Chapter 46: The Prey Comes Knocking

Chapter 46: The Prey Comes Knocking

That very evening, after Ye Qing had finished testing Gu Weidong, Wu Yongbing dragged Wu Yueying to the Gu household.

Just as Ye Qing had finished organizing the care packages from the county leaders, she had received various items like rice, flour, oil, sugar, pastries, towels, toothpaste, enamel cups, thermos flasks, fabrics, and other miscellaneous household items. These were relatively common items in the county but were not so easy to come by in Qingshan Town.

With these care packages in hand, Ye Qing now had a perfect excuse to take out the cotton she had. If anyone questioned her, she could always push the responsibility onto the county leaders. After all, no one knew exactly how many items the county had sent, nor whether they included cotton.

After dinner, Zou Ah Po wanted to visit the Gu family, so Ye Qing brought along two sacks of cotton and some cotton fabric. She wanted to ask Aunt Gu for help to see if she could make a mattress and a quilt, and also take the opportunity to discuss with Gu Zhenxing and his wife about having Gu Weinan study medicine, to see what they thought about it.

The Gu family had also just finished dinner. When they saw Ye Qing and Zou Ah Po coming, Aunt Gu quickly called her younger son and daughter to fetch chairs and make tea. She even brought out the snacks and pastries they had hidden away, and asked Ye Qing with a smile if she would like to drink malted milk.

Ye Qing shook her head like a rattle drum, indicating that she was too full to drink anything at the moment.

But how could Aunt Gu take no for an answer? Seeing Ye Qing's small arms and legs, she immediately said,

"Oh dear, kids never really get too full. Just move around a bit and you'll digest it! I'm telling you, you're at an age where your body is growing, you need to eat well and supplement your diet. This malted milk can't be bought here!"

After saying this, Aunt Gu immediately gave a signal to her eldest son.

Gu Weidong, who didn’t want to drink the sweet stuff, went into the house without a word and brought out a jar of malted milk that he had only opened and drunk once from Shen City. He shoved the entire jar into Ye Qing's arms.

"You're as thin as a stick and the shortest one in the village. Take this back and drink it. If you like it, I'll ask someone to bring you a few more barrels."

Gu Weidong's words caused everyone in the room to fall silent. They exchanged glances quietly, seemingly asking what was going on.

Mainly because Gu Weidong was usually strict and unsmiling with his three younger siblings and even more distant and cold towards outsiders. This was the first time the Gu family had seen him treat someone so gently and considerately, even offering to help Ye Qing with her things. It was like the sun rising from the west.

Aunt Gu's sensitive nerves were immediately triggered. Her eyes darted between Ye Qing and her eldest son, as if trying to figure out some special connection between them.

The three Gu siblings didn’t need to say anything; their curiosity was instantly ignited, wanting to find out immediately if there was something going on between the two. Otherwise, why would their usually stern and unsmiling elder brother suddenly act so solicitous?

Ye Qing had no idea that a single jar of malted milk would cause such a big reaction from the Gu family.

Looking at the malted milk in her arms, her expression was a mix of frustration and embarrassment. She knew she was short, but did they have to keep emphasizing it? She had only been in this world for about half a month, and this body was only sixteen years old. She hadn’t grown much before because of malnutrition, but her bones hadn’t fully developed yet. There was still a lot of potential for growth.

Although most southern girls were short, the original body's parents were not short. According to the formula, Ye Qing thought she could still grow another five or six centimeters.

Ye Qing was about to return the jar of malted milk when, at that moment, Wu Yongbing's familiar voice rang out from outside the yard:

"Brother Gu, are you home?"

The people inside were startled. Before Gu Zhenxing could react, Miao Cuilan’s face fell first.

When the gate swung open, standing outside was none other than Captain Wu Yongbing.

By his side, Wu Yongbing's arm was firmly clamped around Wu Yueying, whose eyes were red as she tried to break free from his grasp.

"Brother Gu, Sister Cuilan, as you know, I heard that Weidong is back. So, I've brought my naughty daughter to apologize!"

"I'm really sorry. Our child has been spoiled by us over the years. Yueying is impulsive and capricious, and her actions have caused you and Weidong trouble."

"But our two families have been close for generations, and we know each other's backgrounds well. Our children have grown up right before our eyes, and the engagement is something the entire village is familiar with. I'm swallowing my pride and asking you one more time: let's not call off the wedding, alright?

