Chapter 11: She Hates Qin Nian

After bandaging the injured leg, Qin Nian looked at Ye Meizi, her eyes full of gratitude.
“Aunt Geng, I have to thank you for the badger oil you had at home.
You applied it to my grandma’s wound just in time. It not only relieved her pain but also prevented infection.
I’ll remember your kindness. One day, I’ll definitely repay you.”

“You silly girl, why say such things? Didn’t your Uncle Geng’s injury also depend on you?
That gash was so long—if it hadn’t been stitched up, the bleeding wouldn’t have stopped at all. Every time I think about it, I get terrified.
We’re neighbors, better than distant relatives and even better than some close ones. Don’t say such distant-sounding words again.
As for the badger oil, use as much as you need. If it’s not enough, I’ll send Geng Feng to Pear Blossom Village.
His uncle’s a hunter too and has some badger oil at home.”

The badger oil Ye Meizi gave was stored in a clay pot, and even half a pot weighed over three jin (roughly 1.5 kilograms).

Qin Nian replied, “That’s plenty—more than enough.”

Ye Meizi stood up. “Old Madam Li is injured, and you’ve been busy for quite a while. Get some rest.
I’m heading back. If anything comes up, just send for Geng Feng. Don’t be polite about it.”

Geng Feng, standing by the door, also spoke sincerely: “Xiao Nian, if you need anything, just say the word.”

Qin Nian felt a warm glow in her heart, her eyes moist.
“Auntie, Geng Feng, I’ll definitely call you if I need help. I won’t be polite.”

Ye Meizi and Geng Feng left.

Qin Nian went to the kitchen and fetched a bowl, then brought in a bowl of spring water.
“Grandma, you’ve been sweating—have some water.”

Granny Li was indeed thirsty and drank the entire bowl of spring water with Qin Nian’s help.

Qin Nian then took a pillow from the kang cabinet and said to the old lady sitting against the wall,
“Grandma, lie down for a while. We’re out of water at home, I’ll go fetch a bucket.”

Granny Li nodded and said approvingly, “That Geng Feng boy sure reacts quickly.
When he saw my leg got scalded, he rushed into the kitchen, scooped half a basin of water, and poured it on my leg.
Then he carried the whole water vat out and dumped it all on my injured leg, cooling it down fast.
That’s the only reason my skin didn’t peel off.”

Suddenly, she blinked a few times. “Xiao Nian, if Geng Feng poured out all the water from the vat,
where did that bowl of water you just gave me come from?”

Qin Nian reacted quickly.
“Grandma, when Geng Feng got anxious, he only tilted the vat toward your leg—he didn’t empty it completely.
Just enough water was left for one bowl.”

Granny Li nodded. “Hmm, Geng Feng really was quick. Ah, he’s got strength too. Being young is wonderful.”

Even after being scalded, she still wore a look of admiration—admiring Geng Feng’s youth.

After settling Granny Li down, Qin Nian said,
“I’m going to fetch a bucket of water and then cook lunch.”

“Wait.”

Granny Li quickly called her back:
“Xiao Nian, although my scalded leg has something to do with Li Dahua and the others suddenly showing up,
the main cause was still my own carelessness.
You mustn’t hide it from me and sneak off to Daqiao Village to settle scores with them.
You know, Li Dahua had already given birth to a bull-headed brat before you—he’s two years older than you, eighteen now.
After abandoning you, she had two more—one’s fifteen, one’s fourteen.
Then there’s that grown ox Qin Rongsheng, and don’t forget Granny Qin and those two vicious women, Li Dahua’s gang.
Can you really take them on?
If you go alone, they’ll definitely capture and sell you off. Then you’d never see your grandma again.”

In Granny Li’s mouth, men were bull-headed brats and women were ghost soldiers. What kind of metaphors were those?

Qin Nian laughed so hard she squatted down on the floor, tears streaming from her eyes.

