Chapter 28: Ningning, Just Go Ahead and Treat Them

As the anxious villagers crowded around him, Old Zhang let out a sigh. “Everyone, I’m sorry, but I’m not a veterinarian. From what I can see, the problem with these pigs is in their digestive systems, but as for the exact cause, I really can’t say.”

Old Zhang’s medical skills were only average to begin with; he usually just helped the villagers with common, minor ailments.

If anyone had a serious illness, he’d always advise them to go to the county hospital.

Now, being asked to diagnose pigs—a completely different field—it was only natural that he couldn’t figure it out.

But the villagers had a hard time accepting this answer.

“Oh no, even Old Zhang can’t figure it out. What are we supposed to do?”

“Exactly, these pigs look really bad. If we don’t treat them soon, they’ll die.”

“There’s no vet in our village, and not even in the county. I heard there’s one in Xihai County next door, though.”

“Then we’d better hurry and get them.”

“Azhou, you go,” Old Gu said, knowing the problem ultimately lay with his daughter-in-law and that it was up to their family to handle it.

He immediately told his third son, Gu Yunzhou, to go to Xihai County and fetch the vet.

Just then, a female voice suddenly rang out.

“No need to go. I can treat them.”

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then turned to look in the direction of the voice.

But when they saw who it was, the clear and pleasant voice suddenly sounded grating to their ears.

Qin Zhaodi, upon seeing who it was, was secretly delighted and immediately stepped forward.

“Ning girl, what are you doing causing trouble at a time like this? Even Old Zhang couldn’t figure it out, and you think you can treat them? Don’t think that just because you spent two years at a vocational school, you’re some miracle doctor.”

“And now you’re stopping us from getting a vet? What, do you want to watch these pigs die?”

“I’m really curious—how exactly did these pigs get sick, anyway?”

Qin Zhaodi’s words were full of insinuation. Anyone who didn’t know better would think the Gu family wanted the pigs dead.

“That’s right, Comrade Gu Jianing, are you just stalling for time so the pigs die?” Zhao Weihong, who had always been jealous of Gu Jianing, also stepped forward to side with Qin Zhaodi.

The villagers all chimed in as well.

“Yeah, what exactly is your Gu family up to? Do you really want to just watch these pigs die?”

“Ning girl, we know you’re a top student from vocational school, but book learning isn’t the same as actually treating illnesses.”

“Village chief, you’d better let Azhou go get the vet. We can’t let Ning girl mess around like this.”

It was true that Gu Jianing had studied nursing at vocational school and was considered a top student in the village, but they’d never heard of her treating anyone before.

Plus, Gu Jianing had caused her share of trouble in the village in the past.

In the villagers’ eyes, she had a reputation for being unreliable, which was why they sided with Qin Zhaodi now.

“Qin Zhaodi, you’re talking nonsense! Are you trying to get my daughter killed?” Yao Chunhua shouted, lunging at Qin Zhaodi and slapping her across the face.

“Ah! Yao Chunhua, you hit me!”

“So what if I did? How dare you talk about my daughter like that! She’s just trying to help treat the pigs, and you’re here slinging mud at her. I ought to slap you again!”

Her daughter was Yao Chunhua’s treasure—no one was allowed to badmouth her.

Yao Chunhua felt certain that her daughter was only stepping up to help because of her.

At first, her daughter had been frightened and hiding behind her.

Now, she was bravely stepping forward—all for her mother’s sake.

Her daughter was so kind-hearted; how could she let others slander her like this?

Seeing that Yao Chunhua and Qin Zhaodi were about to get into a fight, the villagers quickly stepped in to stop them.

Qin Zhaodi kept shouting, “Yao Chunhua, if you let your daughter treat them and the pigs die, can you pay for them?”

“I’ll pay!” Yao Chunhua gritted her teeth and agreed.

“Fine, then let her treat them.”

Qin Zhaodi stopped arguing and folded her arms, ready to watch the show.

It was only after the fact that Yao Chunhua realized she’d agreed to Qin Zhaodi’s terms without thinking, but she didn’t regret it.

She turned to Gu Jianing and said, “Ningning, just go ahead and treat them. No matter what, your mother’s got your back.”

“Ningning, we’re with you too.”

The rest of the Gu family voiced their support, especially Old Gu, who stepped forward and patted his daughter’s shoulder. “Ningning, if you’re confident, go ahead and give it a try. Don’t worry—no matter what happens, your father’s here.”

Gu Yunnan and Gu Yunzhou also looked at Gu Jianing with encouragement in their eyes.

The Gu family’s attitude was clear: Go ahead and treat them. Your family will always have your back.

Seeing how much her family trusted her, always ready to support her no matter what, Gu Jianing felt a pang of emotion.

She thought of her foolishness and mistakes in her previous life, and felt even more guilty. Never again—she would never make the same mistakes in this life.

In this life, her family was her most precious treasure. She would never let anyone hurt them.

Suppressing her emotions, Gu Jianing walked resolutely into the pigsty.

Gu Jianing was a stickler for cleanliness, and her mother often cleaned and scrubbed the pigsty. But no matter how clean it was, it was still a pigsty—especially now, with the pigs having diarrhea, the ground was covered in yellowish, blood-streaked feces.

Gu Jianing frowned.

But maybe because she’d already encountered this situation in the Miracle Doctor’s space, she was able to stay calm.

In the past, she probably wouldn’t have set foot in here.

As her mother, Yao Chunhua knew very well how much her daughter valued cleanliness.

Now, she followed her daughter inside, helping her avoid touching anything dirty in the pigsty.

The fact that Gu Jianing dared to enter the pigsty surprised the villagers.

After all, Gu Jianing was famous in Huaihua Village. At first, it was for her beauty—her delicate, pure-yet-alluring looks were unmatched, even in the city.

Later, she became known for being spoiled and a bit of a drama queen.

Because she was so pretty, plenty of young men liked her.

But the elders didn’t—she couldn’t do heavy work, had too many ideas of her own, and could wrap men around her finger. Not the kind of daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law they liked.

A pigsty seemed like the last place someone like Gu Jianing would go.

Yet now, she’d gone in without hesitation.

It had to be said, the villagers’ impression of her began to change.

Wen Zhuqing watched the girl in the pigsty from across the crowd, frowning slightly, lost in thought.

“Hmph, so what if she went in? Does she really think she can cure those pigs? She’s just wasting time,” Zhao Weihong muttered, rolling her eyes.

Gu Jianing only went in for a symbolic look—the Miracle Doctor’s space had already analyzed the pigs’ condition.

Still, she had to go in; she couldn’t just claim she could cure them without even looking.

Besides, she had another reason for coming in."