Chapter 6: Flaw Detection

The table was filled with dishes meticulously prepared to suit Hanwei's taste, yet he merely picked at them with his chopsticks before putting them down and shaking his head

Han Wei returned to the restaurant already dressed in a neat military uniform, accompanied by his aide, Xiao Heizi. Xiao Liang was unaware of what had happened, but every time his uncle changed into military attire, he immediately transformed into a figure of imposing stature, exuding an air of heroism. Not only did he speak and act with calm decisiveness, but he also shed the lazy demeanor of a young master he displayed at home.

Han Wei was throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child, refusing to eat, which prompted the entire family to surround him and plead with him, yet everyone was at a loss. Finally, Sister Yu Ning's tears fell, seemingly regretting that she should not have taken advantage of the situation to use her elder brother's hand to impose a small punishment for his "betrayal".

"Alright, it's nothing serious. I was just crying out to show your father, it's not that severe." Han Wei gently comforted his sobbing nephew, Xiao Liang, in a fragmented manner.

Han Wei raised his eyebrows slightly, meeting the sharp gaze of his elder brother. The elder brother's eyes were filled with determination and an irresistible force, while Han Wei's eyes contained humiliation and resentment

"Young Master, your phone call is from the military." Xiao Heizi rushed over, and Han Wei threw the napkin aside and stood up to answer the phone.

"You must have made a big mistake again, right? Is that why General Yang beat you up like this?" Although Snow had not known Yang Hancheng for long, he was greatly impressed by this young warlord. Having inherited his father's legacy, he held a strong position, and his decisiveness in both personal conduct and affairs was reminiscent of a commander. Therefore, Snow believed in Yang Hancheng's ruthless nature.

"Do you now understand the pain? Fortunately, it was discovered early; Snow said it would have been truly dangerous if it had been any later." The gentle reproachful voice of Sister Yuning.

The night was unbearably long, and Han Wei was drenched in sweat and tears. He longed for dawn to arrive quickly so he could find Snow and get another injection, allowing him to sleep peacefully. He forced himself to distract his mind, trying not to think about the pain in his body, but it was utterly impossible. Han Wei lightly bumped his head against the bed railing, hoping to alleviate his suffering a little, but he eventually became utterly exhausted. When he released the railing, he fell to the floor and could no longer get up.

On the second day of Han Wei lying in bed at home to recuperate, his elder brother left for a distant official business trip, which made him even more unrestrained. The resentment in his heart, combined with the pain from his wounds, the continuous torrential rain outside, the gloomy sky, and the sound of the pouring rain, caused him to frequently become irritable and lose his temper. However, every night when he saw the quiet and timid Xiao Liang quietly approaching his bedside and staring at him in silence, he felt an infinite sense of comfort in his heart

The elder brother remained silent for a long time before murmuring, "When I was young, my father told me that the men of the Yang family are all raised under the yellow thorn stick."

In Longcheng, the continuous heavy rain over several days has led to the outbreak of mountain torrents, putting the Huanglong River dam in a precarious situation. The city is situated in a low-lying area, and if the dam were to breach, the inner city would be submerged. Although efforts have been made in recent days to conscript laborers to transport soil and fill sacks to raise the levees, the floodwaters remain ferocious. Particularly at Songzhuang, the section of the dam closest to the city is the most dangerous. Although the population there is sparse, it is a storage site for countless military provisions and horse feed, as well as warehouses and estates built by wealthy merchants who pay the highest taxes in that area, all of which are now in imminent danger. The chief of staff responsible for defense, Chong Jimin, has ordered the excavation of the dam along the river section from Huangcun to Yuhuying to release floodwaters and protect Songzhuang. This area is known for being a refugee camp, inhabited by impoverished people fleeing disaster, as well as some villagers who have farmed the land for generations. This is a desperate measure to save the leadership at the cost of the common people. If the dam is blown, these individuals would have little chance of survival. Yang Hanwei, upon hearing of this situation, urgently rushed to mobilize troops to intervene.

"Little brother, tomato scrambled eggs, your favorite." Sister Yuning smiled as she served Hanwei a spoonful of the dish in his bowl. Hanwei pouted and muttered, "It's red and mushy, like the blood on my body."

It is not worth causing a stir over something that is already shameful, especially when I am likely to be scolded by my elder brother again.

