"Hahaha."
"Hahaha, you, you fell into the latrine last night and injured yourself like this, hahahaha, oh, it's killing me."
Qin Xiaoyu clutched her stomach and rolled on the straw mat, laughing.
When she woke up this morning, she saw many people gathered around her sister and, upon leaning in to listen, discovered it was her own fall that caused the commotion. It was too funny.
"You child, your sister is injured and you're still laughing," Mother Qin rolled up the straw mat and swatted Qin Xiaoyu's backside with it.
"Mom, don't hit me, it's just really funny," Qin Xiaoyu scrambled to her feet. "Mom, don't roll it up, aren't we supposed to rest for a day before leaving?"
"Right, I almost forgot," Mother Qin stopped what she was doing and looked at Qin Xiaoyu. "Go pull some grass to feed the rabbits. It needs to be clean, without dirt or dew. I'll go make lunch."
Qin Junyao sat beside them, listening to the conversation between Mother Qin and Qin Xiaoyu and sighing helplessly. She had planned to go up the mountain with Doctor Sheng and the others today, but now even tomorrow's journey was delayed.
Her shoulder was dislocated, her wrists and ankles sprained, and all three areas were now swollen. Her lower back was strained, but fortunately, no bones were broken.
Doctor Sheng said that if they could gather the right herbs today and proceed with acupuncture, she would be able to walk normally in three days.
"Sister Jun, why aren't you lying down?" Sheng Yining hopped over to Qin Junyao's side.
"I lay down all night and now I'm sitting up for a bit. Yuanyuan, if you find the herbs I need today, can you dig them up whole? Then I can have my father and the others identify them and help search. I don't want to trouble you all continuously."
"No need. Your third uncle just said he'd go up the mountain with us. With more people, we can gather more herbs for you, hehe," Sheng Yining giggled, looking a little embarrassed.
"Sister Jun, can you tell me how you fell and got injured like this? And where is that pit? I want to go see it."
Qin Junyao looked at Sheng Yining's round eyes and said earnestly, "Yuanyuan, it was too dark last night, and things happened too quickly. I didn't remember the location, and I don't know how I fell."
Sheng Yining tilted her head and blinked her eyes, nodding. "Yes, when I fall, I also forget how I fell. Maybe if I go look today and see the place, I can figure out how you got injured?"
"Sister Jun, let me continue to tell you..."
Qin Junyao listened attentively as Sheng Yining recounted gossip about influential figures in Qing country, but her mind was filled with gratitude for Doctor Sheng.
Last night, Doctor Sheng had seen the handprint on Qin Junyao's wrist. He hadn't revealed it, and now even his own granddaughter didn't know the reason for her injury. Doctor Sheng was truly a doctor with great medical ethics.
Qin Junyao did not want others to know what had happened last night.
Firstly, for an unmarried woman to be in the woods with an adult man in the middle of the night was a matter of severe disgrace in Qing country.
Secondly, Qin Junyao did not want any association with Zhao Liangcai. After last night's events, she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
Zhao Liangcai, whom Qin Junyao wished to avoid, was at his own spot, plucking feathers from a chicken and contemplating how to reasonably present the processed wild chicken to Miss Qin.
Although last night was a misunderstanding, he was the one who had injured her. He didn't know how serious the injury was.
"Cousin, I have something to discuss with you," Qian Duo stopped beside Zhao Liangcai.
She seemed unaffected by the fishy smell of hot water scalding chicken feathers, still with a smile on her face, unlike Zhao Rui who had already found a spot as far away as possible.
"Speak," Zhao Liangcai replied without looking up, continuing to painstakingly pluck the fine hairs from the chicken's neck with his large hands.
"I ate two meals at the Qin family's yesterday. I want to express my gratitude. Cousin, could you let me have this chicken?"
Zhao Liangcai mulled over Qian Duo's words and refused, "No, this is my breakfast."
Upon hearing this, Qian Duo's mood visibly improved. "Cousin, Doctor Mo is also getting old. Traveling on mountain roads and not eating well might be too much for him. We don't have any major conflicts with the Qin family. After a few more interactions, things will be better. It's good to get along in the future."
