"Pah!"
Xu Qian didn't know what came over her. As she cursed aloud, she slapped him. Wang Jian's sharp intake of breath jolted her back to her senses, and the two fell into a tacit silence. Xu Qian then helped him pull up his pants, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
She had sucked out as much of the venomous black blood as she could. The folk remedy she knew was proving to be quite effective. Mountain folk always had a few tricks for dealing with snakebites, and Xu Qian had learned this one from the older generation.
Wang Jian tried to move and found he had regained some of his mobility. "Sister-in-law," he said, "you should rinse your mouth out, quickly. Sucking the venom isn't completely safe."
Xu Qian laughed in disbelief. "You're the one who was poisoned, not me."
"No! Listen to me, Sister-in-law. If someone has mouth ulcers or bleeding gums, the venom can get into their system through those wounds."
"Really?"
Startled, Xu Qian quickly rinsed her mouth as he'd said, then found some herbs and chewed on them.
Only then did Wang Jian relax. With those herbs, any venom that entered her system could be neutralized, so there was nothing to fear. "Thank you for saving me, Sister-in-law."
"We're family, there's no need for thanks. If you're okay, we should hurry back to the village."
As Xu Qian finished speaking, she tried to stand. But from the tension and the lingering effects of the venom, her legs suddenly gave out. She fell again, this time landing right on top of Wang Jian. It was only then that Xu Qian realized, in her haste to save him, she hadn't pulled her own pants back up. Now, she was sitting directly on him.
Their summer clothes were thin, making the contact between them feel startlingly real.
Wang Jian's mind went blank. He'd never experienced anything like this from his sister-in-law before.
"Xiao Jian..."
Xu Qian was truly drained of all strength. Beneath her was her own brother-in-law, and shame flooded her heart. Perhaps the venom really had entered her system, because her body went limp. She could only murmur softly, "Xiao Jian, I can't move. Can you..."
Wang Jian was panting heavily, his thoughts beginning to drift.
Xu Qian's voice trailed off into silence.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before the sound of a distant conversation cut through their charged reverie.
Wang Jian and Xu Qian jumped, startled back to their senses. The sound chased away any other thoughts; Wang Jian felt as if his soul had been scared right out of his body.
He didn't hesitate. He scrambled up, helped Xu Qian to her feet, and quickly pulled her pants up for her.
If anyone saw them now, there would be no way to explain the situation.
Luckily, they had just finished tidying their clothes when the person making the sounds came into view.
Wang Jian decided to take the initiative. "Is that you, Uncle Zhang?" he called out.
"Eh?" The newcomer was holding a cell phone, looking like he had just hung up. He wore an anxious expression, clearly agitated by the call. Hearing Wang Jian's voice, he peered in their direction. "Who's there? The Wang family's daughter-in-law and... Wang Jian? Is that you, Xiao Jian?"
"That's right!" Wang Jian walked up to greet him, though his right foot was still a bit numb, causing him to limp. "Uncle Zhang, are you coming back from the city?"
"Yes, I went to restock on some goods. Something came up at home, so I rushed back." Zhang Quan held up his phone. "See? They just called again to rush me. Sigh, it's such a pain that the main road is closed for repairs. This mountain path is a nightmare. What are you two...?"
Zhang Quan looked them over, but not noticing anything unusual, he smiled. "Just taking a rest here? Oh, right... I heard you were coming back to the village today. So, you came out to meet your brother-in-law?"
"Yes. It's been a while since we've walked this mountain path, so we're not quite used to it. We stopped for a little rest," Xu Qian said with a smile. "Is something wrong at your home, Uncle Zhang?"
Zhang Quan sighed. "You know all about the trouble at my place."
"Have you rested enough? Why not walk with me?"
"Sure! We were just about to get going."
The three of them set off together, chatting and laughing along the way. But Wang Jian noticed that Uncle Zhang kept glancing at him, as if he had something he wanted to say.
As they neared the village entrance, Zhang Quan suddenly lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag before finally speaking. "By the way, Xiao Jian."
"If you have something on your mind, Uncle, just say it."
"Well..." Zhang Quan glanced at Xu Qian. She immediately feigned a sudden realization and said, "I left in a hurry this morning and still have some things to tidy up at home. I'll head back and sort things out. Xiao Jian, give me your bag. You go on ahead to Uncle Zhang's place for a bit. I'll come and get you when I'm done."
With that, Xu Qian took Wang Jian's backpack and headed off, leaving Zhang Quan to walk slowly into the village with Wang Jian.
Zhang Quan then asked, "Xiao Jian, what do you think of your sister-in-law?"
The question made Wang Jian shudder. "My sister-in-law is a great person. Why? What's wrong?"
Wang Jian studied Uncle Zhang's face, trying to find some hint of suspicion, but Zhang Quan's expression was one of pure worry, with none of the accusation he had feared.
"Then you had better treat her well." Zhang Quan continued, "Your sister-in-law has worked so hard for your family all these years. It isn't easy for a woman alone. There were even some hooligans who came to your door last time, but... let's not talk about that."
Without waiting for a reply, Zhang Quan changed the subject. "If I remember correctly, Xiao Jian, you're a doctor in the big city, right?"
Wang Jian couldn't figure out what Zhang Quan was getting at, but it seemed the older man hadn't noticed anything unusual on the mountain. Still, the mention of troublemakers stuck in his mind.
Wang Jian replied, "I'm just a resident physician, still in training..."
Not understanding the distinction, Zhang Quan simply took it as a confirmation and pressed on, "Uncle, actually... I want to ask you for a favor."
"Go ahead. If I can help, I will."
"Do you remember Zhang Li?"
Muddy Kid?
The name didn't register at first, but Wang Jian soon recalled that it was Uncle Zhang's son. He was so used to calling him by his childhood nickname that hearing his real name felt strange.
"Of course, I remember. What's wrong with Zhang Li? Isn't he working out of town?"
"Sigh. He came back after the factory accident a couple of years ago and hasn't left since," Zhang Quan explained. "He even got married after coming home, but... you have no idea. Ever since Zhang Li got married, they're always fighting. That call I got on the mountain was them at it again. Sounds like it got physical this time..."
Wang Jian shook his head. "Marriage really is a treacherous beast, tsk tsk."
"You kid, that's not the right way to think about it." Zhang Quan raised a hand as if to clap Wang Jian on the shoulder, but Wang Jian quickly dodged. Zhang Quan pointed a finger at him. "Come here. There's a reason Zhang Li and his wife are always fighting."
He suddenly stopped and looked around. After confirming they were alone, he continued, "Zhang Li has a physical problem. He was crushed in that accident at the factory, and... well, he lost that ability. That's the real reason they fight. It's also why I sent your sister-in-law away to talk to you alone."
"Uncle needs to ask you for a favor."
Wang Jian was confused. "Uncle Zhang, isn't that something for a hospital? I'm not sure I can help much."
"Sigh. Of course he's been to the hospital... The favor I need isn't just about treatment. I just want you to take a look."
Zhang Quan's voice dropped even lower. "Uncle Zhang is at his wit's end. I was even hoping you could... leave a seed for the Zhang family."
Wang Jian was completely baffled. "What?"