"Sister, don't stop me. If I go late, there will be corpses everywhere." Xiao Liang saw his uncle striding away, and his stepmother, leaning against the railing, shouted at his back: "You just go ahead and cause trouble; wait until your brother comes back to see what happens to you!"

Sister, I am going to the military; there are dangers with the flood situation at the Huanglong River

Dr. Snow has arrived and helped Han Wei treat his wound. Snow is a British man who became acquainted with Yang Hancheng while running a clinic in China, and they developed a bond through shared hardships. Additionally, he hails from a noble background in Britain, and besides his confident medical skills, he is also an accomplished pianist. This talent was discovered by Han Wei, who had practiced piano rigorously since childhood, leading him to frequently invite Snow to church or to his home for guidance. Consequently, Snow naturally became the private doctor of the Yang family. Since both Han Wei and Ni Yuning are fluent in English, Snow often engages in conversations with them, and he frequently goes dancing at nightclubs or playing ball outdoors with Han Wei.

The Hanwei Conjecture suggests that the reason Xiaoliang is not close to his father may stem from not growing up by his father's side since childhood. Initially, he grew up alongside his mother while his sister-in-law Xianru was alive. After Xianru's passing, when Yuniang entered the family, Xiaoliang went to Quanzhou to live with his grandparents and attend school. It was not until last year, when his elder brother was no longer as busy with his travels, that he brought Xiaoliang to stay with him. Hanwei, on the other hand, has been by his elder brother's side since graduating from the Military Academy, and although his elder brother was often harsh with his subordinates, he knew that his elder brother cared for him the most. A week has passed, and Hanwei is able to walk, but the rain has yet to cease. With their elder brother away, the household staff obediently indulges Xiaoliang's various unreasonable demands as if he were a little ancestor, yet the home feels much emptier without their elder brother.

In a moment of astonishment, the telephone in the adjacent hall suddenly rang

"Uncle, it is all my fault for causing you trouble"

Snow had helped Han Wei treat his wounds on more than one occasion, and he was quite astonished by the so-called family discipline of the Chinese, which was so terrifying. This time, the injuries left him even more shocked; there was not a single intact piece of skin from his back to his thigh. The deep, crisscrossing whip marks were a dark purple, extremely frightening, and some of the deeper wounds were still oozing with congealed blood. Dr. Snow carefully treated Han Wei's wounds with an alcohol swab. Han Wei gritted his teeth, trying his best to suppress his moans, but the painful expression on his face when the swab touched the wounds caused Dr. Snow to stop several times. This time, the injuries left him even more shocked; there was not a single intact piece of skin from his back to his thigh. The deep, crisscrossing whip marks were a dark purple, extremely frightening, and some of the deeper wounds were still oozing with congealed blood. Dr. Snow carefully treated Han Wei's wounds with an alcohol swab. Han Wei gritted his teeth, trying his best to suppress his moans, but the painful expression on his face when the swab touched the wounds caused Dr. Snow to stop several times, and he awkwardly asked him in broken Chinese, "Does it hurt a lot?" Han Wei understood he meant to say, "Does it hurt a lot?" but he still didn't say it correctly, which made Han Wei laugh. However, the slight movement aggravated the wounds, and he let out a soft moan, burying his head back into the pillow.

When Han Wei regained his senses, it was already noon on the second day. The wound no longer throbbed with the unbearable pain it had earlier, but it still twitched faintly. In his haze, he heard the low voices of his elder brother conversing with Sister Yu Ning.

Han Wei remarked lightly: "I am just going to seek his theory. This pig-headed man wants to blow up the dam to flood the residents of Huangcun, treating human lives as if they are nothing! Those who drown are people, not cats or dogs!"

Han Wei secretly pleaded with Snow to give him a sedative injection to alleviate his unbearable pain, even if it meant allowing him to sleep peacefully for a while. Snow felt quite troubled, but upon seeing Han Wei's exhausted and pale face, he decided to comply with his request, considering the intensity of his suffering.

"Don't say anything, or else it will be in vain if someone hears and goes to tell your uncle." Han Wei tried to reach out to wipe away Xiao Liang's tears, but as soon as he moved, the pain from his wound shot through him like a dagger. He let out a groan and took a deep breath, unable to speak for a long time. Xiao Liang cried even harder.

