Before the man could continue, another person who had carried kudzu root anxiously explained what had happened.
The crucial point was, "Li Min's elder sister-in-law said that from tomorrow onwards, Li Min is to patrol the foot of the mountain and see who dares to not bring the firewood they chop and wild vegetables they gather back to the team."
"Nonsense! Where is Huang Sulian? Bring her to me. She must be criticized and educated. This national recruit found something edible for everyone, and instead of being grateful or praising them, she falsely accused them. Has she gone mad?"
After understanding the whole story, Captain Ou was both angry and annoyed. Ever since he heard about what happened on the day the national recruit entered the village, he had an idea. His team didn't have any women who understood the law.
A women's director should understand the law and persuade people with law and reason. He had even considered inviting the national recruit to be the women's director after she had settled in for a while.
Now, it was too late. He hadn't found an opportunity, and Huang Sulian had already offended her.
In this day and age, having skills was valuable anywhere. In just a few days, she could make two things that weren't found in the mountains by using local resources.
Who knew what other good things she would come up with in the future? It was bad enough that others didn't share their knowledge, but then to pick a fight? Utterly foolish!
"Li Min's face was scratched by Huang Sulian. Li Min's elder sister-in-law said that she wanted to disfigure Li Min and prevent her from getting married, and they went to Accountant Li to demand an explanation."
When Captain Ou heard this, he waved his hand and said, "Let's go to Accountant Li's house. Bring your kudzu root to his house too. Ask him to handle it; I can't handle it."
"What should I do with these things? Should I ask someone who knows how to make starch to make it? And then give it to them?"
"No one is stupid. How about this: you ask Accountant Li's family to make it, and they can give you a share when it's done. Huang Sulian is so capable, let's have her lead the way."
"That's great, great."
"Let's go, let's go to Accountant Li's house."
"Let's go, to Accountant Li's house."
The people carrying the kudzu root, who were initially full of anger, were amused by Captain Ou's mischievous suggestion. They would all take it to Accountant Li's house and ask Accountant Li for starch later.
...
Meanwhile, at Accountant Li's house, when Tian Jing brought Li Min to Accountant Li's house, quite a few people followed behind them, either to watch the commotion, or rather, to bear witness.
Tian Jing sized up the courtyard before her. The house was slightly better than those in the village.
Most houses in the Kuxian Mountains had stone foundations and adobe upper structures, as it was convenient to use stone near the mountains. The roofs were all thick thatched roofs.
However, Accountant Li's house, like the Tian family's house, had a roof that was half tiled and half thatched, and the courtyard walls were entirely made of stone.
It looked like they were well-off. No wonder Zhang Fangcao had chosen Accountant Li's family when she wasn't marrying out.
Hu Hongju was coming out of her youngest son's room. Her youngest daughter-in-law had a miscarriage. After the Zhang family paid the medical expenses, they also brought a chicken and more than ten eggs, saying they were for Zhang Fangcao's recovery.
Thinking about the future, she had held back her complaints and was serving her youngest daughter-in-law during her recovery.
She had just sent in the brown sugar eggs when she saw a group of people standing at her courtyard gate. Li Min and that Tian Jing were at the front.
And Li Min's face and hair clearly showed that she had been beaten. But why were they here?
"Cousin-in-law." Li Min felt inexplicably less confident when she saw Hu Hongju.
Tian Jing was angry at her lack of resolve. Even though she often borrowed things from this cousin-in-law's house, so what?
Setting aside neighborly relations, Li father was injured while saving this cousin, and spent half of his family's fortune, but the person still died. This cousin-in-law should have taken responsibility.
If not responsible, at least he should have paid for the medical expenses, right?
The original owner had also caused trouble in the Li family for this very reason. She could have sought compensation for medical expenses from this cousin-in-law's family and had a good life.
But because she couldn't bring herself to ask and because of her so-called kindness, she had ended up living such a life.
If she was so kind, why did she agree to the marriage swap? And why did she swap into her place?
"Cousin-in-law," Tian Jing said, "your eldest daughter-in-law Huang Sulian claimed that Li Min was taking advantage of the collective by digging for kudzu root, and she scratched Li Min's face. Li Min is about to get married, and such an injury is no different from disfigurement!"
"Who knows how many bacteria were under those fingernails? Just like my poor father-in-law, he died because his wound became infected and was left untreated."
"It's a pity that all the family's savings were spent, and the person was gone. In the end, they lost both their money and their loved one. I wonder if certain people's consciences ache?"
As soon as Tian Jing said this, the crowd behind them immediately started discussing.
Most of the villagers knew why Li father was injured, but it was a matter between two Li families, and outsiders couldn't get involved.
Now, with the daughter-in-law who had only been here for a few days bringing it up so directly, everyone's eyes widened, and a good show was about to unfold.
Hu Hongju's face suddenly turned red. This Tian Jing was going too far, pointing it out so directly to their faces without giving them any face at all.
She didn't expect that just as her youngest daughter-in-law had finally calmed down after her miscarriage, her eldest daughter-in-law had stirred up trouble again. But how could she respond to Tian Jing's words?
"We'll compensate," Accountant Li squeezed in from outside the door. "We'll pay for Li Min's facial injuries."
"Is this Accountant Li?"
Tian Jing looked at the man standing next to Hu Hongju. He was of ordinary build, with the standard appearance of an old farmer, and his eyes were quite clear.
But Tian Jing didn't believe it. What was the use of clear eyes? After making a mistake, he still avoided responsibility, and treated the usual help as small favors given to Li Min.
Li Min was also foolish to care about these things. It wasn't like she had borrowed something and not repaid it, making it seem like she owed the Li family a favor.
"Yes, I am Li Guangping." Accountant Li saw that Tian Jing was speaking formally, so he didn't try to be overly friendly.
"Good, since Accountant Li admits to this matter, then let's talk about it." Tian Jing was waiting for the head of the household to acknowledge it.
"Speak," Accountant Li had a bad feeling, but he had already said it, and couldn't take it back. Besides, there were so many people watching outside.
"Accountant Li, you know that wounds can become infected, don't you?"
Tian Jing's expression and tone didn't seem to allude to Li father's incident, but everyone could understand.
"I know," Accountant Li nodded.
Tian Jing pointed to Li Min's face, "These three scratches as deep as this, if they don't get infected and heal normally, it will take time, at least a year, for them to fade to an almost invisible state. This situation is no different from mild disfigurement."
"If they get infected and fester, the rotten flesh will have to be cut away, which would be severe disfigurement."
"Unless a special scar removal cream is used immediately, but scar removal cream also has conditions, and that is time. It requires time."
"This happened just a few days before Li Min is to be married. Even if it wasn't intentional, what should Li Min do when she goes to her in-laws' house?"
"As everyone knows, wounds require dietary restrictions and bland food. Can her in-laws make separate meals for her?"
"If separate meals are made, will the in-laws have any objections or conflicts? A new daughter-in-law causing trouble for her in-laws, will they be happy?"
"A perfectly good marriage has been obstructed by your eldest daughter-in-law. Will Li Min's future life be good? She will undoubtedly carry the shadow of this incident for the rest of her life."
"Accountant Li, how do you intend to compensate? Medical expenses are simple, but who will compensate for the intangible harm caused by the incident?"
Boom!
The crowd immediately erupted.
This national recruit's first day in the mountains was not a fluke; she was genuinely capable.
She was not to be trifled with. From now on, they must warn their family members repeatedly not to provoke this national recruit.