Chapter Eighty-Five: Speculation

At that moment, Lu Hao drew a slow breath and made a rough guess at what the village head, Zhou Chao, had in mind.

He was likely waiting for a chance to strike at the young woman in the dead of night, when no one would notice.

Why did he think so?

Because over the past few years, several widows in the village had already been “mistreated” in just that way.

They had spoken of it to Zhao Cuihua, who was also a widow, and Zhao Cuihua, in casual conversation, had naturally mentioned it to Lu Hao as well.

Zhao Cuihua had even said that on several nights, the village head had come looking for her, asking her to meet him in some secluded part of the village to “talk things over.”

Clever as she was, Zhao Cuihua had seen through Zhou Chao’s intentions and never went with him.

“Th-this... Dr. Lu, what are you thinking about?” At that moment, Yun Xiaoyan had entered the house and finally relaxed a little.

She removed the hairpin from her hair and sat down on the bed, her cheeks faintly flushed.

It was the fresh, rosy softness peculiar to a young girl, like a ripe white peach touched with red.

Lu Hao could even smell a strange sweetness in the room.

He could tell it was not the scent of perfume or incense, but a natural fragrance unique to her own body.

Now that she was seated, her clothes clung more closely to her figure, drawing out the full, graceful swell of her chest.

Lu Hao glanced over secretly and was surprised to find that Yun Xiaoyan’s bosom had such a pronounced curve.

A man and a woman alone together in one room—if he claimed he felt nothing, that would be a lie.

His mouth had already gone a little dry.

Still, as an upright gentleman, Lu Hao naturally had no improper intentions.

“By the way, didn’t you come for a checkup? Stretch out your arm. I’ll take your pulse,” Lu Hao said, moving to the table.

“Okay.” Yun Xiaoyan obediently sat up straight and extended her arm.

At the same time, she carefully watched Lu Hao’s expression and movements, as if trying to judge whether he was really as fierce and terrifying as the village head had claimed.

Yet no matter how she looked, all she could see was that Lu Hao was very young, handsome, and had a gentle, easygoing face.

As for the rest—the supposed violent streak, the label of the village tyrant—she could not see the slightest trace of it.

“Your body does show signs of internal chill. It may be from the long journey, combined with having been exposed to cold wind,” Lu Hao said.

“But you’re young. I think a little cold medicine should be enough to make you better,” he said calmly.

“I’ll go back to the clinic and get some for you,” Lu Hao added with a smile.

Hearing this, Yun Xiaoyan asked, “All right, Dr. Lu, how much will it cost?”

Lu Hao shook his head. “I’ll settle the bill with you when I bring the medicine.”

“Though I may have something to do this afternoon. If I come to deliver it, it might have to be after work.”

“Okay, I’ll see you out,” Yun Xiaoyan said, following him out.

“Oh, and since you’re living here alone, you’d best buy yourself a good lock. This one isn’t safe,” Lu Hao reminded her kindly before leaving.

“Mm, I know. Thanks for the reminder,” Yun Xiaoyan said calmly, as if she had not taken his words seriously at all.

After saying this, Lu Hao left first.

Soon he returned to his own clinic.

It turned out to be quite busy in the afternoon. Many villagers came in with colds and fevers, and quite a few brought their children for treatment.

In particular, Chen, the director of the health station, had specifically named him in support, sending many patients his way.

Those villagers, facing their own hardships and not fearing the blockade and threats from Zhou Run and Sun Wenguo, were still willing to come to Lu Hao for treatment.

However, Lu Hao generally kept his prescriptions inexpensive, only a little over ten yuan a dose, so by the end of the afternoon his earnings were only a little over two hundred yuan.

By the time he finished with the last patient, it was already past eight, nearly nine in the evening.

The sky had darkened.

At that point, Lu Hao had already gone home for dinner before remembering that he still had a dose of medicine to deliver to Yun Xiaoyan.

So he grabbed the medicine and hurried out.

Soon, Lu Hao arrived at the place where Yun Xiaoyan was staying.

As he drew near, he sensed there was another person somewhere off behind him in the distance.

Thanks to the bodily enhancement he had gained through the Azure Dragon inheritance, his senses were far keener than those of an ordinary person.

Why would anyone be coming to such a place at night?

A look of vigilance instantly rose in Lu Hao’s heart.

He quickly slipped behind the old house where Yun Xiaoyan was staying and concealed himself in a shadowed corner.

He guessed that the person arriving was most likely not Yun Xiaoyan, but someone else.

Sure enough, before long, a man came into view—broad-legged and black, wearing shorts, with a straw hat on his head and a broad, simple smile on his face, his eyebrows thick and dark.

“Hey! Yun Xiaoyan, open up! Your village uncle brought you some fish soup! Hurry and open the door! Haven’t you got a cold these days?”

“I... I’ve already eaten dinner tonight, Uncle Zhou. I don’t need any,” Yun Xiaoyan said from inside the room, her voice tinged with fear.

After all, it was so dark, and she was alone in an unfamiliar place.

She had already changed into a nightgown, and there was no way she wanted to open the door, not even for Zhou Chao.

“Hey, why so polite with me? I’m old enough to be your father. What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t worry, Uncle Zhou won’t do anything to you.”

Outside the room, Zhou Chao’s voice sounded like that of a great gray wolf eager to get inside and devour its prey.

“No, Uncle Zhou, it’s really late. Why don’t you come tomorrow? I’m going to sleep,” Yun Xiaoyan refused politely.

She had thought that the people here would be as easy to talk to as her classmates at university.

“Come on, open the door! If you don’t open it, your Uncle Zhou is going to get angry. Your aunt specially simmered this fish soup for you. Why are you so ungrateful, child?”

Zhou Chao’s voice was full of impatience.

“We’re practically family now. Why be so distant with me?”

Under Zhou Chao’s relentless insistence, Yun Xiaoyan, a twenty-year-old girl, could only give in.

With a creak, the door before her was opened.

At that moment, the light spilling from the doorway let Lu Hao clearly see Zhou Chao’s two thick black legs, covered in dark hair as coarse as the stubble on his face.

He looked almost like a savage.

And Yun Xiaoyan, after opening the door, was wearing nothing more than a thin nightdress, her hair still damp, clearly just out of the bath.