Chen Afu was so upset that her nose was crooked. Damn it, this man was horrible. If she had enough strength in her hands, she would have taken a shovel and smashed his head. After all, she was currently considered a fool, and a fool isn't held responsible for hurting people.
But her hands were weak. She couldn't even lift a shovel, not to mention attacking people. What she was most proficient in was her mouth, where she could muster all sorts of different components.
Seeing the man pull out a few dark lumps of candy from his bosom, he arched his eyebrows and said in a low voice, "This candy is very sweet, does Afu want to eat it? If you do, come out and play with big brother..."
Chen Afu had been storing up saliva in her mouth and now furiously spat it at the man, putting her all into it.
She immediately cursed him, saying, "Pah, your mother is the one with a big chest and butt. Take this candy and feed it to her and you two can have a good play together." Although she still stuttered somewhat, her loud voice combined with its harsh tone made her sound particularly terrifying.
The man, surprised that he had been spat on and scolded, didn't expect that this 'fool' not only spat on him, but also had the ability to yell at people with such an unpleasant and loud voice. It was an absolute mismatch to her delicate appearance. Staring into her eyes, they seemed ablaze with fire.
He wiped his face and, clenching his fist, cursed back, "You fool, how dare you spit on me, I should beat you to death."
Mrs. Wang had heard the commotion from inside the house and quickly ran out, broom in hand, yelling, "You shameless leper, just wait till I beat you to death."
Seeing Mrs. Wang wielding her broom and attracting the attention of passersby, the man panicked and ran off.
Mrs. Wang dropped her broom and quickly grabbed Chen Afu asking, "That bastard didn't touch you, did he?"
"No." Chen Afu replied. To reassure Mrs. Wang, she added, "I spat on him and cursed him."
Mrs. Wang sighed and said, "Afu, you should stay inside."
Chen Afu didn't want to go back into the small room. Not only was the air in the courtyard fresher, making it better for her to move around, but the sunny space also provided vital vitamin D essential for her recovery. She shook her head and said, "I won't go back. Mother, don't worry. I'm not foolish anymore. I won't be fooled by anyone."
Mrs. Wang was overjoyed at heard this and chucked, "Yes, our Afu's illness has healed."
Chen Ming, who'd finished eating, came out to say, "Mom, if Afu wants to stay out in the courtyard for fresh air, let her. I'll stay with her."
He sat under the eaves weaving straw shoes. Mrs. Wang took the dirty clothes to the river to wash. After she finished, she would hurry back to embroider.
After weaving for a while, Chen Ming had to stop to cough. Last night, his coughing would occasionally interrupt the silence of the night, sometimes unabated for 15 full minutes.
This should be tuberculosis, which could be easily cured by qualified medics nowadays. However in the ancient times, it was a serious disease without a proper cure and required intense rest, nutritious meals and physical exercise. A lack of any one of these, meant death.
Life had been harsh on their father. Chen Afu was unwilling to let him succumb to the illness. She remembered how Lin Daiyu suffered from the same disease and was told that consuming bird's nest congee was beneficial for it.
She also remembered reading an internet story about Li Shizhen who was unable to cure a woman with tuberculosis. The woman was thought to have committed suicide by jumping into the sea, but was saved by a fisherman who fed her eels every day. The woman got better, married the fisherman and they had children.
Although the story was somewhat exaggerated, modern medicine also proved that eels could boost the immune system, improve yin deficiency, and have a significant assistive treatment effect on tuberculosis.
However, their family was so poor, how could they afford bird's nest, eels and other nutrition supplements?
Then there was Alu. According to Dabao, Alu injured his leg three years ago when he was picking bird eggs from a tree and fell. At that time, the family didn't think it was serious, Chen Ming's illness was more critical, and Dabao was too young, so they didn't pay much attention to Alu. They thought he would get better after resting. But they ended up missing the best treatment time and Alu became permanently disabled. Mrs. Wang cried a lot and Mrs. Chen scolded her harshly, projecting even more dislike towards Chen Afu and Chen Dabao.
As she thought about her thoughtful younger brother, Chen Afu's heart ached for him.
I must accelerate my recovery and earn more money. Only with money can this home have hope.
As Chen Afu was mulling over ways to make money, she walked around, stretching her legs and arms. She moved to the backyard, which was even smaller than the front yard and contained only a chicken coop and a thatch house.
This house is too small, we must expand the yard and build more rooms. She moved back to the front yard, hearing a chicken clucking continuously at the entrance.
Chen Ming said, "That's our hen, it's about to lay an egg. Open the door and let it in."
Chen Afu opened the door and indeed, the chicken rushed in frantically first into the yard then towards the backyard. Shortly after, there was a series of clucks from the backyard and Chen Afu found an egg in the chicken coop.
She chuckled, her eyes narrowed with joy, and said to Chen Ming, "Dad, chickens are so clever." After saying this, she felt like a fool and cursed herself softly.
Chen Ming chuckled and said, "Even animals have their smarts."
Chen Alu and Chen Dabao only returned home carrying firewood at noon.
After lunch, everyone except Mrs. Wang retreated to the bed for a midday nap.
When Chen Afu woke up, Chen Dabao was already gone. She was performing oral exercises while laying on the bed when she heard footsteps in the courtyard.
Chen Ming's voice followed, "Mother's here."
An old woman's voice, "My boy, look at you, tired just from recovering a little. Your wife is earning quite a sum, why do you need to work so hard?"
Chen Ming laughed and said, "I'd rather be active than idle. These aren't strenuous tasks and they do earn us some money."
Mrs. Chen said unpleased, "Raising a burden, only to brace a wild..."
"Mother," Chen Ming quickly interrupted Mrs. Chen's words, whispering unhappily, "Mother, please mind your words, my wife is a good woman, Afu... she's just unfortunate. Please don't say these hurtful words anymore, I don't like hearing them."
Mrs. Chen said, "I only mentioned it because your wife, Alu and Dabao went out, and that fool wouldn't understand. I didn't mean it out of malice, I just feel sorry for you and Alu. If we didn't have these freeloaders, you could eat better, and Alu wouldn't have to delay his treatment..."
Then came some whispers. Chen Afu only caught a couple of sentences, something about 'your wife taking the previous one's side.' Chen Ming tried to stop her from continuing, but he became so agitated that he started to cough. Only then did the old lady shut up. She added, "Don't worry, my boy, I haven't mentioned this to anyone, not even your elder brother. We've raised her for over ten years, I have a little affection for that foolish girl. But seeing Ayuan's condition.it hurts..."
Chen Afu was fully awake now, realizing that this body held a shocking secret! If it were true, it would explain why the old lady disliked her and Chen Dabao. After all, the family was poor and it was already difficult to support their own, let alone outsiders.
Despite the fact that she had only been there for a day, she could see that Mrs. Wang was very kind to her. She was ranked second in the family, only surpassed by Chen Ming. Also, they spent money on Chen Dabao, her financial security for the rest of her life.
Chen Ming was not angry; he considered both of them as family.
This man is not only kind, but he also bears a broad mind.
............
Thank you all for your support! And thank you for Keppra's recommendation, thank you!