***

In Snow's eyes, Yang Hanwei was merely a playboy skilled in indulgence and leisure. However, recently his political achievements have been commendable, and he has accomplished several notable deeds praised by the public. It remains uncertain whether this is the result of his elder brother Yang Hancheng's ruthless discipline that has forced him to produce such results.

During dinner time, Mrs. Ni and her eldest daughter Yu Lu from the Yu family came to the house for a meal. Han Chen entered the dining room and found his younger brother Han Wei already seated there, cheerfully addressing Mrs. Ni as "Auntie" and making her laugh. Apart from the fleeting pain that occasionally crossed his otherwise pale and handsome face when he moved, he appeared to be unaffected by anything that had happened. However, his son Xiao Liang still did not understand the situation and claimed he had no appetite, thus did not come down for dinner.

What else did Snow say? The elder brother's voice was very deep

But you haven't eaten yet! Yu Ning said with concern, "Little brother, regarding the matters in the army, didn't your elder brother leave everything in the hands of Chief of Staff Chong before he left?"

At night, the wound was unexpectedly painful and unbearable, leaving Han Wei somewhat at a loss. The sadness that had not been felt during the day overwhelmed him; he turned, bent, lay down, and got up again. No matter what he did, the wound on his back felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at it, or as if someone were using a dull knife to slice and pull at his flesh. His head throbbed painfully. Hu Bo came in to ask if he should call the doctor again, but Han Wei struggled to stop him: "Hu Bo, there's no need. My elder brother will surely blame Wei'er for being overly concerned, disturbing the peace of the household at night. Hu Bo, please go rest; Wei'er is fine." His head throbbed painfully.

Han Wei did not know how to respond, but he still explained fluently in English that he had been caught lying by his elder brother in the morning and, in a fit of anger, had been severely beaten. Lying is certainly not permitted in the church world where Snow lives, so aside from sympathizing with his tragic injuries, Snow could only apply some medicine to reduce the bruising and bleeding, and give him an injection to reduce the fever.

Han Chen walked past him and stopped in his tracks

Yuying's face was marked by worry and difficulty: "Little brother, please calm down. Chief Strategist Chong has his own plans; after all, your brother entrusted him with managing the political affairs when he left"

"You'd better not try to outsmart me with your words; if I catch you, be careful that I might cut off your tongue." From the tone of his voice, Han Wei knew that his elder brother suspected that he was hiding something, but he had not found any concrete evidence.

When Han Chen pushed the door open, Han Wei was soundly asleep on the bed. Han Chen sat at the bedside, gently lifting the blanket. His heart tightened as he saw that the blood from the wound had mostly congealed into scabs, and the bruised area was exaggeratedly swollen. A sudden wave of heat surged in Han Chen's chest, accompanied by a pang of heartache. He gently wiped the sweat from his younger brother's cheek and checked his forehead with the back of his hand; it was very hot. He knew that any external injury could cause a fever, but seeing his younger brother's pained expression with tightly furrowed brows was truly pitiful. He took out a packet of honey he had just bought for him and gently placed it by Han Wei's pillow. Whenever Han Wei was ill, he would buy him honey because he was always reluctant to take medicine. When Han Chen left the room, he asked Hu Bo, who had been attending to them, if Dr. Si had come and said anything. Hu Bo, with a helpless smile, explained that he only spoke foreign languages, and he couldn't understand a word.

"What more is there to say? He has helped you tend to your younger brother's wounds more than once or twice. It's just that he disapproves of your way of disciplining him." Yu Ning paused and said, "That being said, your younger brother is growing up day by day. It doesn't reflect well if you keep resorting to family discipline at every turn."

Xiao Liang had heard his classmates discussing flood prevention at school, and many even skipped classes to help repair the dikes. Watching the lightning and thunder outside, along with the torrential rain, Xiao Liang couldn't help but feel worried

Han Wei, with great interest, inquired about the experiences of Mrs. Ni and Ni Yulu during their trip to the United Kingdom, and his witty remarks brought much joy to everyone. After seeing off his mother-in-law, Han Chen turned to look at Han Wei, who had completely relaxed, his smile gone, as he struggled to ascend the stairs to the bedroom upstairs

What further instructions do you have, elder brother?" Han Wei leaned against the stair railing, not looking up, his tone filled with mockery and arrogance. Yang Hancheng lowered his voice and commanded, "Look at elder brother!"

Witnessing the horrifying, bloody wounds on his uncle's body, Xiao Liang stood by the bedside, sobbing softly.