Although Qin Zhiyu didn’t go to school today, she still tied on her new hair ties.
The black hair ties had two thumb-sized pink and blue fuzzy balls attached to them, with two small golden-yellow ribbons hanging down from the bottom edges.
Qin Zhiyu deliberately tied her hair into twin ponytails. When she walked, the little ribbons swayed along with the ponytails, glittering in the sunlight and catching everyone’s attention.
Hair ties like these were very popular among women in this era.
However, they weren’t cheap. A pair like Qin Zhiyu’s cost twenty-five cents.
One had to know that a jin of low-priced wheat only cost eighteen cents.
This pair of hair ties alone was almost equivalent to two jin of wheat.
What poor families would spend such unnecessary money on something like this?
So most girls, aunties, and married women in the commune used the simplest and most common colorful nylon hair ties.
Of course, there were also families who were better off, but few were willing to generously spend money on dressing up their daughters.
In other places it might be different, but in Luoxi Brigade the preference for sons over daughters was quite serious.
So when Qin Zhiyu appeared with this new hairstyle, it immediately stood out, drawing a crowd of girls and women around her, all chattering and asking questions.
When someone curiously asked, she answered honestly.
But suddenly a girl made a sarcastic remark.
She said Qin Zhiyu’s family was shameless—living off their sister-in-law who went back to her maternal home to ask for support, and even demanding such expensive things from her, saying they had no conscience and so on.
Mixed in were also some insinuations that her elder brother was useless and could only rely on his wife.
How could Qin Zhiyu tolerate such words?
Her personality resembled Mother Qin’s by about seventy percent—neither of them were the type to swallow their anger quietly. She immediately started arguing with the girl.
In the end, they almost got into a fight.
But just as they began pulling each other’s hair, the people nearby hurried forward to break it up and pulled them apart.
The girl was even scolded by some people who couldn’t stand her behavior and ended up storming off angrily.
Qin Zhiyu’s good mood was completely ruined, and now the way these people looked at her felt strange.
She had the feeling they were all secretly gossiping about her family in their hearts, so she went to a farther spot by herself to wash clothes.
She hadn’t expected Xu Sangluo to hear about it and come over.
Xu Sangluo had already crouched down and picked up a piece of clothing to start washing.
“The sooner we finish washing, the sooner we can go back. I came out in a hurry, so I don’t know if Yanyan and Mother Qin have woken up yet.”
Thinking about her injured mother and little nephew at home, Qin Zhiyu didn’t say anything more and squatted down to quickly start washing clothes too.
The people nearby exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes.
By now they had basically guessed who this young woman was.
Some were amazed, some sighed, and some felt jealous or even secretly pleased at others’ misfortune.
Earlier, rumors had spread that Xu Sangluo was a city girl and very beautiful, but many people hadn’t believed it.
Now that they saw her, setting everything else aside, just her fair and delicate skin alone clearly wasn’t something raised by rough rural life.
But even if she was a city girl, so what?
Didn’t she still have to marry into a poor countryside place like this and do hard labor?
Maybe soon she would become just like them—her face tanned dark and her hands rough. Then let’s see how she could still show off.
Xu Sangluo had no idea what these people were thinking.
She didn’t know them anyway. After finishing the laundry, she carried the bucket and went home with Qin Zhiyu.
When they arrived home, little Qin Yan was still asleep.
But Mother Qin was already sitting in the courtyard on a small wooden stool.
“Mom, why did you get up?!” As soon as Qin Zhiyu saw her, she immediately ran over anxiously.
Mother Qin stretched out her injured leg while keeping the other bent. Seeing Qin Zhiyu’s messy hair, she frowned. “What happened to you?”
Apparently Mother Qin had already been awake and had gotten up after hearing the noise in the courtyard.
“What do you mean what happened to me? What about you? Why did you get up? Did you hurt yourself? Does your leg hurt?”
Qin Zhiyu was nearly frantic.
Qin’s mother looked toward Xu Sangluo behind her and gave her a gentle smile. “Sangluo, thank you for the trouble.”
