Chapter 42

“Yes, I am a doctor. If I say I can treat it, then I can treat it!” Lan Yun’er said coldly, glancing at Huo Junda with an icy stare. Her tone was frigid as she spoke, and then she turned to the others in the yard. “My grandfather was the most famous doctor in the ten-mile village, and I believe you all know about his medical skills. Although I didn’t inherit all of his knowledge, I’ve learned a lot of medical methods, especially for conditions like my second brother’s leg. I know of a way to treat it.”

It seemed coincidental that the original owner’s grandfather had been a renowned doctor, particularly famous for his acupuncture skills, which amazed and impressed people. Unfortunately, no one inherited his medical skills because the original owner’s father didn’t care for medicine. While the original owner had learned some, it was only superficial, and she couldn’t even diagnose patients. Still, many knew about her studying medicine, including Huo Jianzhang and Yao Guizhi.

Huo Jianzhang said, “I’ve heard about Yun’er studying medicine before. I heard that when her grandfather was still around, Yun’er often accompanied him to see patients.”

Yao Guizhi nodded in agreement, “Yes, I’ve heard of it too.”

Huo Junda scoffed, “So what if she studied medicine? Do you really believe she can cure the second brother’s leg? His leg can’t even be treated by the county hospital, and she thinks she can cure it? I bet she only knows a little bit of medical knowledge, not enough to treat serious illnesses. If she could really treat the second brother, why didn’t she say anything earlier? Why wait until now? I think she’s just bragging. If she can really cure the second brother, I’ll crawl from the village head to the village end, calling her a living god!”

Huo Junda’s mockery made Lan Yun’er smile, and she looked at him coldly, “Big Brother, I’ll remember that. If I cure the second brother, you’d better keep your promise. If you don’t, then you’re a coward!” She emphasized the word “coward” heavily. Her tone suggested that, in her eyes, Huo Junda was already a coward.

Huo Junda clenched his teeth, furious, wanting to refute, but Lan Yun’er turned to Huo Junli, “Second Brother, do you believe me? If you believe me, then let me treat your leg. I’m confident that I can heal it.”

Originally, she hadn’t wanted to learn medicine from the tree demon, but now it seemed like she had no other choice. Sigh, she had no face left. But the tree demon was right; learning medicine would be useful. If she could master the skills, it would provide her with more security in this world.

Huo Junli smiled gently and looked at her kindly, “If you can help me, I’ll be very grateful. How could I not believe you? Thank you, truly, thank you.” His leg was already in its worst condition, so letting her try didn’t seem to hurt.

“No need to be so polite, Second Brother,” Lan Yun’er replied, “You rest well today, and we’ll start treating your leg tomorrow.” Though she wanted to start tonight, she didn’t know how. She had to go up the mountain and ask the tree demon first.

Zhong Cuitao also expressed her gratitude to Lan Yun’er, and then turned to her parents, Zhong Father and Zhong Mother. “Mom, Dad, can you give us some more time? I believe Junli’s leg will get better, it will get better.”

Zhong Father and Zhong Mother exchanged a glance. Could this young girl really cure Junli’s leg? Honestly, they didn’t believe it. They felt she was just making empty promises. However, seeing their daughter’s pleading look, they couldn’t bear to refuse. They knew how much their daughter cared for Junli, and they didn’t want to break them apart. But Junli’s leg was in such a condition—how would he be able to take care of Xiaotao? Were they supposed to let Xiaotao take care of him?

Lan Yun’er, noticing their hesitation, quickly stepped forward and said, “Uncle, Aunt, don’t worry. Xiaotao won’t be bullied in our house anymore. From now on, I, along with Huo Jinchen, will help protect Xiaotao and won’t let anyone bully her again!”

Huo Jinchen, whose eyes had moved slightly, added, “Yes, Yun’er is right. I will make sure no one in the family bullies Xiaotao. If anyone dares, I won’t let them get away with it!” After saying this, he coldly glanced at Huo Junda.

Huo Junda, who had been watching from the side, felt his blood pressure rise. How could the fourth brother side with the second brother like this? Wasn’t he the eldest? Why was everyone against him?

After hearing these words, Zhong Father and Zhong Mother sighed heavily and reluctantly agreed, “Alright, we’ll give Junli some more time. But if his leg doesn’t improve after some time, we’ll take Xiaotao back.”

Zhong Cuitao smiled through her tears, “Thank you, Mom and Dad. I believe he will get better. He will!”

Afterward, the family parted ways. Zhong Father and Zhong Mother were given some wild boar meat by Yao Guizhi before they left, and as they walked away, Zhong Father couldn’t help but think how the situation in the Huo family seemed to be improving. If that was the case, then perhaps leaving Xiaotao here wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Later that evening, as they returned to their room, Huo Jinchen pulled out a bundle of money from his pocket and handed it to Lan Yun’er. “Yun’er, here, take this.”

Lan Yun’er was surprised, “Where did you get so much money? What’s this for?”

“I secretly teamed up with someone to sell things in the black market,” he explained, flashing a faint smile.

At first, he didn’t have capital, but a friend lent him some money, and with it, he managed to make a profitable deal. After paying his friend back, he was left with a bit of extra cash, which he now offered to her.

Lan Yun’er counted the money, about 190 yuan, which was a significant amount for this time period. She placed it on the bedside table and looked at him. “You work in other villages every day; when do you find the time for this black-market business?”

Huo Jinchen smiled gently, explaining, “I haven’t been going to work lately. My friend was right. Working like that won’t give us the comfortable life we deserve. Only by finding other ways can I give you a better life.”

Lan Yun’er bit her lip, touched by his words. She took 100 yuan from the pile and handed it back to him. “Take this, in case you need money for something urgent.”

“I don’t need it,” he replied, pushing the money back into her hands. “I earned this money for you. You should keep it.”

Lan Yun’er was speechless. Was he trying to say something romantic again?

“Are you going to continue with this black-market business? If so, where will you get the capital?” she asked, trying to give him the money again.

“Don’t worry, I still have some goods. Once I sell them, I’ll have the capital for more business,” he reassured her.

Lan Yun’er realized he had everything planned out. She decided not to argue further and kept the money to herself, saying, “I’ll save this money. Once we’ve saved enough for a house, we’ll move out.”

Huo Jinchen smiled warmly, “Okay, I’ll follow your lead.”

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, his handsome face seemed a bit blurry, but she could still feel his charm. She couldn’t help but gaze at him for a few seconds, then quickly turned away, embarrassed.

Huo Jinchen, seeing her shy reaction, smiled even more gently. He took off the new jacket she had bought for him, blew out the oil lamp, and climbed into bed.

As Lan Yun’er lay on her side, listening to his slow footsteps, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. She’d never felt like this before. Why was she so anxious tonight?

When he reached the bedside, he gently called her name, “Yun’er.”

Her breath hitched, and she pulled the blanket up to her chin, answering with a soft, muffled voice, “What’s wrong?”