Qin Sang brought a bundle out from the house:
"A Shui, inside are some salt and medicine, and a bag of water. Take them to use. If you encounter any difficulties, you can go directly to the Village Chief or come to me, do you understand?"
A Shui declined and stepped back:
"Aunt, you have already helped us a lot. We cannot take any more of your things."
Qin Sang pulled A Jing over and stuffed the bundle into A Jing's arms, smiling:
"I'm not giving them to you for free; consider it a loan on credit. When the time comes, you can go up the mountain with everyone to dig for grass roots, and we'll just deduct it from that."
A Jing's two small arms could only hug the bundle in his arms tightly. It was so heavy; just how many things had Aunt given them?
Seeing that Qin Sang said they could pay it back with Medicinal Herbs later, A Shui finally decided to accept it:
"Aunt, we'll go up the mountain this afternoon to dig."
"Mhm, go ahead. Be careful."
A Shui took the bundle from his younger brother's arms with one hand and followed Tian Yougen to the shed where they slept. After thanking Tian Yougen, A Shui opened the bundle and discovered that it didn't just contain water, salt, and medicine, but also several fruits he hadn't seen before, two sausages, a piece of Smoked meat, and several Century eggs.
"Brother, there's meat!"
A Jing couldn't help but swallow his saliva; the allure of meat for a child was immense.
Especially since he had eaten a meal of meat slices at Aunt's house last night, it made A Jing's saliva secrete wildly.
A Shui patted his younger brother's head and said in a low voice:
"From now on, treat Aunt with the same filial piety as if she were our mother, do you understand?"
A Jing nodded heavily: "Mhm!"
Qin Sang didn't know how much the help she provided had moved the two boys. She was speaking with Widow Xia, and the two of them walked toward the Xia family's wooden house as they talked.
"The house was built with the village's help. Sister, Xia Tieniu now spends an hour in the sun every morning and evening. Daner also helps him with those Rehabilitation exercises every day. I feel like Xia Tieniu's spirits are much better."
Qin Sang nodded. Seeing Granny Xia breaking up dirt clods outside the shed, Qin Sang called out. Granny Xia stood up in pleasant surprise:
"Is it Da Zhuangs Mother who's back? Oh my, I heard you secretly went back to the village to find those Rebel Soldiers, it scared this old woman to death..."
"Aunt, everyone has returned safely. I came to see Xia Tieniu. What are you busy with?"
Granny Xia pointed to a pile behind her:
"Oh, it's nothing. Just some grass roots the children dug up on the mountain. I had nothing to do, so I'm knocking off the dirt clods so they'll be cleaner."
Looking at the pile of grass roots, Qin Sang knew they probably hadn't rested for a single moment these past few days:
"Then don't overwork yourself; take care of your health."
"I will, I will, don't worry. Xia Tieniu is inside the house. Da Zhuangs Mother, go take a look; Xia Tieniu says he has some strength now."
Only then did Qin Sang follow Widow Xia's lead into the wooden house.
The house, built of wood and stones, wasn't large—just about tall enough for an adult man to stand in. It was a bit more comfortable and convenient than the shed.
The midday light was bright. Qin Sang saw Xia Tieniu, who had been recuperating for several days; his complexion was no longer as ashen as before, and he indeed looked much more spirited:
"Xia Tieniu, how do your legs and feet feel? Do they have some sensation now?"
Xia Tieniu first nodded, then shook his head:
"I... I can't say for sure. Sometimes I feel pain in the middle of the night, but during the day, there seems to be no reaction."
Qin Sang rolled up her sleeves and crouched down to examine him, asking:
"Feeling sudden pain and other reactions at night is likely because you're under a lot of pressure during the day, constantly focused on your legs, so you don't notice it. When a person is asleep, the whole body is most relaxed, so the reactions feel stronger than during the day.
You still need to relax. Even if you can't stand up again, with a wheelchair and crutches, you can still go out and move around. There's no need to be too anxious.
Also, have you been eating enough lately?"
Xia Tieniu nodded repeatedly:
"Enough, enough. I eat Pancakes for all three meals. The white flour I exchanged from your home, Sister-In-law, is almost all gone."
Qin Sang smiled:
"Just eating white flour isn't enough; you also need enough meat, Daners, fats, salt, and sugar. I see Granny has accumulated quite a few Medicinal Herbs these past few days. Have them sent to my place later to exchange for some food.
Additionally, I think you can proceed to the second step of Rehabilitation training."
Xia Tieniu was a bit excited:
"Really?"
Qin Sang nodded and took out the rehabilitation tools she had brought from home:
"These are things to help you stand. You don't need to rush into walking; lying flat for a long time has caused your body to lose its ability to self-regulate its balance. These things must be taken slowly..."
Qin Sang passed the straps made of rope over the beams of the wooden house and then began to teach Xia Tieniu how to use these auxiliary devices.
The straps passed under Xia Tieniu's armpits. With the pull of his own arms and the assistance of others, he could slowly stand up from the wheelchair.
"...You shouldn't stand for too long, and especially avoid falling to prevent secondary injuries."
Qin Sang instructed him on the key movements and repeatedly emphasized that the rehabilitation process would be very long and must not be rushed.
Widow Xia said from the side:
"Sister, are these methods similar to how we taught children to walk when they were little?"
Qin Sang nodded:
"Pretty much, except when a child falls, you can just pick them up and pat them off. But an adult cannot afford to fall; they can't get back up on their own."
Widow Xia's eyes were full of gratitude:
"Actually, it's already wonderful that my brother-In-law has a wheelchair and crutches to use. Now he can go out to sunbathe, help Granny break up dirt, and even help with cooking. In the past, I wouldn't have even dared to think of these things."
Hearing this, Xia Tieniu turned his head and said:
"Sister-In-law, I want to walk on my own. While wheelchairs and crutches are good, they can't help you chop wood on the mountain or let me run and play with Daner. I won't give up.
I want to get better. I want to take care of my mother, take care of my son and daughter, and more importantly, support this family so that Sister-In-law can have an easier time."
Widow Xia's eyes suddenly turned red. It felt as if all her hard work and endurance had finally been seen and remembered by someone, making it all worth it:
"Good, Sister-In-law will definitely help you."
Qin Sang went to see Zhou Lin again. He had suffered fractures from being beaten before, but now he could finally sit up.
After checking on him, Qin Sang gave him a few more medicinal plasters and told him not to do any physical labor; in another ten or twenty days, he would be able to get out of bed and walk around.
On her way home, she stopped by Carpenter Zhao's house. Qin Sang planned to have a large Blackboard made to use for Wen Mo's teaching.
This task wasn't difficult, so Carpenter Zhao agreed immediately and said it would definitely be ready for use tomorrow.
When Qin Sang asked about the price, Carpenter Zhao waved his hand and said:
"In-law, not to mention that this is for Wen Mo to teach the whole village, even if it were for your own use, I couldn't take this money.
It's just, In-law, when Wen Mo starts teaching, could these little rascals of mine go and learn too?
I don't expect them to be as capable as Wen Mo; I just hope they don't end up illiterate."