The moon falling to the ground

Unexpectedly, this opened up Jian Xiaohe's mouth. She angrily said, "Jian Zhaodi is unfilial. Not only does she not work, she also quarrels with my mother, making my parents sick."

The villagers who were carrying water to Jian's house were very surprised: "Is there any misunderstanding?"

No matter how badly Qian Shi said about Jian Zhaodi, the public had sharp eyes. Every day, Jian Zhaodi went up the mountain to pick grass for pigs, collect firewood, dig wild vegetables, fetch water, and wash clothes by the river. The villagers could see her busy figure every day. How could such a person not work?

The villager was suspicious. But since this was someone else's family affair, he couldn't get involved. So he kept silent.

Jian Xiaohe was unhappy when she saw that the villagers did not follow her words to attack Jian Zhaodi. She hinted, "I don't know what kind of confusing soup Jian Zhaodi has fed to the villagers, making them feel sorry for her and think that she has been tortured at home."

Villager: ...He didn't have any idea originally, but after Jian Xiaohe said that, he suddenly had an idea.

Qian always said that Jian Zhaodi was stupid and dumb. Is that true? If nothing else, just look at what Jian Xiaohe was wearing. She was wearing fine cotton with embroidered flowers. She was very fair and clean, and didn't look like a country girl at all. On the other hand, Jian Zhaodi's clothes were patched up, short and small, and she was dark and thin. She walked very slowly, like an eighty-year-old lady. They were like children from different families. Did they try to fool them?

The villagers' impression of Jian Xiaohe immediately plummeted.

When she arrived at Jian's house, Qian was in the yard. She thought it was Jian Xiaohe who came back, but suddenly a man came in with a bucket. She was stunned for a moment and quickly hid in the house.

Villager: ...No, am I that scary?

The villager touched his face and felt something was wrong. Why was Qian's half body yellow and the yard smelled terrible?

"Xiao He, your family..."

"Oh! The water has been delivered, you should leave quickly! Don't learn from those gossipy women who like to pry into other people's affairs." Jian Xiaohe pushed the villagers out of the yard and slammed the door shut.

Villager: ...No, how did I become a gossip?

No! I helped someone deliver water to their home, but they didn’t even say a polite word and kicked me out for no apparent reason.

The villagers were very depressed.

Good intentions are not rewarded, haha!

Yang Xiaochun wandered outside the gate of the Jian family, hoping to see Jian Zhaodi. But by noon, he still hadn't seen Jian Zhaodi, so he had to return home disappointed.

She didn't dare to go to the Jian family. Once she came to the Jian family to look for Jian Zhaodi, Qian Shi had a sullen face and refused to let Jian Zhaodi go out no matter what. She also pointed out that she shouldn't visit the Jian family for no reason, so as not to learn bad things from others.

Yang Xiaochun was not stupid. She knew that Qian disliked her, so she never stepped into the Jian family's door again.

Yang Xiaochun went to the mountain to look for it again in the afternoon.

Jian Zhaodi was either washing clothes by the river or going up the mountain to collect firewood, dig wild vegetables, or cut grass for pigs. She saw Jian Zhaodi almost every day, but she didn't see her today. Yang Xiaochun was very worried, wondering if Jian Zhaodi was sick.

She often dug wild vegetables and collected firewood with Jian Zhaodi, so she naturally knew her physical condition.

Poor people couldn't afford to see a doctor, so Yang Xiaochun naturally didn't think of other places. But since she found out yesterday that her friend couldn't eat the food he got, her impression of Qian Shi became worse.

She went home and told her mother what Jian Zhaodi said. What did her mother say at that time? Her mother pulled the corner of her mouth and was silent for a while before saying: "Qian is a sweet-looking person with a bitter heart. She always likes to treat others as fools. Who is a fool? In the future, you should listen to her words in reverse."

At dusk, Yang Xiaochun finally waited for Jian Zhaodi at the foot of the mountain.

Jian Yue was so tired that she was soaked and dizzy. However, she was very excited because she had made a good harvest today.

"When did you go up the mountain? I didn't see you in the morning, nor in the afternoon." Yang Xiaochun asked.

Jian Yue wiped the sweat off her head with her sleeve and said with a smile: "I went into the mountain in the morning when it was cool."

Yang Xiaochun's eyes widened in surprise: "You stayed in the mountains for a day?"

"Yeah." Jian Yue nodded.

"Why are you working so hard? Aunt Jian treats you..." She wanted to say that she treats Zhaodi badly, but she didn't say it because she was Zhaodi's mother.

Jian Yue nodded again: "I know, I understand. I went to the mountain to pick some herbs to take care of my body. You also know that my health is getting worse and worse. If I don't find a way to take care of myself, I won't be able to survive this winter."

"Is this so serious?" Yang Xiaochun was terrified and said anxiously, "Hurry up and ask your parents to take you to the town to have a look. Don't delay any longer."

Jian Yue smiled bitterly: "They didn't show it to me. You know? I have been drinking raw water since I was a child. My mother doesn't let me drink boiled water."

Yang Xiaochun was confused: "Why?"

Jian Yue spread her hands and said, "I don't know why. Besides, we all eat two kinds of food at home. My parents, my brother and my sister, they eat rice, white flour, meat and vegetables. I only have a black flour steamed bun with wild vegetables every day, and no soup. I can only drink the water they use to wash the pot."

Yang Xiaochun was shocked and stared at Jian Yue blankly: "You, are you telling the truth?"

Jian Yue nodded heavily: "At home, I am just a maid who doesn't pay for anything, eats pig food, and does the most work. Look at how white my mother and Xiao He's hands and faces are. Why? Because they don't work. I do all the housework, feeding pigs and chickens, collecting firewood and washing clothes. Every day, they just wait for the meal to be served on the table."

"Xiaochun, do you think it's fun for me to work so hard for such a family? I want to plan for myself."

The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, and Yang Xiaochun couldn't come back to her senses for a long time. Jian Yue's words directly overturned her previous understanding of the Jian family, so she was a little indigestible.

If she were to encounter such a family, she wouldn't know what to do.

Yang Xiaochun had never been treated harshly at home. Yang's father and mother loved their son and daughter equally. They ate together when there was good food, and shared hardships. Therefore, Yang Xiaochun could not understand Qian's harsh treatment of Zhaodi.

"What do you want to do?" Yang Xiaochun asked after a long time.

"I'll take care of my health first, and I'll worry about the other things later. I've seen the herbs that Grandpa Ma picked, so I'll follow his example and pick some back so that Grandpa Ma can help me prepare some medicine to regulate my body."

"You are so amazing! You can recognize those herbs just by looking at them?" Yang Xiaochun was shocked again.

Jian Yue pursed her lips and smiled: "I don't know all of them. You must keep it a secret for me. Otherwise, my mother will definitely take away the herbs and prevent me from recuperating."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone. You can go to my house to make medicine, but don't let your mother know." Yang Xiaochun looked serious. She felt sorry for Zhaodi and felt that she was very pitiful.

Jian Yue hesitated: "Will Aunt Yang agree?" She really couldn't make medicine at home, lest the Jian family know that she knew about herbs.

Yang Xiaochun patted his chest and promised...