Chapter 31

Jiang Wan noticed her mother was tired, so she took the initiative to massage her mother’s back. She looked around the house but couldn’t find her uncle, so she asked her aunt with some confusion.

“It’s almost time for lunch. Why hasn’t Uncle come back yet? Where did he go?”

Yīn Níng also looked at her mother, wanting to know the answer. When she woke up this morning, her father had already left, and her mother hadn’t said where he was going. He just went up the mountain with her aunt.

“Your uncle went to the village to help. I heard that someone’s son is getting married and building a house. The village doesn’t have many idle men, so the village chief sent someone to invite your uncle to help.”

“But didn’t Dad use to work with pens, not hammers? Can he even build a house?”

When her daughter said this, Sòng Wénhuì silently felt for her husband. Of course, he couldn’t build a house, but if they came to ask for help, it showed that the village chief wanted to help integrate him into the village. The people who came to invite him said that he would just be helping to mold the mud bricks and work hard, so her husband agreed right away. She couldn’t stop him after that.

“If he can’t, he’ll learn. They’re even providing lunch for the workers.”

Sòng Wénhuì didn’t say more and went into the kitchen to start preparing the fire.

Recently, the family’s income had mostly come from her sister-in-law and niece, and she could tell her husband was a little anxious.

Men, they want to be the pillars of the family, to take care of their wives and sisters. If their skills aren’t useful, they work hard and learn new ones—there’s always a way to earn money.

She could only support him and learn from him.

Right now, the two families were living together because they were too poor to separate. Once their financial situation improved, they would have to split up. It would be a joke if a married brother and sister-in-law kept relying on their younger sister for money to support the family.

So today, Sòng Wénhuì was doing her best to learn about medicinal herbs from her sister-in-law. Even if she didn’t understand medicine, she could at least help with collecting herbs and give them to her sister-in-law. She could make some money once they sold the herbs.

Yīn Huáixī noticed the couple’s plans, but she didn’t stop them. She let things develop naturally.

After lunch, the sun grew even hotter, and standing in the yard for a short while made their skin burn from the heat.

Jiang Wan sat on the doorstep, holding a small bamboo stick and using scissors to cut circles on it. She was preparing to make a simple fishing rod that she could use when she had free time to try fishing.

Besides, the tide would recede soon, and the evening would be too dark to go beachcombing safely, so the villagers usually didn’t go out then. Without the sea to rely on for food, they would have to see if the fishing rod worked.

Yīn Níng watched as her cousin bent a needle with a thud and threaded it through some hemp string.

“Do you think this will really catch fish?”

“Of course not yet. I still need to prepare bait. It’s not like I’m going fishing right now, no need to rush.”

She needed to explore the village first and find a shady spot where she could fish. Then she would have to prepare the bait. It would take some time.

Once Jiang Wan finished making the fishing rod, she placed it in her cousin’s room.

“Your clothes are ready, cousin! Come try them on!”

Yīn Níng had only ever made clothes with satin or cotton before, but this was her first time using coarse cloth. She had heard Jiang Wan complain a few times that her clothes were too tight and hot, so this time she purposely made them looser and shortened the sleeves like the village girls wore.

When Jiang Wan tried on the clothes, she loved them instantly.

The clothes weren’t tight against her body, making them ten times cooler. The coarse cloth felt even cooler, and the sleeves shortened to her elbows made the heat less unbearable.

“You really understand me, cousin! This is exactly what I wanted!”

Yīn Níng smiled at her cousin’s joy. She knew Jiang Wan would like them. She was happy to finally help her family.

“Since you didn’t want a skirt, I’ve already cut the pants. I’ll shorten them for you when you need them.”

Jiang Wan’s eyes lit up as she nodded enthusiastically, gave her cousin a quick kiss, and ran outside to show her mother the new clothes.

Yīn Níng stayed in the room, smiling foolishly. When Jiang Wan was younger, she would always give her kisses, but over the years, she had become more reserved, which made her feel a little sad.

She still preferred when Jiang Wan was affectionate with her.

Outside, Jiang Wan showed off her new clothes, reluctant to take them off. She didn’t even want to wash them, so she left the house wearing them.

She couldn’t stay home, and since her mother was going to visit Xiao Man for a follow-up, she decided to go along.

As they neared Xiao Man’s house, they encountered a young girl on the road. She looked about seventeen or eighteen, with a slightly plump and cute figure.

Jiang Wan was just thinking that when the girl looked at her and her mother, then rolled her eyes.

…

She wasn’t cute at all now.

Jiang Wan had never seen this girl before. Why did she roll her eyes at them? Was she blind?

Jiang Wan rolled her eyes back, irritated, and bit her lip as she walked toward her. Just then, Xiao Man’s door opened, and Xiao Man’s mother stepped out.

“Hehua? What are you doing here?”

Hehua rolled her eyes and turned away, speaking impatiently, “It’s my mother. She heard that you found a female doctor who cured San Yā, and now she wants to know where that doctor lives so she can see her too.”

She didn’t want to be out in the hot sun this afternoon, and the whole walk had put her in a bad mood.

“Aunt, just give me the address, I’m leaving.”

Xiao Man’s mother ignored her, passing her by and greeting Jiang Wan and her mother to come inside.

Hehua was left staring, dumbfounded.

“Aunt?!”

“What? I’m not deaf. If you want the address, just ask. But I have to ask the doctor if she’s willing. Why are you in such a hurry?”

Xiao Man’s mother wasn’t going to indulge her. Hehua wanted something but acted like she was too good for it—she was annoying.

Hehua was furious.

“Third Aunt, my name is Lián Héhuā! Don’t call me Daya!”  

It was so embarrassing to be called by such a plain name in front of others! Lián Héhuā had never been the type to let people walk all over her, so she immediately turned around to report the situation.  

“Such an unruly girl!”  

Xiao Man’s mother muttered a curse under her breath and slammed the door shut.  

Lián Héhuā always insisted on others calling her by her full name, but she liked to use nicknames for others. Even though Xiao Man’s name came before hers, she always called her “Sān Yā” (Third Yā) whenever she saw her. She was clearly trying to irritate others—well, she could play that game too. If she called her daughter “Sān Yā,” then she would call her “Daya.”  

Hmph, anyway, it was her who got upset.  

“Doctor Yīn, I’m sorry for the trouble.”  

Yīn Huáixī didn’t think much of it and directly went into the small house to give Xiao Man a follow-up examination. Jiang Wan didn’t follow her in and stayed outside to chat with Xiao Man’s mother while drinking water.  

“Sister Qiufang, was that Lián Héhuā from your family?”  

“Her? She’s the daughter of my husband’s older brother. But our third branch separated from the rest long ago, and she doesn’t usually come around.”  

When Xiao Man’s mother talked about this niece, it was as if a floodgate had opened.  

“When we were separated, she played a big part in it. From a young age, she was stubborn and competitive, wanting the best food and clothes at home, treating my Xiao Man like a servant. And yet, my sisters-in-law spoiled her, always helping her bully my Xiao Man.”  

She was clearly still angry about it.  

Jiang Wan was confused.  

“Isn’t she your sister-in-law’s daughter? Why does your second sister-in-law spoil her too?”  

The second sister-in-law, being caught between the first and third wives, should have tried to stay neutral.  

“Who knows with her? She used to have three daughters and cursed them as ‘useless money losers,’ but then when she finally had a son, she started doting on her daughters again. She doesn’t care for her older kids, but she spoils the younger ones from my oldest sister-in-law. She must have something wrong with her head.”  

A sudden flash of insight crossed Jiang Wan’s mind, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.