"Is anyone home? I'm Luo Erya from the Luo Family." Luo Erya knocked on the door forcefully while yelling loudly.
Hearing the call while kneading dough in the kitchen, Shi Lanjiao dusted off her hands, wiped them on her apron, and walked out of the kitchen. She saw her son lying on the ground counting ants, shook her head, and went forward to open the door.
Her son wasn't originally foolish, but he became that way at the age of five because a fever had burned his wits away. Because of this, the couple had always felt very guilty.
"Auntie!" Luo Erya called out sweetly.
"Oh, it's Erya. Come in! Come in! Come on in." Shi Lanjiao moved aside with a beaming smile, letting Luo Erya enter. She had heard about Luo Shu's departure from home but wasn't worried. Since Wang Liying had taken the one hundred yuan from her, she was sure that the money would not be returned.
As Luo Erya stepped inside, she saw Second Fool lying on the ground, filthy, and a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes, "Auntie, I'm here to tell you news about my sister Luo Shu." Luo Shu would marry this fool in the future, and what a life she was set to have. She was certainly looking forward to that day.
"Where is she?" asked Shi Lanjiao. She had offered two hundred yuan precisely because she valued Luo Shu's competence and her docile nature. It was only such a daughter-in-law who wouldn't rebel against her as a mother-in-law.
She was unaware that Luo Shu had broken the hands of Wang Liying and Luo Jiansen; otherwise, she surely wouldn't have thought this way.
"She's in the town. My sister met Luo Shu yesterday, but that girl just doesn't want to come back. My mother sent me to tell you, since she has taken your family's engagement money, Luo Shu is already considered part of your family. Auntie, you can bring people to town and take Luo Shu back, and just get the marriage done." She had long heard about the Wang Family's fierce reputation in Willow Village.
If anyone accidentally offended the Wang Family or bullied Second Fool, the Wangs would use their numbers and, armed with hoes and shovels, swarm the offender's home to seek justice. Thus, people in Willow Village generally didn't dare to provoke the Wang Family.
"Mom, I want to take a wife, I want to take a wife." Second Fool got up from the ground, slobbering as he rushed toward Luo Erya, "Wife, give me a hug, I want to sleep with you."
Luo Erya hid behind Shi Lanjiao in fright, "I'm not your wife, my sister is your wife. Once you're married to my sister, you can sleep with her." She definitely couldn't let this fool take advantage of her; otherwise, she would certainly be the subject of gossip.
"Mom, I want a wife, I want to sleep with my wife..." Second Fool tugged at Shi Lanjiao's arm, yelling incessantly.
"Er Bao, be good. Mom will find you a beautiful wife tomorrow," Shi Lanjiao coaxed. Er Bao was no longer young; it was time for him to take a wife soon. Tomorrow she would go with her husband and the family members to the town to find Luo Shu.
"Er Bao is getting a wife, Er Bao is getting a wife, Er Bao will sleep with his wife soon..." Second Fool clapped his hands in delight and started running around the courtyard.
Luo Erya curled her lips into a smile, "Auntie, I'll head home then." Thinking that Luo Shu would soon be dragged back by the Wang Family to marry Second Fool, she couldn't help but want to burst into laughter. Luo Shu, you're truly destined to marry a fool.
The next day before dawn, over a dozen members of the Wang Family boarded a bus and arrived in town with great fanfare.
"Thank you all for your help today; we must find that girl Luo Shu for our Er Bao," Shi Lanjiao earnestly told everyone, her face full of sincerity.
"We're all family, no need for formalities."
"Sister-in-law, rest assured, even if it means turning the entire town upside down, I will find that girl, Luo Shu, today."
"Indeed, I'm eagerly anticipating Er Bao's wedding feast."
"Great! Great! Great! When the time comes, I'll definitely put on a big celebration for everyone to eat and drink their fill," Shi Lanjiao promised with a laugh. As long as Er Bao could marry a wife, spending some money was nothing.
After exiting her space, Luo Shu took a bath and walked out of the room.
"Luo Shu, that medicine of yours really works wonders. The old man seemed so much more spirited today," Aunt Chen said with a smile as she and her husband returned from a walk outside upon seeing Luo Shu. Usually, the old man would be too tired to walk after a while, but today he walked for such a long time without complaining of fatigue.
"Really?" Luo Shu stepped forward and took Uncle Chen's pulse, "Uncle, your recovery is going very well. After taking the medicine for one more day and after I give you an acupuncture treatment, I guarantee you will feel even more spirited." She wanted to speed up Uncle Chen's recovery so she could have Chen Zhihe help them with their household registration sooner rather than later, to avoid any more complications.
"That would be wonderful, Luo Shu. I'm entrusting the old man's health to you," Aunt Chen said cheerily. At first, she had been skeptical about Luo Shu's medicine, but after seeing the old man improve after just two days, she felt reassured. She had never expected Luo Shu's medical skills to be even better than Shopkeeper Liu's.
"I will do my best," Luo Shu replied with a smile and a nod.
Aunt Chen moved closer, gratefully taking Luo Shu's hands, "Luo Shu, you are truly a good girl. I will always remember your kindness. If there's anything you need help with in the future, just ask me. Don't be too polite with me."
Luo Shu smiled and shook her head, "Aunt, you don't need to be so formal. If you hadn't rented us the house, my siblings and I would have been left homeless." Although there were many houses in the small town, the ones available for rent had been taken long ago.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Just then, the gate was loudly knocked.
"Who is it?" Aunt Chen helped Uncle Chen sit down and walked toward the gate.
Upon opening the door, she saw Shopkeeper Liu standing outside, "Shopkeeper Liu, what brings you to my home? Please, come in and have a seat."
Shopkeeper Liu entered, asking Aunt Chen to lock the gate properly behind him. He turned to Luo Shu, who was talking with Uncle Chen, and said, "Luo Shu, there are some people in town looking for you and your siblings. They don't seem like good people." He had just opened his shop that morning when two burly, fierce-looking middle-aged men entered and inquired about the whereabouts of Luo Shu and her siblings.
Luo Zheng and Luo Shan also heard the noise from the courtyard and came out from the room.
"Sister, has Dad found us?" Luo Shan asked softly. She liked their current life, but she knew they couldn't stay here forever. Besides, she couldn't bring herself to completely ignore their father.
Luo Zheng looked at Luo Shu with inquiring eyes as well.
Luo Shu's lips slowly curled into a smile, carrying a sharp and disdainful arc, "Shopkeeper Liu, who are the people looking for us?" She knew that the Luo Family wouldn't let things rest so easily.
"They are two middle-aged men with a very fierce appearance. I didn't tell them you were here," Shopkeeper Liu had hurried over to warn them specifically because he was afraid of Luo Shu and her siblings being found by the others. He admired Luo Shu and didn't want her to come to harm.