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Su Zhi glanced at Zhao Yangshi, thinking that Zhao Xiaomei’s mother really didn’t take her daughter seriously. When she was young, because she was told her fortune was bad, they sent her off to a convent. After finally returning home, at the first sign of illness, they treated her like a burden and tossed her to the Shen family. Now, whenever trouble arose, they pushed it onto her again. It’s as if they’ve worn out all their goodwill towards Zhao Xiaomei.
“Everyone, please stop!” a
Shen Zi’an felt sorry for his wife when he heard his father blame her. It was clear that Lianhua was at fault, and Ziju also bore responsibility. Su Zhi had nothing to do with it. Why should his wife be blamed? Moreover, this blame came right after his wife had just forgiven her sister-in-law, Shen Zhu, for her rudeness. When he heard Zhao Yangshi’s words, his anger flared up. He couldn’t stand his father blaming his wife like this. After all, his wife was not his father’s child, but her mother-in-law’s daughter. Why treat her like this? He couldn’t hold back his outburst.
Shen Zi’an’s stern command startled everyone, and they all turned to look at him.
With a serious expression, Shen Zi’an spoke, “Today, everyone is at fault in this matter. It was our fault for not closing the door properly. It was Lianhua’s fault for throwing stones indiscriminately. It was Ziju’s fault for entering without knocking. Since everyone is at fault, let’s share the responsibility for this matter.”
Seeing that Shen Zi’an was genuinely angry, Shen Ziju admitted, “I am indeed at fault in this matter. I did knock on the door, but I didn’t expect it to open right away. When I saw the door open, I intended to knock on the inner courtyard door, but it ended up like this. I am truly at fault. Whatever Fourth Brother decides, I will abide by.”
“Whatever Son-in-law decides, we’ll go along with it.”
Finally, Old Man Zhao spoke up, earning a glare from Zhao Yangshi and displeasure from their son and daughter-in-law. They certainly didn’t want to take responsibility. In the end, they claimed they had no money and suggested that Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi should cover the expenses. They couldn’t risk their lives!
Shen Zi’an spoke firmly, “During Ziju’s recovery period, he must eat well and have someone to take care of him. That responsibility falls on you, Father and Mother. As for his medical expenses, Su Zhi and I will cover them together with Father-in-law.”
Zhang shi immediately interjected, “Brother-in-law, we already said we don’t have any money before this incident happened. You know our family is poor. I can’t even afford meat for my unborn child. How can we find money to pay for medical expenses? Brother-in-law, why don’t you lend us a hand, please help us cover it!”
Zhao Yuanbao chimed in, “Yes, yes, Brother-in-law, you are my brother-in-law, half of our family. You are like half a son to our Zhao family. Please cover the expenses. Big Brother here thanks you on behalf of your unborn nephew.”
Shen Zi’an glanced at them, about to speak, when Su Zhi interjected, “Alright, Mother, Father. Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law, we’ll cover your share of the money. But as we mentioned earlier, we also don’t have any money left. We’ll probably be busy earning money. So, we won’t be coming home for the Lunar New Year this year. We’ll consider the money we would have spent on New Year gifts for you as going towards Ziju’s medical expenses. When Ziju’s injury heals, we’ll see how much is left only then we will be able to visit. Father, Mother, please understand.”
The Zhao family exchanged bewildered glances. Was Su Zhi using the money intended for them to pay off this debt? What was going on?
“That’s settled then,” Old Man Zhao added, acknowledging the outcome for the Zhao family.
Shen Youfu retorted, “It’s easy for you to say. How much money will it take to fully cure Ziju’s injury? Let me tell you, if he’s left with a scar on his face, you’ll be paying for treatment every day until it’s gone! If this scar affects his career prospects, you’ll be spending money to buy it back! The reputation of our Shen family is at stake!”
Su Zhi was feeling very frustrated now. Both her maternal and in-law families were causing chaos in their peaceful lives. She didn’t want to be entangled with them over a mere scar on Shen Ziju’s face. After all the effort to separate households, did they have to keep paying for various things related to them in the future? She didn’t want that! But if Shen Ziju ended up with a scar on his face, they would be responsible for it. Even if they argued it wasn’t their fault, they couldn’t stop the rumors. Su Zhi could already imagine the consequences of such a situation, and the thought made her frown.
The best outcome now would be if Shen Ziju’s face didn’t have that scar!
Physician Huang had mentioned the possibility of a scar on Shen Ziju’s face, but Su Zhi believed she might be able to prevent it!
She had the Spiritual Spring and White Lotus in her hands. The Spiritual Spring had miraculous effects on plants, and the lotus had miraculous effects on humans. Didn’t her illness heal thanks to the pollen from the lotus? She had witnessed how quickly a wound treated with lotus pollen had healed, leaving no scar behind. She have experimented with a deep wound on a wild rabbit caught by Shen Zi’an before, and it also healed.
