Chapter 12: Kindness Evoked by Kindness

“Hello, my name is Jiang Nian. Although the title ‘pretty sister’ is quite nice, it makes me a little embarrassed to be called that, so you can just call me Sister Jiang or Jiang Nianjie.”

Although the Zhou family’s children were all dusty and dirty, it had to be said that they were quite sweet-mouthed and polite.

Even though it was Zhou Huaher’s room, she seemed more restrained, while Jiang Nian was more relaxed.

In the afternoon, Niu Aixiang and Li Rui came to find Jiang Nian. They also asked Village Chief Zhou for a note so they could go to the brigade headquarters to collect their rations.

Zhao Heping stayed at the educated youth’s house to recuperate due to his health, and Niu Aixiang collected his rations for him.

Newly arrived educated youth received a month’s worth of ration subsidies, but after that, they had to rely on their labor for food.

Most of Jianglin City relied on sorghum, corn, and sweet potato flour as their staple foods. Wheat and white rice were considered fine grains and were rare.

They were all from the south, and their dietary habits were vastly different. After pushing the cart borrowed from the village chief’s house to collect their rations, they all looked pale.

Li Rui sighed. “Oh my god, how are we supposed to eat this? Are we going to eat this for the rest of our lives? I want to cry. What should we do?”

“What else can we do? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It’s better than starving. Maybe we’ll get used to it after a while.” Niu Aixiang comforted herself.

Jiang Nian was relatively calm. She had traveled all over the country for two years, going both north and south, although… she had never lived a hard life.

After all, with her medical skills, she was always treated like a precious treasure wherever she went. She received gold and silver treasures until her hands were soft, and she ate delicacies until she was sick of them.

It was a pity that in this era, the worst thing wasn’t having no money, but having money and not being able to buy anything!

“I think the most important thing you should be worried about is how to eat these 30 jin of grain and survive this month.”

They were still worried about their dietary habits. Jiang Nian thought they should be thinking about how to eat enough.

She wasn’t worried. She wouldn’t let herself starve.

Li Rui and Niu Aixiang wailed again. “Oh, heavens, does it have to be so hard?”

Li Rui pushed the cart. After all, he was the only male among the three. It wouldn’t be right to make the girls do the work.

Niu Aixiang walked to Jiang Nian’s side and linked her arm with hers, like good friends. “Jiang Nian, you’re so skilled in medicine. Can you take a look at Heping again? Should he take some medicine for his injury?”

After Jiang Nian used acupuncture on him and he coughed up that mouthful of blood, Zhao Heping was visibly better. This made Niu Aixiang think that Jiang Nian was truly amazing.

“It’s best to take some medicine. I’m going to go up the mountain to collect herbs tomorrow. I’ll see if there are any suitable herbs to make him some medicine.”

“Go up the mountain to collect herbs? You?” Niu Aixiang was shocked. “Where will you find the time to go up the mountain to collect herbs? You’re staying at the village chief’s house. Didn’t he tell you? Starting tomorrow, we’ll all have to follow the village’s arrangements and start working. Otherwise, we’ll only have the northwest wind to eat next month.”

Jiang Nian then told them that she didn’t have to work, which made Niu Aixiang envious.

Li Rui asked, “Are you going up the mountain alone? I heard that there are wild boars and wolves in these mountains. You’re a girl. It’s not safe to go alone.”

“It’s okay. Actually, I know martial arts.” Jiang Nian smiled faintly at them.

Li Rui was stunned. He clearly didn’t believe her. He laughed. “Don’t joke around. I suggest you find a villager to guide you tomorrow. They’re familiar with the area. Just walk around the outskirts of the mountain. Don’t go deep inside. The village chief’s son was pierced by a wild boar’s tusk. You’re not really afraid, are you?”

Jiang Nian didn’t answer. If she told the truth, no one would believe her. She couldn’t help it.

After taking the grain back, Jiang Nian asked Shiliu, who was washing diapers for the children. “Sister-in-law Shiliu, I’ve collected the grain. Should I eat with you or cook my own?”

Shiliu looked up and smiled kindly. “It’s up to you. If you want to cook your own, you can. If you don’t want to, you can eat with us. Just take as much grain as you can eat.”

“I’m new here and don’t know my way around very well. I’ll eat with you for now. I’ll see how things go in a couple of days.” Jiang Nian didn’t make a definite decision, leaving herself some room to maneuver.

“Okay. Dinner will be ready soon. You can take out the grain first. Put the rest away. Don’t let the mice get to it.”

Jiang Nian did as she was told.

