As soon as the members of the Hu family entered the house, Madam Zhou saw them whispering among themselves. Unable to hold back, she looked at Old Madam Hu and deliberately asked, “What’s going on with your family? I heard my family had gained a new member, so you came to offer congratulations?”
Old Madam Hu had originally thought that Madam Zhou was about to die. Seeing her suddenly sitting there perfectly well and holding the baby had already given her quite a shock.
Now, after hearing those words, her expression became even uglier.
Madam Li could no longer restrain herself. She jumped out and pointed at Madam Zhou. “You still don’t know? Your family is about to suffer a great disaster, isn’t it?
“We came here to save your family!”
The three adults of the Qin family were left completely bewildered by Madam Li’s words.
Would the Hu family really be so kind?
Besides, Madam Zhou’s illness had already been cured. What was there to save her from?
Seeing that the Qin family did not believe her, Madam Li raised her hand and pointed at Xiaorenshen. “You still don’t know? She isn’t a child of the Qin family at all, is she?”
At those words, Madam Zhou and Qin Shiqian both frowned. They became even more convinced that the Hu family had come looking for trouble.
Madam Zhang was so angry that her face turned red.
“What do you mean by that? If she isn’t a child of the Qin family, then whose child could she be? That’s far too insulting!”
Qin Shiqian immediately took her hand. “Wife, don’t pay any attention to them. I’ve never once suspected you!”
Xiaorenshen, who was lying in Madam Zhou’s arms, was startled by those words.
She struggled to turn her head toward Madam Li, wondering whether this woman had some kind of ability that allowed her to see through Xiaorenshen’s origins.
But Madam Li continued, “The Immortal said that this wicked child was born on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. She must be an evil spirit reincarnated.
“She caused Grandpa to disappear and Grandma to become seriously ill before she was even born. Who knows how many people she’ll harm to death in the future!
“My son has already been made to suffer a high fever that won’t go down because of her. If you know what’s good for you, hand this wicked child over at once.
“We’ll ask the Immortal to purify her. That will be the same as saving your entire family!”
Xiaorenshen was immediately amused by this.
She opened her tiny mouth and laughed so hard that drool spilled out uncontrollably.
So Madam Li wasn’t some worldly expert at all. She had come here to deceive people!
Qin Shiqian was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged. He snatched up the crutch beside him. “I think you people came here specifically to make trouble!”
Madam Li, however, could not care less. At that moment, her thoughts were occupied entirely by her sick son.
“Don’t fail to appreciate our kindness! This isn’t only for your family’s benefit—it’s for the good of the entire village!”
As she spoke, she rushed forward and reached out to snatch the child from Madam Zhou’s arms.
Madam Zhou was startled. Hugging Xiaorenshen, she leaned backward and instinctively raised her leg to block Madam Li.
“Ow—”
Madam Li had never taken the bedridden Madam Zhou seriously.
Caught completely off guard, she felt a solid kick land on her lower abdomen. Her whole body fell backward and landed heavily on the ground.
In an instant, the two families inside the room fell silent. The only sound was Madam Li’s repeated cries of “Ow, ow!”
Qin Shiqian frowned. “Madam Hu, have you come into my house to fake an injury?
“My mother has only just recovered from a serious illness. She raised her leg and happened to bump you. Is it really necessary to carry on like this?
“You’d be wasting your talent by not performing on a stage.”
Not only Qin Shiqian—even the members of the Hu family felt that Madam Li was acting far too dramatically.
Madam Zhou had been so sick that she had nearly died, yet she had kicked someone away with one leg. That was practically miraculous.
Madam Li really was in pain, but when she saw the suspicious and doubtful looks from even her own family, her anger made the pain feel even worse.
Only Madam Zhou said nothing. Her heart was already filled with shock and uncertainty.
She felt that the kick she had just delivered had landed rather solidly.
Why did it feel as though she had even more strength than before she had fallen ill?
Madam Zhou did not reveal any of this. Instead, she darkened her expression and said, “Although I was exiled here with my husband’s family, there are still members of the Zhou family serving in the imperial court.
