Jiang Yi was surprised. Since when did Elder Sister know how to read? And she wrote so neatly, though unfortunately, he didn't recognize a single character...
After Jiang Tang finished writing, she handed it to him, "Go get the medicine according to this prescription."
"Elder Sister... knows medical skills?" Jiang Yi's eyes widened into perfect circles.
Jiang Tang's heart skipped a beat.
That's right, the original owner was just an ordinary seaside young lady. She neither knew how to read nor understood medicine. Her actions were too abnormal; if she were mistaken for being possessed by an evil spirit, she would be doomed!
Thinking quickly, she improvised a lie: "During these days in a coma, I kept dreaming of a white-bearded old grandpa. In the dream, it was he who taught me how to read, understand prescriptions, and grasp medical principles."
People here believed in ghosts and gods the most, and every household worshipped a goddess, Mazu Niangniang.
"Really?" Jiang Yi's eyes lit up, and he believed her instantly. "No wonder the Doctor said Elder Sister was beyond saving; it turns out the Immortal Grandpa saved you!"
As he spoke, he knelt on the ground with a "thump," kowtowed heavily toward the sky several times, and said with eyes full of gratitude, "Thank you, Immortal Grandpa, for saving Elder Sister and returning her to me!"
Jiang Tang hadn't expected him to make up such a story in his mind so quickly, which saved her the trouble of explaining further. She only urged, "Go ahead."
"Yes! I'll go right now and bring back medicine for Grandma later!"
Jiang Yi scrambled up, clutched the bamboo slip tightly, grabbed the wooden bucket, and ran outside with much brisker steps.
Jiang Tang watched his retreating figure, then turned and went back into the house to lie down.
Having just woken up and exerted herself for so long, her body couldn't hold up. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt drowsy.
When she woke up again, the sky was pitch black.
After sleeping all afternoon, her strength had recovered quite a bit. Getting up wasn't as strenuous, and the wounds on her body seemed less painful.
But it was quiet outside, with no movement at all. Could it be that Jiang Yi hadn't returned yet?
Jiang Tang's heart couldn't help but thump. She couldn't help but worry. After waking from this sleep, she had recovered quite a bit and could walk much more smoothly.
Just as she was about to go out to look for him, she saw a small figure running toward the house.
"Jiang Yi?"
"It's me, Elder Sister."
Jiang Yi ran up close, his small face flushed red from the wind, and sweat still clinging to his forehead. "I'm back!"
"Why are you so late?" Jiang Tang frowned.
"I went a bit late today, and the Restaurant wasn't accepting goods anymore, so I had to set up a street stall at the market. But today wasn't a market day, so there weren't many people..." Jiang Yi was somewhat dejected, but then he became excited again. "Luckily, I met a Steward who said his Young Master suddenly wanted to eat seafood, so he bought all my crabs and Cat's Eye Snails and even gave me a good price! After buying medicine for Grandma, there's still this much left."
He took a dozen copper coins from his chest and handed them over cautiously. "I'm sorry, Elder Sister, for making you worry."
"It's good that you're back. Let's go, let's go home." Jiang Tang didn't take the coins and turned to head home, feeling a sigh of relief at the same time.
Just as the two arrived in front of the house, they heard a weak coughing sound coming from Madam Feng's room.
Jiang Yi's eyes lit up. He hurried into the room, quickly felt around for the fire starter, and lit the oil lamp that they usually couldn't bear to use. "Grandma!"
Under the lamplight, Madam Feng had already woken up. Although her expression was still pale, her eyes were clear.
After Jiang Tang performed acupuncture during the day, the turbid energy that had been pent up in her chest finally cleared, and she had even coughed up a mouthful of black blood. At this moment, she felt light all over.
"A Yi, your Elder Sister, she..." Madam Feng's voice was hoarse, and tears instantly streamed from the corners of her eyes.
When she was in a coma, she had a dream. She dreamed that Jiang Tang came to bid her farewell: "Grandma, I'm leaving. You must live well; A Yi cannot be without you."
The dream was too real. When she woke up, her heart was still aching.
"Grandma, Elder Sister is fine. It was the Immortal Grandpa who saved her and even taught her medical skills."
