Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 633 - 589: The Right Person for the Job (2)

Chapter 633: Chapter 589: The Right Person for the Job (2)

Two days later, Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu went to Song Baoshun’s house again.

She came to check on Song Baoshun’s injured leg.

No one was watching him, and since Song Baoshun was a mischievous child, she was worried he might damage the cast.

However, the results of the check made her very satisfied; Song Baoshun hadn’t damaged the cast.

"I was very obedient and didn’t dare to move around," Song Baoshun chuckled.

"Li San Niang, don’t listen to his nonsense. He only behaves when you are here. When you’re not, he kept shouting about standing up for his aunt, and then his father slapped him. This troublesome kid! Aren’t you afraid the Zhou Family will break your other leg?" Baoshun’s mother said, sitting on the side, casting an exasperated glance at her disobedient son and shaking her head in frustration.

"Mother, that Zhou Family is too arrogant, they divorced my aunt and then blocked the road to insult people. I couldn’t stand it!" Song Baoshun gritted his teeth and said angrily.

"With your attitude, even if you can’t stand it, you need to endure!" Baoshun’s mother picked up the feather duster and waved it at Song Baoshun’s head, warning him.

Song Baoshun pouted and said nothing more.

Li Yuzhu mediated, "Song Baoshun, if you don’t obey and run around recklessly, the cast will have to be redone, and the leg bone will have to be reset, which might hurt more than that day."

Recalling the pain of setting the bone that day, Song Baoshun’s face turned pale with fright, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I won’t run around."

After leaving Song Baoshun’s house, Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu rode the mule cart back. As they neared the village entrance, Li Yuzhu saw someone wrestling and fighting.

There was a woman cursing, and a little girl shouting, "I don’t want to go."

Mu Yuanxiu said, "Yuzhu, that’s Song Baoshun’s aunt, and she’s fighting with someone."

Li Yuzhu lifted the cart curtain and looked ahead.

A robust, fifty-something-year-old woman was dragging a girl about ten years old.

The girl didn’t want to go with her and was yelling loudly.

Unfortunately, Song Chunniang was slight in stature and couldn’t pull back against the large woman to help the girl.

"Isn’t that Aunt Baoshun’s eldest daughter?" Li Yuzhu said in surprise, "Who’s trying to take her daughter? Yuanxiu, let’s go have a look."

Mu Yuanxiu drove the mule cart over and stopped by the roadside.

Li Yuzhu jumped down and walked over, "What’s happening? Aunt Baoshun?"

"Passerby, mind your own business," the old woman, who didn’t recognize Li Yuzhu, feared she had come to help.

"Grandma, I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to go back!" Song Chunniang’s eldest daughter cried, prying at the hands pulling her.

Li Yuzhu suddenly realized the old woman was Song Chunniang’s mother-in-law, Old Mrs. Zhou.

Old Mrs. Zhou had a strong grip, and neither Song Chunniang nor her daughter could pry her fingers off together.

"You ate Zhou Family’s food for eleven years, yet you refuse to look after the children at home? Bah! Indeed a thankless creature, worthless little brat!" Old Mrs. Zhou cursed loudly.

Song Chunniang said, "Mother, last time Mrs. Huang burned half of Pandi’s hair with fire. She’s afraid to go back."

"Who told her to mix water too hot? She was too stupid, can’t even be taught a lesson?" Old Mrs. Zhou cursed, "Get back there and take care of your brother!"

Li Yuzhu understood now; Old Mrs. Zhou wanted to take Song Chunniang’s eldest daughter back to the Zhou Family to watch the children.

Even though she’d been divorced and the mother and daughters were chased back to her natal home, the in-laws still came to take the child, which was truly excessive.

Li Yuzhu’s eyes flashed, and she turned around, loudly saying toward one direction, "Song Lizheng, where are you going?"

Upon hearing the name Song Lizheng, Old Mrs. Zhou’s face changed immediately.

She quickly released Zhou Pandi, turned around, and ran away.

The tall woman ran faster than a rabbit and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Song Chunniang and Zhou Pandi both looked in the direction Li Yuzhu had shouted.

But, where was Song Lizheng?

There wasn’t a soul in sight.

"Didn’t see Uncle Li Zheng?" Song Chunniang’s eldest daughter, Zhou Pandi, asked in confusion.

Song Chunniang blinked in bewilderment, too.

Li Yuzhu chuckled, "I called out on purpose."

Zhou Pandi let out an "Oh."

Song Chunniang came over, repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

Li Yuzhu looked at them, "What happened with you two?" She pretended not to know, asking.

Song Chunniang hesitated, looking like she didn’t want to speak, lowering her head and sighing.

Zhou Pandi, however, began to speak indignantly, "My father married another woman, and she gave birth to a son. My grandma said there’s no one to look after the child and told me to go back, but I don’t want to. Mrs. Huang has a bad temper. A few days ago, when my mom and I were still at home, Mrs. Huang asked me to fetch foot-washing water for her. I didn’t mix enough cold water, and she said it burnt her feet, then she splashed an oil lamp over my head, burning half of my hair."

Zhou Pandi pulled off the scarf covering her hair, revealing her head, which was mottled from the burn.

Her hair was only an inch long, one side severely burned and the other side cut short.

Li Yuzhu looked at this and was startled. Her hair was on fire; how terrified must this little girl have been at that time?

