There was no electricity in the production brigade; everyone used oil lamps. Normally, you wouldn’t be able to see people clearly at night, but Wang Ying had good eyesight, and after Xu Shuang grabbed the person, she could clearly make out Wang Yaozong’s face.
How should she put it? His looks really matched his character.
Wang Ying chuckled, “What are you doing at my doorstep?”
She didn’t mention anything about asking Xu Shuang to let him go.
Wang Yaozong gnashed his teeth, “Mind your own business! I’m walking in front of my own house—what’s it to you!”
Even though he had listened to everything Wang Yongshun said, he also felt that now his family had 200 yuan in hand, the money was already his, and the house wasn’t that important anymore. Later, he was going to the county town!
But…
Until the Yellow River teaches you a lesson, people just assume it never will.
Wang Yaozong’s impression of Wang Ying was still stuck in the past. He thought she was a pushover—someone who wouldn’t even speak a harsh word, let alone stand up for herself. Even though Li Chunjuan had said Wang Ying had changed, Wang Yaozong didn’t take it seriously. How much could she possibly have changed?
Besides, he might give up on his second uncle’s inheritance, but there was still one debt that had to be collected.
That incident where he smashed the bowls and broke things at the second aunt’s place.
Wang Yaozong felt that if nothing else, just for that act alone, he had done Wang Ying a huge favor. No matter what, she ought to compensate him a little.
He was lurking around her house, waiting to run into her and have a “proper talk.”
He had already thought it through: he wouldn’t ask for much. He heard Xu Shuang had married in for political status, so he’d just ask Wang Ying for 20 yuan. Even if she couldn’t afford it, Xu Shuang surely could.
Twenty yuan, as compensation. After all, he was a man of the Wang family. When the second aunt was buried, he had been the one standing right up front!
But before he even got to see her face clearly, he was grabbed by Xu Shuang.
Wang Yaozong felt like his arm didn’t even belong to him anymore—it hurt like hell. Xu Shuang was a cook, and he had some martial skills to begin with. His strength was considerable, and his grip was ruthless. He had twisted Wang Yaozong’s arm into a position that no normal person could manage.
“Wang Ying! Tell him to let me go!”
Seeing that Xu Shuang wasn’t letting go, and Wang Ying wasn’t saying anything either, Wang Yaozong started to panic.
“I came to talk to you about something serious! Tell him to let go—this is killing me!”
Wang Ying didn’t feel there was anything serious she needed to talk about with this man. She lazily responded, “Speak, I’m listening.”
Letting go? That wasn’t going to happen.
Wang Yaozong howled a few more times, breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain.
Wang Ying: “Are you going to talk or not? If not, forget it.”
Wang Yaozong gritted his teeth and said, “My dad said that you’re separated from our family now. Since you’ve split off, you need to give me twenty yuan!”
Wang Ying looked at him in disbelief. “Are you half-asleep or just drunk out of your mind? Why on earth would I give you twenty yuan?”
Wang Yaozong barely managed to lift his head and replied righteously, “Because when your mom was buried, I was the one who smashed the mourning basin!”
Wang Ying looked at him with deep exasperation. When the original owner’s mother passed away, she was already physically weak and cried so hard she could barely stand. She wasn’t in any state to handle the funeral. Wang Yongshun took the opportunity to put Wang Yaozong front and center. The original owner had wanted to smash the basin herself, but first, she had no say in the matter back then, and second, the whole funeral was arranged by Wang Yongshun—she couldn’t even get close.
And now this guy had the nerve to bring that up as if it was a favor?
Wang Ying motioned for Xu Shuang to let him go. “I don’t have twenty yuan, but I do have two slaps. If you dare bring up this nonsense in front of me again, I’ll give you a pair of them.”
Not worth wasting breath on someone like him!
Wang Yaozong’s arm was sore and limp after being twisted for so long. He was drenched in sweat and hunched over. Hearing Wang Ying’s words, he grew indignant and immediately retorted, “You wouldn’t dare! If it weren’t for me at your mom’s funeral, you wouldn’t have had anyone to smash the mourning basin. People would’ve said your mom died pitifully, without a proper send-off. Without me, people would’ve accused you of being unfilial! If you had any decency, you’d treat me like a real younger brother. I’m not asking for much now—just twenty yuan!”
