Chapter 4

Jiang Wan was itching to move, but her cousin remained as still as a mountain. It seemed she was lost in her own world; it took several attempts for Jiang Wan to get any response from her.

Something wasn’t right.  

“Cousin?”  

“Cousin?”  

“Hmm? Wanwan, why don’t you lean on me and sleep a bit longer?”  

Yin Ning’s expression was heavy as she held her cousin close, then fell back into her daze, saying nothing more.  

For some reason, there was an inexplicable sadness emanating from her. Jiang Wan bit her lip, suppressing her desire to go out and explore, and obediently stayed home to keep her cousin company.

The two sisters stayed quietly at home, while the aunt and sister-in-law went out together to visit the neighbors after tidying up the house.  

“Little sister, why don’t we each visit a different house? How does that sound?”  

Gathering information individually would yield more. Yin Huaxi was bolder than the original owner and nodded immediately.  

She went to the nearer of the two houses. This house was made of mud and appeared quite new. There was no courtyard wall, just a simple fence surrounding it. Sitting on the earthen dam at the entrance were two women mending fishing nets and a small child playing in the mud.

Yin Huaxi instinctively ruffled her hair and tugged at her clothes, putting on an official smile before approaching the fence to speak.  

“Excuse me, ladies, may I come in?”  

The two women mending the nets and the child all looked up at her. The villagers were aware that new exiles were coming, so the two women quickly guessed Yin Huaxi’s identity.

The older woman hesitated for a moment, then nodded, saying, “If you have something to say, you can come in.”  

Seeing that their attitude was pretty good, without disgust or rejection in their eyes, Yin Huaxi felt a bit relieved. She pushed open the fence, found a small stool, and sat down beside the two women, introducing herself.  

Of course, she didn’t mention her past identity but simply shared her name and a little about her family, including how many people were in her household and where they were currently living.  

When they heard she was living in a stone house, both women showed a hint of envy in their eyes. That house was genuinely good, but it was too small for their seven or eight family members, and the old village chief wouldn’t allow them to switch.  

“The brother who brought us over said we could come and ask the neighbors if we didn’t understand anything, so I took the liberty to disturb you. May I ask how you two are called?”  

“Everyone in the village calls me Aunt Niu, and this is my eldest daughter-in-law, Cuifang.”  

“What?! Aunt, you’re actually a mother-in-law? I really didn’t notice that. When I first came in, I thought you two were sisters-in-law.”  

Yin Huaxi feigned shock, causing Aunt Niu to smile broadly, unable to suppress her delight, standing a bit taller for no reason.  

Who doesn’t like being told they look young?  

“Girl Yin, you really know how to joke.”  

The previously polite atmosphere suddenly became much warmer, leaving Cuifang looking a bit stunned.  

The conversation flowed more smoothly from then on. As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law continued mending the nets, they shared stories about the villagers with Yin Huaxi. When Yin Huaxi felt she had gathered enough information and was about to leave, the child playing in the mud suddenly clutched his throat and started to struggle.  

“Xiao Niu, what’s wrong?!”  

“Xiao Niu! Don’t scare Grandma!”  

The choking child couldn’t say anything, and his increasingly flushed face showed he was in danger.  

Yin Huaxi immediately recognized that he must have choked on something, so she squeezed between the two adults, who were anxiously shaking and patting him, and quickly took the child into her arms.  

“I know medicine; let me help!”  

Her claim of knowing medicine calmed the prepared-to-fume mother-in-law and daughter-in-law a little. They watched anxiously as Yin Huaxi placed the child on the ground and stood behind him, her fists clenched just above his belly. After several attempts, the child coughed up a small chunk of something.  

The child, having survived the ordeal, cried in fear, prompting Cuifang to quickly pick him up and soothe him.  

“Don’t cry, don’t cry; it’s okay now.”  

“This is a piece of clam meat; it was a bit too large for him.”  

Yin Huaxi frowned as she looked at the child, who seemed to be about two years old. Food the size of a peanut should be given with caution, let alone such a large piece of clam meat.  

Aunt Niu swallowed hard and explained, “There’s not much good food in the village; we usually just cook and dry clam meat for the kids as snacks. Everyone does this.”  

