After wearing it: I traded a pig for a man.

"No, no. You've misunderstood. What I meant was that the injury is severe, but not incurable."

Jiang Yun Ning's hands were ice-cold; only after hearing this did she loosen her clenched fists: "So, how are you now?"

Doctor Li quickly explained, "He's lost too much blood and is quite weak. I used ginseng slices, but the child is too young, so I only dared to use a little. You'll have to give him a good boost when you get back."

"Also, I'm worried about a blood clot in his brain. It's normal for him to feel nauseous and dizzy. He'll need to rest for a while."

Jiang Yun Ning breathed a sigh of relief; she had been so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost couldn't stand up.

"Dr. Li," Jiang Yun Ning looked at him, "you...you've never been beaten before, have you?"

Doctor Li was taken aback, then smiled helplessly: "You little rascal, you really don't let it go."

"I've prescribed some medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. Take it with you when you leave," Doctor Li said, pointing to the medicine that had already been wrapped up beside him.

Jiang Che felt relieved, but then suddenly realized that the two of them were acting a little too intimately. Just as he was about to let go, Jiang Yun Ning grabbed his hand again.

"Help me for a while, my legs are weak." Her voice was soft, as if she had exhausted herself.

Jiang Che hummed in agreement and helped her into the inner courtyard to find Jiang Laosan and the others.

Jiang Anhe woke up once, but was too weak and fell asleep again, her small chest rising and falling slightly under the blanket.

Wang Cuihua had woken up, but like Liu Yuzhi, her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"It's all my fault." She held Jiang Anhe's small hand remorsefully. "If I hadn't gone in, I would have gone to call for help first."

Jiang Yuntian felt sad, but he still said, "Mother, it's not your fault. It's all those beasts in the old house."

Jiang Yun Ning sat for a while before her legs felt stronger.

"Father, Mother, Elder Brother, and Sister-in-law, you go home first. I'm going to buy two dogs to guard the house." This incident also served as a reminder to her that there are many people in the village who laugh at those who have nothing and resent those who have something.

Their family suddenly became rich, and there are definitely many people eyeing their wealth. They'd need two guard dogs for safety.

Jiang Laosan nodded: "Okay, buy another sturdy lock."

The group carried the still-sleeping Jiang Anhe onto the oxcart and slowly made their way back to the village.

On the way, Jiang Laosan told the others about Jiang Yuning carrying a kitchen knife to the old house and also mentioned that he had asked for thirty taels of silver as compensation.

"It would be better to kill them. I'll take the blame for my sister." Jiang Yuntian gritted his teeth in hatred.

Jiang Laosan frowned: "Foolish! You're throwing yourself into this for those beasts. What about Yuzhi and Anhe?"

Liu Yuzhi sniffed: "Yun Ning did the right thing. Yun Tian, ​​we can't let them ruin our lives now. An He still has to study in the future, and we can't let this prevent him from pursuing his studies."

"I understand," Jiang Yuntian said, but he was still angry.

After returning home, he settled the children and tidied up the house. Then, he grabbed a wooden stick, rushed to the old house, and gave Jiang Mancang a good beating.

Jiang Mancang knew he was in the wrong and dared not fight back, so he could only run around the yard being beaten.

"You bastard, if you dare to step into my house again, I'll break your legs." Jiang Yuntian spat, his eyes fierce as he glared at the terrified Jiang Liushi and Jiang Youfu.

With those looks in his eyes, if these people weren't his elders, he probably would have grabbed a stick and given them a good beating too.

At the dog market, Jiang Yuning bought two docile but fiercely protective mixed-breed dogs.

I bought a few more hens, lots of snacks, and comic books, so that Jiang Anhe wouldn't be bored at home and would want to go out and play.

Back in the courtyard, Jiang Anhe was already awake, sitting in the yard, sipping a cup of brown sugar water.

"aunt!"

His eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Yun Ning return. "An He protected Grandma, but she didn't fight back."

The frustration on his face was obvious.

