9 009

◎The Ninth Day of the King of Scrolls◎

A few days later, the continuous rain finally stopped.

The long-awaited sunlight, like golden threads, pierced through layers of clouds and mist, sprinkling onto the old house that had weathered the storms of time.

Jiang Wanzhou got up early to clear the water from in front of the house.

With little food left in the family's reserves, Jiang Wanzhou decided to go to town to buy some.

She changed into a coarse cloth dress that was a little faded but still clean, tied her hair simply behind her head, and carried a small bamboo basket on her back.

There was a path outside the door, and because no one had been there for a long time, wildflowers and weeds grew luxuriantly.

Jiang Wanzhou was afraid there might be snakes inside, so she decided to wait until she bought sulfur in town before asking someone to cut them off.

The flowers and plants looked especially fresh after the rain, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil and grass.

However, they hadn't gone far when they heard a series of urgent and panicked shouts coming from behind them.

"Wanzhou! Wanzhou!" Jiang Wanzhou stopped and looked back. She saw Aunt Li running towards her with anxiety on her face.

"Aunt Li, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Jiang Wanzhou hurriedly went up to her and asked with concern.

Aunt Li, panting heavily, supported herself on her knees and said breathlessly, "Wanzhou, something terrible has happened! The only sow in the brigade is having a difficult birth, and we don't have a veterinarian in our town. The barefoot doctor has gone to another village. What are we going to do?!"

"I thought you must have graduated from high school, so I might be able to help you. That's why I came to find you as soon as possible."

Jiang Wanzhou's heart tightened. Although she had actually delivered piglets before when she ran a bed and breakfast.

Aunt Li has been helping them a lot these past few days, often bringing them vegetables she grows herself, and even helping Shen Xinglian sew clothes for her child. She will never forget this kindness.

"Aunt Li, don't worry, let's go take a look right away."

Jiang Wanzhou didn't agree immediately, and hurriedly followed Aunt Li to the brigade's pigsty.

Along the way, Aunt Li kept muttering, "This sow is the treasure of our brigade. If anything happens to her, everyone will be heartbroken."

While comforting Aunt Li, Jiang Wanzhou quickly recalled the events in her mind.

When they arrived at the pigpen, they found the sow lying on the ground, groaning in pain and writhing incessantly.

A crowd had gathered around. Several strong young men stood by watching.

The captain quickly shooed them away: "Go to work! You all want to starve, don't you!"

As soon as Jiang Wanzhou arrived, some discordant voices arose in the crowd.

Everyone knew that Aunt Li wanted to go back to find Jiang Wanzhou.

"Oh, isn't this our village's lazy, greedy, and wicked little sister-in-law? Still thinking of saving the sow? Don't make things worse."

The speaker was Xia Meilin, a former educated youth, who was wearing a fashionable floral dress.

“Maybe they just know more than we do,” Su Xiaomei chimed in, a seemingly concerned smile on her face.

Xia Meilin said irritably, "We educated youth, who are all high school graduates, can't go. Do you really believe someone with a bad reputation who got in?"

Although Jiang Wanzhou was furious, saving the sow was the priority at this moment: "Have you ever raised pigs before?"

Xia Meilin paused: "What do you mean?"

“This pig has eaten the pig feed I cut. You’re from the city and have only ever eaten pork. It’s understandable that you don’t trust me.”

"Hmph, easy for you to say. If something goes wrong, can you take responsibility? We educated youth also got a share of this meat." Xia Meilin crossed her arms, raised her chin, and continued to provoke.

At this moment, Aunt Li stepped forward and said loudly, "Xia Zhiqing, Su Xiaomei, stop talking nonsense! Wanzhou is a good girl. She's willing to help, and instead of being grateful, you're making sarcastic remarks. If this continues and something really happens to the sow, I don't think any of you will get away with it!"

Xia Meilin was speechless for a moment after being rebuked by Aunt Li, but she still stood aside angrily, muttering, "Hmph, you've taken my kindness for granted. You'll regret it later."

Seeing this, Su Xiaomei quickly tugged at Xia Meilin's arm and whispered, "Meilin, maybe they really do have a way. Let's just watch and see."

Jiang Wanzhou ignored them and quickly walked to the sow's side.

She crouched down and carefully observed the sow's condition, discovering that the sow's birth canal was open, but the piglets were stuck inside and couldn't come out.

"Don't panic, everyone. Let me try." Jiang Wanzhou took a deep breath to calm herself down.

She first asked Aunt Li to find some clean warm water and a soft towel, then washed her hands with the warm water and applied some vegetable oil to increase lubrication.

She gently reached into the sow's birth canal and carefully felt for the piglets' positions.

The sow trembled incessantly from the pain, emitting shrill cries.

The people around were so frightened by the scene that they turned pale and dared not breathe.

Jiang Wanzhou's hands were also a little sore from the sow's struggles, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

Finally, she touched the pig's leg, slowly adjusted its position, and then gently pulled it outwards.

"They're out! They're out!" A cheer erupted from the crowd.