"What do you think, cousin?"
Zhao Liangcai looked up at the smiling Qian Duo, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, he rinsed the wild chicken in his hand with clear water, grabbed some grass, rolled it up to make a straw rope, tied it around the chicken's neck, and handed it to Qian Duo.
Qian Duo's smile widened. She took it with her hand, said "Thank you, cousin," and then, holding the chicken in one hand and the hem of her skirt in the other, walked towards the Qin family's direction.
Zhao Liangcai twirled a chicken feather in his hand, wondering where Qian Duo had learned that he couldn't sleep and even had headaches.
Did that Doctor Mo simply obey Qian Duo's every word because she saved him?
And what about Qian Duo saying she knew a prescription and Doctor Mo's unique needling techniques...
"Boss, it's a mother bear with a half-grown cub. Should we engage?" Deng Zui's leg returned, interrupting Zhao Liangcai's thoughts.
When the boss returned last night, he said he had dealt with a half-grown bear cub and that there should be a larger one nearby. This morning, they had gone searching and indeed found one.
"Where?"
"They are heading towards the deep mountains. We can catch up if we go now," Deng Zui spoke rapidly, afraid they would miss their chance if they delayed further.
"If they get away, we won't pursue. Let the mother and cub go."
"The people in front are not leaving today. Send a few people to follow them. The rest of you go into the mountains to look for large prey," Zhao Liangcai said, standing up after washing his hands.
He wondered if Qian Duo had given the wild chicken away.
She had.
Upon arriving at the Qin family's, Qian Duo first went to find Qin Junyao. Seeing her wrist so swollen and shiny, she presented the wild chicken as a gift of sympathy.
Qin Junyao also remembered her grandmother Qin's words and accepted it generously when Qian Duo offered it.
"Sister Qin, this kind of sprain can be minor or major. Some never fully heal and ache on cloudy or rainy days," Qian Duo examined Qin Junyao's shiny wrist carefully, as if she could read something from it.
"Mmm," Qin Junyao agreed, indicating she understood.
"Sister Qin, do you know about Doctor Mo? Doctor Mo is also very skilled in treating sprains and fractures."
"Oh."
"Heh heh, Sister Qin, have you had breakfast yet?"
Qin Junyao nodded, indicating she had. This time, she didn't even want to reply.
"Sister Qin..."
"What's this, calling our Yao Yao 'qing mei mei' (beloved sister)? We don't allow 'mo jing' (lesbian relationship) in our family!" Grandmother Qin, having been informed by Qin Xiaoyu, rushed back with Qin Xiaoyu.
She looked at Qin Junyao, whose face was blank with incomprehension, and Qian Duo, whose expression changed drastically. She became intrigued.
"What are you doing here? Oh, and there's a chicken. What kind of meal do you want today?" Grandmother Qin's words, once spoken, were bound to provoke anger.
"Grandmother Qin, I only want to befriend Miss Qin. How can you insult me like this?" Qian Duo stood up from Qin Junyao's side, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, clearly genuinely angered.
"Insult? Are you talking about 'mo jing' or begging for food?"
"Let me tell you, you can go back and tell your aunt and cousin to stop hanging around us. The more you hang around, the more you'll get beaten," Grandmother Qin warned with a stern expression, not joking at all.
Qian Duo suddenly felt a sense of pressure from this old woman. Gritting her teeth, she turned and left.
Seeing the person leave, Grandmother Qin squatted down, grabbed the wild chicken by its neck, lifted it, and said in a low voice, "Whether it's a domestic chicken or a wild one, once the feathers are plucked, they look the same."
"No matter how beautiful the feathers are, an old woman knows the skin is covered in bumps."
Qin Xiaoyu and Qin Junyao watched Grandmother Qin walk away with the chicken, then exchanged bewildered glances.
"Sister, what is 'mo jing'?" Qin Xiaoyu didn't understand what Grandma meant.
Qin Junyao pondered for a moment. "Magic mirror, it should be a mirror with magical powers, for example, it knows who is the most beautiful person in the world."