Chapter 6

The distance was indeed not far. After turning a corner at the front of the road, they saw it.

The pharmacy looked older than the clinic, with a worn-out couplet posted on the door.

“May all people in the world be free from illness, why should the medicine on the shelves gather dust?”

Pushing open the door, the interior was still decent, with a large medicine cabinet filling the small room.

An old man with a white beard was sitting at a wooden table, taking a nap.

The three of them didn’t wake him up when they came in.

“Doctor, wake up!”

Ye Changyuan stood beside him and tapped on the table.

“Hmm… hmm. Who’s sick? Sit down and let me take a look…”

The white-bearded old man was still sleepy, talking while putting on his reading glasses.

“Doctor, we’re not here to see a doctor, we’re here to get medicine.”

Ye Xiaoxiao took out a prescription from her pocket and handed it to him, looking prepared.

“Let me see… leeches, white cotton, myrrh, frankincense…”

Song Guangjing smiled after reading the prescription, “This prescription is quite clever. I wonder which doctor wrote it.”

“Doctor, is there any problem?” Ye Changsheng asked worriedly.

Song Guangjing, “There’s no problem with the prescription. It’s mainly for treating bone injuries and pain. But the dosage is bold, only a seasoned practitioner would dare to write it.”

“Doctor, I wrote it.”

Seeing that he had pointed out the problem, Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t hide it. This was a skilled elder, so she didn’t hide it.

Song Guangjing was truly surprised this time.

He didn’t expect that the person who wrote this prescription was a little girl.

“How many years have you been studying medicine?”

Ye Xiaoxiao, “I learned medicine first, then literacy. I’ve been studying for over ten years since I started.”

Song Guangjing nodded. This girl from the small town was stronger than those useless heirs who spent decades being trained. He praised her generously, “Not bad. Wait for me to get the medicine for you.”

The old man’s movements were quick when he grabbed the medicine. Even in the dimly lit area, he could accurately open the right drawer.

Others would always grab the medicine while holding the scale, but this old man grabbed the medicine quickly, then placed it on the scale and looked at it, not a single gram off.

Song Guangjing, “Five doses of medicine, a total of five yuan and seventy-five cents.”

Ye Xiaoxiao paid the money and took the medicine package.

Song Guangjing, “Child, who taught you your medical skills?”

Ye Xiaoxiao, “My teacher doesn’t let me say.”

Song Guangjing didn’t pressure the child, only said, “Come and visit me more often if you have time. I welcome you.”

Ye Xiaoxiao, “…Thank you.”

It wasn’t until they were outside that Ye Changyuan said angrily, “That old man is weird, who would come to the pharmacy to play for no reason.”

Ye Xiaoxiao just smiled and didn’t say anything. The old man probably didn’t mean that.

On their way home, they passed by the clinic, but Ye Changsheng was already better, so there was no need to go in. Besides, they still had the medicine Ye Xiaoxiao bought, and they hadn’t finished it yet.

But as they passed the clinic, they saw a lot of people gathered at the door, making a commotion, and they could hear some curses.

Ye Changyuan, “What’s going on? It looks like someone’s causing trouble.”

Ye Xiaoxiao also looked up. It seemed like they had encountered a medical dispute.

Ye Changsheng wasn’t the kind of person who liked to watch the commotion. He urged, “It’s none of our business, let’s go home quickly. Grandpa will be worried.”

Ye Changyuan, although a year older, wasn’t as steady as his brother. He shoved the things he was carrying into Ye Changsheng’s arms and went to find out what was happening.

After a while, Ye Changyuan ran back.

He gesticulated excitedly, “Guess what? A child got a shot here, and then he became paralyzed when he got home. Now he can’t even get off the kang, he can’t walk.”

Ye Xiaoxiao’s face changed slightly.

So Ye Changsheng’s accident wasn’t an isolated case!

The cruelty of reality was a thousand times worse than what she had read in the book. Only now did she have a slight understanding.

The place she was in wasn’t a book, but a bloody real world.

Ye Changyuan continued, “It’s a good thing Brother Sheng didn’t get a shot here. That doctor is unreliable.”

Ye Changsheng retorted, “Not everyone will be like that…”

But he didn’t say anything more. He walked home in silence.

Of the three, only Ye Changyuan was excited.

When they reached the front door, Ye Xiaoxiao had figured it out. She took out fifty yuan from her bag and handed it to Ye Changsheng.

“This is for buying food. You guys can buy whatever you want.”

Ye Changyuan and Ye Changsheng were both eighteen or nineteen-year-old young men. Their family’s money was managed by their parents, and they had never held so much money before.

“Xiaoxiao… you spent all your money! You can’t go back to Beijing.”

Ye Changyuan’s eyes widened. He had heard his parents say that the new sister at Second Aunt’s house came from Beijing, a very far place, and she might leave anytime.

Ye Xiaoxiao said loudly, “I told you, I’m not leaving!”

Ye Changyuan, “Uh… okay.”

Ye Changsheng pursed his lips and didn’t say anything.

He knew that the family was short of rice and flour. He didn’t have the confidence to refuse this money, nor the capital to say anything else. But he swore that when he made money, he would repay Ye Xiaoxiao.

The three of them brought so many things back, which startled Miao Fengshan.

After hearing the explanation, he said, “Xiaoxiao’s clothes are thin, she really needs to make new cotton clothes. Grandpa has money, if it’s not enough, come and get it.”

“Grandpa, I still have enough money.” Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t lack money now, but she needed to make money urgently.

Because the money she had wasn’t enough to do anything for this family.

“Grandpa, do we have any medicine jars? I’ll boil the medicine. This is medicine for leg pain.”

Miao Fengshan, “Don’t waste money, Grandpa’s leg doesn’t hurt.”

No matter what the old man said, Ye Xiaoxiao coaxed him to take out a medicine jar and put it on the stove to boil the medicine.

When it got even darker, Ye Changsheng and Ye Changyuan prepared to go out to buy food.

Ye Xiaoxiao worriedly instructed, “Be careful when you go out. Even if the price is high, it’s okay. Don’t get into a fight…”

After all, many people in the black market weren’t good people. They would gang up and bully people from other villages. She didn’t want to cause trouble for two pounds of grain.

Ye Changsheng, “Why are you so fussy? Nothing will happen. We’re leaving.”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “…”

This guy… ungrateful.

Ye Changsheng and Ye Changyuan went out. They didn’t come back until Ye Xiaoxiao finished boiling the medicine.

“Grandpa, drink your medicine.”

After handing the medicine to Miao Fengshan, Ye Xiaoxiao ran to the gate of the courtyard to look outside.

There were mud houses in front and behind, forming a small alley. It was pitch black at night.

Ye Xiaoxiao walked a few steps towards the entrance of the alley, but she still didn’t see anyone.

A cold wind blew, and even with a cotton jacket, she felt chilled to the bone.

She turned to go back, but suddenly someone covered her mouth from behind.

Woo, woo, woo…