Chapter 27 – Giving You My Life

Jiang Manman rolled her eyes at him.
“What are you saying? No?
You probably have no idea how good my techniques are.

Come on, there’s no one else in this mountain—lie down, and I’ll show you.”

Zhou Ye was forcibly pushed to the ground by her and left speechless.
“Do you even have a medical license?”

Jiang Manman gave him another eye-roll. Didn’t she already say back when she medicated the sow that she didn’t have one?
“Nope. But didn’t you just say your life is mine now?
Then that makes your life mine, so stop talking nonsense.”

Zhou Ye… collapsed.
“Comrade Jiang, did you really study this stuff?”

Jiang Manman’s expression turned serious as she reached out to feel along his lower back, gently probing his spine.
“I did study it, just didn’t take the test. I’ll make up for it later… maybe get a vet license or something.”

Zhou Ye sighed. Staying alive was hard.
Then suddenly, he shivered, as if an electric current shot from his waist straight to the top of his head, followed by a numbing tingle across his body.

It was her hands.
Those hands were now working on the injured part of his lower back. She pressed just a few times, but the pain he’d been enduring instantly eased by more than half.

“Hiss—Hey, I gotta say, your technique is something else. My back doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

“You got hit, didn’t you?
Your lumbar vertebrae are clearly misaligned. It seems like it’s been healing for a while, but it hasn’t fully recovered.
Look here—this bone is noticeably sticking out. If I adjust it now, you should feel much better.
You’ll need to rest properly after this—no heavy movement.
Didn’t think my skills would come in handy like this.”

In her past life, Jiang Manman had learned some things, and the original owner of this body had also picked up knowledge from the village clinic doctor.
So treating a lower back injury wasn’t a problem.

“I heard you’re also from the capital?”

Zhou Ye might’ve been lying face-down, but Jiang Manman’s technique had made him feel much more comfortable—completely different from earlier.

“Yeah. You too?”
“Mm.”

“AH~!”

Zhou Ye’s body arched like a bow.
Just as he was speaking, Jiang Manman took the opportunity to firmly realign the vertebra in his lower back.
The sudden move made him cry out in pain.

“Don’t worry, I corrected your spine. As long as you don’t twist it again, you’ll be fine.”

Zhou Ye scrambled up, struggling like a dying man.
Huh?
He moved his waist around a bit—it really didn’t hurt anymore.

Surprised, he turned to look at Jiang Manman and brushed the grass off his clothes.
“Didn’t expect you to actually know what you’re doing!”

Jiang Manman smiled, shrugged, and clasped her hands behind her back like a hidden expert.
“I call it hidden talent.
Don’t go telling others—I don’t have a medical license and won’t just treat anyone casually.”

“You’re this good—why not just get the license?”

But Jiang Manman wasn’t the original owner. The original hadn’t planned to go down that path.
Now that she had taken over, and her love-brain was cured…

“Didn’t I already say?
It’s too much trouble. Sure, I healed you this time, but what if I didn’t?
Wouldn’t you just blame me for life?”

Zhou Ye looked at her, then suddenly smiled.
“Didn’t I already say I gave you my life?”

Jiang Manman (ー_ー)!!!
That was a joke—he actually meant it?

She rolled her eyes at him just as he asked,
“What did you come up the mountain for?”

Jiang Manman sighed.
“I came to find some spices for braised meat—star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon bark, Sichuan peppercorns.
I thought the mountain might have some, but I searched for ages and didn’t find any. I ended up walking further and further without realizing it.
Just as I was about to head back, I ran into a wild boar.
What about you? Why did you come up here?”

“To find you!”

Tang, the educated youth, said you hadn’t returned by noon. I was afraid something happened to you up here.
Now that you’re sort of part of our pig farm, if anything happens to you, I’ll be partially responsible too.”

“You’re actually kind of responsible, huh?
Anyway, thanks for today.”

Zhou Ye waved it off.
“As long as you don’t take my life, anything’s fine.”

Jiang Manman chuckled.

Just as the two were heading down the mountain, they ran into Ge Mazi, who had turned back.
Ge Mazi had been worried about Zhou Ye, thinking Jiang Manman was just a woman—what if she accidentally dropped him while carrying him back?
So after bringing the wild boar back, he had hurried up the mountain again.

But to his surprise—Zhou Ye’s back was fine?

His eyes darted between Zhou Ye and Jiang Manman.
Then he gave an enlightened “Oh~”

Zhou Ye rolled his eyes.
“What’s with that look?”

Ge Mazi grinned and waved.
“Nothing, nothing.
On the way down, I ran into the brigade leader. He saw us bring back a big wild boar and said we even killed a piglet. He was so happy he could barely stop smiling.

That piglet was kicked to death by Comrade Jiang. We’ll get to eat meat!
Ah, if only it was the big one that died and the little one survived.
Then we could’ve raised the little one, and that big one—looked to be over 300 jin—we could’ve gotten more meat.”

Zhou Ye shook his head with a laugh.
“Stop with the nonsense—let’s get down the mountain!”

From their conversation, Jiang Manman picked up a lot.
“So the piglet is going to be slaughtered and the meat distributed to the brigade?
What about the offal and organs?
I kicked that piglet to death—can I keep the offal for myself?”

Since she hadn’t found her spices yet, if she wanted to eat meat openly, she’d have to make do with some liver and heart to satisfy her cravings.
As for the intestines—she’d only eat a tiny piece, she swore.
If she ate more than one piece, the Jiang family would be ruined.

“Comrade Jiang, that stuff stinks—why do you want it?”

“It’s still meat!
If you clean it properly, it’s just as tasty.”

Hearing that, Ge Mazi leaned in.
“Those buns you made last time were amazing.
When will you make more? I’ll pay!
And don’t worry about the offal—I’ll take care of it for you.”

Jiang Manman really had decided to make more buns in a day or two.
“Give it a couple days.”

Ge Mazi grinned widely.
“That’s great—make a lot and save me a few. I’ll bring them home for my mom so she can learn how to make them like you.”

“Impossible!”

Zhou Ye suddenly interjected. Both Jiang Manman and Ge Mazi looked at him.
Zhou Ye glanced at them and said to Jiang Manman:
“You used a lot of lard in those buns, didn’t you?”

“Of course. How can you make them without fat?”

Zhou Ye gave Ge Mazi a look.
“More than three drops of oil and your mom won’t be willing to use it.”

Ge Mazi scratched his head—thinking about it, it was probably true.

“Director Zhou, your pig farm’s got one more pig now—our brigade’s chances of being recognized as an Advanced Collective this year are solid.”

Zhou Ye smiled and greeted the brigade leader.
“That’s right. And we owe it all to Comrade Jiang.
She should definitely get some extra work points this time.”

Jiang Manman hadn’t expected to get work points as a reward—but it made sense. After all, she had helped add another pig to the pig farm, so a reward was reasonable.

The pig farm had originally been a factory. After the factory relocated, the brigade turned the site into a pig farm.
The place was large—raising another dozen pigs wouldn’t be a problem.

The brigade leader nodded repeatedly with a smile and said to Jiang Manman:
“Comrade Jiang, you’ve done a great job.
I just so happen to be here today to tell you all something about Comrade Sun…”