Su Qingli had no idea what was going through her sister-in-law’s mind.
While the baby was awake, she placed her on the bed, opened the swaddling cloth, and began inspecting the newborn like a human baby quality-control inspector.
First, she checked the baby’s chest and back. Everything was clean and normal. There was no jaundice or birthmark.
Then she examined the baby’s facial features and tested her hearing. Everything was normal.
She counted the fingers and toes. Not one too many, not one too few.
She tested the baby’s grip strength.
Very good. Extremely strong.
Conclusion: She was a healthy, chubby little girl.
Throughout the entire examination, Cheng Sujin did not dare blink. She gripped the blanket tightly.
Especially when she saw the baby gripping two of Su Qingli’s fingers and being lifted slightly by them, her heart jumped.
“Little Sister, don’t play with her~”
“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. I’m just checking the baby’s grip strength. She’s very healthy.”
Su Qingli wrapped the baby back up and handed her to Cheng Sujin before turning around and leaving the room.
Cheng Sujin touched the neatly folded fabric beside her, still feeling as if everything were unreal.
In her entire life, she had never used such good-quality fabric.
And this fabric had been given to her by her tyrannical sister-in-law.
What exactly was Su Qingli planning?
In the kitchen, Madam Jiang had just hidden the rice, grain, and cooking oil inside the cabinet when she saw Su Qingli roll up her sleeves and prepare to cook.
Madam Jiang wanted to help, but Su Qingli chased her out.
The old woman refused to give up and patted the door.
“Daughter, don’t burn down the kitchen! Let your mother do it!”
Su Qingli pretended not to hear her.
An hour later, the door opened, and the aroma of food instantly filled the entire courtyard.
Madam Jiang and the two men were completely stunned.
Using a bamboo tray as a serving tray, Su Qingli first carried food to Cheng Sujin.
Cheng Sujin stared at the food beside her bed, her eyes widening in shock.
Fragrant white rice, steamed egg with minced meat, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of corn and pork-bone soup.
The broth was clear, with the excess oil skimmed off. At the bottom were several pieces of tender, stewed lean pork and corn.
Cheng Sujin swallowed hard. After confirming several times that she would not have to sell her child after eating it, she finally dared to pick up her chopsticks.
Outside, Madam Jiang and the two men also enjoyed the most sumptuous meal they had eaten in years.
Stir-fried vegetables with crispy pork lard cracklings, spicy stir-fried pork offal, and large bowls of white rice.
There were not many dishes, but every one of them contained meat.
The spicy stir-fried pork offal was especially delicious. The liver was tender, the intestines were crisp and chewy, and everything was coated in savory sauce. One bite was so fragrant that it made a person want to sip a couple of ounces of rice wine.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
Madam Jiang’s eyes shifted. She picked up some food and carried her overflowing bowl out of the house.
Su Qingli was puzzled. “What is Mother doing?”
“She’s definitely going to show off at Madam Wang’s house,” Su Changqing said without even looking up from his food.
Su Qingli immediately understood.
However, right after they finished eating, Madam Jiang returned with an unhappy expression, muttering under her breath.
“The Liu family just came back with a cart full of good things. I heard they saved some important person from the county magistrate’s household and received a reward.”
Madam Jiang curled her lips.
“They really hit the jackpot.”
Su Qingli knew that Madam Jiang had never been the type to be jealous of others. Her dislike of Liu Guangsheng was most likely still because of what had happened when the original owner fell into the river.
With that thought, she casually asked about it.
Unexpectedly, Madam Jiang waved her hand.
“No one saw what happened when you fell into the river. There was no evidence, so your mother won’t falsely accuse him.
“But you don’t know this. Liu Guangsheng is nothing but a quack doctor. Even his medical license was bought!”
“His medical skills are terrible, yet his consultation fees are outrageously expensive!”
Su Changle chimed in, “Last year, Auntie Li coughed a few times, and he insisted that she had tuberculosis. He demanded twenty taels of silver!
“Auntie Li was so frightened that she almost threw herself into the river. Later, she went to the county to see Doctor Han, and she recovered after taking just two doses of medicine!”
There were plenty of similar incidents, and Su Changle continued talking about them endlessly.
Su Qingli said nothing and turned around to wash the dishes in the kitchen.
Judging by the timing… the masked man should have developed a fever by now, right?
She remembered those pale lips, and her hands paused for a moment.
Forget it. They did not trust her, so there was no point in forcing herself on them.
If something really happened, it was the quack doctor Liu Guangsheng’s fault, along with that cold-faced attendant.
What did it have to do with her?
If he wanted to die, let him die.
After washing the dishes, Su Qingli took half a catty of pork and went to the western end of the village.
According to what Su Changle had told her, the original owner had fallen into the river when she was little, and it was Granny Zhang who had saved her.
But strangely, although Su Qingli had inherited the original owner’s memories, she had no memory of this incident.
