Er Ya, eat quickly!
The villagers laughed, "What are you trying to hide? Besides Xie Xiaosan, who would like an old woman like you?"
Zhang Pandi was both ashamed and angry, and cursed, "Get out, Zheng Hehua, are you dead? Close the door and drive these people out!"
Zheng Hehua collapsed weakly onto the village aunt, wiping away her tears. "Mother, if you want to remarry, I support you. But now that you've done something like this, how can Gou'er and I hold our heads high in the village? If you don't think about me, you should think about Gou'er. Gou'er is your only grandson."
"You should have said earlier that you and Xie Xiaosan had feelings for each other, and let me stand guard outside your door for you two. Now things have turned out like this, what am I supposed to do? Dog's father, you might as well be dead and be done with it all, leaving me, a widow and orphan, behind."
"Waaah..."
Sister-in-law Hehua, recalling the events that had occurred since her marriage, was overcome with grief and wept uncontrollably.
Her aunt, holding her, was full of pity.
Oh my god!
After Zhang Pandi did such a thing, how will Hehua and Gou'er ever be able to hold their heads high in the village again?
"I'm the one who—"
Zhang Pandi opened her mouth to refute, but the words were swallowed back in silence.
Her face was filled with terror as she touched her throat.
The village chief's face darkened as he looked at Zhang Pandi and Xie Xiaosan inside.
It's been so long, and these two still aren't dressed?
Hearing the villagers huddled together and whispering, He Chuncao went into the house to beat Zhang Pandi. Zhang Pandi didn't dare to loosen the bed sheet and could only passively take the beating. Xie Xiaosan sat to the side without taking any responsibility, unmoved. The scene was chaotic. He was furious because he had just been woken up and was disturbed. "That's enough!"
The village chief still held considerable authority in the village; when he shouted, everyone fell silent.
"He Chuncao, come out and close the door. Zhang Pandi, Xie Xiaosan, you two get dressed and come out."
He Chuncao angrily punched Zhang Pandi twice more before reluctantly leaving the house and closing the door behind her.
She slapped her thigh and howled, "Village chief, you have to stand up for my mistress! My mistress is so young, and that shameless Zhang Pandi took advantage of her ignorance and tricked her into bed. You must punish Zhang Pandi."
The village chief stared at her expressionlessly without saying a word.
When the gate opened, Xie Xiaosan, looking as if she had lost her parents, and Zhang Pandi, looking shy and timid, came out.
The village chief's authoritative gaze swept over He Chuncao, Xie Xiaosan, and Zhang Pandi, finally landing on He Chuncao. "Pick a date and hold a bar for Xie Xiaosan and Zhang Pandi."
"No, no!" He Chuncao grabbed the village chief's sleeve. "Village chief, you can't do this! My mistress is going to marry a virgin and have two big, healthy sons! You're going to ruin my mistress!"
The village chief remained expressionless. "Did I force your mistress into Zhang Pandi's bed? They've already done marital things, what are they planning to do if they're not going to be husband and wife?"
"Want to have your head shaved in a half-shaved style and be sent to a big farm?"
Zhang Pandi touched her hair and looked sadly at Xie Xiaosan.
"No, no, no, we can't go to the big farm," Xie Xiaosan said timidly.
He had never been to a large farm, but he had seen how people who had affairs were treated, so he quickly grabbed his mother's hand and said, "Mom, I'll marry him, I'll marry him."
Marry her if you want, at worst I'll divorce her in a few years and marry another rich girl.
He Chuncao wanted to wail again, but the village chief was too lazy to continue the lawsuit. "You only have two choices: get married or go to the Northwest."
He Chuncao slapped Xie Xiaosan hard, "You brat, why did you choose such an old widow when you had so many daughters to choose from? I haven't given you enough motherly love, so you want to find another mother? I'll beat you to death, you heartless bastard."
This farce came to an end with Zhang Pandi and Xie Xiaosan getting married.
The villagers ate a huge melon and left satisfied.
The village has been thriving with melons lately, giving us plenty to talk about at night. It's even improved our relationship with our husbands. We're so grateful for the gifts from the villagers.
After the villagers left, Zhang Pandi reached out and hit Zheng Hehua, yelling, "You slut, did you plot this? I'll beat you to death!"
At this moment, Zheng Hehua was no longer the cowardly Zheng Hehua who dared not resist, but the heroine Hehua who had returned after turning evil. She grabbed Zhang Pandi's wrist and pushed her to the ground. "What scheme? Mother, you're talking in your sleep. It was clearly you who couldn't stand the loneliness and hooked up with Xie Xiaosan, bringing shame to our ancestors."
