Chapter 48: Earned Thirty Taels of Silver

Yang Dahui felt a surge of joy when he noticed his wife’s breathing had returned.

She’s going to be saved; his wife is going to be saved!

“Zhaodi, thank you,” Yang Dahui croaked, expressing his gratitude.

Hu Zhaodi didn’t even glance at him. “Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t saved her; I’m just using the silver needle to keep her alive. Don’t touch the needle, or even a celestial being couldn’t save her.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll be careful,” he replied.

Yang Dahui climbed onto the ox cart, sitting carefully next to his wife.

Brother Ji drove the oxen back to Dawai Village at a steady pace.

Even if he wanted to hurry, they couldn’t move any faster in the dead of night.

Once they returned to the side of the Yang family courtyard in Dawai Village, Yang Dahui gently carried his wife inside and laid her down in their bedroom. He lit a kerosene lamp.

Brother Ji secured the oxen and followed Hu Zhaodi into the Yang home.

Hu Zhaodi waited in the main hall for Yang Dahui to bring her the silver.

Inside, Yang Dahui felt a thousand reluctances, but he had no choice; his wife’s life depended on that single silver needle.

If he didn’t give her the silver and she died, he would have to care for their son all by himself.

But if he gave away thirty taels, how would he ever afford to buy a bride for his son?

After a long moment of hesitation, Yang Dahui took out thirty taels of silver and handed it to Hu Zhaodi.

“Zhaodi, we agreed that if you can’t save my wife, you’ll return all thirty taels,” he reminded her.

Hu Zhaodi accepted the silver and turned to Brother Ji, handing it to him. “Stop with the nonsense. I’m not like you, lack of integrity.

You two wait outside; don’t come in and disturb me.”

With that, Hu Zhaodi strode into the bedroom.

First, she fed a pill to Yang Dahui’s wife and then applied the needle to keep her alive.

Next, she treated her wounds. If she had been a virtuous person, Hu Zhaodi would have already acted to save her.

But this woman was nothing but a vicious shrew. Hu Zhaodi had purposely delayed before claiming she could save her.

Such a toxic woman wasn’t worthy of Hu Zhaodi’s careful treatment. All she needed was to stop the bleeding and keep her alive.

So, Hu Zhaodi took out a hemostatic medicine and carelessly sprinkled it over the wound, not even bothering to stitch it up before bandaging it.

Instead of using proper bandages, she placed a small piece of medical gauze over the wound, secured on the outside with a strip torn from Yang Dahui’s clothing.

After bandaging the wound, Hu Zhaodi fed half a detox pill to Yang Dahui’s wife, allowing her to make a hoarse, unpleasant sound, though her throat still felt like it was swallowing razor blades.

When she opened the door, Yang Dahui was anxiously waiting outside.

As soon as he saw Hu Zhaodi, he couldn’t help but ask, “How is she? What’s going on with my wife?”

Hu Zhaodi replied, “Her life is safe for now, but she’s lost a lot of blood. Any lasting effects can only be determined once she wakes up.”

“Ah?”

“What ‘ah’? I told you I could save her life, and I did. What happens after that, I can’t guarantee. Also, I gave her half a detox pill, so she’ll be able to speak once she wakes up.”

Yang Dahui stepped inside to take a look at his wife, reaching out to check her breathing.

Seeing her breaths had stabilized, the worry in his heart finally eased.

He stepped out of the bedroom, astonished, “Zhaodi, thank you!”

Hu Zhaodi replied calmly, “No need to thank me. You paid me, and I saved her life; that’s only fair. It’s getting late; we should head back. Brother Ji, let’s go.”

Hu Zhaodi and Brother Ji left the Yang family home and returned home.

On the way, Brother Ji handed the thirty taels of silver to Hu Zhaodi.

Hu Zhaodi didn’t hesitate to accept the silver, stuffing it into her pocket until it bulged.

In the Ji family’s hall, the flickering light of the kerosene lamp cast a warm glow.

Hearing noises from the courtyard, Mrs. Ji and Mr. Ji quickly opened the door to see what was happening.

With a worried expression, Mr. Ji rushed to Hu Zhaodi and grasped her hand. “How is it? Is everything okay?”

“Brother Ji and I are fine! We earned thirty taels of silver tonight,” Hu Zhaodi replied.

Their eyes widened in surprise. “That much? How did you manage that?”

With a smile, Hu Zhaodi said, “Let’s talk inside.”

“Alright.”

Brother Ji unloaded the ox cart and put the oxen into the pen before joining them inside.

Hu Zhaodi recounted how she had taken Yang Dahui’s wife, who had suffered a head injury, in the ox cart to the neighboring village for medical help, explaining in detail how she earned thirty taels of silver.

They stared at her in shock, their eyes wide as they processed the information.

After a long pause, Mr. Ji finally spoke, “Zhaodi, does that mean your medical skills are better than the village doctor from the neighboring village?”

Hu Zhaodi nodded with a smile. “Yes, just a bit better. I don’t know exactly how much better, but that mysterious old man who taught me medicine shared all his skills with me.”

“Wonderful! This is great!” Mr. Ji exclaimed, slapping his thigh in excitement. “From now on, if anyone in our village has a headache or fever, they won’t need to go to the neighboring village for that doctor anymore.”

Hu Zhaodi asked, “Uncle, Aunt, have you two been awake this whole time?”

Mr. Ji sighed. “How could we sleep? We’ve been worried sick, were petrified something might happen to the two of you.”

“Everything’s fine now. You should go get some rest; I still need to go to the county town with Uncle later,” Hu Zhaodi urged, gently pushing Mr. Ji and Mrs. Ji back to their room.

Brother Ji then stood up to take his leave. “Zhaodi, I’ll head back too. Make sure you rest a bit.”

Hu Zhaodi nodded. “Alright, Brother Ji, take care.”

Once Brother Ji left, Hu Zhaodi blew out the kerosene lamp and returned to her room to lie down and rest.

After sleeping for about an hour, Hu Zhaodi got up to wash her face.

Mrs. Ji was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

After breakfast, Hu Zhaodi visited Yang Dahui’s home to check on his wife and give her another pill before heading back to the Ji household.

Mr. Ji had already prepared the ox cart. Hu Zhaodi loaded the medicinal herbs and the meat they had caught onto the cart, and they set off for the county town together.

Upon entering the county town, Hu Zhaodi first sold the herbs at the apothecary before heading straight to Fumanlou.

As soon as Han Dongsheng saw Hu Zhaodi, he asked excitedly, “Sister, how did it go? Did you get your revenge?”

Hu Zhaodi flashed a sweet smile. “With your help, getting revenge was a piece of cake!”

“That’s great! I was worried you might suffer a loss,” he replied.

“Do I look that foolish?” she shot back playfully.

Han Dongsheng chuckled. “If you were foolish, we wouldn’t find any smart women in Fulin County. I was just worried that you’re still young and might get taken advantage of.”

“That won’t happen. By the way, Brother Han, I need to visit the county magistrate today to thank him in person and discuss an important matter. I’m a bit nervous about going to the yamen for the first time. Could you take us there?”

“Of course!” Han Dongsheng readily agreed. “First, let’s weigh the meat, and I’ll settle the account with you before we head out.”

Hu Zhaodi waved her hand dismissively. “What’s the point of weighing? Just give me a rough estimate. Leave one wild rabbit and two mountain chickens for the county magistrate, and that’ll be fine.”