The Ruthless Female Forensic Doctor's Husband-Destroying Story

Chapter 16

"Jiaoniang, my finger hurts, please blow on it for me!"

The sand crab wasn't very strong; it pinched her hand, causing some pain but no bleeding. Yet Yang Huan, like a proud child, stuck his finger to her lips, grimacing and complaining. Xu Shirong noticed several women nearby watching and whispering, fearing he might be shameless and continue to pester her, so she simply blew on it haphazardly. Only then did Yang Huan smile and withdraw his finger, wiping it on his clothes.

Walking through the mud was physically demanding. Before the tide even reached her, Xu Shirong's legs were already weak, and she sank into a deep pit and couldn't pull herself out. Seeing her tiredness, Yang Huan, having had his fill, noticed that there were quite a few snails and crabs in the basket. He took her hand, and the two of them waded onto the bank, finding a pool nearby to wash the mud off their faces, legs, and arms. They then headed back to the county government office.

Xu Shirong was extremely tired. She had only eaten a few steamed buns since morning and was starving. Her legs became weak after walking for a short while. Yang Huan saw her slumping behind him and urged her a few times before stopping and saying, "Look at you, so useless. I'll carry you."

Xu Shirong was taken aback and hurriedly shook her head. Before she could refuse, Yang Huan had already taken a few steps back to her and said, "If you're this slow, you won't be able to get back to the county office even when it gets dark. I don't have the patience to dawdle with you!" As he spoke, he squatted down and, without saying a word, lifted her onto his back, using both hands to lift her buttocks.

"Really, it's not necessary. It wouldn't be appropriate if someone saw us." Xu Shirong twisted her body against his back, trying to get down.

"So what if someone sees me carrying my wife on my back?!" Yang Huan didn't even turn his head and strode forward quickly.

Helpless and afraid of being recognized by those who knew her before, Xu Shirong had no choice but to pull her straw hat down low to cover her face and wrap her arms tightly around his shoulders. Normally she wouldn't notice, but now, leaning against his back, she felt a sense of spaciousness, and being carried like this definitely saved her a lot of effort. After walking only a short distance, she heard his breathing become heavier. Peeking over, she saw his face was flushed and a few drops of sweat dripped from his forehead. Thinking he couldn't carry her anymore, she quickly patted his back and said, "I've rested enough, put me down quickly."

"You silly woman, if you keep moving around like that, I might lose my balance and you'll fall down!"

Yang Huan didn't turn around or stop walking, but he shouted something in a gruff voice.

Xu Shirong was stunned when he was scolded for his good intentions, and she was a little dumbfounded for a moment.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Yang Huan carried Xu Shirong on his back without initially noticing anything. After walking a short distance, he felt her weight creeping down, so he lifted her up slightly. He then felt something strange on his back, as if her full chest was pressing against him. He also felt the soft texture where his hands were supporting her hips, and suddenly his mind began to wander. Just as he was blushing and lost in his fantasies, he suddenly felt the beautiful woman behind him wriggling and telling him to put her down and walk on her own. If it weren't for this unexpected encounter, he would never normally have such a close opportunity. He was both reluctant to let her go and afraid that she would see through his thoughts, so he pretended to be angry and yelled at her in a gruff voice.

Xu Shirong was a little confused when he was yelled at. After taking a few more steps, Yang Huan lifted him up again, and Xu Shirong couldn't stop himself. His chest rubbed against Xu Shirong's back. Xu Shirong suddenly realized what was happening. He was both embarrassed and angry. He hit Yang Huan's back a few times and then slid off his back.

"What's wrong now? You're so heavy, and instead of being grateful when I carried you, you started hitting me?"

Yang Huan turned around, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Xu Shirong, and said in a serious tone.

Xu Shirong had just felt that he had some ill intentions, which was why she punched him a few times. Now, seeing his aggrieved expression, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been overthinking things. Just as she was feeling a little apologetic, she glanced up and suddenly saw his eyes staring unblinkingly at her chest. Only then did she realize that this person had indeed been up to no good. Her apology vanished instantly, and she coldly snorted, "You've worked so hard, carrying such a heavy person, and you still have the ability to multitask." After saying that, she walked forward.

Seeing her sudden change in expression, Yang Huan guessed what he was thinking. However, he was thick-skinned and only felt a slight flush on his face before rushing forward, reaching out to stop her, and saying with a grin, "Wife, don't be angry. I'll carry you again. This time, I promise I'll be devoted to you."

Seeing that he was being glib again, Xu Shirong ignored him, slapped his hand away, and quickened her pace, leaving Yang Huan behind. After entering the city gate, she saw an oxcart heading towards the county government office, loaded with firewood. She asked if it was going the same way and hitched a ride on the back. Yang Huan saw her from afar, shouted a few times, and seeing that she wasn't stopping, he ran breathlessly for a while before catching up, jumping on and sitting next to Xu Shirong.

