Chapter 68: There is a doctor in our village

The wolf that had the silver needle took a moment to recover, shaking its head as it got back on its feet. It gave Hu Zhaodi a wary glance before decisively turning and fleeing.

“Ah, you’re more afraid than I am? Heh, now I can relax,” Hu Zhaodi chuckled as she approached the other wolf that was lying on the ground. She slowly crouched down and began petting its fur. Only when the wolf fully relaxed did she swiftly remove the silver needle and retreat.

This time, she spent a bit longer stroking the wolf’s fur.

After the needle was removed, the wolf didn’t attack or show much fear. Instead, it glanced at her before cautiously walking away.

Watching the wolf leave, Hu Zhaodi laughed, “So you like being petted, huh? Next time, don’t attack me, and I’ll pet you again.”

The remaining two wolves stayed lying on the ground. Hu Zhaodi followed the same procedure—stroking their fur before removing the silver needles.

Neither wolf showed hostility, though they remained vigilant.

After the wolf pack left, Hu Zhaodi was in high spirits, humming as she searched for herbs.

By the time she returned home in the afternoon, the wolves hadn’t appeared again.

It had been a productive day—she had gathered plenty of herbs and even found some wild mushrooms.

Upon returning to the village, she overheard some villagers gossiping.

“The Hu family is in bad shape. Who knows what they ate? The whole family’s been having diarrhea and is practically exhausted.”

“It’s worse than that, even their pig’s nearly dead from the same thing. Looks like it won’t survive.”

“I think it’s karma. When Zhaodi was with them, their family wasn’t this unlucky. Now that she’s severed ties with them, they’ve got nothing to eat and are resorting to strange food. Of course, they’re going to suffer.”

“Good thing Zhaodi cut ties with them. Otherwise, she’d be suffering, too.”

Listening to the villagers talk, Hu Zhaodi could hardly contain her laughter.

She wasn’t trying to kill her relatives, not even barely relatives. But she certainly wasn’t going to let them have it easy.

After eleven years of tormenting the original owner, the Hu family would slowly pay for their deeds.

Back at the Ji family, Auntie Ji Ji and Ji Chunhua had already started a fire to cook.

Hu Zhaodi asked Ji Chunhua to heat up some water while she prepared two wild chickens for slaughter and plucking.

Ji Chunhua, a little taken aback, thought to herself, This girl really knows how to enjoy herself!

Just yesterday, they had braised pork, and now she was cooking two wild chickens.

No one in the nearby villages could live as extravagantly as Hu Zhaodi.

The two children’s eyes lit up at the prospect of chicken meat.

Ji Chunhua said, “Zhaodi, you should sell the meat, you risked your life to catch it. You just ate meat yesterday, and today you’re going to stew two wild chickens. That’s too extravagant.”

Hu Zhaodi looked up and smiled lightly, “Extravagant? Chunhua, I’m fourteen now, but I’m still short. If I don’t eat more, how will I grow taller?”

She finished with a playful grimace.

Ji Chunhua burst out laughing. “Alright, alright, you must eat more then. But don’t overdo it. Stew just one, okay? You still need to save money to build a house.”

“Chunhua, one chicken won’t be enough. There are so many of us, and if everyone just gets a piece, it’ll be gone in no time.”

Once the water boiled, Hu Zhaodi grabbed a small bowl, put some salt and half a bowl of water in it, holding the bowl in one hand and a cleaver in the other.

Ji Chunhua, confused, asked, “Zhaodi, what’s the bowl for?”

“To collect the chicken blood! Chicken blood is edible too, can’t waste it.”

“What? Chicken blood is edible? How do you eat it?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. Not only chicken blood, but pig’s blood and lamb’s blood are edible too.”

“Ah? This is the first time I’ve heard that chicken blood and pig’s blood are edible.”

“Not only are they edible, but they actually taste pretty good and are very beneficial to the body.”

Ji Chunhua still looked unconvinced. Are they supposed to drink it straight? Can that even be done?

Hu Zhaodi smiled, placed the bowl on the ground, and grabbed a wild chicken to begin the bloodletting.

The bright red blood flowed into the bowl, turning the water inside completely red.

Once the first chicken was done, Hu Zhaodi grabbed the second one, cut its neck, and continued to let the blood flow.

After finishing with the blood, she placed the chickens in a basin and poured hot water over them to scald off the feathers.

Ji Chunhua stepped forward. “Zhaodi, you should go rest. Leave the plucking and gutting to me. You’ve been out in the mountains all day.”

“No need, no need, I’ll do it,” Hu Zhaodi insisted.

With surprising strength, Ji Chunhua picked Hu Zhaodi up. “I said go rest! Really.”

“Alright, alright, Chunhua, put me down. Let me at least go prepare the seasonings?”

“What seasonings? I’ll get them ready for you. Go rest now.”

Hu Zhaodi, feeling helpless, told Ji Chunhua what she needed, then went to rest in the inner room.

Since there was nothing else to do, she decided to continue teaching the two children their Three-Character Classic.

By the time Ji Chunhua had finished cleaning the chickens, Hu Zhaodi stood up to begin stewing them.

Once the water boiled and the foam was skimmed off, Hu Zhaodi added ginger, salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings.

About the length of an incense stick later, the stew began to release a mouth-watering aroma.

The children, tempted by the smell, couldn’t even focus on their recitations anymore.

Just then, Hu Dashan appeared at the edge of the courtyard, his face ashen and weak, barely able to walk. He was clearly exhausted.

He smelled the savory aroma wafting from the kitchen and seethed with jealousy.

“Uncle Ji, Uncle Ji…” Hu Dashan weakly called out.

Ji Chunhua walked out of the kitchen with a stern look on her face. “My father’s not here. What do you want with him?”

“It’s you, Chunhua! I need to borrow the ox cart from your father. Our family’s been suffering from food poisoning and we need to go to the neighboring village to see the village doctor.”

“My father’s over at the east side of the village, and the ox cart isn’t here either—it’s being used to haul stones. Why don’t you go over there and look for him?”

Hu Dashan grimaced. “Chunhua, I’ve been running to the latrine all day. I don’t have the strength anymore. Can you go find your father for me?”

Ji Chunhua shook her head. “I don’t have time, I’m busy cooking.”

Hu Dashan was about to say something else when suddenly he clutched his stomach with one hand and his backside with the other, rushing towards the Ji family’s latrine.

Ji Chunhua spat on the ground in disdain. “Tch! Serves him right!”

Hu Zhaodi, peeking out from the inner room, whispered, “Chunhua, when you see Hu Dashan, tell him that we have a doctor right here in the village, and that our doctor’s skills are even better than the village doctor in the next village.”

Ji Chunhua’s eyes lit up with realization. “Oh, I get it now. You go back inside.”

Hu Zhaodi, her face full of mischief, retracted her head with a smile.

It took a while for Hu Dashan to finally stumble out of the latrine, his face still filled with pain. “Chunhua, please, I’m begging you. I really can’t take it anymore. Can you help me find your father?”

Ji Chunhua rolled her eyes. “We’ve got a doctor right here in our village, and their skills are better than the ones in the neighboring village. Hu Dashan, look at you, in this state, and you’re still insisting on going to the other village for a doctor?”

Hu Dashan, stunned, asked, “Who? Who’s the doctor in our village? I’ve never heard of one.”

Ji Chunhua sneered, “It’s Zhaodi! The one you severed ties with! Didn’t expect that, did you?”