Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Unexpected Expansion
Only after downing the bowl of hot noodle soup did the village doctor realize there was something special about it.
"This is mutton broth, isn’t it?"
After he finished eating, a warmth spread out from his stomach, and he even broke into a sweat.
"Yes. We got a sheep a couple of days ago, remember?"
An Sancheng chimed in as the village doctor drank the last of the soup.
Full and warmed up, the village doctor went inside to check on An Ning.
Her temperature had indeed dropped quite a bit.
"Third Brother, that medicine is amazing—even better than what’s in this IV drip. I can tell it’s still working. Keep a close eye on her. If An Ning’s fever spikes again or if anything seems off, just come and get me."
"The medicine I brought back isn’t mixed, so it’ll keep for a long time."
An Sancheng had no objections, of course. The village doctor picked up his medical kit to leave.
An Sancheng walked him out and insisted on giving him a leg of mutton. The doctor tried to refuse, but in the end, had no choice but to accept it.
After all the commotion, dawn had broken.
An Sancheng told his daughter-in-law to go back and get some rest, especially since she was pregnant. Gao Guifen didn’t argue.
But as An Guoqing helped her back to their room, she said, "Guoqing, wake me up in two hours. I’ll go take over for Mom."
"Okay!"
An Guoqing agreed.
Gao Guifen was truly exhausted. She lay down on the kang and fell asleep almost instantly.
Meanwhile, An Sancheng told Li Chengze, who had been on his feet all night with them, as well as the exhausted An Guoping and An Guoqing, to go get some rest.
"I’m fine, Dad. I’ll just sleep tonight,"
An Guoqing said, refusing to go to sleep. An Guoping didn’t go either.
Neither did Li Chengze. He had only just learned that An Ning used to be mute.
He felt a pang of guilt, thinking her fever was partly his fault.
First, she had gone out into the snow to find him, and then she had spent the night taking a villager to the doctor. Even someone made of iron couldn’t withstand all that.
Li Chengze had only been in the village for a few days, but he was deeply moved.
The sense of community here was so strong, so powerful, that he was beginning to understand why An Ning never wanted to leave.
Since no one was willing to rest, An Sancheng didn’t press the issue.
He simply cooked some congee, and everyone had it with pickled vegetables for breakfast.
They hadn’t even finished breakfast when their Eldest Aunt arrived with her two daughters-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"
An Sancheng greeted her in the courtyard.
Eldest Aunt pushed him aside. "What do you mean, why am I here? Cuihua’s been up all night, hasn’t she?"
"With something this serious happening, why on earth didn’t you call for us?"
An Sancheng held his Eldest Aunt in high esteem. To him, an elder sister-in-law was like a mother.
"My mind was a complete blank. I forgot."
Eldest Aunt shot An Sancheng a look before going inside to find Lin Cuihua. She was there to help care for An Ning so Lin Cuihua could get some rest.
Lin Cuihua was exhausted, it was true, but she couldn’t bring herself to sleep.
"Sister-in-law, I can’t sleep anyway. I might as well stay here and watch her."
Eldest Aunt understood. She simply nodded and let Lin Cuihua sit propped up on the kang, telling her not to do a thing.
Eldest Aunt ended up staying for the day. The two younger women went home, as there was no need for so many people.
Yin Xuemei, who had come over to teach, also stayed to help with the cooking.
An Ning remained in a groggy sleep. Her temperature continued to drop, but she wasn’t fully conscious.
Lin Cuihua was still worried, but Eldest Aunt said it was just extreme exhaustion and that she needed to rest it off.
Sitting on the kang, Lin Cuihua secretly wiped away a few tears.
"Tell me, why does a young girl like her have to throw herself into every little thing that happens?"
Lin Cuihua’s heart ached for her daughter.
"Cuihua, don’t talk like that," Eldest Aunt chided gently. "Your Eldest Brother said that An Ning has her own path. We shouldn’t meddle in it blindly."
"Besides, it’s not like she gets involved in just anything. If someone in the village was in trouble and you truly had a way to help, could you just stand by and watch?"
"Take the village doctor yesterday. If he hadn’t run to town for you, what would you have done? If Mr. Jiang Sr. hadn’t given you the medicine, how would you have gotten it?"
"These things happen because of the good you do every day. That’s why people are willing to help you."
"A family that accrues good deeds is bound to have blessings in store."
"This is all a result of the goodwill An Ning has built up. She’s saving herself, you understand?"
Like a child being scolded for doing wrong, Lin Cuihua listened to her Eldest Aunt’s lesson with a willing heart.
When she and An Sancheng were newly married, they had lived with Eldest Uncle and Aunt for a while. Back then, Eldest Aunt had taught Lin Cuihua a great deal about life and how to conduct oneself.
Yin Xuemei, who was working outside, overheard this conversation.
’The atmosphere in the An family is so wonderful.’
’With elders like that at the helm, it would be hard for the An family not to thrive.’
She genuinely liked and envied this family.
At noon, Yin Xuemei and Gao Guifen cooked lunch together. After everyone ate, Yin Xuemei left, saying she would come back to help again in the evening.
At that moment, An Ning was aware of everything happening around her, but she felt so tired, too tired to even open her eyes.
’My spiritual power isn’t depleted.’
’My spiritual power is only consumed in huge amounts when I’m controlling the Klein Bottle.’
’Other tasks are tiring, but they never drain it completely.’
’But... my spiritual power seems to be changing. Is it... leveling up?’
An Ning felt like a bystander, watching her spiritual power change, bit by bit.
The Klein Bottle was like a small boat, tumbling about in her spiritual power.
Except, this small boat was gradually growing larger, turning into a small yacht.
When her spiritual power gradually stabilized, An Ning finally opened her eyes.
It was pitch-black. ’It must be nighttime.’
"Mom—"
"I’m here! I’m right here!"
Lin Cuihua immediately switched on the flashlight in her hand, filling the room with light.
"How are you feeling? Do you want some water? Do you need anything?"
"I want some water."
"I’ll get it for you right now."
As Lin Cuihua got out of bed, An Sancheng heard the noise from the opposite room and hurried over.
"Did the fever come back?"
"No, she’s awake. She wants some water."
"Oh—water is good. Give her the sugar and salt water."
"Got it!"
Lin Cuihua helped An Ning sit up, and An Ning drank a large bowl of water.
After drinking, she gave Lin Cuihua a bright, carefree smile.
"Mom, I’m hungry."
"Hungry is good! That’s great! What do you want to eat?"
"Mom will make you whatever you want!"
Lin Cuihua was overjoyed. ’If she can eat, it means she’s getting better.’
An Sancheng stood at the doorway to An Ning’s room, holding the flashlight, while Lin Cuihua started a fire to cook.
In the next room, An Guoping and the others heard the commotion and came over. Seeing that An Ning was awake and asking for food, they could all finally relax.
Lin Cuihua cooked a bowl of hot noodle soup for An Ning, but she didn’t dare use mutton, adding only a bit of lard for flavor.
An Ning ate every last bit of the noodles and broth. At last, everyone’s hearts could settle.
That night, everyone except Lin Cuihua slept soundly.
Lin Cuihua, afraid that An Ning might relapse, woke up several times during the night to check that her fever hadn’t returned.
The next morning, the winter sun lazily climbed into the sky. It shone down on the vast, white snow, and the refracted glare was so bright it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.
After waking up, An Ning draped a military greatcoat over her shoulders and went to the outhouse.
The An family’s outhouse was in the backyard. Just as An Ning reached the back, she heard a series of WHOOSHING sounds.
"Jiang Xia? What are you doing climbing my family’s wall?"
