Chapter 47: The Troublemaker Arrives

Jiang Nian was speechless. Was she that scary?

She walked forward, intending to pat his head, but he was so startled that he took a few steps back, his hands covering his head in fear. “Don’t hit me, I didn’t steal any eggs.”

Jiang Nian was stunned. “No one said you stole any. Forget it, you feed the cat.”

She walked into the kitchen, and Ye Zhiqiu, as usual, prepared breakfast.

“Master, can I…”

She knew that some things were difficult to say out loud, and she didn’t have the right to do so.

Thinking back to the scene outside, Jiang Nian could easily guess her thoughts.

She glanced outside. The boy had already squatted down again, but the tabby cat was picky and didn’t like to eat eggs, so he was stroking its fur and coaxing it to eat.

Looking at the egg in his hand, his eyes were filled with longing, and he kept licking his lips, which were over-secreting saliva, but he never stole a bite.

Their mother was a weak woman, but she had raised her two children well. Even in this situation, they hadn’t been consumed by desire and lost their reason.

“You’ve been here for a while now. Although you’re not very talented in your studies, you’ve managed the other things at home very well. Have I ever given you any pocket money?”

In Jiang Nian’s opinion, her learning progress was indeed slow, but there was nothing she could do about it. After all, there was a lot to learn. Besides martial arts and medicine, she also had to learn culture at the same time, to improve her own cultivation, and she needed to memorize a lot of knowledge every day.

She wasn’t a very talented person, her biggest advantage was her hard work.

If it weren’t for her being pitiful and suitable, and because Jiang Nian really needed a helper, she wouldn’t have taken her as a disciple.

She wasn’t someone who liked to bother herself, but Ye Zhiqiu took such good care of her, so for her, raising Ye Zhiqiu was very cost-effective.

She only needed to give up some things that she couldn’t finish eating or using, and she could get a hardworking little laborer. Why not?

But Zhou An was different.

He was a boy. Some families could easily abandon a girl, but they valued boys very much. Even the village chief wouldn’t agree.

She would have to stay here for at least a few years. She could handle the trouble, but she didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for herself.

Just like writing that article, she could have done it herself, and she could have used it to gain greater fame and fortune.

But at the same time, it would bring more trouble.

So she asked Li Rui to do it, instead of doing it herself.

When Jiang Nian was wandering the world, she was young and full of vigor, and she had once been determined to become famous. Unfortunately, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. She, a lone wolf, became the bird that was shot.

Actually, those people didn’t necessarily want to kill her. It was just that she was arrogant and had extraordinary skills. She didn’t want to become a sword or a plaything in the hands of others, which led to the final outcome of mutual destruction.

But she never regretted it.

After all, they had lived together for so long, and Ye Zhiqiu knew that she wasn’t someone who liked trouble. Almost as soon as Jiang Nian finished speaking, she understood her meaning.

“I understand. Thank you for your kindness, Master. You’ve already been very good to me. I don’t need pocket money.”

Jiang Nian was probably too kind, she couldn’t bear to see her look disappointed, so she reminded her, “I know that family ties are the hardest to break. It’s understandable that you want to help your younger brother, but you don’t have to let him live with you to help him. Besides, your grandparents do love him after all, and the Zhou family hasn’t reached the point where he can’t stand it. If you really care about him, you can secretly give him some food like you used to. A healthy body is the capital of revolution. If he grows strong, he will naturally have the ability to survive.”

Although Zhou An was thin and pale now, it was the norm for all children because of the lack of resources, not because of intentional abuse.

Ye Zhiqiu also knew that this was already very good.

Jiang Nian often brought meat back from the mountain, and sometimes she would throw away the leftovers, so she didn’t mind.

But with her consent, she could at least give him a little more food, which was the best outcome.

She had given Zhou An eggs a few times before, not intentionally. Zhou An was young, and his mother had passed away, so he would inevitably miss his sister and often sneak over to see her.

A few times, she felt sorry for him and gave him some of her own.

“Thank you, Master.” Ye Zhiqiu finally smiled happily.

Breakfast was pancakes, already cooked and in the basket. She took two pancakes and an egg out for Zhou An. “Here you go, don’t be afraid of Master, she asked me to give this to you. Xiao An, Master is a good person, so we should be grateful and remember her kindness, okay?”

Zhou An cautiously glanced at Jiang Nian, then nodded firmly. “I know.”

He took the pancakes and walked slowly into the kitchen. He had finally mustered up the courage, but when he got to the door, he became cautious again. “Thank you, Doctor Jiang. When… when the weather gets warmer next year, I’ll go dig herbs for you. You don’t have to give me candy.”

Jiang Nian nodded, not refusing, but raised an eyebrow. “Okay, then you have to dig a lot, otherwise it won’t be enough to exchange for your meals.”

“Oh.” Zhou An frowned, thinking in his mind, how many herbs would he have to dig to exchange for all this food?

Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes were filled with laughter, she rubbed Zhou An’s head. “Master, although he’s a boy, he’s more honest than me, raised by my mother. Don’t tease him, he’ll take it seriously.”

Zhou An then realized that his sister’s teacher was teasing him!

But although he couldn’t do anything else, he knew how to dig herbs. This year, he had followed other children to dig a lot of herbs to exchange for candy. Next year, he would be a year older, and he would definitely dig more.

“It’s good to be honest.” Although honest people are the easiest to be taken advantage of, it’s easier to get along with them. You don’t have to be on guard all the time. Jiang Nian said, “You still need pocket money. You’re so big now, you’ll inevitably need to buy some things yourself, or save it for later.”

Ye Zhiqiu didn’t refuse this time, but she thought that pocket money would be at most a few cents. After all, in ordinary families, children before marriage were considered children, and there was no such thing as pocket money.

But Jiang Nian directly grabbed a handful of change from the money box and counted out three yuan for her.

“For now, just take three yuan. When you learn your skills well, I’ll increase your allowance depending on the situation.”

The moment she got the money in her hand, Ye Zhiqiu was so moved that she almost cried.

But Jiang Nian pretended not to see it. “Hurry up, lock the door, we’re leaving.”

They had agreed to go to town today. Although the weather had turned cold, it wasn’t raining, so it was better to go early.

If the weather turned bad and it rained, the muddy roads in the countryside wouldn’t dry out for ten days or half a month. It would be even harder to go out then.

Zhou An didn’t say that he had never eaten his fill, but such opportunities were definitely rare.

And it was pure white flour pancakes, with plenty of oil and water. His sister’s cooking was also good, rolled with potatoes and meat strips, it was so delicious that he couldn’t stop eating.

Children are forgetful, and the little unpleasantness from last night had been forgotten thanks to the delicious food. He was still smiling when they left.

They also had to help Li Rui sell duck eggs. Jiang Nian took the duck eggs from Li Rui and set off for town in the cold wind.

They took a shortcut, which was much shorter, but the road was difficult to walk. They had to climb up and down, and there were two ditches to cross. There were two wooden poles side by side over the ditches. If you weren’t careful, you could easily fall into the water.

Jiang Nian, who had already set off, didn’t know that shortly after they left, Yan’s mother, with Li Qing, stormed over angrily.

They dared to come only after Yan Jin had gone out, afraid that he would stop them.

Along the way, Li Qing tried to back out several times, trying to persuade Yan’s mother. “Mother, let’s not go to Doctor Jiang. If Brother finds out, he’ll be even more unhappy.”

Yan’s mother kept her face cold. “I don’t care if he’s happy or not. I’ve been unhappy for many years, and I still have to endure it. I have to go see what that little vixen looks like. She can make him lose his soul, abandon his childhood sweetheart, and dare to defy his parents!”