"I'm taking advantage?"
Yi Jing, who was returning home with her twin siblings, heard this and instantly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "How am I taking advantage?"
"How can you be so inconsiderate? Your sister has gone to the countryside on your behalf; giving her money is warranted."
Zhang Lanxiang gave her a glance, and Yi Jing suddenly realized, affectionately hugging Yi Yong's arm, she softly said, "Dad, don't blame sister, it's all my fault. If it weren't for my poor health, my sister wouldn't need to go to the countryside."
The male heir to the Yi family throne, Yi Jianguo, didn't care who was going to the countryside, as long as it wasn't him.
"Mom, is the food ready? I'm hungry."
"Yes, everyone get ready to eat."
"Yay."
Soon, the family gathered around the square table.
The twin sister Yi Ling pouted, dissatisfied as she looked at the oil-less stir-fried cabbage, pickled radish, and salted vegetable knots on the table, "Why aren't there any eggs? How is anyone supposed to eat this?"
For this daughter, cut from the same mold as himself, Yi Yong's attention to her was only just within his concern for Yi Jianguo.
He looked at Song Guixiang, disgruntled, "Didn't I say to prepare eggs every day for Jianguo and Lingling? Where are the eggs?"
"Xiao Chi ate them."
Zhang Lanxiang openly criticized Yi Chichi, "Xiao Chi said she is going to the countryside and needs something good to eat. I thought, since she's going on Jingjing's behalf, we ought to remember this favor, so I let her have all the eggs."
"Ate them all? All 12 eggs?"
Yi Jianguo was incredulous, eyes widening as if he might eat someone.
Zhang Lanxiang nodded, seeing Yi Yong's face darken and his eyes almost spew fire, she quickly moved close to him, patting his chest, gently persuading, "Old Yi, don't get angry, it's normal for kids to have grievances."
"Everything will be fine once she goes to the countryside."
As she spoke, she looked at Yi Jianguo and the others, "Don't blame your sister Xiao Chi for eating too many eggs just this once. Once she's in the countryside, the eggs will all be yours."
Yi Jianguo and the others were still unhappy, but didn't say anything.
Yi Yong was furious, slapping the table loudly, "The little wretch hasn't been hit enough. If she weren't going to the countryside in three days, I'd break her legs."
The sound was loud, making Yi Chichi, just arriving at the doorstep with a huge sum of $680 after seeing the doctor and selling work, smirk coldly. This father is worse than an animal.
At least animals protect their young; this father of the original owner... let's not even mention it!
She glanced at the greaseproof paper package in her hand, a flash of coldness in her eyes.
Originally intending to gently sever ties, now there's no need.
She wanted the whole family to tear each other apart into the depths of hell.
She reached out and knocked on the door, and the voices inside abruptly stopped.
Zhang Lanxiang was well aware, "It must be Chichi coming back. Old Yi, don't get angry at the child later. If the child has grievances, let her express them. After all, as parents, we can't hold grudges against our kids; it's all for their own good..."
These words sounded considerate, making anyone think she was advising Yi Yong, but in actuality, she was fanning the flames.
Yi Yong didn't disappoint her, his heart burning with rage because his precious son didn't get to eat eggs due to Yi Chichi.
"She has grievances? What grievances could she have?! I've raised her to this age without getting anything good and instead just resentment. What child like her is so ungrateful, like a thankless wolf?! Seventeen or eighteen years old and doesn't understand anything. Going to the countryside isn't the same as dying!"
The more Yi Yong talked, the angrier he got. Seeing Yi Chichi entering expressionlessly with two packages, he shouted, "What are you carrying? And who are you showing that deadpan face to?"
Yi Chichi couldn't be bothered to engage and headed towards the kitchen.
"Yi Chichi, I'm talking to you, are you deaf? Your sister hasn't been bad to you, she's going to the countryside for you..."
"Can you stop talking already?"
Unwilling to listen to his nonsense any longer, Yi Chichi opened the package, revealing the herbs inside, "I have a headache, let me brew some medicine and drink it before you scold me, okay?"
She looked at Yi Yong with a mournful expression, "Dad, my head hurts like I'm dying!"
Yi Chichi was malnourished as it was, her 165 cm height reduced to skin and bones, with a face so thin it revealed her cheekbones, yet she had a pair of large eyes.
Her thin face made her eyes appear even larger, the way she looked at people with tears brimming seemed pitiful indeed.
Yi Yong showed a look of reluctance, and Zhang Lanxiang, who was watching the father-daughter duo closely, knew things weren't good when she saw his expression and quickly rushed over to embrace him.
"Old Yi, let Chichi take her medicine first. Whatever you say, wait until after she's taken her medicine."
She pulled Yi Yong away, falsely asking gently, "Xiao Chi, need mom's help?"
"No need."
Seeing her refusal, Zhang Lanxiang didn't insist.
The five family members returned to the table to eat, ignoring whether Yi Chichi had eaten, as if she weren't part of the family.
Yi Chichi was at ease with it, skillfully taking the lid off the coal stove, and once the fire grew, she placed the small iron pot on top.
Next, she poured the braised pork she brought back into the pot, retrieved powdered herbs from a package, and stirred it evenly.
Traditional Chinese medicine is a magical existence; it can heal people and kill them too.
Yi Chichi wasn't a practitioner, but her family in her original world was somewhat special.
On her father's side, they were from a family of traditional Chinese medicine, while on her mother's side, they specialized in embroidery.
Both traditional Chinese medicine and embroidery required talent.
Unfortunately, all her talent was in embroidery.
Though she hadn't learned to heal or save with traditional medicine, she mastered making poisons and hypnosis.
She wasn't planning to poison Yi Yong and his family to death; once her goal was achieved, people from the revolutionary committee would come to deal with it.
The Yi family wasn't worth dirtying her hands over.
As the temperature of the iron pot rose, the braised pork began emitting a rich fragrance.
Yi Jianguo, with his keen nose, brightened upon smelling the meat.
"There's meat."
He sniffed around like a little dog, trying to discover where the aroma was coming from, only to find Yi Ling and the others gazing expectantly behind him.
Turning around, he saw Yi Chichi carrying a plate of braised pork over.
"Dig in!"
She placed the plate on the table and returned to the kitchen.
In the 1970s, resources were scarce, and getting some meat was exceedingly difficult.
The braised pork, with its thick sauce and subtle herbal aroma, immediately mesmerized Yi Yong and his family.
Yi Yong, initially intending to scold her, couldn't resist the temptation and quickly picked up his chopsticks to grab a piece of pork and stuff it into his mouth.
As his chopsticks moved, Yi Jianguo and the others followed suit.
The family seemed to have reincarnated as starving ghosts, devouring hungrily.
Yi Chichi coldly watched them consume the meat before turning back to the stove to slowly handle the remaining herbs.
Time passed by seconds and minutes.
Finally, the "thud" sound rang like heavenly music to her ears.
Yi Chichi, who was sitting on a small stool leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, got up to take a look. Yi Jianguo had fallen from his chair and was lying on the floor snoring.
The sound akin to sawing logs.
As for Yi Yong and the rest, they were either slumped over the table or sitting in chairs with their heads drooped, motionless.
Yi Chichi smirked, quickly checking over each of them to ensure they were still alive before turning to fetch ropes to tie them up like pigs.
Once they were all tied up, she arranged them neatly into a line.