Jiang Wanzhou successfully pulled out the three chubby pink piglets one after another.

The piglets made faint squeals, announcing their arrival to the world.

Jiang Wanzhou used a towel to wipe the mucus off the piglets and then placed them next to the mother pig.

The sow seemed to sense the piglets' presence, calmed down, and gently nudged them with her snout.

Jiang Wanzhou didn't stop and continued to check the sow's birth canal, where she found several piglets inside.

She delivered the piglets one by one using the same method.

After more than an hour of effort, the sow finally gave birth to six piglets.

People gathered around, praising Jiang Wanzhou as a capable and good girl.

"Zhou girl, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, the sow and piglets would have been in danger." Aunt Li excitedly held Jiang Wanzhou's hand, her eyes full of gratitude.

Those villagers who had previously made sarcastic remarks now lowered their heads in shame.

Xia Meilin blushed even more, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Su Xiaomei's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer again, feigning concern, saying, "Wanzhou, you're really amazing. Do you learn midwifery in your high school?"

Jiang Wanzhou gave her a cold look and said, "My sister-in-law learned it when she gave birth."

Doesn't Su Xiaomei's statement imply that she herself might not have given birth?

With so many people, if this spreads from person to person, who knows what kind of people will be dressed like?

However, Jiang Wanzhou's current focus is still on the hygiene of the pigsty.

At this moment, Jiang Weiguo walked over, patted Jiang Wanzhou on the shoulder, and said, "Wanzhou, you have done a great job this time! The brigade has decided to reward you with some grain and meat as a token of our gratitude."

Jiang Wanzhou quickly waved her hand to refuse: "Captain, I don't want any reward. Everyone has helped me and my sister-in-law a lot. I'm just doing my part."

“No, this is what you deserve. Don’t refuse,” said Sister Li.

Under Jiang Weiguo's insistence, Jiang Wanzhou had no choice but to accept the reward.

Shen Jiahao and Zhou Qingyu stood on the hillside watching.

After the piglet was successfully delivered, Shen Jiahao said with a disdainful look, "Old Zhou, let me tell you, I've heard a lot of rumors about Jiang Wanzhou these past few days. They say she's lazy and greedy, does nothing all day but eat, and has a bad temper."

Zhou Qingyu frowned and said, "Jiahao, you can't just believe these things. Maybe someone is deliberately trying to smear her."

Shen Jiahao pursed his lips and said, "How could it be a smear campaign? Many people say that. I think she's just a scheming woman. She even brought you things last time. It's only because you're a kind person that she took so many things from you."

Zhou Qingyu frowned: "She thanked me with a gift, but I just don't need it..."

"Alright, alright, did you hear that? The brigade leader actually made us sweep the pigsty!"

Xia Meilin rolled her eyes when she saw Jiang Wanzhou and muttered under her breath, "Hmph, you really managed to steal the spotlight."

Then, Jiang Wanzhou glanced at her and said, "This pigsty is dirty and messy right now. In order for the sows and piglets to have a clean and comfortable environment, let's all clean the pigsty together."

"I still have work to do in the fields, I'll be going now, team leader."

"My baby needs milk, I'm going back to get some hot water."

"My home..."

Upon hearing this, the villagers looked at each other with embarrassed expressions, and soon ran away.

Led by Jiang Weiguo, the remaining educated youth picked up brooms, shovels and other tools and began cleaning the pigsty.

Although Xia Meilin was unwilling, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.

While pretending to clean diligently, Su Xiaomei secretly observed Jiang Wanzhou, feeling that something was amiss.

Inside the pigsty, the sounds of brooms scraping against the ground and shovels shoveling dirt mingled together.

Although the educated youth were unwilling, they had no choice but to work hard under Jiang Weiguo's supervision.

Xia Meilin looked disgusted, each sweep seeming to require all her strength, and she kept muttering, "This lousy job is filthy, I don't know what Jiang Wanzhou is up to."

Su Xiaomei leaned close to Xia Meilin and whispered, "Meilin, do you think Jiang Wanzhou is deliberately trying to embarrass us? She became a hero after delivering the sow, but now she's making us do this dirty and tiring work."

Xia Meilin glared and said fiercely, "Hmph, isn't she just trying to show off? Don't think she's so great just because she delivered a sow's baby. I think she's just lucky. If the people here didn't reject us educated youth, I could have delivered the baby too."

"When I get the chance in the future, I'll definitely teach her a lesson."

Jiang Wanzhou walked over. She had overheard Xia Meilin and Su Xiaomei's conversation, but she wasn't angry. She just spoke calmly.

“Educated youth Xia and Su, cleaning the pigsty is dirty and tiring, but it’s for the health of the sows and piglets. If the pigsty is not clean, they are very likely to get sick.”

"You all need to divide this meat too. Surely no one wants them to die of illness or become emaciated, right?"

Xia Meilin scoffed, "Oh, that's easy for you to say. Who knows what you're really up to? Maybe you just want to embarrass us educated youth so you can gain a foothold in the village."