Chapter 11

Food poisoning!

Looking at the task reward of 20 points, it was clear this was a serious matter.

Jiang Xi’s face changed immediately. She was about to go find the poisoned person but then paused. As a doctor, she had no needles, no medicine, and was empty-handed. How could she treat the patient?

The most urgent thing was getting medicinal materials.

Luckily, the system had medicinal herbs.

With only twenty-one points left, Jiang Xi tightly held Pei Hejun’s hand and said, “System, do you have any processed patchouli, mint, and five-finger oranges^[1]are specific medicinal herbs used in traditional treatments.

…”

System: [Yes, how much?]

Jiang Xi listed the quantities, and the system replied: [You need a smaller quantity, 15 points in total.]

Fortunately, she could afford it.

Jiang Xi requested the items immediately, and soon they appeared in the small box she brought with her. She opened it and saw freshly packed medicine neatly wrapped in paper.

Then, there was a noise outside: “He Jun’s wife! My wife has been vomiting all day and now has cramps. Can you see how she is doing?”

Jiang Xi quickly went outside and saw a man, looking honest and simple, placing a tall, thin woman on the ground. The woman looked very pale and weak.

The man’s eyes were red: “He Jun’s wife, look at her!”

Jiang Xi crouched down to check her pulse and other symptoms. Based on the food poisoning mentioned by the system, she determined the basic symptoms and said, “Wait for me for a moment.”

She hurried to the kitchen, and Pei’s mother arrived, followed by an old lady.

Mother Pei anxiously said, “Xiaoxi, you don’t know what you’re doing. Don’t mess around, or something bad will happen!”

It seemed Xisheng’s wife was in critical condition. If something happened to her, Xisheng’s mother would extort money from them. If she died, they might have to pay a huge sum.

Jiang Xi smiled and said, “It’s okay. I can cure it.”

Mother Pei broke out in a cold sweat and tried to stop her: “It would be terrible if something really happened. Let’s not do it…”

But Jiang Xi had already brought water. It had soap added to it, which made bubbles. She was about to pour it into Xisheng’s wife. What was she doing?!

Mother Pei panicked, thinking they were just playing around. She wanted to rush over to stop them but was held back by Xisheng’s mother. The latter smiled and said, “Sister Guizhi, let’s not go. Your daughter-in-law is so capable; she will definitely be able to handle it.”

Mother Pei couldn’t stop her and angrily shouted, “Let me go!”

Xisheng’s mother refused to let her go. She didn’t care about her daughter-in-law’s life or death. If she died, the Pei family would pay compensation. If she lived, they wouldn’t have to pay for medical expenses.

Pei’s mother was helpless and angrily beat Xisheng’s mother. When she couldn’t break free, she stomped her feet and cursed Xu Cui to death in her heart.

Xisheng was also not very wise. Even though his wife was in bad condition, he still listened to his mother and brought her to Jiang Xi.

Seeing the soapy water being poured in, Pei’s mother fell silent and could only prepare to pay the money.

___

Jiang Xi still didn’t understand why her mother-in-law was so distressed.

She poured the soapy water in. The man, acting quickly, helped pry open his wife’s mouth, and the water went in smoothly. She poured in too much water, and the woman soon vomited, making a mess on the floor.

Jiang Xi let the man hold her and said, “You have to let her drink it herself, even if she vomits. After she’s done, let her vomit it out.”

The man nodded quickly and followed her instructions carefully.

Jiang Xi went back inside, got the herbs prepared by the system, and boiled them. Time was tight, but the herbs were processed by the system. Since the stove in the kitchen was still on, she could use it immediately.

She had done this many times, and the Pei family also had medicine jars, so it was convenient.

After adding water and medicine, Jiang Xi didn’t need to stay and watch. She dissolved some salt water and waited for the woman to finish vomiting before feeding her the medicine.

Vomiting and diarrhea were so severe that she must be dehydrated.

After finishing the drink, the woman looked better, not as lifeless as before, but she still lay weakly in the man’s arms, her eyes half open and half closed. The man hugged his wife, still scared, and said, “I was terrified, Aimee. Why did you vomit so much?”

The woman named Aimee was too weak to speak or seem interested in speaking. She closed her eyes in silence.

The two old ladies watching from the side moved apart, and Xisheng’s mother ran over. Seeing her daughter-in-law’s improved condition, she regretted not being able to extort money. She said with disdain, “Aimee has always been lazy and greedy. Who knows what she ate secretly and got into trouble. Why are you so worried? She won’t die.”

“Who are they?” Mother Pei muttered. Things had come to this point, and she couldn’t chase them away, so she went over with a gloomy face to help watch the fire.

Jiang Xi said unhappily, “She must have eaten some rotten fish or shrimp and got food poisoning. It’s not too serious, but she’s too weak, so she reacted strongly. Did you eat these?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the man’s face froze. He looked at his mother and said nothing.

Xisheng’s mother waved her hands: “How can that be? If there was some fish, shouldn’t we eat it right away?”

But Li Aimee said quietly: “I ate the leftover fish from yesterday. Mother wanted to give it to Xisheng, but Xisheng didn’t eat it, so mother gave it to me.”

