In comparison, Xu Jianing, who was standing nearby, appeared much calmer.
Doctor Liu saw that the time was about right and prepared to leave with his medicine chest.
As he passed by Xu Jianing, he noticed she had no intention of leaving with him. On a sudden impulse, he couldn't help but remind her quietly, "Follow along!"
Xu Jianing, snapping back to reality, quickly followed after him.
Only after they had left the main gate did Doctor Liu finally complain, "I've never seen a family as carefree as yours. Aren't you worried that once I leave, you'll completely vanish?"
"Will you? You won't," Xu Jianing said confidently. "You look kind-hearted; you're not someone who lacks a few coins."
Flattery works better than anything. She knew this principle well, so she didn't mind taking the opportunity to praise him.
Indeed, the corners of Doctor Liu's mouth curved up slightly, a small detail Xu Jianing noticed.
She took the chance to flatter him further, "Since you're being so kind, please help cure my Parents and Eldest Sister. Tell me how much it will cost. If it's not enough, I'll find another way."
Doctor Liu looked at her somewhat amusedly. "Didn't you already pay a deposit before? Why else would I visit your home today?"
"Don't worry, I will do my best to keep my promise. Oh, right, when you get back, tell your father and the others to absolutely not tell anyone about selling the Ginseng."
Xu Jianing understood Doctor Liu's concerns.
It was nothing more than worrying that their relatives would take the opportunity to cause trouble.
Hiding wealth is an eternal, unchanging truth.
Back then, those people, fearing they would be implicated because her father was crippled, insisted on driving their family out of the Old Residence.
Now that she was here, those people wouldn't get a single benefit from their family.
She looked at Doctor Liu with some apprehension, wondering if this amount of money would be enough to cure all the sick people in their family.
As if annoyed by her gaze, Doctor Liu spoke with an unfriendly tone, "If you have something to say, just say it. Isn't it awkward to keep sneaking glances back and forth like this?"
"I just wanted to ask you if the remaining money is enough to cure all of them. If it's not enough, I'll earn more."
"What can you, a little girl, possibly do? Don't worry, it's enough. I'll give you the rest of the money shortly. As for future medicine fees, we'll discuss that later! We still don't know how effective the treatment will be."
The two quickly arrived at the small courtyard where Doctor Liu lived.
Even before entering the door, a pleasant scent of Herbal Medicine could be smelled.
Thinking that Herbal Medicine could also be sold for money, Xu Jianing couldn't help but ask, "Doctor Liu, I saw quite a few kinds of Herbal Medicine in the Mountains. Which types do the apothecaries in the Town usually buy the most of?"
"Your idea is to gather herbs and sell them? If that's the case, I advise you to give up on that notion. Even if you gathered every common herb on the entire mountain, you wouldn't make much money."
"Unless you can find a Thousand-year Ginseng."
Seeing that she didn't speak, Doctor Liu coughed lightly, feeling a bit awkward.
"Um, don't worry, I will do my best to cure them for you. You can look around freely; I'll go to the room to get the money for you."
Xu Jianing paused for a moment, wondering if he had misunderstood again.
It had to be said that people who studied medicine were generally quite meticulous.
Doctor Liu's courtyard was kept very tidy.
Something resembling a large shelf stood out prominently in the middle of the courtyard.
Rows of Winnowing baskets filled with Herbal Medicine were neatly arranged.
If she wasn't mistaken, the efficacy of the Herbal Medicine placed on each level was basically the same.
She strongly suspected this person had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; this was truly not something a normal person would do.
"OCD!" she muttered softly.
"What did you say?"
She didn't know when Doctor Liu had come out; his footsteps made absolutely no sound, startling Xu Jianing quite a bit.
She quickly explained, "You misheard, you misheard, I didn't say anything! Oh, right, you really have a lot of Herbal Medicine here. Did you gather all of it yourself?"
"Could it be you?" This question successfully choked Xu Jianing into silence.
She really wanted to shout, "Can we just have a pleasant conversation?" But she couldn't; she still needed his help and lacked the confidence to argue.
"Alright, here, these are the remaining five hundred taels in Silver Notes. Count them and put them away quickly."
Xu Jianing put them directly into her Purse without even looking.
Doctor Liu raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid I'll cheat you and just give you a few notes to fool you?"
"You're not that kind of person; why do you always describe yourself so poorly? Thanks, I'll head back now. When I have the Sugar-fried Chestnuts ready, I'll have my father send some over to you."
Before Doctor Liu could ask what was going on, Xu Jianing had already run off.
When Xu Jianing was skipping happily near her home entrance, she saw Father Xu and Mother Xu standing at the main gate waiting for her.
Father Xu spotted her first and shouted excitedly, "She's back, Ning'er is back!"
Xu Jianing rushed over in a few steps. "Dad, Mom, you were waiting for me, right? This isn't a good place to talk; let's go inside to discuss things."
Saying that, she went to support Mother Xu. The group quickly arrived in Father Xu and Mother Xu's room.
"Dad, where is Eldest Sister? I don't see her. I want to gather the whole family for a meeting; not a single person can be missing."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Xu Family Eldest Sister walked in from outside, thoughtfully handing Xu Jianing a cup of hot tea.
Regrettably, the Xu Family Eldest Sister did not say a single word throughout the entire time, consciously sitting to the side and fiddling with her braid.
Seeing everyone assembled, Xu Jianing stopped holding back and pulled out several Silver Notes from her Purse, handing them to Father Xu.
"Dad, Mom, Eldest Sister, this is the money left over from selling the Ginseng; Doctor Liu gave it all to me. You count it first; I have something else to say in a moment."
Mother Xu grabbed Father Xu's arm. "Husband, am I dreaming? This much money, is it all ours now?"
"Mom, it's real."
Rarely, the Xu Family Eldest Sister spoke up.
Mother Xu's eyes reddened with joy. "Jiayin, you're finally willing to speak."
The Xu Family Eldest Sister, Xu Jiayin, immediately blushed.
Since the incident, she hadn't spoken for a long time. Today might just be an exception!
Although she usually remained silent, she could tell that their Little Sister had become different from before.
She couldn't help but look at her Little Sister a few more times.
Sensing someone staring at her, Xu Jianing looked up and saw it was her Eldest Sister. She couldn't help but encourage her, "Sister, trust me, our family will get better and better."
"Sister, you need to talk more; don't keep everything bottled up inside. I know you aren't sick; you're just deliberately isolating your world from others. Remember, we are family."
This mention of family moved Xu Jiayin somewhat. She kept her head down, making her emotions unreadable, but Xu Jianing felt that her Eldest Sister would definitely change.