Chapter 26: Really Good
Only then did Madam Xie let go and kept wiping her tears.
“Is grandpa’s illness better?”
Madam Xie shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow. “He’s taken a lot of medicine, but he hasn’t improved. He’s been coughing even harder these past two days! Ah Tao, don’t blame me. I really had no choice… Moreover, the Shen family is one of the richest families in Shanghe Village. Moreover, your mother-in-law is famous for being kind. Don’t… don’t do anything foolish, okay?”
“Yes, I know.” Ji Zhao nodded obediently. “Don’t worry.”
Ji Zhao took out the tael of silver from her waist and handed it to Madam Xie. “This is all I have on me. Make do with it first. When I earn money in the future, find a different doctor for grandpa.”
“Ah Tao, I’m really sorry…” Madam Xie lowered her head and cried again, but her hands were clenched tightly around the two pieces of silver, unwilling to let go.
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“I’ll go and see grandpa. I’ll come back to see you in two days.”
Ji Zhao didn’t want to hear Madam Xie cry anymore. She turned around and went to the east room to see Old Master Ji lying on the bed.
“Ah Tao is back…” Old Master Ji struggled to get up from the bed.
“Grandpa, are you alright?” Ji Zhao hurriedly went forward and placed the pillow behind him.
“Cough, cough… I… cough, cough…” Old Master Ji coughed again. He coughed so hard that he was panting.
Ji Zhao hurriedly poured a glass of water and handed it to him. Old Master Ji carefully took a sip and shook his head.
“Grandpa, you should drink some more.” Ji Zhao advised gently.
“No.” Old Master Ji shook his head. “Water is rare. You have to drink it sparingly. Your grandmother is old. Every day before dawn, she has to go to Shanghe Village to fetch water… It’s all my fault for being useless. If I wasn’t sick, we wouldn’t have sold you…”
The old man grabbed her hand, his eyes red with guilt.
Back then, it was Old Master Ji who picked up Ji Ah Tao, who was covered in blood, on a narrow path outside Pomegranate Village.
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“Grandpa, don’t be sad. I’m really fine now.” Ji Zhao chuckled. “My mother-in-law is a very good person. Moreover, the Shen family is very kind. They treat me very well. You must get better soon!”
“Ah Tao, you must take good care of yourself, take care of your in-laws, and be considerate of your husband. After you’ve done this, the Shen family… cough, cough, cough… They… cough, cough, cough… will definitely treat you well, understand?”
Old Master Ji looked into her eyes and said earnestly.
“Yes, I’ll remember everything.”
Old Master Ji’s teachings were in consideration for Ji Zhao.
Ji Zhao nodded obediently, her eyes gradually turning red.
On the way back to the Shen family, Ji Zhao kept her head lowered and did not say a word.
Zhao Lanhua glanced at her but said nothing.
Halfway through the afternoon, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finally returned to the Shen family’s courtyard.
At that moment, Second Sister-in-law Shen had already prepared lunch for the family.
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She cooked mixed grain buns, stir-fried a large bowl of mushrooms, and cooked duck eggs.
“Mother? You’re back? Hurry up and have lunch!” Second Sister-in-law Shen quickly went forward and said happily, “I’ve already delivered food to Father and Third Brother!”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Zhao Lanhua nodded in satisfaction. Then, she turned to look at the sad Ji Zhao and said gently, “Ah Tao, let’s eat first!”
Ji Zhao was worried about Old Master Ji’s illness, so she had no appetite.
After eating a mixed grain bun, she brought up that she wanted to return to the Earth Temple to rest.
Zhao Lanhua did not stop her.
Chapter 27: Ahhh! Snake!
After returning to the Earth Temple, Ji Zhao, who was leaning against the wall, seriously thought about how to earn money.
Now that it had been a year of drought, only the villagers of Shanghe Village, which was by the river, had a slightly better life. At least, every family could barely fill their stomachs.
The other villages were plagued by the drought.
Ji Zhao thought for a moment and piously knelt in front of the statue of the Earth God.
“Earth God, please be merciful and plead with the Dragon King. Send the rain earlier!”
Ji Zhao knew that summoning the wind and rain was not within the jurisdiction of the Earth God, but she still kowtowed three times to the Earth Elder with a pious heart.
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After resting in the Earth Temple, Ji Zhao prepared to go out and take a look to see if she could catch more wild chickens.
After walking 2 to 2.5 kilometers to the east, she only saw barren mountains.
Ji Zhao sighed dejectedly.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
Just as Ji Zhao was about to stop and rest, she suddenly heard a rustling sound.
