My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 30 Part 3

Ji Taoyu quickly averted his gaze and took a deep breath. He touched his forehead, feeling something was off. He wondered if he had caught a chill from the morning wind, but this didn’t feel like the onset of a cold, because his forehead wasn’t feverish.  

Uncertain, he hurried away as if fleeing.  

Two days later, nearing the end of the month.  

Ji Yangzong returned from the city with a grim expression.  

He had gone to the prefectural yamen to discuss the schedule for delivering grain to the city and to inquire whether additional manpower could be allocated this year.  

Unfortunately, he had the bad luck of running into the assistant prefect at the census office, who reprimanded him for requesting extra personnel during such a busy period for the government.  

Being scolded by a superior wasn’t unusual, but the assistant prefect's attitude made Ji Yangzong suspect that You Lingxiao and his mother might have already whispered something in his ear.  

Uneasy and frustrated, Ji Yangzong brooded over the matter.  

With unrest spreading, if the prefecture refused to allocate more manpower to ensure the safe delivery of grain to the city’s granaries, any mishap would not only fall on the village heads but also bring no benefit to the government.  

Ji Yangzong decided it was time to discuss with fellow village heads the possibility of taking turns escorting the grain into the city.  

As he pondered gloomily, he noticed eight villagers gathered at the village entrance, engaged in heated discussion.  

Ji Yangzong’s expression darkened further—hopefully, they weren’t gossiping about his family again.  

But before he could approach, some villagers spotted him.  

"Village head!"  

The villagers rushed toward him as if finding a pillar of support.  

Before they even reached him, they shouted: "Something terrible has happened! The You family’s second son has been beaten!"  

"What?"  

The villagers repeated: "You Erlang was beaten!"  

Ji Yangzong scolded sharply:  

"Don’t spout nonsense! He’s a juren, who would dare hit a scholar?"  

Seeing Ji Yangzong’s disbelief, the villagers grew anxious. "It’s true!"  

"Just two days ago, Sun niangzi finalized the household registration documents to move into their new house in the city. How could he have been beaten?"  

Ji Yangzong suspected the villagers were exaggerating rumors again, spinning wild tales out of thin air.  

"Village head, if you don’t believe us, go see for yourself at the You residence! They just carried him back not long ago, right through the village path."  

A villager gestured wildly. "There was blood everywhere! You Erlang’s face was covered in dirt and blood, we barely recognized him!"  

"That’s right, it was horrifying! Sun niangzi was wailing so loudly half the village heard her."  

Seeing how vividly the villagers described the scene, and with multiple people corroborating, Ji Yangzong felt a chill run down his spine.  

"Did they say who did it?"  

"Some outsiders carried You Erlang back. They said bandits have been causing chaos - riding horses, waving swords, robbing and attacking anyone they see. The places they’ve passed through have suffered terribly."  

The farmer trembled as he spoke. "You Erlang must’ve run into those bandits and got robbed. Some kind passersby carried him back—otherwise, if he’d been left unconscious on the road, he might have bled to death."

Ji Yangzong's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.  

After a long pause, he finally managed to ask, "How is he now?"  

"Don't know. We just saw him being carried back."  

The farmers pitied You Lingxiao. Almost losing his life was truly tragic, but now that banditry had erupted right before their eyes, their hearts were in turmoil.  

In decades of living in Tongzhou, this was the first time banditry had come so close. Before, it had only been rumors from those who frequented the city, treated as mere tales. No one had imagined it would actually reach their doorstep.  

Now, fear spread like wildfire, and everyone was on edge.  

"Village Head, with things so chaotic outside, what should we do?"  

"Yeah, what if they come to the village?"  

Ji Yangzong tried to calm them. "Don’t panic. The prefecture has already dispatched soldiers to suppress the bandits. For now, everyone should stay inside the village as much as possible."  

"The more critical the situation, the more we must keep our heads clear. I’ll go check on the You family first. You all go home and make sure the children don’t wander outside to play."  

"Yes, yes."  

As Ji Yangzong hurried to the You residence, he still couldn’t quite believe it was true.  

Only when he reached the You family’s gate and saw the anxious faces of the You clan gathered in the courtyard did he finally accept that You Lingxiao had indeed been attacked.  

He stepped into the yard, expecting cold shoulders, but instead, the You family rushed toward him. "Village Head, you’re here!"  

"How is he? Is the injury serious?"  

No sooner had Ji Yangzong spoken than he saw his own wife emerge from inside.  

"You’re here too?"  

As he walked further in, he was stunned to find Ji Taoyu sitting by the bedside.  

Ji Yangzong’s brow furrowed. "Xiao Taozi, why are you here?"  

"Lingxiao is badly hurt, and we couldn’t find another physician in time. Since Tao ger has studied medicine under Physician Huang, we asked him to take a look first."  

The eldest uncle of the You family quickly explained.  

Huang Manjing had only come because she didn’t trust Ji Taoyu to handle this alone.  

The entire room waited for an initial assessment. Ji Taoyu’s hands were covered in blood. He glanced at his father before turning to You's mother, whose face was streaked with tears.  

"Most of his injuries are superficial, but the most serious is his broken hand. We still need to call a proper physician immediately."  

You's mother nearly fainted after hearing these words. The You family gasped in shock. "Will he still be able to write in the future?"  

You's mother grabbed hold of Ji Taoyu in panic.  

"You have to set his bones! Even if you resent him, you can’t abandon him now! This is a matter of life and death, how can a physician act like this?"