The driver, seeing that Xu Shirong was a single woman and going the same way, let her sit down. Suddenly, he noticed someone else had boarded behind him. He turned to look, and just as he was about to ask, he realized that the woman's profile resembled that of the county magistrate he had seen a few days ago while watching the commotion outside the courthouse. Before he could get a closer look, Yang Huan's eyebrows shot up, and he shouted, "What are you looking at? Just keep driving!"

The driver was startled, thinking that he had only given her a ride out of kindness, and now he was being scolded for even glancing at her. He was about to stop the ox and send her off when he saw the woman turn to him and say, "Uncle, my husband just took the wrong medicine and started biting everyone he saw. Please don't take it to heart. I apologize."

The driver, seeing that the woman spoke so kindly, calmed down a little. Looking at the two of them, the woman was pouting, and the man was looking at her expectantly, trying to appease her. They really looked like a young couple who had just had a tiff. So he shook his head and stopped looking, flicked his whip, and drove the oxcart forward.

By the time they reached the vicinity of the county government office, it was already dusk. Xu Shirong thanked the driver and went through a side gate. Yang Huan hurriedly followed him in, tossing the basket he was carrying to the cook. After they both took a bath and changed their clothes, the cook had already prepared the contents of his basket as side dishes for dinner.

The two had been out all day and had only eaten a few steamed buns they'd brought with them that morning; they were now starving. The cook cut off the tails of the snails, stir-fried them in oil, sprinkled some salt, added water, brought it to a boil, and poured it into a large bowl. A few green scallions floated on the oily surface of the soup, giving it a fresh aroma. The sand crabs were boiled and served with soy sauce and vinegar, while the mudskippers were cooked in sweet glutinous rice wine, tasting quite delicious. Xu Shirong ate two bowls of rice before putting down her bowl, picking up a few snails, leisurely sucking out the meat, and eating them. She glanced at Yang Huan across from her and almost burst out laughing.

It turns out that eating snails requires skill. First-timers often don't know how, and no matter how hard they try, the snail meat just won't come out of the shell. Yang Huan was one of those people. Tokyo is inland, and snails are rare, especially since they're considered a common food. Even when he ate them, it was always the large field snails that had already been cracked open, the meat removed, and cooked. He had never eaten such a small black snail before. Now, he picked one up and put it in his mouth, sucking hard until he was sweating profusely, but the snail meat wouldn't come out. Instead, it rolled down his throat, almost choking him. Frustrated and angry, he spat it out. He looked up and saw Xu Shirong looking at him with a half-smile. Her eyes darted around, and she said with a lewd grin, "Wife, you're quite skilled. How can you suck this out so smoothly? Why don't you suck out some meat and feed it to me, so I can taste it too?"

Just as he was speaking, the cook came out of the kitchen. Hearing this, she burst into laughter and hurriedly turned back. Xu Shirong had intended to see him make a fool of himself, but instead, she was disgusted. She spat at him, cursed him for being indecent, and got up to leave him behind.

She had gotten used to going to bed early since arriving here. After a long day of work, she felt even more sleepy after eating and resting. She locked the door and went to bed early. Just as she put down the curtains, she heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Xiao Que, she answered lazily.

"My dear wife, I am very happy today..."

Yang Huan's voice rang out from outside the door.

Xu Shirong paused for a moment, then said calmly, "After a day of fun, of course I had a good time."

"Jiaoniang, I can't sleep..."

"Hmm. Go find another young lady outside the yamen, carry her around the city, and she'll naturally fall asleep when we get back."

After a pause, someone outside the door said again, "Jiao Niang, open the door and talk to me, just talk..."

Xu Shirong turned over to face inward, pulled a thin blanket over herself, then closed her eyes and said lazily, "If you're going to talk, you can talk through the door. I'm listening."

Yang Huan tried the same trick again, but this time it didn't go as smoothly as last night. He knocked on the door a few more times, but there was no sound inside. He thought about forcibly kicking the door open, but he didn't have the courage. He circled around the door twice, and suddenly saw Xiao Que peeking over from the corridor. He coughed, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked out.

Yang Huan hadn't forgotten about the seawall construction. Xu Shirong had only urged him twice, and within two days, the county magistrate of Mu County had drafted a memorial to the prefectural government, vehemently arguing the importance of the seawall. After ten days or so without any response, he simply sent two more memorials. This time, Tongzhou did send a letter, but it wasn't a reply from the prefectural government regarding the seawall memorial; instead, it was a letter to Yang Huan and his wife.

