Chapter 7: Got Hit

Being publicly embarrassed and mocked by others left the few girls feeling rather annoyed.

“Xu Bailing, what’s it got to do with you? You’re even more muscular than a man. You’re in your twenties and still unmarried. Careful or you’ll end up single for life.”

Xu Bailing was stabbed right in her sore spot, and her face immediately paled.

Because of her tall and strong build, many men in the village weren’t as tall as she was. That made it difficult to find a match, and her family worried a lot about it.

After her three elder brothers got married one after another, life became tighter. All three of her sisters-in-law had, either openly or subtly, expressed their dissatisfaction with this unmarried sister-in-law.

Song Miaomiao didn’t even dare say a word when she was scolded. But now, seeing Xu Bailing’s eyes turning red, she immediately frowned and stepped forward.

“We’re all girls—why do you talk like you’re spitting poison?”

“I may not be able to tell wild fruits and mushrooms apart, but at least I don’t talk behind people’s backs or gossip.”

“This sister here is brave and speaks up for others. Even if her appearance or figure is a little different, she’s still a thousand, ten thousand times more beautiful than you all.”

“You… you’re just mean!”

“You’re not good people!”

She fumed for quite a while but still couldn’t come up with harsher insults from her vocabulary.

The gossiping girls turned red with fury, but Xu Bailing couldn’t help letting out a chuckle.

She walked over and grabbed Song Miaomiao’s hand.

“That’s right, they’re the mean ones. Just ignore them.”

The two of them gradually walked away, leaving the other girls stamping their feet in anger.

Once they were out of sight, Xu Bailing let go of her hand. “Thanks for standing up for me just now.”

Song Miaomiao shook her head. “I should be the one thanking you.”

It was Xu Bailing who spoke up for her first.

“But I really don’t know how to tell which wild fruits and mushrooms are edible. My mother told me to bring them back so she could check—she’s worried I might eat something poisonous.”

Xu Bailing hefted the basket on her back. Feeling the weight, she kindly offered, “This is heavy. If it’s full of poisonous stuff, it’s a waste of your effort. Let me take a look and sort out what’s inedible.”

Song Miaomiao’s eyes sparkled with gratitude. “Thank you!”

Looking at Song Miaomiao’s fair, pretty face, her eyelashes thick like brushes, and those sparkling eyes gazing up at her—Xu Bailing felt her heart get hit by something.

So cute!

She poured out the contents of Song Miaomiao’s basket and began sorting with practiced ease.

“This one’s poisonous. This one’s not ripe. This one’s super sour and inedible. This one’s bitter and also nasty. This one, this one…”

By the time she was done sorting, only about a third of the originally full basket was left.

Song Miaomiao’s soul practically left her body: So what exactly was I busy with for hours?

Xu Bailing looked a bit embarrassed. “…How about you come with me next time to forage? I’ll teach you how to identify them.”

Song Miaomiao looked at her like she was a lifesaver. “Bailing, you’re the best.”

Xu Bailing looked sheepish on the outside.

Her inner monologue: Keep the compliments coming—I love it!

…

For the next five days straight, Song Miaomiao stuck to Xu Bailing like a little tail, learning to identify more and more wild mushrooms, fruits, and vegetables.

Xu Bailing also noticed that educated people really do think differently.

She only had to teach her once, and Song Miaomiao would remember.

Meanwhile, on another side of the mountain, Lu Zheng stood on a ridge, watching Song Miaomiao chatting and laughing with Xu Bailing. A flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes.

Still haven’t spoken a word to her in days!

“Ah Zheng, you like her that much, why don’t you just ask Mom to go propose to the Song family?”

Lu Jun came over, carrying a bow and a wild pheasant slung from his waist.

Even though folks in the village said Song Miaomiao was spoiled and hard to deal with, he’d observed her a lot in the mountains recently. She actually had a decent personality and wasn’t as delicate as the rumors claimed.

And even if she were a bit delicate, so what? The three brothers in their family all hunted—life was fairly comfortable. If his little brother liked her, then that was enough.

Lu Zheng shook his head. “She doesn’t want to get married right now.”

He had overheard her conversation with Song Ziniu that day.

