Song Rumeng, who had been waiting at the gate of her courtyard, saw Song Yueying and Wang Qianqian approaching. Ignoring Wang Qianqian, her gaze fell directly on Song Yueying holding the umbrella.

That umbrella was small and pretty; she had never seen Song Yueying use it.

It definitely wasn't something Song Yueying bought before; all the good things Song Yueying had before ended up in her hands. If it wasn't bought before, then it must have been bought recently.

Song Rumeng now regrets having strained her relationship with Song Yueying.

But it doesn't matter, as long as she says a few nice words and coaxes Song Yueying, the small umbrella in Song Yueying's hand will be in hers before long.

Seeing the two approaching, Song Rumeng quickly composed herself. Smiling, she strode forward to block their path, "Cousin, you're finally back."

Song Yueying and Wang Qianqian were walking and talking when Song Rumeng suddenly rushed out. The two of them immediately stopped and looked at her.

"Song Rumeng, what are you trying to do by stopping me and the teacher?" Wang Qianqian asked, frowning. She hadn't forgotten what Song Rumeng had said at Song Rumeng's house before.

“Wang Qianqian, I have something to discuss with my cousin. It’s none of your business, so don’t meddle in other people’s business.” Song Rumeng retorted without any politeness.

"Don't think you're a village doctor just because you've been following my cousin around for a day or two."

Wang Qianqian scoffed and mocked her, "When did you go to see the teacher? Wasn't it because you had something to do? Besides, I'm the teacher's student, so your going to see the teacher is related to me."

Just now, on the dam where the rice was drying, Teacher Song told several women that she was their student.

Teacher-student relationships are still relationships; even if there is no relationship, it is still necessary to force a connection.

"You... Wang Qianqian, you shameless!" After only two sentences, Song Rumeng was furious again. She wanted nothing more than to pounce on Wang Qianqian and tear her smug face to shreds.

Damn Wang Qianqian, damn it! A ruthless glint flashed in Song Rumeng's eyes. If Wang Qianqian hadn't beaten her to it, it should have been her walking with Song Yueying.

Because Song Yueying was unwilling to teach her medicine, she had no choice but to work in the fields. Enduring the wind and sun, her hands developed numerous blisters.

On what grounds?

She was Song Yueying's cousin; if Song Yueying wanted to teach medicine, she should have taught her. Why would Song Yueying prefer to teach a stranger rather than her own family member?

That damned Wang Qianqian, and even more damned is Song Yueying.

She vowed that she would never let those two sluts get away with it. Any relief for them would be a disservice to the suffering she was going through.

In fact, Wang Qianqian was just mocking Song Rumeng, implying that she was taking advantage of Song Yueying.

But Song Rumeng was furious! Nothing pleased her. To her, Wang Qianqian's expression was that of a petty person gloating and showing off in front of her.

Wang Qianqian didn't forget what Song Rumeng said, and Song Rumeng naturally didn't forget what Wang Qianqian said about her being jealous of her.

The two, who couldn't stand each other, glared at each other, their eyes practically spitting fire.

Song Yueying watched the two of them fighting like two cocks and remained silent.

Finally, Song Rumeng looked away first. She had finished cooking and was waiting for Song Yueying at the gate of the courtyard; she couldn't wait in vain. She said to Song Yueying, "Cousin."

"Don't listen to Wang Qianqian's divisive words. She says I'm jealous that she's learning medicine from you. Actually, she's jealous of me, jealous of the deep sisterly bond between you and me."

"I'm your own cousin, I would never harm you!"

"You've hurt the teacher..." Wang Qianqian's words were cut off by Song Yueying. She could only swallow her words and look at Song Yueying with a worried expression.

She was genuinely afraid that her teacher would be deceived by Song Rumeng again.

Judging from Wang Qianqian's expression, Song Yueying knew that she was worried that she had been deceived by Song Rumeng again.

Actually, she was overthinking it. She stopped Song Rumeng from arguing simply because she didn't want to waste time, nothing more.

Song Yueying gave Wang Qianqian a look that said "keep calm," and then looked at Song Rumeng, "Stop spouting this nonsense about sisterly affection. Just say what you have to say."

Song Rumeng could deceive the original owner of the body, but she couldn't deceive her.

"Cousin, why are you talking like this now... why are you being so hurtful?" Song Rumeng looked at Song Yueying with a shocked expression.

That vivid expression was practically saying, "I was hurt by what you said."

Unfortunately, Song Yueying was in no mood to watch her performance at the moment. She had been surrounded by the aunties on the threshing ground and had walked for so long under the sun.

Naturally, I wouldn't be in a good mood.