The letter was written by Madam Lu, the Prefect of Tongzhou. She said she was a distant cousin of Madam Xu, the mother of Jiao Niang. The two had often visited each other when they were young, but after they both married, they lived far apart and rarely kept in touch. A few days ago, she received a letter from Madam Xu and learned that her niece had gone to Tongzhou with her husband to take up her post. She was very happy. Since the third day of next month would be Prefect Lu's fiftieth birthday, she wrote a letter inviting her niece and son-in-law to come to Tongzhou to reminisce.

After reading the letter, Xu Shirong recalled that a few months ago, when she was leaving the Grand Commandant's residence, Madam Xu had indeed quietly mentioned that there was such a cousin in Tongzhou Prefecture. She worried that once Xu Shirong arrived in Qingmen County, far from her maternal family and without their support, she might suffer at the hands of Yang Huan. Madam Xu said she would speak with that cousin and ask her to keep an eye on things. At the time, Xu Shirong had only nodded absentmindedly and had long forgotten about it. Only after receiving the letter today did she remember that such a thing had indeed happened.

Xu Shirong put down the letter, but Yang Huan picked it up and read it over and over again several times before calling out in a loud voice, "Little Sparrow, hurry up and pack your things for Madam and me. We're leaving tomorrow."

Xiao Que responded and was about to turn around and leave when Xu Shirong stopped her, frowning slightly. "Even if you really go, there are still seven or eight days until the third day of next month. Why are you in such a hurry? Tongzhou Prefecture is only a day or two away from here."

Yang Huan said seriously, "You don't know, my official document requesting the prefecture to allocate funds for dike repair has been submitted for so long, and the prefecture hasn't said a word yet. I have to go and inquire myself to find out what it means. If we just sit here like this, we'll never get approval. We might as well take this opportunity to go and explore the situation."

Xu Shirong glanced at him, seeing his serious expression and the fact that although his words were somewhat rough, they sounded reasonable. After a moment's thought, she agreed. Yang Huan then beamed with joy and hurriedly urged Xiao Que to pack her things.

His words, though seemingly sincere, were tinged with ulterior motives. Since arriving in this county, while he could occasionally see peonies and osmanthus trees, they paled in comparison to Tokyo. There were only a handful of decent streets, and nowhere to go for leisure; he was feeling suffocated. Then, receiving the invitation, he thought that even if Tongzhou Prefecture wasn't as prosperous as Tokyo, it was still the center of a prefecture, surely better than Qingmen County. Being an impatient man, once he thought of it, he couldn't contain himself and wanted to go immediately. When Xu Shirong asked him a question, he didn't hesitate, opening his mouth and spouting a long string of reasoning. Seeing that he had indeed persuaded her, he was overjoyed.

Nothing more was said that night. Early the next morning, Yang Huan entrusted the affairs of the county office to Magistrate Mu, piled the packed belongings in Xiao Que's carriage, and Xu Shirong rode in another carriage. He himself rode a horse, taking Er Bao with him, and headed towards Tongzhou Prefecture. The nearby residents, hearing that the county magistrate was personally going to Tongzhou Prefecture to plead for the people, spread the word quickly, and soon a large number of villagers gathered to see him off, not leaving Qingmen County until noon.

Yang Huan had initially planned to find a more lively place to relax, and his plea for the people was just a side thing. But now, seeing how much the villagers loved him and how eagerly they looked at him, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He patted his chest and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, don't worry and go back home. If I, Yang Huan, don't get the order to repair the dike this time, I'll change my name!"

The county residents who came to see him off were deeply grateful to hear that the county magistrate was so devoted to serving the people. They all knelt down to bid him farewell, and only returned home after the carriage and the figures on horseback had disappeared far off on the official road.

The author has something to say: Yang Huan carried Xu Shirong on his back. At first, he didn't feel anything, but after walking a while, he felt her weight drop. He lifted her up a bit and felt something strange on his back, as if her full chest was pressing against him. Then he felt the softness where his hands were supporting her buttocks. Suddenly, he became aroused and blushed, lost in his fantasies. Just then, he felt the beautiful woman behind him wriggling and saying that he should put her down and let her walk. If it weren't for this unexpected opportunity, he would never have such a close chance on ordinary days. He was both reluctant to let her go and afraid that she would see through his thoughts, so he pretended to be angry and yelled at her in a gruff voice.

Xu Shirong was a little confused when he was yelled at. After taking a few more steps, Yang Huan lifted him up again, and Xu Shirong couldn't stop himself. His chest rubbed against Xu Shirong's back. Xu Shirong suddenly realized what was happening. He was both embarrassed and angry. He hit Yang Huan's back a few times and then slid off his back.

"What's wrong now? You're so heavy, and instead of being grateful when I carried you, you started hitting me?"