Chapter 23

Li Quan stumbled and remained silent, feeling deeply wronged. He had lost money, was now under supervision, and had just been kicked by his cousin.

Lin Tao, frustrated with Li Quan’s incompetence, looked at the people around and said, “Alright, handle this for now.”

He then walked away with Zhou Xin, smiling.

Li Quan noticed that many people were watching the commotion. He felt embarrassed and his face turned red as if he were burning.

A child laughed loudly, “Hahaha, he doesn’t look like a doctor at all!”

Li Quan saw the child’s mother quickly cover his mouth, but it was clear the others were likely laughing at him too.

Confused and embarrassed, Li Quan didn’t know what to do. Xisheng’s mother, satisfied after the commotion, asked for the medicine jar. 

Li Quan quickly handed it over and told her to leave. Xisheng’s mother, holding the jar triumphantly, walked away.

With the excitement over, the people waiting to see the doctor dispersed. Li Quan was left with only a few people who were skeptical and uninterested.

One person said, “I heard there’s a young woman in the nearby Peijia Village who’s very skilled. Let’s check her out instead.”

Most of the crowd left, leaving Li Quan feeling frustrated as the line of patients had dwindled to just a few.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xi sneezed and was about to sleep when she heard a shout, “Big sister!!!” 

Jiang Xi was startled and went outside to find Jiang Sanmei excitedly holding a bamboo-like stick. 

Jiang Sanmei asked eagerly, “Big sister, what do you think this is?!”

Jiang Ermei, who was also excited, watched as Jiang Xi examined the stick. Jiang Xi was shocked to see that it was Bamboo Ginseng.

Jiang Xi confirmed, “It’s indeed Bamboo Ginseng!” 

Bamboo Ginseng, also known as Southern Ginseng, is less valuable than regular ginseng but still quite expensive. It’s good for the body and is rare in the area.

Jiang Xi was surprised and asked where they found it. The sisters hesitated and looked nervous.

Jiang Xi guessed they had gone into the mountains, which was dangerous due to wild animals. Jiang Ermei admitted they had gone into the mountains and found the bamboo ginseng by accident.

Jiang Xi was stern and decided to fine each sister fifty cents for their dangerous actions. Jiang Sanmei was stunned and regretful but accepted the punishment when she saw Jiang Xi’s serious expression.

My eldest sister was fine before, but since she got married, she has become more and more serious. She usually talks and laughs and seems kind, but she is strict when she uses acupuncture. Now she has become serious and inexplicably scary.

She had no intention of resisting, so she lowered her head and followed her second sister to get the money.

I never expected that I would be fined for bringing back a bamboo ginseng.

It’s so miserable.

Mother Pei brought the meal over. Seeing that Jiang Xi looked unhappy, she lowered her voice and asked, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Xi told the story again, and Pei’s mother was shocked: “Oh, these two kids are so brave, they actually ran into the mountains!”

“It’s time to teach a lesson.”

She said it seriously. She was very strict in disciplining her children, otherwise Pei Hejun would not have been raised so well by her.

Just as she finished speaking, the two children who had gone into the house to collect the fines came out. Pei’s mother smiled awkwardly and went to the kitchen to serve the dishes.

Don’t disturb your daughter-in-law from educating her younger sister.

She came out and saw the old man trying to go in, so she stopped him: “Don’t go in, or it will embarrass the child.”

Although it is necessary to teach a lesson, children also need to save their reputation, especially girls, who are more delicate and sensitive than boys.

Father Pei looked bewildered: “Teach the children a lesson? Aren’t these two children very well behaved?”

Mother Pei whispered, “They went deep into the mountains and found a bamboo ginseng. It’s a good thing. Xiaoxi said it can nourish the third child, but that thing grows deep in the mountains.”

Father Pei also widened his eyes. After a while, he nodded: “It’s time to teach them a lesson.”

At the same time, he touched his head excitedly. It was a good thing that could nourish his son’s body. The two children suffered a loss. He also whispered, “Let’s go buy some meat tomorrow and bring it back for the children.”

“Okay.” Mother Pei nodded with a smile.

_

In the main hall, the two sisters watched Pei’s mother hide away. Knowing that this lesson was inevitable, they felt even more depressed. They each took out fifty cents and held it high up to Jiang Xi.

Jiang Xi took it and put it directly in his pocket, then said, “Stretch out your hand. In addition to the fine, you will also be beaten. This will teach you a lesson.”

