There's often trouble at the door of a widow.
By now it was evening, and if anyone found out that Li Qiao'er, a widow, was staying at Wang Xiaolong's house—even if the mother-in-law didn't curse in the streets, outsiders would have chewed their tongues raw.
Thus, not daring to stay long, she began to take off Wang Xiaolong's clothes directly in the midst of conversation.
Wang Xiaolong subconsciously wanted to refuse, after all, he had recovered to normal, and to let his sister-in-law help him bathe again was somewhat awkward.
But when he looked up, the words on the edge of his lips suddenly stopped.
As Li Qiao'er reached out to him, leaning forward and slightly bending down, the beautiful scene beneath her fair neck directly caught his gaze.
Such a sight left Wang Xiaolong stunned on the spot.
Earlier at the orchard with Liu Qian, he had been on the verge of exploding, but ultimately he was forced to stop, which was like forcefully suppressing the fire.
And the intoxicating beauty before his eyes was undoubtedly like pouring gasoline on a fire that was about to go out.
It made Wang Xiaolong feel parched, and his blood threatened to boil over.
Li Qiao'er, unaware of Wang Xiaolong's reaction, pulled off his clothes in his dazed state, preparing to have him sit in the tub.
But before the clothes were completely removed, Li Qiao'er's eyes instantly widened in shock.
Previously, since Wang Xiaolong was as naive as a child, even if they saw each other naked, it meant nothing.
But now...
Li Qiao'er's face turned crimson with embarrassment, almost daring not to look.
But inwardly she couldn't help but mutter, "If someone marries Xiao Long, they'd probably be tormented to death, right?"
"I... I'll wash by myself."
At that moment, Wang Xiaolong suddenly sat down in the tub.
If the two of them continued in this standoff, he definitely wouldn't be able to restrain himself.
If it were any other woman, he wouldn't have thought much about it—after all, there weren't many people in the village who thought highly of him, so sleeping together would have just been that.
But Li Qiao'er was his lifesaver, he couldn't take advantage of her!
Seeing this, a flicker of something different crossed Li Qiao'er's face.
The fields outside had been dry for so long, and so had hers.
Being at the age where one is as hungry as a wolf, and facing such a man in the prime of youth, it would be impossible not to have other thoughts.
But the moment she thought of her mother-in-law living just next door, the ripples stirring in Li Qiao'er's heart settled down again.
After heaving a silent sigh, she placed her jade hand on Wang Xiaolong's shoulder, "You still need to take everything off to wash by yourself, otherwise your clothes will get wet."
Once the sleeve was removed, the wounds that hadn't yet scabbed over, as well as the streaks of blood, became visible on Wang Xiaolong's back.
Li Qiao'er's delicate fingers gently touched them, her voice full of compassion, "Did Liu Da Jun and his gang do this?"
"It's nothing, it'll heal soon," Wang Xiaolong said as if nothing was amiss.
Plunk!
A crystal-clear tear fell from Li Qiao'er's eyes, and she cursed angrily, "Those bastards are really too despicable, fully aware you're not in your right mind, yet they keep bullying you relentlessly."
Wang Xiaolong clenched his fists, full of anger at this as well.
Liu Da Jun had taken advantage of his foolishness to trouble and bully him multiple times, and he definitely had to find an opportunity to get his revenge!
However, he didn't show any of this and simply smiled lightly, "Sister-in-law, don't cry. I'm not in pain."
With so many injuries, only someone with a body as strong as yours would not die or become handicapped. How could it not hurt?" Li Qiao'er sighed, then turned to get the Red Flower Oil.
Watching her bustle around, a warm current flowed through Wang Xiaolong's heart.
In the year that had passed, he owed much to Li Qiao'er's care, or else he would have already been beaten to death by those villagers.
Now that he had regained his senses, he had to find a way to make money to properly repay Li Qiao'er.
Lost in thought, he quickly washed himself.
When he had finished bathing and put on clean clothes, Li Qiao'er came over with the Red Flower Oil, gently applying it to his wounds.
As she looked at those shocking injuries, her tears couldn't help but flow again, and she ultimately ended up embracing Wang Xiaolong tightly.
"Stay away from Liu Dajun and his bunch from now on, they're just a gang of scoundrels!"
"And, when someone else is getting married, you need to restrain yourself, that's someone else's bride, not yours."
Wang Xiaolong took a deep breath and nodded, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I won't be foolish anymore."
Upon hearing this, Li Qiao'er was initially taken aback.
Because at first listen, Wang Xiaolong's words seemed very normal, not something a fool would say.
But when she thought about it, she couldn't help but smile bitterly.
If she really had returned to normal, why would she have gone to Liu Dajun's house today and gotten beaten up for nothing?
Li Qiao'er shook her head and handed over a clean T-shirt as well.
Just as she was about to help Wang Xiaolong put it on, a voice suddenly came from outside.
"Sister Qiao'er, the water is being released at the East River Dam, hurry over if you want to irrigate your fields."
Hearing this, Li Qiao'er quickly got up, "I need to go and water the fields, you tidy up yourself."
Wang Xiaolong smiled, "You go back to sleep, I'll do the watering."
After saying this, he grabbed his shovel and headed outside.
Li Qiao'er didn't yet know that Wang Xiaolong had recovered his sanity, but even when he was feeble-minded, as long as he wasn't having an episode, he was almost like a normal person.
Especially with farm work in the fields, he was even more efficient than some healthy people.
So she wasn't too worried.
However, the thought of the injuries on Wang Xiaolong's body again brought a complex expression to her face.
"Provoking Liu Dajun this time only resulted in a beating, but if next time he provokes someone even more dangerous, it could cost him his life—we must find a cure for Xiao Long soon."
Since Wang Xiaolong had become foolish, Li Qiao'er had taken him to see many doctors, but those doctors were all helpless.
However, one old traditional Chinese medicine doctor had mentioned that Wang Xiaolong had been angered into foolishness, and that this was a mental issue.
A mental issue needs a mental solution, which means helping Wang Xiaolong to overcome his demons and step out of his shadow.
Previously, Li Qiao'er really didn't know how to guide him.
But in recent times, she had gained some insight.
Wang Xiaolong had become foolish on his wedding day, after his bride had run off with another man, and he tended to have episodes whenever he saw a bride thereafter.
Li Qiao'er thought that perhaps finding a wife for Wang Xiaolong to fulfill the dream of his wedding night might have a great chance of success.
With this idea in mind, she had begun to ask around and had even enlisted some matchmakers for help.
But once they heard about Wang Xiaolong's foolishness, not one person was willing to marry him.
If it were any other time, Li Qiao'er might not have been in a rush.
But after Wang Xiaolong had been beaten again today, she felt that they really couldn't delay this matter any longer.
At present, finding another girl was impossible since nobody would agree, so the only option left was herself.
Li Qiao'er's husband was already deceased, and even if her in-laws weren't willing, she could still remarry if she wanted to.
Having lived with each other so long, she understood Wang Xiaolong well, and was convinced that marrying him wouldn't be a loss and believed he would treat her well.
What's more, if it could cure Wang Xiaolong's illness, it would be beneficial for both of them.
With that in mind, Li Qiao'er made up her mind to first probe her in-laws' intentions when she got home, and then find a time to have a chat with Wang Xiaolong.