"Are you trying to become disabled a second time?" Jiang Tang's eyes turned cold, her tone devoid of any politeness.
She no longer cared about her reputation; if they really came to provoke her again, she wouldn't mind letting this woman feel pain once more.
Madam Li shuddered at the ruthlessness in her eyes. The insults that had just reached her lips were swallowed back down, and she clutched her still-aching chin, not daring to make another sound.
Jiang Laoda, with an ashen expression, pulled his wife and daughter away and left in a huff.
He was afraid that if they didn't leave, his wife would anger Jiang Tang again. If her legs were truly broken, he didn't know how much more she would extort from him.
The Village Chief handed another document to Jiang Tang: "Keep this safe." He then looked at Madam Feng, "Aunt, if you have any difficulties in the future, just tell me. The village will not ignore you."
The Village Chief went home as he had things to attend to.
Song Jiuxi saw that her good sister had woken up and wanted to chat a bit more.
Seeing Jiang Tang in a coma on the bed a few days ago, she and Su Lianxue had kept watch by the bedside for a whole day, and both had cried for a long time seeing her covered in injuries.
It was just a pity that their true good sister had left forever!
"A'Tang, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, go back to the room and rest."
Madam Ye looked at her pale complexion and felt immense heartache: "That day the wind was so strong, the Village Chief beat the gong for every family to lock their doors and windows and not go out. You tell me, why were you so stubborn, insisting on running out to collect seafood?"
Her words carried a hint of reproach, but the cherishing in her eyes could not be hidden.
What Madam Ye was even angrier about was Jiang Laoda and his wife. If they hadn't forced A'Tang, why would she have risked her life at the seaside during a storm?
"Aunt, I'm fine. Some of these wounds have already scabbed over."
"You're covered in injuries, and just after waking up, you've been running around carrying your Grandma. How can you be fine? If I tell you to lie down, then lie down. I'll have Lianxue go invite the Doctor to take a look at you and Aunt, and I'll go to Town to trade this seafood for silver coins to get your medicine."
Madam Ye would not be refused and went to pick up the basket to sell the goods in Town.
Because of the scene Madam Li caused today, they hadn't managed to collect much.
"Aunt, my Elder Sister knows how to treat illness! Grandma was saved by her," Jiang Yi said hurriedly, his small face serious. "Back then, the Doctor said Grandma couldn't be saved, but Elder Sister prepared a dose of medicine, and Grandma got better!"
When he was being protected by his aunt just now, that long-lost warmth made him unable to help but reveal the truth.
Jiang Tang did not stop him; she would have to let those around her know about her medical skills sooner or later.
"A Yi, have you been scared silly by Madam Li?"
Song Jiuxi reached out and patted his head lightly, her tone playful: "Whether A'Tang knows how to treat illness, how could Lianxue and I not know? The three of us are as close as sisters."
"I'm telling the truth, if you don't believe me, ask Elder Sister."
Jiang Yi felt wronged; Song Jiuxi was always patting his head.
She really wasn't gentle enough. When he grew up, he definitely couldn't marry someone like her; she was like a tigress.
"It's true," Jiang Tang admitted calmly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to reset Aunt's arm and chin just now."
"You... A'Tang, something is wrong with you. Could your head have been knocked out of place? You're actually talking nonsense."
Song Jiuxi widened her eyes, still refusing to believe it, thinking only that Jiang Tang's brain had been damaged by the storm.
Disbelief aside, she was truly concerned.
"A'Tang, you..." Su Lianxue was hesitant to speak. Her thoughts were the same as Song Jiuxi's; after all, they knew exactly what Jiang Tang was like before.
Madam Ye was the same, and even Madam Feng, who had been treated by her, thought so too.
It wasn't possible to wake up from a coma and suddenly know how to do it!
Everyone felt that Jiang Tang had damaged her brain; after all, that day's storm was no small matter!
"I'm really fine, and I really do know medical skills. During these days in a coma, it felt like I spent a long, long time, and a white-bearded old grandpa appeared in my dream. He not only taught me medical skills but also taught me many principles of being a person. He said that one cannot be too cowardly, one must be strong and know how to resist, and not to initiate trouble, but also not to fear it."
Jiang Tang mixed truth with lies. Anyway, with that non-existent old grandpa to take the blame, she was full of confidence when lying, making it impossible for anyone to see any falsehood.
Except for Jiang Yi, everyone else was stunned.
