Zhang Xiuyun hurriedly explained: “No, I’m not sick…”

Zhang Hu said disdainfully, “If you weren’t sick, would she have come to see you? She’s an ungrateful person to begin with. If I hadn’t sent someone to tell her at dinner time, she probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to you. Look, apart from when she goes home, has she ever thought about you, her own mother? The Pei family has money, so she immediately changes her parents!”

Zhang Xiuyun blushed and had tears in her eyes, but she still thought: “Eldest sister is not that kind of person. She is now a daughter-in-law, and her husband is still in a vegetative state. Her life must be very difficult, so she didn’t come back.”

Although she felt that the elder sister was cold, she was her daughter, whom she had raised for almost twenty years, and she knew her temper.

She even raised her two younger sisters so well, so she couldn’t be such a cold-hearted person.

Seeing this, Zhang Hu softened his voice: “Okay, big sister, just think of it as for the two nephews. They haven’t tasted meat for a while, and they have all become thin. The two girls, the second and third sisters, eat and drink well.”

Zhang Xiuyun’s heart softened immediately: “I understand. Don’t worry, I will try my best to let Eldest sister keep more money. You can use it to buy meat for Dabao and Erbao. I won’t take any of it. We still have food at home.”

Zhang Hu thought that he had no intention of leaving it for Zhang Xiuyun, but he still said, “Thank you, elder sister. I will definitely tell them when I go back that it is thanks to their eldest aunt that they can eat meat. It is not the case with the second and third aunts.”

Zhang Xiuyun smiled embarrassedly and did not resist.

She also hoped that her nephews would know how good she was and take care of her when she was old. A girl would eventually get married, and if she took care of her husband’s family, people would talk about her.

As the two were talking, they heard a loud shout: “Auntie!”

_

This was the voice of an unfamiliar boy.

The brother and sister in the room were stunned. Shouldn’t Jiang Xi be the one coming?

Zhang Hu’s eyelids twitched. He felt something was wrong, so he went out to check first.

Then he saw a young man riding a bicycle straight into the yard. He stopped as if he was familiar with the place. When he saw him, he grinned and said, “Uncle, I was asked by Jiang Xi’s cousin to come and pick up Auntie.”

Zhang Hu was confused and said, “Why would she need to answer the phone? Her mother is sick, not dead.” After wiping his face, he stared at her and asked, “Did she ask you for money? Where’s the money?”

Pei Hemai frowned, thinking Zhang Hu’s words were really rude. How could he say something like that? But since Zhang Hu was his cousin’s uncle, and therefore an elder, Pei Hemai decided to answer seriously, “My cousin is the village doctor in our village. Her mother is sick, so of course, we should take her back to see a doctor. Why are you asking about money?”

Zhang Hu was shocked: “Big sister is your village doctor? Are you kidding me?”

Pei Hemai frowned and said, “Of course not. Our captain appointed her. Hurry up and let Auntie go with me, or we won’t make it back in time for dinner.”

Zhang Hu couldn’t believe it: “How can a young girl like her be a doctor? Are you tricking me? Can she really treat patients?”

Pei Hemai replied, “What’s wrong with being a girl? My cousin’s wife is a high school student. She’s really smart. Did you even go to high school?”

Zhang Hu was speechless. Pei Hemai, not wanting to argue further, walked past him and entered the house. “Auntie, my cousin’s wife asked me to pick you up. Let’s go.”

But as he reached the door, Zhang Hu came to his senses and blocked him, saying sternly, “No, no, my sister isn’t going anywhere. Just tell her to send money instead.”

Pei Hemai pushed him away. He was young and strong, and when he moved, Zhang Hu stumbled back. By the time Zhang Hu regained his balance, Pei Hemai had already pulled Zhang Xiuyun, who was confused, out of the house.

“Auntie, let’s go quickly. You’re sick and shouldn’t delay. Also, I need to get back in time for dinner.”

