Ning Huan made egg pancakes and egg drop soup. She also put some chopped vegetables in the egg pancakes, which the four little ones found novel.
The little ones all said it was delicious and ate much more than usual.
After the meal, Zhu Dali came over with the village chief.
It turned out that the village chief had heard that Ning Huan and Zhou Jing'an were going out together today, so he came over to remind him to take care of himself. He also told Zhu Dali to be careful when driving the cart and not to hurt Zhou Jing'an's leg too fast.
Ning Huan, carrying her four little ones and Zhou Jing'an's luggage, along with a lot of things for Pang Shi, boarded the Zhu family's oxcart and set off.
The four little ones were incredibly happy on the way, as this was their first time traveling far from home, and to their maternal grandparents' house no less.
Zhou Jing'an sat to the side, looking at the four little dumplings and Ning Huan. He sized up the woman who was chatting and laughing with the little dumplings.
The horrible, nauseating pustules were long gone from her fair face; her skin was smooth and clean, and her bright, expressive eyes smiled as she looked at the four little ones, curving into beautiful crescent moons.
Perhaps due to exhaustion and travel, the woman's fat had long since disappeared. Compared to her previous plumpness, she now had a well-proportioned and full figure, looking like a round and white pearl.
Moreover, the confidence she exuded was as dazzling as the luster of a pearl, compelling people to look at her.
Zhou Jing'an thought to himself that as long as she didn't act the way she did before, he would be willing to try to get along with her.
The four little ones quickly lost their initial energy upon boarding the bus. After a while, they were barely able to keep their eyes open and take in the surrounding scenery.
Later, due to the bumpy journey, they gradually fell asleep.
Ning Huan was afraid they would catch a cold, so she carefully covered them with thick clothes and then slowly moved to Zhou Jing'an's side.
She said softly, "If you're tired, take a rest. I'll wake you up when we get there."
Zhou Jing'an shook his head: "It's okay, I'm not tired."
Just as he was about to say something more, the oxcart ran over a rock, and Ning Huan was thrown forward. Zhou Jing'an quickly grabbed her.
He asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Ning Huan calmed herself down and said, "It's okay, it's good that you caught me."
At this moment, Zhu Dali turned around and apologized, embarrassed: "I'm sorry, girl, there are a lot of stones on this road. I'm afraid I just stepped on a big one."
Ning Huan shook her head: "I'm fine, Brother Zhu."
Zhou Jing'an recalled that when he grabbed the woman earlier, he had inadvertently caught a whiff of her fragrance.
After the car had traveled for a while, Ning Huan was also a little tired, so she closed her eyes and lay down for a while.
Before long, the oxcart arrived at Ning Huan's maternal home, Lin'an Village. As soon as they entered the village, they heard someone talking loudly at the door. At first, Zhu Dali ignored it.
Unexpectedly, the group became more and more agitated as they spoke, and even stood in front of the oxcart to prevent them from leaving.
The people who stopped them were none other than the villagers who had previously sought treatment from Ning Huan.
They were unhappy because Ning Huan hadn't treated them last time.
He spoke ill of Ning Huan everywhere, and seeing her at the village entrance today made him even angrier.
The woman in the lead, hands on her hips, said, "Isn't this the renowned and skilled female healer? What brings you here?"
Ning Huan frowned. After hearing the voice, she looked at the faces of the people speaking and recognized the woman in front of her as the one who had caused trouble when she came to see the doctor last time.
Before she could even ask what had happened, the woman and the old woman started talking badly about Ning Huan to the villagers nearby.
"Oh my, you have no idea what happened back then. We pleaded and begged, but they wouldn't treat us. They even told us to go to town to see a doctor."
"I don't think she's a miracle doctor at all. She's clearly a fraudster who spreads lies. We've been from the same village for so many years, how could we not know what's going on with her? I thought she just became enlightened after getting married."
"She really thought she was a miracle doctor who could cure people, but who knew she was just another big talker. Cure patients? Pah!"
The words that followed were getting increasingly offensive. Just as Ning Huan was about to say something, the four little ones behind her, who had already been woken up by the woman and the old woman, spoke up in defense of her when they heard them talking badly about Ning Huan: "You are not allowed to talk about my mother!"
"My mother is amazing, she's a miracle doctor, you're not allowed to say anything like that!"
"That's right, my mother has cured many people's illnesses. She's not lying!"
Upon hearing this, the woman became angry and immediately started cursing at the four little children: "You're cursing your mother! Your mother is a fraud! She can't cure diseases but claims to be a miracle doctor!"
"I think all four of you are the same. Your mother is no good, and you're probably no good either, speaking so rudely!"
Ning Huan was already angry, but when she saw the woman and the old woman scolding the four little ones, her expression changed immediately. She jumped off the car and yelled, "Try scolding my children again!"
The woman was a little scared, but she still stubbornly said, "Let's try it then. What's wrong with me cursing you? You're a liar anyway!"
Ning Huan suddenly grabbed the woman's hair, and the woman was immediately terrified, screaming, "Are you crazy!"
She reached out to grab Ning Huan, but Ning Huan was pulling her hair with tremendous force. The more she struggled, the more her head ached. "Let go of me! Let go of me now!"
Ning Huan looked at her coldly and said, "If you say another word of nonsense, I won't just pull your hair. I'll sew your mouth shut with a needle and see if I can do it."
Then he released the woman's hand.
The woman was so frightened that she dared not speak again, and the old woman beside her was also frightened by Ning Huan.
She was no match for this crazy woman. What if she got angry and ripped all her hair off or sewed her mouth shut?
Zhou Jing'an, speaking from inside the carriage, said, "Do you two think you can get away with just gossiping? According to the laws of our dynasty, those who gossip can be taken to the government office, slapped fifty times, and fined ten coins of silver."
"Do you two want to give it a try?"
Hearing Zhou Jing'an's words terrified the woman and the old woman. They had only spread rumors in the village because they couldn't stand Ning Huan not treating their illnesses.
Upon hearing that they would be slapped and fined by the authorities for gossiping, the two women immediately pursed their lips, as if the authorities would send someone to beat them if they said another word.
The oxcart had been parked at the village entrance for quite some time, attracting many villagers to come and see what was going on.
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