Chapter45

He furrowed his brows, about to speak, when Zhong Cuitao came out holding a sickle. She looked at Lan Yun’er and said, “Xiao Yun, I’ll go up the mountain with you. I’ll go gather herbs with you.” She was going up the mountain for her husband, so it was only right to accompany Lan Yun’er.

Lan Yun’er frowned, thought for a moment, and nodded. “Alright,” she said. After all, she didn’t want Huo Jinchen to follow her up the mountain. With his sharp intelligence, she feared he might discover something.

After saying that, Lan Yun’er grabbed Zhong Cuitao’s hand and walked towards the gate. As she walked, she waved at Huo Jinchen. “Alright, I’ll go up the mountain with Second Sister-in-Law. Don’t worry about me. You hurry up and get on with your own matters.”

Watching Lan Yun’er’s figure, Huo Jinchen’s brows moved slightly, and his gaze flickered.

An hour later, Yao Guizhi arrived at the home of the village’s barefoot doctor, Shen Qiyun. Shen Qiyun and his wife, Miao Cuihe, were both at home, along with several villagers.

Seeing Shen Qiyun, Yao Guizhi hurried over. “Hey, Shen Barefoot, I want to ask you something,” she said. She had thought about it at home, but still felt uneasy. She thought she should consult Shen Qiyun to be sure.

Shen Qiyun, who was grinding medicine, looked up and said, “Yao, what’s on your mind?”

Yao Guizhi walked over to Shen Qiyun, furrowing her brows with a serious expression. “Do you think my son Junli’s leg needs to regain sensation to be considered healing? If he says his leg hurts, does that mean it’s a bad sign?”

She didn’t distrust Lan Yun’er, but she was genuinely worried. Junli had already suffered enough, and she didn’t want him to be hurt further or even lose his life.

Hearing Yao Guizhi’s words, Shen Qiyun paused, then asked, “What? Your son Junli’s leg has sensation now? He felt pain?”

Yao Guizhi nodded quickly. “Yes, this morning, my fourth daughter-in-law gave Junli acupuncture, and he cried out in pain, saying it was uncomfortable. Do you think the acupuncture isn’t…?”

“What? Your fourth daughter-in-law gave Junli acupuncture? And he felt pain during the treatment?” Shen Qiyun said, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Miao Cuihe and the surrounding villagers gathered around, hearing Shen Qiyun’s agitated voice.

Yao Guizhi, seeing his reaction, became more anxious. She hurriedly said, “Yes, my fourth daughter-in-law said she learned medicine from her grandfather, and she has a method to treat Junli’s leg. We thought the leg couldn’t be treated at the county hospital, so we let her try. But who would have thought that when she took out the long silver needles and began to treat Junli, he started feeling more and more pain? But she said the pain is a good sign, a sign of recovery. I’m just worried, afraid something might have gone wrong with the treatment. That’s why I came to ask you.”

Shen Qiyun’s expression darkened, and he became very serious. When Yao Guizhi saw his face, her uncertainty deepened.

A woman nearby, overhearing, interjected, “Oh my, someone like Lan Yun’er can really treat diseases? I’ve never heard of her knowing medicine. Be careful, she might kill your son Junli. He could lose his life in her hands!”

It was Zhou Mingyue’s second aunt, Zhu Chunmei.

Zhu Chunmei spoke with a mocking tone, wishing for something to go wrong with the Huo family. The last time her family visited the Huo family, they had been utterly embarrassed, and now the villagers were still talking about it. She was secretly hoping for the Huo family to fall into trouble.

Her words made Yao Guizhi even more uneasy. She turned to Zhu Chunmei, ready to respond, but Shen Qiyun glared at Zhu Chunmei. “You don’t understand, so stop talking nonsense! Junli’s leg is far more serious than we imagined. The nerves in his leg are completely dead. Because of this nerve damage, his leg lost all sensation, meaning it’s completely useless. But now, your fourth daughter-in-law has made his leg feel pain. This means she has remarkable medical skills! The county hospital couldn’t make his leg regain sensation, but your fourth daughter-in-law did it, and she seems to have done it in just one acupuncture session? Her medical skills are truly extraordinary!”

Shen Qiyun was genuinely astonished. He had initially thought Yao Guizhi was exaggerating when she mentioned that Lan Yun’er made Junli’s leg regain sensation, but after seeing her serious expression, he knew she wasn’t lying. He was full of admiration.

To make a completely useless leg regain sensation in one go—that was a level of medical skill that he could never hope to achieve in his lifetime.

Hearing Shen Qiyun’s words, Yao Guizhi’s eyes suddenly lit up. She stared at Shen Qiyun, asking, “So you mean the fact that Junli’s leg feels pain is a good sign? And you’re saying that my fourth daughter-in-law’s treatment is correct?”

Shen Qiyun turned his gaze to Yao Guizhi and nodded. “Of course it’s correct. You can rest assured, Yao. But I want to ask, when your fourth daughter-in-law is treating people, is it possible for outsiders to observe? I’d like to see how she’s treating them.”

