Eldest Aunt Huo was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a face full of coarse flesh. She looked fierce, and her tongue was just as fierce. When she cursed people, her words were filthy and foul.
Ning Yuchan often followed Old Man Ning to set up their stall, so she could be considered someone who had seen the world.
But when facing Eldest Aunt Huo, she still felt somewhat powerless.
Even so, she was not someone who would just take bullying.
She could not outscold Eldest Aunt Huo, so she simply vented her anger on Huo Mingqian.
She forcefully shoved two books and a bundle of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone into Huo Mingqian’s arms. “I can’t afford to use your things. I’m returning them to you. Taohua, let’s go.”
Huo Mingqian was thus implicated and made the target of her anger.
The words he had just said were still ringing in their ears: “If there’s anything you want to read, take it down and bring it back to read. Don’t damage it. Just return it to me after you’re done.”
He was the one who had been generous, yet at the critical moment, he was also the one who could not make the final decision.
Yet Ning Yuchan still did not feel satisfied with just one cutting remark. When she reached the doorway, she added another sentence, “I thought a scholar could support a household. It seems it’s nothing more than this.”
Her words were like carving flesh and scraping bone.
Every word carried extreme disdain.
Not to mention that Huo Mingqian was Old Lady Huo’s most beloved son, with just the identity of a scholar, he should have been full of pride and integrity.
Yet he was belittled like this by a little girl.
He was in the prime of his life, filled with knowledge. How could it be that he could not shoulder responsibility?
The books were his, and the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were also his.
What did it mean for his eldest sister-in-law to keep insisting that the other party had stolen them?
Eldest Aunt Huo had been married into the Huo family for at least twenty years.
Because Huo Mingqian was the most favored in the Huo family and also the most studious, she had wholeheartedly wanted to benefit from him and had never had any conflict with this younger brother-in-law.
Moreover, this had even become her standard as a good daughter-in-law of the Huo family.
Her mistreatment of Father Huo was because Father Huo himself was not good.
Just look at how well she treated Huo Mingqian.
They were both brothers, so shouldn’t Father Huo reflect on his own shortcomings?
Such was Huo Mingqian, yet today, for the first time, he glared at her. “Eldest Sister-in-law, I lent the books. What do you mean by that?”
His gaze was sharp. As a young man who had seen the world, he was both imposing and cold.
For the first time, Eldest Aunt Huo saw a warning in his eyes.
She had given birth to two sons and indeed held a certain status, but compared with Old Lady Huo’s treasured scholar son, there was no comparison.
Especially since both her sons were disappointing. One was addicted to gambling, and the other was lustful. They caused trouble all day long.
Old Lady Huo hid away the family money precisely to guard against these two grandsons.
She had reason to suspect that if Huo Changsheng had not left, Old Lady Huo would have treated him even better than her own two sons.
Her imposing manner instantly dropped to the bottom.
Even her voice became several degrees softer than before. “Little Brother-in-law, what you’re saying… I’m only worried you’ve been deceived. Your Second Sister-in-law’s family, every single one of them has eight minds[1]meaning they are extremely scheming jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1953087_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1953087_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. We must be careful when dealing with them.”
Huo Mingqian was at an age full of vigor. A decision he had made was denied, and a young girl had even been falsely accused of stealing.
Both his dignity and reputation were provoked.
His expression grew even colder.
“Mind your own business. My affairs are not for you to manage.”
After saying that, he carried the bundle and strode quickly to chase after Ning Yuchan and Taohua.
However, he soon regained his composure.
There was one thing Eldest Sister-in-law had said that was not wrong. The people from Second Sister-in-law’s family were indeed very calculating.
Thinking carefully about Ning Yuchan’s two sentences, there was displeasure, but her intent to provoke was also very obvious.
She had accused him of being unable to make decisions, unable to take charge, and even unable to support the Huo family’s household.
The girl was not very old, yet her scheming mind was quite deep.
But even though he understood her intentions, he still had to fall for it.
Otherwise, if word spread, how could he, a scholar, continue to establish himself in Huojia Village?
