Chapter 18.2

As Lin Wan married, Jiang Ci did not follow along. After having lunch at the Jiang family mansion, she returned home and saw Xiao Tingxiang sitting on the threshold, cradling a small yellow puppy that was only a few months old and crying inconsolably.

“Tingxiang, why are you crying while holding Dahuang?”

“Pang Zhu broke Dahuang’s leg and even kicked him so hard that he spat out blood. Sister Jiang Ci, please save Dahuang.”

Dahuang was a small dog that Xiao Tingxiang had picked up from the roadside after it had been abandoned.

He was only a few months old and scrawny. Jiang Ci was furious after examining him; Pang Zhu was already sixteen years old and had a heart as black as his grandmother Dong Hua’s. It was likely that Dahuang’s internal organs had been ruptured, and both of his hind legs were twisted in a way that made one’s heart ache.

In this day and age, there were no veterinarians. People could hardly afford to see a doctor, let alone an unwanted stray dog.

Xiao Tingxiang cried harder and harder. Dahuang was her only friend, and now it seemed he was going to die.

Jiang Ci felt a pang of compassion. Over the past few days, she had accumulated a lot of Spirit Spring water. She wondered if the spring water could save Dahuang. It was worth a try to treat a dead dog like a live one.

She mixed half a bowl of diluted Spirit Spring water when she got home. Jiang Ci pried Dahuang’s mouth open and poured a little into it with a small spoon. The little yellow dog, whose eyes had been tightly shut, opened them. Jiang Ci quickly fed him a few more spoonfuls.

Dahuang struggled to lick the water from the bowl himself, but blood froth still bubbled at the corners of his mouth as he twitched in Jiang Ci’s embrace with his two broken hind legs.

Gu Qingchuan returned with a sack of grain from Gu Jiansheng and saw the two girls squatting at the door, one big and one small. He sighed; today was Lin Wan’s wedding, yet Jiang Ci was back in the middle of the day.

Just as he was about to say something, he caught sight of the little yellow dog in Jiang Ci’s arms, barely clinging to life.

“Brother, Dahuang is dying! Please save him.” For her, her brother was omnipotent, and Xiao Tingxiang felt a glimmer of hope rise in her heart.

Gu Qingchuan entered the yard and set down the sack on his shoulder. He squatted down to take a look, and Jiang Ci hurriedly asked, “Brother Chuan, is there any hope for Dahuang?”

The two girls looked at him with eager anticipation, hoping he would say, “There’s hope.”

Gu Qingchuan lowered his gaze and went to the backyard to chop a few bamboo strips. He then used some gauze to bind Dahuang’s broken legs.

“I’ll go into the mountains to collect some herbs and try my best to save him.” He knew that the little yellow dog was unlikely to survive. That would be good enough if he could just make it through the night. Yet he could not bring himself to say that.

Dahuang was his sister’s only playmate. A few months ago, his sister had picked up the recently weaned Dahuang after being scolded for several months. People had said the dog pup deserved to play with other pups and refused to abandon Dahuang. She saved half of her own meals every day to feed him.

He couldn’t just ignore the little yellow dog.

Knowing full well that he might not be able to save him, he still decided to go into the mountains. Doing something was better than doing nothing.

Jiang Ci glanced at the sky and said, “Brother Chuan, if you keep going back and forth, it will soon be dark.” After dark, the wild wolves in the mountains would come out to hunt.

“It’s fine.”

Gu Qingchuan went into the mountains to collect herbs for Dahuang. Jiang Ci dragged the sack of grain into the kitchen, untied the hemp rope, and found several smaller bags inside. There was a handful of wild mushrooms, half a bag of corn flour, a small bag of rice, and two catties of white flour. Inside, there was a package wrapped in oil paper. When she shook it open, it revealed a wild chicken that had already been plucked and killed.

She went to the well in the backyard to clean the wild chicken and then set it on the coal stove to simmer into chicken soup. The two catties of flour could only be kneaded into one catties and four taels of noodles, so she decided to make it all into dough.

Xiao Tingxiang was stoking the fire under the stove, and as she smelled the boiling chicken soup, she kept swallowing. “Sister Jiang Ci, Brother only kneads one-third of this small bag of flour each time. Why did you knead it all into dough?”

With ten days’ worth of noodles, Xiao Tingxiang was already very satisfied.

Jiang Ci thought, Oh no! With such a slip of my hand, I won’t have just eaten a month’s worth of fine food for Gu Qingchuan’s family, will I? This fine grain was bought on the black market, which was much more expensive than purchasing it with ration tickets at the supply and marketing cooperative.

“Sister has grain tickets. I’ll buy more tomorrow,” she replied.

After the wild chicken soup was ready, Jiang Ci tore off some chicken shreds, blanched half of the wild mushrooms in boiling water, and tossed them with a bit of sesame oil and the shredded chicken. She washed the remaining half of the wild mushrooms and threw them into the chicken soup, which now exuded a richer, savory aroma.

