Chapter 4: The Teacher's Wife

  Da Liang, Shi Wei had just moved into a "deluxe" cell, and was enjoying the small stove that had been set up for him in the prison, when Chen Pi came back.

  Shi Wei originally thought that Chen Pi had only gone to Ping An Tang to bring back some medicine for himself, but what made Shi Wei slightly surprised was that his master's wife, Fan Shi, also came along with him.

  To make it convenient for them to talk, Chen Pi deliberately drove other prisoners to another cell, closed the gate and retreated.

  In the empty courtyard, Fan's family rushed into the prison in a few steps and grasped Shi Wei's hand, her eyes filled with tears, choking: "Far Zhong, you have suffered."

  Yuánzhì is the courtesy name of Shíwéi.

  Fan's family wore a deep-colored jacket today, with a white scarf tied very low, and Shi Wei inadvertently caught a glimpse of the deep ditch when he lowered his head, and his heart couldn't help but thump.

  Fan's name is Fan Peilan, who was the wife of Master's remarriage a few years ago. However, Master passed away just a few years after marrying her, making Fan Peilan a widow at a young age.

  Although Shi Wei called her Shifu's wife, she was actually only eight years older than him.

  Fan Peilan's appearance may not be considered absolutely beautiful, but she also has a few points of charm, with fair skin. At her age, she has a unique youthful elegance.

  Shi Wei remembered that she was her own master's wife, but psychologically, she had never thought so.

  A man in his early twenties, at the prime of his life, suddenly found himself so close to a charming young woman full of feminine charm, and even holding hands with her, couldn't help but feel a little fluttered.

  He came back to himself after a brief daze, and Stone Wei forced a cough to cover up his momentary "indiscretion". "I'm fine, thanks for worrying, Mistress."

  Fan Peilan wiped away the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief, looking ashamed and said: "Yuan Zhi, your master's wife has been running around for your case these past few days. I begged people to ask around and those officials won't change their verdict unless they get a large sum of money. Our family doesn't have that kind of money, even if we sell the Ping An Tang it wouldn't be enough. Your master's wife is useless, she can't save you..."

  Fan Peilan said, and then sobbed again.

  Shi Wei saw her so pitiful and his heart suddenly felt a pang of sympathy, without thinking much, he reached out to wipe away her tears, smiling and comforting her: "Ping An Tang is Master's lifeblood, how can it be easily sold? Mistress, don't worry about my case anymore, I have my own way to get out of this."

  Shi Wei's casual move made Fan Peilan's body tremble, her tearful face flushed, and a few red clouds flew across.

  Seeing her look so embarrassed, Shi Wei suddenly realized that his action was a bit too much, and he quickly withdrew his hand, coughing dryly to cover up the awkwardness.

  Fan Peilan covered her face and tried to hold back tears, waiting until her emotions had calmed down a bit before lifting her head and asking: "Our family has no money and no power, what escape route can you have?"

  Fan's family was not an outsider, so Shi Wei whispered his plan to him.

  Fan Peilan listened and her joyful expression gradually faded, but then she worriedly said: "I heard that the strange illness Ba Ye has is something that even several famous doctors in the city can't cure. Yuan Zhi, do you really have confidence that you can cure it?"

  Fan Shi was the master's wife of this body, and she naturally understood how useless the master was. Therefore, when Shi Wei suddenly said that he could cure Ba Jitian's strange illness, she naturally felt suspicious and disbelieving.

  She never could have imagined that this Shi Wei was no longer one of her previously mediocre disciples.

  Shi Wei couldn't reveal the truth to her, so he could only confidently smile and assure her: "Don't worry, Master's wife, I said I can cure it, so I will. Just relax and wait for me to come back, don't worry about this matter anymore, lest you exhaust yourself."

  Fan Peilan was a woman after all, and since her husband's death, the internal and external affairs of Ping'antang had been entrusted to Shi Wei. Although she still had doubts in her heart, things were much better this way.

  Turning anxiety into calmness, Fan Peilan suddenly thought of something and quickly picked up the bamboo basket outside the cell, which was filled with medical devices such as medicine powder and bandages for treating external injuries.

  "I knew you were beaten, and I wanted to come see you in prison those days, but the warden wouldn't let me. I don't know what happened to Mr. Chen today, he suddenly came personally to invite me over. These are all the things you usually use to treat others' injuries, I brought them all together, take a look and see if anything is missing?"

  Shi Wei scanned them and nodded: "Everyone is here. Why don't you go back first, Master's wife? I'll hurry up and apply medicine to treat my injuries."

  "How can you do it yourself? Let me do it." Fan Peilan said as she squatted down to start arranging the instruments.

  Shi Wei felt a bit embarrassed and awkwardly said: "The place where I was injured, how can I let the teacher's wife help me apply medicine? I'll do it myself."

  Fan Peilan saw him pressing his buttocks, her pale face suddenly swept over a touch of blush.

  Her delicate teeth lightly bit her red lips, she hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice: "How can you touch your own...there, or should I do it, you just lie down."

  Shi Wei couldn't help it, if he said the wound on his buttocks was indeed hard for him to apply medicine himself, but he was afraid of embarrassing his master's wife. Now that it was Fan Peilan who didn't feel embarrassed, why should he still be so reserved? So he listened and lay down on the grass mat.

  Fan Peilan knelt beside him, getting so close that the faint body fragrance on her body poured into Shi Wei's nose without any restraint, causing his heart to be stirred.

  When she gently pulled down her pants, his lower body naturally reacted, fortunately, he was facing downwards, so the teacher's wife didn't see it.

