After feeding her Gu worms, Su Manman locked the door.
There was a series of banging sounds in the courtyard.
Following the noise, she walked into the kitchen and saw Aunt Zhao chopping meat filling.
Old Madam Qin stood at another long table kneading dough and smiled when she saw her. “Your aunties are watching TV in the living room. Go join them.”
“There’s nothing good on at this hour,” Su Manman said. She took off her cotton coat and placed it on a chair, then walked to the sink and washed her hands with soap.
Old Madam Qin glanced over. The fine foam wrapped around her jade-like slender hands looked exceptionally beautiful. “Your grandmother raised you very well. Did you farm in the village?”
With hands like these, she clearly wasn’t doing heavy work.
Was Shen Lanxin doing everything alone?
“There’s a small vegetable patch at the door. Actually, the village allocated land to us, but my grandmother wasn’t well enough to do heavy labor, and she didn’t want me doing it either. I was busy, didn’t have time, and didn’t want to deal with it, so we hired neighbors to plant it. We split the harvest in half, which is enough for me and Grandma to eat.”
Thinking of her grandmother, a faint sadness appeared in Su Manman’s eyes.
Aunt Zhao said, “What could a young girl like you possibly be busy with? Before you had land, how did you eat if you didn’t work?”
Su Manman was already annoyed with her constant questioning, and her mood wasn’t good, so she snapped, “Busy stealing! Busy robbing!”
Aunt Zhao: “……”
Old Madam Qin thought she was joking and laughed. She explained, “Manman’s grandmother was a doctor. She was excellent even when she was young, especially at treating difficult illnesses. My mother suffered from back pain for over ten years—after Manman’s grandmother treated her with acupuncture for half a month, it never relapsed until she passed away. Many people paid a lot to see her, but she never overcharged. For poor families, she even treated them for free. Manman was probably helping her, right?”
Aunt Zhao didn’t believe it. Su Manman looked lazy—she even made people bring her water, sometimes calling Qin Lin instead. How could she possibly be busy?
With a granddaughter like that, the grandmother couldn’t be much better—probably just a troublesome rural old woman who liked taking advantage of others.
But she didn’t say it out loud and instead acted surprised. “So she was a doctor? Then Manman must know a bit too.”
Old Madam Qin said confidently, “Of course she does.”
Shen Lanxin was capable and independent—there was no way she would neglect her child.
When the old man briefly told her about Su Manman, he mentioned she knew medicine and Gu techniques just like her grandmother.
Those things were kept in their home, and she was told not to enter Su Manman’s room casually.
She didn’t fully agree, but she didn’t object either. Everyone had their own interests, and just because the girl was now part of the family didn’t mean she should interfere.
Su Manman smiled proudly. “Of course! In the surrounding villages, everyone calls me Little Divine Doctor.”
Aunt Zhao curled her lips inwardly: You? A divine doctor? More like a fraud.
……
After kneading the dough, Su Manman rolled up her sleeves and started making dumpling wrappers.
Old Madam Qin became more satisfied.
Her husband had hinted that the girl might be lazy, but she didn’t think so.
This girl was capable and worked well.
The dumpling wrappers were thick in the middle and thin at the edges, all uniform in size—clearly someone experienced.
Her hands were naturally beautiful. Maybe it was innate, just like Shen Lanxin.
“Manman is quite hardworking,” Old Madam Qin said. “Do you often make dumpling wrappers at home?”
Aunt Zhao almost rolled her eyes: Hardworking my foot.
This was the first time they met today—she was just putting on a show.
Normally, she wouldn’t even step near the kitchen.
How could she possibly do this often?
The two women chatted casually while Su Manman finished the wrappers and even helped wrap dumplings. After finishing, she stretched lazily and returned to her room, preparing to rest before dinner.
Just as she was about to zip up her cotton coat—
Noisy voices came from outside.
It was Qin Xingyun and Chen Shuyi.
Why were they here?
Not when the work was being done, but right before mealtime?
Were they deliberately timing it for food?
She was complaining inwardly when Chen Shuyi said, “Is Manman at home?”
Qin Xingyun whispered, “Of course she is. Curtains drawn—she’s probably playing……”
He didn’t finish.
That girl looked so pure and innocent.
So much so that even Grandpa and Uncle didn’t believe she raised centipedes and scorpions, and his mother definitely wouldn’t either.
At that moment, the wooden door opened from inside.
A bright, lively girl stood at the doorway. “Playing what?”
Qin Xingyun: “……”
Damn! Does she have super hearing?
His voice was so soft, and she still heard it.
He quickly said, “Nothing.”
Su Manman closed the door and locked it. Through the gap, she only saw the backs of Chen Shuyi and Qin Xingyun heading toward the backyard.
She followed them.
The two girls from the family were actually playing with her shuttlecock.
How dare they?
They took her jump rope without a word, and now her shuttlecock too.
Since they were playing, she couldn’t interrupt.
Meanwhile, Qin Xingyun went straight inside without greeting anyone.
Chen Shuyi chatted warmly with the village aunt instead. “Daya is already seventeen, right?”
Daya referred to Sidi.
“Yes, seventeen. Time to find a match. Do you have any good candidates?”
Chen Shuyi replied, “Seventeen is too young. Can’t even register a marriage certificate. At least wait until twenty. Most of the young men I know are twenty-five or six—it doesn’t match.”
The aunt glanced toward Su Manman. “That girl doesn’t look small. She even married someone like Qin Lin, a university graduate.”
Chen Shuyi thought: Their family has strong connections with the Old Master. What about you?
Even though she didn’t like Su Manman, she had to admit—her face and figure were flawless.
That kind of advantage they simply didn’t have.
Marrying a university graduate? Forget it. A worker might be more realistic.
But she couldn’t say that outright.
She said tactfully, “Manman is old enough to register, and Qin Lin isn’t young either.”
The aunt sensed she was being looked down on and stopped speaking.
At that moment, the shuttlecock landed in front of Su Manman. She grabbed her coat, lifted her leg, and kicked it up—ten consecutive kicks, sending it flying toward the corner before she spun and caught it again.
Just then, Qin Lin returned.
He immediately saw his young wife’s light and graceful movements and couldn’t help but watch.
Su Manman noticed him from the corner of her eye, let the shuttlecock drop into her hand, stuffed it into her pocket, and walked toward him excitedly.
“Brother, you’re back! We’re on holiday—why are you still working?”
Qin Lin replied, “Hospital schedules are different. That shuttlecock was well-kicked.”
“I used to kick two hundred in a row at home. I just haven’t had space here.”
Chen Shuyi interjected, “This place isn’t small. This is one of the biggest houses around—used to be for officials.”
Su Manman froze, annoyed. “When did I say the house was small? I said the space is small. Your comprehension is seriously concerning!”
Chen Shuyi: “……”