Chapter 19: The Rabbit

After quite some time, he finished examining the wounds on the rabbit and took out all the bandaging supplies from his medicine box, using them all on the rabbit without hesitation.

She Yuqi and Xiaoxiao watched from the side. She Yuqi raised an eyebrow, silently impressed: the professional skill is really something, and so fast!

Her memory was sharp, and by closely observing the barefoot doctor’s technique in bandaging the rabbit, she had already grasped about ninety percent of it—only practice remained.

“All done. But I have to tell you, this is a female rabbit, and she’s pregnant. Judging by the size, she’s about to give birth soon. You’ll need to keep an eye on her these next few days. Don’t let her give birth outside where the babies could freeze to death—that would be terrible.”

Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up as she looked at She Yuqi, who was equally surprised.

She Yuqi wanted to pay the barefoot doctor for his service, but he waved her off, refusing the money.

“It’s just a simple bandage... a small favor.”

With that, he turned and carried his medicine box away. Seeing his refusal, She Yuqi had no choice but to slip him a penny when he wasn’t looking.

After sending the barefoot doctor off, She Yuqi went inside, placing her hands, which were reddened from the cold, on the warm kang (heated brick bed) to thaw.

Once warmed, she prepared a nesting area for the rabbit. If the rabbit gave birth outside in the cold, it would surely be fatal for the babies. She couldn’t bear to see Xiaoxiao heartbroken, so she was meticulous.

Gently, She Yuqi laid the rabbit on a pile of straw. The rabbit blinked its red eyes and stared at her warily; She Yuqi couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Don’t worry, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have helped bandage your wounds!”

Whether or not the rabbit understood, She Yuqi didn’t care.

The rabbit obediently curled up in the corner. After a while, it finally relaxed and began to nibble the fur on its belly. Seeing this, She Yuqi’s eyebrows lifted and a smile crept to her lips.

It seemed the rabbit was about to give birth!

However, She Yuqi waited through the entire night, yet the rabbit did not deliver.

At dawn the next day, she got up, her eyes shadowed with dark circles. When Xiaoxiao woke, her first concern was to check if the baby rabbits had arrived. Seeing no sign, she asked in puzzlement, “Why hasn’t she given birth yet?”

She Yuqi shrugged. “I don’t know, but it looks like we won’t be selling eggs today.”

At that moment, an unexpected visitor arrived. Han Xiangxiang, carrying a large bag, appeared at She Yuqi’s door. Su Wanyi, hearing the noise, went out and saw the pitiful, haggard Han Xiangxiang. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What are you here for again?”

She Yuqi sneered mockingly.

“I heard you couldn’t even get out of bed and were close to dying?”

Han Xiangxiang nearly choked with anger.

Damn it! Weren’t they saying this shameless woman was already on her last breath? But she looked fine now. It was all gossip from the long-tongued villagers!

What a useless bunch!

She Yuqi was about to pick up a broom, but Han Xiangxiang quickly stepped back, hiding behind a tree, and hurriedly explained, “Sister, I…”

“Shut up! Han Xiangxiang, stop pretending in front of me. If you really thought of me as your sister, how could you shamelessly steal my boyfriend!”

Han Xiangxiang hated She Yuqi fiercely in her heart but kept a serious expression, saying, “You misunderstand me. I’m not here to argue. You still have an empty room—can I stay there for a while?”

She Yuqi laughed. She had never met someone with such brazen audacity.

“Don’t even dream about it! Look at you. I’m not your lapdog. You’re as dense as a rock with no sense at all.”

“Why are you so mean?” Han Xiangxiang whined tearfully. “Then what if I pay rent?”

“One hundred yuan a month.”

“Why don’t you just steal it then!”

“Then don’t stay here!”

Taking advantage of Han Xiangxiang’s moment of thought, She Yuqi quietly circled behind the tree, suddenly grabbed a handful of Han Xiangxiang’s hair and yanked hard.

Wow, she got a big handful!

“Ah! She Yuqi, this isn’t over!”

