PCJ – Chapter 293 Cured with a Slap

Zhang Manyin happily received a thick stack of money. Not only had he delivered grain, but he had also sold some surplus grain at negotiated prices. After deducting agricultural taxes, water fees, and educational surcharges, there was still a decent amount left. He planned to use the money to buy pesticides and fertilizers later. The early rice harvest had already been mostly depleted, but there was still hope in life.

“Jiaohua, we really owe you today. Come on, Grandpa will take you all out for dumplings,” Zhang Manyin said generously, which was rare for him.

Zhang Yuanbao was overjoyed at the prospect of eating dumplings. “Great! Dumplings, finally!”

For the children in the countryside, dumplings were a rare treat. They had come all this way, and their reward would be a steaming bowl of dumplings.

Zhang Youlian and Hu Xiaoqing both breathed a sigh of relief. Hu Xiaoqing, unusually, spoke up, “Dad, let me pay this time.”

“No need. Yuanbao and Runtian are both in school now, and there are plenty of expenses. We originally expected to be rated average this year, but we ended up getting an excellent rating, so we earned a lot more than usual. Your mother and I don’t have much to spend on ourselves anyway.” Zhang Manyin felt much more at ease after hearing Xiaoqing’s offer.

Zhang Youlian, however, was still worried about the two men from the grain station. Anyone with eyes could tell that Zhang Jiaohua had done something to them. They were sent to the hospital, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t seek revenge later.

“Jiaohua, do you think those two men will be okay?” Zhang Youlian asked quietly as they left the grain station.

“They’ll be fine. They’ll recover soon enough,” Zhang Jiaohua said casually. He had only cast a mild spell on them, a small punishment to teach them a lesson. It wasn’t meant to be serious.

“But what if they trace it back to us? Jiaohua, you have to be careful when you go out,” Zhang Youlian looked around, still feeling uneasy.

“Don’t worry. Right now, they have other things on their minds. They won’t come after us,” Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t concerned at all. His curse was not something easily undone once it took effect.

After calming the angry villagers who had come to deliver grain, the grain station manager, Tang Zhangyun, quickly took Ye Jianhu and Jin Xingjiang to the hospital.

“This doesn’t seem like facial paralysis. It’s really strange. Can’t you move your mouth back into place?” Dr. Chen Shengxiang from the health clinic looked at Ye Jianhu with curiosity. If not for his disheveled appearance, Chen would have thought Ye was pulling a prank.

“If I could move it back, do you think I’d look like this? Am I crazy?” Ye Jianhu, whose legs were also crippled, would have kicked Chen if he could.

“But your nerve responses seem normal. You should probably go to a specialist for a neurological examination,” Dr. Chen suggested.

“You’re the one with a nerve problem!” Ye Jianhu nearly jumped out of bed.

“I meant a neurological disorder, not that you’re crazy,” Dr. Chen said impatiently, irritated by Ye’s misunderstanding.

“Doctor, how should we treat this?” asked Tang Zhangyun.

“We can’t really treat it because, from what I see, there’s no actual illness. We can’t just prescribe medicine. But there’s one method you could try, though I suggest going to a specialist,” Dr. Chen emphasized the word “neurological,” clearly trying to provoke Ye Jianhu.

Ye wasn’t foolish enough to upset the doctor under his current circumstances. “Doctor, just tell me what to do!” Tang Zhangyun insisted.

“If you insist. Tang, could you help him sit up?” Dr. Chen asked.

Once Ye was seated, Dr. Chen warned, “This might hurt a little, but bear with it.”

“No problem, go ahead,” Ye assumed it would be an injection.

To his shock, Dr. Chen suddenly slapped him hard across the face.

Smack!

The slap echoed through the room, startling even Tang Zhangyun. “What are you doing?” Ye Jianhu was furious.

Unexpectedly, Dr. Chen smiled in satisfaction. “It worked! The treatment seems to be on the right track.”

Tang was about to scold the doctor but stopped when he noticed the improvement in Ye’s face. “Hey, it really does look better.”

Ye Jianhu’s face burned, “Tell me your name. I’m not done with you yet.”

“Look, even your speech is improving!” Dr. Chen marveled at his own audacity for trying such a treatment.

Ye Jianhu noticed the change too. “It does seem a lot better.”

“It’s still a little off. That last slap could’ve been harder,” Tang commented.

“Want to try again?” Ye asked.

“As you wish,” Dr. Chen smiled and slapped him twice more in quick succession before Ye blocked him.

“Have you had enough?” Ye protested.

“I’m just trying to help. A little pain now will save you a lifetime of trouble. Why wait when we can fix it with just one more slap?” Dr. Chen said with an awkward smile, feeling strangely satisfied for once in his career.

Tang Zhangyun frowned in disapproval as Ye Jianhu got out of bed, “That’s enough. I’ll recover on my own.”

“Hey, your legs are fine now!” Tang exclaimed in surprise.

“Yeah, they are! Thank you, Doctor,” Ye Jianhu said, feeling grateful.

“No thanks needed. But I really think you could use another round of treatment,” Dr. Chen joked.

“No, no, I’ll be fine,” Ye said quickly, eager to check on Jin Xingjiang.

Meanwhile, Jin Xingjiang’s condition puzzled Dr. Zhao Xiaoniu. Despite normal test results, Jin’s legs remained unresponsive.

Ye Jianhu walked over excitedly, “Jin, how are you?”

“His leg condition is complicated,” Dr. Zhao admitted, not knowing what was wrong.

“I’ll treat you. It might hurt a bit,” Ye said confidently.

“Don’t mess around, how can you—wait, how are you better already?” Jin Xingjiang suddenly realized Ye was fully recovered.

Smack!

Ye slapped Jin across the face.

“Are you crazy?” Jin shouted.

“I’m treating you!” Ye replied earnestly.

“You’re the one with the problem!” Jin Xingjiang tried to defend himself as Ye raised his hand again.

Dr. Chen entered, and after some hesitation, encouraged Jin to let Ye proceed, explaining how the method had worked on him. Reluctantly, Jin allowed Ye to continue the strange treatment.

After several slaps and some chaos involving spilled hot water, Jin found his legs had indeed recovered. However, as they left the hospital, Ye suddenly stopped.

“Jin, I think we were played.”

Jin nodded in agreement. “Yes, it must have been those farmers who did this to us.”

“They’re probably still in town. We should find them,” Ye suggested.

Tang quickly intervened, warning them that whoever did this was not to be messed with. “They’re giving you a warning now. If you push further, you won’t survive the next time.”