They did indeed come back quickly, with Zhang Minghua buying a box of cloth strips and two pieces of the best straw paper.
Shen Yiguang bought her a pair of apricot-colored cotton trousers, a khaki windbreaker, and a packet of brown sugar. "The older sister at the counter said that drinking brown sugar is effective for stomach aches."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Minghua secretly nodded in agreement.
Yang Peimin needed to change her trousers, which, with one hand injured, was quite a challenge. Zhang Minghua offered to help, but Yang Peimin uncomfortably declined.
"You stubborn girl! How can you manage with just one hand? What's there to fuss about between mother and daughter? If you harm your wounded hand again, you'll suffer more. Are you fooling around with this weather? Catching a cold will just cause more trouble," Zhang Minghua scolded.
Yang Peimin shrank her neck but still said, "You go out; I'll do it myself. If I really can't, then I'll call you."
Zhang Minghua, out of options, faced flushed with irritation.
Standing outside the door, Shen Yiguang, upon hearing the mother-daughter dialogue, approached the doorway and cast a serious glance at Yang Peimin before saying to Zhang Minghua, "Auntie, let her be. She's grown up; doesn't she know her own business? Peimin, just wait a bit. I'll go borrow a stove first, and then you can change."
Zhang Minghua's expression finally softened, and she nodded with a smile.
When she turned to look at Yang Peimin, her face was still smiling, "Look at what a nice young man he is. What do you think? Attentive, reliable, and perceptive. Where would you find another like him?"
Yang Peimin lifted her eyelids to glance at her mother and made an acknowledging sound, but she didn't feel like talking at the moment. She knew that today, her mother had been completely won over by Shen Yiguang's series of actions.
"Why aren't you talking now? Does your stomach still hurt?"
While speaking, Shen Yiguang brought two stoves up.
Afterward, Yang Peimin changed her trousers alone in the room. By the time she had managed it, half an hour had passed.
She felt as if she had finally come back to life.
Later, she went to the county's health clinic to get a tetanus shot and observed for a while in the hospital. By the time she came out, it was already dark. She guessed it was around seven in the evening.
Her stomach was already growling with hunger.
Shen Yiguang took them to the National Restaurant for dinner.
Zhang Minghua still had some objections, "Why should we go to such a fancy restaurant? It must be expensive. Just buying a few buns to tide us over would be fine; there's no need to spend too much."
Shen Yiguang laughed and said, "Auntie, please just let me offer this gesture of goodwill. Don't be polite. Peimin also needs to replenish her nutrients. The pork bone soup in this restaurant is excellent. You must try it."
When it came to her daughter, Zhang Minghua did not refuse. This daughter, who had faced so many troubles, had fallen into the river not many days ago and now had injured her hand—all her previous nourishment was for naught.
During the few days Yang Peimin had been here, she had only eaten a few slices of meat at Cousin Qin's house; the rest were eggs and wheat flour. Now that there was a variety of dishes to choose from, a smile also appeared involuntarily on her face.
Shen Yiguang glanced at her, the corners of his mouth curving up, and passed the menu to her, "Take a look, what would you like to eat?"
She shook her head, "You guys choose. I'm fine with anything." She was somewhat embarrassed; not only did he help out, but he was also treating them to dinner, even if the purpose of the invitation was not entirely pure.
Zhang Minghua also declined.
Shen Yiguang had no choice but to order a few dishes himself, a pot of bone soup, braised pig's trotters, stir-fried pork slices with winter bamboo shoots, and steamed fish. He only stopped when Zhang Minghua repeatedly exclaimed that it was enough.
Yang PeiMin still wanted to add a plate of vegetables. Zhang Minghua glared at her and said, "How can you eat that much? Don't we eat vegetables three times a day at home? Aren't you tired of it?"
Yang PeiMin stuck out her tongue. How could that be the same? At home, it's cabbage every single meal, isn't it? And without any meat or willingly added oil, her appetite was hardly there.
Shen Yiguang watched this with amusement and then ordered a dish of cabbage. That's all the restaurant had at the moment, just vegetables like cabbage and radish, so there wasn't much to pick from. However, it had more oil than what they had at home, which made Zhang Minghua glare at her extravagant daughter even more.
Fortunately, it was her left hand that was injured, so she was still able to use chopsticks. But Zhang Minghua and Shen Yiguang coddled her like she was disabled, continuously serving her food.
"This fish belly doesn't have any bones."
"The pig's trotters are tender too, give it a try."
Yang PeiMin stole a glance at him. This guy really had a thick face. Shen Yiguang sat there relaxed, with an air of ease about him. He was very observant and seemed right at home. He wasn't at all obsequious when trying to please others.
She felt somewhat frustrated. Such a scheming man!
To outsiders, they looked like a loving couple out with the mother-in-law.
They all ate quickly. Zhang Minghua, anxious about the family back home and knowing they would be worried not knowing what had happened here, had a concerned look on her face.
Shen Yiguang could take a hint and decided not to buy the nutritional supplements he had wanted to get for Yang PeiMin when he saw Zhang Minghua's expression.
After the meal, Shen Yiguang drove them back to Xiahe Village.
"Be careful with your hand, Pei Min; don't get it wet. Take the brown sugar to make a drink before you sleep. It's too late today; I'll come over again tomorrow," Shen Yiguang instructed Yang PeiMin. He nodded to Zhang Minghua and said, "Auntie, I'm heading out then."
Zhang Minghua returned the gesture with a smile.
When they got home, sure enough, the family was all sitting on the kang in the main house, waiting for them.
"Ni Minmin, you're back! How did it go?" Yang Peiguo hurried to the door to greet them. His eyes fell on Yang PeiMin's bandaged hand, and he was taken aback. "How did it get so serious?"
Zhang Minghua sighed and didn't explain what had happened until after she sat down. "The injection's been done, and she's been given medicine. It's not a huge problem. We also owe a lot to that Shen kid for putting her hand back in place right away, so she didn't suffer too much. It happened while playing around with that Sun family child who thoughtlessly pushed her and caused all this trouble."
"You too, big sister. How could you let a little brat push you over at your age, isn't that embarrassing?" Yang Peijun added insult to injury.
Yang PeiMin rolled her eyes at him. On the matter of saving face, she retorted, "How could I, kind-hearted and simple-minded as I am, ever expect him to push me? Besides, I was cautious enough not to follow him to that pile of straw, otherwise, I would have..."
"Would have what?" Yang Peiguo and Yang Peihua, along with their siblings, all looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.
Yang PeiMin swallowed, the imagery returning to her mind, and she hastily cut off her words, "No 'would have' anything."
It was Zhang Minghua who spoke up, "That Sun family kid had set up a hidden pit under the straw, and filled it with manure. How could a kid be so wicked? Later on, I'll have to have a good talk with my brother-in-law's wife."
"Ha ha ha..." Yang Peijun laughed, leading the others...