Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Yuwei hurriedly got on the oxcart to get the needles for Ning Huaizhi. After she removed the silver needles, wiped them clean, and put them away, Ning Huaizhi woke up.
Since receiving treatment from Doctor Lin, it seems that Ning Huaizhi's meridians have been unblocked. Now, when acupuncture is administered, Ning Huaizhi no longer experiences the unbearable pain he did at first; instead, he feels a sense of ease and comfort. Therefore, Ning Huaizhi slept very comfortably until Jiang Yuwei came to remove the needles.
Jiang Yuwei brought the foot bath tub over and said to Ning Huaizhi:
"Huaizhi, take a medicinal bath first, then we'll have dinner soon."
After settling Ning Huaizhi in, Jiang Yuwei went to help grill the fish. Ning Zixuan passed by, glanced at Ning Huaizhi, and said:
"Jiang Yuwei has been good to you, don't let her down."
Ning Huaizhi looked at Jiang Yuwei's retreating figure and nodded with a smile:
"I know that Yuwei has been the one who has supported our family. I can't let her down, even if I let anyone else down."
As he spoke, Ning Huaizhi looked at Ning Zixuan and said:
Do you have a wife in the capital?
Ning Zixuan glared at Ning Huaizhi after hearing this, snorted coldly, and left.
Seeing this, Ning Huaizhi could only sigh helplessly. Ning Zixuan was really not as cute as when he was silly. After all, he was obedient when he was silly, but now that he was clear-headed, his temper had become stubborn and unpleasant. He would ignore people if he didn't like a few words.
Jiang Yuwei had prepared dinner and then called everyone to come and eat.
Jiang Yuwei said to Liu Shi:
“These men have been traveling all day, so you’ll keep watch for the first half of the night. I saw you slept for a while on the train during the day, so you probably won’t be able to sleep now.”
Upon hearing this, Liu nodded in agreement. Then, Jiang Yuwei looked at Xu Qianqian and said:
"Ning Zixuan will be going back to his carriage to sleep tonight, so you should also be considerate and not stay in his carriage all day. You and Liu will keep watch for the first half of the night and take good care of your carriage and horses!"
Just as Xu Qianqian was about to retort, Ning Chunlin nudged her. Ning Chunlin was still able to distinguish between primary and secondary matters at this time. After all, these carriages were bought with money from Ning Zixuan, and Jiang Yuwei had already made such arrangements, so she couldn't say anything. As long as she didn't have to keep watch at night, that was fine.
When Xu Qianqian saw Ning Chunlin glare at her, she immediately shut up. Right now, Ning Chunlin was the only person she could rely on. If Ning Chunlin wasn't going to speak up for her, then she shouldn't bother opening her mouth and making a fool of herself.
Thinking this, he reluctantly lowered his head and continued eating.
Seeing that Xu Qianqian had no objection, Jiang Yuwei then looked at Ning Qiu and said:
“Ningqiu, we’ll keep watch for the rest of the night. We don’t need to drive the oxcart anyway, so we can catch up on sleep on the cart during the day.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Qiu quickly replied with a smile:
"Okay, Sister Yuwei, I'll do whatever you say."
After the meal, Jiang Yuwei asked Old Man Ning and Uncle Youcai to take Tiezhu, Gou Dan, and Ning Zhao to sleep on the ground under the tree. Fearing they would catch a cold, she lit two fires for them not far away, and the person on night watch would be responsible for watching the fires and adding firewood.
Jiang Yuwei thought that Ning Huaizhi's leg had just been treated with acupuncture and couldn't get cold, so she decided to let him sleep with her on the oxcart tonight. So Jiang Yuwei arranged for Ning Wan to sleep between the two of them, and soon everyone fell asleep.
By this time, the mother and her two children, who had been hiding behind the hill, were also getting restless. Their two lazy sons had already gone to sleep, leaving only Granny He, who had taken an afternoon nap. So, her eyes were wide open, not sleepy at all. Seeing that Jiang Yuwei and the others were all asleep, leaving only the two women to keep watch, she quickly woke her two sons.
"Oh dear, my eldest son, wake up, wake up!"
Zhang Da was dreaming of getting married when Granny He's shout ignited a surge of anger within him. He immediately stood up and kicked Granny He, cursing:
"You old hag, you really know how to disturb my sleep! Why did you have to wake me up now of all times!"
At this moment, Zhang Er was also woken up. He rubbed his eyes impatiently and said:
"You deserve to be hit! Didn't you see my brother and I were asleep? Couldn't you have gone and carried the things back yourself?!"
Seeing this, Granny He quickly waved her hand and said:
"Keep your voices down. I didn't mean to disturb your sleep, but look, they left two guards on watch. I'm afraid I can't handle them by myself and might alert them. Wouldn't that be a waste of such a good opportunity?"
Upon hearing what Granny He said, Zhang Da looked over in the moonlight and saw that everyone had gone to sleep, leaving only two women sitting by the fire to keep watch.
Zhang Da glanced at her from afar, then his eyes lit up, and he pointed at Xu Qianqian, saying:
"You old hag, I've got my eye on that woman in pink. Bring her home with me later. I should have been married by now, by now. If it weren't for your good-for-nothing reputation that's ruined in all the surrounding villages, would I still be a bachelor?"
Following the direction Zhang Da pointed, Granny He looked and saw that it was the woman who had given her the steamed buns earlier that day. Granny He had heard Sun curse her as a slut who had stolen her man, so this woman was probably no better.
Thinking this to herself, Granny He stammered, "
"Um, could we find someone else? This woman is already married, and she's not exactly peaceful. I'm afraid if you bring her home, she'll cause trouble and disrupt our family's peace."
Upon hearing what Granny He said, Zhang Da kicked her again.
"I've got my eye on that woman. What can she possibly do to cause trouble? What nonsense are you spouting, you old geezer?"
Seeing this, Granny He dared not say anything more, and just kept nodding:
"Chengcheng, I'll do whatever you say."
So the three of them made their decision. Under the cover of night, Zhang Da led the way, Zhang Er followed behind, and Granny He brought up the rear, pushing a cart stolen from a neighbor's house, and carefully approached the carriage where Sun and the others were sleeping.
When Granny He came today, she saw where they had packed up the food, so she kept calling Zhang Er to help her carry the food downstairs.
Zhang Da, preoccupied with kidnapping Xu Qianqian and taking her home as his wife, didn't help Granny He and Zhang Er move the grain. Instead, he quietly walked behind Xu Qianqian and took out a tattered strip of cloth torn from Granny He's body.
Seizing the opportunity, he suddenly covered Xu Qianqian's mouth while she was off guard, picked her up, and ran towards Xiaogouzi Village without looking back.
Just as Liu was about to add firewood to the fire, she noticed someone had carried Xu Qianqian away. She quickly dropped the firewood she was holding, pointed at the person, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Quick, quick, get up! Someone has kidnapped Xu Qianqian!"
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