Xia Xue sat by the bedside and touched Lin Fan’s stomach, asking with concern, "Why are you suddenly having a stomach ache?"
"What did you eat today?"
Lin Fan lay on the bed and gave a wry smile. "It's nothing, just a bout of severe stomach cramps. It'll be fine in a bit."
He nudged Xia Xue’s arm and asked, "Sister-in-law, what did you need me for?"
Xia Xue sighed and replied, "I went to see the village head. He won't allow our family to build the house the way we planned."
Upon hearing this, Lin Fan could no longer lie still.
He sat up, his voice filled with anger. "Why not?"
"Is that old geezer even human?"
"Over the years, he’s never given us our share of the wheat and soybean oil that the higher-ups sent."
"He always keeps the farmland registered under my brother's name, and since my brother isn't here, he can't claim it. He uses that as an excuse."
"Everyone knows he’s pocketed it all."
Xia Xue sighed again. "It's not that he’s strictly forbidding us from building, it's just that he doesn't want us to build a two-story house."
"What kind of nonsense is that!" Lin Fan couldn't hold back his anger and cursed.
He took a deep breath, his voice tinged with indignation. "He built a two-story house for his younger son, why didn't he say anything then?"
"Sister-in-law, don't worry about what he says. We'll just build it. If he dares to interfere, he’ll regret it!"
Xia Xue patted Lin Fan’s back and advised, "Xiao Fan, don't get worked up. If we can't build two stories, we won't. One story is enough to live in."
"That won't do. Others can build, so why can't our family?"
Lin Fan's temper flared. "This is a mountain village, not the capital. What business is it of his if we build a house?"
"To put it bluntly, he just wants us to bribe him!"
Xia Xue shook her head. "I don't think so."
The thought of that lecherous old man leering at her earlier sent a wave of nausea through her.
"Bribe that son of a bitch? I'd rather throw my money into a well than give it to that old man!"
Lin Fan's anger grew with every word. "What good has he done all these years?"
"All day long, he just knows how to squeeze the poor farmers dry!"
"Where did he get the money to build that fancy little house for his youngest son?"
"And he's not human at all. Others might not know, but Sister Yueyue knows too well."
Lin Fan glanced at Song Yue and continued, "His eldest son got sick, and it was one thing not to give him money for treatment, but he even disowned him! And then he called people?"
Song Yue pressed Lin Fan's shoulder and advised, "Xiao Fan, look at you. You're getting so angry just talking about it. Please stop."
Lin Fan looked at her, then back at his sister-in-law, and said firmly, "Don't you worry about it. We're building a two-story house."
"If he dares to interfere, I'll report that son of a bitch."
Xia Xue then looked at Song Yue and asked, "Sister, what do you think?"
She was at a loss and couldn't make up her mind. She was also afraid of Lin Fan acting impulsively, so she sought Song Yue's opinion.
Song Yue thought for a moment and replied, "I think we can start building first. If they really find fault with us, we can just give them some money to smooth things over."
"I know a bit about that old guy. He's greedy for money."
"If it really comes down to it, giving him some cash might resolve the issue."
Xia Xue nodded. "That's what I was thinking too."
She patted Lin Fan's arm and asked, "Xiao Fan, does your stomach still hurt?"
Lin Fan shrugged. "It's better now. Being angered by that old man cured it."
Xia Xue shook her head and smiled. "Don't pretend to be tough. Lie down."
After saying that, she gave a few more instructions and left the clinic.
After she left, Song Yue immediately asked, "Xiao Fan, how are you doing?"
Lin Fan gave a wry smile. "I'm alright. At least I'm not impotent."
Song Yue sat by the bed, looking embarrassed. "That's good. It still works..."
Lin Fan bared his teeth and interrupted. "Sister Yueyue, don't you have some red medicine? Could you put some on for me?"
Song Yue got up and nodded. "Wait here, I'll go get it for you."
Not long after, she returned with a nurse's tray.
"Take it off, let me see what it looks like."
Song Yue's tone was calm.
As a nurse, she wasn't bothered by looking at injuries.
However, when she saw Lin Fan's wound, her tone changed. "How did it get like this?"
Lin Fan gave a wry smile. "You have the nerve to ask? Isn't this all thanks to you?"
Song Yue didn't engage with the topic. She placed the nurse's tray by the bed and said, "Bear with it. The iodine solution is for sterilization; it's going to sting a bit."
Lin Fan clenched the bedsheet and nodded. "Alright, I can take it."
"Hiss~"
A cool yet burning sensation made Lin Fan clench his teeth.
"Gently, please be gentle. We still need this for the future."
Lin Fan thought of Song Yue's charming demeanor from earlier and blurted out the remark.
"You're the one who needs it."
Song Yue took a breath and thought, "Well, that's just great. I won't be able to give you any sweet rewards for a while."
After the iodine solution, came the red medicine.
The red medicine put Lin Fan through another ordeal, the pain causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
"Alright."
Song Yue picked up the nurse's tray and turned around, saying, "Let it air out. Put your clothes on after it dries."
Lin Fan gazed at her beautiful legs and sighed weakly, "This is what they call great joy turning into sorrow!"
Half an hour later, seeing that no patients were coming, Lin Fan pulled up his pants and went back to move.
Meanwhile, Xia Xue and Aunt Li were standing in the yard, pushing a stack of red banknotes back and forth.
"Aunt Li, it's only two thousand yuan. Please take it."
"Xiao Xue, I just discussed it with your uncle."
Aunt Li grabbed Xia Xue's hand and forcefully pushed the money back to her. "We can't accept this money from you."
"Aunt Li, what are you saying?"
Xia Xue pushed the money back again. "Didn't I explain earlier? Our house is taller, so it will definitely block your sunlight. This is compensation for you."
The countryside is different from the city. Neighbors can have huge arguments over a tree blocking someone's yard or a drainage ditch flowing through someone's property.
Therefore, Xia Xue's concerns were not unfounded.
If it were Lin Fan, he would have done the same.
"Xiao Xue, I know you have a kind heart."
"But look at me and your uncle, we're old. We don't have many years left."
Aunt Li, her hands trembling, insisted on shoving the money back into Xia Xue's arms.
"Take your money back, Xiao Xue. Build your house however you want. We old folks don't mind."
Xia Xue frowned helplessly. "Aunt Li, please don't do this."
The two of them were locked in a push-and-pull, neither willing to back down.
Fortunately, Lin Fan, with his strength, ran over as soon as he entered the door and slipped the money into Aunt Li's pocket.
"Aunt Li, please just keep it."
"For the past year that I was bedridden, you and Uncle have helped my sister-in-law a lot."
"Besides, this is proper compensation. Isn't this how things are done in the village?"
"And my clinic is doing well. We're not short of a bit of money."
Seeing Lin Fan return, Aunt Li realized she couldn't win against his determination and reluctantly accepted the money.
"I'll just consider this money as you keeping it safe for me. If you need it anytime, don't hesitate to ask me for it."