Su Xiaoqi rested for a while, then got up to make some rice porridge in the kitchen and brought it to Zhao Shi.
Zhao Shi was speaking gently to Shen Xiaomei.
When she saw Su Xiaoqi enter, her expression stiffened, and she turned her face away, pretending not to see her.
The smile on Su Xiaoqi's face faded. She quickly understood.
No one could remain calm after seeing their son's wife cuckold him.
However, Shen Xiaomei came forward with concern to support her.
She asked if Su Xiaoqi had been injured, as she had been carried back by her elder brother.
Su Xiaoqi shook her head, saying she was fine. She adjusted her emotions and said gently to Zhao Shi:
"Mother-in-law, let me check your wound."
Zhao Shi hesitated. Shen Xiaomei next to her quickly persuaded:
"Mother, let Elder Sister-in-law have a look. You were unconscious these past few days and didn't know, but Elder Sister-in-law handled your wound.
Her medical skills are excellent. She even stayed up with you all night the night before last."
Shen Xiaomei's words were full of gratitude towards Su Xiaoqi.
Shen Yun had already told Zhao Shi about these matters and had spoken to her in advance.
As long as she cured Er Dan's muteness, they would divorce. What was the use of marrying a woman whose heart and mind were not in the Zhao family, no matter how good her background?
Su Xiaoqi leaned over, removed the gauze, and looked at the wound. "The wound has healed well. There's no need for medicine. You've just lost a lot of blood, so you need to eat something nutritious."
Even so, in this famine year, it was difficult to even fill their stomachs. Where would they find nutritious food?
Shen Xiaomei sighed. Someone outside the courtyard called Shen Yun's name.
She hurried out. It was Zhao Liushun, her maternal uncle, who had returned from the county.
He brought them wheat that he had exchanged for copying books.
Su Xiaoqi looked out through the mud-plastered window. After the man outside handed over the items, he limped away.
She couldn't help but ask, "Your uncle's leg?"
"He fell when he was young." Shen Xiaomei fiddled with the wheat, saying she needed to hurry to the village mill before it got dark to grind it, or they wouldn't have anything to eat tomorrow.
Su Xiaoqi didn't want to face Zhao Shi awkwardly and offered to go with her.
The mill was at the end of the village, on the way to Yuanbao Mountain.
At this time, there weren't many people queuing to grind grain. Since the disaster, everyone's life had been difficult.
As Su Xiaoqi entered, the few people who had been chatting animatedly suddenly stopped.
They greeted Shen Xiaomei but didn't even glance at Su Xiaoqi.
However, one person was an exception: Zhao Hai'e, the village chief's daughter.
She saw Su Xiaoqi at a glance and stared at her intently. Her eyes darted towards a disheveled person:
"Hey, Second Uncle, look how different people who have scholars in their families are.
They can still afford to buy wheat at this time, unlike your household that has been eating sweet potatoes for a month."
Zhao Baoyi, being singled out by his niece, quickly chimed in:
"Stop talking. If this water doesn't recede soon, we'll even run out of sweet potatoes."
As he spoke, he saw Zhao Hai'e wink at him and understood:
"Hey, Shen Xiaomei, your household has fewer people, and you've married a young lady from the county. Share some with us."
Zhao Baoyi said this as he reached out to snatch Shen Xiaomei's cloth bag.
Shen Xiaomei, who was accustomed to being robbed by Qian Shi, was startled like a quail at the sight of the other person reaching out, not daring to move. Only tears welled up in her eyes.
"Hey, what do you mean?" Su Xiaoqi saw this, her eyes blazing.
In broad daylight, a grown man dared to rob her. Even bandits wouldn't be so audacious.
"Heh heh, your Su family is so rich, what's wrong with sharing some wheat with us to grind some flour?" Zhao Baoyi, seeing that he had already succeeded, acted as if it were natural.
Su Xiaoqi looked at him incredulously. She had seen shameless people before, but never one so utterly shameless.
She stepped forward and snatched the bag back from him.
This action startled Shen Xiaomei, who quickly came to pull her back.
She quietly told her that this was Liu Cuixiang's husband.
He was also the village chief's younger brother, and she shouldn't provoke him.
Zhao Baoyi, hearing this, straightened his back even more and shamelessly reached out to snatch again.
In the struggle, Zhao Baoyi's hand accidentally touched Su Xiaoqi, causing her to feel disgusted. She couldn't help but curse:
"Damn it, what kind of pot goes with what lid. You're all birds of a feather."
At the slightest disagreement, the other party became furious and raised the basket in his hand to smash at Su Xiaoqi.
She hadn't expected him to be so low-class and suddenly resort to violence, but she reacted quickly, twisting her body to dodge.
Zhao Baoyi, missing her, became even more enraged and picked up the basket to throw it at her again.
Su Xiaoqi nimbly dodged it. After several misses, the onlookers pointed at Zhao Baoyi.
They said that he, a grown man, was picking on a woman, and what's more, he missed every time.
They also said that he was relying on his brother being the village chief and acting with impunity in the village...
Before they could say much, Zhao Baoyi directly turned his attention to them.
He menacingly threatened to rob all their grain if they continued to speak, letting them starve to death.
Su Xiaoqi didn't expect this person to be so unreasonable.
Just as she was about to give him a good blow to escape, she saw him suddenly turn and smash at Shen Xiaomei.
"Be careful..." Su Xiaoqi thought of Shen Xiaomei's frail body and threw herself forward to protect her.
As a result, her waist was hit squarely, and the pain felt like it was about to break.