Noticing something was wrong with her, Shen Ying guessed that she had probably gotten a thorn stuck in her throat. Following Jiang Yu to the outer room, he saw her vigorously spitting out vinegar, confirming his suspicion.
The thorn was so stubborn that Jiang Yu couldn't care less about it. She tried to relieve the pain by touching her neck with both hands, but it was no use.
This is bad. It's late at night, and there are no cars to get to the clinic. Besides, it's pitch black, and the town doctor is probably off work by now.
If we delay any longer, a sore throat will be secondary; inflammation would be much more serious. Medicines were probably scarce back then, and if a serious illness developed, I might even lose my life.
Shen Ying had learned relevant knowledge in the army. He picked up the wire that was tied to the door, twisted it into the shape of tweezers, and gestured for her to say "Ah!!"
Jiang Yu was slightly taken aback, then understood what the man meant. She opened her mouth and exposed her throat, obediently cooperating.
The lights were dim, and it was impossible to see what was happening inside. Shen Ying called out to Shen Suisui in the inner room to take out a flashlight from his military overcoat, which took a lot of effort to get out.
The moment the fishbone left her throat, Jiang Yu breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if she had been reborn. Her gaze softened as she looked at the man, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thanks."
She felt a little embarrassed; others had already reminded her, yet she was still careless—she was practically defiant. The man didn't say much, patiently offering his advice:
"Other fish are fine, but with so many bones, it's best to be careful."
She listened to the man's words and nodded vigorously:
"It won't happen again."
The feeling she just experienced was almost unbearable; even the rebellious Jiang Yu wouldn't risk her safety. She belatedly sat back down at the table, and Chen Niannian threw herself into her arms, bursting into tears.
"Mommy lied. The fish she gave Niannian was good, but she choked on it and started bleeding. The fish is bad; it bullied Mommy. I don't want to eat it anymore."
Jiang Yu heard the child's words clearly, hugged him tightly, and patted his back. Seeing Shen Suisui beside her also looking worried, she felt a pang of sadness. She thought that her relationship with the two children was merely a matter of fulfilling her responsibilities, and that raising them to adulthood safely was already a great achievement. Who knew that the children had already come to regard her as family, and that such a small matter would cause them so much worry?
After calming Shen Niannian down, the family of four finished their meal, which was only half-eaten. Shen Ying settled the child in the inner room, while Jiang Yu washed the dishes and cleaned the stove.
She soaked the mung beans she bought in a basin, preparing to make mung bean cakes for her child tomorrow. As she picked through the spoiled beans, a deep, resonant voice came from the inner room.
Listening closely, it seemed as if they were whispering to Shen Suisui.
"Dad is going back to his unit tomorrow and won't be back for a couple of days. Mom is taking care of you and your brother at home, cooking and doing housework. It's not easy for her. As the older sister, you should help her out more, okay?"
The military is holding a party tomorrow night, and he has to go there first thing tomorrow morning to help. He used to only worry about his two children, but after what happened with Zhang Ergou and Zhang Xinhua these past two days, he's still shaken.
Thankfully, the woman at the dinner table said she was busy lately and wouldn't be making the pickled vegetables for the time being, which put my mind at ease. Otherwise, coming home so late every day, it would be troublesome if something happened.
Besides, there's Lu Yi, an educated youth, who's still there. He doesn't know exactly what Jiang Yu means to him, so making sure his daughter is taken care of is more important than anything else.
Shen Sui Sui nodded and promised to take good care of her younger brother, which put Shen Ying's mind at ease.
Jiang Yu felt a warm current welling up inside her. No wonder she was so lucky; transmigrating into a book meant meeting a man who cared for her deeply, and she enjoyed his thoughtfulness.
......
The next morning, Shen Ying packed her things and went to catch the train. She left quietly, not wanting to disturb the mother and her two children.
Jiang Yu knew the man was leaving, and she didn't sleep well all night. She didn't know why, because she and the man usually didn't interact much, and their meetings at home were always awkward. But after these two days, she was starting to get used to it, and the thought of the house being empty felt like something was missing.
She heard the man close the door, and then dozed off again in a daze. When she woke up, it was already past eight o'clock.
The two children got up and ate boiled eggs and drank a large bowl of porridge. They heard from their neighbor, Dongdong, that today was the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, the last market day before the New Year, and felt a little lost.
The two children didn't know what a market was, but they had heard that there were lots of delicious things there, and their eyes lit up. However, their father had told them last night not to cause trouble for their mother and to behave well.
Jiang Yu ran into Zhang Cuihua as she went out, who was locking the door with a cloth bag on her back and Dongdong by her side. Curious, she asked:
"Sister-in-law, where are you going so early in the morning?"
Since she transmigrated into the book, Dongdong had never seen Zhang Cuihua leave the house. Seeing her rushing around now, Dongdong was excited, thinking it was a happy occasion at someone's house.
“Girl, you’ve been away from home lately. Have you forgotten that today is the last market day before the New Year? Everyone in the village is out buying New Year’s goods. I’m also rushing to buy some things to wait for Dongdong’s dad to come back.”
set?
Jiang Yu's mind was filled with images of steaming hot snacks and firecracker stalls. She used to love going to the market; the crowds were huge, things were cheap, and it was incredibly lively.
Since we've run into this place, we should definitely join in the fun, buy some firecrackers for the kids, and a couplet to put up. New Year, new look!
"Sister-in-law, where is the market? I'll go home and pack my things to go check it out."
The original owner had never been to a market, and had no recollection of it. If she wanted to go, she'd have to ask the people around her. Hearing this, Zhang Cuihua couldn't help but laugh:
"Didn't the Shen brothers come back these past few days? If you want to go, have him take you. There are a lot of people at the market, and there are also thieves. It's very safe if he goes with you."
These past few days, Zhang Cuihua has often seen Shen Ying going out for his morning run, and occasionally she'll greet him. The two families have been neighbors for many years and have always had a good relationship. After Shen Ying became successful, he often helped her family; he even helped her husband find work through the Shen brothers.
Besides, everyone is rushing to go out and restock before the last market day before the New Year. It's not a big deal for a country girl like her, but Jiang Yu is pretty, so they're afraid that with so many people around, some people might take advantage of the situation.
"He had something to do at the military base, so he went back this morning."
Jiang Yu felt a little embarrassed. Even if he were home, let alone not being there, it wouldn't be appropriate to bring it up.
Hearing her say that, Zhang Cuihua felt a little regretful:
"The Shen brothers are really something, still going on missions even with the New Year approaching. They can't spend more than a few days with you all year round, are they coming back for the New Year?"
Jiang Yu shook her head. The man had never mentioned his schedule, and she never asked.
"Hey, little sister, didn't you want to go to the market? Go home and pack your things, and I'll take you. You'll have company on the way and we can chat to keep you company."
Hearing her say that, Jiang Yu didn't stand on ceremony. She thanked her and went home to find her cloth bag.
Seeing the two children sitting listlessly on the doorstep, she immediately thought of today's day. Kids, they just love to join in the fun; she was like that when she was little, so she naturally understood what children were thinking.
"Sui Sui, Niannian, hurry up and get ready, Mom will take you to the market."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com