Han Xiangxiang dropped her pretense and revealed her true nature. She had long had enough of She Yuqi and immediately launched into a fight.

---

Wang the shrew came out to fetch water and happened to see the fight. Without hesitation, she grabbed a shovel and charged at Han Xiangxiang.

Villagers passing by saw the scene and hurried over to intervene, but upon seeing Han Xiangxiang as the one being hit, they immediately took her side.

Han Xiangxiang was struck in the back by Wang’s shovel, the pain making her eyes bulge, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

She Yuqi looked at Han Xiangxiang’s miserable state with not a shred of sympathy, even raising her foot to stomp on Han Xiangxiang’s back, making her gag.

The crowd gasped in shock.

“Good heavens, that was too brutal!”

“Brutal? Look at what Han Xiangxiang has done—such a young age, yet so wicked. She deserves it!”

“I heard she wanted to return to the educated youth camp, but they had no place for her. She got kicked out, doesn’t want to rent in the village, so now she’s pestering She Yuqi.”

“You hit her, but does that mean I can stay now?”

Han Xiangxiang was still stubborn. Without living with She Yuqi, she couldn’t monitor her every move. And she was too stingy to pay rent anywhere else—only She Yuqi’s place would do.

Wang the shrew opened her mouth but said nothing.

“That little vixen’s just trouble. If she stays, there’ll be nothing but chaos. You finally got away from the Lao Han family—don’t invite a wolf into your home!”

She Yuqi had no intention of letting Han Xiangxiang live with her, so she gave Wang a signaling look, and Wang finally relaxed.

In the end, Han Xiangxiang failed to move in with She Yuqi and was instead taken away by the village chief’s wife, Zhao Xiufen.

Zhao Xiufen brought Han Xiangxiang to her west room. Han Xiangxiang tidied herself up, reverting to her pitiful demeanor, and said, “Auntie Xiufen, I’ve heard about what happened with my sister last time. I want to apologize on her behalf.”

Zhao Xiufen had never held a good impression of Han Xiangxiang. She went against She Yuqi just for the sake of opposition and made a small matter public, embarrassing the whole village and even getting beaten by her husband for days.

But hearing Han Xiangxiang’s words this time, Zhao’s gloomy mood lifted, and her gaze softened.

“Don’t ever bring up that harlot again!”

Han Xiangxiang was ecstatic—finally someone was on her side!

She Yuqi was a little devil, and even after being beaten, her whole body still ached. As long as she stayed in the village, Han Xiangxiang was determined to scheme against her.

The Lao Han family had another reason for wanting her back: to find a way to infiltrate She Yuqi’s home. Han Dazhi hadn’t returned for days, and the family suspected She Yuqi had imprisoned him.

If they could catch She Yuqi, she wouldn’t escape!

Han Xiangxiang didn’t care about Han Dazhi, but if it involved She Yuqi, she would have to intervene!

---

“She gave birth! Sister, six baby rabbits in total!” Xiaoxiao ran out like a little magpie, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

She Yuqi and Wang the shrew entered the house together and grinned, their eyes squinting with joy at the litter of baby rabbits.

The gloomy mood vanished instantly!

In the following days, She Yuqi went up the mountain daily to gather wild vegetables. She collected a basket of wild celery, a hardy vegetable that wouldn’t freeze in winter and was especially resistant to cold.

Ten pounds of wild celery were needed to unlock all the vegetables in the supermarket, but it was hard to find since the supply was limited.

She Yuqi was still one pound short.

“Auntie, do you know whose family has wild celery? I’m willing to pay or trade for it!”

She Yuqi went to Wang the shrew’s house, where Wang, wearing a floral headscarf, was sitting in the yard, busily shelling corn kernels. She Yuqi smiled and joined her.

The original owner’s hands were rough from farm work and easily handled shelling corn, but She Yuqi hadn’t done farm work since taking over the household, so her hands were soft and white, making shelling awkward.

Wang the shrew snatched the corn cob from She Yuqi’s hands and chuckled, “Stop shelling. Watching you work gives me toothache. Go find somewhere cooler to hang out.”

