usatvline Chapter 102 Nosebleed
Chapter 102 Nosebleed
It was late at night, and the lights inside the county government office were dim.
Liu Shan sat at his desk, estimating that Han Chengjia had already arrived at the Li family's house.
He was filled with anxiety, wondering if Han Chengjia could find any evidence.
The yamen runners inside had been busy for most of the night and were already exhausted, yawning constantly.
Liu Shan calculated the time and estimated that no new news would come before dawn, so he instructed everyone to rest first, but they must be available at any time.
Liu Danian wanted to leave with the yamen runners, but Tian Fugui stopped him.
"Elder Liu, please wait a moment. This way, please."
Liu Danian glared at Liu Shan resentfully, then reluctantly followed Tian Fugui to the side hall.
Liu Danian arrived at the side hall and looked at the deserted room with only tables and chairs, feeling increasingly indignant.
Tian Fugui sneered and said, "Elder Liu, since we're here, let's make the best of it. We need to get some rest so we can answer Lord Liu Shan's questions properly tomorrow."
Liu Danian glared at him angrily and snorted coldly, but knowing he was powerless to refute, he could only suppress his anger and sit down.
The atmosphere in the side hall was heavy, with each of them lost in their own thoughts, waiting quietly for dawn.
In contrast to the disharmony of the side hall, the back hall of the county government office appeared exceptionally tranquil.
Liu Shan brewed himself a cup of goji berry health tea, leaned back on the bed, took a sip, and breathed a sigh of contentment.
If everything goes well, there will surely be good results tomorrow.
With hope in his heart, Liu Shan closed his eyes to rest and unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Shan was awakened by the crowing of a rooster.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes, got up and walked to the window, where he saw the first light of dawn in the east.
At this moment, a diligent yamen runner brought over steaming hot water for washing one's face.
Liu Shan casually asked, "Whose rooster is that?"
The constable respectfully replied, "Your Honor, it's raised in the backyard of the county government office. It crows on time every day and never misses a day."
Liu Shan nodded slightly, "It's a fine rooster. I happen to have some top-quality goji berries and ginseng at home."
The constable immediately understood and hurriedly replied, "Don't worry, sir, we will take good care of it and fatten it up so that it becomes a treasure in your pot."
Liu Shan chuckled and patted the constable on the shoulder, "Good lad, you've got potential."
……
In the main hall of the county government, Liu Shan and Liu Danian sat facing each other, staring at each other.
Liu Shan cleared his throat and said coldly, "Elder Liu, did you rest well last night? Today we need to get to the bottom of this."
Liu Danian gritted his teeth, but could only reply with a stiff upper lip: "Lord Liu, I am old and can't take any more trouble. I hope you can understand."
"I understand, of course I understand." Liu Shan urged Tian Fugui to serve his goji berry tea to Liu Danian, and said in a gentle tone, "Elder Liu, please try it. My goji berry tea is a good thing for nourishing the body and mind. Drinking it will calm you down. Let's have a good talk and resolve the matter so that everyone can feel at ease."
Liu Danian took the teacup, his brows furrowing slightly. Though he felt resentful, he could only force a smile and take a small sip. The sweetness, slight bitterness, astringency, sourness, and faint medicinal taste of the goji berries intertwined on his tongue, as if reminding him that he was getting old and needed to learn to be patient and compromise.
He took another sip, and only astringent and slightly bitter taste remained on his lips and teeth. Liu Danian took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his inner turmoil and prepare for the next conversation.
Seeing this, Liu Shan smiled faintly and said slowly, "Elder Liu, we are all sensible people..."
Liu Danian suddenly interrupted, saying, "Lord Liu, my sow is about to give birth. I hope you can make an exception and allow me to go back and take care of her. My family is counting on her, and I dare not delay."
Liu Shan raised an eyebrow, understanding Liu Danian's delaying tactic, but pretended to ponder for a moment before slowly saying, "How could I not know Elder Liu's thoughts? But I'll put it this way today: even if your wife is about to give birth, you must take care of my business first!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Danian was furious. He gripped the teacup tightly with both hands, his fingernails almost digging into the cup!
His first wife died young, and his second wife was frail and sickly. Last year, he took a third wife, a woman who was only twenty years old. Unexpectedly, she had an affair with the eldest son born to his first wife.
This wouldn't have been a problem; we could have just drowned the third wife in a pig cage. But unexpectedly, the woman's belly got bigger!
Now he's in a bind. Killing him is one thing, not killing him is another. In the end, he's nothing, and he's the laughingstock of his clan.
Therefore, getting married and having children became a taboo topic for the Liu clan elders.
However, Liu Shan's brazen mention of this matter made Liu Danian suspicious.
Liu Danian took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and slowly put down his teacup, saying helplessly, "Lord Liu, those unfounded rumors are not something I wish to mention. How could I trouble you with such trivial matters at home?"
Liu Shan was taken aback. What did that mean?
Did I say something I shouldn't have?
Or perhaps, this is rubbing salt into Liu Danian's wounds?
Liu Shan was puzzled and looked around. Why hadn't anyone told him?
At this moment, a yamen runner came to Liu Shan's side and whispered in his ear about Liu Danian's family feud in detail.
Liu Shan was increasingly surprised as he listened, and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Liu Danian's face was dark as he glared at Liu Shan, his anger rising even more, but he could only suppress it.
Liu Shan put away his smile and said seriously, "Elder Liu, I misspoke, please forgive me. I will not beat around the bush with you any longer. Please wait a moment. As long as Han Chengjia does not find any evidence that is detrimental to the Liu family, I will personally apologize to you."
Liu Danian's eyes were filled with complex emotions, but he had no choice but to wait. He could only point to the teacup in front of him and say in a cold tone, "Lord Liu, I'm afraid this cup of water won't taste very good."
Liu Shan hurriedly instructed Tian Fugui to bring Liu Danian a new cup of ginseng tea. "Elder Liu, when a person gets old, he should take good care of himself and not let his body break down. If you were still so strong and virile, how could your eldest son have so easily won over your newlywed third wife?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Danian's face turned ashen, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound. However, he could not retaliate and could only vent his anger on the ginseng tea.
Seeing Liu Danian down three cups of ginseng tea in a row, Liu Shan chuckled to himself. This was pure, top-grade ginseng, over a hundred years old. With Liu Danian drinking it like this, he was bound to get nosebleeds.
Liu Danian would naturally not let... no, the century-old ginseng would naturally not disappoint Liu Shan. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Danian's cheeks turned red, and he felt a surge of heat rush to his head, with sweat beading on his forehead.
Liu Danian suddenly felt an itch on his nose. He endured the discomfort and gently wiped it with his hand, but unexpectedly, he wiped out a handful of blood, which stained the back of his hand red.
Liu Danian was startled and quickly covered his nosebleed with his sleeve.
However, the nosebleed gushed out like a spring, dripping uncontrollably.
Liu Danian panicked and looked to Liu Shan for help, his voice trembling slightly: "Lord Liu, is there something strange about this tea?"
Liu Shan then realized that Liu Danian had misunderstood.