Chapter 10: Opportunity Has Arrived

Village Chief Zhou had said it wasn’t far, so they thought it was actually not far.

But they cross two hills and walked through several paths before finally reached Zhoujia Village, surrounded by a mountain basin.

After discussing, Niu Aixiang and Zhao Heping stayed at the educated youth’s house, Jiang Nian stayed at the village chief’s house with his granddaughter, and Li Rui stayed with another villager.

After arranging their accommodations, Jiang Nian followed the village chief back to his house.

The village chief’s house was also a similar earthen house. The courtyard wall wasn’t very high, and someone tall could see inside by standing on their tiptoes. But compared to other houses that didn’t even have a fence, it was considered quite good.

As they walked in, several chickens and ducks that had been pecking at food inside the gate were startled and flapped their wings, scattering, leaving behind a few stray feathers.

The dust kicked up made Village Chief Zhou furious. He stomped his feet and shooed them away, scolding, “Get out of the way!”

After the dust settled, Jiang Nian carried her sacks inside.

By this time, the people in the village chief’s house had heard the commotion and came out.

Besides the village chief and his wife, there was also a woman with a troubled expression. This was the village chief’s eldest daughter-in-law, Shiliu.

She was holding a baby in her arms, and two children were following at her feet. In the blink of an eye, two more children ran back from outside. They were all boys, bare-chested, wearing only a pair of pants, which were also loose.

The three younger ones were understandable, but the two who ran back from outside looked to be six or seven years old. The little boy’s little “bull” was sticking out, swaying as he walked, making even Jiang Nian, who had seen a lot in her life, dumbfounded.

So… unrestrained?

“Girl, you can stay in that room. I only have one granddaughter, and she lives alone. You two can keep each other company.” Village Chief Zhou pointed with his hand and shouted, “Huaher? Come out and help carry things.”

“My sister went up the mountain to pick wild raspberries. She hasn’t come back yet.” The oldest boy answered, his two front teeth were missing, and his speech was slurred.

“What are you waiting for? Go help carry things.” Village Chief Zhou was the sole authority in the family. You could tell from his tone of voice. When he turned to speak to his daughter-in-law, his tone softened a bit, becoming less harsh. “How’s the eldest? Did he eat lunch?”

Shiliu shook her head sadly, her voice filled with tears. “No, he won’t eat. He wants to die and says he doesn’t want to burden us anymore.”

The wrinkles on Village Chief Zhou’s face deepened, filled with helplessness and hardship.

Jiang Nian had already carried her things into the room. She gave the little boy, who hadn’t helped much, a fruit candy and then started asking questions.

She learned from him that he was the village chief’s eldest grandson. He had an older sister and four younger brothers. His sister was called Zhou Huaher, he was called Zhou Dawang, and his brothers were called Erwang, Sanwang, and Xiaowang.

If his mother had another son, Xiaowang would become Wuwang, and the new baby would become the new Xiaowang.

What a casual way to name them.

And although he wasn’t very tall, he was actually eight years old.

The village chief had two sons. His father was the eldest. A while ago, he was pierced in the thigh by a wild boar’s tusk. Although he survived, he was paralyzed in bed, and his entire leg had no feeling.

His uncle and aunt had been arguing about dividing the family since his father became paralyzed. They had just separated recently, which was why the village chief’s house was so spacious.

After asking all the questions she wanted, Jiang Nian felt that this was an opportunity given to her by heaven.

She looked at Dawang, who was clutching the fruit candy tightly in his hand, and said, “This fruit candy won’t last long. You should eat it quickly. If it melts, it won’t taste good.”

Dawang scratched his head shyly and smiled. “I want to take it to my dad. He’s been in a bad mood lately and keeps getting angry. I want to give him some candy. Maybe he’ll feel better.”

“What a good boy.” She grabbed another handful of candy and gave it to him. “I have more here, but I need your help with something. If you can help me, I’ll give you all this candy. What do you say?”

“What kind of help?”

You could tell from the villagers’ faces that they were poor, and it was very difficult for children to get candy.

Dawang stared at the candy in Jiang Nian’s hand, his eyes wide, almost unable to control his drool. “What do you want me to help you with, pretty sister? As long as I can do it, I will definitely help you.”

“Just tell your grandpa and your dad that I can cure your dad’s leg. That’s all.”

Dawang looked up at her, but didn’t answer.

“What’s wrong?”

“Pretty sister, if you can cure my dad’s leg, I won’t take your candy. I’ll be your little brother from now on. You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!” Dawang’s eyes were red. Even though he was young, he knew that the family’s recent conflicts were all because of his father’s leg. Plus, his father didn’t want to be a burden on the family and had thoughts of suicide. Dawang didn’t want to be a fatherless child.

“You’re so good. But you should still take the candy. I don’t like to eat it.”

Dawang thought she must be lying. How could anyone in the world not like to eat candy?

“Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, the pretty sister said she can cure Dad’s leg.” Dawang ran into the house, panting, whether from excitement or exhaustion.

“What? She can cure it?”

Shiliu first asked with hope, then she thought it was impossible and kicked him. “Where did you hear that nonsense? Don’t go talking nonsense to your dad. He’ll be heartbroken if he hears it.”

Village Chief Zhou, being older, considered Jiang Nian’s actions on the train when she saved someone. He clicked his tongue and asked, “Is it the sister who asked you to help carry things and stay at our house?”

“Yes, yes. She also gave me a handful of candy. Grandpa, let her treat my dad’s leg. I don’t want Dad to be bedridden.”

Zhou’s wife wiped away tears. “Old man, whether she can cure it or not, we have to see. We don’t have any other options anyway. Let’s just try it. It’s worth a shot.”

Her son had already given up hope and hadn’t had a drop of water all day. What could be worse?

“I’ll go ask her what her conditions are.” Village Chief Zhou was a shrewd old man. He wasn’t a fool.

Jiang Nian hadn’t even examined the situation yet, but she dared to make such a promise. Either she was truly skilled, or she was lying to them.

He was more inclined to believe the latter. After all, Jiang Nian was young. It was impossible for her to be a seasoned doctor.

He didn’t know that Poison Doctor Valley had a long history of inheritance, and their accumulated knowledge was far beyond what decades of experience could compare to.

But no matter what her intentions were, he had to ask.

There wasn’t anything in their broken mountain village worth coveting.

When Jiang Nian saw Village Chief Zhou coming over, she knew she had achieved half of her goal.

She sat calmly, waiting for him to speak first.

Village Chief Zhou went straight to the point. “Did you tell Dawang that you could cure my son’s leg?”

“Yes.”

“It’s good that you’re confident, Comrade Jiang. But do you know that my son went to the big hospital in the city, and even they couldn’t do anything?” Actually, they had suggested that he go to a bigger hospital in Beijing or Haicheng, but they couldn’t afford the distance, let alone the medical expenses. They had to put it off.