When Xu Ying returned home, she collapsed onto the bed, her face pale as a sheet. Seeing her like this, Xu Mother’s heart clenched in distress.
“Why is it so bad this time?” she asked, worry tightening her voice.
“Maybe it’s because I fell into the river before,” Xu Ying replied weakly.
Xu Mother’s brows furrowed deeper. A girl’s health was no small matter—especially when it came to childbearing. Could it be… had her daughter’s fall harmed her foundational health? Would she… be unable to have children in the future?
Her chest tightened at the thought. But after a moment, she steadied herself. If her daughter couldn’t have children, then so be it. If no man would marry her, she, as her mother, would raise her for life.
Yet watching Xu Ying’s pain-stricken face still tore at her heart. She quickly stood up. “Stay home and rest. I’ll go fetch the doctor and get you some medicine.”
Xu Ying didn’t dare put on a brave front this time. She nodded obediently. The pain was too much.
Not long after, Xu Mother returned, bringing the old village doctor with her.
The elderly doctor stepped into the room, adjusted his glasses, and gently gestured for Xu Ying to stretch out her hand. He pressed his fingers against her pulse, thoughtful.
“Cold air’s entered the body—caught a chill,” he diagnosed calmly. “Drink some medicine and you’ll be fine. It won’t affect much.”
“Will it… affect her future fertility?” Xu Mother asked anxiously, her voice trembling with hope and fear.
Xu Ying’s ears perked up involuntarily. She wasn’t planning on getting married in this life. Love? She wanted no part of it. The bitter lessons of her previous life had left her disillusioned, exhausted.
The old doctor merely smiled, shaking his head. He scribbled out a prescription and left.
Xu Mother paid him, saw him off, then rushed to the kitchen to boil the medicine for her daughter.
At the same time, Sister-in-law Xu had returned from work, preparing lunch.
She glanced at the bustling scene outside. The men were waiting for the distribution of wild boar meat. The boar was being cleaned, and soon, the sharing would begin.
“Mom, what are you doing? Let me help,” Sister-in-law Xu offered, eyes sparkling mischievously as she stepped into the kitchen.
“I’m making medicine for your little sister,” Xu Mother said, waving her off. “You cook lunch. I’m busy and need to head over for the meat sharing later.”
Sister-in-law Xu nodded and rolled up her sleeves. Instead of cooking the pheasant Xu Ying had brought home—afraid it would draw too much attention—she simply stir-fried some wild mushrooms and prepared a fragrant garlic sauce to pair with the noodles.
Soon, lunch was ready. The simple noodles, topped with diced mushrooms and a drizzle of garlic sauce, smelled unexpectedly delicious.
“Mom, come eat!” Sister-in-law Xu called out.
A voice floated back from Xu Ying’s room. “You all eat first. When you’re done, save some for your father and the others. I’ll be heading to the wheat fields later.”
“Alright!” Sister-in-law Xu replied, quickly scooping herself a bowl of noodles and eating hurriedly. She turned to the two boys at the table. “Shitou, Huzi, finish your food, then be good at home, understand?”
“I know, Mom,” Shitou said between mouthfuls.
Huzi sat obediently, grasping his chopsticks with his chubby hands, carefully picking at the noodles.
After scarfing down her lunch, Sister-in-law Xu grabbed a basket and hurried off to deliver the meal.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Xu Mother sat beside Xu Ying, watching as she struggled to drink the bitter concoction. Xu Ying frowned with each sip, her face scrunched in agony. The taste was unbearable—so bitter it made her stomach churn.
“Mom… can I drink less?” Xu Ying pleaded, her eyes filled with despair.
“No!” Xu Mother said firmly, though her heart ached seeing her daughter like this. “You have to drink it all, or the sickness won’t clear. What if it lingers and causes worse problems?”
Xu Ying let out a pained groan, pinched her nose, and swallowed the rest in one go—nearly gagging as it went down.
Before she could spit it out, Xu Mother swiftly pulled out a piece of maltose and popped it into her mouth.
Xu Ying sucked on the candy gratefully, gasping for air. “That… was awful…”
“Chinese medicine cures the illness,” Xu Mother said softly, “but yes… it’s bitter.”
As the bitterness faded and warmth slowly spread through her body, Xu Mother gently asked, “Tell me—what exactly happened today? How did you end up with that wolf cub? And what’s this about the wild boar?”
Xu Ying recounted the entire ordeal. Xu Mother’s face turned pale, her hands trembling as she clutched her chest.
“Good heavens! My poor child… why is life so cruel…” she sobbed.
First falling into the river… then nearly being trampled by a wild boar… her poor daughter’s life was so precarious.
“Mom! Don’t cry—I’m fine, aren’t I?” Xu Ying hurriedly reassured her.
Xu Mother wiped her tears, still shaken.
“By the way, Mom—please take some medicine over to Daya. She saved me and jumped into the river too. She might not be feeling well either.”
Only then did Xu Mother remember. She quickly packed some medicinal herbs and rushed off to the Lu family’s home.
Outside Xu Ying’s window, Shitou and Huzi crouched quietly, their little faces pressed against the glass, eyes full of worry. They didn’t dare come in, remembering Grandma’s words that their sister-in-law needed rest.
Xu Ying saw their concerned little faces and felt a warmth blossom inside her.
“Come here,” she called softly.
Shitou tugged Huzi’s hand, leading him into the room. “Aunty … are you okay now?” he asked anxiously, his brows furrowed in worry.
Huzi mimicked his brother, nodding solemnly. “Aunt… still uncomfortable?”
Seeing their innocent, concerned faces made Xu Ying’s heart melt.
She managed a smile. “I’m okay now. Why aren’t you two over at the meat sharing? Isn’t it fun watching them divide the wild boar?”
Shitou shook his head earnestly. “I wanted to stay and look after you.”
Huzi nodded again. “Not happy… Aunt not happy…”
Xu Ying’s heart swelled with affection.
Maybe it was the medicine warming her, or maybe it was the sweetness of having someone worry for her—but the ache in her stomach felt a little less sharp.
She thought of the marrow-cleansing pill. If not for the old gray wolf, she might have forgotten about it entirely. But after recalling how painful it had been to take, she hesitated.
Forget it. She didn’t want to risk hurting her body more by taking it.
Meanwhile, on her way back from delivering the medicine, Xu Mother passed the wheat fields. A crowd had gathered—the educated youths had arrived too. Even Dong Wenzhong, who’d fainted earlier, had come, unwilling to miss out on the wild boar meat distribution.
Xu Mother spotted Dong Wenzhong and glared at him fiercely. Startled, he quickly ducked away, glancing around nervously—yet unable to find Xu Ying among the crowd.
He still wanted to get closer to her.
Xu Mother ignored him and went to find Xu Father, who was busy overseeing the meat division.
Huo Chen stood beside the wild boar carcasses, his knife gleaming in the sun, each cut clean and precise as he divided the meat onto large trays.
“Comredes , come register,” Xu Father called out.
The eldest daughter-in-law hurried over with a notebook, ready to tally names.
The meat division officially began.
“Xu Guang’s family, five members—five catties of wild boar,” a villager called out.
The eldest daughter-in-law scribbled down the record. Huo Chen weighed the meat, cutting it precisely, then setting it aside.
Hours passed before the last chunk of wild boar was divided.
Because Huo Chen had hunted the boar, he was allotted an extra fifty catties, plus work points.
Xu Father didn’t take much wild boar meat himself. After eating so much meat recently, the family wasn’t too keen on the tough wild boar flavor.
Carrying the portion meant for his family, Xu Father was about to head home when Xu Mother stopped him.