If you two are still unsure, tomorrow we can have Weidong and Yueying go and get their marriage license. We can hold the wedding banquet after the autumn harvest if that works!"

Wu Yongbing's words left the Gu family stunned.

Wu Yueying was so angry she burst into tears on the spot. "I'm not going! This is a forced marriage, pure and simple! If you force me to marry him, I'll hang myself from their roofbeam!"

Wu Yongbing was almost made dizzy by Wu Yueying's outburst.

He had never been okay with calling off Yueying's engagement. He had watched Gu Weidong grow up. The young man did well in the military, earning promotions and becoming a Deputy Battalion Commander by twenty-three, with a bright future ahead of him. In the entire Kaoshan Village, or even Qingshan Town, there wasn't a better catch for a son-in-law.

Now that Gu Weidong was injured and facing discharge, Wu Yongbing was even more determined not to let his daughter call off the engagement at this critical moment.

Otherwise, if word got out, wouldn't people say that Wu Yueying was heartless and ungrateful, turning her back on the man just because he was disabled and in trouble? What would people say about Wu Yueying? Could the Wu family still hold their heads high in Kaoshan Village?

Of course, Wu Yongbing knew that once Gu Weidong left the military and became disabled, his future would be quite different from the promising Deputy Battalion Commander he once was. But compared to the other young men in the village, Wu Yongbing still thought Gu Weidong was the better match.

Moreover, his younger daughter owed the Gu family a life debt. This marriage wasn't something that could just be called off.

So he had laid everything out for Wu Yueying, trying to convince her to change her mind.

Wu Yueying had been quiet the whole way, leading Wu Yongbing to think she had taken his words to heart. He was quite pleased and planned to patch things up with the Gu family and get the young couple their marriage license as soon as possible. Once the certificate was in hand, that would be the end of it, and his daughter wouldn't be able to cause any more trouble.

But he was being way too hopeful. Wu Yueying's refusal to cooperate and her talk of life and death made it clear she was set on ruining the engagement.

Threatening to hang herself in front of the Gu family? It was no wonder Gu Zhenxing and his wife were livid.

Gu Weidong didn't want to waste any more time with Wu Yongbing. "Uncle Wu, I've already withdrawn the marriage application from the military. Originally, this marriage was privately agreed upon by our elders while I was in the military. The engagement was decided without my consent. Since Comrade Wu Yueying looks down on my family, there's no need to force this marriage."

At this point, Miao Cuilan couldn't stand Wu Yueying any longer and immediately backed up her son. "A forced marriage won't bring happiness. If you don't want to marry, Yueying, that's fine, but don't say our family coerced you. We are a respectable family and don't engage in feudal practices like forced marriages!"

Gu Zhenxing, who usually spoke little, didn't hesitate to side with his wife and son, earnestly advising Wu Yongbing to let go of his obsession. "Yes, Old Wu, marriage should be based on the children's own wishes. If the marriage doesn't work out, it's not a big deal, but if things escalate to a life-threatening situation, it will be hard to resolve."

"Don't push the children too hard. If they are not suitable, then calling off the wedding is not a big issue."

"You're holding onto the past too much. When my father saved your child, he had no expectation of repayment. That matter has long been forgotten by us. If my father knew that both our children have grown up healthy, he would be pleased. It's not necessary for our families to become in-laws for him to rest in peace."

Hearing this, Wu Yongbing understood the Gu family's stance completely.

His daughter had made a big fuss about calling off the engagement, and the whole village knew about it. Moreover, Wu Yueying's clear disgust at marrying into the Gu family meant that, if they had any dignity, they wouldn't take her as their daughter-in-law.

A bitter and embarrassed feeling rose in his heart. He tried to say something, but when he looked at his stubborn daughter, he found he couldn't utter a word.

Actually, before the founding of the People's Republic, his relationship with Gu Zhenxing had been as close as brothers. They had grown up together in the village, been child soldiers during the war against Japan, and later organized militia units together in the village. Their friendship could be described as one of shared life and death.

But after the Gu family's incident, the two families gradually drifted apart. It wasn't that the Gu family harbored resentment or deliberately avoided them. It was his wife who felt she owed them a life debt and always felt uncomfortable around the Gu family.

