I've hit people before, but never this hard!
Niu Cuihua's heart was completely broken, and she became increasingly forceful with her words.
No matter how hard Gu Chuan tried, he couldn't pull it off. Gu Jingsheng and Grandma Gu were terrified and rushed to help Gu Chuan.
Grandma Gu quickly took off her smelly shoes and used them to slap Niu Cuihua's mouth.
Even with her mouth bleeding from the beating, Niu Cuihua still refused to give in.
She channeled her hatred into strength, biting Gu Chuan's fingers hard.
With a "snap," a section of Gu Chuan's finger was bitten off by her.
"Ouch, you damned woman, you've broken my fingers!" Gu Jingsheng groaned in pain.
Instantly, blood gushing from Gu Chuan's fingers sprayed all over Niu Cuihua's face.
Gu Chuan squatted on the ground, clutching his right hand and howling in pain.
When Gu Jingsheng and his mother saw that Niu Cuihua had bitten off their son's finger, they wanted to continue hitting Niu Cuihua.
At this moment, Niu Cuihua, disheveled and covered in blood, spat her severed finger onto the ground.
She was still smiling as she looked at Gu Jingsheng and Old Madam Gu.
The elderly couple were so frightened that they both stepped back, and Mrs. Gu was so scared that she threw the shoes she was holding on the ground.
Gu Jingsheng cursed, "What a crazy old woman!"
After scolding him, she quickly took Gu Chuan to the doctor in the village to have his fingers checked.
Grandma Gu glanced at Niu Cuihua on the ground, trembled with fright, and quickly followed Gu Jingsheng's footsteps.
The village doctor was just a dabbler; he didn't know much.
In any case, whether it's chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs, or people in the village who are sick, they will all go to him.
Yang Dadan, who was sleeping soundly, was awakened by the knocking of Gu Jingsheng's family and angrily opened the door.
"Are you kidding me?! Can't a person get any sleep in the middle of the night?!"
"How dare you! Quickly check my Gu Chuan's finger, it's broken!" Gu Jingsheng said.
Fortunately, Gu Jingsheng had brought a torch as well. Yang Dadan cursed and gave Gu Chuan a simple bandage, took five coins, and then sent him out to continue sleeping.
When the three of them returned home, none of them dared to look at Niu Cuihua.
They felt that Niu Cuihua was as terrifying as a demon tonight, especially when she looked at them, which made the three of them feel uneasy.
The family of three applied some herbs and then lay down on a kang (a heated brick bed) to sleep.
Niu Cuihua lay on the ground by herself for the entire night.
The next day, when Gu Chuan woke up and went back to his room, he saw Niu Cuihua still lying on the ground and screamed in fright.
"Father, Mother, come quick! Is Niu Cuihua dead?!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingsheng and his mother, disregarding the pain in their buttocks, rushed to Gu Chuan's room to check on him.
However, no one dared to go forward and check his breathing again.
Just then, Gu Shuwen, who was supposed to be studying in Yangjiagou, returned.
Gu Shuwen originally returned home to ask for some travel expenses to participate in the imperial examination, but he didn't expect to see such a scene upon his return.
Looking at Niu Cuihua on the ground, and then at Gu Jingsheng and the other two standing there, Gu Shuwen instantly lost his temper.
"Did you hit my mother again?! You said you wouldn't hit her anymore!"
The three of them looked rather grim, but none of them answered Gu Shuwen.
As Gu Shuwen spoke, he rushed toward Niu Cuihua, who was lying on the ground.
The blood on Niu Cuihua's face had dried, yet it looked all the more shocking.
Niu Cuihua had already been beaten dozens of times, and last night she was beaten again. In addition, she had been lying on the ground all night, so she was running a high fever.
Luckily, Niu Cuihua was a bit chubby; if it had been a thinner one, after all that commotion last night, she probably wouldn't be alive.
"Mother, why are you burning up so much? Mother, wake up!" Gu Shuwen cried out.
When Gu Jingsheng and the other two heard Gu Shuwen say that Niu Cuihua was hot, their hearts finally settled down.
If Niu Cuihua really gets beaten to death, then the three of them will be finished.
"Father, hurry, go and get a doctor! Mother is burning up so hot, if the fever continues, she'll die."
Gu Chuan reluctantly followed Yang Dadan, and after a long while, Yang Dadan finally followed Gu Chuan, grumbling and cursing.
Yang Dadan is known for his bad temper; he's the kind of person who'll yell at a dog if it walks by. Yet, he's the only person in the whole village who knows how to treat illnesses.
In addition, he usually prescribes very strong doses of medicine, and those who come to him for treatment, whether cattle, sheep or people, almost always recover after just one or two doses.
Since no one understood medical principles, they all thought he was a good doctor and dared not offend him.
Of course, there are also cases that cannot be cured. Those that cannot be cured are automatically considered by the villagers to be terminal illnesses, and that their lives are destined to end.
He has treated quite a few people to death, but because of their ignorance, no one has ever complained.
Yang Dadan only casually took Gu Chuan's pulse before letting him go to get a prescription, without even glancing at the external injury.
Because Gu Shuwen was there, Gu Chuan suppressed his anger and even prepared the medicine for Niu Cuihua.
After Gu Shuwen helped Niu Cuihua finish taking her medicine, he then explained his purpose for coming.
“Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, I’ve come today to ask you for some travel expenses to take the imperial examination,” Gu Shuwen said.
The Gu family has a million flaws, but their only redeeming quality is that they never tell Gu Shuwen about their troubles, allowing him to focus on his studies.
Therefore, Gu Shuwen developed the habit of not asking questions. Even if he saw the family's disheveled state, he would not ask and would habitually ignore the issue.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingsheng quickly said, "Old woman, go and get some travel money for Shuwen, and also get some clothes and such."
After hearing this, Old Lady Gu limped off to find the money. Gu Jingsheng then turned to Gu Shuwen and said, "Shuwen, don't worry about taking the exam. We'll take good care of your mother. Don't have any worries."
Gu Chuan, who was listening from the side, nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Shuwen, I will take good care of your mother."
Gu Shuwen took his travel money and clean clothes and set off for Yangjiagou.
The children's examination was led to the town by their teacher, so we had to go and meet them.
Gu Lili and her three siblings got up early today. After breakfast, Gu Lili took out the sprouted wheat.
The three siblings curiously gathered around to see what their older sister was up to.
Making maltose also requires glutinous rice, but there is no glutinous rice in this era. So Gu Lili secretly bought some in the mall last night and soaked it overnight. When the others were not paying attention, she put it in a pot to cook.
Gu Lili took out the malt, washed it, and then chopped it into small pieces with a kitchen knife.
The glutinous rice was cooked until very soft, and after it cooled to about 50 degrees Celsius, Gu Lili poured the malt from the ears of grain into a bowl and stirred it well.
"Watch carefully, make sure to stir it well, and it's done when it's cool enough to handle."
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