"If I were you, I'd hang myself with a rope. That way, I'd have the face to face my father-in-law and Gou'er's father in the afterlife. Otherwise, if you remarry, and you and Xie Xiaosan go to the underworld, will your father-in-law still call Xie Xiaosan 'brother' and Gou'er's father 'little father'?"
"you!"
Zheng Hehua's words were like a knife to the heart, and Zhang Pandi felt faint. She pointed at Zheng Hehua, trembling, and couldn't speak for a long time.
Zheng Hehua is no longer afraid of her. It is Zhang Pandi who has been stripped of her dignity. She can stand up straight now. No matter how she treats Zhang Pandi, everyone will only sympathize with her.
Back in Zhang Pandi's original room, Zheng Hehua covered her face and sobbed, then laughed softly.
From now on, she won't have to listen to her pretentious advice and spend time with those smelly men in the village anymore.
After watching the commotion, Zheng Nanle jumped down from the other side of the eaves, returned to her room, and went to sleep peacefully.
Early the next morning, she rushed to the cowshed.
Inside the cowshed, Lu Guangbai was already waiting. He handed Zheng Nanle a large bamboo tube and said gently, "It contains millet oil. Drink it like water."
"This is Poria and Yam Porridge. Drink it now." As if by magic, Lu Guangbai produced another bowl of white porridge from behind the haystack, with a bamboo spoon in it.
Zheng Nanle took it, touched it, and found it was no longer hot. Then he picked up the spoon.
The bamboo spoon is very new and still has a fresh bamboo scent; it must have been carved overnight.
She laughed and said, "Your service is pretty good."
They even considered such a small thing.
Lu Guangbai remained noncommittal.
Since we've promised to do it, we should naturally do it to the best of our ability.
Promising verbally but merely going through the motions will only offend people. It's better to be wholeheartedly sincere and leave no room for criticism, so that people will remember you fondly.
Zheng Nanle gulped down the porridge and then handed her wrist to Lu Guangbai, saying, "I feel much better now, please take my pulse."
Lu Guangbai placed three fingers on Zheng Nanle's wrist for a long time before saying, "Switch to the other hand."
Zheng Nanle quickly switched hands, her two big eyes looking expectantly at Lu Guangbai.
Zheng Erya squatted down next to Zheng Nanle, looking at Lu Guangbai expectantly.
Her health isn't that bad anymore, is it?
Lu Guangbai withdrew his hand. "It's even worse now."
Zheng Nanle didn't believe it. "How could that be?"
She deliberately draws energy from food to nourish her body.
"Your stomach is weak and overburdened, unable to tolerate tonics. Compared to a few days ago, your spleen and stomach are even weaker," Lu Guangbai asked. "Did you eat excessively and take any strong tonics?"
Zheng Nanle: "..."
The others were right; ancient doctors always asked questions with the answers already in mind.
So, it turns out that she can't absorb the energy from food to nourish her body, and that food residue can also burden her digestive system?
Zheng Nanle lowered his head and gestured with his fingers.
Lu Guangbai took a deep breath. "If you still want to recover, listen to me. Drink millet oil for half a month first. Once your stomach qi rises, I will change your diet to slowly replenish your vital energy. The tonic you took before was very effective. Take it when your body has recovered enough."
"Okay, thanks." Zheng Nanle reached into his pocket and pulled out a glutinous rice cake, handing it to him.
Lu Guangbai confiscated the glutinous rice cake, saying, "Glutinous rice is hard to digest, don't eat it. If you can afford it, eat rice; if not, eat sweet potato rice. Keep your diet light."
"knew."
Zheng Nanle got up, picked up the bamboo tube, and turned to leave.
Lu Guangbai silently put away the bowl, bent down, and returned to the shed.
Inside the shed, an elderly man with white hair, but neat clothes and combed hair, was slowly drinking porridge. He asked, "That girl with a split personality?"
"yes."
"Is it pretty?"
“Grandpa.” Lu Guangbai looked up helplessly.
Even at this hour, they still can't resist making jokes.
"Shouldn't you be focusing on her medical condition?"
The old man slowly picked up the bamboo tube and took a sip. "You're making porridge and millet oil all the time. What kind of patient deserves your concern?"
“She found the dendrobium, and I promised her I would take good care of her health,” Lu Guangbai said. “This is what she deserves; she went to the deep mountains.”
"Hmm, is she pretty?"
Seeing the old man staring at him with bright eyes, Lu Guangbai reluctantly said, "I can't tell, she's thinner than me."
"He's pitiful too," the old man said, and didn't press further.
Lu Guangbai breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm going to work now."
The old man looked at his grandson, a tear welling up in his eyes, but also a hint of pride.
After years of honing his skills in the countryside, his grandson's demeanor remained unchanged. Although he was thin to the bone, he still walked with his head held high and never bent over. His medical skills also improved year by year without any slackening.
