Chapter 70: Stirring Up Trouble

“All right, there’s nothing seriously wrong. Just be careful and don’t let him move his leg—until the bone has healed, he absolutely mustn’t move around. Once you get the medicine, prepare one packet a day, divided between morning and evening doses. Start with seven days; after that, I’ll change the prescription. It takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal, so take him home and nurse him slowly. From tomorrow, change the dressing once daily. Later, tell me where you live; for the first few days, I’ll have Jiaoniang come to change his dressing.”

Miao Suwen spoke as he washed his hands, carefully instructing the boy’s family, then waved for them to carry the child away. “Oh, and when he wakes up, the pain will likely be unbearable. Here are a few pills—take them home. If he can’t endure it, let him take one. Don’t let him take more than that; too many would hinder his recovery.”

“Doctor Miao, thank you, thank you for saving my son’s life!” The woman who had been crying still had tears in her eyes, but now she knelt suddenly before Miao Suwen, bowing repeatedly.

“Ah, sister-in-law, please, don’t do this. The child is gravely injured, but his life isn’t in danger. I merely lent a hand; I cannot accept your thanks like this.” Miao Suwen sidestepped her, then reached out to help the woman up.

“Don’t say any more; hurry home and take good care of the child. Luckily, he’s young and still growing—so long as you watch him closely, he won’t be left with any lingering illness. Go on, hurry back. When the medicine arrives, cook it right away and have him drink it. The first few days are crucial—be vigilant.” Miao Suwen repeated his instructions.

The boy’s father stepped forward to bow, “How much do we owe for the treatment?” After all the trouble the doctor had taken, payment was only proper—it was how he made his living.

Miao Suwen waved his hand, “Don’t worry about money yet. Wait until the child is better, then come and settle the fee. For now, caring for your son matters most.”

Seeing this, the man stopped worrying about payment, and joined with the others to carry the child home on a door plank. Jiaoyan thought for a moment, then, together with Shaoyuan who had just returned from the garden, followed the group. She needed to know where their house was, since she would be changing the child’s dressing.

Jiaoyan and Shaoyuan followed the procession all the way to a home on the southern side of the village, watching as the boy was carried inside, then turned back themselves. Jiaoyan had been out all morning, and by the look of the sky, it was already noon. She parted ways with Shaoyuan and hurried home. It was Feng’s turn to cook, and since Feng had only just returned after some days away, she might not be used to things yet. Jiaoyan felt uneasy, so she rushed back to the Gu household, intending to help her mother.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard Li’s voice, “Wasteful woman! Who cooks with so much oil? That’s not stir-frying, that’s bathing the vegetables in oil! One spoonful is enough, but you poured in two. You think you’re still living elsewhere? Don’t you know how hard our days are?”

Jiaoyan instantly knew trouble was brewing. Her mother had always been generous with oil when cooking, and today she must have used too much. Jiaoyan hurried into the kitchen and saw Li with her hands on her hips, pointing at Feng and scolding relentlessly.

Feng kept her head down, looking aggrieved yet silent, lips tightly pressed, stirring the wild celery in the pot. The pan was half full of wild celery, now wilted from stir-frying. Without a word, Feng reached for the salt jar to season the dish.

Li snatched the jar away, “Wasteful creature, you think you can add the salt? You’ve already used up all that oil, and now you’ll probably add too much salt. Let me do it.” She took a spoon and ladled salt into the pan herself.

As she salted the dish, her tongue kept wagging, “I was born to be a servant, heaven knows, tending to you all. You’re the ancestors, I’m the servant.”

Feng remained silent, head down, cooking. She knew perfectly well Li was being deliberate today. The past few days, they’d only had cold wild celery salads, but today, suddenly, Li insisted on stir-frying. Yet when Feng began to cook, Li was nowhere to be seen in the kitchen.

Feng looked at the mountain of wild greens and couldn’t judge how much oil to use, hesitating before deciding on two spoonfuls. The spoon wasn’t large to begin with—two spoons for eggs wasn’t much, let alone for so many vegetables. Feng thought it should be fine.