She didn’t realize it at the time, but after eating dinner with the Zhou family, she would know how wise her decision was.

Even family members might not be able to eat from the same pot, let alone outsiders with completely different living habits.

She wasn’t asked to help with dinner, but Jiang Nian didn’t idle. She tidied up the room.

The Zhou family didn’t seem to have any major problems, but they were definitely not clean and tidy. The kang, the cabinets, and the tables in the room were all covered in dust. It was probably due to the earthen house and the dirt floor. This kind of house was too easy to get dusty.

This was the first time she had lived with someone else since she was a child. Even though it was just a little girl, she felt uncomfortable.

By the time she finished tidying up, it was time for dinner.

Zhoujia Village didn’t have electricity yet, so they ate in the courtyard under the moonlight and starlight.

The sorghum porridge was thin and watery, only Jiang Nian’s bowl was thicker because she had taken more grain. The dish was a stew of potatoes, eggplant, and some unknown green vegetables. It was clear broth with no trace of oil.

Village Chief Zhou reminded her, “Our life here is quite poor, and we don’t have much extra grain. You’ve been on the train for a few days, and you probably haven’t eaten well. It’s okay for today, but from now on, you have to plan your meals. We have a limited amount of grain. Don’t end up eating your fill for half a month and then starving for the other half.”

Zhou’s wife also said, “Things are still good now. The vegetables and wild herbs in the fields are growing well. At least we can eat something and not starve. It’ll be much harder in winter.”

It wasn’t that Village Chief Zhou was being nosy. If they didn’t have enough grain, they would have to borrow from the village, and he would be the one who would be embarrassed.

Jiang Nian thought, it was a good thing she hadn’t made a definite decision to eat with them. She would make do for today and cook her own food tomorrow. It would be best if she could move out.

The Zhou family urged her to eat the vegetables. Jiang Nian took a bite of eggplant and could taste a little bit of salt.

She couldn’t eat anymore.

She forced down a bowl of porridge and went back to her room. She suddenly felt exhausted.

If she had known that life in the countryside would be so hard, she would have thought of another way.

She didn’t know if she had been out of her mind at the time. It seemed like the only option besides competing with Zhoudie for the job was to go to the countryside.

Even if she risked being recognized as not being the original owner, it would be better than eating gruel and vegetables here!

This life was not for humans.

Back in her room, she lit an incense burner.

Zhou Huaher didn’t know what it was. She just thought it smelled nice.

But that night, she wasn’t bothered by mosquitoes. She finally slept soundly.

Jiang Nian didn’t feel the same way.

She used to live in the valley, where it was warm in winter and cool in summer. The original owner’s room had a fan, and it didn’t make her hot. Zhou Huaher’s room was a side room, and it was stiflingly hot all night. She woke up early.

Zhou’s wife, who was feeding the chickens, thought the female educated youth was quite diligent. She smiled and said to her, “Jiang Nian, there are wild boars and wolves in these mountains. Don’t go alone. I’ll have Uncle Zhou find someone to accompany you.”

Although she was anxious to cure her son’s leg, she couldn’t ignore the girl’s safety.

“No need, Auntie. I practiced some martial arts back home. Even if I encounter danger, I can still escape.”

Jiang Nian quickly washed up with her toothbrush and cup and asked a few questions before going out.

Zhou’s wife couldn’t stop her. She was worried sick.

Apart from the poverty, Zhoujia Village was quite beautiful, with green mountains and clear waters.

On her way up the mountain, she saw many people cutting grass and digging wild vegetables on the outskirts. Most of the boys were shirtless and barefoot. The girls were wearing old clothes but were neatly dressed. It was probably because they were too poor.

There was no one further inside. A little girl who was picking mushrooms reminded her, “Sister, if you go further inside, it’s the deep mountains. It’s very dangerous.”

“I know. I’m going inside.” Jiang Nian walked a few steps and then turned back. “You shouldn’t stay here. This is already close to the deep mountains. It’s dangerous here too.”

She didn’t know if the little girl would listen to her. She didn’t have much of a conscience. The little bit she had was evoked by the girl’s kindness.

Zhou Xiaoyu, looking pale, watched Jiang Nian’s beautiful back and sighed before continuing to pick mushrooms.

She knew that this was already close to the deep mountains, but she… was different from others!

Her father had abandoned her mother and their siblings and married a new wife and had children with her.

Although her grandparents didn’t kick her mother out and allowed her to stay at home, in the countryside, a woman who had been abandoned had no one to support her. She could only suffer and work like an ox and a horse. Her siblings were also ridiculed by others.