Granny Li had drunk a bowl of spring water and the pain in her leg had eased. She also laughed and continued:

“Once my leg’s better, there’ll be plenty of ways to deal with them.
Just you wait and see—your grandma will make sure they pay, big time.”

Qin Nian smiled and nodded. “Okay, I won’t go deal with them alone. When your leg is healed, we’ll go together.”

That’s what she said out loud, but in her heart, she was already planning to find a chance to teach Li Dahua and her lot a lesson.

She had to make sure they’d never dare come by every few days demanding things again.

Once life stabilized, the first thing would be to build a proper house, fix up the courtyard wall—so people like Li Dahua couldn’t just show up whenever they pleased.

Qin Nian spent quite a bit of effort carrying back a bucket of water. She hadn’t dug up even a single wild vegetable on the mountain that day, so they had no choice but to continue drinking cornmeal porridge.

Early the next morning, after washing up and eating breakfast, Qin Nian opened the old cabinet on the heated kang bed and took out the two taels of silver she had hidden.

“Grandma, I’m heading into town.”

Granny Li had drunk cornmeal porridge made with spring water and had also been drinking spring water. The pain in her leg had eased considerably, and she could now speak with more energy.

“What are you going into town for?”

“You’re injured, and we can’t keep drinking cornmeal porridge. Millet porridge is more nourishing—I’m going to buy a few jin.”

Granny Li objected. “Xiao Nian, last year, we didn’t even get to drink cornmeal porridge most days.
Now we can eat till we’re full—what do we need millet for? Your grandma has thick skin and flesh, I’m not that delicate.
Don’t buy it, don’t buy it.”

Qin Nian didn’t listen. She tossed out a sentence and walked away:
“I’ll ask Aunt Geng to stop by in a bit to check on you.”

With that, she left without looking back, ignoring Granny Li’s loud protests, and took the two taels of silver with her.

Once she reached the county town, the first place Qin Nian headed was the grain store. Just a few days ago, cornmeal had cost 20 wen per jin; now it had already jumped to 30 wen per jin in just a matter of days.

Millet, shockingly, had risen to 40 wen per jin—nearly unaffordable for the poor.

But for Granny Li’s sake, Qin Nian still spent 800 wen to buy 20 jin of millet, and another 40 wen to buy 2 jin of brown sugar.

She was back before noon.

When Granny Li found out she’d spent almost a full tael of silver, her heart ached so much she could barely breathe.

Still, pain or not, Granny Li was someone who valued kindness and repaid it. Looking at Qin Nian, she said:

“Your Uncle Geng is injured too. Bring him some millet and give them a jin of brown sugar as well.
We live next door. Their family of three are good people.”

Qin Nian agreed, scooped three jin of millet into a clay basin, and placed a packet of brown sugar on top. Then she hopped over the low wall into Ye Meizi’s yard.

Ye Meizi had visitors—Geng Feng’s aunt and cousin. The cousin’s name was Tang Xiaomei, the same age as Qin Nian.

When Ye Meizi saw that Qin Nian had brought such good things, she was both pleased and touched.

Qin Nian smiled and said, “Auntie Geng, you said yesterday that we’re close neighbors—no need for formality.”

Geng Feng looked at Qin Nian. “Xiao Nian, why didn’t you call me when you went to town? I could’ve gone with you.”

Qin Nian replied, “I thought you went up the mountain hunting. If I’d known you were home, I really would’ve asked you.”

Tang Xiaomei suddenly chimed in, “My cousin just came back from the mountain.”

Her tone was rather unfriendly, as if she didn’t like Qin Nian much.

Qin Nian glanced at her but didn’t take it to heart. She simply hopped back over the wall and returned home.

She scrubbed the pot and used spring water to make two bowls of millet porridge. Since millet was expensive, she originally planned to make just one bowl for her grandma.

But Qin Nian understood—in her grandma’s eyes, she was the most important. If she didn’t eat, her grandma would refuse to eat too, no matter what.

So Qin Nian added a spoonful of brown sugar to Granny Li’s porridge. The two of them ate happily, smiling from ear to ear.