Aunt Wang patted the medicinal herbs from her hands, stood up, and called out, “Is that Yutong? Come in quickly.”
Jiang Yutong pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate. Aunt Wang had already come over and took her hand.
“Come in, quickly. Poor girl. The Ning family is truly no good.”
Jiang Yutong greeted them. “Aunt Wang, Uncle Li, I’m sorry to trouble you.”
Then she handed over the rabbit and wild chicken she was carrying.
“I just hunted them in the mountains.”
Aunt Wang could hardly stop smiling as she carried the rabbit and wild chicken. In these times, having meat to eat was a big deal.
“You know how to hunt? I never would have guessed!”
She was about to carry them into the house when Doctor Li glanced over.
“Take the rabbit and wild chicken to the market tomorrow and exchange them for some silver. We’ll just have a simple meal tonight.”
Aunt Wang stopped in her tracks.
“That’s right. You’re on your own now, and life won’t be easy. Selling them for money is the sensible thing to do.”
Jiang Yutong had never intended to sell them. Besides, she was craving meat.
In the apocalypse, people usually consumed the energy and nutrients they needed directly for convenience. They hardly ate actual food. Food was scarce in the apocalypse anyway, and there was practically nothing edible left.
Her mother had been a gourmet, and Jiang Yutong’s fondest memories were of the food her mother used to make.
Unfortunately, she had never been able to taste her mother’s cooking again.
“Uncle Li, Aunt Wang, I haven’t eaten meat in so long. Please cook it for me and let me satisfy my craving. These few things wouldn’t fetch much money anyway.”
Aunt Wang immediately felt sorry for her.
“Poor child. That Ning family has truly committed a terrible sin. Tonight, I’ll cook you a proper meat feast. Eat as much as you want.”
Jiang Yutong smiled.
“All right, Aunt Wang. You’re the one who cares about me the most.”
Aunt Wang carried everything into the kitchen, then came back out with a bowl of water.
“Have some water.”
Jiang Yutong really was thirsty. After everything that had happened that day, she hadn’t had a single drop of water.
She tilted her head back and drank.
This exposed the wound around her neck.
Aunt Wang cried out in shock.
“Oh my! What happened to your neck? That Ning family is absolutely heartless! How could they be so cruel? Were they trying to strangle you to death?”
Aunt Wang was filled with heartache.
Jiang Yutong put down the bowl.
“It’s all right, Aunt Wang. I’ve finally escaped that Ning family pit. From now on, my life will only get better.”
Aunt Wang wiped away her tears.
“Silly child. You’re a young woman all by yourself. It won’t be that easy.”
Living in such troubled times, it truly was difficult for a woman to survive alone.
But Jiang Yutong wasn’t afraid.
At some point, Doctor Li came out carrying a bowl of medicinal paste.
“Put this on. It’ll heal in a few days.”
Jiang Yutong’s heart warmed.
Back in the apocalypse, both of her parents had died at the hands of zombies. She had been completely alone and hadn’t experienced someone caring for her like this in a very long time.
She accepted the bowl.
“Thank you, Uncle Li.”
Aunt Wang helped her apply the medicine.
Soon, Li Nanxing returned as well.
When he saw Jiang Yutong there, he instinctively lowered his head.
Jiang Yutong greeted him.
“Brother Nanxing, you’re back.”
Li Nanxing had already heard on the way home that Jiang Yutong had separated from the Ning family.
He nodded, then carried his medicine box into the house.
Jiang Yutong looked at all the medicinal herbs spread throughout the courtyard and felt refreshed.
Her father had also loved working with traditional Chinese medicine. He had been a renowned figure in the medical field, proficient not only in traditional Chinese medicine but also highly knowledgeable in Western medicine.
She had followed her father around since childhood. Although her medical skills weren’t as impressive as his, she was still quite capable.
If she wanted to establish herself and make a living here, medicine might be the only way she could earn money for now.
So she needed to show this talent and eventually use her medical skills to earn a living.
Jiang Yutong helped Doctor Li sort the medicinal herbs.
“Uncle Li, this is plantain herb, right? Plantain is sweet in flavor and cold in nature. It can help clear phlegm, relieve coughing, and ease wheezing. It is used for conditions such as difficulty urinating, urinary disorders, abnormal vaginal discharge, edema and bloating, summer-damp diarrhea, red or impaired vision, and phlegm-heat coughs and wheezing.”