By the time he reached the entrance of Father Huo’s house, Huo Mingqian had already reconciled with himself.
The corner of his mouth involuntarily curved into a somewhat helpless smile.
He sighed, then carried the things and walked into the courtyard openly and generously.
He still did not know how angry the girl had become, or whether she would still use these two books and the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
If she did not use them, then he would not be able to save face.
Ning Yuchan was young, but she was not someone who understood nothing.
Pulling Taohua along into the courtyard, she saw that Taohua was so angry that her eyes were brimming with tears, and comforted her, “Don’t be angry. When our family’s life gets better, we’ll move to the city and stay far away from them.”
Taohua was young. Whatever Ning Yuchan said, she believed. “Right. When our family has money, we’ll move to the city and make them die of jealousy.”
When she saw Third Uncle carrying things over, she snorted, turned around, and ran into the house to hide.
Ning Yuchan hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to walk up to Huo Mingqian and apologize, “Just now, Yuchan was too angry and spoke without thinking, and took it out on Third Uncle. Third Uncle is a scholar, with knowledge, learning, and magnanimity. Please don’t lower yourself to the level of a country girl like me.”
Ning Yuchan’s initiative to apologize caught Huo Mingqian off guard.
He had thought he would need to coax her properly. He never expected that after being accused of being a thief, the young girl could calm down so quickly and even apologize to him.
He could not help but look at her in a new light once again.
“Ahem, Eldest Sister-in-law has a bit of a bad temper. Don’t take it to heart. My things are mine to decide. Take them.”
Ning Yuchan did not act coy at all and accepted them openly.
“Third Uncle, come inside and sit. I’ll pour you a bowl of water.”
Huo Mingqian wanted to leave but could not quite bring himself to do so. In the end, he still went inside and drank a bowl of water, which Ning Yuchan personally poured for him.
There were no decent cups in Father Huo’s household.
Ning Yuchan used the large porcelain bowl that they usually ate with.
She chose one without a chipped rim and poured more than half a bowl of cooled boiled water.
The outer wall of the porcelain bowl had a ring of blue patterns.
Huo Mingqian held it in his large hand, sat on the edge of the kang, and stared at Father Huo’s foot injury. “Second Brother, how did you injure your foot?”
Father Huo had never explained the reason. Tian Fengying had only been focused on feeling distressed and had forgotten to ask.
When he had carried the plow handle out earlier, Tian Fengying had naturally assumed he had fallen or been hit by something.
Now that Huo Mingqian asked, Father Huo’s expression became somewhat unpleasant.
Tian Fengying had just finished feeding the chickens. As she wiped her hands and walked into the house, she was about to say that he had fallen by himself.
But noticing Father Huo’s expression, she could not help but feel suspicious.
“Changsheng’s father, I forgot to ask. What exactly happened to your leg injury?”
Father Huo was foolishly filial. The day after tomorrow was Old Lady Huo’s sixtieth birthday. As a son, he could not afford to give a birthday gift, and he did not want to cause trouble at this time.
His eyes darted away, and he stammered, unable to answer.
What was there that Tian Fengying could not understand?
“Someone ran into you, right? From the main branch? Eldest Brother? Changfu?”
After living together as husband and wife for more than twenty years, Tian Fengying quickly saw the problem from Father Huo’s face.
“It must have been Changfu, right? He knocked into you and just left you on the street without even caring about you?”
Father Huo did not speak. Tian Fengying was so angry that she slapped his back hard. “At a time like this, you’re still covering for them. Do you think their whole family is even human?”
“Ahem…”
Tian Fengying was scolding the entire main branch family. Huo Mingqian had not separated from the family, so he was naturally included as well.
He could not help but clench his fists and cough.
Father Huo’s expression was not good. “Fengying, stop talking.”
Huo Mingqian had come to deliver things after all, so Tian Fengying also felt somewhat embarrassed. “Mingqian, Second Sister-in-law wasn’t talking about you. Just look at what my family has become. Whether Changsheng is dead or alive is still unknown. In this family, your Second Brother is the only one who can work. Spring plowing is about to begin, and now his leg is injured. Not only does it cost silver, but what are we going to do about the fields?”
