Since that night when they dealt with Li Xiangyun, Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an had enjoyed a few peaceful days. One evening, Jiang Ning suddenly remembered Liu Ming'an mentioning that Lingshan Town held a market every fifth day. Counting the days, she realized it was tomorrow.
"Is tomorrow the fifteenth, market day?" Jiang Ning asked Liu Ming'an for confirmation while feeding the rabbits.
"Yes," Liu Ming'an replied, squatting beside the rabbit cage and poking a rabbit's ear with a straw. He continued, "I'm going to town tomorrow. First, I'll sell the rabbits, then the calligraphy and paintings. After that, I'll buy some rice, flour, and oil, and get you some interesting books. I won't be back for lunch, so don't wait for me to eat."
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, turned to look at him, and asked, "You're not planning to take me along?"
Liu Ming'an was taken aback; he had assumed Jiang Ning wouldn't want to go.
"I want to go with you," Jiang Ning stated firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Liu Ming'an recalled what Jiang Ning had told him on the first day her injuries had healed and asked, "Didn't you say you didn't want others to know about your quick-healing ability?"
Jiang Ning was momentarily speechless, having forgotten about that. In the villagers' eyes, she should still be a disabled person with severed limbs and a disfigured face. Recovering so quickly was indeed unusual.
But she couldn't avoid seeing people forever; this situation needed to be resolved somehow.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ning asked Liu Ming'an, "That person you invited to examine me and prescribe medicine, was he a renowned doctor?"
Liu Ming'an chuckled, "How could that be possible? I can't afford a famous doctor."
Seeing Jiang Ning deep in thought, Liu Ming'an patiently explained, "Uncle Sun is a barefoot doctor in this area. His medical skills have been passed down for generations. Most of the time, he just treats minor ailments like headaches, colds, and minor injuries. For more serious conditions, he's not much help. You'd need to go to town or even the county for those."
Jiang Ning nodded and succinctly summarized, "So, he's a quack."
"Well, actually..." Liu Ming'an wanted to defend the elder, but Jiang Ning continued, "Actually, my injuries were just flesh wounds. The bones weren't damaged at all. He's not skilled enough and misdiagnosed me. As for flesh wounds, isn't it normal to be able to walk around after ten days or so?"
Jiang Ning finished speaking and quietly looked at Liu Ming'an, her deep gray eyes reflecting his slightly surprised face.
Indeed, attributing everything to a "misdiagnosis" would work well. After all, no one would believe that severed limbs could heal in just ten days.
Liu Ming'an was shocked by Jiang Ning's intelligence and quick thinking.
But soon, Liu Ming'an thought of another issue: "What about your face? Everyone saw that it was disfigured. That kind of injury shouldn't heal so quickly, and there's not even a scar left."
"That's simple. I'll just cover my face," Jiang Ning said nonchalantly. "If anyone asks, I'll say I'm too ugly after being disfigured and don't want to scare people."
Liu Ming'an looked at the flower-like face before him, thinking that if he were to lie and call it "ugly," he might be struck by lightning for such dishonesty.
After a moment of silence, Liu Ming'an simply said, "Alright then, it's settled. You'll come with me to town early tomorrow morning."
The next day, Jiang Ning wasn't awakened by the rooster's crow, but by Liu Ming'an shaking her. Looking out the window, she saw the sky was still a dark blue-black color, estimating it to be around four in the morning.
"Does it take a long time to get to town?" she asked.
Liu Ming'an answered while quickly helping her comb her hair, "It takes about two hours to walk there."
Jiang Ning understood. Once her hair was done, she said, "I'll go make breakfast, you pack the things," and headed straight for the kitchen.
Anticipating the market trip, Jiang Ning had deliberately saved some cold rice the night before. In the kitchen, she lit the fire and added a spoonful of lard to the wok. Once the oil was hot, she cracked two eggs on the edge of the wok, letting the egg liquid slide in. After the eggs set slightly, she scrambled them with a spatula, then added the cold rice and stir-fried everything together. When the eggs and rice grains were evenly mixed, she sprinkled in some salt, and finally added a handful of chopped green onions. A fragrant wok of egg fried rice was ready.
Jiang Ning brought out two large bowls of egg fried rice and found that Liu Ming'an had packed a bunch of things. Writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were in one bundle, while the paintings and calligraphy he had created over the past few days were in another.
"All packed?" Jiang Ning asked.
Liu Ming'an was tying some scroll paintings together with a thin string and casually replied, "Almost done."
Soon after, Liu Ming'an finished his task and sat down at the table. Jiang Ning handed him a pair of chopsticks, saying, "Eat quickly, let's try to leave early and return early."
Liu Ming'an nodded and began eating his breakfast.
Jiang Ning had always been a good cook. The bowl of egg fried rice was aromatic, with snow-white rice, golden yellow eggs, and bright green onions complementing each other beautifully. The presentation was excellent, with each grain of rice distinct yet coated with egg and infused with the savory aroma of lard. One bite left a lingering fragrance in the mouth, greatly stimulating the appetite.
Liu Ming'an finished eating in just a few minutes, leaving his bowl completely clean without a single grain of rice left. Seeing that Jiang Ning still had about half a bowl left, he put down his chopsticks first and went outside to tie some straw ropes to the rabbit cages for easy carrying.
By the time Jiang Ning finished eating, Liu Ming'an had washed the dishes in the kitchen. When he came out, he saw that Jiang Ning had already shouldered the two bundles.
"Jiang Ning, let me carry those. I can manage," Liu Ming'an said as he approached her, reaching out to take the bundles from her shoulders.
"You take the rabbits, and stop fussing," Jiang Ning said, stepping aside to avoid his hand and walking towards the door.
Liu Ming'an watched Jiang Ning's retreating figure, smiling helplessly. He then picked up the cages, closed the door behind him, and led Jiang Ning towards the village path.
The sky was still a grayish-blue, with a thin layer of mist hanging in the air. After stepping outside, Jiang Ning put on the face covering she had prepared earlier, concealing the lower half of her face completely.
As they walked side by side, they hadn't gone far when they heard the sound of a cow mooing behind them.
Before turning around, Liu Ming'an already knew who it was. He turned with a smile and said, "Good morning, Third Great-Uncle and Third Great-Aunt!"
Third Great-Uncle was driving an ox cart loaded with firewood, with a small space left on the front board where Third Great-Aunt sat. Hearing the greeting, the elderly couple peered through the dim light and recognized the tall figure in front as Liu Ming'an.
"Oh my, it's Ming'an! This old woman didn't notice you at first glance!" Third Great-Aunt replied with a smile.
"Whoa! Ho!" Third Great-Uncle called out loudly, pulling on the reins to stop the ox cart beside Liu Ming'an.
At this moment, Third Great-Aunt noticed Jiang Ning standing half a step behind Liu Ming'an. She seemed to be with him and was carrying the calligraphy and paintings. Her face was covered with cloth, making it impossible to see what she looked like, but judging by her figure, she didn't seem to be someone the old woman recognized.
"Ming'an, who is this girl?" Third Great-Aunt asked.
"She's quite tall, doesn't look like she's from our village," Third Great-Uncle added, glancing at Jiang Ning a couple of times.
The smile in Liu Ming'an's eyes deepened; he had been waiting for someone to ask this question.
