That night, Lu Qingqing slept in Lu Feng’s room, on a temporary bed made from a pile of straw laid on the floor.

Feng Xiaowan had been married into the Lu family for two years.

In other households, it was the mother-in-law who made a new wife’s life miserable—but she had no mother-in-law. What she had… was a vicious sister-in-law.

She had always feared Lu Qingqing—feared her instinctively.

But when she woke, Lu Qingqing had completely changed.

Her postpartum body was terribly weak, and her injuries were serious.

Even turning over was difficult.

Lu Qingqing didn’t mind the filth, helping her wipe her body and apply medicine with steady, gentle hands.

Still, Feng Xiaowan was afraid.

She forced herself to stay awake, eyelids propped open, not daring to sleep.

But her body was too weak, and before long, she drifted off.

She woke again when the baby began to cry.

Under the oil lamp, Lu Qingqing sat at the edge of the bed, gently rocking the baby in her arms, her expression soft and calm—completely unfamiliar.

This… was not the sister-in-law she knew.

The thought sent a shiver through Feng Xiaowan.

Lu Qingqing had already positioned the baby next to her shoulder.

“Sister-in-law, go back to sleep. I’ll help you nurse.”

Then she lifted her clothes and carefully guided the baby’s head toward her…

Feng Xiaowan: “…”

..

The next morning.

Lu Qingqing needed to go into the mountains to gather some common herbs.

A spring breeze carried the scent of flowers as it passed gently by.

She carried a bamboo basket on her back and held a small iron spade in her hand. Her head was wrapped in a pale blue cloth as she walked into the forest.

Amaranth was everywhere.

Good for treating dysentery, diarrhea, edema, and bee stings.

The tender leaves were even edible.

Rumex crispus (Curly dock)—for constipation, coughs, sores.

Slightly toxic. Not edible.

Lu Qingqing dug up a mess of herbs, and before long, her basket was full.

Just as she was about to leave, she saw a raggedly dressed child emerge from the woods.

The moment the boy saw her, his face changed, and he took off running.

Though he tried to hide it, Lu Qingqing still caught a glimpse of what he was carrying—a fish!

“Hey! Xiaoxixi, don’t run! I’ll buy your fish—” Lu Qingqing called out.

But the boy vanished in a flash.

Clearly, he was terrified of her.

The last time they’d met, Lu Qingqing had stolen a nest of bird eggs from him.

She wanted crucian carp soup—good for encouraging milk production.

After helping Feng Xiaowan start lactating, Lu Qingqing noticed she was the “greedy milk” type.

If she only ate bland porridge, her supply dropped.

Give her something oily or meaty, and her milk would surge.

So crucian carp soup would be perfect.

And Father Lu needed it, too.

Lu Qingqing followed the direction Xiaoxixi had come from, going deeper into the forest.

Sure enough, she discovered a small pool of water.

Truth be told, this pool was dangerous.

Its edges were steep, and the surface was choked with bulrushes, hiding the water below. It would be easy to slip and fall in.

There were also lots of underwater weeds.

She had no idea how Xiaoxixi had managed to catch a fish.

After observing for a while, Lu Qingqing decided to go home and make a fishing net.

In the distance, she heard the faint calls of wild ducks carried on the wind.

Her eyes lit up.

The reeds in the center of the pond—there must be wild duck eggs!

She’d need to make a raft, too!

Light on her feet, Lu Qingqing headed down the mountain.

Near the village canal, the sound of crying reached her ears.

A group of children were gathered, yelling in panic.

“He’s dying! He’s gonna die!”

“His eyes are rolling back!”

“Quick, go call Doctor Ding!”

Lu Qingqing heard the commotion and rushed over.

A boy, around seven or eight, was kneeling on the ground, clawing at his throat. His face was purple, tears and snot streaming down his cheeks.

On the ground beside him were scattered elm seeds.

Lu Qingqing immediately understood.

He’d eaten too fast, and didn’t remove the tough stems—one had gotten stuck in his throat!

She dropped her basket and grabbed the boy’s hands, stopping him from scratching his throat.

Scratching would only push the obstruction deeper—more dangerous.

She wrapped her arms around him from behind, placed her fist just above his navel, and began forcefully thrusting upward—performing the Heimlich maneuver.

To the watching kids, it looked like she was shaking the boy to death.

“She’s beating Baoshuan! She’s beating him!”

“Lu Qingqing the witch is at it again!”

Their shrieking gave Lu Qingqing a headache.

Finally, Baoshuan gave a violent retch and vomited out a clump of food.

Then—

“Lu Qingqing! Let go of him right now!”

A rough hand yanked her away.

“Uncle Ding is here! Save Baoshuan, he’s choking!”

Doctor Ding grabbed Baoshuan and began pounding his back.

Baoshuan took a gulp of air—then burst into tears.

“Uncle Ding is amazing! Baoshuan is saved!” The kids cheered.

Lu Qingqing rolled her eyes.

Yeah, the guy just showed up to lift the lid off the steamed buns when they were already done.

“Sure, now you show up. What timing.”

She muttered, scooped up the fallen elm seeds, and tossed them into her basket.

“Consider this my treatment fee.”

She turned to leave—but someone blocked her path.

“Lu Qingqing, stop right there!”

Ding Xiang and a few of her cronies stood in her way.

Tch. Village bullies, huh?

“Lu Qingqing, you almost killed Baoshuan and now you think you can just walk away?”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“My father saved Baoshuan and saved you from prison. You owe us twenty taels in medical fees!”

Ding Xiang’s eyes gleamed with greed.

Her pancake-flat face radiated pure pettiness.

She was greed personified.

And yet she didn’t see it at all. Her followers—textbook lackeys—snickered beside her, flattering her and sneering at Lu Qingqing.

Ding Xiang was the village doctor’s daughter.

Everyone had to curry favor with Doctor Ding, so it made sense they fawned over her.

But asking for twenty taels? Outrageous.

She must’ve seen Lu Qingqing reclaim silver from Ning Xiuwen and thought she was an easy mark.

“Doctor Ding,” Lu Qingqing asked mildly, “was it you who saved Baoshuan?”

“If not me, then who?” Ding Hongshi lifted his eyelids with irritation. “Lu Qingqing, your antics have gone far enough. Bullying a child—have you no shame? I pity your poor father, raising such a disappointing daughter.”

Lu Qingqing’s face went cold in an instant.

Her sharp, clear eyes were like knives, cutting straight into Ding Hongshi.

She sneered, “Whether my father did wrong, I can’t say. But you? You’ve committed your share of sins—practicing medicine without a license, how many lives have you butchered over the years? People here call you a doctor. Without that, you’re nothing—just a charlatan. Don’t think for a second you’re somebody.”

Let’s be honest: he only had patients because there were no other doctors nearby.

Hiring a proper physician cost too much and required travel.

Ding Hongshi’s medical skills were mediocre, and his character even worse.

“Lu Qingqing, how dare you talk to my father like that!” Ding Xiang shrieked, like a scolding hen.

Honestly, she was an insult to the name “Ding Xiang” (meaning clove blossom).

“Oh, you think I look down on your father? Let me tell you—your dad nearly knelt begging mine for needles the other day. You didn’t see how he bowed and scraped—”

SMACK—

A sharp, loud slap landed clean across Ding Xiang’s smug face.

Lu Qingqing’s eyes burned with fury.

“A few lousy needles, and he had to beg for them? That just shows your dad is petty, stingy, and pathetic! He’s quick to take money but demands twenty taels for saving a child? What a useless, greedy fraud—mean and poisonous!”