Chapter 135

“Fan Qian’s family’s miserable condition, especially the foul smell from being doused with fecal water, left an indelible memory in Shanshui Village. It also solidified the belief that sprouted potatoes should not be eaten!

Shuiqing looked at the suffering of Fan Qian’s family without pity, feeling they deserved it. Stolen goods would eventually have to be repaid.

Seeing Fan’s mother and Sun Jinhua suffering more severely only made her sigh in resignation. They deserved this punishment. They had caused the deaths of their elders, and their children had been bullied and insulted by them for years. Now, one wrong begot another.

And this ‘punishment’ was of their own making!

“Dad, Aunt Ding is here!” Zhang Hui pushed through the crowd, pulling a slightly plump woman forward.

The old village chief, leaning on his cane, stepped forward to greet her.

Whispers spread around them.

“Aunt Ding actually came. She used to cry in her room because of how Fan’s mother and Sun Jinhua treated her and her daughter. I never expected her to show up today,” Mrs. Li muttered, looking towards the slightly plump woman in the crowd.

“Could she be thinking of marrying her daughter to Sun Jinhua’s son? No, I misspoke. I meant getting Sun Jinhua’s son to marry her daughter,” Feng Dayan chimed in.

She thought this because, although the Fan family had fallen on hard times, they still had assets. They had brick houses and dozens of acres of good land. These properties wouldn’t go to the son-in-law they wanted to bring in, but at least it would cover the cost of caring for the elderly and medical treatments.

Old Mrs. Xu stated the facts: “The Ding family is now producing medicinal herbs, which is also saving lives. Sacrificing one son should be something they would agree to….”

Shuiqing pieced together the situation by listening here and there.

She looked up at the middle-aged woman opposite the old village chief.

With a slightly round body and a similarly round face, the woman’s face was full of smiles, appearing gentle and accommodating.

No wonder Sun Jinhua had upset her so much that she would cry and hide in her room. A feistier person would have just argued back with Sun Jinhua.

Oops, that was her.

However, she didn’t think any of Sun Jinhua’s four sons were good matches for her daughter.

If they really married in, they would probably end up harming her only daughter….

The old village chief hadn’t expected the Ding family to come in person to deliver the medicine.

He promised, “It’s hard for you to set aside past grievances. Sun Jinhua was the one who acted inappropriately. When this matter settles down, I’ll make sure they come over and thank you.”

Ding’s slightly plump face maintained a polite smile as she replied warmly, “Village Chief, you’re too polite. Both I and the head of our family think we’re all members of the same village, and mutual assistance is something we should do; now that their family is in trouble, we can’t just stand by and do nothing. The medicinal herbs are a bit tricky to boil, so I came over personally to make sure it’s done properly for them to drink.”

Her eloquent words were met with agreement from those around them. “Aunt Ding is right. We’re all villagers; we should help each other!”

“In the future, let’s help each other. Aunt Ding is our role model!”

Mrs. Fan, Sun Jinhua, and her four sons had all treated the Ding family poorly, and everyone could see it.

Now, Aunt Ding not only brought the medicinal herbs but also personally boiled them. Who else could match such generosity and breadth of mind?

Aunt Ding smiled slightly, showing no hesitation as she bypassed the crowd and headed to the kitchen to boil the herbs.

Listening to all this, Shuiqing couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

The way she spoke, the tact in her movements—someone with such eloquence wouldn’t be reduced to tears or have no resentment.

Even a clay statue had a bit of soil. Ding’s parents adored their only daughter, who was insulted and neglected by others. Wasn’t this worse than just being insulted?

“Alright, alright. The Fan family is fine now. Last time, someone in the village accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms and frothed at the mouth, claiming to have seen their long-deceased father dancing. After vomiting and drinking the herbs Aunt Ding brought, they recovered and are as lively as ever!”

“Ding Shu and Aunt Ding may not be doctors, but they’ve been gathering medicinal herbs for years. They’re as familiar with herbal medicine as any barefoot doctor, if not more so.”

Due to the unbearable smell inside the house and everyone having other tasks to attend to, the crowd dispersed in small groups.

Fan Jin was still inside the house, and Shuiqing felt hesitant to leave too early.

She instructed her children, “Yan Qiu, Da Jiang, you two go home first. Your father and I will stay here a bit longer.”

There was still plenty of work to be done at home, and it was enough for her and Fan Jin to remain here.

Yan Qiu and Da Jiang didn’t have much affection for their grandmother or their uncle’s family. They preferred to return home to work.

After hearing her mother’s instructions, Yan Qiu whispered, “Mom, don’t tire yourselves out. We’ll go home and handle things there.”

Shuiqing nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Inside, the mixture of feces, urine, and vomit formed a stifling odor. She couldn’t bear the thought of attending to it, let alone the smell!

Watching her two children walk away, Shuiqing raised her foot and peered into the hall.

She saw that Aunt Ding had already brewed the medicinal herbs and was carrying them in a large wooden basin.

Inside the basin was a ladle made from half a gourd. She scooped up a ladleful of herbal water, pinched the patient’s nose, and poured it down their throat as they gasped.

Regardless of how violently the patient coughed.

She moved on to the next person.

Her method was crude and direct, yet highly effective.

Fan Dazhu and his group showed much milder symptoms afterward. Initially weakened legs, making them unable to stand, and then being forced to vomit excrement and urine, making them vomit bile.

Now they were abruptly forced to drink a large ladle of herbal water, coughing as if tearing their hearts out!

He shouted irritably, “Are you doing this on purpose? Can’t you feed me properly? Do you know you almost choked me?”

All the others who had been helping stopped and looked at Fan Dazhu.

Their eyes were full of disbelief.

Weren’t they just as rough just now? With so many poisoned people in the Fan family and such filth, who had time to be gentle?

Was Dazhu also holding a grudge against them?

Even these words, were they meant for them to hear?

Those who had stayed in the yard, upon hearing the commotion inside, also crowded around the front door of the hall.

Among them, Aunt Ding, whom Fan Dazhu had criticized, was the most indifferent.

Her slightly plump figure didn’t pause for a moment as she continued to administer the herbs one by one.

Until the last one was done, she straightened up, checked each person, and made sure no one was missed. Her smile widened.

Then she turned to the people at the door and sighed as she explained, “I had no choice. These herbs need to be drunk while they’re hot for the best effect. And the sooner they drink them, the better. With so many people from the Fan family poisoned this time, I couldn’t afford to waste time, so I didn’t have the luxury of being delicate and gentle. I didn’t expect to upset Dazhu like this.”

“Ah, child? I remember Dazhu just turned seventeen this year. How can he still be considered a child old enough to get married?”

“Exactly! Even if he’s a child, he can tell right from wrong. This is just heartbreaking.”

“Aunt Ding, you did your best. I think he’s almost recovered now. Let’s leave the rest to them.”

The crowd dispersed like a tide.