"Fine, don't tell me then." Song Yueying took two steps to the side, making a move to walk around Song Rumeng and leave.

"Cousin, don't go, don't go yet." Song Rumeng quickly stopped her again, this time not daring to play the emotional card. "I'm waiting for you here because my dad's wound is bleeding."

“Before, my dad and I had a disagreement in the yard, and he heard it all from inside the main room.”

"He was in a hurry and accidentally fell off the bench."

"When I went in, I was terrified. Cousin, please come in with me and see his injury. I'm really afraid that his wound will get worse."

Song Rumeng cleverly concealed the embarrassing incident of her uncle almost choking to death on a sponge cake. She acted very anxious, as if she was genuinely worried that her uncle's wound would worsen.

Uncle Song fell off the long bench! How could someone so big fall off a bench? Song Yueying's eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly returned to calm.

As for Song Rumeng's claim that her uncle fell off the bench because he was upset about a fight with her, Song Rumeng said that her uncle fell off the bench in his anxiety.

Song Yueying didn't believe a single word.

After hearing Song Rumeng's words, Wang Qianqian blinked in surprise. She had stitched up the wound on Uncle Song's calf, so she knew how long it was.

With a wound like that, it's inevitable that there would be bleeding after falling off a bench.

Seeing Song Yueying standing motionless, Song Rumeng darted under Song Yueying's parasol. She reached out to grab Song Yueying's hand, but Song Yueying stepped back to avoid her.

“Cousin.” Song Rumeng looked at Song Yueying in astonishment.

"You suddenly crawled under my parasol, which startled me," Song Yueying said, frowning. "Just a heads-up, don't come near me like that in the future."

"Otherwise, if I kick you out one day, don't blame me and say I bullied you."

"Okay, okay, I won't get close to you again." Song Rumeng said these words of compromise, but she didn't care in her heart. She knew Song Yueying's character very well.

"Cousin, I'm really worried. I need you to take a look at my dad's wound."

"After I helped him back to the bench and sat him down, I immediately went next door to call you over so you could take a look at him."

"But my second aunt told me that you were called to the educated youth settlement to treat the new educated youth."

Song Yueying nodded, indicating that this was indeed the case.

Wang Qianqian said, "Auntie is right, it is indeed the new educated youth who is sick. My teacher and I were called to the educated youth settlement to treat the new educated youth."

"We just came back from the educated youth settlement."

Song Rumeng glared at Wang Qianqian fiercely, as if to say, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

Wang Qianqian seemed not to notice and asked Song Rumeng, "You just said that Uncle Song's wound was bleeding. How much blood did he lose, and has the bleeding stopped?"

"I...I don't know." Song Rumeng's eyes flickered. "I'm not a doctor, you are. You'll know once you go in and see for yourself."

“No need to look,” Song Yueying said. “Uncle Song’s wound has been stitched up. Even if it bleeds, it won’t be much.”

Wang Qianqian immediately understood what Song Yueying meant and continued, "That's right! So much time has passed, no matter how much blood was lost, it should have turned into blood curd by now."

"The wound has been stitched up, so even if it reopens and bleeds, there won't be much blood. You don't need to worry too much."

"Besides, even if we went to look, we wouldn't be able to see anything. It's even less likely that we would unwrap the bandages to look at the wound, as that would make it easier for the wound to become infected."

“Go back and take good care of your dad, make sure he doesn’t fall off the bench again.”

Wang Qianqian even pulled Song Rumeng aside and patiently explained a whole bunch of precautions for taking care of the injured.

After Wang Qianqian finished speaking, Song Rumeng turned around to look for Song Yueying, but Song Yueying was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Song Rumeng being pulled along by Wang Qianqian, Song Yueying naturally headed towards her own courtyard. Just as she approached the gate, it opened, and Song's mother came out.

"Little Shadow, you're finally back." Song's mother's eyes lit up when she saw the umbrella her daughter was holding.

She quickly walked out and circled her daughter, touching the parasol. Song's mother clicked her tongue in amazement, "Little Shadow, this parasol of yours is so special, so beautiful."

"It's a bit small, it definitely won't keep you dry when it rains heavily."

"Mom, this is a parasol, it's for shielding us from the sun." Song Yueying smiled as she folded up the parasol and handed it to her mother.

Taking the shrunken parasol, Song's mother asked with a smile, "Can't a parasol meant to shield from the sun be used to shield from the rain?"

“Yes,” Song Yueying replied, “but as you just said, the parasol is so small that it definitely won’t be able to keep you dry if the rain gets a little heavy.”