In this hot summer, how could fish left over from yesterday not go bad by today?

Jiang Xi glanced at her and warned, “Don’t eat spoiled food in the future.”

Li Aimei’s eyes welled up with tears. She had just taken a sip of water, and tears began streaming down her face. It seemed like she wanted to say something but didn’t dare to.

The man holding her also cried softly, murmuring, “It’s my fault, it’s my fault…”

He didn’t want to eat the food because he wanted his wife to have some. But his mother refused to give in. The two argued until the next day, by which time the food had spoiled. His mother, not wanting to waste it but also unwilling to let him eat it, gave it to his wife. Unfortunately, after she ate it, something bad happened.

Xisheng’s mother couldn’t bear to see her son like this, so she put her hands on her hips and yelled, “What’s your problem? It’s just a little illness. Doesn’t she look better now? Is this necessary? You useless thing!”

She was upset and cursed, urging him, “Okay, you coward, your wife is fine. Leave her here and come back to work with me. If you miss work again, your work points will be deducted!”

The man stopped crying, set his wife down, and sat her on a nearby stool. Then, with his head down, he walked away.

Mother Pei came out of the kitchen, and when she saw that the annoying person was gone, her expression improved. But she was still angry, gritting her teeth as she said, “This woman is really cruel! She doesn’t even treat her daughter-in-law like a human being! Her son is such a coward. He can’t even protect his wife and ran away as soon as the woman said something. Ai Mei is unlucky to have married such a man!”

The woman sitting limply in the chair burst into tears again but didn’t dare to cry out loud, looking extremely embarrassed.

Mother Pei also felt sad. She looked at her daughter-in-law and said with a headache, “Xiaoxi, you were really impulsive this time. It seems Xisheng’s wife isn’t fully recovered yet. Why don’t you send her to the clinic?”

The water boiled quickly. Jiang Xi timed it and watched the water change color. She immediately squeezed out some water and brought it to Li Aimei. She poured water from two cups back and forth, waiting for the temperature to drop. At the same time, she answered her mother-in-law’s question: “Mother, I got some medicinal herbs that can cure this illness. She drank it, and the poison was detoxified. She’ll get better after some rest.”

Fortunately, it’s a mild illness, and the medicinal materials aren’t very expensive. Taking this medicine and getting good rest will make her well again.

Mother Pei was incredulous: “Are you serious?”

“Really. I wouldn’t do anything unless I was sure.” Jiang Xi smiled at her and gave the cooled medicine to Li Aimei.

Li Aimei looked lifeless, but when the medicine was brought to her lips, even though the smell was faint, the bitterness was still strong. She impatiently opened her mouth, gulped down the drink, and licked her lips, not wanting to miss a single drop.

She had a strong will to live.

Jiang Xi felt relieved.

After drinking the hot medicine, Li Aimei’s empty stomach felt better. She seemed a little more energetic and whispered, “Thank you.”

“It’s okay, just rest now.” Jiang Xi waved her hand and went to wash the teacup.

Mother Pei followed behind, both expectant and anxious: “Xiaoxi, tell me honestly, how good are your medical skills?”

At first, she thought it would be enough to cure a headache or fever, but Xisheng’s wife looked seriously ill, so it wouldn’t work. But her daughter-in-law seemed so confident that Mother Pei couldn’t help but hope, wondering if she really had such skills.

“Hmm…” Jiang Xi thought for a moment, struggling over what to say, but seeing how nervous Mother Pei was, she couldn’t bear it anymore and whispered, “As long as there are medicinal herbs, and the illness isn’t too serious, I can cure most diseases, like fevers, colds, common poisoning, bone fractures, backaches…”

When she first apprenticed with her master, she learned general medicine and saw many kinds of diseases. Later, she practiced independently and encountered various illnesses. But back then, she had high-tech medical devices to assist her. Now, she was alone, so she was more cautious.

However, the more Jiang Xi spoke, the brighter Mother Pei’s eyes became. By the end, she was in a trance: “My goodness, what kind of daughter-in-law did my son marry!”

She could cure so many diseases. She was much better than the barefoot doctor before!

Especially since such a capable person married her unconscious son, Mother Pei was panicked.

Her son might die any day, and he only had a small pension and savings. How could he marry such a capable daughter-in-law? Even without this medical skill, Mother Pei had felt from the beginning that Jiang Xi could have married into a better family, but the gap wasn’t so obvious then.

In her excitement, Mother Pei suddenly thought of something and held on to a glimmer of hope: “Xiaoxi, can you cure the third child’s condition?”

Jiang Xi shook her head regretfully: “I can only help him recuperate. Whether he gets better depends on luck.”

Mother Pei quickly calmed down and felt sad.

Yes, Xiaoxi said it wouldn’t work if the illness was extremely serious. But her son’s condition was already very serious, so of course, she couldn’t do it.

However, the sadness in Mother Pei’s heart soon disappeared. Her daughter-in-law was so capable. Even if her son’s money ran out one day, she wouldn’t have to worry about her future. She could marry into a good family with her skills, which was also a good thing.

It’s just that her son wasn’t that lucky.