If the original owner had lost consciousness that day and therefore could not remember it, that would make sense.
But she did not even have memories from before the age of eight.
That was strange.
It was almost as if the original owner had awakened after falling into the river and lost her memory.
Su Qingli arrived at a small, low courtyard and knocked on the door.
The boy who opened it looked about seven or eight years old.
He was very thin, wearing old, patched clothes. His trouser legs only reached his calves, exposing a section of thin, dark ankles. He was barefoot.
He looked up, and the moment he saw her, his expression was as if he had seen a ghost.
Bang!
He immediately slammed the door shut.
Su Qingli was silent for a moment before knocking again.
“Dogtooth, do you want to eat some meat?”
The inside of the house was silent for a moment.
Slowly, the door opened a crack.
“What do you want?”
The little boy’s voice was surprisingly fierce.
Su Qingli waved the pork in her hand.
“I’m here to see Granny.”
Dogtooth glanced at the pork. His throat bobbed several times before he asked,
“Did you poison it?”
Su Qingli was speechless.
She was about to respond when an elderly voice came from inside.
“Dogtooth, who is it?”
“Granny, it’s me, Su Qingli.”
Su Qingli answered toward the inside.
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Dogtooth stood in the doorway without moving aside, staring straight at her as if guarding against a thief.
“Dogtooth, let her come in.”
The old woman’s voice sounded again.
Only then did Dogtooth move aside and make room.
Su Qingli walked inside.
The Zhang family’s courtyard was small. An old locust tree stood in the middle, with half a pile of firewood stacked beneath it.
Several woven baskets and winnowing trays were piled in the corner.
Two low, old earthen houses stood side by side, their thatched roofs yellowed and worn.
An elderly woman sat on a short stone stool outside one of the houses.
Her hair was completely white, and her face was covered in wrinkles.
When she sat still, she looked like a dried tree stump.
Judging by her appearance, she must have been a little over seventy.
Su Qingli placed the pork on a nearby table.
“Granny, I’ve come to see you.”
Granny Zhang narrowed her eyes at her and tilted her head.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Su Qingli. My mother is Jiang Susu.”
“Jiang Susu… Su Qingli… the Su family…”
Granny Zhang muttered for a while. Her cloudy eyes shifted, and suddenly she smiled.
“Oh, you’re Little Pear! You’ve grown so big! I even held you when you were little!”
Su Qingli smiled and asked, “Granny, do you still remember what happened the day I fell into the river?”
“What?”
“Seven years ago, the day I fell into the river. You used a bamboo pole to pull me back out. Do you remember?”
“Seven years ago… fell into the river…”
Granny Zhang’s brows knitted together. She shook her head.
“I’m old. I don’t remember.”
Disappointment appeared on Su Qingli’s face.
“However, I do remember something else…”
“What?”
Granny Zhang waved her hand mysteriously.
“Come closer.”
Su Qingli quickly leaned her ear toward her.
“The girl from the Yang family at the eastern end of the village has been fooling around with the second son of the Liu family!”
Granny Zhang lowered her voice even further.
“I saw it with my own eyes. There’s no mistake!”
Su Qingli froze.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Granny Zhang said seriously.
Su Qingli finally understood what was happening and suppressed her laughter.
“Granny, they got married many years ago. Their child is already a teenager and is about to get married himself.”
“They’re married?”
Granny Zhang was stunned for a moment before smiling so widely that her eyes narrowed into slits.
“Good, good. It’s good that they’re married.”
After laughing happily for a while, she looked up at Su Qingli again. Her eyes became confused once more.
“Who are you? Why are you in my house?”
“I’m Su Qingli.”
“Oh, you’re Little Pear! You’ve grown so big!”
“Yes. You even held me when I was little.”
Granny Zhang was very happy. She grabbed Su Qingli’s hand and continued talking.
Her memory was simply not very good. She repeated some things over and over again.
Su Qingli listened patiently while secretly taking Granny Zhang’s pulse.
There was nothing seriously wrong with her body. Her mind was simply muddled, and she could no longer remember things properly.
As they were talking, a muffled cough came from inside the house. It was deep and prolonged.
It was Dogtooth’s father, Zhang Shoutian.
Su Qingli remembered him. The original owner’s memories contained some information about him.
He had returned from the battlefield years ago, having injured one leg and lost one hand. His lungs were also in poor condition, so he often had to stay in bed.
Dogtooth’s mother had left the day after Zhang Shoutian returned. She had remarried in the neighboring village and had never come back once in all these years.
Su Qingli had no idea how the family of three managed to survive.
While Su Qingli was talking with Granny Zhang, Dogtooth sat on the threshold, staring at her. He was as wary as a little wolf cub protecting its food.
After Su Qingli left, he finally stood up and walked inside.
There was not only the piece of pork on the table.
There was also a handful of candy—
neatly cut pieces of maltose wrapped in sheets of oiled paper.