earlier, he had discovered his ability to repair wild ginseng, so he wanted to use this as a breakthrough to see if he could quickly make some money!