If he hadn't been reported, his grandson would surely be an outstanding person, a man of integrity and wisdom, studying medicine in a prestigious hospital, instead of working in the fields like he does now.
He misled him.
As Lu Guangbai left the cowshed, he heard that piercing female voice again, "Lu Guangbai, Lu Guangbai."
Lu Guangbai really wanted to roll his eyes without being undignified, but he restrained himself.
He turned and walked behind the stack of rice where the two had met several times, and asked gently, "Is there anything else?"
Zheng Nanle had intended to speak politely, but upon hearing his feigned attentiveness and impatience, she forced a smile and asked, "Have you forgotten something?"
Lu Guangbai: "..."
He tried to struggle, "How about I get you some rice?"
"Playing dumb?" Zheng Nanle stared at him with a half-smile. "I suddenly have a craving for meat. I'll go up the mountain and hunt two pheasants and a wild boar for the village."
Lu Guangbai reluctantly rummaged through his pockets for a long time before finally pulling out a small package wrapped in newspaper.
Zheng Nanle went to get it.
Lu Guangbai gripped the handle tightly, "You won't betray me?"
"Don't worry, it won't happen. It's either something that fell from the sky or was picked up from the mountain. It's not something that Dr. Lu prescribed."
With a slight effort, Zheng Nanle handed the medicine packet to her, and then she left gracefully.
Lu Guangbai stared at Zheng Nanle's departing figure and thought to himself, "Pretty? More like repulsive."
Avoiding people, Zheng Nanle entered the outbuilding through the back window of the backyard. Pretending to be woken up by the noise outside, he rubbed his eyes and came out.
"Er Ya, get up." Old Mrs. Zheng said calmly, "Go wash up, and then come for breakfast."
Zheng Nanle smiled foolishly and obediently went to wash her face and brush her teeth.
Old Mrs. Zheng brought out a bowl of plain porridge and placed it in front of Er Ya. "Er Ya, eat."
"Plain porridge!" Sanhu rushed to Grandma Zheng's side. "Grandma, give me some, I want some! What good is this worthless woman drinking plain porridge?"
The four tigers and five tigers also gathered around, clamoring for a drink.
Old Mrs. Zheng, her face drooping, scolded, "Drinking, drinking, all you know is drinking! If you keep yelling, you're going to the fields today!"
Sihu burst into tears, “Grandma is mean! Grandma doesn’t love me anymore! I won’t give Grandma plain porridge anymore, I’ll make her eat sweet potato rice every day!”
The eldest aunt quickly covered her youngest son's mouth, saying, "Mother, the child is still young and talking nonsense."
She slapped her youngest son on the back, saying, "Hurry up and apologize to your grandma, and tell her you will be filial to her."
"Waaah, Mother, you don't love me anymore, you good-for-nothing! Mother, Mother, you good-for-nothing drank my plain porridge."
The four tigers rolled on the ground, howling and crying.
Sihu is the youngest son of Zheng Laoda and his wife, and they usually spoil him rotten. He was frightened when Zheng Nanle kicked Sanhu away. Where Zheng Nanle is, things are usually quiet. But now that his family is here and he can eat plain porridge, his little tyrant personality can no longer be suppressed.
Grandma Zheng was furious, but she couldn't vent her anger on her young grandson. Instead, she directed her fury at her eldest and fourth daughters-in-law, saying, "This is outrageous! The old man is still here, so what I say and do doesn't matter anymore? Even such young children dare to talk back to me? Are they all secretly cursing me as an old hag, and even the children don't respect me?"
"Mother, no, you are the pillar of our family. We won't fall apart because of you. It's just that Sihu is being unreasonable." The eldest daughter-in-law pulled Sihu over and fiercely spanked his buttocks.
Seeing that his mother was also about to roll up her sleeves, Sanhu quickly said sweetly, "Grandma, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been greedy. Grandma, you and Grandpa can have the plain porridge. My brothers and I won't fight over it."
"You and Grandpa can eat the good stuff at home first. When I start making money, I'll make sure you eat white rice every day."
Listening to Sanhu's words, Old Man Zheng and Old Woman Zheng felt comforted. Why did these elders work so hard? Wasn't it just so that their descendants could live well, and that they could have a loving father and filial son, and grandchildren who respected their elders?
"Good child, give this bowl of plain porridge to your sister first. She was jilted last night, so she should have something nice to eat today." This was said to the family, and also to Er Ya.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be unusual to send Er Ya a bowl of plain porridge out of the blue?
This will also prevent these short-sighted people from focusing solely on this bowl of plain porridge.
"Er Ya, eat quickly," Grandma Zheng said kindly.
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