Two people: “!!!”

So miserable!

Not only will you lose your money, you will also be beaten.

However, no one here would refute Jiang Xi, so they could only accept their fate.

Jiang Xi found a feather duster and hit them three times. However, she was reluctant to hit them too hard. After all, they were the children she had raised for so long. The key point was that these two were usually sensible and well-behaved.

After the punishment, both children burst into tears.

She didn’t hit them hard, but it really hurts to be hit with a feather duster!

Jiang Ermei, in particular, shed tears silently.

Jiang Sanmei sobbed.

Jiang Xi put the bamboo ginseng aside and pulled the two people to his side.

Jiang Sanmei pouted, somewhat reluctant, but did not resist. Jiang Ermei lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking.

But Jiang Xi guessed that the third sister Jiang had a stronger personality. Before, although the three sisters were not loved at home, as the youngest, she still received a lot of special treatment compared to her two older sisters, and her personality was a little bit more spoiled.

Jiang Ermei is a more sensitive person. Living under someone else’s roof, she would take risks to look for medicinal herbs, and thus found the bamboo ginseng, also thinking of doing her part.

Initially, Jiang Xi’s understanding of the two sisters was limited to the original owner’s memories. One was spoiled and the other was silent. The original owner was busy studying, and coupled with the age difference, the three of them didn’t spend much time together. So she was afraid that the two children would be as noisy as the children of her relatives in her memories of her previous life, so she described her situation so seriously.

Unexpectedly, this caused more psychological pressure on Jiang Ermei.

Jiang Xi sighed and explained, “In my heart, nothing is more important than your lives. Bamboo ginseng is valuable, but if something happens to you, I don’t dare to take it, so I don’t want you to go to those dangerous places.”

Jiang Sanmei’s complexion improved a little, but she still felt a little aggrieved.

Jiang Ermei said nothing, but just secretly glanced at her, then quickly lowered her head.

“I know you want to help me more.” Jiang Xi said softly. Thinking of the joy of the two children when they came in, she understood, but changed the subject: “But before you are eighteen years old, don’t think about money. It’s good enough to help with some work. Of course, Elder sister is very surprised. Such a big bamboo ginseng costs a lot of money, so I still have to thank you. I will reward you ten yuan, and you two will split it equally. But now, this money is kept by your sister. If you need to buy something extra, you can use this money. How about it?”

Jiang Ermei raised her head completely and shook her head hurriedly: “No, give them all to Big Sister, we don’t want them.”

This time even Jiang Sanmei refused: “Sister, we don’t want it. This is for you.”

Jiang Xi smiled: “I know, I’ll keep the things, but I have to pay for them. This is a good thing, and your brother-in-law really needs it to nourish his health. You’re welcome, I have money.”

They wanted to say more, but were suppressed by Jiang Xi, who rubbed their heads and said, “Go wash your face and hands, and make sure to use soap to wash them thoroughly. Diseases come from the mouth, understand?”

The two children walked over obediently. When they left, they looked back with their watery eyes. Seeing her tough attitude, they said nothing.

Jiang Xi wanted to laugh when She saw the bamboo ginseng. She didn’t expect that there would be bamboo ginseng in this mountain.

She really needed it. Besides Pei Hejun, Pei’s parents and herself could use it. These days, people are short of food and clothing, and their bodies always have some minor ailments. The original owner was fine before, but she had a hard time in the past three years. She had her first period at the age of sixteen, and then only every few months, with no regularity, sometimes more, sometimes less, and she also had abdominal pain.

With nourishing things like bamboo ginseng, she can get better by taking good care of herself.

Unfortunately, under the current conditions, she cannot preserve it perfectly. She can only use some of the fresh bamboo ginseng to make soup and dry the rest for preservation.

_

At the dinner table, Jiang Xi told Pei’s parents about the uses of bamboo ginseng and asked them to stew some soup with the bamboo ginseng in the next few days.

Pei’s parents had a lot of trust in her, especially for their son’s sake. So, they said without hesitation: “Xiaoxi, it’s up to you to decide. Your father and I don’t understand.”

One thing Jiang Xi appreciated about the Pei family was their open-minded attitude. They trusted her completely and supported her decision to become a doctor.

At noon, Jiang Xi was cleaning bamboo ginseng. When she saw Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei about to head out with their bamboo hats, she stopped them.

