She didn't know what was wrong with her, she just felt a little down, and she sat silently in the room, lost in thought...

"Er Ya, what are you doing in the house? Go and call your Aunt Tao Hua to clean this up."

Er Ya calmed herself down and decided to focus on the present. She carefully folded the letter again, put it in a small bag, and ran out after giving a reply.

Seeing her mother-in-law soil the bed again, Li Taohua, who was making the bed, had tears welling up in her eyes. When would this kind of life ever end?

I checked and the medicine is almost finished. I don't know where I'll get the money for the next dose.

Hearing Er Ya's shouts outside, she quickly tidied herself up, laid her mother-in-law down, wiped away her tears, and ran to open the door.

Knowing that Er Ya's arrival would give her something to do, she opened the door and asked with a beaming smile:

"Er Ya, when did you get back? I've tidied up your house. I just got back and changed your grandma's bed."

Er Ya glanced at Li Taohua, whose eyes were red, knowing she had been crying. She didn't ask directly, but instead took Li Taohua's hand and led her home.

“We just got back. Thank you, Auntie. Look how clean you’ve made my yard. My mom thought she’d come to the wrong house when she got back.”

Li Taohua laughed out loud: "It's not that exaggerated. I was just doing it because I had nothing else to do."

She asked again cautiously, "You came to see me because...?" She was in a great hurry for money; two cents was enough for her mother-in-law to take medicine for a day.

Er Ya quickly nodded: "Auntie, look, we're going to have to trouble you again. We've sold out of ours, so we have to make a new batch."

Upon hearing that there really was work to be done, Li Taohua picked up Er Ya and hurried towards her home:

"Next time there's this kind of work, just call me from across the yard. Don't talk about how troublesome it is. If you say that again, I'll really get angry."

After arriving at her house, he put Er Ya down and said to Jiang's mother, "Sister-in-law, let me wash this first, and then we can chat when I get back."

He hurried out with a basket on his back and a basin in his hand.

Jiang's mother looked at Li Taohua and smiled: "Look at your aunt, she's so impatient. If she wants to try something, she has to get it done right away. She can't hold things in."

Er Ya squatted down in front of Jiang's mother: "Mother, I just saw that Aunt Tao Hua seemed to be crying? Did someone bully her?"

Jiang's mother sighed, "Ah, your aunt has had a hard life too. Her father-in-law died early, and now her mother-in-law is bedridden. She has to rely on herself for everything, both inside and outside the house."

Your uncle didn't even come home for the Chinese New Year because he was busy making money. Even then, he didn't earn enough to buy his mother-in-law her medicine. She seems to have some kind of mental problem; she's supposed to get sick if she stops taking her medication.

In other families, if the mother-in-law died, that would be the end of it. Some people who didn't get along with her would even wish for her to die quickly. But your Aunt Peach Blossom is kind-hearted and took good care of her, even though she went into debt because of it.

I never imagined that Aunt Peach Blossom, with her carefree personality, was hiding so much pressure. Seeing how cheerful she always is, Er Ya came up with a plan: we'll have to ask Aunt Peach Blossom for her opinion when the time comes.

Let's talk about the present first: "Mom, when Aunt Peach Blossom comes back, tell her about making chili sauce for you. Also, ask her to help out every time you braise meat, so you don't overwork yourself."

Jiang's mother nodded in agreement. Her body had been feeling a bit unwell lately, and although she was taking medicine every day to regulate it, perhaps the medicine was working?

As her belly grew bigger, she felt sleepy and nauseous every day. These were symptoms that should have occurred in early pregnancy, but she only started experiencing them after several months.

The family business relies on her for everything, so it would be good to have Peach Blossom come and help.

Seeing that Jiang's mother agreed, Er Ya voiced her thoughts: "Mother, if we let Aunt Tao Hua come every day, it will be troublesome to give her money every time. How about we give her a monthly allowance? How much do you think is appropriate?"

"Alright, when your Aunt Peach Blossom comes back, I'll ask her if she's hungry. I'll go make you some food. Why don't you go out and play for a while? Don't stay cooped up at home all the time."

Going out for a walk is fine; she's been so busy lately that she hasn't had time to visit the reeds.

Thinking back to the taste of the wild eggs I ate last time, I licked my lips, wondering if the pheasants had moved to a different spot these past few days.

Without further ado, I grabbed a handful of candy and walked towards the reeds, eating as I went. Everyone was busy cooking, and smoke was rising from every house, creating a beautiful scene in the wheat field.

Er Ya was leisurely walking along, crunching her candy when suddenly someone slowly followed behind her, pounced on her, knocked her down, and started rummaging through her pockets.

"What are you eating? Is there any more? I want some too."

Er Ya was completely bewildered. She couldn't even go out in peace, could she? Something always seemed to happen the moment she stepped outside.

During this period of time, she had been working hard and her strength was not for nothing. She was just not mentally prepared just now. Er Ya struggled hard and broke free from the person in front of her, and stood up.

It turned out to be Lin Jinbao, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. He glared fiercely at Er Ya:

"You brat, I haven't disciplined you these past few days, and you've gotten too big for your britches, huh? You dare hit me now? Let's see how I deal with you."

After saying that, he looked around for something handy on the ground, picked up a mud brick, and was about to smash it on Er Ya's head: "It seems that the bloodshed last time did not teach you a lesson. This time, let's see how I beat you to death."

Anyway, there's nobody here, so if someone dies, nobody will know it was him.

Er Ya panicked. Had Lin Jinbao gone mad? That brick could kill someone if it came down, and it was too late to run.

Just at this critical moment, a voice came: "Lin Jinbao, what are you doing? I've called the magistrate."

Upon hearing that someone was there, Lin Jinbao hurriedly put down the brick, snatched Er Ya's candy, and ran away.

Er Ya breathed a sigh of relief, plopped down on the ground, patted her chest and whispered, "Thank goodness, Lin Jinbao is really spoiled."

If he really hit her, I'd be bedridden for at least half a month. Until I'm strong enough, it seems I shouldn't provoke Lin Jinbao.

Lin Xiao rushed over and helped Er Ya up, asking, "Are you alright, Er Ya?"

He was terrified just now. His mother wouldn't let him eat again today, and he was so hungry that he had originally planned to try his luck in the river and see if he could catch any fish.

She saw Lin Jinbao about to hit her with a brick from afar, but it was too late to run over. In a moment of quick thinking, she shouted.

Er Ya was terrified. When she saw that it was Lin Xiao, she burst into tears.

"Brother Lin Xiao, it's good that you came."

To be continued!