“Father, when I was outside, I learned some medical skills. Although it’s just the basics, it might be useful. I managed to cure my own illness. Let me try treating Ziju as well!” Su Zhi said to Shen Youfu. She planned to buy some herbs and mix them with a smaller amount of lotus pollen to make medicinal powder for Shen Ziju. As long as she adjusted the dosage properly and didn’t let him heal too quickly, everything would be fine! Su Zhi figured Shen Zi’an already knew she could prescribe medicine, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she said she could treat injuries too. Besides, she knew a bit about traditional Chinese medicine. Cooking was one of her hobbies, and medicinal cuisine was part of it. Learning to cook medicinal dishes naturally led her to learn some knowledge about medicine.
As soon as Su Zhi spoke, everyone looked at her again.
Zhao Yangshi was surprised and said, “Didn’t you say you forgot some things? How come you still remember this?!”
Su Zhi sighed helplessly. “I remember cooking, embroidery, literacy. Why wouldn’t I remember some medicinal recipes? I just recalled these, and there are still some I haven’t remembered yet.”
Zhao Yangshi awkwardly said, “It’s okay if you don’t remember. It’s fine. After all, you haven’t done anything remarkable since childhood. What you don’t remember, you don’t remember.”
With Zhao Yangshi’s interruption, the surprise among the crowd subsided somewhat. Looking at Su Zhi’s face, which had improved significantly since yesterday, they were somewhat convinced. After all, Su Zhi’s case was right there in front of them. Even the local physicians said the disease couldn’t be cured, but now it seemed to be possible. Moreover, Su Zhi had also been to the convent, where there might have been a skilled individual. Perhaps Su Zhi had encountered such a person and learned some skills from them.
Shen Youfu asked, “Do you really have a way to cure Ziju? You’re not deceiving us?”
Su Zhi replied, “Father, why would I deceive you? If I lied and Ziju’s injury didn’t heal, what would I gain? If you don’t believe me, ask Zi’an. It was him who went to fetch the medicine for me.”
Shen Zi’an nodded and said, “I fetched the medicine, and the prescription was written by my wife.”
Although Shen Youfu didn’t particularly like Shen Zi’an, he knew that Shen Zi’an never lied. He was already eighty percent convinced. The other twenty percent was due to doubts about whether Su Zhi’s cure for her own illness would necessarily work for Shen Ziju’s wound.
Shen Ziju, regardless of his level of certainty, was determined to try. He didn’t want a scar on his face. Despite not having cared much about his appearance before, he now understood that a scar could affect his future. So, if there was even a slight chance to remove it, he wanted to try.
“If you have a method, Fourth Sister-in-law, then let’s give it a shot. I’ll definitely cooperate,” Shen Ziju declared.
Shen Zhang shi also chimed in, “Su Zhi, why don’t you prescribe something for Ziju? If you’re unsure, you can let Physician Huang take a look too!”
Su Zhi replied, “The person who taught me medicine is a recluse expert. He didn’t teach me much, just some basic skills for common ailments. There are only a few important prescriptions, and they cannot be shared. If Fifth Brother trusts me, then let’s give it a try. If not, then so be it.”
“I definitely trust Fourth Sister-in-law. Please prepare the medicine,” Shen Ziju immediately declared. He looked at Su Zhi’s face, which had already regained its normal color, and thought that she must have the ability. Fourth Sister-in-law was a smart person; she wouldn’t casually make grand claims to deceive people.
“Alright, this afternoon I’ll go with Zi’an to buy the medicine. Once it’s prepared, I’ll administer it to Fourth Brother,” Su Zhi affirmed.
After settling the matter, Su Zhi saw off Shen Youfu and returned with a somber expression. She watched as the Zhao family members sat around the table, indulging in food and drink. In her heart, she decided that she should limit her interactions with them in the future. Every time they met, trouble seemed to follow. Thankfully, this time she could use the excuse of exchanging the gift money for medicine to avoid visiting them frequently. She even contemplated using the allure of the spiritual spring water to entice the White wolf’s family to take care of the house, so she wouldn’t have to worry about these troublemakers disturbing her peaceful days.
“Daughter, take care of yourself. Sorry for the trouble,” Old Man Zhao said before leaving. However, Zhao Yangshi retorted with complaints about whether they were truly causing trouble, considering Su Zhi was their own daughter.
Su Zhi pretended not to hear and thought that while Zhao Xiaomei’s father still had some conscience, it was weak. He hadn’t been able to protect his daughter adequately. She hoped he wouldn’t cause any more trouble for her. Although she felt sorry for the deceased Zhao Xiaomei, she would only fulfill her own duty to the best of her ability.
In the afternoon, Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an hurried to the town by riding their ox cart to purchase some herbs and tools for grinding medicine from the pharmacy. Then, they returned home.
Su Zhi started working on the medicine by herself and quickly prepared a package of powdered medicine.
Together with Su Zhi, Shen Zi’an went to the old house and handed the medicine powder to Shen Ziju. They instructed him that it was a five-day supply. He just needed to mix it with water to make a paste and apply it to the wound. Then, cover it with a cloth and change it morning and evening. After five days, they would assess the condition of the wound and decide whether to continue the treatment.
Shen Ziju nodded in agreement. Immediately, Shen Zhang shi prepared the medicine for him to use. He felt a refreshing sensation on the wound, which made him quite comfortable and instilled a bit more confidence in the medicine.