Chapter 4
You Are All Pretending
“I was the one who taught her how to read and write. She withheld the fact that she’s been reading medical books from me. What’s so strange about that?” Xie Heng retorted. After a pause, he held up both his clasped hands. “We’ll have to die sooner or later. My lord, please give Chuchu a chance.”
Li Jiang looked at Xie Heng.
He knew who Xie Heng was.
Xie Heng became a scholar at the age of twelve. Even though he was blind, he never stopped studying. He was a child prodigy.
It was not unusual for a scholar to have medical books at home.
“How is that possible?” Madam Yang shrieked. “My lord, don’t believe her lies. She should have been the first one to die. She’s definitely an evil spirit. In the past, she will hide whenever she sees people. How can she change so drastically?”
“Because I don’t want to die. I want to continue living. Is there anything wrong with that?” Zhao Chuchu stared hard at Madam Yang. “In the past, all of you mistreated me. If I try to resist, you will beat me up. Now that I’m going to die, why should I be afraid of you?”
“If not for my husband’s encouragement and love, I will never have the courage to stand up and say that I have the cure. Is that right, darling?”
Zhao Chuchu pinched herself hard so that her eyes would redden.
Xie Heng was at a loss for words.
“Don’t be afraid. I will protect you.” Xie Heng pulled Zhao Chuchu behind him, shielding her from the angry crowd. “I will not allow anyone to hurt you.”
Zhao Chuchu was moved beyond words.
One was pretending to be blind while the other was pretending to be dumb. They were only married in name. They had never touched, let alone gotten intimate with each other. Zhao Chuchu would always ask her brother-in-law to take Xie Heng out for meals.
Now she was pretending to be affectionate toward him and he was acting like he was loyal to her. He was protecting her even though he knew she was not the real Zhao Chuchu. All of them were brilliant actors.
However, he did not appear when she was about to be burned alive. Zhao Chuchu wondered what he was thinking then.
Zhao Chuchu cast aside those doubts. She pretended to wipe away her tears pitifully. “My lord, just give me two days. I promise I will not try to escape. Please let me try and treat them. We are going to die anyway. Maybe there’s a chance that the cure works.”
Li Jiang hesitated for a moment. He suddenly remembered that his sister and mother were also infected with the plague. At that instant, he made up his mind.
He turned around and instructed his subordinates, “Go to Xie Heng’s house and bring the medical book here.”
Xie Heng said, “I’ve already burned it. I was worried that Chuchu might not understand the book and may end up hurting others. Chuchu should know the cure by heart. I can ask her to write it out for you.”
Zhao Chuchu had checked her own pulse. The plague was actually the influenza in the modern world. In the olden times, medical technology was primitive, and most people had lower levels of immunity. Such serious conditions caused by the plague were exactly like the influenza.
Zhao Chuchu could not use any more of her supernatural power today. She was relieved that she had stored some common medicine in the space. They could be used to cure the villagers of the plague. Although the amount was not large, they were sufficient for the villagers she wanted to treat.
Of course, the cure was handy. However, the effect of the medicine which had to be brewed was slower. She only had two days. She could not afford to delay any further.
Li Jiang looked at the frail-looking girl, who stood upright and looked fearless. He said sternly, “Okay, I’ll give you two days. If your cure doesn’t work, then I’ll tear you into pieces and feed your body to the dogs.”
How ruthless!
However, Zhao Chuchu still gave him a grateful look. “Thank you, my lord.”
“My lord, don’t believe her lies. If her prescription works, why didn’t she cure herself earlier?”
“Zhao Chuchu is lying. She’s stalling for time so she can run away.”
“She was the first one in our village to be infected with the plague. She’s the one who started it.”
At the instigation of the Zhao family, all the other villagers who felt aggravated started kicking up a ruckus. They glared at Zhao Chuchu viciously. They could not wait to tear her to pieces.
Xie Heng raised his voice and spoke calmly, “My lord, since these people are afraid that we’ll cause trouble, why don’t you kill them first. Then you’ll be able to focus on keeping an eye on us. You can also see for yourself if the cure works.”