When Yang Jin was called by Mrs. Tang, she didn’t even realize it at first and wasn’t sure who was being addressed.

Chu Xia quickly nudged her and whispered, “The teacher is asking you to answer the question.”

Yang Jin was instantly startled, her face turning pale as she jumped up.

The chair behind her made a loud noise as it was pushed back.

She looked at the teacher, unsure of what to say, her hands tugging at Chu Xia’s clothes under the table as she urgently whispered, “What was the question? What was the question? Quick, quick!”

Chu Xia wanted to help, but Mrs. Tang was staring at them intently, and she had no chance to speak.

Under Mrs. Tang’s piercing gaze, Chu Xia discreetly slid her book over and pointed to the part that needed to be answered.

Instantly gaining confidence, Yang Jin picked up the book and loudly read the text from it.

Chu Xia covered her face, tugging at Yang Jin’s sleeve.

It wasn’t enough to just recite the text; Yang Jin also needed to give her own understanding of it.

Yang Jin didn’t get the hint and returned a confused look.

At that moment, Mrs. Tang walked over, took the book from Yang Jin’s hands, and placed it on Chu Xia’s desk.

She stared sternly at Yang Jin. “What were you just reciting? Repeat the question I just asked.”

The classroom fell completely silent.

Yang Jin looked at Mrs. Tang, then at Chu Xia.

Chu Xia couldn’t help her now.

If the teacher had been farther away, she might have been able to give a hint, but Mrs. Tang was standing right in front of them, so that wasn’t possible.

Unable to answer, Yang Jin lowered her head in silence.

“If you don’t even know the question, how can you possibly answer it? Reciting the book? If you were treating a patient, would you recite a book to them and hope that cures them?”

Mrs. Tang wasn’t done scolding.

After criticizing Yang Jin, she turned to Ma Xiaolan, Liang Wenwen, and the others, accusing them of not paying attention in class and warning them that they would become incompetent doctors in the future!

She then berated Chu Xia and Ye Mengchun, “You may be able to help in class now, but will you help them when they’re treating patients too? You’re not helping them, you’re harming them! Don’t think just because you’re good at studying that you know everything! Luo Chu Xia, coughing with phlegm… weak pulse. Explain the pathology behind this condition.”

This wasn’t something Chu Xia’s class was currently learning; it was material they would cover later.

Mrs. Tang simply wanted to show Chu Xia that she didn’t know everything.

However, Chu Xia stood up calmly and explained the answer using the theories of the Five Organs and the Five Elements.

Mrs. Tang stared at her for a few seconds, then glared, “Sit down.”

Chu Xia gave Mrs. Tang a sweet smile, “Thank you, teacher.”

Returning to the podium, Mrs. Tang looked at Chu Xia again, “Just because you understand doesn’t mean Yang Jin and the others do. Since you’re so sleepy, stand up and listen.”

Yang Jin and the others ended up standing for the rest of the class.

As soon as Mrs. Tang announced the end of the lesson, they collapsed into their chairs. “She’s such a tyrant. Mrs. Tang has no compassion for her students at all.”

Chu Xia replied, “It’s only been a month since the semester started. The fact that she remembers your name means she thinks highly of you.”

Yang Jin retorted, “She remembers everyone’s name in the whole class.”

---

Grandfather Jiang’s medicinal wine had run out, so Chu Xia went to the pharmacy to buy more herbs, along with some ingredients for therapeutic food.

Cen Zhengnian’s stomach was recovering well, and he hadn’t had any flare-ups lately.

However, his work was very demanding, so Chu Xia regularly bought meat, ribs, eggs, and even subscribed to milk deliveries to ensure he ate well every day.

Of course, she and Cen Huai’an enjoyed the same nutritious meals.

Thanks to the good food, An An had gained some weight and didn’t look as skinny as before.

Now, in the residential compound, there were many children who wanted to play with Cen Huai’an because he had two very impressive big dogs.

Whenever Cen Huaian took the dogs out, a group of children would gather around.

Some mischievous ones even tried to climb on the dogs, hoping to ride them.

However, they couldn’t stay on.

As soon as they touched Huangzi or Heizi, the dogs would shake them off and run away.

