Chapter 27: Strong Contrast

“Jiang Nian, I want to discuss something with you. Do you think it’s okay?”

Jiang Nian smiled, “Look at what you said, Uncle Zhou. Just tell me what’s on your mind. If I can help, I will definitely do my best.” If I can’t, I can’t force it.

Village Head Zhou laughed even harder, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes, “It’s like this. Xiaoju’s family has had some problems. You’ve met the child, she’s a good child, obedient and sensible. It’s just that she’s had a bit of a misunderstanding with her family. I want to arrange for her to stay with you for a few days. She can also help you out with some chores. What do you think?”

It wasn’t a big deal. Besides, the house she was living in was built by the villagers. Although it was for her to see patients, it was still village property.

“Of course.”

Village Head Zhou hadn’t left yet. He was troubled for a long time before he finally squeezed out a sentence, “She’s at the age where she can get married in our countryside. She won’t bother you for too long.”

Forget it, forget it. Everyone has their own fate. He can only help this much.

As for what happens in the future, it’s up to her fate.

A 16-year-old girl will be married in two years. No matter how hard life is, she can always get through it. It will be better when she gets married.

Jiang Nian was puzzled.

Zhou Xiaoju didn’t seem that old, maybe thirteen or fourteen at most. She could get married so early?

Not long after, Village Head Zhou came with Zhou Xiaoju.

She was clearly a little restrained, holding only one piece of clothing in her hand, not even wrapped in a cloth bag.

Village Head Zhou was also a little embarrassed, “I’ll go get some food first. You can eat first. When the grain is distributed next year, you can use your work points to pay for it.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Zhou.” Zhou Xiaoju was a few generations lower than Village Head Zhou in the village.

Village Head Zhou gave her a few more instructions, telling her to work hard here and listen to Jiang Nian, before leaving.

“You can stay in the room next to the clinic, but during the day, when you’re seeing patients in that room, you can pull a curtain.”

After Jiang Nian finished speaking, Zhou Xiaoju went in.

She didn’t have much to pack. She was only carrying a set of old clothes when she was driven out, clothes that belonged to her mother.

She only had the clothes on her back, which were also old and worn.

It had rained lightly the day before, and it was a sunny day today, but there was still some mud on the road.

Zhou Xiaoju came out and asked her, “Doctor Jiang, is there anything I can do?”

“Do you know how to cook?” She asked, then added, “Make it delicious, don’t just boil it.”

Zhou Xiaoju lowered her head in embarrassment.

Boiling vegetables was the most common way to cook because it saved oil. She had been eating this way since she was a child. Maybe she could learn, but it was difficult to ask someone to make something they had never eaten or seen before.

As expected, Jiang Nian was just helpless. She asked again, “Do you know how to read?”

“I know a little. I went to school before they got divorced.” At that time, she was still a child loved by her parents. Her brother was born later, and although her grandparents disliked her for being a girl, they didn’t treat her badly.

Everything changed when that man saved a leader in the city, got a job in the city, and started to change.

He said that he would take them to the city to live a good life when he was settled, and that they were his motivation to work hard. But in just a year, he insisted on divorcing his wife.

Her brother was born a few months after they divorced. At that time, her mother hadn’t been pregnant for many years, and she didn’t know she was pregnant when they divorced.

Later, she found out that he had a woman outside. After the divorce, he married another woman, and she gave birth to a son eight months later, only a month older than her own brother.

He said that he met the woman through an introduction after he divorced his wife, but anyone with eyes could see that they had been having an affair for a long time.

That child wasn’t premature, it was their illegitimate child.

But her mother was too weak. She didn’t dare to make a fuss at the time, otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Jiang Nian went back to her room, took out a cookbook, and handed it to her, “Study hard. If you’re willing, I’ll be responsible for making money, and you’ll be responsible for cooking and doing housework. I can support you, as long as you satisfy me. Of course, there’s a prerequisite: you have to cook delicious food. Can you do that?”

“I can.” She had to be able to, because she had no other way out.

After chatting for a while, she learned that the girl hadn’t been idle in the past two days. She had gone to the city on her own two legs, ruined her father’s and stepmother’s jobs, and exposed their dirty deeds to everyone.

But in return, she had no home.

Zhou Shugen lost his job and was arrested. He was released after two days, but he lost his job in the city and had to return to the countryside with his wife and children.

Zhou Xiaoju was still young and didn’t do things discreetly. As soon as Zhou Shugen came back, he wanted to beat her to death.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and lucky. She ran out and met the village head, so she was able to ask for help.

Otherwise, even if she didn’t die, she would probably be skinned alive, and her life wouldn’t be easy in the future.

Her original plan was that as long as she could get away from the black-hearted people in the Zhou family, she could ask Village Head Zhou to let her set up her own household. She had hands and feet, and if she worked hard, she wouldn’t starve to death.

At worst, she could just marry someone.

But the village head said that it was too unsafe for a girl to live alone, and there was no place for her to live in the village, so he arranged for her to stay here.

For her, it was a blessing in disguise.

As for her brother, he was a boy after all, and he was spoiled by his grandparents. Even if Zhou Shugen came back with his wife and children, he shouldn’t be wronged.

She wasn’t heartless towards her brother, but she was struggling to take care of herself. She couldn’t really take care of him.

Zhou Xiaoju thought that Jiang Nian must like to eat, so she studied the cookbook very carefully.

No one dislikes a hardworking child. Jiang Nian was very satisfied with her attitude towards learning.

She went out for a walk and brought back a fish and a chicken. She handed them to Zhou Xiaoju, who was still studying the cookbook, “Get familiar with the things in the kitchen as soon as possible. Just make it delicious, don’t be stingy.”

Most of the people who came to see her traded goods for medicine. They had grain, eggs, dried goods, and dried vegetables. Her own cooking skills were limited, so she hadn’t touched most of them. Some of the eggs had gone bad a while ago, and she put them in her space. As a result, the wild chickens in her space had hatched a lot of chicks, and they were already laying eggs in her space.

If her cooking skills had been good, she wouldn’t have been so eager to see the outside world and been tricked out of her life.

Zhou Xiaoju had a new understanding. Jiang Nian was not only a skilled doctor, but also a very capable person.

Of course, how could someone who dared to go deep into the mountains to collect herbs and always come back safe and sound be ordinary!

She was excited to have the opportunity to interact with such a capable person.

After asking Jiang Nian’s opinion, Zhou Xiaoju divided the chicken into two parts, making braised chicken pieces and spicy chicken pieces. The fish was used for soup.

Unlike Jiang Nian’s clear soup, the fish soup Zhou Xiaoju brought out had a thick white broth, with a few stalks of spinach in it. It was a feast for the eyes and the taste buds.

The rich aroma tickled her taste buds, making her feel that this was how people should live.

It would be even better if she could have a bowl of rice.

Zhou Xiaoju had never known that eating meat could be so satisfying. It turned out that as long as the ingredients were good enough, her cooking skills could also be amazing!

Jiang Nian was even more satisfied.

She didn’t regret taking her in. She had struck gold.

She had been in the countryside for so long, and she finally had a satisfying meal!

The two cats meowed and licked the bones. Zhou Xiaoju peeled eggs for them.

She really cried.

In this era when people couldn’t even eat their fill, Jiang Nian’s cats could eat so well!

At that moment, she had a strong feeling for the first time. She wanted to become powerful, to be free from worry about food and clothing, to be invincible, to be looked up to, and to make those who had bullied her regret it.