Chapter 12 The space overturned!

A few of the older women standing nearby couldn’t help but start whispering.

“That Li zhiqing was bitten by a venomous snake, and Chang zhiqing is smearing some grass juice on her leg. What if she dies?”

“Exactly, I’ve never heard of any zhiqing knowing how to treat people. She was bitten by a venomous snake!”

“But Little Chang zhiqing studied at a medical school, so she must know what she’s doing. Looks like Li zhiqing’s situation is pretty grim…”

As the murmurs spread, everyone looked toward Chang Meili, Chang Suisui, and Li Chunhua with complicated expressions. The villagers did enjoy a bit of drama, but they weren’t heartless enough to just watch a life slip away before their eyes.

Seeing Chang Meili still standing there, stubbornly holding her ground and staring her down, Chang Suisui’s brow twitched slightly. “Since you have a way to treat her, why don’t you hurry up and do it?”

Chang Meili glared at her. “Hmph! Now you’re scared, aren’t you? Why didn’t you think of that earlier?”

Chang Suisui’s beautiful face slowly curved into a dazzling, fake smile. “Oh? Do I need to smack you before you get serious?”

As she spoke, she bent down and reached for a willow branch on the ground.

Startled, Chang Meili immediately stepped back a few paces. “Y-You stay away from me! I’m trying to save someone! If you delay things, you’ll be the one to blame!”

The onlookers started chiming in too.

“Yeah, Chang zhiqing, just let Little Chang zhiqing do it. If Li zhiqing doesn’t make it… how can our village answer for it?”

“Little Chang zhiqing, please help her. She’s been bitten for a while now!”

“Yes, yes! Please, you have to do something!”

Hearing the crowd all looking to her with hope, Chang Meili lifted her chin proudly. “Fine. I’ll just go get some water from the river first.”

She picked up a kettle and headed toward the river—but in truth, she was going to fetch some spring water from her space.

Out of sight, she poured out the water from the kettle, waved her hand in the river… and still, the kettle was empty.

Chang Meili frowned, then placed the kettle into her space. When she took it out again… it was still empty!

Her eyes widened in panic. She could feel everyone watching her, and sweat beaded on her forehead. She couldn’t enter the space in front of so many people. But she had already made bold claims—if she backed out now, how could she ever become the village doctor?

“Chang Meili, do you have the water yet?” came Chang Suisui’s cold voice from behind, making her jump.

Chang Meili forced herself to stay calm and climbed back up from the riverbank. “The river water isn’t clean. I need clean water to rinse her wound. I—I’ll go over there to get some!”

She pointed toward the woods, trying to find a place to sneak into her space.

An older woman nearby quickly stopped her. “My kettle’s got freshly boiled water in it. Use this for Li zhiqing!”

Embarrassment flashed across Chang Meili’s face. “Uh… boiled water…”

She didn’t dare finish the sentence. If even boiled water wasn’t clean, then what was?

Just as she was struggling to find a way out, a group of people came running down the road. Leading them was a middle-aged man in a white coat, carrying a medical bag.

“Who was bitten by a venomous snake?” the man asked anxiously, adjusting his nearly-falling glasses.

The crowd quickly made room for the village doctor.

“Li zhiqing collapsed just now, then Chang zhiqing smeared grass juice on her. I think it might’ve made her worse…”

“Little Chang zhiqing said Chang zhiqing might end up killing her!”

“Poor Li zhiqing… she was such a good worker, so strong… what a shame…”

The village doctor ignored the noisy chatter. He knelt down, checked Li Chunhua’s pupils, and took her pulse. After a moment, he exhaled in relief and stood up.

“Who did first aid on Li zhiqing just now?” he asked.

Almost instantly, everyone pointed at Chang Suisui.

“Doctor, my cousin didn’t mean to hurt Chunhua, even if they had grudges. She just… wanted to show off…” Chang Meili chimed in, pretending to defend her cousin while subtly slandering her.

The village doctor stepped back slightly—her stench from the manure pit was overwhelming—and frowned even deeper.

“This Chang zhiqing did very well. If it weren’t for her, this Li zhiqing would’ve been in serious trouble. The snake venom wasn’t lethal, but it would’ve caused days of agony.”

“You… you must be mistaken, Doctor! She couldn’t have…” Chang Meili stared at him in disbelief. She couldn’t believe Chang Suisui had really tried to save Li Chunhua. After all, she’d beaten her so badly before, leaving her face swollen like a steamed bun.

The doctor gave Chang Meili a cold look, pushing up his unsteady glasses again. “I just examined her. Are you questioning my judgment?”

Chang Meili didn’t dare offend the doctor—she still wanted to study under him to become the village medic. Offending him now would ruin everything.

She waved her hands quickly. “No, no, I’m not questioning you. I just thought my cousin never studied medicine. If she accidentally harmed someone trying to show off…”

She wore a concerned look but continued to badmouth Chang Suisui.

“If I remember right, didn’t you say you went to medical school, cousin?” Chang Suisui cut her off, her voice ice-cold. “And you claimed all my first aid was wrong. So what exactly did you learn there?”

She didn’t bother to beat around the bush anymore, confronting her head-on.

“Good thing you didn’t become a nurse or doctor. Otherwise… tsk tsk. I don’t even want to imagine the consequences.”

If she remembered correctly, in the last life, Chang Meili had used her spiritual spring water to save Li Chunhua, earning the village doctor’s trust. Later, when the village needed a new medic, she conveniently stepped in—giving her a perfect excuse to move freely and make deals on the black market.

But now? There’s no way she’d let Chang Meili get what she wanted. Even if the doctor liked her now, she’d make sure to take that goodwill away.

Chang Meili’s face turned ashen. Gritting her teeth, she shouted, “Chang Suisui! That’s slander!”

She turned to the doctor, trying to defend herself. “Doctor, I was just a little nervous earlier. Being bitten by a venomous snake is serious—I couldn’t just act recklessly, right?”

Chang Suisui gave her a sidelong glance, her expression full of mock disappointment. She sighed deeply.

“I know you don’t like studying, but you really shouldn’t joke around with people’s lives, Meili. And this habit of lying… you really ought to change it.”