With less contact between the women, his relationship with Gu Zhenxing could never return to what it once was.

Realizing there was no room for maneuver, Wu Yongbing couldn't help but let out a long sigh."

"Zhenxing, I truly feel awful for raising such a disgraceful child, who has delayed Weidong’s future because of her."

"Tomorrow at noon, I'll gather Old Party Secretary and a few elder clansmen from the village to witness this. We'll cancel the marriage agreement of the two kids. I'll compensate for the betrothal gifts that were previously set and the financial help Weidong gave Yueying. We can compare the lists to make sure nothing’s been missed."

Now that the marriage is off, both families need to deal with this openly to avoid any misunderstandings or hard feelings. Otherwise, we might not even be able to remain old friends and neighbors in the future.

The Gu family had no objections to this. Since Wu Yueying was determined to break off the engagement, the Wu family would return the betrothal gifts without the Gu family having to say a word. If they didn’t, the Wu family would be criticized by the whole village of Kaoshan.

After finalizing the engagement cancellation with the Gu family, Wu Yongbing turned back. His back was hunched as if he'd aged ten years overnight.

In contrast, Wu Yueying was very happy. She hurried after her father, even taking his arm, and asked about the slots for the worker-peasant-soldier university this year.

Still angry, Wu Yongbing wasn’t in the mood to chat with Wu Yueying. He brushed her arm away and said in a stern voice:

"You go on home. I need to head over to Zhao Laozhu’s place to discuss something."

He hadn’t forgotten about Ye Qing's request to question Zhao Si's wife. Zhao Si's wife had fled back to her parents' home two days ago, and if Zhao Laozhu didn’t go bring her back soon, it would be utterly disgraceful!

When her father didn’t look back at all, Wu Yueying stomped her foot, frustrated. She knew she wasn’t getting any insider information on the commune recommendation exam from him anytime soon. Her eyes flickered, and she immediately turned to go find Jian Ming at the Zhou family.

The mood in the Gu household was quite tense. Even though they had known for a while that Wu Yueying wanted to break off the engagement, it still hurt that she was so eager to do it right after their son got injured. How could the Gu family not feel upset?

After all, back then, Grandpa Gu had given his life to save Wu Yueying. Not only was the girl ungrateful, but she picked this exact moment to rub salt in the wound. Anyone would be furious and unable to comprehend this.

If it had been a few days earlier, the Gu family wouldn’t have cared much whether the Wu family called off the engagement or not. Their son was a talented and handsome officer in the military, still young, so why would they worry about finding a suitable match?

But now, things were different. Their son had been injured on a mission, and it was very likely that his leg would be permanently disabled. His position in the military was also gone. If he were to return to Kaoshan Village to farm in the future, would any girl even want him?

Especially since his previous fiancée, Wu Yueying, regardless of her personality, was flawless in appearance. If the future matches were far inferior to Wu Yueying, Gu Zhenxing and his wife were worried that Gu Weidong might not be able to handle such a drastic change. What if his mentality collapsed? How would they deal with that?

Thinking of this, Miao Cuilan couldn't help but feel anxious.

She immediately thought of Ye Qing and rushed into the room, grabbing the girl's hand as if it were her last lifeline:

"Ye Qing, you must take a look at Weidong’s leg. See if your flying needle can cure his injury. I beg you, his leg must not be crippled. If he is lame, he might not even be able to find a wife. How will he live his life?"

"Can we really let his sister’s child support him in old age? What if the nephew grows up to be ungrateful and kicks him out of the house? Would he have to wander from village to village with a cane and a jute bag, begging for food in his old age?"

The more Miao Cuilan spoke, the more she felt heartache. Imagining her son, dressed in rags and dragging his injured leg, becoming a beggar, she was on the verge of tears.

Gu Weidong gritted his teeth, his face so dark it seemed about to drip ink.

His mother sure had a vivid imagination. No matter how wretched or miserable Gu Weidong's life became, he wouldn't sink so low as to become a beggar. If it ever came to that, he'd rather just find a wall and end it all; living would just be a waste of food!

Seeing Gu Weidong's face twitching, unable to reveal the truth, and silently enduring his frustration, Ye Qing found it hard to suppress her laughter.

Serves him right! Who told him to lie to his own family just to go fishing? Now the tables have turned, and he finally gets a taste of his own medicine.