She caught a glimpse of the swaying reeds ahead and held her breath as she cautiously approached-
When she saw it clearly, she was completely dumbfounded!
A thick scarlet snake opened its bloody mouth and quickly bit a wild chicken’s neck!
The wild chicken was still struggling in pain, flapping its feathers all over the ground!
In the end, the wild chicken gradually gave up struggling.
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Ji Zhao picked up a sharp rock from the ground and seized the opportunity to rush forward!
The snake died before it could swallow the entire chicken.
Ji Zhao panted heavily and pulled the wild chicken out of the snake’s mouth.
In the end, she coiled the dead snake and put it into the cloth bag on her body.
The snake gallbladder was a treasure. Perhaps it could be exchanged for some silver.
At dusk, smoke rose from every household in Shanghe Village.
Ji Zhao carried her full basket and arrived at the Shen residence again.
Zhao Lanhua was feeding the chickens in the courtyard. When she heard Ji Zhao’s voice, she quickly responded.
“Mother, I found a lot of wild shepherd’s purse!” Ji Zhao hurriedly put down the basket on his back and said happily, “I also found a wild hawthorn tree in the back of the mountain!”
“Come and wash your face!” Seeing her sweating profusely, Zhao Lanhua smiled and greeted her.
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“Aye!”
Ji Zhao hurriedly washed her face and instantly felt refreshed.
“Mother, what kind of luck does Ah Tao have? I also went to the back mountain with Aunt Guihua in the afternoon, but I didn’t find anything.” Second Sister-in-law Shen stared at the basket full of shepherd’s purse enviously.
Zhao Lanhua frowned thoughtfully.
Wasn’t Ah Tao’s luck too good?
“Mother, shall we make dumplings with shepherd’s purse filling?” Second Sister-in-law Shen suggested with a smile.
“Okay,” Zhao Lanhua agreed.
“Mother, can you bring me to the county tomorrow?” Ji Zhao thought for a moment and still said her plea.
“To the county? To do what?”
“I want to sell the snake,” Ji Zhao said with a bright smile as she lowered her head and took out the dead snake from the cloth bag.
“Ahhhh! Snake!”
Second Sister-in-law Shen was most afraid of snakes. She screamed in horror!
“Second Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. I’ve already killed this snake!” Ji Zhao gestured anxiously. “If you don’t believe me, touch it. It’s already cold…”
“Stop!” Shen Erlang, who had just returned home, heard his wife’s scream and rushed into the kitchen. Without a word, he threw away the snake in Ji Zhao’s hand and raised his arm to beat her up. “You vicious woman, how dare you scare my wife with a snake!”
Ji Zhao subconsciously raised her arm to dodge, but the slap she had expected did not land.
Chapter 28: shepherd’s purse dumplings
Ji Zhao subconsciously looked up and realized that Shen Yao was standing in front of her, stopping Shen Erlang, who had raised his arm.
After Zhao Lanhua’s explanation, everyone finally explained the misunderstanding.
“So I misunderstood Third Sister-in-law?” Shen Zhang hurriedly bowed to Ji Zhao and apologized. “Third Sister-in-law, I’m really sorry. It’s just that your Second Sister-in-law is most afraid of snakes, so I was so impulsive and almost hurt you. I’m really sorry!”
“I… I’m fine.” Ji Zhao, who was quite frightened, forced a smile. “I didn’t consider everything. I should have made it clear that this is a dead snake before taking it out.”
“That’s right. I was really scared to death by you…” Second Sister-in-law Shen leaned against the chair and muttered aggrievedly.
“Alright, alright.” Zhao Lanhua glanced at her second son and asked curiously, “Second son, why are you back today? Didn’t you say that you would be busy for seven to eight days?”
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“Minister Wu has high requirements for this batch of goods. He doesn’t like ordinary furniture, so Master went to the prefecture capital.” Shen Erlang smiled and explained honestly, “Taking advantage of this opportunity, Master also gave me three days off.”
“I see.” Zhao Lanhua quickly nodded. “Go back to your room with your wife and rest for a while. We’ll have dinner together later.”
“Alright!” Shen Erlang replied heartily. Then, he intimately helped Second Sister-in-law Shen back to the house.
The sudden silence in the narrow kitchen was a little strange.
“It’s getting late. Mother, I’ll leave first.” Ji Zhao was the first to break the silence. Then, she looked at Shen Yao and smiled gratefully. “Just now… thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” Shen Yao replied indifferently. Then, his gaze landed on the snake in her hand. “Most snakes are poisonous. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your life. Don’t do such a risky thing in the future.”