The first to recover was Madam Feng. She had lived for more than half her life and had heard quite a lot of strange stories. Plus, she already believed in ghosts and gods, so she soon believed Jiang Tang's words.
"I was wondering why you were different after waking up; it turns out you received guidance from an immortal."
"Then in the future, if we feel uncomfortable anywhere, does that mean we don't need to find a Doctor, and can just come to you directly?" Song Jiuxi's eyes lit up, and she immediately grasped the main point.
"As long as you need me, I'll be here," Jiang Tang replied with a smile. She felt gratitude for her action of running back to call the Village Chief just now; that unhesitating protection was more precious than anything.
Everyone was happy for Jiang Tang, thinking she had gained a blessing from a misfortune and encountered a miracle.
The group chatted and laughed for a while longer, and remembering they still had chores at home and had been out for most of the day, they planned to take their leave.
Jiang Tang suddenly stopped the two good sisters: "Lianxue, Jiuxi, can you come over to sleep with me tonight? I just moved into this room, and I feel a bit uneasy at night."
"Haha, A'Tang, you were fierce enough when you beat people up just now, but you're afraid of the dark at night?" Song Jiuxi teased, though her eyes were soft. "But I can come keep you company, I just have to go back and ask my parents if they agree."
Although she had a straightforward temperament, she understood the rules. Jiang Tang's family still had Jiang Yi, a half-grown boy, so it was indeed not very convenient for her to move in.
Su Lianxue's mother was right there, so as long as Madam Ye agreed, it would be fine.
Madam Ye nodded in agreement without a second thought: "Let Lianxue come over to keep you company tonight."
She also felt heartache for Jiang Tang, worrying that she had been frightened by the storm.
After seeing them off, Jiang Tang helped Madam Feng into the room to lie down.
"You're thinking of taking them both to go Sea Gathering tonight, right?" Madam Feng guessed Jiang Tang's thoughts.
"Yes," Jiang Tang didn't hide it from her. "They treat me very well on weekdays and were willing to help when I encountered trouble. Since I'm better, I want to take them along to do better too."
Madam Feng nodded: "That is the right way to think."
"During the days Grandma and Elder Sister were sick, Aunt and the Village Chief also pooled money to invite a Doctor to treat you.
The day we were kicked out, it was also Aunt and Uncle who helped carry you over.
Cousin Lianxue and Jiuxi helped grab some things, otherwise, Uncle and Aunt wouldn't have let me take those things out."
Jiang Yi rambled on about what happened that day.
If it weren't for Song Jiuxi taking a stick and wanting to fight with Aunt.
When she couldn't win, she just lay on the ground, shouting that she had been injured by Aunt.
Aunt was worried that the Village Chief would come back to cause her trouble, so she agreed to let them take those things out.
"Hmm, this favor must be remembered. In the future, if you can help them, help them more. Both their families don't have it easy; they have children studying at the Academy, and there are many places where they need to spend money!" Madam Feng sighed lightly.
She had thought about it for a long time last night; the way her eldest son's family acted, she had gradually let it go.
From now on, protecting these two children in front of her would be enough to live up to her younger son.
As for that family of unfilial descendants, she would just pretend they never existed!
The scorching sun was in the sky, and the coast at noon was quiet, with only the sound of sea waves hitting the tidal flats, one wave after another.
Jiang Tang remembered that Jiang Yi had been busy all morning without eating breakfast, so she dove into the kitchen to get busy.
She took the pork lard she had bought from the Space, washed it, cut it into pieces, and put it into an earthenware pot to render.
She added a little water so the oil would render whiter, and the fragrance slowly began to permeate the air.
Two large pieces of pork lard plus a large basin of fatty scraps meant it would take two batches to finish rendering.
Another lidded earthenware pot was washed clean, and she scooped some new rice, washed it, put it in, and added water to steam and cook.
While rendering oil and cooking rice, Jiang Tang calculated in her heart:
Once she earned some money, she had to buy an iron pot for stir-frying. These two earthenware pots were fine for rendering oil and cooking rice, but they were really inconvenient for stir-frying.
After the lard was rendered and scooped out, she left a little base oil in the pot and threw in a handful of screw peppers Jiang Tang had cut.
The hot oil sizzled, making people sneeze, but that fresh, spicy aroma suddenly burst out, making one's stomach feel empty.
She poured the prepared octopus into the pot, stir-fried it quickly, and added a spoonful of soy sauce and a little salt.
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