Wang Ying found it laughable. “I’m not giving it to you—what are you gonna do about it?”
Wang Yaozong: “If you don’t give it to me! If you don’t, I’ll…”
Wang Yaozong felt a bit guilty. He remembered what Wang Yongshun had said. He had been so focused on demanding money that he hadn’t really thought through what he could use to threaten Wang Ying.
Instinctively, Wang Yaozong raised his hand. Normally, if Xu Shuang weren’t here, he would have already slapped Wang Ying the moment she talked back!
If she refused? Then he’d hit her until she agreed!
But with Xu Shuang present, Wang Yaozong raised his hand only to lower it again, breathing heavily in frustration.
He had no leverage over Wang Ying, but she held his family’s fate in her hands.
Wang Ying looked toward Wang Yongshun, who had come out after hearing the commotion, and said, “Uncle, I’m really tired of dealing with your whole family. I chased off the old one, now the young one shows up. What’s next? Is my cousin from town going to come to my doorstep and start something too? Let me make myself clear. The debt you owe my family—you know whether it’s been settled or not. The fact that I’m not going after you now is something you should be thanking heaven, earth, and your ancestors for. Next time your son throws a tantrum at my place, don’t blame me for not showing restraint.”
She then pulled Xu Shuang into her house and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Wang Yongshun’s face turned a mix of green and white. Wang Yaozong was clutching his arm and groaning in pain, sneaking glances at his father.
“Dad, it’s all Wang Ying’s fault. I was just standing at her door when she suddenly had Xu Shuang twist my arm. Look—it’s probably bruised!”
Wang Yongshun wanted to scold his son, but he swallowed his words. “Go ask your mom to rub some medicinal liniment on it.”
Wang Yaozong nodded. Still, Wang Yongshun gave him a warning: “Didn’t I tell you? Stop provoking her.”
Wang Yaozong thought bitterly, Who knew that girl would be so tough now? Clearly, getting a boyfriend had changed her completely.
After dumping Wang Yaozong with the flustered Li Chunjuan, Wang Yongshun felt uneasy.
What exactly did Wang Ying mean by her words just now? What did she mean the debt wasn’t settled? Could she have found out that their family took what her mother left behind?
Wang Yongshun felt like he was trapped in a foggy mountain—unable to see clearly in any direction.
If Wang Ying really knew…
No! Impossible. Judging by her recent actions, if she had any proof, she would’ve already made a scene and called for justice!
Besides, at the hospital back then, there wasn’t anyone else around—only he had heard Wang Ying’s mother’s dying words.
That thought gave Wang Yongshun some comfort. As long as there was no evidence, what could Wang Ying do, even if she caused a ruckus? The money didn’t have a label printed on it—who could say for sure that it came from Wang Ying’s mother?
Wang Yongshun told himself he needed to quickly secure a job for his son. Once the boy got into the city and married a city girl, he and Li Chunjuan could follow him there. As long as the three of them stayed far away, even if Wang Ying brought things up again in the future, it’d be hard for her to do anything about it.
Right now, the two families were only separated by a wall—it made him very uneasy.
Back inside, Wang Ying pulled Xu Shuang in and pressed her ear to the courtyard wall, listening. Apart from Li Chunjuan’s nonstop cursing, she didn’t hear anything useful.
Xu Shuang saw her doing that and found it amusing. This version of Wang Ying was lively—so different from the lazy, passive girl she used to be.
“Don’t lean on that, it’s a new wall—it’s dirty.”
He gently pulled her away. Wang Ying looked a bit regretful. “My uncle really is tight-lipped.”
Ever since Xu Shuang had managed to squeeze a hundred yuan out of Wang Yongshun, Wang Ying had become almost certain that her mother must have left something behind. There was no way that her uncle and aunt could have suddenly taken out a hundred yuan on their own otherwise.
It was probably her mother’s savings.
Recently, Wang Ying had only had a few dozen yuan to her name. Xu Shuang had given her a hundred, but she felt too embarrassed to spend it.