“…Alright.” Ji Zhao lowered her head silently, but she couldn’t help but curse in her heart. If it weren’t for the fact that she was too short of money, she wouldn’t have taken the risk!
“I’ll accompany you to the county town tomorrow morning,” Zhao Lanhua suddenly said. “Ah Tao, come and help wash the shepherd’s purse. Let’s move faster and make some shepherd’s purse dumplings to eat!”
The shepherd’s purse that Ji Zhao had picked was very fresh. She first washed the shepherd’s purse, then took a small pinch of salt water and soaked the shepherd’s purse for a while. Then, she washed it clean and drained the water before cutting the shepherd’s purse into pieces.
Zhao Lanhua walked out of the kitchen and tiptoed to take down a small piece of cured meat hanging under the roof.
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“Do you know how to make dumpling fillings?” Zhao Lanhua glanced at Ji Zhao, who was focused on cutting vegetables, and asked with a smile.
“I do.”
Ji Zhao was quite confident in her culinary skills.
After cutting the shepherd’s purse, she began to cut the cured meat. However, when she started, she was a little hesitant.
“Mother? Can I cut more? If there’s too little meat, the dumplings won’t taste good…”
“Sure!”
With Zhao Lanhua’s permission, Ji Zhao began to show off her skills.
After chopping the meat and mixing the filling, she placed all the green onions she had prepared in advance into the filling. Then, she added two eggs and rubbed them in one direction. Then, he added a suitable amount of oil, soy sauce, and cooking wine to stir them evenly.
She was very adept at mixing the fillings and making the dumpling skin. Zhao Lanhua nodded in admiration.
In the end, Ji Zhao began to make dumplings. Her hands were very fast, and the dumplings she made were very beautiful.
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At the beginning of the evening, the Shen family could smell the alluring fragrance.
“Mother, aren’t the dumplings you made today too beautiful?” Second Sister-in-law Shen looked at the dumplings in the bowl and exclaimed.
Chapter 29: Can You Stop Disgusting Me?
“These are not the dumplings I made.” Zhao Lanhua also tasted a dumpling and nodded in satisfaction. “Today’s dumplings were made by Ah Tao. I just helped to start a fire.”
Everyone looked at Ji Zhao with admiration.
In the end, everyone ate to their heart’s content.
“Third Sister-in-law, where are you going?” Shen Erlang, who was admiring the moonlight with Second Sister-in-law Shen in the courtyard, accidentally saw Ji Zhao’s back and called out curiously.
Hiss-
Before Ji Zhao could answer, Second Sister-in-law Shen grabbed his arm fiercely and kept signaling with her eyes at him.
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“Wife, what’s wrong? Are your eyes uncomfortable?” Shen Zhang asked nervously. “Come, let me blow on them?”
“Let’s go, let’s go back to the house!” Second Sister-in-law Shen dragged Shen Zhang back to the house.
Ji Zhao smiled helplessly and turned to walk out of the Shen family’s door.
Shen Yao quickly chased after her-
On a summer night, the chirping of cicadas continued.
The cool breeze blew away the stifling heat left behind in the day.
Ji Zhao narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, enjoying the feeling of the night wind blowing against her face.
Until someone suddenly appeared and stopped her.
“Ah Tao!” Zhao Xian called out affectionately. He looked at Ji Zhao with an innocent and pitiful expression.
Ji Zhao felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. She felt uncomfortable with the hair on her back standing on end.
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“Are you here to return the silver?” Ji Zhao opened her palm expressionlessly.
Zhao Xian smiled awkwardly. Then, he suddenly approached her and grabbed her hand tightly before placing it on his chest. “Sister Ah Tao, can you not be like this? I know you resent me in your heart, but that day, I didn’t deliberately not appear. Can you forgive Brother Xian this time?”
Disgusted, Ji Zhao struggled to pull her hand away.
“Zhao Xian, can you stop disgusting me?”
“Sister Ah Tao, I’ll take you away now. Let’s leave this place and start over in a place where no one knows us, okay?” Zhao Xian approached her again and grabbed her arm forcefully. “Sister Ah Tao, I know you still have resentment in your heart. It’s okay. I’ll take you away now…”
“Let go of me!” Ji Zhao wanted to struggle angrily, but unfortunately, Zhao Xian was too strong!
She rushed forward angrily and bit his arm!
Ah!
Zhao Xian screamed and shook her off forcefully!
“Ji Ah Tao, I’m giving you face and you don’t want it?” Zhao Xian’s eyes were furious. He raised his leg and wanted to kick Ji Zhao’s abdomen!
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Bang!
At this moment, Shen Yao suddenly appeared and kicked Zhao Xian, who was about to attack!