But how did something go wrong with her grandson?  

“It’s better to be safe than sorry; Xiao Niu is still too small. You should avoid giving him such large and hard-to-chew food. Also, make sure he washes his hands before eating anything.”  

As a doctor by profession, Yin Huaxi’s habits kicked in, and she rambled on for a while before letting the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law off the hook.  

In the countryside, there was a lack of medical care and a complete void of knowledge about basic hygiene and childhood illnesses. The two women listened very attentively. After Yin Huaxi finished, they looked at her with admiration, their fondness for her rising significantly.  

“Girl Yin, thank you so much for saving my Xiao Niu today. Please take these duck eggs home with you.”  

Aunt Niu shoved duck eggs into Yin Huaxi’s hands, while Cuifang looked at her with gratitude, repeatedly saying they would bring her fish once their men returned home.  

The two women were so enthusiastic that Yin Huaxi felt overwhelmed and worried that she might break the duck eggs while pushing them away, so she accepted them.  

“Aunt, I’ll accept your kindness; these are good things, so thank you very much. I’ll head home to tidy up. If you have any headaches or fevers, feel free to come find me.”  

Naturally, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were very happy to hear this. There had never been a doctor in the village, and even if a traveling doctor occasionally passed through, the medicine wasn’t effective. If someone wanted proper medical attention, they would have to travel a long way to Huaihua Township or even to the county town.

Seeing the doctor even once could empty the family’s coffers. So, hearing Yan Huaixi’s words, how could the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law not be happy? The two looked eagerly at Yan Huaixi, waiting for her to turn down the small path before heading home.

“Mother, a few duck eggs and a handful of vegetables is still a bit lacking. Our little Niu just had such a close call,” said Mao Cuifang, wanting to befriend Yan Huaixi, thinking that if she built a good relationship, it would be easier for her son to get help if he fell ill again. Aunt Niu shared this sentiment and nodded, saying, “Later, when Daniu and his father come back, you should send some fish over. Also, they must be short of many things since they just arrived. You can lend them one of our wooden barrels, and by the way, tell them the time of the low tide tomorrow, so you can take them to forage from the sea.”

Although the village was poor, they wouldn’t starve. The ocean was abundant with resources, and every time the tide receded, many sea creatures would be left on the beach. As long as they were diligent, there would be food at home. If they worked even harder, they could gather more sea creatures to sell, which would help add some money for oil and meat.

Having lived in a seaside fishing village since she was young, Yan Huaixi certainly understood the convenience of living by the sea. While her foraging skills weren’t as good as her daughter’s, they were much better than the original owner’s family.

But how could she explain her foraging skills to her family…?

Jiang Wan was also troubled by this. The ocean was right in front of them, and for the two of them who lacked food, the sea was a huge granary. Yet, since she had to keep her ability to forage a secret to avoid revealing their situation, she felt anxious just thinking about it. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and by the afternoon, Jiang Wan had already come up with an excuse.

She could say she had once found a book that introduced sea creatures and learned from it. Now that the mother and daughter had left the Jiang family, no one could verify it. Using the excuse of going to the latrine, they both took a breather before picking up some firewood to return.

At that moment, wooden boards were drying in the open space in front of the house, hot water was boiling in the stove, and the two bedrooms had been cleaned thoroughly. Once the windows were opened, the musty smell in the house dissipated significantly, and they could finally sit for a while.

Song Wenhui first shared the information she had gathered. “Some of us who have been exiled aren’t well-received by the villagers, so it’s best not to go into the village often. Additionally, firewood can only be collected from the outskirts of the back mountain or from driftwood by the sea. I heard from Sister Zhou that there are fierce Li people living deep in the mountains, and they have a very bad relationship with the people from down the mountain. If you recklessly go into the mountains, you might be attacked.”

This information was very important, especially since they lived at the foot of the mountain and often needed to go up to gather firewood, wild vegetables, and fruits.

“There’s also no ox cart in the village that goes to the county town. To get to the county, you either have to walk there yourself or follow the village’s fishing boats. The arable land in this village is very limited, and the yield of grain is low. Most of it has been converted to bean and vegetable farming. So, the village doesn’t produce food; if you want to earn a living, you’ll have to spend money to buy it from the county.”

