Chapter 13: The Transformation of Jing Jialin

"This recipe is brilliant! Young lady, you... wait? Where did she go?"

The experts finally reached a conclusion and turned around to ask Jiang Cha, only to realize that the entire room was empty.

Jiang Cha and Song Bo had run to the kitchen to boil a pot of water. The wounds needed cleaning and sterilization so the medicine could take full effect. Before long, the others who had gone searching for herbs came rushing back, breathless.

"Quick, boil these over high heat, then simmer until three bowls of water reduce to one," Jiang Cha instructed. Zhong Jialin arrived carrying a basket full of Bletilla striata (baiji). "Wash these, crush them into a paste, and apply it inside the pangolin's scales."

Once Jiang Cha had finished giving her instructions, she began cleaning the wounds and carefully applying the medicine under the scales. Song Bo held a large medicinal bowl, helping to feed the brew to the pangolin.

After they finished their work, the group rubbed their aching lower backs. By now, the eastern sky was turning a pale, fish-belly white, and the morning sun was beginning to touch the pangolin's body. Jiang Cha found a comfortable spot for the creature, and as they listened to its breathing gradually steady, the group let out a sigh of relief.

"Let’s go. We have to get to school, and we can check on them after class."

With their school bags on their backs and dark circles under their eyes, they headed to school. They spent the entire day sleeping through their lessons and received no shortage of criticism from their teachers. During the final period, the teacher finally lost patience and made them stand in the hallway as punishment for the rest of the class.

Looking at each other's disheveled appearance, they traded glances. Someone broke the silence with a snicker, and soon, they were all laughing uncontrollably. After the ordeal of the previous night, their friendship had deepened significantly; they were practically comrades who had stared death in the face—after all, they had nearly perished in those woods.

Zhong Jialin’s hostility toward Jiang Cha had inexplicably faded, and she no longer went out of her way to challenge her, which left Jiang Cha feeling quite puzzled.

After school, the group agreed to head to Song Yang’s house to check on the pangolins, but Jiang Cha said, "I need to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy something."

"Buy something? You have money?" Song Yang asked skeptically. In this day and age, who gave children money? Being fed was enough of a luxury.

Zhong Jialin gave a light sniff. "Song Yang, you’re clearly out of the loop. My cousin told me that last time at the supply store, Jiang Cha bought a whole box of White Rabbit candies, plus three boxes of imported wafers!"

"No way, three boxes! Did you strike it rich, Jiang Cha?" Song Yang’s jaw nearly hit the ground. What did that even mean? People usually only splurged on White Rabbit candies for the New Year, and here Jiang Cha was buying them on an ordinary day. Not to mention the imported wafers—those were foreign goods, rarely seen, let alone tasted.

Seeing their hungry, wolf-like expressions, Jiang Cha wiped a bead of non-existent sweat from her forehead. "How about this: come with me, and I’ll treat you all to some White Rabbit candy?"

Song Yang thought his ears were playing tricks on him. "Jiang Cha, have you lost your mind? White Rabbit candies, for us?"

Jiang Cha sighed, helpless, and fished a candy from her pocket, promptly shoving it into Song Yang’s mouth. "Enough talk—are you coming or not?" Feeling the sweetness melt instantly on his tongue, Song Yang froze for a second before nodding frantically. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Jiang Cha had a real purpose for going to the supply store. Pangolins feed exclusively on various types of ants, requiring tens of thousands a day. If they couldn't find enough, they would starve. Since they were currently immobile and their food source was so specific, Jiang Cha had to find a way to attract ants. Ants loved sweetness, so a jar of honey was perfect. Anything left over she could take home; Zheng Xiaozhen often suffered from hypoglycemia, so buying some extra sweets would be useful.

The supply store was in the middle of the evening rush, with many women lining up to buy meat. Only the snack section was empty, and strangely, Zhong Wanwan was nowhere to be seen. Jiang Cha didn't overthink it. She walked to the counter, pulled out her pocket money, and pointed to the White Rabbit candies and the honey. "Give me one box of White Rabbit candies and one jar of honey. Here is one yuan."

The candies weren't expensive, but the honey was, especially since Jiang Cha was buying imported honey. No one in their village kept bees, so the price of honey was exorbitant. As Jiang Cha’s voice fell, the surrounding chatter in the store suddenly died down. Everyone stared at the young girl who had pulled out so much cash, and whispers began to spread.

"Hey, isn't that Jiang Dazhu’s daughter? Ever since Dazhu was locked up, have those three women really been that well-off?"

"Where could they have gotten that money? They can't carry a heavy load or do manual labor. Don't tell me she's been going into the forest with that group of people?"

"Don't talk nonsense. How could that be? That group looks fierce and dangerous; there’s no way they’d have a girl with them."

"But if they aren't doing something shady or making dirty money, where would they get so much cash?"

"Shh, be quiet. Zheng Xiaozhen is still quite pretty, could she be..."

The voices carried clearly to the group. Jiang Cha’s face turned cold, and her hands balled into tight fists. Before she could react, Zhong Jialin stepped forward, hands on her hips, and pointed sharply at the group of women.

"You gossiping harpies, what are you whispering about? Can't you stand to see someone doing well? How they get their money is none of your business. Do you think you don't have to be responsible for your rumors? It’s pathetic to bully an orphan and a widow just because their father is in prison. You only pick on the weak—if I hear you say one more word, don't blame me for being unkind!"

"We didn't say anything! Feeling guilty, are you?"

"Forget it, let's just go home and cook dinner." The gossiping women finished buying their meat and left in a hurry. Zhong Jialin was furious, kicking the dirt on the ground hard.

She turned to Jiang Cha and said, "Don't be afraid! I've got your back! Let’s see who dares to talk trash about you. These people have nothing better to do than stick their noses in other people's business. They’re just jealous of you—jealous that you have money, jealous that you’re capable, and jealous that you can afford to buy White Rabbit candies!"

Jiang Cha was stunned for a moment. Song Yang looked at her with amusement and teased, "Since when did you get so close to Jiang Cha? Didn't you hate her?"

Zhong Jialin’s face turned bright red, and she stammered, "Who... who is close to her? I just can't stand seeing people bully the weak and spread malicious rumors."

Then, meeting Jiang Cha’s bright eyes, she became even more flustered. "Are you done buying? If you’re done, let’s go! We need to get back to check on the pangolins, and I need to go home for dinner!"

With that, she marched out of the store. Jiang Cha smiled faintly. This young girl was truly cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She had previously thought she might be a "green tea" type, but she turned out to be quite lovely and straightforward.

Thinking about the "group of people" the gossiping women had mentioned, they must be the grave robbers they had encountered. Did everyone know about them? Could they even be from their own village?

With these questions in mind, they arrived at Song Yang’s house. Song Bo was currently feeding the pangolin. "It’s recovering well. I’m going to go find them something to eat."

Jiang Cha found a spot in the courtyard and opened the honey jar. A sweet, delicious aroma drifted into the house. Watching her actions, Song Bo felt a sense of impending trouble.