And speaking of this marriage, it was clear that she had gained more out of it than Xu Shuang. It looked like Xu Shuang’s family had benefited from her social status, but apart from getting married, she hadn’t really given much.
Xu Shuang had rebuilt the courtyard wall and handled everything related to the wedding. It was like all she had to do was show up as the bride…
She had to get back what her mother had left behind!
But it had been so long—she didn’t even know where to begin.
Xu Shuang thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t we try something at the hospital?”
When Wang Ying’s mother passed, it had been sudden. There were many injured people at the time, and the village leader had been overwhelmed. Only Wang Yongshun and his wife had stayed with Wang Ying’s mother. Wang Ying had still been in school then. By the time she rushed over the next day, it had been too late.
Given what she knew of Wang Yongshun’s character, it was very likely that he’d sent Li Chunjuan away on purpose.
That meant the hospital was probably the only place where they could find a clue.
Wang Ying nodded. “That’s the only option for now.”
It wouldn’t be easy to investigate—there were no witnesses, no evidence. But she had to find a breakthrough somewhere. Luckily, she was planning to go to the county anyway to try and make connections at the hospital. She could start digging around bit by bit.
They agreed to both go get letters of introduction the next day. Afterward, Xu Shuang walked home in the dark. Wang Ying saw him off at the gate and started wondering if she should buy something for him too, since he’d been spending so much lately.
She couldn’t afford anything big—maybe a flashlight?
The next morning, Wang Ying got up and noticed it was unusually quiet next door. She opened her door and saw that the neighboring family wasn’t home. It wasn’t hard to guess—they’d probably gone to send their son off to school.
Tsk, she thought, how pampered—still need your parents to drop you off at high school.
Wang Ying organized the herbs she had been collecting and selected some to take to the county the next day to see how much they were worth.
By mid-afternoon, she went to the village leader to get her letter of introduction.
Tian Youfu, the village leader, had recently heard about Xu Shuang’s situation. He had always thought it was a pity about Xu Shuang, given his good character. So when he heard that Wang Ying was thinking of marrying him, he felt it was a good match. But as a leader, he had to be careful and neutral, so he didn’t show his feelings openly.
Still, he was very grateful to Wang Ying. She had saved his little son Shitou not long ago, and now Shitou often ran over to play with her.
Xiao Shitou said that Wang Ying had been drying a lot of medicinal herbs in the yard.
Tian Youfu asked Wang Ying about the herbs, and she replied quite honestly, “I learned a bit from my mother before, and I also looked for some books to study at school.”
Tian Youfu asked her, “Can you treat the people in our brigade now?”
If Wang Ying could take over as the barefoot doctor, that would be great. Tian Youfu had never thought treating illnesses was difficult before, but ever since Wang Ying’s mother passed away, their Seventh Brigade hadn’t had a decent barefoot doctor. They always had to call someone from the neighboring brigade.
Not to mention, each visit costs two mao (0.2 yuan), which had been causing complaints from the brigade members.
Wang Ying said, “I probably can. But barefoot doctors need to study, right? I don’t think it would be okay without studying?”
Tian Youfu waved his hand, “Winter is coming soon—just start for now. After winter passes, we’ll send you to the commune health clinic for training.”
It wasn’t that Tian Youfu didn’t want to follow procedures, but once winter came, things became very difficult. Their Seventh Brigade was at the foot of the mountain, and once it snowed heavily, they’d be completely cut off for more than two months, even from the nearby town of Xipo.
Within the brigade, they could gather strong young men to shovel the snow and clear village paths for patrolling. But outside the brigade? No way. Once someone stepped out, all they’d see was a vast stretch of white.
If something urgent happened, like childbirth or a serious illness, people had to stumble their way to the neighboring brigade, and even then, they might not make it in time.
“In our brigade, barefoot doctors earn two yuan a month. During the winter, we won’t dock any work points. I’ll let you know which families have elderly or children—you’ll need to keep an eye out for them.”
