She hid the Aconitum carmichaelii for fear that Wang Dujuan would see it, so she looked guilty and her movements were clumsy. When she poured the medicine into the jar, she was not paying attention and the back of her hand accidentally touched the hot outer wall of the jar.
Yang Chunxiao hissed in pain, put the back of his injured hand to his mouth and blew carefully twice.
Then she raised her head and looked in the direction of Wang Dujuan's house. After a moment of silence when she heard no sound of anyone waking up, she breathed a sigh of relief and moved her hands more gently.
Fortunately, Wang Dujuan disliked the bitter taste of the medicine and drove Yang Chunxiao to the door, not allowing him to get too close to the room where she slept. Otherwise, if she heard him, she would definitely beat Yang Chunxiao up for disturbing her rest.
Yang Chunxiao held a palm-leaf fan in his hand and slowly fanned the open fire in the stove. Boiling medicine is like stewing soup. You can't use high heat, you have to simmer it slowly. If the water boils away, the medicine will be ruined.
The burnt medicinal residue has changed its medicinal properties. Even if you add water to it, you must never drink it. Otherwise, the antidote will turn into poison, which will be fatal if you drink it.
Wang Dujuan was worried about the money for the medicine, so Yang Chunxiao would naturally sit next to her and wait patiently, but she also liked this job very much. It was one of the few quiet times for her.
A bitter smell spread from the black medicine jar, which was disgusting. Yang Chunxiao leaned against the wall, closed his eyes and meditated quietly.
He hadn't been home for four or five days, but no one from the Liu family came to look for him. Even if they came out to see if he had died outside, Liu Youlian and Liu Tianyou were so cruel that they didn't even ask him a single word.
That mother and son were both very good at tormenting people. It might not be a good thing if they were targeting her. Yang Chunxiao was still young, and the summer harvest season was approaching. The wheat seedlings in the field were already golden.
When Yang Chunxiao first got married, although Liu Youlian was mean, Liu Tianyou would still say a few words to protect her. But since her pregnancy had been quiet for a year or two, and Liu Youlian tried to make things difficult for her again, Liu Tianyou began to remain silent and his attitude became increasingly cold, until finally they started fighting.
The Liu family has a lot of land but only three people to work. Yang Chunxiao has to go back home to cook and then bring the food back to the fields. They can't harvest much wheat in one go, so they always harvest later than others.
One year the weather was bad and the wheat was not growing well. Their family was slow in harvesting and they didn't have time to harvest all the wheat before the rain fell. Several acres of wheat were soaked and sprouted, and rotted in the fields.
Grain is the lifeblood of farmers. Less grain means less food for the family. That year, what Yang Chunxiao ate the most was wheat cakes made from wheat bran. They were so rough and difficult to swallow that it felt like his throat was cut after taking a bite.
The wheat season is approaching, and the Liu family will not give up a labor force in vain. Sooner or later, they will come to find Yang Chunxiao.
It is impossible to hide people in the village. Liu Tianyou only needs to ask around to find out that she is in the Yang family and they are still husband and wife in name only. If he wants to take Yang Chunxiao away by force, no one can stop him.
Yang Chunxiao could imagine what kind of life she would live after returning. At noon when the sun was at its brightest, she was trembling with fear just thinking about it.
Yang Chunxiao clenched her palms. She absolutely did not want to go back to live that kind of life.
She was lost in thought, the bitter smell of the medicine in her nose became stronger and stronger, and the lid of the medicine jar made a banging sound with the rising steam.
Yang Chunxiao came to his senses, carefully poured the medicine into the bowl with a rag, and then brought it into the house and to the old lady's bedside.
The old lady has been feeling well these past two days and looks much more energetic. She is currently reclining on the bed taking a nap.
"Grandma." Yang Chunxiao gently woke up Old Lady Yang. After seeing that she had opened her eyes, he scooped up a small spoonful of medicine with a spoon, blew on it gently, and handed it to the old lady's mouth.
The burn on her hand was red. Even though it was not as bright inside as outside, the old lady with poor eyesight could see it clearly. No matter whether Yang Chunxiao was liked by Wang Dujuan or not, in the old lady's heart, she was her granddaughter after all. She couldn't help but ask with concern: "What's wrong with your hand?"
Yang Chunxiao glanced at her injured hand nonchalantly. She had scars all over her body, but she had long since stopped caring. When she heard the old lady's question, she only replied indifferently, without a trace of fluctuation in her tone: "I didn't notice it, I burned it."
The old lady knew that Wang Dujuan was not good to her, but she was a grandmother, and there was a generation between them. She was getting older and older. Just like she couldn't pull Yang Donghu out of the sea of suffering, she couldn't help Yang Chunxiao out of the predicament.
However, the old lady still took a few pieces of loose silver from the red cloth wrapped under the mattress and handed them to Yang Chunxiao, then took the medicine bowl from her hand and said, "Go buy some medicine for burns and apply it to the wound. The weather is getting hotter and hotter. If you leave it alone, it will probably fester. If it gets exposed to raw water, it will take ten days or half a month to heal. It's not good for a girl to have such a scar on her hand."
Yang Chunxiao was stunned for a moment as he looked at the few extra pieces of silver in his hand. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the extra silver in his palm twice and he said carefully: "Grandma..."
The old lady waved her hand and said, "Put it away quickly. Don't let your mother see it. She'll probably take it away again. Your father is always gambling, so don't let him see it. Grandma knows you're the most filial of the sisters, but they're not short of money. You should take care of yourself more."
Yang Chunxiao was not very smart when she was a child. When she was the only child in the family, she had a few good days. But since she had a younger sister, Yang Chunxue, her life became worse and worse.
Yang Chunxue was sweet-spoken, capable, and beautiful, so Wang Dujuan ignored this taciturn eldest daughter. It was the same at that time. The old lady couldn't bear to see it and would secretly hide some food for her to eat.
But later, Yang Donghu was born. The old lady felt more partial to the poor little boy who had been unloved since birth, and most of the things she had were given to him. Yang Chunxiao gradually became an invisible person in the family.
However, being a transparent person has its advantages. At least Wang Dujuan's fists all fall on Yang Donghu. Although Yang Chunxiao cannot get maternal love, he will not have to endure Wang Dujuan's anger.
Yang Chunxiao lowered her head, trying her best to suppress the moisture in her eyes, and said in a muffled voice: "I understand, grandma."
"Your mother is sleeping and won't wake up for a while. I'll take the medicine myself. Go quickly and come back quickly. Remember to stay away from people, otherwise your mother will find out and beat you again."
Yang Chunxiao nodded, turned and went out, but she did not go to the village to find a doctor. Instead, she took advantage of the time when no one was around and dug a small hole with her bare hands in a hidden corner behind the house. She then tore off a small piece of her clothes, wrapped up the Aconitum and silver coins in her arms, and buried them in the hole.
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