“Zhou Hua, you brat, what kind of bad idea are you cooking up again? We’re not falling for it!”
“Yeah! Last time we ate something you gave us, I nearly had diarrhea until I collapsed. I don’t dare trust you anymore!”
Zhou Hua was usually a bit unreliable.
Seeing how little credibility he had in the base, Zhou Hua couldn’t keep his face straight. He put on a serious expression and said sternly, “Wasn’t that all just a misunderstanding before? I’m only trying to make it up to you by giving you something to drink, but I didn’t expect you all to be so ungrateful!”
As he spoke, he shook his head and pretended to sigh deeply. “Ah! People just aren’t what they used to be. Looks like the drinks Yu Nan brought back can only be enjoyed by me alone!”
They were unmoved by the first half of his speech, but the moment they heard that Qin Yu Nan had brought it back, their expressions softened.
At the Hongyan Base, life was plain and bland. Usually, the most they drank was tea leaves. As for the trendy drinks outside, they rarely had a chance to taste them.
On top of that, the insect-repellent item Qin Yu Nan had brought back earlier worked extremely well. He also had a good reputation in the base, so they trusted him.
So just as Zhou Hua raised one of the cups and was about to pour it into his mouth, those few people snatched it from his hand first.
“Seeing how sincere you are, we’ll reluctantly accept it!”
They downed the drinks in one gulp. It tasted sweet, but they couldn’t really tell what it was. They casually put the cups on the table, patted Zhou Hua on the shoulder, thanked him, and left.
Seeing this, Zhou Hua nudged Qin Yu Nan with his elbow. “Hey, I’m telling you, this doesn’t seem to do anything. You sure you didn’t get scammed?”
“No. Just wait and see.”
Watching their departing backs, Qin Yu Nan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze dark and unreadable.
He firmly believed that Wen Yifan’s medicine wouldn’t disappoint him.
Meanwhile, at the small clinic.
Wen Yifan rested her chin in one hand, fiddling with a cup on the table, her face full of worry.
“Sigh… If Qin Yu Nan can’t be relied on, then who should I look for?”
Just as she was murmuring to herself, an anxious shout came from outside the door.
“Is Sister Wen here?!”
“I’m here, I’m here! What’s wrong?”
Wen Yifan hurried to the window. Xu Erniu stood at the door, his face filled with anxiety. He must have run all the way there, because his forehead was covered in sweat.
Wiping his forehead, Xu Erniu said breathlessly, “Sister Wen, this is bad. My wife has a fever so bad she can’t move!”
“What!?” Wen Yifan widened her eyes in disbelief. “Wasn’t she fine just two days ago?”
“She was fine two days ago, but suddenly she got sick today. I don’t trust the barefoot doctor in the village, so I came specially to find you!”
Xu Erniu was a big, burly man, yet when he mentioned his wife’s illness, he looked so anxious he seemed on the verge of tears.
Wen Yifan quickly packed up her things and followed him to his home.
As soon as she entered, she saw Erniu’s wife lying weakly on the bed. Her face was pale as paper, and a towel soaked in ice water was placed on her forehead.
Seeing Wen Yifan rush over, she smiled apologetically. “Sorry for troubling you.”
“We’re neighbors. Why say such polite things?”
Wen Yifan immediately sat down to examine her.
Comparing the symptoms with the system medical guide’s instructions, she made a diagnosis for Erniu’s wife. “You didn’t recover well after giving birth, and now cold has entered your body. That’s why you got sick.”
“Erniu, honestly, don’t you care about your own wife?”
Hearing this, Xu Erniu’s dark face showed a trace of embarrassment. “Wasn’t I sick for a while too… so I didn’t get the chance to properly nourish my wife…”
Wen Yifan waved her hand and said seriously, “Alright, no need to talk about that now. Just leave it to me! Where’s your kitchen? Take me there!”
“Alright!”
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Wen Yifan closed the door, took out a packet of motherwort powder, mixed it with spirit spring water, and poured it into a bowl.
She carried out the bowl of medicine—its color richer than ordinary nutrient solution—and handed it to Xu Erniu.
“Give this bowl to your wife. It’ll work immediately. Once she feels better, bring her to the clinic to see me again! I’ll properly help her recover.”
After saying that, she headed back to the clinic.
It wasn’t that she was deliberately being mysterious. First, Erniu’s wife was seriously ill, and suddenly making requests would seem inappropriate. Second, she truly couldn’t bear to see how weak Erniu’s wife looked.
She stayed at the clinic until evening. As expected, Xu Erniu came knocking. The moment he saw Wen Yifan, he excitedly grabbed her hand.
“Sister Wen, you’re a miracle doctor! My wife drank that medicine, and not long after, her fever went down. She even said she feels refreshed and full of energy!”
Of course!
Just now, to treat the cold inside Erniu’s wife’s body, she had intentionally increased the ratio of spirit spring water!
Feeling secretly pleased inside, she still comforted Erniu aloud. “Your wife is young and recovers quickly—that’s normal. But the damage to her body is real. Do you have any plans?”
At the mention of this, Xu Erniu lowered his head guiltily. “Sister Wen, you know my arm only just recovered…”
“Don’t talk about all that. Just give me one answer. Do you trust me or not? Do you want me to treat your wife?”
“Of course I do!”
Wen Yifan pushed a cup of nutrient solution from the counter toward him. “I know you just recovered, and earning money isn’t easy right now. I was thinking—your wife is a good person. She helped me before, so I should help her too and repay the favor.”
“This is a nutrient solution I developed myself. It’s very beneficial for her body. The original price is thirty cents per cup. But considering our friendship, I won’t charge you. However, you must promise that once your wife feels better, she’ll help me promote it. What do you think?”
“That’s great!”
As soon as Wen Yifan said that, Xu Erniu’s eyes lit up. He slapped the table and stood up.
He had always put his wife first. After hearing Wen Yifan’s diagnosis earlier, he had already planned to spend everything he had to help her recover. But he didn’t expect such a good opportunity—completely free!
He could treat his wife and save money for the child. It was a deal where he lost nothing!
“Sister Wen, don’t worry. I’ll definitely do my best to promote it for you!”
“Alright, stop flattering me and hurry back to take care of your wife!”
“Okay!”
The next day, at Hongyan Base.
After washing up, Qin Yu Nan was about to go train. But the moment he opened the door, he saw those same comrades from yesterday squatting at the entrance, as if they had been waiting for him for quite a while.
Zhou Hua followed behind him. Seeing them squatting there, he couldn’t help grinning and teasing, “Hey, comrades, what are you all doing squatting at Old Qin’s door this early in the morning? That’s pretty scary!”
Those men didn’t interact much with Qin Yu Nan normally. When their eyes met, the leader forced an awkward smile.
“Hehe… um, Comrade Qin, about that drink you gave us yesterday… could you give us a little more?”