Wang Ying thought about it and agreed. In these times, being a doctor in the village was still okay. No one raised a fuss about malpractice. People were just grateful to have someone who could treat them. Plus, she had a good impression of Tian Youfu. Although the brigade had big and small families, things were pretty harmonious—proof their leader wasn’t a fool.
“Okay.”
Tian Youfu’s gaze was a little complicated. “Let’s keep it this way for a few months. In the spring, I’ll go to the commune and ask for you.”
He had just remembered that Wang Ying was the child of a martyr and a high school graduate. Given those credentials, and her medical skills, the commune health clinic might officially hire her in the spring. That was a common kind of preferential treatment in the commune.
Now that Wang Ying had graduated and was the right age, the commune should’ve arranged something for her this autumn. He wasn’t sure why there’d been a delay.
Wang Ying understood from his explanation that her status as a martyr’s daughter gave her some privileges at the commune.
But…
“Brigade Leader, I don’t want to go to the clinic.”
Tian Youfu was secretly delighted but still did his duty and explained, “But being a barefoot doctor is only a half-time job… Our brigade can only count it as half your work. The rest you’ll still need to earn work points for.”
That meant if Wang Ying worked in the brigade, she still had to join the labor teams. If she didn’t, she’d lose her share of the year-end grain distribution.
Wang Ying remained firm. She had originally considered the health clinic for the food, but now she was eating three meals a day, each different, and had no desire to move. Besides, her mother had lived that way too, and it had worked fine.
She could just twist her body, walk into the mountains, and gather herbs—no need to run around everywhere.
Tian Youfu was overjoyed: “Great! Then I’ll talk to the party secretary and see if we can raise it to three yuan a month for you.”
Three yuan didn’t seem like much, but Wang Ying could also charge a few mao per visit, plus extra for the herbs. If she did a good job, just like her mother, she could earn over ten yuan a month.
And at this time, five or six yuan had strong purchasing power—enough to feed a family for a month.
Wang Ying agreed, then mentioned she was going to the county town tomorrow to buy some supplies and asked Tian Youfu to issue her an introduction letter.
Tian Youfu quickly pulled out the stamp and sealed it for her, then remembered something else.
“Ying girl, here—three yuan. See if you can buy a bottle of medical alcohol at the hospital.”
It was that damn Lao Gou’s fault—he drank the brigade office’s medical alcohol, so now they had to replace it.
“You know about this stuff—if you see anything else that needs stocking, buy it too. Our supply of Analgin is nearly out.”
Now that they finally had someone with medical skills, Tian Youfu wasn’t wasting any time.
Wang Ying checked the remaining medicine in the office, wrote a few items on a slip of paper, and reported the names to Tian Youfu: “These need to be replenished. The last two are for emergencies—we should keep them in stock.”
Tian Youfu agreed to everything. He pulled out another ten yuan. “If that’s not enough, use your own for now—I’ll reimburse you when you get back.”
Wang Ying tucked away the introduction letter. “It’ll be enough.”
These items were all cheap. Any expensive medicines wouldn’t be worth it.
After she left, Tian Youfu still felt a little puzzled.
“This girl… I remember her mother didn’t know Western medicine, right? How does she know about Western pills…”
“Oh well, whatever. She’s a high school graduate—she must’ve studied on her own.”
Wang Ying got up early, and when she opened the door, Xu Shuang was already waiting outside.
“When did you get here? Why didn’t you knock?” It was such a cold morning, her breath turned white as she spoke, yet he had waited outside.
Wang Ying locked the door, and the two of them walked toward the town together.
Xu Shuang took out a paper packet from his coat. “Not long ago.”
Wang Ying opened it—it was a steaming hot meat bun.
“Mmm… so good. Did you eat?”
Xu Shuang handed her a military-green thermos: “Already did. There’s soy milk in here.”
The meat bun was stuffed with chopped lotus root and pork, with a slightly crunchy texture. The lotus was cut large enough to balance out the fattiness of the pork. The soy milk was also hot, with a rich, full-bodied soybean aroma.
![The Villains Are All My Reserve Food [Quick Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Villains-are-Reserve-Food-1.jpg "The Villains Are All My Reserve Food [Quick Transmigration]")
