Li Ying carried her daughter out of the dilapidated temple.
She was covered in bloodstains and pale as a sheet, which made Granny Qin take a few steps back in fright.
"You... You're still alive?"
"Your precious but immoral son is still hanging on. How could I die?"
Seeing that she was full of energy, Granny Qin let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. Since you're fine, come back with me right away after dealing with the girl. Jin is injured and needs someone to take care of him!"
Without further ado, she grabbed Li Ying and dragged her along. Her shrewd old eyes kept darting around: "Yesterday, I was so focused on getting rid of your body that I forgot about the placenta! Where is it? If Jin recovers completely after eating it, that's fine... Our Qin family has been dealing with baby girls for six generations. If something goes wrong with you, the whole clan won't forgive you!"
What?
Six generations of getting rid of baby girls. How many innocent baby girls must have lost their lives!
While Li Ying was shocked, her cheap brother-in-law, Qin Shao, snatched the baby girl from her arms and was about to smash her against a big bluestone.
Li Ying was being held by Granny Qin and couldn't break free. In a fit of desperation, she rammed her head hard into the old woman's nose bridge, and immediately two streams of blood flowed down.
Granny Qin let go in pain.
Li Ying quickly caught her daughter and hugged her tightly in her arms. She stared at the Qin mother and son with her almond eyes blazing with hatred.
"People do things and the heavens are watching. God is protecting my daughter! You're so heartless. You'll surely be punished sooner or later!"
As if to prove her words, there was a sudden "crack" sound, and the big bluestone that Qin Shao had aimed at inexplicably split into pieces all over the ground.
The stone's strange shattering, combined with Li Ying's disheveled hair and ferocious expression, made her look like a ghost. Granny Qin couldn't help but shiver.
"Shao'er, your elder brother is still waiting for the medicine. Let's not waste our time with this crazy woman. Just get the placenta and go back!"
Li Ying snorted coldly, then raised her hand and casually threw the placenta that hadn't been buried deeply into the sea not far away.
"You want to kill my daughter and still want the placenta? If you have the guts, go into the sea and get it yourself!"
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a "plop" sound, and Qin Shao actually jumped into the sea!
"Brother-in-law, take it easy. It's not worth becoming a water ghost for a placenta."
Li Ying hugged her daughter and sneered. A huge wave came crashing over, and Qin Shao's scrawny body was rolled up and slammed straight onto a reef.
"Ouch, the retribution really came quickly!"
Li Ying took a look at Qin Shao who had been washed up on the beach by the wave. He was covered in blood from head to face, and his life was uncertain. She couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.
Want to harm my daughter? Serves you right!
As if sensing her pleasure, the little baby girl in her arms somehow stopped crying and started giggling.
Granny Qin looked at her youngest son's bloodied and miserable state, and her face turned deathly pale.
"You... You mother and daughter... are so strange!"
She didn't care about getting the placenta anymore. Stumbling, she dragged Qin Shao and fled in a hurry.
Li Ying shouted after her back: "Take good care of Qin Jin! I'll come back in a few days to divorce him. If he's dead, it'll be so unlucky!"
She lowered her head and teased her daughter in her arms. The little one's bright eyes were rolling around.
Where was she strange? In Li Ying's eyes, she was clearly a little lucky koi!
Li Ying carried the child back to the dilapidated temple. The seriously injured man from last night had disappeared.
Presumably, he had left on his own after waking up.
It was for the best. She was now a weak woman without the strength to even tie up a chicken, and she was alone with a baby. She didn't want to get involved with such a desperate man.
Li Ying skillfully opened another coconut while chatting with her daughter.
"Baby, what should we eat? We can't just eat coconuts every meal, right?"
Just as she finished speaking, a wild chicken fluttered into the dilapidated temple and landed right in front of her.
"Baby, you really are a little lucky koi, aren't you?"
The little one grinned and made funny faces at her while cooing.
Li Ying kissed her daughter on the face, then quickly plucked the wild chicken. She picked up a sharp stone chip, cut the meat into small pieces, and carefully washed away the blood.
She hollowed out the coconut shell, cut the coconut meat into small pieces, stuffed them back in tightly with the chicken, and finally filled it up with coconut juice and sealed it again.
Using the coconut shell as a pot, she put it on a small fire to simmer for a while. The aroma of the meat mixed with the strong coconut fragrance wafted out.
It was really true that fresh ingredients often only needed simple cooking to taste their original flavors.
This coconut juice stewed chicken, although not seasoned, had a thin layer of chicken fat floating on the sweet soup, making it extremely delicious.
Li Ying picked up two dry twigs as chopsticks and picked up a piece of chicken.
Although there was no ginger to remove the fishy smell, the little wild chicken was stewed until the bones came off easily. Every bit of the meat was soaked with the coconut fragrance, with smooth skin and tender meat, quite reminiscent of Wenchang chicken.
She was extremely hungry and gobbled it up. Before long, there was a small mountain of bones in front of her.
"Girl, what are you cooking? It smells so good! Old woman has a basket of clams. Can I exchange them for a bowl of your soup?"
A voice came from the entrance of the dilapidated temple.
She looked up and saw an old woman with a tanned face. She was holding a basket in her hand and hesitatingly swallowing her saliva.
This old woman looked kind. Li Ying was already full, and there was still a lot of the chicken soup left. So she nodded and invited her: "Auntie, as long as you don't mind!"
The old woman hunched over and slowly sat down beside her. She drank up all the soup and let out a burp. Then she blushed in embarrassment.
"Girl... Your soup is really delicious! After drinking it, old woman feels that even my old bones don't hurt anymore! I couldn't help but drink more... I'm really sorry..."
Li Ying waved her hand indifferently. But accidentally, she noticed that the old woman's hands and feet were big, and her joints were swollen.
"Auntie, do you feel severe pain in your bones during cloudy and rainy days, and it gets even worse after eating seafood?"
She spoke in a casual tone, but the old woman's eyes immediately lit up: "Girl, how do you know about my old problem?"
Li Ying understood at a glance.
Living by the sea with swollen and painful joints must be due to the long - term consumption of aquatic products, resulting in high purine levels in the body and gout!
"Auntie, you have gout! My soup is made with fresh coconuts. Coconut juice can reduce swelling and promote urination, which can relieve gout. That's why you feel so comfortable after drinking it. I have many more prescriptions to help you condition your body, but unfortunately, I'm now taking care of my daughter and can barely make ends meet..."
She squeezed out a few tears of grievance and briefly told the old woman about the Qin family's actions. Sure enough, the old woman immediately held her hand compassionately.
"You poor child! Don't be afraid! Old woman lives alone. If you don't mind, come home with me! You and your daughter will have a place to live, and you can also help old woman take care of my old bones!"
Li Ying was just worried about not having a place to stay. After hearing this, she felt slightly relieved. She quickly wiped away her tears and followed the old woman towards a row of low thatched cottages.
The old woman was obviously a kind person. However, she was a single woman with a newborn baby girl, which was very eye - catching. She wondered if it would attract any criticism.
And those restless Qin family members, she didn't know if they would come to cause trouble again.