Chapter 80 Looks familiar, where have you seen it before?

Country folk couldn’t usually afford these good things.  Buying them required not only money but also various ration coupons.  Seeing the gifts Lu Yan brought, Jiang Li found them too ostentatious.  Feeling uncomfortable under the envious stares, she said to Lu Rong and Lu Yan, “Come to my place?” Lu Rong and Lu Yan both agreed, following Jiang Li to the educated youth point.

 Jiang Li had her own room, making it much more convenient to receive guests. Sharing a room with other educated youths wouldn’t allow for easily bringing outsiders in. Jiang Li moved two stools, inviting Lu Rong and Lu Yan to sit and chat. The driver waiting outside sat in the car; there was no need to worry about him.

Jiang Li made each of them a cup of brown sugar water.  There was no tea at home; in this era, brown sugar water was considered the highest form of hospitality. Lu Rong and Lu Yan came from wealthy families; they had tasted and drunk the finest things, so they didn’t care what Jiang Li used to entertain them. 

Their visit wasn’t to trouble her, but to sincerely express their gratitude. After Jiang Li sat down, the aunt and nephew thanked her profusely, every word heartfelt and sincere.

After expressing their gratitude and giving Jiang Li the gifts, seeing the time was getting late, they excused themselves to avoid disrupting her lunch. Seeing the abundance of gifts, Jiang Li urged, “If you don’t mind, stay for lunch.

” Lu Rong politely declined. They came to give gifts and express gratitude; staying for lunch would be troublesome for Jiang Li, contrary to their intentions.

Entertaining guests would require preparing several dishes; Jiang Li, as a rural educated youth, surely lived a frugal life, and they felt uncomfortable imposing on her, fearing it would cause her undue burden.

Seeing their firm resolve to leave, Jiang Li didn’t press further. She personally saw them out of the educated youth point. She wanted to walk them to the village entrance, but Lu Rong dissuaded her.

 As Lu Rong’s car left the production team, Mu Jingxun and Bai Ziyong returned from work. As they passed the car, Bai Ziyong stopped. Mu Jingxun asked, “What’s wrong?” Bai Ziyong stared at the departing car, explaining to Mu Jingxun, “Brother Xun, I saw a man in the car just now, and he looked familiar, like I’ve seen him somewhere before.” Mu Jingxun didn’t find this strange; many people look alike.

 When he first arrived at the Shengli Production Team, he found several team members looked familiar.  He’d never been here before, so he certainly hadn’t met anyone here before.  Familiarity was sometimes just a psychological illusion.

Bai Ziyong nodded, not taking the matter too seriously, and they went back to the educated youth point to find Jiang Li. “Sister Li, were the people who came looking for you the ones you helped before?” Bai Ziyong asked as soon as he saw Jiang Li.

 Jiang Li nodded, “Yes, I helped them a little, and they sent me a lot of gifts to show their gratitude. We’ll have a feast for lunch. Take these ingredients and help me process them.

” Jiang Li handed Mu Jingxun and Bai Ziyong a fish and a duck. They would have fish and duck for lunch, along with two pounds of meat and a chicken; they would eat the rest later. Seeing the delicious food, Bai Ziyong happily started cleaning the fish and duck.

 Mu Jingxun went to the private plot to pick some green and red peppers, then prepared more ginger and garlic. Jiang Li planned to make a sauerkraut fish and a ginger-fried duck, so she also needed to wash some sauerkraut.

 Wu Meixia had sent some sauerkraut earlier, which came in handy now. With sauerkraut fish, ginger-fried duck, and stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, lunch was sumptuous. Bai Ziyong ate until his mouth was greasy, even mixing the remaining sauce with rice.

 In the following days, Jiang Li spent time in the mountains practicing, collecting herbs, and occasionally treating patients for the team members.

 She also heard a lot of gossip, that Sun Wenwen was suffering from domestic violence from Li Ermazi every day. Every few days, they would see new injuries on Sun Wenwen, each more shocking than the last. Today, Sun Wenwen was injured the worst; her arm was deeply cut. Although she didn’t want Jiang Li to treat her, the injury was too severe and needed immediate attention to prevent infection.

 She had no choice but to go to the medical point to ask Jiang Li for help. Seeing Sun Wenwen’s arm, Jiang Li thought Li Ermazi was inhuman. Although Sun Wenwen was unpleasant, Jiang Li despised and hated a man who abused his wife.

Sun Wenwen, being reborn, must have known Li Ermazi’s character, so she tried to frame Jiang Li, wanting her to marry Li Ermazi and suffer. If Jiang Li had been framed and married Li Ermazi, she would have suffered the same domestic violence. Regarding Sun Wenwen’s current situation, Jiang Li could only say that she reaped what she sowed and didn’t deserve sympathy.

Although she didn’t get along with Sun Wenwen, she didn’t care about her life or death, but as the village doctor, Jiang Li had an obligation to help the team members who were sick or injured. Now that Sun Wenwen was here, Jiang Li had to treat her like any other patient. Jiang Li first used some disinfectant to clean the wound. This disinfectant was made by herself; the team’s medical supplies were very limited.

 The commune had sent some Western medicine, but the quantity and variety were very small, not even basic disinfectants like alcohol or iodine. Fortunately, Jiang Li was skilled and could make her own disinfectant; otherwise, Sun Wenwen’s wound could easily become infected and inflamed.

Jiang Li quickly treated Sun Wenwen’s wound. Sun Wenwen noticed Jiang Li’s fairer and smoother skin, thinking it was because she no longer worked in the fields. Thinking of Jiang Li’s comfortable life, Sun Wenwen felt extremely resentful and unbalanced.

Why could Jiang Li live such a happy life, while she was suffering from domestic violence, living a dark and hopeless life?  With only Jiang Li and Sun Wenwen in the medical room, Sun Wenwen gritted her teeth, “Jiang Li, I’m suffering like this because of you.

” Jiang Li paused, sneered, and continued to treat Sun Wenwen’s wound.