Why don't you learn from Chapter 16?
Li Xiujuan smiled and then asked, "Sister-in-law, do you still have any wine?"
Jiang Wanqiu pondered for a moment, her mind racing as she considered the bottles and jars in the space.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Li Xiujuan's heart jumped into her throat. Thinking that she had been abrupt, she quickly waved her hand and said, "Sister-in-law, don't misunderstand! I won't take your things for nothing! My husband said that this kind of miraculous medicine is very precious and definitely not cheap!"
As she spoke, she reached into the inner pocket of her polyester jacket, rummaged around for a while, and finally pulled out a small roll carefully wrapped in a handkerchief. Unfolding it layer by layer, she found several brand-new "big unity" bills inside. She counted out five and stuffed them into Jiang Wanqiu's hand.
“Take this fifty yuan first! If it’s not enough, I’ll figure out another way! Because of your brother’s matter, I… I don’t know how much money I’ve wasted and how many useless medicines I’ve taken over the years! Now that I’ve finally met someone as capable as you, I’d be willing to pay any amount of money!” Li Xiujuan couldn’t help but sigh as she talked about her past hardships.
This matter has been her biggest worry, but now she can finally see a glimmer of hope.
Jiang Wanqiu looked at the thick wad of money in her hand, and her heart stirred. Fifty yuan was no small sum in those days. A strong laborer could only earn ten or twenty yuan a month after working himself to the bone in the production team.
“Sister-in-law, this amount of money is about right. But I’m out of this wine for now; it’s really difficult to make that stuff. However…” She changed the subject, whetting Li Xiujuan’s appetite, “I have some other good stuff, with different effects, but I guarantee it will work.”
After saying that, she turned around and fiddled with the cabinet for a while, actually taking out two items from her spatial storage.
One was a small, delicate wooden box, about the size of a palm, containing a pale pink scented wax block that emitted a faint, sweet fragrance; the other was a small, dark brown glass bottle containing translucent essential oil. On the back of both items were instructions written in simplified Chinese characters.
"This one, light it and put it in the room to fumigate; this one, apply it to your body before bed..." Jiang Wanqiu explained the usage simply.
Li Xiujuan had never seen anything so exquisite before; she was completely mesmerized.
She could read a few words, and after looking at the instructions, she beamed with joy, thanking Jiang Wanqiu profusely: "Oh, my good sister-in-law, you are truly a living Bodhisattva!"
After saying that, she immediately packed her things and left, perhaps eager to go back and "try it out".
Jiang Wanqiu was left alone in the room. Apart from the eggs, she looked at the few bottles of medicinal wine and the kraft paper booklet left by Li Xiujuan on the kang (a heated brick bed) and was at a loss.
What should we do with this?
She picked up a picture book and looked at it carefully.
The little figures inside are drawn very realistically with smooth lines, but they only pose in a few poses over and over again, which makes them a bit boring.
The paper is yellowed and the edges are curled, clearly indicating that it's an old item that has been passed down through several hands.
Compared to the full-color portraits of real people she brought from abroad in her previous life, they were nothing.
At that moment, the curtain was lifted, and Zhao Wenchang walked in.
He was wearing an old apron, and his hands were covered in flour. His tall figure and his casual attire created an inexplicable contrast.
"The food is ready, come out and eat first..." Before he could finish speaking, he looked up and saw the bottles and jars on the kang (a heated brick bed), as well as the open picture book in Jiang Wanqiu's hand.
"What are you looking at?" Zhao Wenchang asked curiously as he walked over.
His gaze lingered on the picture book for only a moment before shifting away, but there was little panic in his eyes. Instead, it was as if some undercurrent was quietly surging beneath the calm surface of a lake.
Jiang Wanqiu was deliberately teasing him; seeing his fake seriousness made her feel itchy inside.
She deliberately waved the booklet in her hand, raising her eyebrows high and a mischievous smile playing on her lips: "Here, let me broaden your horizons? So you can learn from it later?"
Instead of dodging the woman's deliberate teasing, Zhao Wenchang stretched out his hand, which was free of flour, and pinched a corner of the picture book with his well-defined fingers.
