Early the next morning, before dawn had even broken, Aunt Hui shook Pei Yunnuo awake.
“Come on, get up! We’re going out to gather herbs!”
Still rubbing her sleepy eyes, Pei Yunnuo wanted to say she needed to wash up first.
But Aunt Hui was far too strong. She practically yanked her out of bed by force, dragging her so hard that she nearly fell onto the floor.
“Hurry up!”
“You think it’s still early?”
“The sun won’t wait for you!”
“Once it’s high in the sky, if you start whining about how hard or tiring it is, then get out of here!”
Pei Yunnuo cursed Aunt Hui ten thousand times in her heart.
But on the surface, she could only smile.
“Master, the sun won’t be up for quite a while yet. It won’t make a difference if we’re a little later…”
Aunt Hui coldly shook her off.
“You don’t want to go, do you?”
“If you don’t, then get out right now!”
“No! That’s not what I meant! Master, you’ve misunderstood…”
Without even having her shoes on properly, Pei Yunnuo stumbled after Aunt Hui in a panic.
After they left, the house became quiet again.
Lin Xizhi slept until she woke naturally.
After getting up, one of the neighboring aunties brought over some qingtuan (green glutinous rice cakes) and dumplings.
She ate the qingtuan for breakfast, drank some spirit spring water to replenish her energy, then transplanted a few vegetables from her pocket space into Aunt Hui’s vegetable garden.
She hadn’t been busy for very long before Aunt Hui and Pei Yunnuo returned.
Looking over, Lin Xizhi saw that Aunt Hui’s hands were empty, while Pei Yunnuo carried a huge basket on her back and held a smaller basket in each hand.
Her cheeks were sunburned bright red.
Her sweat-soaked hair had become a tangled bird’s nest.
There were also countless fresh scratches on her neck, arms, and calves.
Cuts, scrapes, abrasions you name it.
Pei Yunnuo was utterly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed.
But the moment she walked inside and saw Lin Xizhi’s rosy complexion and healthy appearance, all her sleepiness vanished, replaced by burning resentment.
Why was I working myself half to death outside while Lin Xizhi got to relax comfortably at home?
This isn’t right!
After putting down the basket of herbs, Pei Yunnuo waited until no one was paying attention before secretly tearing several small rips in her trousers into much larger holes.
“Sister Xizhi…”
She approached Lin Xizhi with a pitiful expression.
“While gathering herbs with Master today, I accidentally tore my clothes in several places…”
“You know I’m terrible at sewing.”
“Could you mend these tears for me later?”
Lin Xizhi nodded.
“Of course.”
“Actually, I was looking for you too.”
“Do you remember the exact recipe for the Five Red Soup we used to make at home?”
“Master said my constitution is too weak. Taking medicine directly would do more harm than good, so I need food therapy to nourish myself gradually.”
“So I thought I’d keep drinking Five Red Soup every day, just like before.”
“That old family recipe is incredibly effective. I can’t do without it.”
Pei Yunnuo clasped Lin Xizhi’s hands.
“That’s easy!”
“I’ll make it for you from now on.”
“Sister Xizhi, don’t worry. With me taking care of you, your health will definitely get better and better.”
Lin Xizhi smiled gratefully.
“Wonderful.”
“I’ll bring today’s ingredients to you in a little while.”
Aunt Hui returned a moment later.
The instant she heard them chatting and laughing together, she became irritated.
“Look how idle you two are!”
“You’ve actually got time to stand around chatting?”
“I just finished seeing patients at several households in the village.”
“Now I have to prepare everyone’s medicine!”
“Lin Xizhi!”
“You’re not going anywhere today.”
“Stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on these pots of medicine. Once they’re done, deliver them to the patients.”
“And you!”
She pointed at Pei Yunnuo.
“Come with me to the backyard and spread the herbs out to dry!”
With a single command, she split the two of them apart.
But that was only the beginning.
Over the next several days, Pei Yunnuo was constantly ordered around, while Lin Xizhi simply repeated the same clumsy routine of brewing medicine and delivering it.
