Chapter 306: Taking in a Helper

“Washing clothes by the river in the middle of winter?”

Du Wanchun had just stepped out of the house when she overheard the woman’s words, and she couldn’t help but be startled.

The woman nodded heavily. “Yes, in winter, we usually fetch water from the well to wash clothes, but that old hag from the Gao family found it dirty for her to use their well water, so she forced her to wash by the river instead.”

Other villagers chimed in as well. “That’s right. Not only that, but all the heavy and exhausting work in the house is left to Miao Niangzi. Yet, she is never given enough food to eat. Just look at this poor girl—she’s probably only twenty-one or twenty-two, but she’s so thin, she looks like skin and bones.”

Du Wanchun had examined Miao Niangzi’s injuries earlier, but she truly hadn’t realized the woman was only twenty-one or twenty-two. Years of abuse had aged her, making her look as if she were in her thirties.

It was truly pitiful.

As this thought crossed her mind, she turned back to glance into the house.

A villager added, “That old hag from the Gao family doesn’t farm or work in the fields herself, yet she forces her daughter-in-law to do everything. But she won’t even let her have a say in household matters. Shopkeeper Du kindly gave us new rice seeds, but not only did they refuse to take them, they even went around badmouthing Shopkeeper Du. And because of that, they took their anger out on Miao Niangzi. They really don’t know what’s good for them.”

The rice seeds Du Wanchun had distributed came from her own fields, and everyone knew that this variety of rice grew quickly, had larger grains, and tasted more fragrant.

The old rice they used to plant only matured once a year, took a long time to grow, had small grains, and, when cooked, was neither fragrant nor soft—it was hard and tasteless.

So, all the villagers were eager to plant Du Wanchun’s rice—except for the Gao family, who stubbornly refused, as if afraid others would take advantage of them.

Du Wanchun smiled and said, “Forget it. If they don’t want it, they don’t want it.”

Seeing how easygoing she was, the villagers once again sighed in admiration at how kind and reasonable Shopkeeper Du was.

On the surface, Du Wanchun didn’t say much, but when she left the house, her eyes swept coldly in the direction of the Gao family.

That old woman from the Gao family wasn’t the least bit concerned about the life or death of her daughter-in-law and grandson. Instead, she was eagerly planning to find another wife for her son.

Meanwhile, Gao Laoda was still grinning foolishly, shamelessly hanging around a beautiful woman from a neighboring village.

Du Wanchun turned and headed to the back kitchen, where she helped the kitchen maid prepare some food for the children. She also made a pot of warm porridge and carried it to the front courtyard.

In the side room of the front courtyard, Miao Niangzi and her child had regained consciousness.

Doctor Xu quickly checked their pulses, and after a moment, he exclaimed with joy, “They’re going to be fine! Both of them will live!”

Du Wanchun approached and asked, “Doctor Xu, how are they?”

Doctor Xu smiled. “Their bleeding has stopped, and their pulses are stable. As long as they rest and recover properly, their injuries will heal. The heavens have truly blessed them, allowing this mother and son to survive.”

Du Wanchun looked down at Miao Niangzi, who had barely opened her dazed eyes. Seeing that she was still alive, Du Wanchun felt immense relief.

Outside, when the villagers heard that Miao Niangzi and her child had survived, they all let out a breath of relief.

“That’s wonderful! Miao Niangzi is such a kind soul—surely the heavens wouldn’t forsake her!”

Just as everyone was rejoicing, someone suddenly spoke up. “It’s great that they’ve been saved, but what happens now? If they go back to the Gao family, won’t they just get beaten again? Today, they were lucky Doctor Xu was here. But what about in the future? If he’s not around, who will save them then?”

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Lying on the bed, her body covered in bruises, Miao Niangzi listened to the discussion. Her swollen eyes filled with tears, which streamed down her face. She was too injured to speak or move—all she could do was cry.

Doctor Xu couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He stepped forward and said, “If that’s the case, why not report it to the authorities? Gao Laoda beating his wife and child is a crime.”

The villagers shook their heads. “It won’t help. Even if we report it, at most, Gao Laoda will be flogged a few dozen times or locked up for ten days or so. But once he’s released, won’t the beatings just continue?”

“That’s right. His third wife went to the county office several times before, but not only did it fail to stop him, it only made him even more ruthless. In the end, she had no choice but to flee in the middle of the night.”

“That woman had no children, so she could escape. But Miao Niangzi has a young child—how could she possibly run away?”

It was a woman who sighed as she spoke.

Doctor Xu fell into deep thought before saying, “No matter what, we can’t let him lay another hand on them.”

Du Wanchun then stepped forward and said, “For now, let her stay here. Once she recovers, we can figure out the next steps.”