Transmigrated Family C10

Chapter 10: Parking Right at the Gambling House Entrance

Yan Lao’er was working up a sweat, while Sister-in-law Cui and her kids watched intently, unable to look away.

Excess hoof shells were scraped off, revealing the clean, white hoof meat beneath. Scrape, scrape, scrape—soon, the hooves were trimmed to the perfect shape.

When the first leg was placed down, the donkey tentatively tested it.

Amazing! The leg was standing straight!

The second, the third…

Once all four hooves were properly trimmed, the donkey felt noticeably lighter. Led by Da Gouzi, it strolled around the courtyard with ease, even breaking into a small trot now and then.

Sister-in-law Cui became even more enthusiastic.

“Have some water, have some water! Look at you, Yan Er Brother, working yourself to exhaustion—take a good rest!”

“Good thing you’re here! Otherwise, we’d have thought the donkey was sick. Who knew it just needed a hoof trim! Haha! Your Brother Cui never liked using the donkey too much, but now, based on what you said, we should put it to work more often. Let it wear down its hooves naturally, so we don’t have to trouble you again, haha!”

“Sister-in-law Cui, no need to be so polite. My brother’s illness—it’s all thanks to Brother Cui looking after him. We live so close, if anything comes up, just call me over. This is just a small favor, nothing troublesome. If you don’t feel like taking it to a hoof trimmer in the future, just have Da Gouzi or Xiao Gouzi come find me.”

Physician Cui had been standing there for a while, thoroughly shocked.

Since when did I go from being Physician Cui to Brother Cui? And Yan Lao’er became Yan Er Brother?

He knew his wife too well—her old face was practically blooming with smiles. She must feel like she’s gained a huge bargain, absolutely overjoyed!

“Yan Er Brother, I must thank you first!” Sister-in-law Cui grinned from ear to ear. A hoof trim surely costs a few coins—saving money is earning money! “Let me grab you some honeysuckle. Don’t underestimate it just because it’s a common herb. Your Brother Cui says it’s great for making tea!”

“Honey… what was it again?”

“Clears heat and detoxifies,” Physician Cui answered smoothly.

“Yes, yes, it’s the best thing for summer heat.” Sister-in-law Cui grabbed a large handful. After all, they collected this herb themselves—it didn’t cost a thing.

Yan Lao’er’s eyes lit up—just what he needed!

“This is great stuff, thank you, Sister-in-law!”

Physician Cui coughed lightly and asked, “When did you pick up this skill, Yan Second Brother? I’ve never heard of it before.”

Yan Lao’er immediately pleaded, “I just learned it for fun. Brother Cui, Sister-in-law Cui, please don’t mention it in front of my big brother.”

The Cui couple readily agreed. While having multiple skills is never a bad thing, hoof trimming… wasn’t exactly the most elegant of trades.

“One more thing—I’d like to discuss something with you, Brother Cui, Sister-in-law Cui. My big brother wants to visit the academy in town. You know his condition, so we were wondering if we could borrow your donkey cart. Would that be convenient?” Yan Lao’er asked sincerely.

“Of course, of course, take it! Da Gouzi, help your Uncle Yan hitch up the cart.” Sister-in-law Cui directed her son while adding, “That donkey needs to work more—can’t let it get lazy.”

Physician Cui silently handed over the medicine pouch to Yan Lao’er. Thinking about Yan Huaiwen’s health, he added a word of caution, “Go slowly, avoid too much jolting—”

“Don’t worry, Yan Er Brother knows better than you. Your precious donkey needs to run more,” Sister-in-law Cui cut in.

Physician Cui: …

I wasn’t talking about the donkey—I was worried about the patient!

—

Yan Lao’er drove the cart back home and handed the medicine and honeysuckle to his wife.

“Good thing I have this little side skill—otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to ask for the favor.”

“Haha, Dad, didn’t you used to complain about Uncle always making you work, never treating you like a proper cousin? You’d come back reeking of donkey every time. Let me smell—yup, that’s the same smell! Hahaha!” Yan Yu clutched her stomach, laughing. “Thanks to Uncle playing favorites with you, huh? Hey, should we prepare some tools from now on? Dad, time to officially level up your hoof-trimming skills! Hahaha!”

Yan Lao’er deliberately leaned toward his daughter. “Go on, take a good whiff—get used to it. I won’t pass this skill to anyone else but my dear Dabao!”

“No way! Hahaha! Ancient crafts are passed down to sons, not daughters! When my little brother grows up, you can teach him—I promise I won’t call you biased!” Yan Yu laughed until her face turned as red as an apple, her messy little pigtails bouncing around.

“What if it’s a little sister?” Li Xuemei asked, smiling at the father-daughter antics. Then, she paused and said, “Should I see Physician Cui for a pulse check? I can’t just declare it myself.”

“Yes, yes, when I return the donkey cart after the trip to town, we’ll go together,” Yan Lao’er agreed eagerly.

“Good. I harvested wheat yesterday—cut up some straw to bring along,” Li Xuemei reminded.

“Got it.” Yan Lao’er nodded.

Physician Cui hadn’t asked for anything, but they had to be considerate—gotta bring some feed for the donkey.

—

If Yan Lao’er could trim hooves, driving a cart was no problem at all.

Physician Cui’s new cart frame was custom-made for himself, designed with great care.

It had a roof, railings, and a double-layered floor. The lower layer could store supplies, while the upper one had a foldable board to adjust the width.

Yan Huaiwen, as a patient, lay comfortably inside—no direct sunlight, just a gentle breeze. It was quite pleasant.

After packing chopped straw into a sack, Yan Lao’er also grabbed a few handfuls of dried grass from the doorway, twisting it together and mixing it into the straw.

The sack fit perfectly into the lower compartment.

Big Sis bustled around, preparing coarse grain cakes and filling two bamboo tubes with water.

Deh!

Off they went!

Ancient wooden wheels were nothing like modern rubber tires. The dirt road was bumpy, but Yan Lao’er kept the pace slow and steady.

After half an hour, they reached town.

Yan Lao’er discreetly pulled a cloth bundle from his sleeve.

Inside was a hand-drawn map of the town—his daughter’s masterpiece.

He had no memories of this place. Accompanying his big brother to town made him extremely anxious.

Luckily, his daughter had planned ahead. Over the past few days, she had interrogated the village kids for every bit of information.

“There’s a bun shop right after you enter town—the meat buns are delicious! Slurp!”

“Last time we went to town, Grandma bought me malt candy—it’s on So-and-So Street.”

“My mom says Second Shopkeeper at Xi’s Fabric Store is honest—gives an extra finger-length of cloth compared to Wang’s Fabric Store. She’s saving up to buy me new shoes, hehe!”

“My dad bought me candied hawthorn last time! Sooo sweet! The stall is right at—”

Piece by piece, these details formed a simple yet reliable map.

Thankfully, the town wasn’t too big.

Major landmarks were clearly marked.

Not bad—those kids had great memories, especially when it came to food!

“Tiangyou, stop for a moment,” came Yan Huaiwen’s voice from the cart.

Yan Lao’er halted. “What’s wrong, Big Brother?” They weren’t at their destination yet.

Scanning his surroundings, he suddenly realized—

Crap!

They were right in front of Shunyi Pawnshop—and just across the street was Shunxin Gambling House!

The very gambling house that had burdened their family with a twenty-tael debt!

Yan Yu had even drawn a big, pitch-black X over it on her map.

—

(End of ChapterP