The little girl was quite protective of her food; she wriggled and snuggled into the old man's arms, swallowing the yam that was in her mouth.
Jiang Shan laughed and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, yam can strengthen the spleen and stomach, it's okay to eat a little bit of it raw."
After saying that, he took out two more and handed them to the little girl, "Here, take them back and cook them before you eat them."
The old man, still somewhat skeptical, pulled the little girl into his arms. Seeing that the child was alright, his expression softened.
The little girl hugged the two yams tightly and smiled broadly at Jiang Shan, her eyes disappearing from her teeth.
The old man hesitated for a moment, then pointed behind him and said, "There's a pharmacy about a mile ahead that also buys yams. Why don't you take them and exchange them for some money, then use the money to buy some food. How can a perfectly healthy person eat medicine as food? It's really..."
When Jiang Shan came out of the pharmacy, he was still carrying yams on his back.
No wonder no one wants the yams on the mountain. The price is so low that who would bother to go through all that trouble?
This stuff is even cheaper than whole grains, so I might as well take it home and eat it myself.
Jiang Shan strolled around the town, bought a few feet of cloth at a low price, some cooking seasonings and ingredients, some grains, rice, flour, and meat, and then returned along the road.
On the way, she saw an oxcart and used her silver tongue to confuse the driver, making him wander around two villages before finally getting her back to Huaigu Village.
It took a whole day, from morning till night. For Jiang Shan at this point, it was nothing more than going out for a stroll.
But for Jiao's mother and Jiao Sanlang, the sky above them almost collapsed.
You know, Jiangshan is a fool. No one from her has ever left Huaigu Village! She's just naturally a bit dim-witted. She makes mistakes and ruins everything she does. Besides having a lot of strength, she can't do any delicate work and can only do rough work.
Since she was picked up from the mountain by Jiao's mother when she was eight years old, she did nothing but sweep the floor, carry water, chop firewood at home, and wander around the village entrance waiting for Jiao's mother to come back.
No matter how others scold her, or even if children throw mud at her, she remains cheerful and doesn't get angry at all.
It was just a hard, smelly lump of dirt.
When Jiao Erlang was at home, the Jiao family was still able to make ends meet. Jiao's mother had some savings, enough to support Jiao Erlang's studies, and even had more than ten acres of fertile land to rent to the villagers. Erlang's health was not so bad.
All the changes began three years ago.
Jiao's mother sold her land, spent all her savings, and asked people everywhere to inquire about Jiao Erlang's whereabouts, but in the end, it was all for naught.
Jiao's mother's spirits were declining day by day, and Erlang's health was also getting worse. Only Jiangshan remained the same simple-minded man, wandering around the village every day, waiting for Jiao Erlang to return.
As soon as Jiao's mother fell asleep, thinking of her future grandson, she hurriedly ran to Jiangshan's room.
As a result, they didn't find the person, but they did find a pot of steaming porridge on the stove.
The mother and son searched the place thoroughly, but couldn't find Jiangshan.
Jiao's mother even thought that the villagers had dragged her son, Shan'er, to the pond again. Just as she was about to take her son to confront the village chief, Jiang Shan returned.
"Shan'er... my dear grandson, where have you run off to? You've worried your mother to death!" Mother Jiao stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Shan, slapping her hard on the back several times.
Jiang Shan put down what he was holding, wiped his sweat, and casually ruffled Jiao Sanlang's soft hair. He chuckled and said, "Mother, I'm fine. Could you boil some water for me? I'll wash up first, and then I'll cook you something delicious!"
"I'll go boil some water!" Jiao Sanlang replied, then turned and ran off.
Jiao's mother held Jiang Shan's hand, looking him up and down, her eyes suddenly reddening.
"You child, what happened to you...?"
Jiang Shan concocted a short story in a few words and successfully stopped Jiao's mother from crying.
"This alone can be exchanged for so much rice and flour? And cloth?" Jiao's mother felt that something was wrong.
"Of course! The pharmacy owner even taught me how to make delicious dishes with yams. You wait and see, I'll cook something nice for you!"
With a mixture of disbelief and doubt, Jiao's mother looked at Jiang Shan's belly and murmured, "Grandson...my dear grandson, is he alright?"
Jiang Shan's expression stiffened slightly. She did have a little scheme in mind: overwork, accidental fall, or something like that...
However, she took every step on the mountain with extreme steadiness and care, even deliberately controlling the frequency of her breathing.
Suppressing his slight unease, Jiang Shan patted his belly lightly and chuckled, "He's fine! He's just like me, very resilient, don't worry."
Jiao's mother then smiled, nodding happily as she followed Jiang Shan to the backyard: "That's right, that's right! Shan'er is so tough, he never cried when he fell as a child..."
Jiang Shan walked very fast, so he didn't hear the last half of Jiao's mother's sentence that suddenly stopped.
After cleaning up, Jiangshan quickly made a big pot of yam and millet porridge, adding some mushrooms he had picked on the mountain. It smelled amazing.
The mother and her two children sat together and ate the most satisfying and happiest meal they had had in the past three years.
When Jiao Sanlang was about to add a third bowl, Jiang Shan stopped him.
"Sanlang, you're just malnourished and need to be regulated slowly. Eating too much will only harm your stomach and intestines. Don't worry, I'll make you something delicious tomorrow!"
Jiao Sanlang smiled shyly and scratched his head. "I've never eaten such delicious porridge before. Can we have it again tomorrow?"
Jiang Shan's eyes stung with tears. She pulled Sanlang close and gently pinched his thin cheek. "It's my fault. I haven't let Sanlang have a proper meal in the past few years. I won't do it again!"
Jiao Sanlang loved this land. His little face was flushed, and he said very sensibly, "It's not my fault, sister. It's my fault for not growing up quickly enough to help mother and sister with chores."
Watching from the side, Jiao's mother gently wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve and smiled, "Let's still call her sister-in-law. After all, there's a difference between men and women, so as to avoid gossip."
Jiang Shan was displeased and said with a stern face, "Am I not your daughter whom you raised? In fact, Sanlang and I look more like siblings. We both have thick eyebrows, which look quite imposing!"
After saying that, the siblings both chuckled.
However, a hint of worry flickered in Jiao's mother's eyes.
With rice and grain at home, we won't have to worry about food and clothing for a month or two.
Jiang Shan had Jiao's mother make a set of clothes for each of the three members of his family from the fabric he bought, and then they began to study recipes.
The elderly and young children in the family are both severely malnourished and cannot be given large doses of supplements; they can only be gently nourished.
As for Jiao's mother's mental state, it's due to mental illness. As long as she avoids mentioning those upsetting people and things, she should be fine.
For several days in a row, the Jiao family kept their gates tightly closed and did not leave their house, but the aroma of food always wafted out from inside the courtyard, making passersby drool with envy.
The villagers were all speculating that the Jiao family might be up to something again.
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