Could Gu Weidong not see that Ye Qing was laughing at him? He couldn't help but give her a meaningful glance, urging her to help him out of this predicament.

Seeing that Aunt Gu was genuinely worried about her son's future, Ye Qing put aside her nonchalant demeanor:

"Aunt, don't worry. I'll take a look at Brother Gu's leg. If it can be treated, none of the things you mentioned will happen. There's no need to worry unnecessarily, right?"

With that, Ye Qing gestured for Gu Weidong to roll up his left pant leg.

Initially, Ye Qing was just going through the motions to calm Aunt Gu down.

But when she touched around Gu Weidong's knee, her expression suddenly turned serious.

Gu Weidong initially thought that Ye Qing was just putting on a show. He thought to himself that the kid was a really impressive actor, getting into character in just a second—what a waste that she wasn’t in the entertainment industry.

But slowly, he began to feel that something was off. Ye Qing had been pressing his left leg for a solid four or five minutes before finally looking up at him.

"Well, what do you think, Young Ye? Can it be cured?" Unable to hold back, Aunt Gu blurted out.

Ye Qing nodded imperceptibly, maintaining her composure. "It can be cured. Although the gunshot wound on his knee is severe, it can be treated with flying needles. The more troublesome issue might be the old wounds on his body. If not taken care of, they might not cause much trouble while he’s still young. But as he ages, on rainy or cloudy days, he might experience unbearable pain, and it could even reach the point where he’s unable to get out of bed."

These words startled not only the rest of the Gu family but Gu Weidong himself, who looked over at Ye Qing.

Gu Weidong was astonished that with just a few casual touches, Ye Qing had identified all his old wounds. Her diagnostic skills were more precise than the large hospital instruments. How on earth did she manage that?

In contrast to Gu Weidong’s calm reaction, Aunt Gu reacted more strongly:

"What? He has old wounds? Where are they, and how did our child not tell us about something so serious? Miss Ye, can you cure him?"

Ye Qing now understood how Gu Weidong, barely in his twenties, had become Deputy Battalion Commander. At such a young age, he was already covered in scars. This guy was so desperate for merit that he disregarded his own life. No wonder this time he went deep into She Mountain alone to pursue enemy agents and even ran all the way back from Shen City to Kaoshan Village to catch her for clues and the truth.

After feeling Gu Weidong’s old wounds, Ye Qing now better understood why he had been so relentless in pursuing her. Regardless, he was indeed a dedicated and meticulous officer. For this reason, Ye Qing couldn’t bear the thought of him faltering in his military career.

"It can be cured, but given his condition, it would take a minimum of six months to a year of treatment to fully cure him. He doesn’t have the time to undergo treatment." Ye Qing spoke the truth.

Gu Weidong lifted his head in surprise.

In his previous life, he had indeed suffered unbearable pain on rainy and cloudy days. Every time he fell ill, he bore it alone in the steel factory dormitory, never mentioning his pain to his parents, wife, or children.

But Gu Weidong never anticipated that the old wounds the hospitals had given up on could actually be cured by Ye Qing!

However, a year of treatment was indeed a big challenge for him at this moment. In a month, he would go for further studies and be in a closed learning environment for two years. After graduating from the advanced training class, he had even promised Political Commissar Hao to achieve three promotions in five years. There was absolutely no way he could spare a year for treatment and recovery.

Aunt Gu also considered her son's situation in the military. If his gunshot wound could be cured, her son would definitely return to his unit immediately and wouldn’t be able to stay in his hometown for six months to a year for treatment. So, Ye Qing's treatment plan was completely unrealistic.

"Is there no other suitable method for him?" Aunt Gu asked.

Ye Qing thought for a moment and glanced at Gu Weidong, feeling slightly awkward and hesitant.

"There is, but the first two treatments might be a bit more troublesome, and the treatment period would be longer. It might take three to five years of oral herbal medicine to see significant effects."

As soon as Aunt Gu heard there was another method, she immediately decided:

"What’s the big deal? As long as it can cure the illness, we’re not afraid of the trouble! You tell him what to do, and he will follow you. If you tell him to go east, he will never go west!"

This time, Gu Weidong didn’t refute his mother’s words. In his previous life, he had suffered enough from those old wounds and pains. If those hidden ailments could really be cured, he would be more than eager to get the treatment.

