The children turned pale with fright at the mention of a wolf and immediately withdrew their hands from the puppy.
"Mother, is this a wolf?" Zhao Denglong was somewhat incredulous, as it was quite different from the descriptions given by the villagers.
He Tiantian smiled and explained, "These two little guys were born from a dog and a wolf, so they have wolf genes. However, as long as we treat them well, they won't bite. They might even grow up to be stronger than dogs."
The two puppies didn't have names yet, so He Tiantian named the black one Wujin and the gray one Coconut.
"Maruko's mom, I can understand 'black gold,' but what's this 'coconut'?" Sister-in-law Yulan asked, puzzled. How come Maruko's mom always manages to come up with such novel terms?
He Tiantian was a little embarrassed; all she really wanted was some fruit. She'd been in this world for months and hadn't seen a single piece of fruit.
People who don't eat fruit often experience digestive problems, and every time they go to the toilet... it's hard to describe.
"I just thought of it on the spot, let's call it that for now." He Tiantian put Wujin and Coconut in the doghouse, close to the stove to keep them warm and prevent them from getting cold.
The quiet night was not very peaceful. The villagers usually went to bed very early, roughly equivalent to seven or eight o'clock in modern times.
When He Tiantian first came into this world, she was not used to it. Perhaps because her body was getting heavier and heavier, she felt very tired.
The family tidied up and went to bed.
In the hazy darkness, the quiet night was broken by a cacophony of noise.
Zhao Ergou was pounding on Zhao Tingzhang's door so hard it was almost broken. "Tingzhang, Tingzhang!"
Zhao, the village head, was fast asleep when Liu heard the commotion outside. She reached out and nudged him awake, saying, "Old man, wake up! Someone's knocking on the door."
"Who is it..." Zhao Tingzhang was half asleep.
"Chief, Chief, open the door quickly! It's me, Er Gou!" Zhao Er Gou shouted a few more times.
Liu and Zhao were now fully awake. They hurriedly got out of bed, put on their clothes, and ran outside.
"Ergou, what happened so late at night? Why are you in such a hurry?" Zhao Tingzhang opened the door and asked, looking at Zhao Ergou, whose face was flushed with anxiety.
"Chief, my father... my father is dying, please go and see him!"
"Huh?" Liu and Zhao Tingzhang were both shocked.
"Hurry, hurry, where is he?" Zhao Tingzhang was so busy that he didn't even have time to put on his shoes before running out with Er Gou.
The two ran halfway when they encountered Zhang Wulai's wife running hurriedly towards them.
"Chief... my husband is dying, what should I do! Oh my goodness!" With that, Tiezi's mother covered her face and wept bitterly.
One by one, people in the village began to shout and weep...
Sister-in-law Yulan and He Tiantian were both awakened by the commotion in the village. "What's going on? I'll go out and see."
Seeing that the four children were sleeping soundly, He Tiantian got up as well, saying, "I'll go too."
The two got dressed, closed the door, and went in the direction of the sound.
At that moment, Zhao Tingzhang was at Zhao San's house with a few people. Most of the villagers had come, and the house was packed inside and out.
"What's wrong with Zhao San? He's usually so clever and shrewd. Did he eat something bad?"
"It doesn't look like it. Maybe it's been possessed by some kind of evil spirit!"
Zhao San lay limp on the ground, occasionally twitching, his eyes rolling back in his head.
He Tiantian found it rather frightening; could it be that he had accidentally ingested rat poison?
"Ergou, when did your father start showing these symptoms?" Zhao Tingzhang asked with a serious expression.
There isn't even a doctor in the village. It's pitch black here, and judging from Zhao San's condition, he'll probably die before he can be taken to the county clinic.
Zhao Ergou stammered, explaining that he had gone out to look for his father since he hadn't returned so late.
Then he found his father at Widow Zhang's house. To avoid gossip, he carried his father home before calling for Chief Zhao.
“My dad…my dad…he…” Zhao Ergou couldn’t speak clearly, his face turning red.
"Pavilion Chief".
Suddenly, He Tiantian shouted from the crowd, "Everyone, quickly disperse and stand back! Zhao Ergou, hurry up and take off all of your father's clothes!"
Zhao Ergou was silenced by the shout and did whatever he was told without daring to ask why.
He Tiantian saw the half-bag of coal in Zhao San's house and guessed that he had been poisoned by burning coal.
In this era, there are no emergency medical facilities or timely oxygen administration. It's likely that Zhao San's chances of survival are slim.
"Huh? Maruko-chan, do you know what happened?" Zhao Tingzhang quickly asked.
He Tiantian pointed to the coal in the corner, "They must have stolen coal from the mine to burn at home. Director Song has already reminded everyone of the precautions to take when burning coal. But Zhao San hasn't been to work for many days, so naturally he doesn't know any of this."
Zhao, the pavilion chief, slapped his thigh and suddenly realized what was going on.
"Xiaohe, quickly bring people here to carry Zhang Wulai and the others who have also been poisoned in the village."
In the crowd, Zhao Xiaohe quickly led a few people to help. Zhao Ergou, remembering that Widow Zhang was also poisoned at home, hesitated for a moment before rushing out as well.
Before long, several poisoned villagers were carried to Zhao San's house.
Including Widow Zhang, there were a total of six people.
He Tiantian checked on each of them one by one, and Widow Zhang was the least poisoned. She sat weakly on the ground, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
The most severely poisoned were Zhang Wulai and three others; they were already unconscious, their limbs cold. He Tiantian quickly had hot water boiled to wipe their bodies.
The villagers who had been watching lingered for a long time, among whom Zhao Yan's mother was the most curious.
Her family also burns coal briquettes. When her husband, Zhao Neng, came back, he made sure to explain to her in detail what Director Song had emphasized.
This is a matter of life and death, and no one can be careless about it.
Looking at the six people lying on the ground, Zhao Yanniang frowned and said, "These people went up the mountain to steal coal. We shouldn't do such immoral things; we'll be punished."
As she spoke, Zhao Yanniang gave a meaningful look to Old Lady Zhao standing beside her, who was He Tiantian's former mother-in-law.
She now respects He Tiantian more, after all, she feels obligated to help those who help her.
The last time her son came to visit, her family borrowed He's fishing net so that her son could eat meat.
Old Mrs. Zhao met Zhao Yan's mother's gaze and asked unhappily, "Zhao Yan's mother, what do you mean by this?"
"What could I possibly mean? I was talking about those people lying down." Zhao Yanniang made a veiled insult, feeling incredibly pleased with herself.
Previously, she had been afraid to offend this old woman Zhao because she was very fierce, so she secretly suffered a lot of losses at the hands of the Zhao family.
A few years ago, the two acres of dry land that the two families shared were planted with sweet potatoes by this old woman Zhao.
[Author's Note]: An extra chapter has been added! Please vote for this chapter with your silver tickets~ Thank you, my little angels!
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