Huo Mingqian pressed further, “What exactly happened?”
Father Huo stammered, “Yesterday, when I was carrying the plow handle back, Changfu was running carelessly while holding a dog and knocked into me. He didn’t even stop. I saw that dog…”
Huo Mingqian sighed helplessly. “Second Brother, wait here. I’ll go ask what’s going on.”
Tian Fengying very much wanted to follow and demand an explanation, but Huo Mingqian stopped her.
“Second Sister-in-law, as long as it was Changfu who hit him, I will definitely give you an explanation.”
Tian Fengying watched as Huo Mingqian went out and poured away the water from the bowl he had just used.
She glared fiercely at Father Huo.
Then she said to Ning Yuchan, “Our family is a mess every day. You must be laughing at us.”
Ning Yuchan hugged the two books Huo Mingqian had brought and pointed at the bundle. “Mother, I’ll go study the prescription.”
Tian Fengying waved her hand. “Go, go. You’re the only one in the family who can read. Everything depends on you.”
After more than half an hour, Huo Mingqian came again to Father Huo’s house.
At the same time, he brought thirty taels of silver.
On the way, he had heard that Tian Fengying had spent more than twenty taels on medicine for Father Huo. The remaining amount was compensation.
As for the spring plowing, Huo Mingqian assured, “I’ve already spoken with Eldest Brother and Changfu. Your family’s land will be farmed by the two of them.”
Tian Fengying finally showed a bit of a smile.
“I knew Mingqian handles things fairly. Second Sister-in-law thanks you. This arrangement is the best.”
Huo Mingqian then took out another two taels of silver from his pocket and placed it on the kang. “The day after tomorrow is Mother’s sixtieth birthday. Buy something and go take a look, consider it giving me face.”
Tian Fengying did not want to go, but out of consideration for Huo Mingqian, she still agreed.
“Alright. Tomorrow I’ll go out and buy some pastries, and another two jin of pork, to celebrate Old Lady Huo’s birthday.”
Only then did Huo Mingqian feel reassured. Before leaving, he told Father Huo to come to him if anything happened.
Tian Fengying took the thirty taels of silver, first repaid Ning Yuchan’s twelve taels, then personally went to her natal family to return the ten taels she had borrowed.
At the same time, she repaid the several taels borrowed for the wedding banquet.
There were five taels left, which she kept for household use.
Ning Yuchan carried the books, paper, and brushes back to the new room. There was no desk at home, only a large wardrobe that could be used to support the paper.
She ground some ink and placed it on the wardrobe, then spread out the paper.
These were all valuable items. Not a bit could be wasted.
So she had to think carefully before writing. Only when it was truly necessary would she put the brush to the paper.
The prescription stated that the Strengthening Tendons and Reconnecting Bones Ointment required two taels of danggui, one tael of chuanxiong, one tael of white peony, four taels of prepared rehmannia, one tael of tiger bone, two taels of dangshen, two taels of tusizi cake…
Dangshen and danggui were both very expensive.
Tiger bone was both rare and extremely expensive.
Originally, as a commonly used medicinal ingredient, danggui was very cheap, but after the war, its place of origin had been damaged, and for a long period, it could not be found on the market.
Only in recent years had it gradually begun circulating again.
Ning Yuchan extracted all eighteen medicinal ingredients and marked them separately.
She did not understand medicine at all.
She did not know the properties of each herb or what they looked like. She relied entirely on the prescription to copy them out.
Fortunately, the prescription was recorded fairly completely.
An ordinary iron pot would not do for boiling the black medicinal plaster. It had to be a copper pot. In addition to these eighteen medicinal ingredients, some specific auxiliary materials were also needed.
For example, vegetable oil and red lead.
None of these things was available at home.
Ning Yuchan planned to go to the city again.
She intended to buy everything in one trip.
She explained the situation to Tian Fengying. Tian Fengying said without hesitation, “Tomorrow, the three of us will go together.”
It just so happened that they could also buy Old Lady Huo’s birthday gift at the same time.
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