Zhang Xiuyun wanted to resist, but hearing this, she felt weak and was half-dragged, half-carried out the door.

Zhang Hu was anxious. How could Zhang Xiuyun be sick? She seemed fine. He didn’t want her to leave and be laughed at, so he grabbed Pei Hemai and tried to stop him.

But Pei Hemai didn’t let go. He was in a hurry to get back for dinner. There were many people at home, and if he didn’t return soon, there would only be leftovers. So, he pushed Zhang Hu away with force. Zhang Hu stumbled and fell. In the meantime, Pei Hemai quickly helped Zhang Xiuyun onto the bike, stepped on the pedal, and they sped away.

He shouted back, “Uncle, remember to close the door!”

Then he pedaled quickly away.

Zhang Hu, who had been pushed down, got up and tried to catch up, but the bike was already far ahead. He couldn’t catch up no matter how hard he tried.

Zhang Hu’s face darkened. He watched angrily as they rode away, muttering, “Damn it! What’s with this girl? Did she actually become a village doctor? Could she really have the skills?”

When he thought about the perks of being a village doctor, he realized it was definitely better than being a regular farmer, even if it wasn’t as good as being a team doctor.

He never expected the eldest sister to have this kind of ability.

He had provoked her last time and forced her to marry into the Pei family. He felt he had lost out big time. Now, all the money she earned would go to the Pei family!

He was extremely regretful, but there was no use crying over spilled milk. He could only curse at the spot. Some villagers came over to see what was going on, and when they heard his words, they exclaimed, “What? The eldest sister is a village doctor?”

“Uncle Zhang, are you telling the truth? Is the eldest sister really that capable?”

Zhang Hu’s face darkened even more, and he angrily replied, “How can a young girl be capable of being a village doctor? I think the Pei family must have some connections and got her the job.”

After saying that, he couldn’t stay there any longer. He closed the door and prepared to leave.

He usually couldn’t be bothered to close the door, but everything in this house would eventually be his, so it wouldn’t be worth it if anything was lost.

He walked away angrily, while the villagers grumbled. They spat in his direction and said, “Who does he think he is? All he knows is how to take money from others!”

One person sighed, “It’s a good thing the eldest sister married into the Pei family. If she had stayed here, he would have taken everything from her.”

“Speaking of which, it’s amazing that she became a village doctor. How could that be possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?!” A woman who had received a gift from Jiang Xi retorted, “Wasn’t it the eldest sister who saved Jiang Shui’s mother? I heard from Da Niu that she was on the brink of death, but the eldest sister found a way to save her. I thought this girl was impressive back then. I didn’t expect her to become a village doctor.”

The others nodded. They had heard about this before and were amazed at the time but didn’t think much of it. They never expected her to have such good fortune. “It’s a pity she’s married now; otherwise, we could still benefit from it.”

The woman smiled and said, “What are you afraid of? The eldest sister is kind-hearted. If we have any illnesses or pains, we can go see her. She’ll definitely do her best to help us. And Peijia Village is closer than the town.”

“That’s true. Hey, my mother-in-law has been complaining lately that she can’t see. I think I’ll take her to see the doctor tomorrow. It’s really inconvenient that she can’t see; I have to help her every time she gets up at night…”

_

On the road.

Zhang Xiuyun was still dizzy, but the cool evening breeze and Pei Hemai riding the bike fast made her feel more awake. She finally realized what they had been talking about.

She tugged on the boy’s shirt in front of her and asked in disbelief, “Son, has my daughter really become your village doctor?”

How could her eldest sister have this ability? Why hadn’t she ever mentioned it?

Pei Hemai nodded repeatedly. Worried she couldn’t hear him because they were moving so fast, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Of course! My cousin’s wife is amazing. I heard that she liked to study these things when she was in school. An old doctor noticed her and taught her some things. My cousin’s wife is very smart. She learned a lot on her own and has treated many people. The captain originally wanted her to be the team doctor.”