Jiang Yi's words pulled Madam Feng back to reality.
"Really? Your Elder Sister is fine? You aren't trying to trick Grandma, are you?"
Madam Feng was full of disbelief; she had thought she would have to endure the pain of burying her own grandchild again.
As the two chatted in the room, Jiang Tang went to the kitchen and boiled the last of the mixed grain porridge.
After it was cooked, she filled a bowl and brought it into the room.
"Jiang Yi, the medicine is ready. Go bring the medicine in. After Grandma drinks the porridge, feed her the medicine."
"Okay, I'll go right now."
Jiang Yi was filled with the joy of seeing his Elder Sister and Grandma recovering.
He was no longer alone.
Just as he went out, Madam Feng looked at Jiang Tang with a strange expression, her eyes carrying a hint of intriguing scrutiny.
"You are not A'Tang. Who are you?"
The original owner had never called Jiang Yi by his full name, but always A Yi.
When she looked at Jiang Yi, her eyes were always full of love, not the calm detachment she showed now, which even carried a hint of coldness.
She had been discovered...
Jiang Tang's hand holding the bowl tightened slightly, and she almost failed to hold it steady.
But she quickly calmed down and explained in a calm and natural tone: "Grandma, who else could I be? I was just angry that he returned late from town today. I was so worried that I got annoyed with him."
"Grandma, I really did come back late today and made Elder Sister worry. It's only right that she's angry with me."
Coincidentally, Jiang Yi walked in with the medicine bowl.
Madam Feng still felt that today's Jiang Tang was somewhat different, but she couldn't say what was wrong for the moment, so she didn't inquire further.
"Are we in the old house?"
Under the oil lamp, Madam Feng realized they were in the old house by the seaside.
"Yes, after you and Elder Sister fell into a coma, Uncle and Aunt drove us out."
Jiang Yi had intended to wait until Grandma was better to tell her, but since she asked, he could only tell the truth.
Madam Feng didn't know what she was thinking and didn't respond. She quietly finished the porridge, took the medicine, and lay down.
Jiang Tang and Jiang Yi exited the room.
There was still some porridge left in the earthenware pot. Jiang Tang served a bowl for Jiang Yi and put the remaining small portion into her own bowl.
After drinking the small bowl of clear mixed grain porridge, she finally regained some strength.
This porridge was so coarse and unpalatable that it scratched her throat; it was a taste she had never experienced before.
People in ancient times had the habit of sleeping as soon as it got dark. Ao Hai Village had already fallen into slumber, so quiet that one could only occasionally hear a few barks from dogs.
The area where Jiang Tang and the others lived belonged to the village's old houses.
Now, everyone had moved to the foot of the mountain to build new houses, far away from the seaside.
Their family had previously lived in the new house at the foot of the mountain as well.
That was a seven-room brick and tile house built with money from both Jiang Tang's Father and Uncle, with each family getting three rooms and one room left for Grandma.
But ever since Father passed away and Mother left, and after the original owner and Madam Feng fell into a coma, they were driven out by Uncle and Aunt.
Thinking about how the last of the mixed grains in the house had been used for the porridge, and that tomorrow's food was still not secured,
Jiang Tang began to worry about how to earn money to buy food as soon as possible.
It would snow here in winter, and with the icy world, they couldn't go Sea Gathering and needed to store food.
She also had to save money to build a house. The beams and pillars of this thatched cottage were crooked, and she was truly afraid it would collapse one day when the sea breeze blew; living here was truly dangerous.
Since she had come here, she would take good care of Grandma and her younger brother for the original owner so they could survive.
The moon hung high in the night sky, and its clear radiance bathed the earth.
Jiang Tang sat in the courtyard, looking at the night sky, which was brighter than she had ever seen before. Accompanied by dots of starlight and the cool sea breeze, she actually felt a sense of contentment.
She had slept too long during the day and had no sleepiness now. She waited quietly for the tide to recede, remembering that she had watched some Sea Gathering videos in her past life; the seafood was most abundant when the tide receded in the middle of the night.
This place was not like modern times with headlamps for lighting; the villagers were accustomed to waiting until dawn to go Sea Gathering.
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