Shen Qiyun was genuinely curious and wanted to know how Lan Yun’er was performing the acupuncture.

Yao Guizhi was delighted. She nodded and said, “Of course! There’s no reason why you can’t watch. But she probably won’t treat Junli today. She said she’ll continue tomorrow.”

“Alright, I’ll come to your house early tomorrow morning,” Shen Qiyun said eagerly.

Miao Cuihe and several other villagers crowded around, eager to know more. “How is your fourth daughter-in-law so amazing? Even the county hospital couldn’t do what she did, but she did it! She’s incredible!”

“Not only that, she’s beautiful too! She’s the most beautiful woman in the whole village. Not only is she skilled, but she’s also beautiful. I really envy you, Yao. Your fourth daughter-in-law is both stunning and highly skilled. How come I can’t find a daughter-in-law like her?”

A woman sighed enviously as she looked at Yao Guizhi with admiration.

Yao Guizhi felt thrilled as she listened to these praises. She smiled and said, “It must be because my ancestors were blessed. Haha.”

Listening to Yao Guizhi’s laughter and the villagers’ compliments, Zhu Chunmei was seething with anger. She clenched her fists and coldly snorted. Holding the herbs Shen Qiyun had just prescribed, she stormed out.

Back at the Zhou household, she looked at Zhou Mingyue, who was reading in the yard. With a mocking smile, Zhu Chunmei said, “A woman who barely graduated from middle school is now pretending to be a city person, reading books all day. What’s the use of reading so many books? No matter how many books you read, you’re still just a farmer. You’ll never be as good as the fourth daughter-in-law of the Huo family. Not only is she beautiful, but she also has incredible medical skills. No wonder the Huo family doesn’t look at you. If it were me, I wouldn’t look at you either.”

Zhu Chunmei, venting her frustration, took it out on Zhou Mingyue.

Zhou Mingyue frowned, then turned to look at Zhu Chunmei. “What did you say? You said Lan Yun’er… knows medicine?”

Hearing Zhou Mingyue’s surprised tone, Zhu Chunmei felt somewhat relieved and snorted. “Yes, that’s right. Huo Junli’s leg was completely useless, no feeling at all. But this morning, after Lan Yun’er treated him with acupuncture, his leg regained sensation. Isn’t she impressive?”

Zhou Mingyue bit her lip, her expression clouded with gloom. Lan Yun’er actually knew medicine? And such powerful medical skills? She knew how severe Huo Junli’s leg injury was—making his leg regain sensation was no small feat. But how could Lan Yun’er know medicine? The books she had read didn’t mention anything about this.

“Lan Yun’er’s grandfather used to be the most skilled doctor in the village. I heard that Lan Yun’er learned a lot of medical skills from him. Wow, Lan Yun’er really kept her skills hidden. I always thought she didn’t know anything,” Zhu Chunmei said, secretly envious of the Huo family for having such an amazing daughter-in-law.

Zhou Mingyue closed her book, but her entire demeanor darkened. The book didn’t mention anything about Lan Yun’er’s grandfather. It turned out Lan Yun’er had learned medicine from him? If Lan Yun’er really had such powerful medical skills, then she was bound to become indispensable to the Huo family, and Huo Jinchen would never be able to let her go.

No, she had to act quickly and execute her plan. She needed to get rid of Lan Yun’er as soon as possible and drive her out of the village!

*At noon, Lan Yun’er and Zhong Cuitao returned from Wolf Fang Mountain. After arriving, they separated to gather herbs. Lan Yun’er had said it would be more efficient if they split up. Zhong Cuitao trusted her words and agreed. Afterward, they reunited at the foot of the mountain.

When they got home, as soon as Lan Yun’er stepped inside, she smelled the fragrance of food. She set down the basket on her back, planning to go to the kitchen. At that moment, Yao Guizhi came out of the kitchen, her face full of smiles.

“You’re back! Hurry up and wash your hands, then we can eat,” Yao Guizhi said, noticing the herbs in Lan Yun’er’s basket. “You picked so many? I can’t believe you were able to gather so many herbs in the winter!”

Zhong Cuitao also put down her basket and added, “Xiao Yun is amazing. She gathered a full basket, while I only picked a little. I didn’t even gather enough for one day!”

She couldn’t remember which herbs to pick, and even if Lan Yun’er told her, she could only remember two or three types. It had taken her a long time to find even a little of those.

Yao Guizhi was more and more impressed with Lan Yun’er. The more she looked at her, the more she appreciated her. “Xiao Yun really is incredible. Since we’ve had her, it feels like everything is getting better.”

Lan Yun’er looked at her mother-in-law. This morning, Yao Guizhi’s attitude had been far from this kind. Why had it changed so much by noon?

Before she could say anything, Huo Jinchen returned from outside. His face was extremely dark, as if clouds were gathering in his eyes. He walked into the courtyard and looked at Lan Yun’er and Yao Guizhi.

“Something’s happened!” he said.