Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder — I Rise to Female Lead Through Hard Work-Chapter 41: Mr. Qi

"Who used to herd the cows before?" Yi Roujing curiously asked Ding Anmin.

Ding Anmin tugged on Yi Roujing’s sleeve secretly, and Ding Xiaoding smiled and waved his hand, "He used to live in the cow shed. He got sick before and couldn’t handle it well, so we temporarily had him herd the cows to take care of him. Now that he’s better, he can cut pig fodder; you just switch with him. It’s settled then."

After Ding Xiaoding finished speaking, he went back, and Yi Roujing didn’t even have a chance to open her mouth. Oh well, herding cows it is.

Ding Anmin glanced at Yi Roujing with a bit of envy, "Didn’t expect you to have such treatment. The one who used to herd the cows for Mr. Qi was Bai Wei’s nephew, Jie."

Yi Roujing twitched the corner of her mouth. She understood; it basically meant her job could be done by a child. But... "Who is Mr. Qi?"

"Don’t ask so much; it’s not good to bring trouble upon yourself." Ding Anmin whispered, "He’s someone sent down here. Everyone in the brigade avoids him."

Yi Roujing got it, then furrowed her brow a bit, "How old is he?"

"How would I know? But judging by his looks, he must be at least fifty."

Yi Roujing felt a little ashamed, "So I’m snatching a job from someone over fifty years old?"

"This isn’t snatching." Ding Anmin rolled her eyes, "Mr. Qi herding cows was only temporary. It’s impossible for someone sent down here to do such an easy job. If it’s not given to you today, someone else would get the advantage."

"What about Jie?" Yi Roujing asked curiously.

"Jie went to herd the sheep." Ding Anmin explained, "The one who used to herd sheep is now the record keeper, Xiaojing. After she became the record keeper, Jie got the job of herding sheep. The captain gave special instructions."

"Why is Ding Xiaojing getting so much care?" Yi Roujing asked quietly.

"She has a capable father." Ding Anmin replied, "Her dad is a cadre in the commune."

"Then why is she still living in the brigade and not in the commune?"

"Where would she live in the commune? If the family doesn’t farm and relies only on her dad, they’d starve to death." Ding Anmin stated the facts, "Besides, the commune isn’t far from the brigade; she rides her bike back and forth every day very quickly."

"Why don’t we buy a bicycle then?" Yi Roujing quickly shifted the topic, mainly thinking about how tough it had been walking with Ding Anmin through the dark roads before.

"Do you know how much a bicycle costs? Almost two hundred, and you need a coupon, which is even harder to get." Ding Anmin grumbled.

"Even Ding Ancheng doesn’t have one?" Yi Roujing stated bluntly.

"Of course, he has one, and he got the coupon too, but our parents are reluctant to give it away, thinking to save it for when he gets married..." Ding Anmin trailed off, just staring blankly at Yi Roujing.

Yes, she wasn’t worthy of having a bicycle.

But that thought was shattered when they got home because Li Hongying cleaned the kitchen and then found Yi Roujing, handing her a wrapped handkerchief, thick and heavy.

"This is the money and coupons Ancheng gave to the family after becoming a teacher. I’ve been saving it, intending to give it to you two when he gets married. Take it." Li Hongying placed the long-wrapped handkerchief in Yi Roujing’s hand; it was weighty.

Yi Roujing felt pressure, "This is what he gave to the family; you don’t need to give it to me. Besides, I am eating and living at home."

"Once you’re married, you’ll have your own little family. When Anguo gets married, I’ll have them do the same. You keep it." Li Hongying said just as she turned and left.

Li Hongying hadn’t followed when they went to see the guests off just now; otherwise, Yi Roujing would suspect if she had overheard her conversation with Ding Anmin.

"Mom, has Xingchen gone back?" Ding Anmin asked, not seeing Xia Xingchen.

"Yeah, said he went back to brew medicine. Oh, by the way, is Xingchen alright? I didn’t get a chance to ask before." Li Hongying expressed concern.

"It’s nothing serious." Ding Anmin brushed it off. After all, it was Xia Xingchen’s family matter, and she couldn’t go spreading it around, even to her own mother.

"That’s good."

In the afternoon, Yi Roujing went to work with them, still with the same partners. The three went to cut pig fodder.

"Did you take the medicine?" Yi Roujing asked, looking at Xia Xingchen, who nodded.

"Sister-in-law, don’t worry, I wouldn’t play around with my own health."

"That’s good."

...

"Cough, cough—"

Today, the group didn’t go to the previous mountain but instead went to a small, flat hill, where there’s plenty of pig fodder. It’s also a place often used for herding sheep and cows, so once they arrived, they saw Ding Quanjie was already there, along with an elder with graying hair. It must be Mr. Qi.

"Sir Qi, are you alright?" Jie obediently helped pat Mr. Qi’s back gently.

"Cough, cough—"

But Mr. Qi coughed so much he couldn’t speak, just waved his hand to indicate he was fine.

Hearing the phlegm in his voice, Yi Roujing frowned slightly, then stepped forward to take Mr. Qi’s pulse while he was still coughing.

Yi Roujing appeared suddenly, directly grabbing Mr. Qi’s hand to take his pulse, startling him enough that he shivered and struggled to pull his hand back. Yi Roujing used a special touch to hold it and carefully felt the pulse.

Worse than when she had a fever after falling into the water before, even through just the wrist, the heat was still somewhat burning, and the cold wind was still in the body. "We should first take Mr. Qi to his residence; in this state, he shouldn’t be working."

"I can help watch the cows too." Jie pointed at the harmonious cattle and sheep grazing not far away.

"I’ll stay here; you two go. If I follow along, I’d just hold you back." Xia Xingchen knew his limitations well.

Ding Anmin hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to help lift Mr. Qi, with Yi Roujing supporting the other side. The two of them nearly carried Mr. Qi towards the cow shed, and yet it didn’t feel strenuous.

Almost just skin and bones, Yi Roujing’s gaze grew deeper.

Yi Roujing didn’t know her way, so Ding Anmin led the way. When they saw the cow shed made of piled stones, with a large hole in the thatched roof, looking utterly shabby, Yi Roujing’s lips pressed tightly together. This is no place for humans to live.

"Why hasn’t anyone fixed the cow shed roof this year?" Ding Anmin muttered.

The cow shed had two adjacent rooms; one for the cows and the other for Mr. Qi. The one with the hole in the roof was actually Mr. Qi’s room; the cows live better than him. Yi Roujing was speechless.

Entering the room, with the ground compacted with yellow mud, and a wooden basin placed under the hole in the thatched roof to catch water, a bed made of wooden planks was placed in the relatively safer corner.

Yi Roujing lifted up the blanket, a rustling sound was heard. After feeling it a few times, she could confirm it was filled with straw. No wonder he’d catch a cold.

"Anmin, go to my room and bring a quilt." Yi Roujing instructed Ding Anmin, "Also, bring the Chinese medicine Xia Xingchen’s stepmother sent over before."

"Huh?" Ding Anmin frowned, "That medicine can’t cure any illness. What are you going to do with it? You better not do anything reckless."

"I know," Yi Roujing looked up at Ding Anmin and said.

Ding Anmin furrowed her brows but still obediently left. Seeing Yi Roujing handle things with a good sense of measure these days gave her some reassurance.