Favoring the concubine and killing the wife? She divorced the concubine and lived with her concubine

When Xiao Lan pushed open the door, Cuizhu was lying on a tattered mat, groaning. The doctor couldn't come so soon.

"Does it hurt?" Xiao Lan asked softly.

Cuizhu knew someone was coming. The door of the shabby house made a loud noise when it opened and closed, which was very unpleasant. But she didn't have the strength to look up. She was in too much pain.

Xiao Lan looked around and saw only rags, straw mats and other useless things. She pulled off a piece of dirty cloth and walked towards Cuizhu who was lying on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Cuizhu looked at me in horror, "You want to suffocate me to death!"

Xiao Lan covered Cuizhu with the cloth and held her tightly, ignoring her cries and imprisoning her. Cuizhu's wound was pressed by the tight wrapping, and the pain worsened when she struggled. She gasped for air.

Just when she thought she was about to die, Xiao Lan released her and stood up. Her body was covered in blood from the tight grip she had on Cuizhu, but she didn't care at all.

"Does it hurt?" Xiao Lan was panting because she had used up all her strength. She took two steps back, took a deep breath, and it took her a while to calm down, suppressing the urge to kill Cuizhu right now.

"What on earth do you want to do!" Cuizhu knew what Xiao Lan wanted to do. She wanted her to experience the suffering that Sun Xiner had suffered, but she didn't think she would stop there.

"Does it hurt?" Xiao Lan asked again.

"Nonsense! Are you crazy?" Cuizhu turned her head away, trembling with pain.

"The doctor will be here soon and apply medicine to you." Xiao Lan found a place to lean back and stand. She felt very tired.

"What do you mean?" Cuizhu was puzzled.

"I'll keep you alive, and you'll be my witness."

"What kind of testimony?"

"I will definitely go to court with Sun Shaohua in the future. I want you as a witness to tell everyone that it was that vicious woman Sun who wanted to poison her daughter-in-law and steal my dowry." Xiao Lan spoke slowly, as if telling a story.

Cuizhu's face trembled, and after a while she said, "Why do you think I will testify for you?"

"Because Sun Shaohua won't care whether you live or die, just like he didn't care whether I lived or died before."

"Then how can you guarantee that I will survive after I testify for you?"

"You are an accomplice, and at most you will be sold out. I can plead for mercy and buy you back, keeping you alive, on the grounds that you didn't do it at the time."

"Why should I trust you?"

"If you don't believe me, you can find another way to make a living, if there is one." Xiao Lan's tone was calm, and Cuizhu couldn't tell the truth from her expression. "I heard that women like you are no longer worth money if sold as laborers. The best way out is to sell you to poor brothels, where you can get a higher price. Although your body is a little damaged now, your face is still there. With such beauty, you should be able to sell it for more..."

"You dare!" Cuizhu gritted her teeth, but couldn't get up because of the pain in her body.

"Think about it carefully. It's your choice how to live."

-----------------

When Xiao Lan returned to the yard, Mother Xu and the others had not returned yet. Now that autumn had arrived, ice was hard to buy, so she probably had to run around a lot.

Fang Qingqing gently used a fan to fan Xin'er who had just woken up to relieve the pain, and she was also telling the story of the little rabbit Guaiguai in a vivid way.

Although Xin'er was in pain, she didn't make a noise. She listened with a frown, and grinned when she heard something interesting.

Xiao Lan didn't go in, but watched the two of them from outside. If Xin'er hadn't been injured, it would have been such a heartwarming scene. Fang Qingqing finished her story before looking at her. They exchanged a glance, and Fang Qingqing changed the story and continued.

Xin'er was also willing to listen, and was in high spirits. Xiao Lan sat in the yard, feeling the autumn wind and watching it sweep up a few fallen leaves.

Fang Qingqing had a lovely voice, and her stories were very entertaining, with varying pitches, and different tones for different characters, which really amused Xin'er. Xiao Lan, listening outside, smiled a rare smile.

As the sky darkened, the room fell silent. Fang Qingqing came out and quietly sat beside the sleeping Xiao Lan. Seeing her frown and beads of sweat on her forehead, she fanned her back. Xiao Lan immediately opened her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Lan glanced at Fang Qingqing and turned back to look at the house.

"It's okay." Fang Qingqing comforted softly, "He fell asleep again."

"What time is it?" Xiao Lan straightened up and twisted her neck, which had been uncomfortable from sleeping. Not only did her neck hurt, but her head hurt too.

"Who knows? It looks like it's around six in the afternoon?" Fang Qingqing guessed.

Xiao Lan smiled and was about to say something when Mother Xu came in holding a basin of something.

"Madam, I bought some. Take some for use first, and store some in the cellar."

Seeing the ice, Xiao Lan felt better. If Xin'er was in severe pain at night, she hoped she could help.

Then Jasmine and Xiaobai returned empty-handed. It seemed that only Mother Xu was luckier.

