"What!"
Bai Sheng leaped to her feet, exchanged a startled glance with Lu Ye, and immediately dropped what she was holding and ran towards the well.
A crowd had already gathered at the well.
Qian Zhaodi's leg was bleeding profusely, bent at an unnatural angle. She was pale, breaking out in a cold sweat, and crying uncontrollably from the pain.
"How could this girl be so careless?" Granny Zhong looked at Qian Zhaodi with concern.
Tian Guihua said, "I hope her parents are reasonable people and won't make things too difficult for us."
Madam Yang glanced at Qian Zhaodi, then at Granny Zhong and Tian Guihua, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Granny Wu immediately stepped forward, fed Qian Zhaodi a pill, and sprinkled some medicinal powder on the injured area. Soon, the bleeding stopped.
"Master, will her leg be able to be set back in place?" Bai Sheng crouched down as well.
"Let me examine it first," Granny Wu's gaze fell on Qian Zhaodi's leg.
Granny Wu touched her leg, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. "Little girl, have you injured this leg before?"
"No... no," Qian Zhaodi's trembling from the pain concealed a fleeting look of panic on her face, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
These subtle signs did not escape Bai Sheng's notice. She exchanged a look with Granny Wu and said to her, "Master, let's set her leg first."
Granny Wu nodded. "Feng, come here and help."
Qing Feng immediately crouched down.
The situation was critical, and the rules of segregation between men and women were somewhat relaxed. Moreover, Qian Zhaodi was just a child. No one present felt anything was inappropriate.
Lu Ye turned and asked the well-diggers what had happened.
Xiao Chibao from Hongliu Village spoke first, "Reporting to the employer, we were all moving stones to the side of the well to stack them. Qian Zhaodi went to place stones on the pile, and a large stone suddenly fell, hitting her leg."
Lu Ye looked at the others, and they all nodded in agreement.
Bai Sheng stood up, walked to Lu Ye's side, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Bai Sheng looked at the blood-stained stone, then walked to the stone pile. She found that the pile was only up to her knees. If a stone had fallen, the impact should not have been so strong.
Furthermore, the impact point should not have been so high up.
She tried pushing a stone off casually. After doing so, she had made up her mind.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye raised their heads in unison and looked towards Hongliu Village. Sure enough, a large group of people in the distance, carrying various farming tools, were walking quickly towards them with angry expressions.
"Did someone go to notify Zhaodi's parents?" Bai Sheng asked the children from Caomiao Village.
Wang Guizi from Caomiao Village said, "After Qian Zhaodi was hit by the stone, they immediately sent Xiao Goudan from their village to notify them."
"Oh, that fast?" A cold smile played on Bai Sheng's lips.
Lu Ye said, "Perhaps her parents were already prepared."
Granny Zhong, Tian Guihua, and Madam Liu were all surprised, while only Madam Yang and Du Min reacted calmly.
Zhao Dazhuang and a few other strong men also vaguely sensed something and quietly turned to pick up their tools, just in case.
Hearing Lu Ye's words, Qian Zhaodi's body trembled. To outsiders, it might have seemed like a reaction to pain, but only she knew how anxious, guilty, and fearful she was.
After bringing Qian Zhaodi's parents and the others to the scene, Xiao Goudan immediately ran over and stood by Bai Sheng and Lu Ye, his face showing obvious embarrassment.
Bai Sheng looked at the newcomers, who included Qian Zhaodi's parents, two younger brothers, and seven or eight strong young men and two women.
Everyone had angry faces, as if they were there to collect a debt.
Bai Sheng sneered, "This acting can win an Oscar."
"Oh, Zhaodi, my precious daughter, you... how did you end up like this?" As soon as Zhaodi's mother saw her daughter, she rushed over and wailed with a runny nose and tears.
When Qian Zhaodi was held by her mother, her body visibly stiffened.
"Don't move her around. Her bone has just been set!" Granny Wu said with a cold face.
"What? You broke my precious daughter's bones?" Zhaodi's mother deliberately raised her voice and wailed.
"Zhaodi's mother, watch your words! We did not break your daughter's leg," Du Min said sternly.
Zhaodi's mother seized the opportunity and lay on the ground, crying out, "If it wasn't you, then who was it?! My Zhaodi has been working for your family for free, and she broke her leg at your place. If it wasn't your family, who else could it have been?
Alas, my Zhaodi is already twelve years old. How will she ever get married? Our family is poor, how can we afford to raise a cripple... I don't care, you have to compensate my family! If you don't, I... I'll sue the officials!"
Zhaodi's father also shouted with a distorted face, "You broke my daughter's leg, you must compensate us at least... five hundred taels of silver!"
"Five hundred taels?!"
Everyone in Hongshu Slope gasped. This family was truly greedy. Their own daughter accidentally broke a leg, and they were demanding five hundred taels from Master and Madam. Five hundred taels were enough to buy a hundred people from the marriage broker!
Tian Guihua was furious and was about to scold them for their greed, but Madam Yang tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Let's not speak for now. The truth hasn't been revealed yet, so we don't want to hold Master and Madam back."
Tian Guihua thought about it and agreed. The family had arrived too quickly after the incident, as if they were prepared.
Madam Liu and Granny Zhong also agreed with Madam Yang's statement.
Seeing that Bai Sheng and Lu Ye had no reaction, Zhaodi's father winked at the clansmen behind him.
Those people menacingly raised their farming tools, deliberately raised their voices, and clamored for the employer to pay them.
Du Min almost laughed in anger. She looked at Xiao Goudan, who had gone to deliver the message, and asked, "Goudan, when you went to Hongliu Village to report the message, where did you meet them?"
Xiao Goudan scratched the back of his neck, frowning. "It's strange, I hadn't even reached the village entrance before they were already heading this way."
"Xiao Goudan! We are from the same village, don't spout nonsense! You clearly ran to our house to call them!" Zhaodi's mother shouted sternly at Xiao Goudan.
"That's right! You can't help outsiders bully our fellow villagers! Otherwise, you are a lapdog, a traitor!" Zhaodi's father pointed at Xiao Goudan and reprimanded him.
Xiao Goudan pouted. "So what if we are fellow villagers? When I was hungry or thirsty, weren't you the ones who gave me food and water? For these past few days, we have been working for the employer. Nominally, we are working for free, but has the employer ever gone a day without giving us food and drink?"
Hearing Xiao Goudan's words, Qian Zhaodi turned her face away.
Bai Sheng patted Xiao Goudan's shoulder and smiled, "Goudan, you are a good child who knows how to appreciate kindness. Come to my sister's house often in the future, and I'll definitely give you work."
The other children immediately looked at him with envy.
Xiao Goudan shyly touched his head. "Employer's wife, I'm just telling the truth. If it weren't for you, I would have starved to death long ago. I will always remember how good you and the employer have been to me."