All the way, Su Xiaoqi kept thinking about the point she had forgotten.
But the donkey cart jolted along, her head bumping countless times, yet she still couldn't recall it.
Shen Yun gazed at her. With outsiders in the cart, he couldn't ask much, but his thoughts never ceased.
For some reason, he suddenly felt interested in knowing her secret!
Upon returning home, Su Xiaoqi shook her head as if nothing had happened. She grabbed the bundle from Shen Yun's arms, pushed open the door, and happily found Shen Xiaomei.
She took out the new clothes she had bought for her and asked, seeking praise, "How is it, do you like it?"
"Big, big sister-in-law, this, this is for me?" Shen Xiaomei was tidying up firewood, her hands covered in dust.
Seeing the new clothes, she washed her hands, rubbed them dry repeatedly, and only then dared to reach out and accept.
"Of course, these four sets of clothes are yours, and the two pairs of shoes are also yours. These four sets are for your mother, and for Erdan, and for your elder brother..."
Su Xiaoqi took them out one by one, feeling Shen Xiaomei's grateful and admiring gaze.
This feeling is truly good, Su Xiaoqi thought silently, and she would treat them even better in the future.
After the excitement, Su Xiaoqi asked Shen Xiaomei to take the clothes and the steamed buns and pastries inside to distribute to their family, while she quietly went to the kitchen to wash rice and cook.
There was leftover pig trotters soup from the morning, and stir-frying some wild vegetables would be enough.
As she busied herself alone, she heard cheerful laughter coming from Zhao Shi's room. Su Xiaoqi stoked the fire, and a smile couldn't help but curl her lips.
This smile was just seen by Shen Yun, who was holding copper coins in his hand.
"The three books I newly copied earned forty-five wen. I know it's not enough for your medicine and clothes, I'll owe you the rest."
Shen Yun had originally intended to ask her to return the clothes. The coarse cloth ones were fine, but there were also fine cotton ones, so many, they must have cost thousands of wen.
Where did she get so much money?
But seeing everyone at home so happy, even his mother smiling rarely.
Thinking about the years of hardship they had endured, and it was rare to be happy, he decided she could buy them. He would repay it, at most.
As long as someone fancied his calligraphy, he could write a few more pieces and eventually gather enough.
Su Xiaoqi threw down the firewood in her hands and glared at him unhappily, "Shen Yun, what do you mean? That medicine, those clothes, I gave them to them.
If you want to return them, you can return your four sets."
As she spoke, she snatched the copper coins from Shen Yun's hand and pushed him out.
She was so angry, Su Xiaoqi pouted stubbornly. She already treated them as family, and he was being so distant.
Shen Erdan's condition greatly improved after taking medicine for three consecutive days.
He could now make sounds and utter short words, although his voice was slightly hoarse from not speaking for a long time.
But Su Xiaoqi told them that if she added a few more medicinal herbs, he would be completely cured after one course of treatment.
This medicine didn't need to be bought from the county town; it could be found on Yuanbao Mountain.
Su Xiaoqi prepared some dry rations and went up the mountain to collect herbs with Shen Xiaomei.
The two wandered in the mountains, collecting many useful herbs, but unknowingly ventured quite deep.
Su Xiaoqi looked at the dense forest that blocked out the sun, surrounded by wild grass as tall as her waist. She couldn't help but feel a little panicked and started to overthink again.
While she tried to control it, she became more and more unable to resist, making her emotions chaotic, and ultimately attracting a black bear.
"Ah..." The two screamed in fright and took off running.
But they were no match for the black bear. They couldn't run far before they were exhausted and about to be caught.
Su Xiaoqi thought that this was all her fault and she couldn't implicate Shen Xiaomei. She called out to her to climb a tree and hide, while she lured the black bear away.
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law..." Shen Xiaomei wanted to chase after her, but Su Xiaoqi ran very fast, and soon disappeared from view.
Shen Xiaomei burst into tears, realizing her sister-in-law was in grave danger this time.