Hearing Qiaoyun's explanation, Jiang Zhi became even angrier: "How tiring can it be to put a child to sleep? Can it be as tiring as when I carried a child on my back to work in the fields?"

The original owner used to work in the fields with her child, and the hardships she endured were far more than just being tired.

Seeing that Qiaoyun was very afraid of her, Jiang Zhi finally softened her voice: "If you don't want to study, that's fine too. In the future, you won't recognize Caixia's writing and drawing, and you won't understand what she says or does."

If she has any difficulties, you can't help her at all, and can only watch helplessly as the child suffers, are you willing to accept that?

Qiaoyun shook her head vigorously, tears welling up in her eyes: "No, I don't want to."

She couldn't bear to see her child suffer, and she knew she would feel even worse if she couldn't do anything about it!

"Then why?" Jiang Zhi was puzzled, and felt increasingly frustrated.

This daughter-in-law is obedient and hardworking; could she have suffered some injustice in the village?

I must find Errui and get to the bottom of this. He can't even protect his own wife and let others bully her. What use is he as a husband? He deserves to be beaten!

Just as Qiaoyun was about to explain, Errui returned carrying a basket of pounded wheat bran. This wheat flour still needed to be repeatedly sifted and pounded to become white flour.

"Mother, Qiaoyun, is dinner ready? I'm hungry!"

After putting down the basket, Xu Errui, his face covered in dust and sweat, scooped up some water from the wooden basin next to him and started washing himself. He had been busy all morning and was starving.

"Okay, everyone, let's eat!"

Jiang Zhi suppressed her anger and asked the questions at the same time.

Breakfast consisted of boiled porridge, steamed wheat cakes, and a steamed egg, which was also convenient for Caixia to eat.

I also stir-fried some sweet potato vine tips.

Stir-fried dishes are what Jiang Zhi wants to eat.

Qiaoyun never finds it troublesome to give her mother-in-law anything she wants.

Nowadays, in addition to a bowl of kimchi, every meal includes a stir-fried seasonal vegetable dish, or a cold salad of goji berry sprouts, purslane sprouts, houttuynia cordata, cucumber, etc.

We eat eggs every day, and every few days we also have oily and greasy food. The family's meals are always varied and innovative.

Because my mother-in-law said that if you can't even eat a proper meal in your whole life, you won't have the strength to do anything, and your life will be meaningless.

If you're willing to eat well, you have to be willing to work hard. As long as it's within your capabilities, you must never let yourself and your family go hungry.

After having dinner with Caixia, Jiangzhi asked Errui how his studies were going.

Xu Errui ate heartily, mumbling, "It's great! Xiaoman and I didn't understand what Xia Xiucai said at the time. It was only on the way back that Qiaoyun explained it to us and we finally understood. Mother, Qiaoyun is smarter than Xiaoman and me!"

Jiang Zhi saw that he was still carefree as he spoke, not feeling embarrassed at all that he was inferior to his wife, so he felt even less that Qiaoyun had suffered any injustice.

"Qiaoyun, what are you thinking? Why aren't you going to listen to the lecture? Stop lying to me." Jiang Zhi asked with her last bit of patience.

Xu Errui put down his chopsticks and looked at his wife in surprise: "Qiaoyun, are you really not going? You said it was nice and interesting yesterday."

Qiaoyun lowered her head and finally spoke: "When I went to the village to attend classes, the older women there said... that it was unfilial of me to leave my child behind and go out to play!"

"Smack!" Jiang Zhi slammed her chopsticks back on the table and said to Qiaoyun with exasperation, "Qiaoyun, are you stupid? In Xujia Village, only one person is qualified to judge your filial piety, and that's me! Your mother-in-law!"

"Whether you're doing well or not, only I know, and only I have the final say. What others say about you is just nonsense!"

Qiaoyun forced a smile, trying to cheer herself up: "I can't explain what they're saying. I just hope that if I don't go back to the village, no one will talk about it."

Xu Errui stared wide-eyed: "Who? Who said you? Was it Sister-in-law Pi or the Lin family?"

