Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei broke out in a cold sweat. She simply threw down the shovel, picked up a freshly dug dandelion, and handed it to the man, saying:
"You don't recognize this? You've never eaten it before? That's right, judging from your clothes, you must be from the city, unlike us country folk. We can eat anything in the mountains. This is called dandelion, and it's the perfect season to eat it. Just pick it, wash it, and dip it in sauce. It's so refreshing. It's a dish on our country people's table. Why don't you try some?"
The man frowned, took a few steps back, and waved his hand as he watched Jiang Yuwei, her hands covered in mud, bring a dandelion with roots to her lips.
"I won't eat it, it's dirty."
Jiang Yuwei raised an eyebrow:
"That's right. How could you city folks appreciate the deliciousness of this stuff? Sigh, we're just not cut out for it."
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei threw the dandelions in her hand into the basket, then squatted down to pick up the shovel on the ground and continued digging for dandelions. The man watched for a while and then left silently without saying anything more.
Fearing he was still watching her every move from the shadows, Jiang Yuwei continued digging for dandelions as if nothing had happened. Once she had dug enough, she got up and went to the locust tree to break off some branches. She wasn't in a hurry to return to the courtyard; instead, she sat down under the locust tree and started picking the flowers. After waiting for a long time, Jiang Yuwei casually looked around to make sure no one was following her before returning to the courtyard.
As soon as she returned to the courtyard, Jiang Yuwei quickly locked the door. She first washed the dandelions, then took some and boiled them with spiritual spring water. She then put the rest on a tray to dry in the courtyard.
Jiang Yuwei stir-fried the locust flowers in a pot over low heat until cooked, then ground them into powder and stored them in a bamboo jar, which she could keep to apply to the man's wounds.
When Ning Huaizhi came out of the side room, he saw Jiang Yuwei busy at work. He quickly put down the porridge bowl and went to help Jiang Yuwei tend the fire.
When Jiang Yuwei saw Ning Huaizhi come out, she found a stool and sat down next to him, whispering:
“Huaizhi, this person’s identity is probably not simple. When I went out to gather herbs for him just now, I met a strange man. The man held up a portrait of the person and asked me if I had seen him before. I told him I hadn’t, but he kept asking me all sorts of questions and lingered for a while before leaving.”
Ning Huaizhi frowned immediately upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words:
"Wife, be more vigilant tonight. Lock all the gates in the yard. Remember to go to the backyard later and tell Daya to lock all the doors and windows of the paper mill. Don't open the door for anyone who knocks. Turn off the lights early tonight. Remember to put that handy tool by Daya's bedside."
Jiang Yuwei felt very nervous upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words, and nodded in agreement.
“Then I’ll let Xiao Jiu out and let it guard the pond in the backyard. If there’s any noise, it will be more alert. I’ll prepare a cup of chili water for Daya and put a dagger under her pillow for self-defense. I’d better tell her about what happened at home so she won’t be frightened.”
Ning Huaizhi nodded and said to Jiang Yuwei:
"Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I'll keep an eye on things here."
Jiang Yuwei placed a teapot beside the stove, then pointed to the dandelion water boiling in the pot and said:
"Look, once this water is boiled, we can pour it into a teapot and take it to the side room for that person to drink. Drinking more of this water can reduce inflammation and is good for his injuries."
Ning Huaizhi nodded somewhat reluctantly. His wife was taking such good care of a strange man, and even went up the mountain to gather herbs for him. Now, because of this man, the whole family had to be on high alert to prevent bad guys from coming to their door. Ning Huaizhi really felt it wasn't worth it, but since his wife wanted to save someone, he couldn't stop her.
Jiang Yuwei went to the backyard and personally checked whether the gates to the paper mill and the pond were locked. She then took Xiao Jiu to the pond to keep watch before going to Ning Daya's room to explain things to her. When Jiang Yuwei saw Ning Daya trembling with fear, she suddenly regretted telling her about it. Such a person's mental fortitude was not good enough.
Jiang Yuwei held Ning Daya's hand and smiled:
"Da Ya, don't be afraid. You should make good use of the weapon I gave you. Not only for this incident, but you can pick up the weapon to protect yourself no matter what happens in the future. Remember, you are very powerful."
Ning Daya was moved to tears by Jiang Yuwei's words. She resolutely accepted the dagger Jiang Yuwei offered and nodded gratefully to her.
"Sister Yuwei, I understand. Thank you for teaching me these things."
Jiang Yuwei patted Ning Daya on the shoulder and left. Sure enough, motivational quotes are always useful. Jiang Yuwei clenched her fist and cheered herself up.
When Jiang Yuwei arrived at the front yard, she saw that Ning Huaizhi had already extinguished the fire in the stove and entered the side room with a teapot.
Jiang Yuwei, still worried, checked the front yard door latch again before returning to the house. Seeing Ning Wan sleeping soundly, she quickly turned off the light and went to bed as well. However, she didn't take off her undergarments so that she could get up quickly in case of an emergency.
Ning Daya, who was in the backyard, had already extinguished all the lanterns in the yard after hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, and blew out the candles in her room. She lay down fully clothed, clutching the dagger Jiang Yuwei had given her tightly in her hand. She was too frightened to sleep and listened carefully to the sounds outside the yard.
After feeding the man water, Ning Huaizhi took his clothes to the courtyard and burned them. He then smeared the man's face with soot before leaving the side room. He locked the door from the outside and, seeing that all the lights in the courtyard were off, returned to his own room. Just as Ning Huaizhi was about to lie down, he heard a knock at the door outside the courtyard.
"Knock knock, knock knock knock..."
Ning Huaizhi immediately took out the slingshot from his pocket and listened warily to the sounds in the courtyard. Jiang Yuwei also heard the noise, quickly got up and dressed, and seeing that Ning Wan was sleeping soundly, she quickly covered her with a quilt. She then tiptoed off the kang (a heated brick bed), left her room, locked the door from the outside, and went to Ning Huaizhi's room.
Seeing that Ning Huaizhi hadn't gone to bed but was sitting in his wheelchair intently staring out of the yard, Jiang Yuwei quietly moved closer to him and whispered in his ear:
"Huaizhi, could it be that man who came looking for us?"
Ning Huaizhi was surprised that Jiang Yuwei would speak so close to his ear, and he blushed with embarrassment at the hot breath she exhaled. Fortunately, it was night and there were no candles lit, so Jiang Yuwei did not notice Ning Huaizhi's unusual behavior.
Just as Jiang Yuwei was about to continue speaking, the knocking on the door outside the courtyard became more and more urgent:
"Thump thump thump... thump thump thump..."
Ning Huai frowned:
"Judging from the knocking, this person has some martial arts skills. If he breaks down the door, remember to hide and protect yourself. I'll go to the yard to meet him."
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