Chapter 48: A Strong Sense of Suffocation

Even Yan Jin, his own son, couldn’t do anything about his parents, let alone Li Qing, who was raised by them and was already insecure.

However, when they arrived after a lot of pulling and tugging, they were met with a locked door.

Under the eaves of the doorway, a tabby cat was lying down. As soon as it saw them arrive, it instantly stood up, arched its back, and hissed, assuming an attacking posture.

At this moment, it was clear that Yan’s mother’s love for Li Qing was genuine.

She quickly shielded Li Qing behind her and said disdainfully, “This cat is quite fierce. Be careful, don’t get scratched.”

Li Qing, however, breathed a sigh of relief. “Mother, look, Doctor Jiang’s door is locked. She must be out. Let’s go back.”

Yan’s mother was also helpless in this situation. “What bad luck. We came all this way, and she’s not here. It shows that she really has no fate with our family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have missed this opportunity.”

As if Jiang Nian being home would have meant she had fate with Yan Jin.

“Brother said it himself, it’s his one-sided love. Doctor Jiang doesn’t even know that my brother likes her. It’s not Doctor Jiang’s fault.”

Before Li Qing could finish, she was interrupted by Yan’s mother. “What’s wrong with you? You’re always siding with others today? Qingqing, you have to understand, I raised you. Mother wouldn’t harm you. Your father and I have been working hard for you. If you marry Yan Jin, you’ll really become my daughter-in-law. We’ll be family. It’ll also prevent you from getting bullied if you marry into another family. Don’t be like Yan Jin, acting like we’re trying to harm him. You two don’t understand yet. It’s better to marry someone you know well, someone you know their character, than to bring a stranger home and not know what they’re like. It’s less likely to cause conflict.”

Yan’s mother said everything she could. Even Yan Jin couldn’t resist, and Li Qing had even less courage to resist.

She continued, “And I’ve told you so many times, stop calling him Brother. Either call him by his name, or call him like you used to. He’s using the excuse of treating you as a sister to avoid marriage. You calling him that is exactly what he wants.”

Li Qing could only lower her head and reply, “I know.”

“Good girl, Mother knows you’re the most obedient. Unlike that stinky boy, he just knows how to make us angry.”

As Yan’s mother spoke, she saw Shiliu coming out with a child in her arms. She had seen her before, and she quickly went over to greet her. “Zhou family, I remember you’re the village chief’s wife, right? Taking the child out for a walk?”

People in this area see each other all the time, even if they can’t say their names, they recognize each other. At least they can guess which village they’re from.

Besides, Yan’s mother’s son was famous, who wouldn’t know him?

Shiliu quickly apologized with a smile. “Director Yan’s mother, Auntie, you’re here to see Doctor Jiang? It’s an odd-numbered day today. She only sees patients on even-numbered days. You have to come tomorrow. And you’re not lucky today, she went to town, and I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

“That’s really bad luck.” Yan’s mother muttered, then put on a smiling face again. “It’s fine, it’s not a serious illness. Since she’s not here, we can come back tomorrow.”

“It’s not easy to come all this way. Why don’t you stay and play for a while, then come to my house for dinner?”

“No, no, there are two people at home waiting to eat. We have to go back and cook.”

It was just a common greeting, and then they parted ways.

“Look at my brain, I was so angry that I forgot it was an odd-numbered day. I came all this way for nothing. What a waste!” Yan’s mother said regretfully. “Let’s go back first. We’ll come back tonight. I don’t believe she’ll still be out at night.”

“You’re still coming?” Li Qing said with a long face, clearly reluctant.

“Of course we have to come. Whether she knows that stinky boy’s feelings is one thing, but she has to know that you exist. If she knows that Yan Jin has a fiancée and is still involved with him, then it means I’m right. She’s a little vixen who likes to seduce people.”

“And I’m telling you, you know that woman who was carrying the child just now, right? She was brought back by her father-in-law during the Great Famine. When she grew up, she became his eldest son’s wife. They have five or six children, and their life is still prosperous. Your brother just went to school for a few years and then went to the army for a few years. When he came back, he thought he was knowledgeable, but he’s actually nothing. He doesn’t listen to the elders and suffers the consequences. You two lack experience in life, you still need your father and me to guide you…”

Along the way, Li Qing listened to these words, and she felt a strong sense of suffocation surrounding her.

When she got home, she was eager to find Yan Jin, but she searched all his usual haunts and couldn’t find him.

…

It took almost an hour to reach town on foot.

Jiang Nian was fine because she had internal energy to support her, but Ye Zhiqiu was already panting from exhaustion.

Looking at the sky, it seemed to be getting even darker. Ye Zhiqiu worried, “Master, will it rain later?”

It was so cold, if they got caught in the rain, even the healthiest body would get sick.

Jiang Nian went straight to the point. “Do you know where in town you can exchange cloth coupons?”

“The black market should be able to.” Ye Zhiqiu looked at Jiang Nian, speaking cautiously.

“Have you been there?”

“My family was struggling, and that man had his own family to support, he never gave us any money. Every autumn and winter, my mother would take the dried mountain goods and vegetables from home to the black market to exchange for food.”

This was really a stroke of luck.

Jiang Nian asked her, “Have you been there?”

“My mother wouldn’t let me go. She said it was too dangerous, and if I was caught, I would be criticized. But I heard her talk about it. It’s in the small forest behind town. Every first and fifteenth of the month, there are many people trading there.”

Jiang Nian handed the package and money to Ye Zhiqiu and instructed her, “Your mother is right. You’re still very weak, don’t go to dangerous places. Help me take this package to the collection point and send it to this address. Then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to sell the duck eggs and wait for me there.”

“Master, you… be careful.”

Although she knew that Jiang Nian was very skilled in martial arts, she couldn’t help but worry.

Jiang Nian waved her hand and quickly disappeared.

The weather was cold, and there weren’t many people on the street. She went all the way without any obstacles.

The outskirts of the small forest were unremarkable, and there was no noise from people inside. The dry weeds on the ground hadn’t been cleared, they just grew there in a mess.

After walking for two minutes, she finally saw people.

The crowd was scattered, probably for easier escape.

Both buyers and sellers were carrying baskets, talking in hushed tones.

Although there were many people, everyone was quiet, there was no noisy scene.

She also took a basket from her space and hung it on her arm before walking over.

As soon as she got close, someone came over and asked her, “What are you doing?”

“I want to exchange some coupons. I have money, and I brought some mountain goods.”

Based on her observation, most of the people trading here were bartering.

It must be because they were poor that they would trade something for nothing.