He tried hard to recall the women who had spoken to him yesterday, but he didn't pay them any mind and couldn't remember them now.

Jiang Zhi didn't press for who said it, but simply said, "It doesn't matter who said it, what matters is not living your life on the tip of other people's tongues."

"If someone says something and you're treated like a cow with a nose rope, forced to go east and afraid to go west, living as if you're being led around for the next few decades, wouldn't you feel resentful?"

Qiaoyun lowered her head and remained silent. She knew it was frustrating, but being called unfilial would be very unpleasant and would ruin her reputation.

Seeing that Qiaoyun hadn't quite grasped the situation, Jiang Zhi, who was usually averse to grand pronouncements, felt compelled to clarify some things for the two young people.

So, she said in a gentle voice and calmly, "Errui, Qiaoyun, have you thought about this? In the future, as we make more and more mosquito coils and mosquito repellent liquids, and later make powders and tablets, when we need ten, eight, or even twenty people to help us, we will have to rely on our own family members to take care of things."

I can't keep running around and worrying about everything, without even having a capable person to manage things.

You should know that the more you learn, the more you understand, and the more successful you become, the easier it will be for me.

When I no longer care about anything and can just leisurely take care of the children, becoming an old woman who only knows how to eat, then you will be the most filial.

Don't be like what others say, thinking that being filial to your mother-in-law by constantly massaging her legs and shoulders and never leaving her side is the only way.

Qiaoyun and Errui both blushed. They knew that although they could help their mother with chores, they were only "helping" and their mother still did everything herself.

Seeing that the two had come to their senses, Jiang Zhi was also afraid that the pressure would be too great and hurt their self-esteem, since not many people could understand Xia Xiucai's lectures.

Then he continued, "Although Scholar Xia's explanations are profound, and there are some things you don't understand, others don't understand either."

You must understand that this knowledge is what Xia Xiucai has learned over decades. You can't possibly learn it in a day. If you don't understand it in one day, try the next day. If you can't do it on the second day, try the third day..."

The three of them ate and talked slowly, putting aside their reservations. Qiaoyun said that she would go every day from now on and would no longer listen to those people.

Xu Errui also stated that he would definitely study hard in the future and would not allow anyone to talk nonsense about Qiaoyun again.

Because my mother said that a woman protected by her maternal family would not be bullied by men.

A woman with a man protecting her will not be bullied by her husband's family.

A woman protected by her husband's family is not someone outsiders dare to bully.

A woman without protection is vulnerable to being bullied by anyone.

Anyone who bullies or embarrasses their wife is implying that her husband is useless.

Jiang Zhi felt even happier when she saw that the two of them understood the situation.

Besides wanting Errui and Qiaoyun to study more so they could share the burden of household affairs, she was also considering the male lead, Nie Fantian.

When Nie Fantian achieves success and they meet again, Jiang Zhi will try to protect herself, but she doesn't want Er Rui and Qiao Yun to have accomplished nothing and be subservient to Nie Fantian.

Everyone's struggles may seem different, but in the end, they all revolve around fame and fortune. When everyone's goals are clear, even rivals can become teammates.

These things are still far in the future, and Errui and his companion cannot understand them for the time being, so there is no point in saying more.

The minor incident was resolved during the meal, and everyone went back to their own business during the day.

Jiang Zhi picked up a hoe, ready to dig up the deer antler grass she had long ago.

This medicine is not easy to come by; if it weren't for the flower blooming, one wouldn't even notice it. It helps Xu Dazhu's recovery.

Legend has it that when people discovered a herd of deer fighting and playing, one deer fell to the ground and couldn't get up. Another deer brought grass to its rescue, hence the name, which means "to save lives and heal the wounded."

Deer antler grass, known as white wormwood in Mianyang, grows near oak forests in high mountains. It nourishes the liver and kidneys, strengthens muscles and bones, and is used for rheumatic pain and weakness of muscles and bones.

Pyrola rotundifolia leaves come in oval and obovate varieties, but have the same medicinal properties; the flowers differ slightly.