No wonder she wouldn’t go back even if it killed her.

"You offended your grandma today, next time you see her, take a detour." Song Chunniang took the headscarf from Zhou Pandi’s hands and covered her daughter’s head with it.

Once the unsightly hair was covered, Zhou Pandi once again looked like a delicate little girl.

"Mother is just so weak, always speaking so humbly to Grandma, causing my cousin to get his leg broken by Dad." Zhou Pandi looked at her mother angrily, "Even if I take a detour, I can avoid it once but not forever. Grandma’s house and Uncle’s house are in two different villages, but they’re not far apart. As soon as I go out, I might run into people from Grandma’s house."

"When Mother earns more money, I’ll take you three sisters away from here, but for now, you’ll have to endure it," Song Chunniang coaxed her daughter.

"Is earning money that easy?" Zhou Pandi said angrily.

Song Chunniang was left speechless by the question.

"Money is hard to earn, but you can earn it little by little." Li Yuzhu comforted them, as she noticed something upon looking at them again: both mother and daughter carried baskets on their backs, "Right, you’re carrying baskets; where are you heading?"

"Spring has started, and there are more herbs on the mountains now. We want to go to the mountains to gather herbs." Zhou Pandi said with a smile.

Being a fellow herb gatherer, Li Yuzhu was familiar with the current market trend for herbs.

She mentioned a few high-priced medicinal herbs currently in demand and told Chunniang and her daughter.

Song Chunniang was very grateful, "That’s great, thank you very much, Li San Niang."

Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu returned to the Li Family.

Just as they stepped off the mule cart, Li Yuzhu saw Uncle Gui hurriedly coming out of the house.

He looked at Li Yuzhu and slapped his thigh, saying, "Li San Niang, you’re finally back. Quickly go see Nanny Jiang."

Li Yuzhu was taken aback, "What happened to Nanny Jiang?"

"She twisted her back fetching water and has been lying in bed crying in pain ever since," Uncle Gui shook his head, "At sixty-something, she still thinks she’s only thirty."

Mu Yuanxiu frowned and said, "Yuzhu, you go and check on her, I’ll park the cart."

"Alright." Li Yuzhu quickly walked to a room behind the kitchen.

This was an additional room, specially built for Nanny Jiang.

In the past, when the Li Family had fewer rooms, Nanny Jiang slept in the side room of Chai E Ying’s courtyard while looking after two children.

Considering her tasks to cook and take care of the children were burdensome, Princess Consort Luling took the two children to live with her.

Nanny Jiang only needed to handle the cooking.

She found it tiring to walk back and forth and wanted to have a bed in the kitchen.

Although the kitchen was spacious, it wasn’t suitable for a bed.

Li Xingmao, with two temporary workers, chopped bamboo to build a bamboo hut.

When Nanny Jiang wasn’t busy, she could return to the bamboo hut to rest at any time from the kitchen.

Li Yuzhu walked into the bamboo hut behind the kitchen, where Princess Consort Luling and Chai Eying, holding a child, were also present.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Li Yuzhu approaching.

Princess Consort Luling stepped down from the bedside and said to Li Yuzhu, "Yuzhu, you’re finally back. Quickly, come check on Nanny Jiang."

"It’s nothing serious, not too severe; Mrs. Li, you needn’t worry," Nanny Jiang smiled and waved at Princess Consort Luling.

"You’re at such an old age, how can I not worry?" Princess Consort Luling sighed and shook her head.

Li Yuzhu walked over, lifted Nanny Jiang’s clothing, and began examining her.

"It’s alright, just a muscle twist, no bone injury. Apply this medicinal ointment externally and rest in bed for a few days, it will be fine." Li Yuzhu took out an ointment paste from her backpack and applied it to Nanny Jiang’s waist.

Chai Eying sighed in relief, patting her chest, "It scared me; I was afraid Nanny had twisted her bones."

"We can’t be too careless. This time it’s a muscle twist; what about the next? Nanny Jiang isn’t young anymore and shouldn’t overstrain herself," Princess Consort Luling shook her head, "I’ll go around the village to see if anyone has suitable relatives. We should immediately find someone to come and work, so Nanny can rest in the future and not worry about it."

The Li Family has been looking for someone to replace Nanny, but a whole spring has passed without finding anyone.

The person replacing Nanny Jiang has to live with the Li Family, but there are no suitable candidates in the village, so Princess Consort Luling has extended her inquiries to other villages. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Nanny Jiang looked apologetic, "I’m old and useless."

Princess Consort Luling said, "Nanny, you’ve worked hard all your life, and it’s time you took a break. From now on, you don’t need to worry about anything in this household, just focus on getting better."

Chai Eying also said, "I’ve finished my confinement, and I can handle the household matters too. Nanny, just rest."

Li Yuzhu thought of someone and said, "Mother, Sister-in-law, I do have someone in mind to replace Nanny Jiang. What do you both think?"

Princess Consort Luling immediately asked, "Oh, who is it?"

Chai Eying also said, "Anyone you choose is surely good. Tell us quickly, Third Sister."

Li Yuzhu said, "It’s Aunt Bao Shun from our private school. She was recently dismissed by her husband, and she’s living with her brother and sister-in-law, with no means of livelihood, constantly scolded by her sister-in-law."