“From now on, unless I take you with me, you two can’t go out together, and herb-picking is suspended.”

This was even more shocking than the recent fine.

The two girls were stunned. Jiang Sanmei was so anxious she jumped up and down: “Sister, we won’t do it again. Please let us go!”

“No!” Jiang Xi refused firmly.

She realized she had been careless. The two girls were used to the countryside and were quite brave, but she was worried about letting them go out alone to collect herbs. Since they had already bought the medicines they needed, it was okay to manage without more for now.

She then directed them to do household chores: “Sweep the floor. I need to dry some food. Go weigh the other herbs you picked…”

“Big sister!” Jiang Sanmei called out reluctantly.

Jiang Xi smiled faintly: “Go!”

Jiang Sanmei was speechless and went to work dejectedly.

Jiang Xi chuckled. The bamboo ginseng was not large, so it was processed quickly. Half of it was dried in the sun, and the other half was given to Pei’s mother to make soup in the evening.

Later, she returned to her room and pondered for a while.

Each bamboo ginseng is worth forty points in the system. Now that she had one, it meant saving a lot of points.

Jiang Xi felt a bit greedy and wanted more. Generally, there are more bamboo ginseng plants around. Bamboo ginseng isn’t as valuable as ginseng, but bamboo ginseng is different.

She became restless thinking about finding more bamboo ginseng roots. If she found a few more, she could become quite wealthy.

Jiang Xi calmed herself, grabbed Pei Hejun’s hand, and called the system: “System, open the medicinal materials mall. I need some poison.”

She didn’t want to go directly into the mountains without her sisters leading the way, as it could be dangerous.

For self-defense, she thought the best option was poison.

Recalling her middle school days when she learned how to make poison from martial arts dramas, she still remembered the recipe.

Just then, the system recommended: [Host Wife! Here is an anesthetic needle, 20 points each, easy to use, and leaves no trace. It can knock out a tiger! Do you want it?]

Jiang Xi: “!”

Was there such a good item?

Her eyes lit up. It was better not to make the poison herself. She looked at the recommendation excitedly: “Let me see!”

The system displayed the item: [Second row, fifth]

Jiang Xi saw that it was a type of anesthetic commonly used in operating rooms. It was milky white and very powerful.

She hesitated: “Can one shot really do the job?”

[Of course! The system never lies!] the system replied excitedly.

Seeing its excitement, Jiang Xi felt reassured and said calmly, “Okay, buy one shot.”

System: [OK, 20 points have been deducted]

A small anesthetic needle, looking like a toy, appeared in Jiang Xi’s hand.

_

At two o’clock in the afternoon.

Jiang Xi came out and saw her two sisters sitting on the doorstep, dozing off from boredom. They were leaning against each other.

Jiang Xi smiled and patted their heads: “You two should pack up and come with me to the mountains.”

Jiang Sanmei stood up immediately: “Sister, can we go now?”

“Just this once,” Jiang Xi said with a smile. “Are you coming?”

“Yes!” Jiang Sanmei nodded vigorously. Once was never too little, and there would always be a next time. Excited, she pulled her sister up, and the two of them gathered their tools and followed Jiang Xi, completely ignoring the blazing sun.

Peijia Village is actually quite far from the nearby mountains. To get there, you pass through several villages, including Zhoujia Village, Linjia Village, and Jiangjia Village.

However, these villages are on the main road, so there is no need to go into them.

Especially Jiangjia Village, which is quite far from the main road. The villagers from Jiangjia Village had been working in the area recently. The two younger sisters had met some of them twice, which made Jiang Xi think about it more.

Since they were going to the mountains, Jiang Xi didn’t ride a bike. She brought a hat filled with food and water, a small purse, applied mosquito repellent powder to her sisters, and took a machete before setting off.

She made the mosquito repellent powder herself and gave it to her sisters regularly. Her small purse contained the anesthetic needle.

Jiang Xi clenched her purse tightly and walked through two villages with her sisters. But her mood worsened.

The dirt road was rough and bumpy, and the sun was scorching.

Jiang Xi even considered backing out.

However, looking at Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei, they wore bamboo hats and picked flowers from the roadside, chatting and laughing as if they were on an outing.

She admired their amazing physical strength.

Suddenly, someone called out, “Big sister?”

The voice was very familiar.

Jiang Xi’s heart skipped a beat. Her muscle memory made her turn around.

As expected, it was Zhang Xiuyun.