Uh… was she just rejected?

She Yuqi didn’t get upset and sat smiling opposite Wang.

Before Wang could speak, Zhao Xiufen, sitting atop the neighboring wall, sneered, “Oh, look at this city girl, can’t even shell corn kernels, and she’s all grown up, not even embarrassed.”

“Lazy and greedy!”

She was furious every day smelling the delicious meat aromas wafting from She Yuqi’s house.

Why did that harlot always have good food at home?

Jealousy twisted her face into a hateful sneer.

She Yuqi rolled her eyes at her. Before the two could start bickering, Wang the shrew stood up with a handful of shelled corn and approached Zhao Xiufen.

Zhao, perched on the wall, looked down and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Doing your damn business!”

Zhao was speechless.

Wang the shrew threw the corn cobs at Zhao like grenades, striking her as she yelped in pain.

“Wang the shrew, what’s wrong with you? I didn’t insult you, why interfere? You’re just looking for trouble!”

“I’m over forty, and you’re picking on a young girl? I’m ashamed for you! I know you’re blunt, but you can’t just use your mouth like a shovel. You’re a lost cause!”

Zhao Xiufen was so flustered she couldn’t get a word in, always cut off by Wang’s fierce tongue. Wang was notorious for her scolding, and Zhao was getting a firsthand experience.

“Hmph, I won’t stoop to your level, widow!”

She Yuqi frowned, about to step in for Wang, but Wang gave her a warning look to stay put.

“I’m a widow, so what? At least I’m better than you. Don’t think I don’t know about you and Old Man Li from the east side of the village.”

Those words silenced the crowd instantly. She Yuqi’s eyes widened in excitement.

So the village chief’s wife was involved in an affair? That was intriguing!

She Yuqi crossed her arms, even pulling sunflower seeds from her pocket to snack on, looking on with gleeful anticipation.

Zhao Xiufen froze, then started avoiding eye contact and vehemently denied, “Wang the shrew, stop spreading lies. That’s not true. I’m not going to waste time arguing with you.”

“Village chief, listen! Your wife is so guilty she won’t even look at me. Pfft! What a shameful sight!”

“I’m only insulting you because I care—like a toad trying to kiss a frog, ugly on the outside and inside!”

Zhao Xiufen nervously turned away and spotted the fierce glare of her husband. Terrified of another beating, she ran off.

“Don’t listen to that Wang the shrew. She’s just stirring up trouble.”

The village chief turned away grimly and went inside, kicking the door open.

She Yuqi and Wang the shrew pressed their ears to the wall, grinning with schadenfreude.

“Well, I knew it... Why do you always go to the east side of the village? Tell me! How many nights have you spent there?”

Zhao’s cries were pitiful. “I didn’t!”

“Ah!”

Another scream—Zhao Xiufen was definitely getting beaten again.

After a while, She Yuqi and Wang stopped listening. Wang laughed so hard she couldn’t close her mouth.

“See? If she bullies anyone again, just use this trick. It works every time.”

“How did you know the village chief’s wife was having an affair?” She Yuqi asked curiously.

Wang looked around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered her voice mysteriously, “I was just making it up, but sometimes a blind cat catches a dead mouse. Guess I got lucky. She’s really unlucky!”

She Yuqi was speechless.

“By the way, what did you want to ask me? My memory’s terrible...” Wang asked.

She Yuqi cleared her throat. “Just wanted to ask if you know anyone with extra wild celery. I’m willing to pay or trade.”

“Yes, but wild celery is hard to find. Only Jiang Yunhai from our village hunts occasionally and sometimes digs up wild vegetables too.”

“I see you get along well with Jiang Yunhai. If you ask, he might just give you some.”

Wang went inside, leaving She Yuqi standing there, conflicted.

She remembered Jiang Yunhai was Jiang Bei’s biological father.

She had recently cut ties with Jiang Bei, so going to ask for wild celery felt a bit like taking advantage.

But she was just one pound short of unlocking all the vegetables in her space…

The more She Yuqi thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Rubbing her forehead, her head felt ready to explode.