next day
When Jiang Yuwei went to the paper mill in the morning, Ning Wu and Tie Zhu were already busy drying the pulp. Looking at the pulp, Jiang Yuwei said:
"Once the pulp dries, take an appropriate amount of pulp and put it into this large wooden trough. Fill it with water to nine-tenths full, then pat it with your hands to spread the pulp evenly in the water. After spreading it, you can use this wooden grate to scoop out the paper and dehydrate it. Then, set up a fire to dry it, and the paper will be ready. Today, go up the mountain and cut down more firewood to use for drying the paper tomorrow."
After receiving their instructions, Tie Zhu and Ning Wu locked the door and went up the mountain from the pond to chop firewood.
Jiang Yuwei went to the front yard and, together with Ning Huaizhi, ground the tofu that had been soaked the night before. She then said to Ning Huaizhi:
"Huaizhi, is it feasible for you and Wan'er to make tofu at home? Have you memorized all the steps?"
Ning Huai nodded and said:
"Don't worry, I've got it all in mind. We two can handle this!"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
"Alright, I'll leave the house to you. I need to hurry up and go collect the eggs."
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei took some dried venison from home, packed it up, and prepared to give it to Uncle Ning. She had given all the tofu she had prepared for Uncle Ning's family last night to Xiaoyun, so she could only give him the dried venison.
After Jiang Yuwei finished packing everything, she pushed the cart out the door. When she arrived at Aunt Zhou's house, she wanted to ask if Aunt Zhou had any eggs, but no one was home. They must have all gone to work in the fields. Helpless, Jiang Yuwei had no choice but to go to Uncle Ning's house first to deliver the stools.
When Jiang Yuwei arrived at Uncle Ning's house, Aunt Ning was doing embroidery in the yard. She patted the gate and said:
Is Fifth Aunt home?
When Aunt Ning saw Jiang Yuwei arrive, she quickly put down her work and went to greet her.
"Yuwei, what brings you here today? Is the house repaired?"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and nodded, then handed the venison to Aunt Ning Wu:
"I've finished everything, so I came to bring you a stool. Try some of this venison jerky; I made it myself."
Aunt Ning took the dried venison, smelled it, and smiled:
"Hmm, it smells delicious, then I won't stand on ceremony with you!"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
"If Fifth Aunt doesn't mind, that's fine. I have another matter to discuss today. I wanted to see if you have any eggs to sell. I want to buy some eggs, fifteen coins a pound."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Ning nodded hurriedly and said:
"Yes, yes, I just happened to have collected a pound, I'll go get it for you."
As she spoke, she turned and went to the kitchen, while Jiang Yuwei moved all the stools to the yard and waited for Aunt Ning Wu there.
Aunt Ning brought out a basket of eggs and said:
“I only have a few chickens at home, so I’ve accumulated this many. You can weigh them and see if it’s enough. If it’s not enough, you can go ask the village head; he has a lot of chickens.”
Jiang Yuwei smiled, took the eggs, and weighed them. They weighed exactly one jin (approximately 500 grams). Jiang Yuwei handed the money to Aunt Ning Wu, said goodbye, and went to the village head's house. Just as she entered the village head's courtyard, she saw Ning Qiu coming out of the house:
"Qiu Mei, I came to check if you have any eggs at home today. I want to buy some to make preserved eggs."
Seeing that it was Jiang Yuwei, Ning Qiu hurriedly stepped forward and frowned, saying:
“Sister Yuwei, this is quite unfortunate. Yesterday, my mother took all the eggs she had saved at home to town to sell because she wanted to buy books for Ningchen. However, you can come with me to Daya's house. Her grandmother always likes to save eggs, so she may have quite a few.”
Jiang Yuwei's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she nodded, saying:
"Alright, let's go then."
Ning Qiu led Jiang Yuwei toward Ning Daya's house, and as soon as they reached the door, they heard sharp cursing coming from inside:
"You brat, what good are you to me? You can't even do this little thing right. I might as well just beat you to death!"
Ning Qiu's brows furrowed and he said in a deep voice:
"Oh no! Grandma Sun is going to beat Daya again!"
As she spoke, Ning Qiu pushed open the courtyard gate and rushed inside. Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei had no choice but to follow.
Just then, Granny Sun was in the kitchen, wielding a rice spatula and slapping Ning Daya on the head. Before Ning Qiu could stop her, Ning Daya was struck on the forehead by Granny Sun's spatula, and bright red blood slowly flowed down Ning Daya's head.
Seeing this, Ning Qiu rushed forward, snatched the shovel from Granny Sun's hand, threw it on the ground, and angrily said:
"What are you doing? Do you have to beat Sister Daya to death before you're satisfied? Isn't she your granddaughter too?"
Granny Sun recognized who it was and immediately became nervous:
"You, you, what are you doing here? What are you doing here? I'm disciplining my own granddaughter, why are you meddling in my business?"
Seeing that Ning Daya seemed to be in too much pain to hold on, Ning Qiu quickly stepped forward to support Ning Daya, who was still bleeding.
Jiang Yuwei had heard a bit about Ning Daya's family. Ning Daya's father was Granny Sun's eldest son. Ning Daya's parents died in a flash flood while rushing to the fields to harvest crops during a rainstorm. From then on, Granny Sun never treated Ning Daya well. She made her do all the dirty and hard work at home, and would beat and scold Ning Daya if she did anything wrong.
Seeing Granny Sun's attitude towards Ning Daya today, Jiang Yuwei knew the rumors were true, and her pity for her deepened. She stepped forward and used a handkerchief to wrap Ning Daya's bleeding wounds, then turned to Granny Sun and said:
"Da Ya, this won't do. If you don't want someone to die, you'd better go and ask Uncle Ning to come and take a look!"
Granny Sun's face immediately showed displeasure upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words:
"And who are you, meddling in our family's affairs? A shameless woman like her doesn't need to waste money on a doctor. She's always sneaking good food and is very healthy. There's no need to trouble Uncle Ning!"
Ning Qiu stomped her foot in anger upon hearing Granny Sun's shameless remarks:
"How dare you say that! What good food have you ever given Da Ya? You make her do all the dirty and hard work around the house. She's only a teenager, and look at how bent her back is from all that work! And yet you still say such things!"
Granny Sun seemed a little guilty after Ning Qiu's words, and casually picked up the fire poker next to the stove, ready to hit Ning Daya:
"I'll teach you a lesson for being so ignorant, for bringing help to deal with this old woman like me. I see you've grown too big for your britches and want to leave our home!"
As Granny Ning spoke, she brought the fire stick down on Ning Daya. Seeing this, Ning Qiu quickly grabbed Ning Daya and ran into the yard. By this time, the yard was already surrounded by villagers who had come to watch the commotion. Rural houses are not soundproof, and Granny Sun's yard wall was also very low, so everyone could see the situation inside the yard clearly.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei followed her out, grabbed Granny Sun's hand angrily, and said:
"Is this how you treat Daya all the time? She gets up earlier than the chickens and goes to bed later than the dogs, busy with chores inside and outside the house all day long. And you? Not only do you not care about her or love her, but you also target her and beat and scold her at every turn! Does she have to suffer such humiliation just because she lost her parents?"
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