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Su Mo: Are women always this smooth when they lie?
The pockmarked man and the men in black said in unison, “We’ve done all the work—who’s helping whom here?”
Young Physician Li looked at the man on the bed. “Huh? Awake? Could this be a final rally of strength before the end?”
Hearing that Song Jinxiu had pulled the arrow out herself, that the patient was fine, and that the bleeding had stopped, he was utterly incredulous.
“Miss Song, how did you manage that?”
Thinking back on the ideas the girl had been throwing out over the past few days—raising the injured limb, using plaster casts—could she be a hidden medical expert?
Feeling young Physician Li’s intense gaze making her uncomfortable, Song Jinxiu quickly waved her hand and said, “I was just a desperate horse trying to heal a dying horse. If I didn’t pull out the arrow, he’d have died anyway. So I just went ahead and pulled it out, then applied medicine and bandaged it.”
Young Physician Li looked baffled. “That’s it?”
Song Jinxiu shrugged. “That’s it.”
Young Physician Li was taken aback, looking a little lost in the wind. He glanced at everyone and thought, Can I really believe this?
The men in black snorted, “Only a fool would believe you.”
“Cough, cough,” Su Mo was once again choked by his own saliva. He felt the way he was lying down wasn’t right.
“Help me up.”
The pockmarked man hurried forward, and along with another man in black, helped him sit up.
Once seated, Su Mo fell silent and began meditating cross-legged.
Everyone immediately quieted down.
After a quarter of an hour, Su Mo opened his eyes and looked at Song Jinxiu.
“Thank you, young lady, for saving my life.”
Song Jinxiu quickly pushed her palm forward. “No need, no need at all. I definitely don’t want to be your wife.”
The men in black all glared at her. “You think we’re doing you a favor? You’re really pushing your luck.”
Su Mo couldn’t help but chuckle and teased her, “Then how about I become your one and only husband?”
“Pfft—cough, cough!” Song Jinxiu was choked by her own spit.
Su Mo suddenly felt a sense of playful revenge, so he continued, “I’m nineteen this year—still a fresh green herb. Of course, since you only saved me, one husband is enough. Forget about twelve wives—after all, they really are just old, dry grass.”
“Pfft…”
“Cough, cough…”
This time, not only Song Jinxiu but even the men in black were choked.
Perhaps it was the youth’s extraordinary talent, or maybe the diluted spirit elixir had taken effect.
Three hours later, the wound had already formed a scab. Apart from a pale complexion, he was able to walk freely.
“Miss Song, no need to thank me for such a great favor. Take this jade pendant,”
Su Mo pulled a piece of black jade from around his neck and handed it to Song Jinxiu.
Song Jinxiu didn’t want it.
This was a man’s intimate keepsake—what would it mean if she accepted it?
Seeing her refusal, Su Mo teased, “What’s the matter? This is a token from your husband. Afraid to take it?”
Song Jinxiu curled her lips but still refused to take it.
Su Mo chuckled and pressed the jade pendant into her hand.
“Keep it. If you run into trouble, take it to Bamboo Shopkeeper at the Chunxiang Teahouse in the prefectural city.”
“It’s just a token, not payment. Better to use real money for medical fees,” Song Jinxiu muttered, accepting the pendant reluctantly.
Su Mo smiled wryly and patted himself down—he didn’t have a single copper coin.
“Who here has money? Hand it over.”
To his surprise, the group of men could only gather ten taels of broken silver.
Su Mo frowned.
The man with the hemp face said, “Master, we just came back from the battlefield. We didn’t even bring a purse. Who carries money on the battlefield?”
Song Jinxiu asked, “You guys are soldiers? Brave brothers defending the country?”
“Brothers?” Ma Lian nodded, “Yeah, just the day before yesterday, the brothers fought against the enemy.”
“So you’re heroes protecting the nation—then the medical fees are waived.” Song Jinxiu immediately became respectful, waving her hand grandly, full of generosity.
At first, she thought these people were bandits or tyrants, but since they were soldiers, they were obviously comrades in arms.