But as soon as the oil was poured in, Li entered and began to berate her—calling her wasteful, disrespectful, saying whatever harsh words she could think of. Feng realized Li was just seeking an excuse to scold her. Though she felt stifled, Feng nonetheless swallowed her anger, keeping silent and just cooking.

Li’s tirade infuriated Jiaoyan, “Grandma, it’s not as if we’re destitute. Two spoonfuls of oil for so many people—do you have to make such a fuss? If you’re so stingy with oil, then just blanch and dress the vegetables instead of stir-frying!”

Feng immediately saw trouble brewing, knowing her mother-in-law was deliberately picking a fight, likely to settle scores over Wenxiu and the others fighting yesterday. Li had never liked Jiaoyan, and now, with Jiaoyan speaking up, she was sure to suffer. “Jiao’er, leave at once. This is not your place to speak!” Feng hurriedly scolded her daughter, not waiting for Li to respond.

Realizing the problem, Jiaoyan quickly apologized, “Mother, I was wrong—really, I was wrong.” She stamped her foot and turned to leave.

“Useless girl, stop right there! So you think you’re clever, daring to talk back to me?” Li seized the opportunity, unrelenting. She was intent on picking a fight; no matter how much she scolded Feng, Feng never answered, which Li found dull. Unexpectedly, the little girl piped up, giving her the perfect chance.

“Oh heavens, why don’t you send thunder to strike down these disrespectful children? She, a worthless girl, dares to challenge me! I am her grandmother—such a rebellious creature must be properly punished!” Li’s drawn-out shrieks echoed through the Gu household.

Wu and Zhao, who didn’t need to cook today, hovered nearby out of concern for Feng, listening in. Though they heard Li scolding Feng, they were used to such scenes and didn’t intervene. Feng could endure, remaining silent no matter what was said. That was the way to deal with the old woman—if no one replied, eventually she’d lose interest and stop.

But when they heard Li turning her wrath on Jiaoyan, they knew trouble was at hand. Both women stepped toward the kitchen to intervene, but before they could reach it, Gu Xiuli darted in and, without a word, slapped Jiaoyan hard.

“You little brat, how dare you challenge my mother? I’ll beat you to death,” Gu Xiuli snarled.

Jiaoyan had only been on guard against Li, never expecting Gu Xiuli to charge in. The slap landed squarely, knocking her to the floor. Her delicate face instantly swelled, red finger marks rising high.

“Jiao’er, are you all right?” Feng, seeing her daughter struck, could no longer keep calm. She dropped the spatula, rushed over, and cradled Jiaoyan. “Jiao’er, speak to me—are you okay?” she cried anxiously.

Jiaoyan saw stars, her ears buzzing, and tasted blood in her mouth—she must have bitten her lip or tongue. She shook her head, “Mother, I’m fine, but my face hurts and my ears are ringing.”

Hearing this, Feng cared for nothing else, scooping up Jiaoyan and rushing outside. Just then, she ran into Gu Chengyong returning from the fields, and Wenxiu and the others coming back from gathering wood.

Gu Chengyong, seeing his wife in tears holding their daughter, was shocked, “Ziyu, what’s happened?”

Wenxiu and the others were anxious as well, “Mother, what’s going on? Why did Jiao’er get hit?” The marks on Jiaoyan’s face made it clear she’d been struck.

Feng ignored their questions, clutching Jiaoyan and hurrying toward the Miao household. She needed Miao Suwen to examine Jiaoyan. Such a blow to a child’s face could cause lasting harm—paralysis or deafness, even. It was no laughing matter, and Feng was desperate.

Wenxiu and the others followed close behind, “Mother, wait, don’t run so fast! Watch your step!” Wenxiu called as he ran.

Gu Chengyong wanted to go with them, but before he could move, Li’s shrill voice rang out from inside the house, “Useless woman, you haven’t served the food yet! If you don’t hurry, it’ll burn. Where do you think you’re going? Come back and do your work!” With that, Li chased after them.

Wu and Zhao couldn’t bear it any longer, hurried into the kitchen, and quickly served the food from the pot. If they didn’t help with the meal, Li would make even more trouble.

Gu Chengyong turned back and stared coldly at Li, “What happened just now? Who hit Jiao’er?”