Mrs. Gao scolded Fifth Xie and Xie Zhan, "How could you two look after your younger sister? You're both neat and tidy, not caring for your sister and only indulging yourselves in play."
Xie Zhan did not defend himself, while Fifth Xie's arrogant head immediately drooped, feeling very regretful for his carelessness, "It's my fault for not paying attention. I'll definitely keep an eye on our sister next time."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Mother, it has nothing to do with them. It's me who couldn't stand steadily and fell."
Mrs. Xu brought some clothes over and gestured for Gu Jiu to come, "Come, let's find a private place for you to change clothes."
Then she lectured Gu Jiu, "It's fortunate that you're still young. If you were a bit older, walking back with such wet clothes would have ruined your reputation. You're a young lady now, and you can't do this in the future. Understood?"
In that era, there were many restrictions imposed on women. Gu Jiu dared to roam around only because she was still young, her chest flat against her back, and her body as straight as a board.
Gu Jiu obediently nodded, indicating that she understood.
Mrs. Xu then called out to Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun, "Elder sisters, let's find a place to shield Ninth Sister-in-law from prying eyes."
Gu Jiu had a thought. Since they were going to help shield her, why not go to the stream and take a bath as well?
"Elder sisters, would you like to take a bath? We can shield each other while bathing."
The three women looked at each other, all tempted by the idea. They had traveled for several days, and their bodies were covered in sweat and dust. Who wouldn't want to take a bath?
Gu Jiu instructed Mrs. Xu, "Second Sister-in-law, you should be careful and just wash your hands and feet."
Mrs. Xu felt a bit disappointed.
The four of them found a spot by the stream with large rocks. The three sisters-in-law surrounded the area with the rocks, allowing Gu Jiu to bathe first.
Gu Jiu's feet were soaked in the water, and the blisters and abrasions caused by her shoes had now opened up. Gu Jiu first gritted her teeth and took off her shoes, cleaning the wounds. She planned to find some anti-inflammatory herbs later to apply.
Mrs. Zhang and the others felt pained watching her. This young lady appeared so delicate, yet her feet were in such a state, and she hadn't even uttered a word of complaint, which made them feel sympathetic.
After Gu Jiu washed and changed into clean clothes, Mrs. Xu gave her a pair of shoes that Xie Erqing had not worn much.
Gu Jiu found a few dandelions nearby, crushed the leaves, and applied the juice to her wounds before putting on the shoes. She also took the opportunity to share some basic wound treatment methods with her three sisters-in-law.
The three sisters-in-law then took turns bathing themselves, thinking about their mother-in-law, Mrs. Gao, and wishing she could join them, but her frail body prevented her from bathing in cold water.
The four of them also washed their clothes by the stream. Gu Jiu watched them use stones to crush the soap nuts and scrub the clothes, sighing inwardly at the backwardness of that era. Once they were out of the woods, she would definitely introduce laundry detergent and soap.
The four of them returned to their camp feeling refreshed, where Xie Dalang had already generously contributed a few large fish for everyone.
Mrs. Gao instructed the village women to kill the fish, chop them into chunks, and cook a stew in a large pot.
In those days, people could only eat meat during holidays. On regular days, they couldn't even afford to have rice, let alone meat. Therefore, the villagers at the camp were lively and excited, as if celebrating a festival. The children had already taken their bowls and sat around, drooling in anticipation.
There were about thirty households in Huaishu Village, with over a hundred people. Even if they couldn't each get a piece of fish, they could at least have a bowl of hot fish soup to dip their buns in, which was considered a treat.
Once the fish soup was ready, Mrs. Zhang and a few village women distributed it from the large pots. Gu Jiu took Mrs. Gao's bowl to help serve her, "Elder Sister, Mother's health is frail. Fish is nutritious, so please give her a larger portion."
Mrs. Zhang then scooped three or four pieces of fish into Mrs. Gao's bowl.
Zhang Yushi, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, "Favoring their own family, while others can only have a sip of soup, her bowl is overflowing with fish."
