If it weren’t for the cruel treatment from the old lady, Jiang Ning’s mother wouldn’t have died like that, taking two lives at once. It was all the old lady’s fault.
With that thought, Jiang Ning suddenly flung her arm and slammed Old Lady Jiang to the ground.
Old Lady Jiang let out a shrill scream, looking up at Jiang Ning with fear in her eyes.
“You… you evil spirit…”
Jiang Ning noticed that Mrs. Niu was walking toward the kitchen with some grain. It seemed like she had gone out to buy it earlier.
“Enough. I’m hungry. Go cook!”
Some people just couldn’t be reasoned with, so Jiang Ning directly gave her orders.
“What kind of sin did I commit to raise a beast of a granddaughter…”
Old Lady Jiang cried and wailed, going into the kitchen with resentment.
The Jiang family was not poor, thanks to having two carpenters and the fact that Jiang Dahai used to be a hunter. Their home had a good condition.
The front courtyard had a blue brick house, with three rooms in the main hall and three rooms on each side.
The back yard used to be the old living room, which had been turned into a dining room, with the kitchen and bath on the east side, and a well for easy water access.
To the west was the bedroom that Jiang Ning had occupied, connected to the firewood room.
Further behind were the outhouse, pigpen, chicken coop, and a small vegetable patch.
Jiang Ning happily went to the kitchen to fetch water and wash up. The Jiang family would not be able to make her wash clothes, cook, or do farmwork day and night like before. That was not going to happen.
Half an hour later, Jiang Xiu came with a dark face, calling her to come eat.
In the dining room, the Jiang family was already seated at the table, waiting for the meal.
When they saw Jiang Ning come in, looking in a good mood, they all glared at her angrily.
Jiang Ning found it amusing. Their expressions, as if they didn’t like her but couldn’t do anything about it, actually cheered her up.
Old Lady Jiang was sitting at the head of the table, her triangular eyes filled with discontent, as if she were going to swallow her whole.
Jiang Ning ignored her.
Second Aunt, Mrs. Niu, was serving the food, and as usual, she gave the least to the original owner. She did the same this time.
She called out to Jiang Ning, “Ning girl, come eat quickly.”
Jiang Ning muttered a response and sat down at an empty spot. She immediately took the only two eggs from the table and started eating them with a bowl of porridge that barely filled half the bowl.
Everyone was shocked, unable to believe their eyes. She actually took the eggs!
Before anyone could react, one egg was already in her stomach.
“You… how dare you eat my good grandson’s eggs?” Old Lady Jiang, instinctively, was about to scold her.
Before she could finish, Jiang Dabao and Jiang Erbao, who had regained their senses, began to cry loudly.
Those were their eggs, how dare this cheap brat steal them!
Jiang Ning blinked, then in a weak and delicate voice said, “I was injured yesterday, and my head is still dizzy. What’s wrong with eating some eggs to nourish myself?”
In fact, after drinking the spiritual spring water, she had already recovered quite a bit. The only pain left was the wound on her forehead. But even so, she had no intention of starving. Isn’t eating a full meal the basic need for survival?
“You…”
“Shut up…” Jiang Ning interrupted Old Lady Jiang impatiently. She wasn’t in the mood to listen to her scolding.
Old Lady Jiang was so angry she swallowed the words she was about to say.
After finishing the last egg and slurping down half a bowl of porridge, Jiang Ning put down her bowl and wiped her mouth, feeling satisfied.
Finally, she felt somewhat full. It was a pity that this body had never been properly fed before.
Jiang Xiu had been staring at Jiang Ning. Her neck still hurt from the previous incident.
She didn’t understand how this brat had changed so much.
Seeing Jiang Ning eat the eggs she herself couldn’t touch, she sourly said, “Big sister, how can you steal your younger brothers’ eggs? You really shouldn’t do that.”
Jiang Ning turned her head, her gaze sharp as she looked at Jiang Xiu, a mocking smile playing at her lips.
“You’re so idle. Since you’re so free, how about washing the clothes I changed out of last night? Otherwise, I’ll beat you!”
Jiang Ning showed her small fist to Jiang Xiu.
Jiang Xiu had often made the original owner do things for her, even making her wash her sanitary napkins, which disgusted Jiang Ning.
Now, it was time for her to return the favor. After all, Jiang Xiu wasn’t a good person.
“What… what do you mean?”
Jiang Xiu froze, staring at Jiang Ning in disbelief. How dare she?
“What do I mean? I mean, my fist is strong. From now on, all my clothes will be washed by you. If you wash them wrong or fail to clean them properly, I’ll throw you like this,” Jiang Ning said, forcefully jamming a pair of chopsticks halfway into the wooden table.
There was a moment of tense silence.
Jiang Xiu clenched her hands tightly. Seeing her two younger brothers stop crying in fear, and Old Lady Jiang and Mrs. Niu pretending not to see anything, she glared at Jiang Ning with all her might, as if trying to see through her. Then, in a pitiful tone, she said, “Sister, you’re not really my sister, are you? Have you been possessed by a ghost?”
But in her heart, she cursed fiercely: Jiang Ning, why don’t you just die? You should have died early!
“Whether I’m possessed by a ghost, your grandmother knows best. You might as well ask her!” Jiang Ning smiled at the now-stiff Jiang Xiu.
“Enough of this nonsense early in the morning. Eat your food. Dabao and Erbao still need to go to school!” Old Lady Jiang slammed the table.
Now, she was a little scared of Jiang Ning. Once the old man and the others returned, they would discuss how to deal with this brat.
Seeing that no one was helping her, Jiang Xiu, with tears in her eyes, ran off, as her mother was more focused on her two sons.
Jiang Ning didn’t care about their reactions. What she needed most now was rest. Everything else could wait until she healed.
After eating, she drank some medicine brewed with spiritual spring water, then returned to the thatched hut.
The room was dilapidated, with a slight moldy smell.
If it weren’t for the space, she would have definitely found a way to move to the front courtyard.
She looked around, letting out a sigh.
She had worked so hard to graduate from college, was planning to make a name for herself, and reach the peak of her own life, but how had she ended up at the peak of her life…?
Jiang Ning lay in bed, closing her eyes, wondering what she should do next.
Just then, a loud voice called from outside, “Ning sister, are you in there?”
It sounded like her only friend, Xu Wei.
Xu Wei had once fallen into the river when she was a child, and it was the original owner’s mother who saved her. Because of this, Xu Wei’s mother had always been grateful and took care of Jiang Ning.
Unfortunately, the original owner had to do a lot of work at home, and Xu Wei was at an age where she was being kept busy at home with needlework, so they didn’t have much time to meet.
Now, why was she here?
Jiang Ning opened the door with a creak.
Standing outside was a girl with an oval face and big eyes, smiling brightly at her.
She was holding a basket and wore a floral hemp dress. Her hair was tied in two buns, and her eyes, raised slightly, made her look approachable and friendly.
Jiang Ning welcomed her inside.
As soon as Xu Wei entered, she whispered, “Ning sister, I get so scared every time I come to your house. Your grandmother’s gaze is like she wants to eat people.”
Jiang Ning chuckled and teased, “You’re scared, yet you still come?”