Ye Qing coughed twice and touched her nose. "For the first two treatments, each lasting about seven days, herbal baths morning and night are required, along with flying needle treatment..."

Gu Weidong: ...

Before Aunt Gu could react, she laughed cheerfully, "What's the big deal? If it’s just herbal baths, then it’s just baths. It’s like taking two extra showers a day. I’ll help heat the—"

Before she could finish the word "water," Aunt Gu suddenly realized something was off.

She looked up abruptly at Ye Qing and asked dryly, "Um, flying needles too? Acupuncture while soaking?"

Ye Qing nodded, steeling herself to explain:

"Strong medicines aren't suitable for taking by mouth as they can cause severe damage to the liver and kidneys, so we can only use medicinal baths."

"Because acupuncture can open up the body’s energy pathways and acupoints, combining it with a medicinal bath allows the medicinal properties in the water to penetrate the limbs and body."

"This method yields the fastest results in the early stages. It can recover seventy or eighty percent of the old injury's condition in about half a month, and the rest only requires gentle oral medication for mild conditioning."

Aunt Gu chuckled nervously and immediately glanced at her son.

In the room, the other three Gu children also looked strangely at Gu Weidong, curious to see how their elder brother would react.

Gu Weidong's face remained expressionless, but his dark, deep eyes stared directly at Ye Qing.

Feeling a little uneasy, Ye Qing quickly changed the subject:

"This matter isn't urgent. Comrade Gu, you can think about it. Anyway, Aunt Gu, I came to you today to ask for your help in making a quilt and mattress. I've brought the cotton and fabric. Please take a look to see if the cotton is enough. I've almost finished warming up the kang in the spare room. I can move in as soon as I have the quilt and mattress."

Noticing Ye Qing's discomfort and finding it amusing, Aunt Gu didn't call her out but instead picked up on Ye Qing's topic:

"Oh, I visited your room the other day and saw that the kang in your side room was bare. I was wondering if you hadn't prepared a quilt yet. I was planning to give you an old army blanket that Weidong sent home from the army a few years ago."

"This is this year's new cotton, right? Oh, this cotton is so soft and white. The quality is excellent, and the quilt made from it will definitely be comfortable!"

"It would be too wasteful to use this for a mattress. If you don't mind, you can take the used army blanket Weidong used as a mattress. The army always has plenty of these supplies. They issue new ones every one or two years, and the old ones he used were all sent back. There's an extra set, so you can just use it as a mattress."

"As for the extra cotton, I'll make you some cotton jackets and pants. You haven't been to the Northern Wilderness before, so you don't know how cold the winters are here. When the coldest months arrive, if you don't wear a lot, the cold can really get into your bones."

Ye Qing, already having enough cotton and finding it somewhat inappropriate to use Weidong's old army blanket as a mattress, quickly declined:

"No need, Aunt Gu. Please use this new cotton for the mattress. I have a bit of a blood and energy deficiency, and my hands and feet always feel cold at night when I sleep. The mattress needs to be soft and fluffy so that the bed feels warm."

"I still have cotton for the cotton jackets and pants. It's enough."

Seeing Ye Qing's resolve, Aunt Gu didn't insist further and laughed:

"Almost forgot, you're now a newspaper celebrity. County leaders came to the countryside to give you comfort items. This cotton was brought by them the day before yesterday, right? Leaders think quite thoroughly. Knowing you're from the South and what you need the most here, they even included cotton as a welfare item."

Knowing her own family's situation and adhering to the principle of 'the more you explain, the more likely you are to make a mistake,' Ye Qing didn't linger on the cotton issue. Instead, she asked about Gu Weinan's situation in high school.

"I heard from Sister Weinan that she's in her second year of high school in the county now. Have you and Uncle Zhenxing thought about what she will do after graduation? Do you have any plans for her future?"

Ye Qing's sudden change of topic left Aunt Gu momentarily stunned.

Mainly because Gu Weinan's academic performance was only average. With her grades, it would be highly unlikely to pass exams to get into county units or factories.

The Gu family had no connections to help their child, which meant that after high school, Gu Weinan would probably return to farming like them or, like other girls in the village, find someone to marry as soon as she reached the right age.

But the child was still so young. Wasn't it too early to consider marriage?

Feeling puzzled, Aunt Gu couldn't help but look at Gu Weidong.