That's it?
Jiang Wanqiu was a little taken aback by what was said.
Zhao Wenchang took the picture book, casually flipped through two pages, frowned slightly, and his eyes revealed a hint of...disdain?
He slammed the booklet shut and tossed it back onto the kang (a heated brick bed), his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Wanqiu's eyes, which were slightly widened in surprise.
"All that fancy stuff, just a bunch of useless gestures." He twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a half-smile. "If we really follow this... I'm afraid it'll be you crying and begging me to stop later."
Jiang Wanqiu felt her cheeks instantly burn up, as if she had been scorched by a spark from a stove, the heat spreading from her cheeks all the way to her ears.
She had seen all sorts of men in her past life—smooth talkers, pretentious types, all kinds.
But none of them are like Zhao Wenchang, who wears the simplest clothes, has an austere and cold face, yet can say such... such lewd things!
"You... what nonsense are you spouting!" Jiang Wanqiu stammered for once, trying to regain her composure, but her momentum was clearly weakened.
Looking at her outwardly strong but inwardly weak appearance, Zhao Wenchang's smile deepened.
He leaned down and slowly approached her, so close that she could see his long, distinct eyelashes.
He lowered his voice, as if he were talking about some huge secret: "Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll find out later. If you really can't wait to try... I can do it tonight too."
His warm, damp breath brushed against Jiang Wanqiu's face, making her heart skip a beat.
This man... is too bold!
Seeing the hint of helplessness and panic that finally appeared on her face, Zhao Wenchang seemed to have won a battle. He straightened up, his face regaining its calm and composed expression. He slowly took off his old apron.
"Put your things away carefully, so Ping An doesn't see them."
After saying that, he turned and left the house, leaving Jiang Wanqiu alone on the spot. Her face was so hot that she could fry an egg on it, and her heart was pounding like a rabbit.
She remembered the things in the house, took out the basket of eggs that Li Xiujuan had brought, and placed it in front of her mother-in-law: "Auntie, this is from Sister Xiujuan."
When Zhao Xiaohua saw the basket full of eggs, her eyes lit up. Recalling Li Xiujuan's cheerful demeanor when she arrived, she immediately understood that her future daughter-in-law was a very capable person!
As they went into the kitchen to put the eggs away, Jiang Wanqiu followed behind and asked, "Then... what about those bottles of tiger bone wine and deer antler wine?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaohua's expression changed slightly, and a complex look flashed in her eyes.
She has a mental illness that outsiders don't know.
The Zhao family has never been particularly large. Other families in the village have at least five or six children, but her mother-in-law, Ma Jinhua, only had two children, Zhao Jiang and her husband, Zhao Shan. In her generation, they only had Wenchang as their sole heir.
Years ago, she even had her fortune told by a blind man in town. The blind man counted on his fingers for a long time and said that Wenchang was destined to have no children. That was the reason she agreed to take Ping'an in and raise her.
Now, thinking back to Zhao Fu's husband... Li Xiujuan hasn't conceived in all these years, and life must have been difficult for her in the Zhao family.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaohua said to Jiang Wanqiu, "Give me this wine, I'll handle it."
She already had a plan in mind.
This wine must be given to Wenchang!
Regardless of whether the fortune teller is accurate or not, we should take precautions!
But Wenchang has such a stubborn temper; if you were to force him to drink this stuff, he might just turn on you.
She turned around, found an earthenware bottle used for brewing rice wine at home, carefully poured all the medicinal wine into it, and then threw the original bottles and labels into the stove, burning them completely.
In the evening, Zhao Wenchang returned from the fields carrying a hoe, looking exhausted.
Zhao Xiaohua carried the earthenware bottle over and handed it to him, saying casually, "Wenchang, this is some rice wine that Mom just brewed. Have a couple of cups tonight if you have nothing to do. It's been cold these past few days, and several people in the team have caught a cold. Drink some to warm yourself up and avoid catching a cold."
As he spoke, he poured a cup of wine and handed it to Zhao Wenchang.
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