Chapter 110: 110. Chapter 110: Early Warning

110. Chapter 110: Early Warning

Jiang Xiaoxiao's past life was in a medical family—her father was a surgeon, her grandfather a renowned traditional Chinese physician, and her mother a medical doctor.

She had been immersed in medicine since childhood, and as an adult, she specialized in it to avoid exposing herself; better to tell her own mother now about studying medicine, so if she ever showed knowledge in this area, no one would suspect.

Jiang Wei slightly furrowed her brow: "You're still too young…"

"Then I'll wait until I'm older to learn…"

Just as Jiang Xiaoxiao thought her mother would refuse on account of her age, Jiang Wei waved her hand, and a towering stack of thick books appeared on the table before them.

Jiang Xiaoxiao took a close look and nearly jumped—there were the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica, even the Zhenzhou Jiayi Jing—all books related to medicine had been pulled out by her mother.

"You're still young—you might not even understand these books…" Jiang Wei mused, "Ultimately, I have no suitable beginner texts for children in my space; if I let you read these obscure, profound books, you'd probably grow bored in a few days and lose your confidence in studying medicine."

So that was the reason…

Jiang Xiaoxiao's eyes brightened, and she couldn't help smiling: "Mother, I won't. Whatever books you give me, I'll read them carefully."

"You…" Jiang Wei gently poked her nose, "Always talking nonsense. The path of medicine isn't easy—don't regret it later."

"I won't," Jiang Xiaoxiao tugged on Jiang Wei's hand, pouting, "As long as you're by my side, even the hardest things become simple."

After all, her mother was the Female Lead!

After settling on studying medicine, Jiang Xiaoxiao eagerly picked up Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and began reading.

The books her mother had brought were mostly nonexistent in this world; to avoid suspicion, she sometimes stopped halfway to ask Jiang Wei the meaning of certain passages.

Jiang Wei patiently answered each question.

In the peasant courtyard, Jiang Xiaoxiao sat beneath the eaves reading, while Jiang Wei burned lime before the kiln.

She mixed coal bought from Town with mud to form coal cakes, then stacked them layer by layer with stones inside the kiln, laid firewood underneath, and ignited it.

Lime required intense burning for a full week to produce; Jiang Wei filled the kiln with fuel, closed the door, and waited quietly.

It was now afternoon; the pale blue sky held thin strands of white clouds, their edges tinged with orange.

Chunya arrived carrying a pile of fresh green grass to feed the rabbits; as she entered the courtyard, she saw Jiang Xiaoxiao absorbed in a thick book and exclaimed in awe: "Xiaoxiao sister is so amazing!"

She had never seen such a thick book before.

No—more accurately, she had never seen anyone actually reading a book that thick.

She had previously heard Li Zheng Grandpa say that Xiaoxiao sister was learning to read with her mother; at the time, she had been intensely envious, wishing she had a mother who could read and write.

Now, seeing this, Xiaoxiao sister was even more impressive than Li Zheng Grandpa had described!

Not only could she read, but she could read such a thick book!

Villagers like her had never seen much of the world and naturally felt reverence for Reading Men, believing those who could read and write were sacred.

Previously, Chunya would rush into the courtyard to chat with Jiang Xiaoxiao; now, she dared not disturb her reading and quietly walked to the Rabbit Nest, beginning to chop the green grass with a cleaver.

Perhaps sensing Chunya's gaze burning into her, Jiang Xiaoxiao closed the thick book and set it aside, waving her over: "Chunya sister, come sit."

Chunya dropped the half-chopped grass and hurried over: "Xiaoxiao sister, what's up?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao pulled Chunya to sit beside her, then pulled two sugar corners from her waist pouch and placed them in Chunya's hands, lowering her voice: "Chunya sister, do you know how Zhao the Rascal—uh, your father—is getting along with Widow Xu?"

Chunya shook her head: "Mother told us not to ask about him anymore."

Her tone when mentioning Zhao the Rascal was cold—she didn't even call him father.

Jiang Xiaoxiao's expression relaxed—so Chunmiao and Chunya no longer recognized Zhao the Rascal as their father; that made things much easier.

She lowered her voice again: "Chunya sister, if Widow Xu marries your father and gives him a younger brother or sister, what would you do?"

"B-birth a younger brother or sister?!" Chunya's eyes widened in disbelief.

Widow Xu's pregnancy had not yet spread; no one in the village knew, so Chunya likely didn't yet know she'd soon have a new sibling.

Jiang Xiaoxiao continued: "If one day Zhao the Rascal comes to you carrying Widow Xu's child, begging your mother to forgive him, begging you to give him money to raise the child, begging you to help him work the fields—would you agree?"

"No way!" Chunya shook her head like a rattle drum, "Why should we raise someone else's child?"

"Exactly!" Jiang Xiaoxiao patted Chunya's head, laying the groundwork: "No matter how much your father begs or kneels, never forgive him, and never soften your heart to help him work the fields."

Zhao the Rascal was infamous in the village for being lazy and gluttonous; Widow Xu probably despised him for it—no matter how harsh the village gossip became, she never sought him out. But now that she carried his child, things might change…

The other day, she'd heard villagers say that since divorcing Zhao Dasao, Zhao the Rascal's life had deteriorated daily—no one washed his clothes, no one cooked his meals, no one tended his crops, and weeds had grown knee-high.

Zhao the Rascal had grown accustomed to Zhao Dasao's care; without her, he'd surely marry Widow Xu.

But Widow Xu was equally good-for-nothing—she had some looks, and in this farming village where everyone was dusty, worn, and hardened by labor, she alone stayed clean, her hands free of calluses from years of hard work; she wouldn't work the fields or serve Zhao the Rascal once she moved in.

Knowing the weaknesses of men as she did, Zhao the Rascal would inevitably go back to Zhao Dasao.

Autumn harvest was near; Zhao Dasao had received no land at all, so Zhao the Rascal would spare no effort to beg her to work for him, even using Widow Xu's fragile condition as an excuse to demand money for the child's upkeep.

Zhao Dasao was soft-hearted and likely to fall for it; Jiang Xiaoxiao needed to warn Chunya thoroughly, to make her stay alert.

As they spoke, Chunmiao rushed into the courtyard: "Chunya!"

"Sister, what's wrong?" Chunya jumped up.

Chunmiao leaned on her knees, gasping for breath: "Widow Xu moved her belongings into Father's house—and threw out everything Mother left behind!"

Jiang Xiaoxiao: "... As expected."

That morning she'd seen Widow Xu vomiting on the Mountain; by afternoon, she'd already moved into Zhao the Rascal's house—her speed was astonishing.