“I don’t steal or rob; I earn money to support my family through my own abilities. What’s it to you? Why are you all meddling in my business? I’m telling you right now, if I ever hear you gossiping about my mother and Sanlang again, I’ll slap your mouths shut!”
"Don't think that just because Jiao Erlang isn't home, you can bully this family as you please. When he comes back, I'll settle accounts with each and every one of you, and I won't let a single one of you get away with it!"
Jiang Shan had changed from his usual naive and simple-minded self; his sharp eyes and cold words sent chills down one's spine for no apparent reason.
The woman pointed at by the stick jumped up in a panic, yelling, "You little whore, how dare you mention Erlang! Everyone knows you're secretly having affairs with other men behind Erlang's back! If Erlang comes back, he'll be the first to skin you alive!"
Jiang Shan picked up the stick and lashed out, hitting the woman so hard she screamed and almost cried out her throat.
"If you dare utter another curse, believe me, I'll knock all your teeth out!"
At this moment, Jiang Shan resembled a demon from hell, his eyes bloodshot, devoid of any trace of his former naivety and cowardice, only displaying a face full of ruthlessness and cruelty.
No one dares to doubt that the country can knock out a person's teeth.
The air seemed to grow heavy. The woman who had been beaten, seeing that no one spoke up for her, was filled with shame, anger, resentment, and hatred. She howled and charged at Jiang Shan, wrestling with her.
No one dared to step forward to stop her, but some people tried to help the woman, only to be held back.
When Jiao's mother came out of the house, she saw a scene that terrified her.
She let out a scream and rushed forward with lightning speed, grabbing the woman's hair and slapping and scratching her face repeatedly. In a short while, the woman's head and face were covered in blood.
"I'll teach you to hit my grandson! I'll teach you to hit my grandson! I'll beat you to death, you vicious woman! I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death!" Jiao's mother shouted as she gritted her teeth and scratched and clawed at the woman's body. The scene was truly gruesome.
Jiang Shan calmed his breathing, stepped forward and pulled Jiao's mother away, gently coaxing her, "Mother, I'm fine, and your grandson is fine too. Let go of her and we'll rest for a while!"
Only then did Jiao's mother let go, helping Jiang Shan to the door to sit down. She cupped Jiang Shan's face in her hands and said with concern, "Does it hurt? Let me see... Oh dear, your face is cut!"
As they were talking, Jiao's mother tried to rush over and hit someone again, but Jiang Shan pulled her back.
"Mother, forget it, she's much more seriously injured than me!"
When Jiao's mother took a look, she saw that the other person's face was covered in blood, while Shan'er only had a small cut on his face. Shan'er had won completely!
In her extreme shock and anger, the woman fainted.
After another round of chaos, Jiang Shan said slowly and deliberately, "Let me show you what it means to act like a tyrant! I am pregnant, that's true, and this child belongs to the Jiao family. From now on, if anyone dares to mention any wild man or bastard, I will fight them to the death! Those who don't want to die had better shut their mouths!"
After the villagers hurriedly carried the person away, Jiang Shan was completely bewildered.
She suppressed her discomfort, took out a ginseng root and handed it to Jiao's mother, saying, "Mother, I kept some roots from the ginseng I dug last time. You can take it and cook a pot of ginseng soup so we can all have some nourishment."
Carrying loads and fighting must be quite tiring, and I'm afraid it might upset the baby. I should drink some ginseng soup to calm my nerves.
At this moment, Jiang Shan was only thinking about protecting the pregnancy and completely forgot her original intention.
After finishing the ginseng soup, the family of three sat together in a rare moment of silence.
No one said anything, but in their hearts, there was only one thing on their minds.
Jiao Sanlang spoke first, raising his large, dark eyes to look at Jiang Shan, his eyes filled with admiration and unconcealed worry.
"Sister, don't go to town tomorrow. You should rest at home for a few more days!" He could tell that his sister had been very tired every day these past few days.
Jiao's mother also hurriedly said, "Yes, Shan'er, your health is the most important thing. You and the child can't take any more stress. You should rest!"
Jiang Shan paused for a moment, then took Jiao's mother's hand with one hand and Jiao Sanlang's hand with the other, and said softly, "Mother, we still have to make a living. Once the child is older, I won't be able to go out to work! The child will need to eat and drink after birth, so while the baby is still young, we should earn more money. Besides, Sanlang should start school, and we need to pay for a tutor. Don't you want Sanlang to make something of himself in the future?"
Jiao's mother wiped away her tears and remained silent.
"Sister, I'm not going to school. I'll stay home and help you with chores!" Sanlang, though small, had a loud voice and firmly expressed his opinion.
"What do you know, you're just a kid!"
Jiang Shan glared at Sanlang, then said again, "Mother, please help me. Let's work together to save more money for the child and Sanlang!"
With tears in her eyes, Jiao's mother nodded frantically, "Tell me, tell me, I'll do whatever you say to help you!"
That night, Jiang Shan taught Jiao's mother how to make steamed cakes, and taught her to identify the various seasonings for seafood dipping sauces. He also explained the uses and effects of each seasoning to her, bit by bit.
Jiao's mother listened very attentively. Although her reaction was a little slow, with Sanlang's help, she was able to proceed smoothly.
The family of three successfully made two baskets of steamed cakes.
Early the next morning, Liu Da, the fishmonger, delivered seafood in his oxcart. Jiang Shan handed the seafood over to Jiao's mother and Sanlang to handle, and then followed the oxcart to town.
Manager Qi had already sent someone to wait at the door. Upon seeing Jiang Shan, the shop assistant hurriedly went to inform the manager.
"Why isn't there that seafood in broth?" Manager Qi was greatly disappointed.
He didn't expect the seafood in broth to be so popular; it sold out last night. He told the customers that there would be some today, but Jiangshan didn't deliver it.
Jiang Shan smiled and said, "Don't worry, shopkeeper. The seafood was only delivered this morning, and even at the fastest, it won't be delivered until late tonight. Besides, you didn't order from me yesterday!"
Shopkeeper Qi: ...
"Please try my steamed cake first. Although it doesn't look as exquisite as those pastry shops, the taste is really good."
Without seafood, Manager Qi was somewhat uninterested.
But he still had the waiter deliver it to the kitchen.
He saw Jiang Shan sitting there calmly drinking tea, acting more like a shopkeeper than he did, which annoyed him.
"Go back and make the seafood with dipping sauce as soon as possible so you can send it over sooner!"
Jiang Shan was both amused and exasperated. Hadn't they agreed that she would make a few medicinal dishes today?
However, judging from his appearance, the shopkeeper doesn't seem to be in a good mood.
In Manager Qi's eyes, the seafood in the sauce looked even more appealing than she, a living person!
"How about this, I'll write down the recipes for a few medicinal dishes for the shopkeeper, and you can have the chef cook them according to my recipes, that will do!"
Now it was Manager Qi's turn to be surprised.
"What did you say? You want to write down the recipes for medicinal cuisine for me?"
Jiang Shan smiled and beckoned to the waiter to bring paper and pen.
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