Chapter 22: I Can’t Save Everyone Every Time

Su Miaomiao smiled as she carried the bowl out.

This was clearly prepared especially for her—no one else in the Huo family would be willing to eat plain white rice porridge.

She finished the whole bowl, feeling that her strength had mostly recovered.

After washing the bowl, she thought for a moment and headed alone toward the back mountain.

Relying on her memory, Su Miaomiao found the place where she had previously met Lu Xiuyuan.

The area was now completely deserted, and even the traces of blood had been thoroughly cleaned.

She raised an eyebrow—he was quite meticulous.

Su Miaomiao didn’t leave immediately. While she was there, she dug up some medicinal herbs and carried them to Old Zhao’s house.

“You’re here?” Old Zhao immediately came forward when he saw her. “Why aren’t you resting at home?”

He had been at the scene when Su Miaomiao fainted yesterday.

He had gone to check on her afterward and only returned once he confirmed that she had simply passed out from exhaustion.

“I had a good sleep and feel much better. These are the herbs I just picked,” Su Miaomiao said, handing the bundle to him.

“You child, there’s no rush to pick herbs right now—your health should come first.” Old Zhao huffed angrily.

“I only went after I was sure my body was fine. Besides, I have a reason for gathering these herbs,” Su Miaomiao replied, knowing he was worried about her.

“What reason, other than treating patients?” Old Zhao glared at her.

“I want to gather and prepare a batch to sell in the city later. With the money, we can buy more medicine and some medical equipment for our clinic,” Su Miaomiao explained her idea.

“You want to sell the herbs?” Old Zhao was a bit surprised.

“You saw what happened yesterday. The clinic barely has any medicine left. We were lucky nothing worse happened, but I can’t guarantee that next time I’ll be able to save someone without proper medicine or tools,” she said seriously.

She couldn’t rely on the Nine-Turn Revival Needle for every patient—it wasn’t practical. The medical conditions in the village needed improvement.

“That’s a good idea. But you’ll still need to talk to the village chief. After all, you’re planning to use public resources,” Old Zhao said.

“Of course I’ll discuss it with the village chief. And I also wanted to inform you, since I’ll need your help to prepare the herbs later,” Su Miaomiao said with a grin.

“You look pretty confident that the village chief will agree?” Old Zhao raised an eyebrow.

“This concerns the health of the whole village. I don’t think the chief will refuse.”

“You little girl… I’ll go talk to him on your behalf,” Old Zhao said as he slowly stood up.

“Really?” Su Miaomiao was taken aback.

“What’s so surprising about that? You’re an outsider, yet you care so much about our Shimatuo Village. How can I, a native-born villager, just sit and watch?” he huffed.

“Then thank you, Grandpa Zhao! I’ll wait for your good news,” Su Miaomiao replied with a bright smile.

“Just wait.” Old Zhao clasped his hands behind his back and headed out to find the village chief.

Less than an hour later, he returned, grinning from ear to ear.

“The chief agreed?” Su Miaomiao greeted him eagerly.

“He did! And he’s even arranged for two people to accompany you tomorrow to gather herbs in the mountains,” Old Zhao said, beaming.

“Grandpa Zhao, I knew you were the most dependable!” Su Miaomiao’s eyes curved into crescents.

“Dependable?” Old Zhao looked at her, puzzled.

“It means very reliable,” she explained.

“Of course I am—I was a soldier once!” Old Zhao straightened his stooped back a little, then looked at Su Miaomiao again.

“Alright, the arrangements have been made. Now go back and rest. Come to my place early tomorrow morning,” said Old Zhao.

“Okay, I’ll go rest now.” Su Miaomiao didn’t refuse Old Zhao’s kindness and went home to rest.

But once she got back, she remembered the food Tang Chunlan had made earlier.

After thinking about it, she decided to cook something herself.

She still cooked plain white rice, but added some sweet potatoes and potatoes to it.

That way, the rice would absorb the fragrance of the sweet potatoes and potatoes, making it softer and more glutinous.

As for the dish, they had eaten all the meat yesterday. But Su Miaomiao was someone who couldn’t go without meat. She thought for a moment and took out some prepared rabbit meat from her storage space.

She had previously bought it from a farmer while working at a state-owned restaurant.

She’d just tell them she caught the rabbit herself in the mountains.

The rabbit had already been processed, so now she just needed to chop it and cook it.

Rabbit meat can have a gamey smell, so it tastes best when stir-fried quickly over high heat.

Su Miaomiao also took out a generous amount of dried chili peppers from her space and prepared to cook a spicy stir-fried rabbit dish.

The rabbit was quite large, weighing over 8 jin (about 4 kg). She cooked a big heaping bowl of it.

Worried that the Huo family might not eat spicy food, she also made a dish of sour and spicy shredded potatoes.

Though there were only two dishes, the portions were generous and enough for everyone.

At that time, the villagers had just finished work for the day.

Huo Xinyuan dragged his exhausted body home, shoulders drooping as if they didn’t belong to him.

It was the autumn harvest, and everyone was out in the fields picking corn cobs.

They worked like machines wound up with springs—one person after another without a break.

After just two days of picking, Huo Xinyuan felt like his hands no longer belonged to him.

His stomach was also growling in hunger. Some villagers had even fainted in the fields earlier that morning.

They were already skinny, barely eating, and still had to do so much work. It was a miracle they didn’t all collapse.

Fortunately, their little sister hadn’t gone to the fields. With her small frame, she would’ve passed out in less than an hour.

Huo Xinyuan quietly felt relieved in his heart.

Their little house was now in sight, and he forced himself to smile.

He didn’t want his little sister to worry.

But as he got closer, a strong delicious smell wafted toward him, and Huo Xinyuan’s eyes widened.

“I smell food—it must be little sis cooking something tasty again!” Huo Xinyuan picked up his pace, lured by the aroma.

“Miaomiao’s cooking again? She hasn’t fully recovered yet!” Tang Chunlan said, quickening her steps toward the house.

Just as the group reached the doorway, Su Miaomiao came out from inside.

“You’re just in time—bring the food inside and we can eat,” Su Miaomiao said.

“Miaomiao, why are you cooking again? Didn’t I tell you to rest at home?” Tang Chunlan hurried forward.

“My body’s fine now, and staying home with nothing to do is boring,” Su Miaomiao replied with a smile.

“If you’re bored, just go out for a walk. You don’t have to do all this,” Tang Chunlan felt deeply guilty. Seeing Su Miaomiao still working so hard for the family made her heart ache even more.

Huo Xinyuan also felt bad for his sister, but his stomach was practically screaming at him from the smell, so he couldn’t help but sneak a peek inside.

Just one look, and his eyes nearly popped out.

“Little sis, what’s that red and shiny dish you cooked?” Huo Xinyuan asked, swallowing hard.

“That’s spicy stir-fried rabbit. It tastes best hot, so hurry up and bring the rice in,” Su Miaomiao said.

“Got it!” Huo Xinyuan grabbed the pot and headed inside.

“Miaomiao, where did the rabbit meat come from?” Huo Jianguo asked.

Because he knew for a fact that this wasn’t part of the groceries she had previously bought.