The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: I’m Better Than Him

Over the next few days, the drifter ran a low-grade fever a few more times, but none were as dangerous as that first night.

Xin Ziqi came to check on him once and helped cut a window in his bandages.

By then, the wound had already started to heal. To prevent the blood-soaked gauze from causing an infection, they changed the dressing.

After seeing that there were no other issues, he left.

He was very busy these days. He needed to digest what Ji Huan had told him, get started on the work, and build the framework... With a thousand things to sort out, there was just too much to do.

Ji Huan reminded him again that the launch of any new medicine required countless experiments and repeated clinical trials; there was no room for carelessness.

Moreover, an anesthetic was bound to attract worldwide attention. They currently had neither connections nor wealth. One wrong move, and their prize would become their peril.

This was another reason she had previously told Xin Ziqi not to rush its release.

Xin Ziqi was clearly aware of this himself, so for now, he was focusing his efforts on the Equipment Workshop first.

Ji Huan agreed with this decision.

Compared to anesthesia, medical equipment was a much safer bet. There was no lack of a market for it, and it wouldn’t cause too much of a stir or draw unwanted attention.

Xin Ziqi left decisively, adding that he was completely at ease leaving the drifter’s recovery process in Ji Huan’s hands.

He might have been at ease, but it was hard on Ji Huan, who had to run back and forth all day.

It was also hard on Hu Dacheng. He was called to personally attend to the drifter—washing up, changing clothes, and... you know.

He was already terrified of the drifter’s face. Ever since catching a glimpse of it in the cave, he’d had nightmares for days on end. Now, he had to see it day in and day out.

This chore wasn’t originally his. It was just that someone from the same branch of the Hu Family was building a new house, and Hu Liang was called over to help. So, Ji Huan drafted Hu Dacheng for the job.

Widow Xie was in complete agreement with this.

She was eager for the drifter to recover quickly. Once his limbs were fully healed, he could finally leave Dafeng Village.

Besides, they weren’t running their street stall recently. Hu Dacheng was just idle at home, so it was better to give him something to do.

"My mom just cut these from the garden. She said you could make dumplings with them. They won’t be as good as they are in spring if you wait too long."

Hu Dacheng had brought a small basket half-full of chives.

Ji Huan thought for a moment, then had Dabao and Hu Dacheng each grab a small stool and sit by the door to clean the vegetables. She turned and walked over to the chopping board, taking out a mixing bowl to prepare some dough—though not for dumplings.

After the dough was mixed, it needed to rest for about a quarter of an hour, which was just enough time for the chives to be cleaned.

Ji Huan washed the chives the two boys had prepared, drained them, then chopped them finely and placed them in a small ceramic basin.

"Dabao, get the fire going."

She helped Dabao light the kindling, then took four or five eggs from the basket. She added a pinch of salt, beat them in a container, and when the oil in the wok was hot, she poured in the egg mixture, scrambling and breaking it up with the spatula as it cooked.

She added the scrambled eggs to the basin of chives, seasoned with salt and a little pepper, and mixed it all together in a clockwise direction.

Next, she rolled the rested dough into a long log and divided it into equal-sized pieces.

She sprinkled the board with dry flour, took one piece of dough, flattened it, and quickly rolled it into a thin, round wrapper with a rolling pin.

She placed the filling inside, folded the wrapper in half, supported the bottom with one hand, and sealed the edge with the other. Soon, a chive pocket with a pleated, decorative border was formed.

After all the chive pockets were assembled one by one, she scrubbed the wok clean, added fresh oil, and heated it again.

She didn’t have a flat-bottomed pan, so she couldn’t pan-fry them. She would have to deep-fry them instead.

"Dabao, the fire can’t be too high," Ji Huan said as she flipped the chive pockets, telling Dabao to lower the heat.

Dabao sat properly in front of the stove opening. Hearing Ji Huan, he pulled out a few sticks of firewood.

Hu Dacheng didn’t dare fight Dabao for the job of tending the fire, not that he wanted to. His eyes were glued to the "big dumplings" gradually taking shape in the wok, shining with anticipation.

Ji Huan didn’t disappoint him. After letting the excess oil drip off for a moment, she handed the first chive pocket out of the wok to him.

"Have your mom and brother said when they’ll start running the stall again?"

Ji Huan continued to fry the rest, making small talk with Hu Dacheng.

Due to the impact of last year’s snow disaster, spring planting had been delayed by nearly a month this year. Consequently, the crops were also maturing later than usual.