Suddenly, a fat figure burst into the kitchen. Jiang Ci was kneading dough at the stove, facing away from the kitchen door, and she only saw Xiao Tingxiang huddling in fear beneath the stove.

A sharp, shrill voice of a boy going through puberty yelled, “Ha! The landlord’s little dog is stealing chickens! I’ll smash your pot!”

Dong Hua’s eldest grandson, Pang Zhu, barged in with a peach wood sword, swinging it left and right. Just that day, he killed the little yellow dog, and now he was about to kick over the stove to prevent the dog from having the delicious chicken.

Pang Zhu had only dared to enter once he saw Gu Qingchuan walk away. He had not expected that there would still be someone at the little dog’s home today—Jiang Ci, the granddaughter of Grandpa Jiang, who was even more arrogant than he was.

Hmph, his father was the deputy factory director, and he feared no one. After playing for another couple of years, he would go work at the machinery factory. After all, Grandpa Jiang was already retired and could not control his father.

Jiang Ci felt annoyed seeing this fat, foolish kid. He was only two years younger than Chuan, and in ordinary families, children either went to school or helped lighten the household burden by becoming apprentices. But Pang Zhu had been spoiled rotten, acting like a giant baby who was utterly detestable.

As she watched him lift his foot to kick the pot of chicken soup, Jiang Ci grabbed the fire tongs and smacked him on the backside. “You little brat! Causing trouble at Chuan’s house, let’s see if I won’t beat you senseless!”

“You little wretch dare to hit me? I’ll tell my grandma and have my dad expel you!” Pang Zhu bolted outside and threw himself into Dong Hua’s arms, crying, “Grandma, that shameless little wretch from Wolf Cub’s house hit me!”

Jiang Ci: “……”

These words must have been taught to him by that old woman Dong Hua.

She sneered repeatedly and charged at her with the fire tongs. “With a mouth so vile, let’s see if I don’t beat you to death! Do you think you’re so great just because you have a father? I have two uncles! If worse comes to worst, I still have my grandpa. The Jiang family isn’t to be trifled with!”

“You little wretch, how dare you hit my grandson?” Dong Hua rushed in to claw at her. Jiang Ci turned around easily and dodged, causing the old woman to fall flat on her face.

Jiang Ci drew a line at the door, warning Dong Hua, “If you dare let your grandson come over to bully Tingxiang again, I’ll beat him every single time I see him.”

Old Lady Dong’s face turned dark purple with anger. Grandpa Jiang was fiercely protective and cared for his grandson more than his granddaughter, so Jiang Ci didn’t dare to provoke him openly.

“You little wretch, just wait!” Old Lady Dong struggled to hold her big grandson. “One day I’ll make you… Ouch! Who the hell dug a pit here? I’m going to fall in and die!”

The pit was one that Dong Hua had her son dig at the gate the night before, covering it with branches and a thin layer of dirt. Every night, Gu Qingchuan went to the black market, and she hoped he would fall into the pit, ideally injuring himself severely. So, the pit had been dug a little deeper than usual.

Both of them tumbled into the deep pit, and Pang Zhu screamed, “Grandma, you’re crushing me! I think my leg is broken. It hurts so much…”

Jiang Ci spat in disdain and pulled Xiao Tingxiang to close the courtyard door. This was just karma for all the trouble he had caused.

“Sister Jiang Ci, thank goodness you were here today.” Xiao Tingxiang was nervously twisting the corner of her clothing. “Pang Zhu… often causes trouble at home when Brother isn’t here. That day… that day he even touched me…”

Jiang Ci’s vision darkened, and she nearly spat out blood from anger. That beast! That beast!

“Besides touching you, did he do anything else?”

“No, just that. I hit him with a brick, so he kicked my little yellow dog today.”

Jiang Ci pulled Xiao Tingxiang into her arms. “Good girl, from now on, if anyone dares to bully you, just beat them to the ground. I’ll always have your back, so don’t be afraid.”

Xiao Tingxiang held Jiang Ci tightly. “Sister, please don’t move away. As long as you’re here, I won’t be scared.”

She didn’t dare tell her brother. She feared he would beat Pang Zhu to death, and killing someone meant paying with one’s life. This family couldn’t be without her brother.

“Okay, sister won’t leave.” Jiang Ci asked her, “Do you want chicken soup noodles or shredded chicken cold noodles?”

Xiao Tingxiang smacked her lips, unable to make a choice. Jiang Ci smiled and decided to make both.

The soup noodles were made with wide noodles, while the cold noodles were rolled thin. She boiled them in water and then rinsed them in cold water. She tossed them with sauce, drizzled a few drops of sesame oil, and topped them with a spoonful of shredded chicken and mushrooms. Xiao Tingxiang couldn’t stop eating.

