Mesmerizing Ghost Doctor

Chapter 4693: Counter

“Sister!”

Hao’er and Muchen were instantly alarmed. They rushed to Yue’er’s side, their expressions full of concern as they helped her to her feet. They saw the sticky wine coating her clothes and the trickle of blood staining the back of her hand where a shard of the broken jar had cut her. Their eyes narrowed with unspoken anger.

Yue’er, who was still stunned from the unexpected collision, was covered in the fragrant spirit wine. The cuts on her hand stung, and her elbows throbbed from the impact. A small cry escaped her lips, and her face crumpled as she stood between her brothers, leaning on them for support.

Before any of the three siblings could utter a word, the man who had carelessly knocked Yue’er over began to berate her, his voice sharp and accusatory. “Where did this little girl come from? Don’t you have eyes?”

The speaker was a man in his thirties, clad in a fine green robe, still clutching a substantial ten-jin jar of spirit wine in his hands. Because his back had been turned and Yue’er was small, he hadn’t seen her behind him and had blundered into her, knocking her down with considerable force. Yet, instead of offering an apology, he immediately shifted the blame.

“Oh my, how could you break my precious spirit wine? This is an excellent vintage! This… this… this…” The shopkeeper, having heard the commotion, turned around to assess the situation. His eyes widened as he took in the scene: the expensive spirit wine splattered across the floor, the shattered remnants of the jar, the three bewildered children, and finally, the indignant man in green.

“You broke the wine, so you have to pay for it,” the shopkeeper stated, his tone surprisingly even. He looked at the three children and then at the man. “Each of you pays half. That seems fair.”

“Hehe, shopkeeper, this little girl stumbled and broke it; it has absolutely nothing to do with me. You expect me to pay for it? Preposterous!” The man in green retorted with a disingenuous smile. He then took a step, intending to brush past the three children and pay at the counter. Unexpectedly, just as he was passing them, Hao’er subtly glanced at him and swiftly extended his foot.

“Ah!” The man in green yelped in surprise. With the heavy wine jar in his arms, he tripped over Hao’er’s seemingly innocuous foot and began to lose his balance, flailing precariously. He desperately tried to regain his footing and turn around, but just at that moment, another customer bumped into him from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground. The wine jar he was holding crashed onto the floor with a resounding shatter, and the remaining spirit wine splashed everywhere. Sharp shards of broken pottery scattered across the floor, and the unfortunate man, unable to react in time, landed face-first directly onto the jagged pieces. For a brief, agonizing moment, only his piercing screams filled the air.

“Hiss! Ahhh!” He groaned, lying on the ground, unable to move for a long moment, his breath in ragged gasps.

Witnessing this dramatic turn of events, the shopkeeper’s eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly. He glanced at the three seemingly innocent children, his expression carefully neutral, and suppressed the shock that rippled through him. He took a cautious step back, deciding to observe the situation before intervening.

Hao’er and Muchen, however, paid the flailing man on the ground no further attention. Their focus was entirely on their injured sister.

“Little Sister, let me help you dry your clothes,” Hao’er said gently, placing one hand on her wine-soaked garments and subtly activating his spirit energy. With a soft shimmer, the fragrant spirit wine on Yue’er’s clothes evaporated completely, leaving them dry, though a faint alcoholic scent still lingered.

Muchen carefully took out a clean handkerchief and tenderly wiped the blood from the back of her hand. He then produced a small vial of medicinal balm, applied it to the cut, and wrapped her small hand securely with the clean cloth. “It’s okay, little sister. You’ll be fine soon,” he reassured her softly.

“Mm hmm, thank you, Big Brother and Brother,” she replied, looking up at them with a grateful smile that warmed their hearts.

“Damn brat!” the man on the ground finally managed to sputter, pushing himself up with difficulty. Having fallen hard onto the sharp shards of the wine jar, several dark patches of blood were now visibly seeping through his green robe.