Normally, things would get busy around the end of May, but now it was almost mid-June, and the crops in the fields still weren’t quite ready.

She had recently harvested some of the spices on Nanshan. After processing them, she had spread them out to dry in the backyard. But that was only a third of the crop; about two-thirds were still not ready.

Hu Dacheng squatted by the door, holding his golden-brown "big dumpling." It was so hot that he kept sucking in sharp breaths, but that didn’t stop him from taking a bite.

"My mom originally wanted to wait for the Cao Family to return my brother’s betrothal card and make the annulment official. Only then could she run the stall with peace of mind. But we’ve waited for days and haven’t heard anything. And Sister Yunyun... she just narrowly escaped death, so it wouldn’t be right to press them."

The Cao Family was strange. When Widow Xie first went to their door demanding the betrothal card, they gave her the runaround and refused to hand it over because they were still hoping for a reconciliation.

Now that all pretenses were dropped and Hu Liang had put his foot down—and they had even agreed to it—they still hadn’t mentioned returning the betrothal card.

Had they forgotten, or were they plotting something?

"So you’re just going to wait?"

What Ji Huan meant was, rather than waiting for the Cao Family to deliver the betrothal card, the two families should sit down and have an open and honest conversation.

It was pitiable that Cao Yunyun had tried to kill herself, but that didn’t erase the mistakes she had made before. The Hu Family had no reason to feel like they were in a weaker position.

Besides, things had already reached this point. No amount of tolerance would make the Cao Family grateful. On the contrary, they would only see them as a pushover.

Hu Dacheng misunderstood, thinking Ji Huan was asking when they would resume running the stall.

"My mom said we’re not waiting anymore! We’re going to set up the stall tomorrow morning!"

As soon as he said it, he seemed to remember something and scratched his head.

"But Sister Wan, Ximei doesn’t want to go to town anymore. I have to go with them tomorrow, so what will you do without anyone to help you?"

The "help" he was referring to, of course, was with the drifter.

"He just lies there all day anyway, it’s not a big deal. Besides, he can pretty much get around on one leg with a crutch now."

Hu Dacheng’s eyes shifted.

’Actually, the drifter has been able to get around on his right leg with a crutch for two days now. It’s just that the hard white cast on it is a bit clumsy.’

’And this morning, he even washed his face with his left hand, which is so wrapped up that only half his palm is showing...’

’But I don’t dare tell Sister Wan, because the drifter said: "Don’t tell her."’

’For some reason, I’m a little scared of that man.’

"No, that won’t work. My mom said I can’t leave you alone with the drifter. You still have to get married someday. How about this: I’ll go straight to the earthen hut as soon as I get back from town. If you need anything done, just leave it and wait for me."

After racking his brain for a good while, Hu Dacheng came up with this compromise.

Ji Huan suppressed a laugh. "Well, look at you, acting like a little adult now. You’re much more reliable. Here, I’ll reward you with another one."

Hu Dacheng joyfully accepted it. Just as he was about to eat, he glanced over and saw Dabao’s unhappy expression. He hesitated for a moment, then offered the "big dumpling" in his hand to him.

"Dabao, you eat it. I’ll take over tending the fire for you."

Dabao, his little face taut, added firewood to the stove without a word.

Hu Dacheng was a bit baffled and looked to Ji Huan for help.

Ji Huan knew what he was sulking about.

Once everything was fried, she filled a small basin with more than ten fresh chive pockets and had Hu Dacheng take them home for his family.

After Hu Dacheng left, Ji Huan took Dabao to wash his hands and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You’re unhappy just because I praised someone else?"

Dabao’s cheeks puffed out slightly, and he didn’t speak.

Ji Huan pinched his cheek and personally picked out a nicely shaped one for him.

"No matter how good Dacheng is, he can’t compare to our Dabao. Our Dabao has always been a little adult—so sensible, so well-behaved, and he never gets angry, right?"

The puffed-up little cheeks gradually deflated.

Dabao took the "big dumpling" Ji Huan had personally chosen for him and nodded. "I’m better than him."

Ji Huan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Okay, you’re the best. Why don’t you sit by the door and eat? I’m going out for a bit, I’ll be back in a little while."

Dabao knew she was going to deliver a meal to that drifter again.

He was very reluctant, but remembering the praise Ji Huan had just given him, he nodded glumly. "Come back soon."

"Of course."

Ji Huan locked the courtyard gate and headed for the earthen hut, carrying the basket with the meal.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!