The pharmacy Chu Xia visited was large, with the most complete selection of herbs. It had taken her a while to find a place like this.

Since she frequented the shop to buy Chinese medicine, some of the staff recognized her and knew she was knowledgeable about herbs.

They would often chat with her.

“We recently received a batch of excellent herbs, freshly dug up from the mountains. Would you like to take a look?”

The store bought all sorts of medicinal materials, and some people would specifically go into the mountains to gather items to sell to the shop, which offered fair prices.

“I’ll take a look.”

Chu Xia was particularly fond of wild herbs that had aged well.

She had previously bought a fifty-year-old wild ginseng from this store.

The older and more premium herbs were available too, but top-quality herbs were very expensive, and Chu Xia didn’t have that kind of money.

This time, while there were many good herbs, none of them were what she needed, so she didn’t make a purchase.

After finishing her shopping and about to leave the pharmacy, Chu Xia looked up and saw Luo Peng walking in with a piece of paper in his hand.

“Cousin-in-law?” Chu Xia called out.

Luo Peng looked up, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes as he instinctively tried to hide the paper behind his back.

Realizing he was overreacting, he quickly blinked, hiding his nervousness as he calmly folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

“Chu Xia, what are you doing here?” Luo Peng asked, surprised to see Chu Xia in the herbal medicine shop.

Usually, only people who were sick would come here to buy herbs.

But then, considering Chu Xia’s major, it made sense for her to be there.

“Do you need to buy herbs for your course?”

Chu Xia showed the herbs in her hand to Luo Peng. “No, I’m just buying some herbs to make medicinal wine for my grandfather.”

Chu Xia didn’t ask Luo Peng why she was there, as she had previously checked Luo Peng’s pulse and knew her condition.

Luo Peng tucked her hair back and smiled gently at Chu Xia. “Thank you for advising me to take care of my health the other day. I went to see a doctor, and I feel much better now. I’m here today to get my prescribed herbs.”

Chu Xia nodded and smiled. “That’s great. I hope you recover soon, cousin-in-law.”

Luo Peng nodded and went to get her herbs, while Chu Xia watched her leave.

From Luo Peng’s complexion, Chu Xia could see that her health was indeed improving; her face had more color, and her lips had a light pink hue instead of the previous pale white.

Chu Xia genuinely hoped that Luo Peng’s health would continue to improve.

Both Luo Peng and Jiang Zhishu had always been kind to her, Cen Zhengnian, and An An.

Although Jiang Zhishu seemed cold on the outside, he was always willing to help when needed.

At their grandfather’s house, Luo Peng took care of her in every way.

They were good people, and Chu Xia hoped they could live without regrets.

When Chu Xia stepped out of the herbal medicine shop, a cold wind blew, swirling the yellow fallen leaves on the ground.

Her hands, warmed by the shop’s heat, were now chilled again.

Winter had arrived, and Chu Xia instinctively felt that this winter would be particularly cold.

She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and walked quickly toward the bus stop.

Back home, Cen Huai’an wasn’t there, and neither were the dogs, Huangzi and Heizi—they were probably playing outside.

As long as they were around the research institute and the nearby residential area, it was safe.

With the two dogs accompanying him, Chu Xia wasn’t too worried.

She took out the liquor she had bought, and carefully sorted the herbs by weight.

Chu Xia then rinsed the herbs in clean water before placing them, one by one, into a prepared wine jar.

Finally, she poured in the high-proof liquor.

Making medicinal wine depends largely on the proportion of herbs and the type of liquor used.

Different recipes correspond to different ailments, and even a slight variance in weight could lead to significantly different results.

After sealing the jar, she placed it in a dry, dark place.

In about a month, it would be ready to drink.

Winter had caused many flowers to wither, and the vegetables Chu Xia had planted in the backyard had all turned yellow and dry.

However, she hadn’t cleared away the gourd vines in early autumn; she had been waiting for the old gourds to dry out under the sun and wind.

Once their skins turned brittle and yellow, she could peel them off and use the fibrous inside as a natural scrubber for washing dishes.

Now that the gourds were ready, Chu Xia picked one.