Gu Weidong glanced at his mischievous younger sister:

"Isn't she capable and quite lively, fighting with male classmates energetically? I see her as full of energy and not afraid of hardship. She might as well enlist in the army after graduation!"

This made Gu Weinan go ballistic:

"I don't want to join the army. Once you go to the military, you can't come back home for three to five years. I wouldn't be able to see my parents and older sister, and I couldn't eat the dishes Mom makes. I can barely last a month at school, let alone three to five years. I'd rather die than join the army!"

Seeing this, Gu Weidong couldn't help turning to look at his younger brother.

Gu Weibei also immediately ducked his head and hid behind Gu Weixi, afraid that his elder brother would think of involving him.

Serving in the military is a tough and grueling job, and only their elder brother had been obsessed with it since childhood. The other two siblings weren't the least bit interested in the military.

Gu Weidong was almost laughing at the reactions of those two little brats.

Ye Qing tentatively asked, "Uncle Gu, Auntie, have you considered allowing Weinian to study medicine?"

"Today, I ran a simple test on her at Duck River beach and found that she has a great talent for needle manipulation. If she's interested in studying medicine and you don't mind, once the health station is built, she can train with me."

"I also met Dean Gu from the county people's hospital today and we agreed on future cooperation directions. In the future, I might set up a training class in our village, focusing on surgery and acupuncture techniques. Interested medical staff from the county hospital will come to our village to study and work on a voluntary basis."

"If you agree and support it, Weinian can join the first batch of students in my training class."

Ye Qing's suggestion surprised Gu Zhenxing and his wife. "Oh my, being able to learn from Ye Qing is the best thing possible. We're just worried that Weinian might be too much of a handful and end up causing you trouble!"

Remembering how Gu Weinian had mastered the needle technique through simple imitation, Ye Qing was left speechless. If your daughter is clumsy, then I'm just here to take up space in this world.

Thanks to Ye Qing's suggestion, which solved a major problem for Gu Zhenxing and his wife, Miao Cuilan was ecstatic. The couple decided that even if they had to pull an all-nighter processing cotton and sewing quilts, they would make Ye Qing's quilt!

Ye Qing had no idea that the couple would go to such great lengths for her. After discussing Weinian's future with the Gu family, she advised Gu Weinian to look for basic medical books in the county bookstore or second-hand shop and see if she could make sense of them.

When she returned home and finished acupuncture for Murong Ah Po, Ye Qing took a bath and was about to lie down when she suddenly heard a knock on the window frame.

The old lady was sleeping soundly after the acupuncture and wasn't disturbed by the faint sound, but Ye Qing heard it clearly. She jerked upright on the kang.

"Who?" Ye Qing asked cautiously in a low voice.

No one answered, but the knocking sound came again after a while.

In the 1970s in Northern Wilderness, glass was a luxury, and every household's windows were covered with newspapers or rough paper. The thick paper blocked the view outside, so Ye Qing had to muster the courage to get up, carefully push open the main room's door bolt, and look outside.

What she saw left Ye Qing stunned.

In the courtyard under the night, five pairs of greenish-yellow eyes appeared. Yellow weasels of different sizes stood in a row at the door, some holding forest frogs in their mouths, some holding mountain rats, and some holding rabbits.

Seeing Ye Qing come out, the five weasels immediately darted forward, pushing the prey in their mouths to her, and then stared at her silently with their eyes.

Ye Qing: ...

These five weasels were definitely not the one who had asked her for sweet potatoes before.

But their purpose for coming to her was obviously the same.

Looking at the small dead animals at her feet, Ye Qing was amused and laughed. "Do you think this is a supply and marketing cooperative or a grain station? What did the previous one tell you that made you all come here for sweet potatoes?"

Ye Qing pointed to the mountain rat and forest frog, pushing them aside with disgust, and only took the rabbit. "Take the rest of these away. I'm not accepting these two. Since this rabbit is quite plump, I'll reluctantly give you some sweet potatoes. But this is the last time, no more. If you come uninvited again, I won't be so generous."

Ye Qing took the rabbit into the kitchen, then went down to the cellar and got six sweet potatoes with a little extra seasoning for the five weasels, giving an extra one to the weasel that brought the rabbit.

Those five weasels achieved their goal, grabbing the sweet potatoes and running off without the slightest delay. They didn’t give Ye Qing a second look.