Pei Yunnuo ended up doing all the hard labor.
On top of that, she still had to find time every day to prepare Five Red Soup for Lin Xizhi.
The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became.
Eventually, she found an opportunity to act spoiled with Aunt Hui.
“Master…”
“My legs hurt.”
“Could Sister Xizhi go into the mountains with you tomorrow instead?”
Aunt Hui looked at her earnestly.
“What would I take Lin Xizhi along for?”
“She doesn’t know anything.”
“I’m putting you through all this training because I’m cultivating you.”
“When you become the village’s great physician someday, I still have plenty more to teach you.”
“Of course…”
“If you don’t want any of that, then you can be like Lin Xizhi and spend your whole life as a servant doing laundry and cooking.”
After thinking it over, Pei Yunnuo clenched her teeth.
“…Fine.”
“I’ll listen to you, Master.”
So she continued enduring everything silently while staying at Aunt Hui’s house, waiting until the right opportunity came to poison Lin Xizhi again.
Meanwhile, because Pei Yuncheng continually held back the Coastal Defense Team during training, Song Zhuowei finally lost his patience and reassigned him to railway construction.
The hands that had once held pens and played the piano now swung heavy pickaxes every day.
His shoulders and palms were covered in bloody blisters.
He simply couldn’t take it anymore.
One evening at dusk, he secretly slipped away to find the closest person he had nearby Pei Yunnuo.
Widow Village was the most unusual place in the entire Shajing Commune.
Since most of its residents were widows, strict rules were enforced to protect the village’s reputation.
Every evening after dark, the village gates were closed.
Wooden barricades blocked every entrance, with village women taking turns standing guard.
When Pei Yuncheng arrived, they were just about to lock the village.
“It’s almost dark.”
“No men are allowed inside.”
“Whoever you’re looking for or whatever you want to say can wait until tomorrow.”
One of the women on guard stopped him.
But Pei Yuncheng had no intention of turning back.
Just thinking about returning meant spending another day swinging a pickaxe like a beast of burden and another night trapped in a dormitory full of smelly feet.
He would rather die here.
So he pleaded,
“I don’t have to enter the village.”
“I just want to say a few words to my sister.”
“Both your sisters are staying at Aunt Hui’s house, aren’t they?”
One of the better-informed village women asked.
“Which one are you looking for?”
Pei Yuncheng froze.
Yunnuo?
Ever since they had been sent down to the countryside, she’d been transferred from one assignment to another.
He guessed she hadn’t settled into this new job yet.
Better to find Lin Xizhi.
Lin Xizhi had been in Widow Village longer than Pei Yunnuo.
She must have established herself better.
Besides…
Lin Xizhi had once treasured him more than anything and doted on him with all her heart.
The last time they met, she’d even made a promise with him.
People always said that if a woman imagined a future together with a man, then she undoubtedly had him in her heart.
If Lin Xizhi saw how Song Zhuowei had tormented him into this miserable state…
How heartbroken she would be!
Just imagining it made Pei Yuncheng certain his plan would work.
He immediately said to the village woman,
“I’m looking for Lin Xizhi.”
The woman looked him up and down before tossing out a single sentence.
“Wait here.”
Then she arranged for someone to go notify Aunt Hui’s household.
Lin Xizhi was busy cooking dinner in the kitchen.
When she heard someone had come looking for her, she first moved the pot of winter melon soup simmering on the stove aside before going out to see what was happening.
Learning that it was Pei Yuncheng who wanted to see her, she immediately found it strange.
What could he possibly want?
Could he and his sister have secretly come up with another scheme?
Lin Xizhi wasn’t afraid of them setting a trap for her.
But she wanted to let Aunt Hui know before leaving.
Aunt Hui was still in the backyard with Pei Yunnuo, pounding medicinal herbs.
However, the village woman who had come to deliver the message stopped her.
“So?”
“Are you going to see him or not?”
“Give me a straight answer.”
“The village gates will be locked soon.”
Lin Xizhi smiled faintly.
“Then I’ll go take a look.”
“Thank you for leading the way.”