Upon hearing that it could provide shelter from the rain, Song's mother smiled even more broadly. "It's so great that a parasol can also provide shelter from the rain! But it's a parasol, so as long as it can block out the sun, that's fine."

"When it rains, don't we have umbrellas? Or at the very least, raincoats?"

Song Yueying was amused by her mother's words, and she once again experienced her mother's doting on her daughter. Sun umbrellas were practically useless in this era; they were like a white elephant.

Don't be fooled by the aunties on the dam praising her parasol for being small and pretty in front of her.

Once she leaves, they might start making fun of her for wasting money on a useless parasol. People these days don't even know what ultraviolet rays are, nor do they know how to use parasols.

Only Song's mother genuinely thought the umbrella was beautiful and didn't think she was wasting it.

The mother and daughter walked back to the main room together. Song's mother asked Song Yueying to sit on the long bench by the square table. She poured her a glass of water and said, "Little Yingying, drink some water first."

"You sit in the main room and rest for a while, I'll go to the kitchen to get lunch."

"I'll go too." Song Yueying finished her water and got up to go to the kitchen to help carry the food back to the main room.

“You’re not allowed to go,” Song’s mother said. “The sun is so strong outside, and you still have to go out to see patients. You’re already working so hard. Just come home and rest.”

"Let Mom do the cooking and serving."

“My son-in-law told me to take care of you before he left. If he sees that you have lost weight when he comes back, he will definitely think that I have not taken good care of you.”

That excuse... it's really brilliant! Song Yueying had no rebuttal. Oh dear! Song's mother truly dotes on her daughter; she wants her to do even the smallest chores.

"That's a good girl!" Seeing Song Yueying obediently sit back on the stool, Song's mother happily went out to serve the food.

Watching her mother's retreating figure, Song Yueying shook her head with a wry smile.

When she returned to the main room with the food, Wang Qianqian also happened to walk into the main room.

"Xixi is back, just in time." Song's mother put the food on the table, only then realizing that she was so happy to see her daughter return when she went out of the yard that she hadn't noticed Xixi wasn't back.

After placing the medicine box on the cabinet, Wang Qianqian greeted Song's mother and headed towards the door.

"Hey, Xixi, where are you going?" Song's mother quickly called out to her.

"Go home!" Wang Qianqian replied with a puzzled look, not understanding why her aunt had called her back.

Song's mother looked at her daughter, who was sitting at the square table fanning herself. Seeing her nod, she said, "It's already noon, why are you going home? Just have lunch here."

"No, no, that won't do." Wang Qianqian waved her hands in surprise and said, "Auntie, I can't eat at your house."

“Why not? Little Shadow agreed.” Song’s mother walked up to Wang Qianqian and took her hand. “It’s hard work for you and Little Shadow to go out and treat patients.”

"From now on, we'll be eating at my aunt's house."

Song's mother's words startled Wang Qianqian, who immediately broke free from her mother's grasp and ran away. No matter how much Song's mother called after her, Wang Qianqian didn't turn around.

"What's going on in Sisi's head? I'm just calling her to eat, not killing her. Why is she running so fast?" Song's mother asked, her face full of doubt.

“She won’t be eating at our house.” Song Yueying could understand Wang Qianqian’s thoughts. Most people at this time were very practical and didn’t like to take advantage of others.

"Why?" Song's mother asked, puzzled.

"Because she has to go home to cook for Wang Zhiqing," Song Yueying casually gave an answer.

Nowadays, food is scarce and grain production is low, but every household has enough to eat. Unless someone is shameless like Song Rumeng, no one would casually eat at someone else's house.

Because she understood Wang Qianqian, she didn't ask her to stay for dinner.

When her mother asked Wang Qianqian to stay for dinner, she naturally didn't object.

Upon hearing her daughter's words, Song's mother immediately began to reflect on herself, "I didn't expect that if Qianqian stayed at our house for dinner, Wang Zhiqing would have no food to eat."

“Wang, the educated youth, must be tired and hungry while working in the fields. It would be so pitiful if no one at home cooked for him.”

Song Yueying didn't know how to respond to this, so she could only silently start eating.

For the next two days, every evening when Wang Aimin came to pick up his wife from school, he would receive a steamed bun and a pitying look from Song's mother.

Wang Aimin was flattered and dared not accept it, but Song's mother insisted on giving it to him. Unable to refuse, he had no choice but to take it, and when he got home, he asked Wang Qianqian what was going on.

Wang Qianqian didn't know what was going on either, so she quietly asked Song Yueying.

Song Yueying said that her mother felt sorry for Wang Zhiqing because he was tired from working in the fields, and told them to accept the money without worry.