Ye Qing: "I can't shake the feeling that those weasels are using me as a tool."

Anyway, she was quite pleased that they had brought a plump wild rabbit late at night. Sure, she had exchanged six sweet potatoes for it, but the rabbit must have weighed three or four pounds, enough for a good meal with Old Lady Zou. When she calculated it, it still seemed like a good deal.

The thought of spicy rabbit head and cold rabbit meat tomorrow made Ye Qing's mouth water.

No, she didn’t want to keep thinking about it. She went back into the house and lay down. The next morning, as soon as she got up, she was eager to kill the rabbit.

Weasels catch wild rabbits by biting their necks, breaking them. They suck the blood out of the rabbit’s body but hardly eat the meat.

The rabbit Ye Qing got had no external injuries, except for a bite wound on the neck. The rabbit’s fur was intact, and Ye Qing was determined to take off all the fur. After it was tanned, the fur would be perfect for making a scarf, gloves, or earmuffs. She didn’t want to waste it.

This was when her anatomy skills came into play. Every med student who had done clinicals was familiar with dissecting rabbits, frogs, and mice. Ye Qing was no exception. She could skillfully remove an entire rabbit pelt within three minutes.

She chopped the rabbit meat into cubes, marinated it with bean paste, salt, and starch, and to keep rats away, she covered it and locked it in the cupboard.

Then she started cooking sweet potato and millet porridge, prepared a cold salad and pickles, and that was her breakfast.

The old lady had also gotten up early. Recently, Ye Qing didn’t need to rush to work early, so after breakfast, she went to collect feed for the pigs and cows. With her special ability, she worked quickly and didn’t have to worry about the pigs and cows causing trouble if she was late.

After eating her fill and feeling energized, Ye Qing went to work. As usual, she finished most of the day’s work in less than two hours.

Just as she was considering slipping away to make some cold rabbit meat at home, Captain Wu arrived at the Duck River beach, leading an old woman.

The moment Ye Qing saw the old woman, she knew who she was. With features very similar to Zhao Ma Zi, it was undoubtedly the former caretaker of the pigs and cows, Zhao Si's wife.

Ye Qing had been waiting for this old lady. As soon as she saw her, she got straight to the point:

"Old Madam Zhao, there’s something I hope you can answer honestly."

"You were previously in charge of feeding the pigs and cows in the village. But when I assisted the cow with delivery the day before yesterday, I discovered that the reason the cow had a difficult birth was not just because a wild piglet broke its water, but fundamentally, the problem was that the calf in its womb was too large."

"So, I want to ask you, when you fed the cow, did you only give it simple grass, bran, and bean feed?"

Zhao Si's wife was extremely unhappy when Captain Wu brought her over. After all, if it weren’t for Ye Qing, she would still be managing the village’s pigsty and cowshed, earning four or five work points every day.

Who would have thought that after complaining to Captain Wu about the low work points, she was directly dismissed and replaced by a young girl? How could Zhao Si's wife feel pleased about that?

When Ye Qing questioned her, she immediately retorted:

"Your question is quite interesting. If I don’t feed them grass, bran, and bean cake, should I feed them corn and sorghum instead? And isn’t it a good thing for the calf to be strong? Feeding it well means the calf will grow healthily. When the cow is pregnant, I can’t tell how big the calf is just by feeling its belly through the skin. It’s not my fault if it ends up being a difficult birth, is it?"

Ye Qing thought there was nothing wrong with this response. In these times, every production team hoped their livestock would grow strong. A bigger calf would be less likely to get sick after birth. If it were skinny, it would be a real worry.

But the problem was, without fattening feed like in modern times, it was impossible for cattle, sheep, pigs, or horses to have such a large fetus just from eating grass, bran, and bean cake. Moreover, Ye Qing had previously noticed that the cow was somewhat thin and even appeared malnourished.

A malnourished mother with an overly large fetus meant that the fetus was draining the mother’s nutrients and blood, putting a significant burden on the cow. That was abnormal.

"You don't need to emphasize this to me. Just tell me, aside from hay, have you added anything else to the cow's feed? Have you given it any special medication?" Ye Qing kept her eyes locked on Zhao Si's wife.

As expected, the moment Ye Qing mentioned "medication," Zhao Si's eyes flickered and she looked away, feeling guilty and unable to meet Ye Qing's gaze.