Jiang Yun Ning squatted down in front of him and patted his head: "An He is great, very capable. You're a real man. But if you encounter danger in the future, remember to protect yourself first, and run to find an adult, okay?"

Jiang Anhe nodded, but as soon as he made a move, his head started to hurt again.

"Good boy/girl." Jiang Yun Ning's eyes were full of heartache. "Don't shake your head."

Jiang Che led two black dogs in, and Jiang Anhe's eyes widened even more.

"Uncle! Dog!"

Jiang Che frowned, feeling that these words sounded awkward: "Once you've recovered, feed them more often, and they'll protect you in the future."

He looked at the thin cotton bandage wrapped around Jiang Anhe's head and frowned slightly: "Does it still hurt?"

Jiang Anhe held out his hand: "It'll hurt a little. I'm a man, I'm not afraid."

Jiang Laosan cleaned the chicken he bought, and Jiang Yuning picked it up and went into the kitchen.

Tonight's chicken soup is made entirely with spiritual spring water, and we've also added astragalus grown in the space.

It is absolutely nourishing.

That night, the whole family felt heavy-hearted.

The atmosphere in the old house was even more somber.

"Mother, I'll go to town tomorrow and ask the second son for some money." Although Jiang Youfu said this, he never dared to hope that he could borrow money from Jiang Youcai.

He knew in his heart that the only person in this family who cared about family ties was Jiang Laosan, whom he had severed ties with.

He said this only to let Jiang Liu know that he had already tried his best for the money.

"It won't do, Mother." Jiang Youfu looked up. "Just take out that IOU. We can't just watch our family be ruined."

Jiang Liu's cloudy eyes widened in surprise. "No. How can we touch that IOU?"

She loved Jiang Mancang, but ultimately, she loved herself even more.

She had planned to keep that receipt so that when her second son's children passed the imperial examinations, they could use it to get a different room at her second son's house.

Grandma Scholar, how impressive would that be if word got out?

Jiang Mancang suddenly looked up: "Grandma! You agreed to let me steal the silver back then."

Yang Guizhi remained silent. Over the years, she had long known that daughters-in-law had no say in this family.

"So what? I agreed, but I didn't tell you to lay a hand on them!" Jiang Liu said matter-of-factly. "If you hadn't hit them, would we have had to pay so much money in compensation?"

Jiang Mancang was furious and got up to kick over the stool.

"Alright, then let's wait for Jiang Yun Ning to come with a knife and kill our whole family. Then we'll see if you can take that IOU with you to the underworld to spend it!"

"You brat!" Jiang Liu was so angry that the loose skin on her face trembled.

But she also knew that what Jiang Mancang said was true.

Judging from Jiang Yun Ning's behavior today, if he doesn't pay compensation, he might really experience that nightmare of being chased and hacked with a cleaver again.

"The second son will definitely lend us the money," Jiang Liu muttered guiltily. Then she sent everyone back to their rooms to sleep.

The next day, Jiang Yuning called Hehua and Chunmei to help with the work.

Although Wang Cuihua was not in any serious health problems, Jiang Yunning was still worried and told her to rest for a few more days.

A small hut has been partitioned off in the backyard with wooden planks, so there's no need to worry about people coming in and seeing it.

Liu Yuzhi was making oil with lotus flowers, while Jiang Yuning was teaching Chunmei how to process some spices and medicinal herbs.

Of course, the alkaline water was still prepared at night, and the door was closed to boil it by himself.

"You can actually make these things with mutton fat?" Lotus asked in surprise.

Jiang Yunning nodded: "Yes, they will take shape after they solidify."

She didn't tell the two of them that the most crucial element was alkaline water. Otherwise, even if they learned everything beforehand, the final product would be limp and shapeless.

After a busy day, the two went home.

Jiang Yuntian and Jiang Che returned from their trip to the mountain to collect broad-leaved branches with a full load.

"I just heard that Jiang Youfu went to Granny Yang's house to ask for money, but he was kicked out." Jiang Yuntian couldn't hide his joy. "Serves him right. The wicked will be punished by the wicked."