Xu Sangluo set down the wooden bucket and shook her head. “Why did you get up? Did you hurt yourself again?”
Qin’s mother laughed. “Oh, it’s just a bit of an injury to my leg. It’s not like I’m really crippled. It’s nothing serious.”
Hearing that, Xu Sangluo couldn’t help but think of Qin’s mother in her previous life—missing one foot. Her brows unconsciously furrowed, and her expression filled with disapproval.
“When muscles or bones are injured, it takes a hundred days to heal. This is only the second day—this is the most critical time. You should be resting properly.”
“That’s right! Mom, did you forget what big brother said? If he finds out, he’ll definitely scold me to death,” Qin Zhiyu pouted.
“Alright, alright. I just lay down for too long and came out to get some sun. I was very careful just now—I didn’t hurt myself,” Qin’s mother said helplessly.
Qin Zhiyu huffed. “I’ll help you back inside.”
Xu Sangluo spoke at the right moment. “Since you’re already outside, let’s take advantage of the light and change your medicine first. You can also get some sunshine—it helps with bone recovery.”
“Huh? Sunlight can treat injuries?” Qin Zhiyu looked completely confused.
“Getting more sunlight helps the body absorb calcium, which means the bones can grow and heal better. It can help bone injuries recover too, but you must be careful not to worsen any misalignment.”
Qin’s mother’s injury wasn’t actually very serious—it was just that the kneecap had shifted out of place.
The clinic had already set it back properly, and as long as she rested well, it could recover.
But if things happened the way they had in her previous life—when the bone hadn’t stabilized yet and became misaligned again from overuse, causing nerve damage—then amputation would become unavoidable.
“Oh, oh, oh.” Qin Zhiyu still didn’t fully understand, but she nodded obediently without the slightest doubt.
After all, Sister Sangluo had gotten into university—she must know a lot.
Qin’s mother also listened with a puzzled expression.
But learning that she didn’t have to lie motionless in the house all the time made her feel relieved.
Xu Sangluo didn’t ask Qin Zhiyu to go inside and bring the medicine.
The clinic had only given a soft ointment meant to relax muscles and improve circulation. It was somewhat useful, but not as effective as her own medicine.
She used an anti-inflammatory ointment that also promoted blood circulation and reduced bruising. Combined with oral anti-inflammatory medicine, it would work faster.
Xu Sangluo carefully applied the ointment while checking the injury.
“Does it hurt here?”
Qin’s mother hugged her thigh with both hands and looked at Xu Sangluo, who was squatting beside her and carefully applying the medicine. A smile spread across her face, deepening the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes.
“A little bit, but it’s alright.”
Xu Sangluo nodded, confirming that the injury wasn’t as serious as she had imagined.
But it still needed to be stabilized first to prevent further injury during movement.
She asked Qin Zhiyu to find a few small wooden boards and fixed them around the back of Qin’s mother’s knee, wrapping them tightly with bandages.
If it had been Qin Zhiyu’s idea, Qin’s mother definitely wouldn’t have listened.
But since it was Xu Sangluo who said it, even though Qin’s mother felt it would be inconvenient, she still obediently cooperated.
After Qin Zhiyu finished hanging the laundry, Xu Sangluo came out holding a comb.
“Xiaoyu, come here. Let me redo your hair.”
Only then did Qin Zhiyu remember that her hair was still messy. She immediately felt a little embarrassed.
“It’s okay, Sister Sangluo. I’ll tie it myself later.”
Xu Sangluo curled her lips into a smile. “I’ll give you a stylish hairstyle you’ve never seen before. Go bring out the hair accessories from yesterday.”
What girl could resist something fashionable and pretty?
Qin Zhiyu immediately forgot her embarrassment. She responded cheerfully and ran back inside to bring out a small cloth bundle.
Inside were not only the ones Xu Sangluo had given her yesterday, but also some she had collected before.
Seeing her daughter so happy, Qin’s mother couldn’t help but smile again.