Doctor Li looked at Jiang Yutong in surprise.
“I never knew you understood traditional Chinese medicine.”
Jiang Yutong sighed.
“My grandfather was also a physician, just like you. I learned all of this from him.”
Doctor Li was reminded of the past and sighed.
“Your grandfather was a good doctor.”
Li Nanxing stood behind the doorway, watching Jiang Yutong chatting enthusiastically with his father.
He had thought she would be heartbroken and miserable.
She must still be hurting, right?
It was just that she had lost the people closest to her, so she could only hide her sadness and pain.
Naturally, Jiang Yutong had no idea what Li Nanxing was thinking.
After helping Doctor Li finish sorting the medicinal herbs, she went into the kitchen to help Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang was quick and efficient as she prepared the rabbit.
When she saw Jiang Yutong come in, she said, “Yutong, sit down and rest. I’ll be finished soon.”
“Aunt Wang, let me help you.”
Jiang Yutong took the rabbit, cleaned it, and chopped it into small pieces with a knife.
She blanched the meat in cold water, then heated the pot and added oil. She stir-fried the rabbit meat until its aroma was released, added the seasonings and water, and let it simmer.
Soon, the delicious aroma of rabbit meat filled the kitchen.
The more Aunt Wang watched Jiang Yutong, the more she liked her.
“Little Tong, you’re so quick and capable. You really know how to handle things.”
Jiang Yutong gave a shy smile.
She then stewed the wild chicken and stir-fried a large portion of Chinese cabbage.
Dinner was soon ready.
Everyone enjoyed the meal tremendously and couldn’t stop praising Jiang Yutong’s cooking.
Jiang Yutong also ate until she was completely satisfied.
Although there were only a limited number of seasonings, the rabbit and wild chicken had been raised naturally in the wild, and the meat was exceptionally fresh and delicious.
There wasn’t much entertainment in ancient times, so Jiang Yutong’s first day after transmigrating ended just like that.
Li Nanxing went to stay at someone else’s house for the night.
Jiang Yutong felt rather embarrassed.
“I’ve really caused everyone so much trouble.”
Aunt Wang patted her arm.
“Silly child, don’t feel burdened. Your brother saved Uncle Li’s life. If it weren’t for your brother, our whole family wouldn’t be here today.”
Lying in bed, Jiang Yutong still felt somewhat dazed.
She was a little afraid to fall asleep, worried that she would wake up the next morning to find herself surrounded by zombies again.
But she couldn’t resist her exhaustion, and she soon fell asleep.
The next morning, Jiang Yutong was awakened by a noisy commotion.
“Jiang Yutong! Jiang Yutong! You ungrateful girl! Something this serious happened and you didn’t even come home to tell us. Do you still consider this your family?”
A shrill woman’s voice came from outside.
Aunt Wang responded beside her.
“The child is still sleeping. She was exhausted after everything yesterday. Keep your voice down.”
“You certainly know how to play the good person. She has a family of her own. Why is she staying at your house? What kind of behavior is that?”
Aunt Wang became angry.
“Do you not know why she didn’t go home?”
Jiang Yutong pushed open the door.
“Aunt Wang.”
She then looked at the woman standing nearby.
The woman was wearing a patched-up outfit. Behind her stood a half-grown boy, and behind the boy was a simple-looking, sturdy man.
From the original owner’s memories, Jiang Yutong recognized them.
They were her cheap father, Jiang Dannian, her stepmother, Wang Chunhua, and her younger brother, Jiang Yaozu.
When Wang Chunhua saw Jiang Yutong come out, she hurried forward and grabbed her hand.
“You ungrateful brat! You separated from the Ning family over something this serious and didn’t even tell us. You’ve gotten quite bold, haven’t you?”
The Jiang family lived in Xiayuan Village next door, more than ten li from Shangyuan Village.
They had only heard yesterday evening that Jiang Yutong had separated from the Ning family. They had wanted to come over that very night, but it was already too late, and the roads were unsafe, so they gave up.
Today, before dawn had even fully broken, the three of them had set out.
Along the way, they happened to encounter an ox cart heading to Shangyuan Village, which allowed them to get there much faster.
During the journey, Wang Chunhua had also asked around and learned quite a bit. By now, she knew the whole story from beginning to end.