Lu Jun grinned. “You don’t want to marry, and she doesn’t want to marry. You two really are a perfect match—both weird!”

Lu Zheng: “…Anyway, don’t go running your mouth to Mom.”

Lu Jun: “Then give me that little fox you hunted yesterday. My son saw it and got all excited, said he wants one too. That little thing’s cunning—you can’t just catch one easily…”

Lu Zheng didn’t respond. He turned and walked off.

“Hey, are you giving it to me or not?”

“No.”

“That’s your nephew!”

“And you’re his dad.”

…

After foraging for ten straight days, Song Miaomiao finally saved up 100 copper coins.

Originally, it was 200, but she gave 100 to her mother for household expenses.

She thought life would just keep going quietly like this.

But that day, just as she stepped into the house, she saw Wang Guifang lying pale on the bed.

Song Miaomiao’s face changed as she rushed over. “Mother! What happened?”

Wang Guifang was weak, her forehead beaded with sweat, but she still tried to comfort her.

“I’m fine. Just got hit accidentally while helping your second uncle carry timber. I’ll be better in a couple of days.”

Song Miaomiao’s eyes turned red with anger. “That wood is so heavy, and your leg is already bad—how could he make you do that kind of heavy work?”

Wang Guifang sighed helplessly. “If I didn’t help, he would’ve demanded we pay him back immediately…”

And right now, where would she find that kind of money?

Song Miaomiao wiped her tears and went into the room, pulling out the 100 copper coins she had worked so hard to save from under the bedding.

“I’m going to get a doctor.”

Wang Guifang quickly stopped her. “Don’t waste money. I’ll be fine after lying down for a couple of days.”

Tears welled up even more fiercely in Song Miaomiao’s eyes. For the first time, she spoke to her mother in a firm tone.

“Mother, you only have me. If something happens to you, do you want to leave me all alone in a place where I don’t know anyone?”

Wang Guifang’s eyes immediately turned red as well. She had only just reunited with her daughter—how could she be willing to die so soon?

The mother and daughter cried in each other’s arms. Afterward, Song Miaomiao grabbed the money and ran out.

She didn’t know where the village doctor lived—but she did know where Xu Bailing lived.

Right now, the only person she could turn to was Bailing.

The little girl, her eyes red with tears, ran panicked along the edge of the fields. Suddenly, she stepped into a hole and fell into a muddy rice paddy.

Mud covered her from head to toe.

But she didn’t stop for even a moment—she got back up and kept running.

Bang!

She collided with someone and nearly fell over again. Fortunately, the person she bumped into grabbed her just in time.

“Hey, little girl, what’s going on? You’re all dirty. Did something happen at home?”

It was an older woman in a blue coarse linen dress, carrying a packet of medicine in her basket. Even though Song Miaomiao had dirtied her clothes from the collision, the woman didn’t get angry—instead, she asked about the crying girl with concern.

Seeing the medicine bundle in her basket, Song Miaomiao felt like she had found her savior. With a sob in her voice, she anxiously said:

“I need to find a doctor. My mother—my mother is hurt!”

The woman immediately responded, “Doctor Qin lives right at the foot of the mountain. Come, I’ll take you.”

After a frantic rush, the bearded and grey-haired Doctor Qin was finally brought to the Wang household.

He took Wang Guifang’s pulse and examined her, concluding that her internal organs had been injured. She wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for at least a month and would need medication and rest to recover.

Once he had written the prescription and left, Song Miaomiao’s hard-earned 100 copper coins were completely spent—and on top of that, she had to borrow another 20 copper coins from Wang Guifang.

Just as she turned around to thank the kind woman who had brought her to the doctor, she realized the woman had already disappeared without a trace.

When Wang Guifang heard she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for a month, her face filled with sorrow.

There were only two people in the household. If she couldn’t get up, all the housework and expenses would fall on Song Miaomiao’s shoulders.

If she had known this would happen…

She would’ve flatly refused when Song Eryong asked her to help carry the timber.

At worst, she would’ve endured a few bitter, cutting words—at least then she wouldn’t be lying here, making Miaomiao suffer alone.

Song Miaomiao held her mother’s hand tightly. “Mother, focus on getting better. I’ll take care of everything at home.”