“You stinky cripple, how dare you kick me?” Zhao Xian was completely enraged. From the corner of his eye, he saw a thick branch on the ground. He grabbed that branch and rushed forward!
The two of them began to fight. Zhao Xian was gradually at a disadvantage.
Shen Yao looked at him coldly and kicked his chest again!
“Damn cripple! Just you wait!” Zhao Xian clutched his chest and panted heavily. Then, when Shen Yao was unprepared, he aimed at Shen Yao’s other lame leg and waved the thick branch in his hand forcefully!
Ji Zhao hurriedly rushed forward and hugged Shen Yao. She used her back to withstand the branch!
Thud!
Ji Zhao could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood. In the end, she lay on Shen Yao’s body and fainted.
The panicked Zhao Xian got up from the ground in a sorry state and hurriedly ran away.
Chapter 30: You’re Really Good!
In the middle of the night, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.
The fields that had been dry for a long time finally welcomed a rain.
The rain continued to pour until dawn.
The Shen family.
Shen Yao looked at Ji Zhao, who was lying on the bed, with a complicated gaze.
“Ah Tao still hasn’t woken up?” Zhao Lanhua asked with concern as she walked into the house with the medicine.
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“No.”
“Ah Tao, this girl, really has a hard life.” Zhao Lanhua sighed faintly. The heartache in her words was self-evident. “Although what she did when she first came to our house was a little dishonest, she has really repented now.”
Shen Yao pursed his lips and remained silent.
When Zhao Xian swung his branch at him, it was Ji Ah Tao who stood in front of him.
At that moment, Shen Yao was very surprised.
“Sanlang, you and Ah Tao…”
“Mother, we’ve already divorced.” Shen Yao suddenly interrupted her. “It’s getting late. I’ll accompany Father to work in the fields. I’ll leave her to you.”
Before Zhao Lanhua could answer, Shen Yao had already left.
Zhao Lanhua looked at his back and angrily scolded him in her heart!
At that moment, Ji Zhao had already woken up.
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However, her back felt like it was being pulled.
“Mother?”
“Ah Tao? You’re awake? That’s great! Quick, drink the medicine!” Zhao Lanhua quickly went forward and helped her sit up. She then handed the freshly brewed medicine to her. “Drink it while it’s hot!”
“Thank you, Mother!” Ji Zhao smiled gratefully and drank the bowl of medicine in one gulp.
Ji Zhao felt the bitter taste on the tip of his tongue. Suddenly, she felt her heart ache and tears fell.
“Good child, don’t cry!” Zhao Lanhua hurriedly comforted her. “That damn Zhao Xian was arrested by the officials last night! The doctor also said that the stick didn’t hurt your bones. You still have to rest well.”
“Mother, I…”
“Don’t say anything else. Lie down obediently,” Zhao Lanhua advised gently. “There’s bone soup stew in the kitchen. I’ll make you a bowl of bone soup noodles later!”
“Mother, there’s no need.” Ji Zhao hurriedly waved her hand and refused. “I…”
“You what? Listen to me! Go back to your room and rest!”
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Before Ji Zhao could refuse, Zhao Lanhua forcefully covered her with a thin blanket and turned to leave.
Ji Zhao sighed helplessly.
In the end, she gritted her teeth and got up from the bed.
The moment she walked out of the door, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The air was filled with a long-lost freshness, and there were actually water droplets on the eaves.
“The rain last night was too timely!” Second Sister-in-law Shen held her waist as she walked out of the door. She happened to see Ji Zhao’s stunned expression and could not help but be amused. “I say, Ji Ah Tao, you’re quite interesting! Weren’t you preparing to elope with your lover previously? Why did you suddenly turn against him? You even sent him to prison? You’re really something!”
Second Sister-in-law Shen gave her a thumbs up in admiration and clicked her tongue in wonder.
“I-”
“Even the steamed buns this morning couldn’t stop your mouth?” Zhao Lanhua, who was busy in the kitchen, lifted the curtain and looked at Second Sister-in-law Shen coldly as she asked in a low voice.
“Mother…” Second Sister-in-law Shen shrunk her head silently and muttered softly, “I’m just curious!”
“Second Sister-in-law, I don’t have an improper relationship with Zhao Xian,” Ji Zhao said with a magnanimous smile. “I don’t know why there were so many ridiculous rumors previously, but there’s nothing between Zhao Xian and me.”
“Then why did you take away your in-laws’ money on the second day of the wedding and even ask Zhao Xian to meet you?” Second Sister-in-law Shen looked at her suspiciously.
“Because I was cheated.”