Although they only had ten taels of silver, Su Mo still gave it to her.
Song Jinxiu immediately became warm and friendly, changing Su Mo’s dressing again and giving him a pot of space-clear water infused with Bodhi leaves.
She instructed, “This water is collected from the dew on the leaves of Blood-Benefit Grass—it helps with blood replenishment. Don’t waste it.”
“All right,” Su Mo took the water gourd and ordered his men, “Prepare the horses, we’ll return to the military camp overnight.”
More than a dozen warhorses were waiting at the entrance of the clinic.
Su Mo mounted swiftly, then saluted Song Jinxiu with a nod, “Until we meet again.”
Ma Lian cracked his whip and waved at Song Jinxiu, “Little girl, we’re leaving now.”
In a flash, they were gone like a dust cloud.
Song Jinxiu watched them leave, weighing the ten taels of silver in her hand, humming a little tune as she returned to the backyard.
Young Physician Li looked at Song Jinxiu’s retreating figure and thought, “This girl must be a divine healer.”
Even if it was just luck that she pulled out the arrow, the tendon and bone injuries normally take a hundred days to heal, yet the young general’s wound recovered so fast.
Hmm, maybe she even has some special medicine.
“Hey, Miss Song, Miss Song, wait for me…”
In the backyard, Song Chunsheng, who had been worried all day, couldn’t focus on reading. He kept glancing outside the door.
“Jinfang, why hasn’t your sister come back yet? She said she was helping young Physician Li, but it’s been too long — it’s almost dark.”
“I just went over earlier, and sister pulled me aside to whisper. She said they were applying a plaster cast, that young Physician Li couldn’t manage alone, but she would be back as soon as she finished.”
“Brother, don’t worry. I’m back.”
Song Jinxiu came into the room with a bright smile, tossed the pouch in her hand, then pinched it and threw it into her brother’s arms.
“This is today’s wages. Brother, keep it safe.”
Song Chunsheng watched his sister return happily and finally felt relieved. He picked up the pouch and was shocked when he looked inside.
“So much? Did young Physician Li give this to you?”
“No, the patient’s family gave it.” Those black-clad crying men were, after all, the patient’s family, right?
Meanwhile, the black-clad men, riding swiftly on horseback, scratched their ears.
“My ear itches a bit.”
“Mine too.”
Even the Ma Lian -faced man scratched his ear.
“Could it be that little girl is cursing us old dried grasses again?”
“Hahaha, she’s just a little spicy pepper. I was thinking of kidnapping her to follow the master, so if any of us got hurt later, it’d be convenient to have one of our own. But who knew she’d mock us as worthless.”
“You’ve got to be kidding—trying to kidnap her? She doesn’t even want to be one of the twelve wives, and you’re the one the old dried grass was talking about.”
“Hey, hey, don’t pick on me alone! If we’re all old dried grasses, then we’re all old dried grasses together. Besides, didn’t she call us ‘soldier brothers’ later? Having a little sister isn’t so bad.”
The group lost all their morning gloom and fierce seriousness. Laughing and joking, they rode their horses wildly, full of spirit and confidence…
The brother’s leg was healing quickly. By the tenth day, Song Jinxiu thought he could be discharged and go home to rest.
“No way, no way! Healing muscles and bones takes a hundred days. Stay a few more days. Here at the clinic you get food and care, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. Why are you so eager to go home?”
Young Physician Li was firmly against it.
In recent days, he often used the opportunity of checking on Song Chunsheng to discuss the injuries and symptoms with her.
He realized this little girl was truly extraordinary — just a few casual words from her benefited him greatly.
Song Jinxiu was speechless. Was there really a doctor so eager to see patients?
“Um, young Physician Li, I really don’t know much about medicine. I’m just a farmer’s daughter. Those suggestions I gave you were only sudden inspirations.”
“Your occasional flashes of inspiration are this powerful? You’re a medical genius! How about you learn medicine from me—no, from my grandfather? How about that, apprentice?”
“Pft… cough, cough!” Song Chunsheng, who was drinking water, suddenly choked.