With only eight or nine fish chopped into small pieces, there weren't enough for everyone to have a piece. So, they gave one piece each to the elderly with poor health and the growing children, while the rest had to settle for the soup.
Gu Jiu was about to leave when she heard Zhang Yushi's remark. She turned around and said, "If you want fish, just ask your family to catch some from the stream over there. Then you can have as much as you want, and we won't covet it."
Zhang Yushi glared at her sideways, "Where did this wild girl come from? No upbringing from her mother, and she talks to her elders like this?"
Gu Jiu was taken aback, having never encountered such a shrewish woman who would curse at the slightest disagreement. However, she had never been intimidated when it came to verbal confrontations. "You may have been raised by your mother, but you certainly don't seem to understand much about manners yourself."
Zhang Yushi had been domineering in the village for half her life and had never encountered a child who dared to talk back to her like this. Her brows furrowed into a sharp line as she prepared to unleash a torrent of vulgar insults.
Mrs. Zhang pushed Gu Jiu away, "Quick, take the fish soup to Mother before it gets cold."
Then she glared at Zhang Yushi, "Ninth Sister-in-law is a child of our old Xie family. Saying she has no parents in front of me is like saying I'm dead. If you have any complaints, take them up with me. Don't think about bullying my child!"
Gu Jiu's face bloomed into a bright smile, almost calling out, "Elder Sister is so formidable!"
Zhang Yushi's eyes twitched, "I'm still your aunt, and this is how you talk to me?"
Mrs. Zhang was not one to tolerate her unpleasant behavior, "Do you even know your status as an elder? Have you ever acted like one?"
She then deliberately scooped two more pieces of fish into her own mother's bowl in front of Zhang Yushi, saying, "These fish were caught by our family. Letting you have some is out of consideration for our fellow villagers. If we don't give you any, no one can say a word. Since you're complaining about getting just a piece of fish, you can just have the soup. Drink it if you want, or don't get in others' way."
Mrs. Zhang's mother was mild-tempered and disliked quarreling, so she only said a few lukewarm words to her daughter: "Speak properly to your aunt." Then she walked away with her bowl.
Zhang Yushi saw the villagers looking at her with disdain, as if telling her to either drink the soup or leave. She opened her mouth but could only close it reluctantly, carrying her half-bowl of fish soup as she left, muttering, "If it's for the whole village, then it belongs to the village. Wanting to eat and take more for their own family, they shouldn't have pretended to be generous in the first place."
Mrs. Zhang tossed the ladle in her hand back into the pot and glared furiously, "It's my family's food, and we'll give it if we want to, or not if we don't want to. If you don't want it, give it back to me!"
Zhang Yushi hurriedly protected her bowl and scurried away.
Some nosy women laughed at her, shouting for her to return the fish soup, while others remarked, "If you think it's unfair, go catch some yourself. Then you can eat as much as you want. Next time the Xie family has something good, don't eat it."
"That's right, a beggar complaining about the bread being too dark. If you have the ability, don't eat it. You're just used to it."
Zhang Yushi couldn't bear to respond to that, because she did have the ability to eat it.
Gu Jiu brought a bowl of fish and meat back to Mrs. Gao, who pointed a finger at her forehead and chided her, "You, why bother arguing with that shrewish old woman? It won't do your reputation any good to be called sharp-tongued."
However, in her heart, she felt exceptionally pleased. Her little daughter was truly kind-hearted. No wonder people said a daughter was a mother's closest cotton-padded jacket. Indeed, she was a little cotton jacket, so thoughtful and considerate, far more sensible than those unruly boys.
Gu Jiu handed her the fish soup and asked innocently, "Why do I need that reputation thing? It's not like I can't eat or drink. As long as Mother knows who I am, and our family knows who I am, that's enough. Words come from others' mouths, and they can say whatever they want, as long as it's not in front of me. If they dare curse me in front of me, I'll curse them back!"