Jiang Ci remembered that Grandma also loved cold noodles. She brought a bowl of noodles and a bowl of wild chicken and mushroom soup into the room. Grandma was still sleeping. Despite the commotion outside earlier, she hadn’t woken up. Jiang Ci wondered if it was the effect of the Spirit Spring water from earlier.

“Grandma Miao, dinner is ready,” Jiang Ci gently nudged Grandma Miao.

“Is Brother Chuan back?” Grandma Miao first sensed the aroma before hearing the voice.

Jiang Ci helped Grandma sit up and moved a small table beside the bed. Since Grandma had poor eyesight, she handed her the chopsticks. “Grandma Miao, Brother Chuan hasn’t returned yet. You eat first; I’ll save some noodles for him.”

“Is it cold chicken noodle?” It had been a long time since Gu Qingchuan had tasted that flavor. Jiang Ci’s culinary skills were learned from her mother and were excellent. Grandma finished her noodles slowly and then drank a bowl of fresh chicken soup.

She felt quite satisfied.

Gu Qingchuan had picked some herbs, including Sanqi, Maqianzi, and Sumac, and as he smelled the aroma of wild chicken soup filling the house, he remembered how hungry he was after trekking the mountain trails all afternoon.

Jiang Ci had prepared dinner for him…

The wild chicken soup was fragrant, and the cold noodles were chewy. After Gu Qingchuan had eaten two large bowls, his grandmother called him into the room.

Miao Xiulan’s murky eyes seemed to want to see her grandson clearly. Gu Qingchuan squatted down in front of her. “Grandma, did you cough this afternoon? I can get some medicine for you tonight.”

“I’m not coughing anymore,” Miao Xiulan said, stroking her eldest grandson’s brow and eyes, thinking he was even more handsome than his grandfather.

Back then, she was the daughter of the richest merchant in Jin. What had she seen in Gu Qingchuan’s grandfather? Was it not just his handsome face? Additionally, Gu Qingchuan’s grandfather had studied abroad, which made Miao Xiulan interested in him.

“Jiang Ci’s mother and Cui Pingzhou got married, so Jiang Ci has become my granddaughter-in-law. When will you bring her home?”

Gu Qingchuan was speechless.

“Grandma, Jiang Ci is only seventeen. What are you talking about? At her age, she can’t even get a marriage certificate.”

Grandma closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “Oh, things are different now than when we were young. You have to be over eighteen to get a certificate, right? That will come soon. I remember Jiang Ci’s birthday is on the ninth day of the first lunar month. After the new year, you two can get the certificate and have a banquet during the first month…”

Gu Qingchuan was speechless again. It was a dream. Grandpa Jiang had said long ago that only when the landlord’s hat was removed from their family and his father was vindicated would he be allowed to marry Jiang Ci.

“Dahuang has a broken leg. I’ll go apply some medicine for it,” Gu Qingchuan said.

Whenever serious matters came up, she would divert the topic. Miao Xiulan scolded, “Whose daughter is that Dahuang dog? Don’t go messing around outside every day. Your father and grandfather are upright men; how could they raise a scatterbrained kid like you?”

“Grandma, have you forgotten? Dahuang belongs to Xiao Tingxiang.”

—o—o—o—

“Brother Chuan, how come you’re so skilled at bandaging Dahuang?” After collecting some herbs, Gu Qingchuan treated the dog’s wound and wrapped it up again.

“Experience from fighting,” Gu Qingchuan replied as he finished tending to the dog’s injury. Jiang Ci handed him a basin of water and some soap, and he washed his hands, pretending to be fierce. “Didn’t expect that I could fight, huh? Did that scare you?”

After drifting around in the black market for a few years, no one was afraid of his fists. The little girl had never seen his fierce side; it might scare her away.

Jiang Ci had already made a comfortable doghouse for Dahuang in the yard. She was worried that the little yellow dog wouldn’t survive the night. If Xiao Tingxiang saw it, she would be heartbroken, so she took it back to her own yard.

“Then I need to feed you well so you won’t be at a disadvantage in fights,” Jiang Ci said, lifting the hem of his shirt. She originally thought he would be thin and bony, but to her surprise, he had solid muscles. She poked at his waist, “I didn’t expect… your muscles are quite firm.”

In the year they got married, Gu Qingchuan had been so thin that she could feel his bones. She thought he had always been like that from hardship, but it was not the case.

After getting out of prison in his previous life, the man’s health had been poor. He had been so thin that his bones protruded, and he often coughed up blood. It must have been those years in prison that had worn him down.

This year, Brother Chuan looked thin but was strong and powerful, with firm lines across his waist and abdomen. Otherwise, how could he have the strength to carry her while trekking for six hours in the mountains?

Gu Qingchuan felt a jolt when she touched him, stepping back a little. He recalled his grandmother’s words that after the new year, Jiang Ci would turn eighteen, and he could bring her home. His heart raced, and his face felt a bit hot. “Jiang Ci, a man’s waist shouldn’t be touched casually.”