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“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Seeing Zhao Zhenyu furrow her brows, clutch her chest, and wear an expression of discomfort, Madam Song grew deeply concerned.
Zhenyu looked at her makeshift mother—what could she say? There was nothing to say!
“It’s nothing. I’m just thirsty. Mother, could you boil some water for me? Add some ginger while you’re at it—I’m afraid I might catch a chill.”
“Ah, I’ll go right away, right away!” ‘My daughter was soaked in the river—how could I have been so careless as to not even think of driving the cold out of her?’
The moment Madam Song left, Zhao Dashu entered.
“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”
“I’m fine. Father… does Grandfather still plan to sell me?” Zhao Zhenyu pinched her own thigh hard, tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed pitifully at her father. Playing the victim at this moment would be most effective.
Zhao Dashu’s heart ached terribly. Even if she was just a daughter, she was still his precious treasure. “No, no more! I’d rather die than let you go serve that damned old man. Don’t ever do anything foolish again—no more jumping into the river, understand?”
Zhao Zhenyu nodded. “Father, I’m scared. Back in the main hall, Big Uncles eyes were terrifying. I’m afraid that once you and Mother go out to work, if we’re not careful, he’ll sell me and Lihua away.”
Zhao Dashu fell silent.
Zhao Zhenyu wisely stopped talking. To survive in this family, the first step was to break free from the Zhao household. From her memories, it seemed that no matter how much money anyone earned, it all went straight into Old Madam Sun’s hands. Saving private funds would earn them nothing but scorn.
Giving money to the old woman was like feeding meat buns to a dog—once gone, never returned. And if she found out they had savings or income, she’d only exploit them harder. Dreaming of splitting the family? Impossible.
She wasn’t even sure if she could make money in this era. She had no special skills—the only thing she was decent at was cooking. Why? Because no one had cooked for her. Eating out was too expensive, and after moving to the orphanage, she’d had to cook for herself.
Her actual profession was medicine—she’d chosen it for stability. But right after graduation, the apocalypse hit, leaving her skills half-baked and useless for treating people.
Well, there was one other thing: her handicrafts were excellent. During university, she’d made all kinds of small crafts and sold them online to cover living expenses and tuition.
From her memories, the original owner had never left Laomuzhu Village and had pitifully little worldly experience. ‘Sigh.’ Maybe she was overthinking things. Even if they split from the family now, she had no idea how to survive. ‘Take it one step at a time—focus on recovering first.’
“Your Big Uncle will leave for the county town in a few days. With exams approaching, he won’t stay long at home. If he dares lay a finger on you again, I’ll fight him to the death!” Zhao Dashu gritted his teeth. ‘Blood brother or not, no one has the right to sell my daughter.’
He never stayed long anyway—he hated the poverty and poor food at home. Every return was just to squeeze money out of them before leaving. But this time, his scheme was bigger, targeting ‘her’.
‘Why? Did Master Wang offer an unusually high price? Or did Big Brother do something shady and need money desperately?’
‘Hmph. Whatever the reason, it’s none of my business. If you’re short on cash, sell your own daughter—stay away from mine.’
“Where’s your mother?”
“Boiling ginger tea for me.”
Zhao Dashu nodded. “I’ll keep watch outside. I beat up your Big Brother earlier—they called a physician. Once he arrives, I’ll drag him here to check on you first.”
She had heard everything clearly earlier—he had beaten Zhao Dawen soundly. That man had it coming.
The physician entered the Zhao household and was immediately dragged by Zhao Dashu into their room. Old Madam Sun followed behind, cursing nonstop, but he paid no heed. Let her curse—unless she tired herself out, she’d keep at it all day. Not like he cared anyway.
“Physician, please take a look at my daughter Zhenyu. She fell into the river today and caught a chill.”
The physician had already heard the rumors—how the Zhao family had planned to sell their teenage granddaughter to an old man. The whole village was buzzing about it under the old tree, gossiping eagerly. When Zhao Dawen’s wife had come to fetch him, he hadn’t wanted to step foot in this house, but… ‘sigh.’
“Let me examine her.”
Zhao Zhenyu studied the physician—’wow, a genuine traditional doctor!’ In this era, physicians actually had real medical expertise.
She extended her wrist, and the physician carefully took her pulse. “Severely frightened, with mild chills. I’ll prescribe medicine—if she doesn’t take it, she’ll likely develop a fever tonight.” He paused, glancing at Zhao Dashu. “The child’s constitution is weak. If she isn’t properly nourished, she’ll suffer for it in her later years.”
Zhao Dashu nodded solemnly.
“What nonsense is this? Such a minor issue requires medicine? Third Zhao, are you trying to stir up trouble? Physician, hurry and tend to my Dawen first—what does some worthless girl need medicine for? She’s not worth the expense!”
The physician: “…”
“Mother, Zhenyu ‘will’ take this medicine today—whether you pay for it or not. If you refuse, fine. I just won’t hand over my off-season labor wages this year.”
“How dare you, you ungrateful wretch—”
“Enough!” Old Master Zhao shot his wife a glare. ‘Doesn’t she realize how this looks to outsiders?’ A simple prescription wasn’t worth making a scene over, especially in front of the physician. ‘Shortsighted fool.’ “Physician, please examine my eldest son first—he’s complaining of nose pain. Later, prepare Zhenyu’s medicine along with his.”
The old woman’s lips twitched, but she didn’t dare argue further. As she left, she threw Zhao Zhenyu’s family a venomous glare.
So it seemed the real mastermind of this household was Old Master Zhao—the one truly full of schemes. ‘The big boss behind all this.’
The physician examined Zhao Dawen and nearly sighed aloud. ‘If I’d arrived any later, his “injuries” would’ve healed on their own.’ “His injuries aren’t serious. No medicine is needed.”
Zhao Dawen winced dramatically, glaring at the physician in disbelief. “I bled ‘so much’—half my face is throbbing in pain, and you’re saying it’s nothing?” ‘What kind of quack is this?’
“It’s ‘really’ nothing. A hot compress will do. You’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
The physician was thoroughly unimpressed. ‘A grown man can’t even handle a little pain?’
“Physician, didn’t you hear him? He’s in agony—prescribe something at once!”
The old physician nearly rolled his eyes. ‘Are the Zhaos all insane?’ The one who actually needed medicine was denied treatment, while this perfectly healthy man was demanding prescriptions.
‘No suffering, yet insisting on suffering—you brought this on yourself.’
“An excess of liver fire—’definitely’ calls for medicine to purge the heat. Take this prescription, and by tomorrow, your nose won’t hurt anymore.”
“Hurry up and prepare it!”
Without hesitation, the old physician prescribed a dose of ‘huanglian’ (goldthread rhizome)—a bitter herb. ‘Frankly, both of the Zhao family’s elder brothers could use some.’
Dinnertime.
Zhao Zhenyu didn’t leave her bed—she was now a frail, half-dead invalid in everyone’s eyes.
Zhao Dashu filled a bowl of coarse rice porridge, grabbed a cornbread bun, and even piled two extra chopsticks’ worth of vegetables on top.
Old Madam Sun couldn’t hold back. “What do you think you’re doing? The rest of us haven’t even eaten yet!”
“My daughter can’t come to the table. I’m taking this to her.”
“That worthless brat doesn’t need ‘this much’! Are you trying to stuff her to death?”
Eldest brother Zhao watched his mother’s shrewish outburst, his brow furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly. ‘This woman is utterly unsuited for polite company. If I ever become an official, there’s no way I’m bringing her along.’
‘Disgraceful.’