After Xu Erniu left, Wen Yifan finally began tidying up the house.
When Qin Yunan had first come, the house had only been roughly put together, with supplies and medicinal herbs thrown haphazardly in one corner.
Thanks to Xu Erniu’s skills, a few decent medicine cabinets had been added, and after carefully organizing everything, the place looked respectable.
Looking at the fruits of her labor, she nodded in satisfaction.
But no matter how she looked around, she felt something was missing. After thinking for a while, she bought a piece of wood and wrote two large characters on it.
Seeing the sign standing in the night breeze, a sense of pride welled up in her heart.
With Xu Erniu as her skilled helper, even though the location was remote, many villagers still came seeking her out.
Of course, besides villagers, the occasional hunter who got injured while hunting nearby would also come for treatment.
From previous experience, Wen Yifan had exchanged a small amount of low-level Spirit Spring from the shop and mixed it into her ointments, which proved quite effective.
Her medicine worked immediately, and the villagers treated were full of praise.
Unknowingly, half a month had passed.
“Four mao, five mao…”
Wen Yifan sat on the kang, counting the loose coins and paper money in an iron box, muttering softly to herself.
“That’s enough.”
Thinking that she hadn’t gone home for almost half a month and not knowing the situation there, and seeing that only a few villagers had come for treatment today, she decided to close the clinic early. She exchanged some food supplies from the shop and carried them home.
As soon as she arrived at the door, she heard a voice calling from inside:
“Third sister-in-law, I’m pregnant, and my mouth has no taste. Later, go to Old Shen’s house at the village head to buy some pickled radish for me!”
Shen Que’s sharp voice was as recognizable as ever.
She lay on the kang, looking sickly, but commanding Feng Zhuyi around arrogantly, acting high and mighty.
Feng Zhuyi was bent over sweeping the floor, sweat rolling down his forehead. Hesitantly, he said, “But I don’t have much money on me…”
“You go when I tell you! Stop talking so much!”
Seeing Feng Zhuyi dare to object, Song Huailin shouted at him. Then he glanced at Song Chenyu, silently chopping firewood nearby, and said sarcastically:
“Third brother, the wife you married is really impressive. Your elder sister-in-law is like a mother to her, and she dares to talk back? I really don’t know how you teach your family at home!”
“What are you saying!”
Song Wanjing, knowing that her third brother was usually quiet and straightforward, was immediately displeased. She tossed aside her pen, rushed out, and shouted at Song Huailin:
“Third brother and third sister-in-law have done so much for this family. What have you two done? And ‘like a mother’… I spit!”
“Ouch!”
As soon as Song Wanjing finished speaking, Shen Que, still lying on the kang and avoiding work, immediately groaned.
“Ouch, Huailin, my belly hurts so much! Look at what your sister did to make me angry… ouch!”
Hearing her cries, Song Huailin got fired up. While massaging Shen Que’s belly, he shouted at Song Wanjing:
“You little troublemaker! If you make your pregnant elder sister-in-law upset, see how I’ll deal with you!”
He reached out to twist Song Wanjing’s arm.
“Stop!”
At that moment, Wen Yifan roared, stopping Song Huailin. She strode forward in three quick steps, placing Song Wanjing behind her, hands on her hips, and scolded angrily:
“You scoundrel! Is this how a brother behaves? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?”
“Mom! Why are you protecting this… troublesome girl! She dares to anger a pregnant sister-in-law now; won’t she cause chaos in the future!”
Song Huailin was worried for Shen Que. Having been targeted by Wen Yifan these past days, he already held some resentment. Seeing Wen Yifan fiercely protect his own daughter only made his teeth itch with anger.
“Don’t be confused! This girl will get married eventually. When you and Dad retire, won’t you rely on us!”
“Hmph! I only have Song Yanchuan to rely on. I don’t need you for my retirement!”
The threat in Song Huailin’s words was clear as day. Wen Yifan glared at him while speaking.
Shen Que didn’t say a word, but her eyes flicked to the bags in Wen Yifan’s hands. She immediately smiled, climbing off the kang:
“Mom, you still thought of me, carrying all these things must’ve been tiring!”
She reached out to take them.
Unexpectedly, Wen Yifan dodged and handed the food to Song Wanjing instead.
“This is for you and your third brother and third sister-in-law. You’re still growing, so you need to eat well and nourish yourself. Your third brother and sister-in-law work hard, so they deserve good food too!”
The heavy bundle in her arms made Song Wanjing’s eyes widen in surprise.
Seeing this, Shen Que was immediately displeased. She pouted, sticking out her not-yet-visible pregnant belly.
“Mom, I’m carrying Huailin’s child! How can you be so biased!”
“This child isn’t mine to carry. What’s it got to do with me!”
Wen Yifan gave her no face. Seeing sweat rolling down Feng Zhuyi’s forehead, she snatched the broom from him and shoved it into Shen Que’s hands.
“If I remember correctly, today’s your turn for chores. Handle your own business!”
Then, as she looked around the house, she realized she hadn’t seen Song Yanchuan since entering. She turned coldly to Song Huailin and his wife and demanded:
“Where’s that deadbeat of a father of yours?”
Mentioning Song Yanchuan made Song Huailin stammer, unable to speak:
“Uh… Dad seems to have gone out…”
“Oh, Mom, Dad’s old. He won’t get lost. Why are you so worried? Maybe he’s out buying something for the house!”
Seeing how pathetic he looked, Shen Que shot him a sharp look, then cheerfully addressed Wen Yifan to smooth things over.
Seeing the couple try to gloss things over, Song Wanjing finally straightened up and spoke:
“I wouldn’t dare lie. But some people cover for others with their mouths, and of course, they’ll protect them with all they’ve got!”
“You little brat, your mouth’s itching again, huh!”
Seeing his wife storm off in anger and Song Wanjing reveal their family’s secret, Song Huailin flew into a rage. He grabbed a broom and charged at Song Wanjing.
“Third brother! Are you dead? You see your own sister being bullied and just stand there?”