He was also a bit surprised and asked, “Auntie, didn’t you know?”

Zhang Xiuyun felt a bit embarrassed and sad. “I really didn’t know. How could this be? Even I, her own mother, didn’t know.”

She thought it might have been during the three years the elder sister was in high school.

Her husband had passed away three years ago, and the eldest sister had become more and more withdrawn. Except for going to school, she hardly spoke and stayed home all day doing housework. She had become much more distant from her mother, so much so that she didn’t even share something this big.

Pei Hemai curled his lips as he thought about what happened at the banquet. He understood why his cousin’s wife didn’t tell aunt about it.

“Whose mother is like her, always favoring others?” he thought. 

Oh no, wait. He actually knew two people just like his cousin’s wife. They always supported their brothers and sisters from their own families, which often led to fights between the two households. This was quite entertaining in the village, and many people would bring a stool and sit nearby to listen when they had nothing else to do.

Zhang Xiuyun, who was being carried by Pei Hemai, had no idea what the young man was thinking. She thought her daughter had done really well this time. No wonder she was living so comfortably in her husband’s family.

As a mother, she liked hearing others praise her children. So, she immediately asked, “Can you tell Auntie how eldest sister is doing over there?”

Pei Hemai, always cheerful, shared everything he knew. He said, “My eldest uncle’s family likes my cousin’s wife very much. They used to hardly ever eat meat, but lately, they’ve been eating it all the time, and it smells so good. Just yesterday, they made chicken soup with the old hen, and they even sent a bowl to my house. But they probably didn’t finish it, because I could still smell it today. My cousin’s wife asked me to bring you over, probably so you could have some too…”

Zhang Xiuyun felt warm at heart after hearing this. “Even though she seems cold, my daughter still cares about me,” she thought.

But then she remembered how much she disliked her brother’s family.

Not smart.

When you get married and don’t have your parents’ support, if you’re bullied, you won’t know where to turn for help.

Why would I let my husband’s family kill the old hen? It’s good for laying eggs.

She decided she needed to talk about this.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xiuyun looked ahead eagerly.

Thankfully, Pei Hemai’s bicycle made the trip much shorter, and they quickly arrived at Peijia Village. As they went further in, Zhang Xiuyun smelled a faint aroma of meat, which grew stronger.

She believed Pei Hemai’s words even more now. The chicken soup made from the old hen must have been delicious.

Finally, they arrived at Pei’s yard.

There were too many people there to ride in directly, so Pei Hemai stopped his bike. A nosy villager shouted out, “Doctor Jiang, your mother is here!”

Zhang Xiuyun smiled with anticipation.

Jiang Xi, who was in the yard, heard this and immediately put down what he was doing. He ran out nervously and asked loudly, “Mom, I heard you were sick. Let me see what’s wrong with you! If I can’t treat you, I’ll take you to the town for treatment—”

Zhang Xiuyun’s smile froze.

She had almost forgotten that she had pretended to be sick at her brother’s urging.

She stood there, feeling awkward and embarrassed, as she heard the villagers whispering, “He Jun’s wife is really filial, she’s so worried about her mother.”

“Of course, this is her real mother. She even took her in. She plans to let her stay for a few days and take good care of her.”

Then, her eldest daughter rushed over, checking her left and right in front of the villagers who had gathered with bowls in their hands to watch the scene.

They looked at her, checked her pulse, and examined her.

Finally, her daughter asked with a puzzled and worried expression, “Mom, your face looks rosy, your breathing is normal, and there are no injuries. What’s wrong with you? And why did you ask someone to send money back? It can’t be a serious illness!”

Zhang Xiuyun: “…”

The villagers watching: “…”

***

If you enjoy this work by the author, feel free to explore more of their projects below!

Transmigration of a Food Blogger: Cannon Fodder in a House-Fighting Novel

Heaven’s Favored Daughter in the 1970s