  As soon as she did, the part from her knees to her waist was exposed to the air. Fan Peilan glanced inside and suddenly felt a burning sensation on her face, her breathing became short and urgent, and her chest heaved up and down like waves.

  At her age, she should be in the prime of life, but unfortunately, her husband passed away. She has been a widow for many years and no one can comfort her. The torture and pain she endured are imaginable.

  Years later, a young man suddenly appeared in front of her, and Guan Ming knew he was her husband's apprentice. The ripples stirred up by her nature still lingered, difficult to calm down.

  "He is a distant relative, how can you have such wild thoughts, aren't you ashamed..."

  Fan Peilan kept telling herself in her heart, she took a deep breath and tried hard not to get distracted, focusing solely on treating his wounds.

  She first cleaned his festering wound for him, and then followed Shi Wei's instructions to apply the golden healing ointment to the wound.

  After bustling about for a moment, they finally managed to get it done. Shi Wei was still lying there tightly, but Fan Peilan had already broken out in a cold sweat.

  "Alright, you can get up now."

  Fan Peilan helped him pull up his pants and hurried him to get up, but first wiped the sweat off her own face, fearing that Shi Wei would see his unusual appearance and misunderstand her.

  Shi Wei, on the other hand, was quite comfortable with himself, thinking that his family background was good, and when he was in college, he often went to those places of pleasure and entertainment, but this time, he just thought he had imagined enjoying a massage.

  When he put on his clothes and looked at Fan Peilan again, there was no sweat on her face, but that red glow couldn't be hidden. Shi Wei thought: Could it be that this widow teacher of mine just had unseemly thoughts about me?

  When Shi Wei looked at her, Fan Pei Lan only felt that his gaze was scorching hot, making her heart feel suffocated. She feared losing face in front of her apprentice, so she quickly gathered those things and said: "The medicine has been applied, you just rest well and don't move around to avoid hurting the wound. I'll go back and think of a way to send over some clean bedding for your bed. After a few days, I'll come again to change your dressing."

  "Then I'll trouble you, Master's wife. Take care on your way." Shi Wei bowed his hands and made a polite gesture.

  Fan Peilan murmured "uh-huh" and hastily left with her bamboo basket.

  As he watched Fan Peilan's plump and graceful figure leave, Shi Wei let out a soft sigh.

  …………

  Shi Wei's buttocks cracked open and the flesh burst, although it looked severe, but in fact, it didn't hurt his tendons or bones. After applying some medicine, he started to scab over in just a few days.

  Eating well and sleeping well, the wounds on his body healed, everything seemed to be getting better, but the day of execution was approaching, yet there was no sign of him being released.

  Before long, there were less than three days left until the deadline for leaving the place.

  That afternoon, Shi Wei was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly awakened by a loud noise. When he opened his eyes, the prison door had already been opened and Chen Pi's face looked a bit unsightly as he entered the cell.

  Looking at his expression, Shi Wei vaguely felt that something was wrong, but on the surface he remained calm and smiled, asking: "Master Chen has come to see me again in the afternoon, you're really being polite."

  "Cut the crap and get up quickly." Chen Pi's tone was quite rude, as if he had returned to his usual self.

  Shi Wei got up and asked: "Master Chen, what's wrong?"

  Chen Pi snorted: "You still have the face to ask. I went to Old Ba's house yesterday, his illness is not cured at all, and these days it has become more severe than before. Humph, I thought you were really capable, but in the end, you are just a mediocre doctor after all. I was deceived by you for so many days."

  No wonder Chen Pi's attitude suddenly made a 180-degree turn, it turned out that he went to see Ba Jie Tian.

  Let's not mention Bai Jietian's illness, Shi Wei at least saved Chen's life once. But as soon as Chen thought he couldn't cure Bai Jietian's illness, he immediately forgot the previous kindness and turned his back on him, this kind of ungratefulness is really a rare thing.

  "It turned out to be like this, but I don't know what Master Chen plans to do."

  Shi Wei didn't make any excuses, and if he had been anxious about not taking action against Ba Jie Tian earlier, now that he heard Chen Pi mention Ba Jie Tian's illness with his own ears, he suddenly felt at ease.

  "Get back to your cell and continue eating your salted rice balls, you think you can do what?" Chen Pi growled viciously.

  Shi Wei sneered and strode out with large steps, returning to the damp and dirty cell he was in before.

  "The old man was actually deceived by you for so many days, it's really damn unlucky." Chen Pi glared at Shi Wei fiercely and slammed the prison door shut with a bang.

  Just as he was about to leave in a huff, a yamen runner hastily came from outside.

  Chen Pi saw the bailiff and his face suddenly changed from cloudy to sunny, smiling and nodding: "Song Catcher, what wind brought you here?"

  Song caught the head bowed and said: "This time I am here to handle public affairs, Old Chen, where is that dead prisoner called Shi Wei?"

  Chen Pi was taken aback, and he pointed to the stone door of the prison cell with his hand. "It's over there. What, is this kid's execution date moved up? That's great, I've had a bad feeling about this kid for a long time."

  "This is a letter from the county magistrate, you take a look yourself." Song the captain handed him a paper.

  Chen Pi casually took it over, unfolded it and took a look, and his face instantly froze.

  "County Magistrate, sir! Release him without charge! This... this..."

  Chen Pi's mouth was wide open, with an expression of utter astonishment, as if he had seen something unimaginable in this world.

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  After everyone has finished reading, it's not bad to collect them by hand. Books need nourishment from everyone, haha.