The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 75

“Tomorrow morning, come with me to Doctor Zhou’s house. His junior brother is there and should be able to cure you,” Li Yiran said to Lian Meng while lying beside him in bed.

He knew Lian Meng wasn’t asleep, as neither of them could rest after such distressing news. It was a heavy situation, but healing the disease should be their primary concern.

Lian Meng’s tears kept falling as he lay with his back to Li Yiran. Though there were still doubts in his mind, he had to accept what everyone was saying. It seemed that the situation was as they described.

Lian Meng had hoped deeply for the child in his belly, wishing it would be a boy who would grow up strong, study hard, and bring honor to their family. When he had given birth to Le-ge’er, things had been difficult. The doctors had even warned that his body was severely damaged, and he might never conceive again.

He was still young—how could he not have another child? Li Yiran would surely want a son in the future! So after he recovered, Lian Meng asked around and found a prescription promising to help him have a boy.

After taking several prescriptions, his body began to show changes. A visit to the doctor confirmed he was pregnant. 

Despite the discomfort, he had been overjoyed.

But now, everything had fallen apart…

The night passed slowly in silence, and before they knew it, morning arrived.

Today was the 28th, the traditional day for making steamed buns, but no one was in the mood for such customs. Except for Le-ge’er, everyone else was filled with worry.

The whole family accompanied Lian Meng to Doctor Zhou’s courtyard. Because they had gone early, no one else saw them—otherwise it would have sparked much gossip.

Doctor Zhou was already awake, practicing his morning exercises, as he did every day. Hearing the commotion outside, he opened the gate and, upon seeing the visitors, invited them in.

“Please, come in,” he greeted them warmly, then turned to fetch his junior brother from his room.

The group waited nervously. 

A short while later, Doctor Zhou returned, followed by a thin, elderly man who looked impatient, exuding an air of being difficult to approach.

“Who’s disturbing my sleep so early in the morning?!” the old man grumbled as he entered.

“This doctor…” Li Amu hesitated, unsure of how to address him.

“My name is Tang,” the man grumbled, already irritated.

“Doctor Tang, I’ve heard you can treat this condition?” Li Amu asked, forcing a smile despite the man’s gruff attitude.

“So what if I can? But the method I use—ordinary people might not dare to try it!” Doctor Tang continued, his irritation still evident. 

He wasn’t like his senior brother, who practiced his exercises at dawn; he preferred to sleep in.

“Doctor Tang, we will follow whatever you say!” Li Amu hurriedly reassured him. 

The others nodded in agreement, including Lian Meng, who, though usually reserved, now just wanted to find a solution.

“Heh, follow me then,” Doctor Tang said, leading them to a small room.

Inside, there was a bed, and on the wall above it were an assortment of tools—knives, tweezers, scissors, and other instruments.

The sight of these strange objects immediately unsettled the group. They had no idea what they were for. Some of them even thought they looked like tools for butchering, especially after seeing Li Wenxuan use similar items when slaughtering pigs.

“These are for treating diseases,” Doctor Tang casually remarked as he dropped this bombshell and then proceeded to the main room to prepare breakfast.

“How can these things treat diseases?” Tian Xiaoman asked, confused. Could knives and scissors really be used to heal someone?

The others, too, stared in disbelief. None of them could fathom how these instruments could be part of a medical treatment.

They followed Doctor Tang back to the main hall, where they found him eating porridge with salted duck eggs, looking entirely unbothered by the gravity of the situation.

“Doctor Tang, how exactly do you plan to cure this disease?” Li Wenxuan asked cautiously. He had an idea of what might be happening, but the notion seemed too absurd to be true.

“Oh, it’s simple. Just make a cut with a knife, use scissors to cut a bit more, and then remove the growth with tweezers,” Doctor Tang said, sounding nonchalant as he continued eating his breakfast.

“…!” The Li family exchanged stunned glances. Would a person even survive such a procedure?

“Why, do you think I’m joking?” Doctor Tang looked up after swallowing a mouthful. “My senior brother took his pulse and confirmed there’s something growing in his stomach. If it’s not removed, it will surely cause harm. Are we supposed to wait until it grows bigger and bigger?”

Though his words carried a sense of authority, the Li family found it hard to accept such an extreme method of treatment.

As the tension mounted, Lian Meng, who had remained silent up until now, finally spoke. “What kind of quack doctor are you? Are you trying to kill me? Have you colluded with them to deceive me?”

Doctor Tang’s expression remained indifferent. “So what if I have?”

“I won’t let you do this. There’s a child in my belly, and you want to take it from me!” Lian Meng muttered anxiously. The thought of his belly being cut open terrified him.

“Doctor Tang, is there really no other way?” Li Yiran asked, his voice strained. Though he had heard rumors of such methods, seeing them in person was another matter entirely.