The Insulted Son in Law Turned Out to be A Medical Expert

10 What's That Liquid?

"Here's to that sassy mouth of yours!" exclaimed Ronnie as he smashed Marcel's jaw with his fist. "Argh, bastard!"

He cursed as his hand hit something hard.

"What's wrong, brother?"

"What's wrong?"

Coki and Alvon turned their attention towards Ronnie who was rubbing his knuckles.

Marcel himself was confused when suddenly his brother-in-law shouted while he gave no resistance.

"What did Marcel do to you?" asked Coki in a probing tone. "Why are you in so much pain?"

Ronnie didn't answer immediately, especially since he still didn't know exactly what had caused his hand to hit a piece of iron.

He was sure that he had hit Marcel's jaw, but why was his brother-in-law standing still?

"Answer me, brother! What did you do to Marcel?" asked Ciko urgently.

"Never mind, let's not talk about it!" replied Ronnie firmly. "Let's leave this place, let them continue their failed research ... and we should prepare to celebrate their failure."

Ciko and Alvon looked at each other briefly at their eldest brother's words.

"Wait for the play date," Ronnie said in a threatening tone while patting Marcel roughly on the shoulder, after which he quickly walked away from the lab.

"How barbaric of them," Venya commented after Ronnie and his siblings left. "I'd be surprised if you resigned yourself to living with them for a long time."

Marcel nodded as he re-mopped the dirty floor.

"That's why I thought short of trying to end my life," Marcel said. "But this time I won't be that petty."

Venya then turned to calm her father, who was still babbling.

"... our discovery will take the whole world by storm! They'll never understand ...."

"I understand, Father. We'll be continuing your research soon, so don't worry ...."

"... the world will be stunned by our discovery!" Meru chirped excitedly.

Marcel looked at Venya who patiently continued to motivate her father, who was suspected of having a mental disorder.

He wouldn't have been so patient if he had been in Venya's position, who had remained painstaking in her response to her father's words.

When he entered the maid's room to sleep, Marcel thought hard about Ronnie suddenly screaming as he hit his jaw.

He didn't understand what was going on, shouldn't Ronnie be smiling with satisfaction for hitting his brother-in-law?

"Mr Marcelino?" Eli's voice knocked softly on the open door of the maid's room. "Sir?"

Marcel suddenly tilted his body towards the door.

"What's wrong?" asked Marcel, who was not sleepy at all.

"Eat first," Eli replied in a low voice, as if afraid that someone else might hear him.

"I'm not hungry," shook Marcel. "Did they leave any more leftovers?"

Eli nodded unpleasantly, Marcel then got up and went to the kitchen. As before, he threw the leftovers into a black plastic bag and buried it in the backyard.

"There's still some bread, Sir." Eli held out a slice of toast covered in a tissue. "This is all my mum managed to save for you ...."

Marcel accepted the bread with a grateful face.

"I won't forget your kindness," said Marcel who then took the bread to his room and ate it.

***

Since Herman gave him permission to resume his parents' research, Marcel had the opportunity to no longer be a servant to his brothers-in-law.

"Marcel, polish my shoes now!" ordered Juno, Marcel's youngest brother-in-law who mostly lives in the apartment. "I have an important meeting ...."

"Sorry, I have a need with my father's permission," Marcel replied dismissively.

"What?" Juno raised one eyebrow. "Since when did I give you permission for things that are not for the benefit of this house?"

Marcel smiled briefly.

"Since I decided to resume research in my parents' lab." He explained, making Juno even more clueless.

"Watch out if you lie," Juno threatened. "I'm going to ask Dad about this ...."

"Go ahead," Marcel nodded calmly.

"What the hell is our father thinking?" complained Juno in front of her siblings who were gathered in the living room. "Now that I'm home, why does Marcel have the nerve to disobey orders?"

Ciko, who was playing with her mobile phone, chimed in, "Just keep forcing him until he wants to."

Juno sighed.

"He took my father's name," she said in a dissatisfied tone. "Just because of ... what is it, he wants to continue her research in that shabby lab."

"I wonder about Dad too," Ronnie commented as he typed something on his laptop. "By giving him permission, it just made Marcel go rogue."

Juno rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "At this rate, we'll need a new maid."

"No," Ciko refused, turning his head. "How can we relieve Marcel of his obligation to pay his parents' debts?"

"Agreed!" said Ronnie.

Inside the lab, Marcel was watching Venya who was locked up in a special room. Worried that Meru might do something unexpected, he asked Marcel to keep his father near the supply cabinet.

"Some of the solutions in this tube have good durability, so I'll check them one by one." Venya told Marcel before she locked herself in the glass partitioned room.

Marcel now sat waiting beside Meru who was engrossed in playing with the broken tubes. He had no idea how Venya was going to continue the research without her parents, and Meru was in no condition to participate in resuming their experiments.

"Mr Meru doesn't want to jump back in like he used to?" Marcel asked, opening the conversation. "Didn't you say that the world would be amazed if our research came to fruition?"

Meru continued to play with the tube, making a rhythmic clinking sound.

"I am one of those human beings who are looking forward to the results of your amazing research," Marcel continued. "My parents would also be proud if we managed to realise your dream."

"Acidic liquid ... must be combined with a secret concoction formula ..." Meru said out of sync. "Avoid cyanide ... honey is more effective ...."

Marcel's laughter almost burst out at Meru's words, but luckily he was still able to hold it in, resulting in a faint smile on his face.

"Marcel, sorry for taking so long!" Venya appeared in a white lab coat that contrasted with his dull skin.

"Don't apologize," Marcel said as he looked up. "It's research, you have to be thorough, right?"

Venya smiled and asked, "Did my father throw a tantrum?"

Marcel shook his head.

"Don't say that," he said. "Your father didn't do anything alarming. So what were you doing inside?"

Venya sat down in front of Marcel and Meru.

"I separated the hard formula solution from the neutral one," Venya replied slowly. "And I can conclude that those liquids are not safe to drink."

Marcel was silent for a moment.

"So what was the liquid I drank yesterday?" asked Marcel confused. "It wasn't lethal, it just put me in a coma for days."

Venya held his chin as he thought, what was that liquid?

To Be Continued-