The outer skin crumbled at the slightest touch, revealing the intact sponge-like inside.

She squeezed the yellowish, fibrous net, and it felt soft and familiar.

Chu Xia planned to wait until Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an were home to pick the rest of the gourds and clear the yard.

The cold outside prompted Chu Xia to rush indoors, carrying the gourd sponge.

She quickly poured herself a cup of hot water to warm her hands.

Just then, Cen Huai’an, accompanied by the two dogs, burst into the house, bringing in a gust of chilly wind.

“Mom, Mr. Han is at the residential complex,” Cen Huai’an announced.

Cen Huai’an wore knitted gloves and a red tiger-head hat, with fuzzy ear flaps hanging down to protect his ears and cheeks, making him look particularly adorable.

Chu Xia had the hat custom-made by a tailor, and it was common for young children to wear such hats, as they were festive and symbolic of good fortune.

If Cen Huai’an were still under two years old, Chu Xia would have made him a pair of matching tiger-head shoes and dressed him in a red brocade cotton jacket, making him look just like a traditional New Year’s doll.

“Is Mr. Han here for a home visit?”

“No,” Cen Huai’an said, taking off his gloves.

He poured himself a glass of water and refilled the dogs’ bowls with fresh water.

Turning to Chu Xia, he continued, “Last week, some kids in our class didn’t finish their homework, so Mr. Han came today to watch them do it.”

Chu Xia couldn’t help but admire his dedication. “Your teacher is very responsible. With him supervising, those kids won’t miss their homework this time.”

Cen Huai’an patted the heads of Huangzi and Heizi, then shook his head and said, “But they somehow found out that Mr. Han was coming and ran away. Now, Mr. Han and their parents are out looking for them.”

Sure enough, Chu Xia listened carefully and heard faint voices of adults calling for their children in the distance.

It was the first time she’d heard of teachers and parents teaming up to catch runaway kids.

Intrigued, Chu Xia grabbed Cen Huai’an and opened the door. “Where are they looking?”

Cen Huaian pointed to the road, and Chu Xia followed him outside.

Sure enough, they saw the burly Teacher Han walking in front, holding a rolled-up book like a baton.

He marched forward with such vigor that it looked less like he was searching for students and more like he was heading into battle.

His eyes were wide open as he carefully scanned the surroundings, while the parents from the residential compound trailed behind him, shouting their children’s names loudly.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered, drawn by the commotion.

The parents’ faces were flushed with anger, their voices filled with frustration as they yelled their children’s names through gritted teeth.

Chu Xia covered her face.

Looking for children like this meant everyone in the compound now knew their kids had been disobedient, hadn’t completed their homework, and had been caught by the teacher.

How embarrassing! No wonder the parents were so furious.

Chu Xia felt immensely grateful that Cen Huaian wasn’t one of those children who didn’t finish his homework.

She reached out to pat the soft fabric of his tiger-patterned hat, which was trimmed with a bit of white fur.

“An An, Mommy loves you so much right now,” she said.

Cen Huaian looked puzzled, not understanding why his mother had suddenly said this.

But hearing that his mom loved him filled him with joy.

He tried to suppress the smile tugging at his lips but couldn’t help the corners of his mouth from curving upwards.

He tightened his grip on Chu Xia’s hand, feeling that he loved his mom even more than his dad.

Soon, the parents found their kids, pulling them by their ears and scolding them as they dragged them home.

The adults standing nearby laughed heartily at the sight, with some even calling out to the kids, “Hongjie, does it hurt to have your ear pulled?”

“Xiao Tao, make sure you do your homework next time!”

Others reminded the parents to be gentler, saying, “Fang Xue, Longlong’s ears are turning red.”

But Fang Xue, gritting her teeth, responded, “He needs to feel the pain, or he won’t learn!”

Cen Huaian instinctively covered his ears. “Mom, would you ever pull my ears?”

His grandmother had pulled his ears before, and it hurt a lot.

Thinking back on those days, Cen Huaian remembered how she would hide food when she saw him, pretending there was nothing left and telling him to ask his mom for more.

But he had seen the food.

When he tried to find it himself, his grandmother had pulled him by the ears until they hurt for days.