The family: “…”

Right now, they couldn’t even scrape together five wen, and at most, they could buy a pound of grain.

Yan Huaixi recalled what Aunt Niu had told her and added a few comments. Most of it was information about the surrounding neighbors, some families, and whether they were easy to get along with.

“Also, today I helped Aunt Niu a bit, and she said if we have anything we want to buy, she can take us along when she goes to the city, or she can help us buy it back.”

It was clear that Aunt Niu had a fishing boat, so getting along with her would be very beneficial for their family.

Yan Huishan summarized the information, feeling a bit lighter. Starting off in the village like this was quite promising. As long as their family worked together, they could certainly improve their lives.

The afternoon passed quickly, and after being dried by the wind and sun, the bed boards were set back up on the stones. The weather was warm, and the family could just lie down to sleep. Yan Ning seemed extremely tired; as soon as the bed was made, she lay down and didn’t move. Jiang Wan was a bit worried about her and turned to quietly ask her aunt in the kitchen.

“Aunt, my cousin has been in a bad mood and hasn’t spoken at all. If she keeps this in, it will cause problems.”

Hearing this, Song Wenhui also felt troubled. She had tried to console her daughter, but she just couldn’t understand.

“It’s all because of that broken engagement. That damned Meng family quietly gave the marriage withdrawal notice to me and your uncle, but they insisted on making a big deal out of it in front of your cousin.”

They also said so many unpleasant things.

Every time Song Wenhui thought of it, she felt a surge of anger.

“Wanwan, Aning has always been close to you. Please help your aunt to persuade her to think more positively. Or take her to the seaside for a walk; I think the scenery there is quite nice and suitable for clearing one’s mind.”

Jiang Wan nodded. Even if her aunt didn’t say anything, she would find a way to cheer her cousin up. But she always felt that merely withdrawing the engagement shouldn’t make her cousin this way.

The Yan family was exiled because her grandfather’s younger brother embezzled a large amount of military funds, the mastermind had already been executed, and three clans were sentenced to exile. In fact, at this time, the Meng family withdrawing from the engagement wasn’t unreasonable. After all, the Yan family had been exiled; there was no benefit to either family in forming a marriage alliance, and they could even be implicated. Who would take that risk to marry? She thought her cousin should have been mentally prepared for this.

“Wanwan, I’ve prepared the water for you; I’ll bring it into the house. Make sure to close the door well and wipe yourselves down.”

“Okay, okay!”

After walking all this way in such hot weather, they had to rely on rainwater to bathe, and they felt awful. Jiang Wan even felt a bit itchy on her head and fervently prayed not to get lice.

Once her aunt brought the water into the house, she quickly closed the doors and windows before calling her cousin.

“Cousin, my aunt has mixed the water for us. Get up and wipe yourselves down.”

Hearing this, Yan Ning, who had been lethargic, suddenly seemed to come to life, hopping out of bed and rushing towards the bucket.

Splashing water sounds filled the air as Jiang Wan stared wide-eyed at her cousin, who was vigorously scrubbing herself, as if trying to rub her skin off.

This feeling…

Jiang Wan felt a knot in her heart, having an unsettling suspicion. But she didn’t dare say a word, fearing she might upset her cousin.

“Cousin, let me help you scrub your back; you can’t reach it yourself. I’ll help you clean it better.”

“Okay, make sure it’s clean.”

Yan Ning finally smiled at her little cousin, which made Jiang Wan’s heart feel sore, and she could barely hold back her tears.

As she carefully scrubbed her cousin’s back, she thought about how to help her. Her cousin looked as if she had been wronged. For women in this era, chastity was even more important than life itself, so it was no wonder that her cousin’s eyes had lost their luster.

But after being imprisoned, her cousin had been with her aunt and uncle all along, and they hadn’t been separated on the way to exile. When had she been bullied, and by whom? Why hadn’t her uncle and aunt noticed anything at all?

Jiang Wan had read quite a few books that said a girl would feel unwell and walk strangely after her first experience. A smart person like her aunt wouldn’t fail to notice this; how could she think that her cousin was just upset about the broken engagement…?