Haitang prepared dinner for everyone and brought it in. Fang Qingqing and Xiao Lan had a simple meal together. The others also arranged their own things and prepared to take turns looking after Xin'er and accompanying Xiao Lan at night.

As the night deepened, Xin'er hummed for a while, ate some white porridge, and fell asleep again, lulled by the coolness of the ice cubes. Everyone in the yard moved very carefully, fearing to wake him up.

"Madam, the courtyard over there is in a mess. Housekeeper Wang and Mother Yu have been locked up. I guess the master will come looking for you soon." Jasmine said softly, handing Xiao Lan a bowl of sweet soup.

Xiao Lan nodded and hesitated as she looked at the sweet soup. She had no appetite, but she still took it and drank two sips.

Just as Jasmine had said, Sun Shaohua arrived late at night. He had been through a lot today, and his face was tired. Chi Yu, who was following behind him, was also listless and not as energetic as usual.

When Sun Shaohua entered the room, he saw that the yard was quiet and the room was not very bright. Knowing that someone was looking at Gu Xiner, he also walked into the room with light steps.

Fang Qingqing has gone back, and now Haitang and Xiao Lan are taking care of Xin'er.

"Master." Haitang stood up and saluted first. Sun Shaohua nodded, and she went out, leaving Sun Shaohua and Xiao Lan behind.

Sun Shaohua sat on a low stool next to Xiao Lan and stared at Xin'er. Xin'er was covered with a thin blanket, but the injured part was still exposed. The little child was not sleeping well because of the pain of the wound, and she would frown or sob from time to time.

Xiao Lan didn't look at Sun Shaohua, nor did she speak. The two of them just sat there quietly for a long time.

"Madam..." Sun Shaohua finally spoke first. He hadn't called her Madam for a long time. Before, it was just a sneering nickname.

"Let's talk outside." Xiao Lan stood up and left the room. Sun Shaohua followed her out, while Haitang ignored Chi Yu's gaze and went back inside, closing the door.

Chi Yu wisely stepped away, and Sun Shaohua and Xiao Lan sat opposite each other at the stone table in the yard.

"I'm very tired today..." Xiao Lan lowered her head and looked at the handkerchief soaked in ice in her hand.

"Yeah, me too..." Sun Shaohua looked at the handkerchief that Xiao Lan was looking at.

There was another moment of silence...

"Then I'll go in and rest for a while. I guess Xin'er will be awake at night..." Xiao Lan stood up and was about to leave, but was grabbed by Sun Shaohua's wrist.

"Madam will still be in charge of the household from now on." Sun Shaohua looked up at Xiao Lan without getting up.

"Let my mother take care of it." Xiao Lan tried to break free from the restraints on her wrists, but couldn't.

"Wait until Xin'er gets better, then you can take over. There's no rush now." Sun Shaohua felt Xiao Lan's struggle, but he rarely wanted to let go.

In this family, it seemed that Xiao Lan was the only one he could speak the truth to. He had betrayed him, Cuizhu had also betrayed him, and although Fang Xiaoniang had awakened, she was no longer the shy girl by the lake. Xiao Lan had changed too, but in a different way. She was no longer the person he once hated, but someone he couldn't fathom, someone he couldn't understand, yet someone who truly cared for the "Sun family."

Xiao Lan stopped struggling and just said "hmm" softly as a sign of agreement.

She looked at the slightly decadent man in front of her. She realized that only when she was left with nothing would she realize who was truly devoted to her.

Unfortunately...that person is already dead.

Seeing that she agreed perfunctorily, Sun Shaohua still agreed, but he didn't know how to talk about the pharmacy.

"Master, why don't you go back and eat something? You've been busy all day and must be hungry." Seeing that he was still reluctant to leave, Xiao Lan could only urge him gently.

Sun Shaohua felt warm in his heart. Today, Xiao Lan was the only one who cared about him. Even his mother didn't ask him how he was.

"Well, I'll go back and eat something later. That..." After thinking for a while, he finally said, "There was a mistake in the Baibingchuyao shop. Doctor Wang..." Having said that, Sun Shaohua couldn't continue. He looked at Xiao Lan, thinking about how to say it in his mind.

"Is this the medicine the master mentioned in the hall today? Was he arrested?" Xiao Lan helped him to say it. She felt that if she let him hesitate, no one would be able to leave tonight.

"Yes, the pharmacy was under your name, and it was sealed and confiscated. Tomorrow, I need you to go with me to the county government office to sign the agreement. The county magistrate said that you must be present in person, or send someone from the government office to bring the documents to sign in person."

"Then I'll go with you tomorrow. It's always a bother to trouble an official to come to my house."

Sun Shaohua nodded, but didn't leave, holding Xiao Lan's hand tightly.

"Madam..." Haitang opened the door, "Miss is looking for you."

Only then did Sun Shaohua let go and let Xiao Lan go.