“Back then, when my family sent letters and money, your Ginseng Boss accepted them.
“As the saying goes, leave some leeway in everything so that you can meet again in the future. Don’t bully people too far!”
Madam Zhou’s words immediately silenced the members of the Hu family.
This was also why they had never dared to move against the Qin family before.
When the Qin family had first been exiled here, the Zhou family had sent both letters and money, asking the Hu family to look after them.
At first, the Ginseng Boss had also wanted to establish a good relationship with the Qin family.
Unfortunately, Old Master Qin was upright and had no tolerance for the Ginseng Boss’s bullying on the strength of his influence, so the two sides had clashed repeatedly.
Seeing more and more exiles in the village begin to gravitate toward the Qin family, the Ginseng Boss had been tormented by worry.
Finally, when Madam Zhou became seriously ill, the Ginseng Boss had taken advantage of a trip into the mountains to attack Old Master Qin.
Who could have expected that Madam Zhou would wake up again?
Unfortunately, the Ginseng Boss had also injured his leg, leaving Old Madam Ginseng Boss at a loss for what to do.
She nevertheless recovered quickly and turned on Eldest Brother Hu. “Why haven’t you taken your wife home yet? She has made enough of a spectacle of herself!”
Madam Li sat on the ground and refused to let the matter go. “So I’m just supposed to have taken that kick for nothing?”
Eldest Brother Hu glared fiercely at her and yanked her to her feet.
After leaving the Qin Residence, Madam Li first held her stomach and said, “Wasn’t Madam Zhou supposed to be dying? The Immortal’s predictions aren’t accurate at all!”
“Bah!” Old Madam Hu immediately spat at her. “You’re not allowed to show disrespect to the Immortal.”
The wife of Hu the Second seized the opportunity to say, “That’s right, Eldest Sister-in-law. That was something Old Madam Yu said, not the Immortal.
“Besides, the fact that she didn’t die today doesn’t mean she won’t die in a few days.
“Don’t forget, she had previously been so ill that she couldn’t even take food or water! Otherwise, Father wouldn’t have attacked Old Man Qin.”
Eldest Brother Hu was even more impatient. “Enough. We’re already out here, so stop pretending.”
“Who’s pretending? I really did take a solid kick…” Madam Li felt that she had been wronged to death.
Unfortunately, no one in the Hu family paid her any attention. Everyone’s eyes had fallen on Old Madam Hu, waiting for her to make a decision.
Old Madam Hu frowned. “All right, let’s go home first. I’ll discuss it with your father before we decide what to do.”
As soon as the Hu family left, Qin Shiqian and Madam Zhang immediately gathered around Madam Zhou.
“Mother, are you all right?”
“Mother, did you hit or hurt yourself?”
The two of them had clearly seen that when Madam Zhou fell backward, both her hands had protected the baby tightly. She had not spared a thought for herself at all.
Madam Zhou did not need either of them to help her. Holding the child herself, she sat up.
After getting down and moving her legs around, she looked at Madam Zhang in surprise. “Tongyun, your medical skills are getting better and better.
“After taking the medicine you prepared, not only am I completely fine now, I even seem to have more strength than I did before I fell ill!”
“Huh?” Madam Zhang was confused. “Was the medicine I prepared really that effective?”
“Of course it was. I didn’t take anything else besides the medicine you prepared!”
Madam Zhou firmly credited all the medicine’s effects to her daughter-in-law. She then turned around and asked what had happened while she had been unconscious.
When she heard that the Ginseng Boss had taken advantage of her serious illness to bring people to her home and cause trouble, Madam Zhou could not help saying furiously, “They’ve gone too far!”
Seeing Madam Zhou become angry, Xiaorenshen immediately reached out and touched the spot between her brows, which had twisted into a knot.
Madam Zhou took the opportunity to kiss Xiaorenshen’s hand. “Oh, my sweet baby, are you telling Grandma not to be angry?”
Qin Shiqian and Madam Zhang both smiled when they heard this.
Qin Shiqian, however, still said bluntly, “Mother, the child has only just been born. How could she understand any of that? You’re exaggerating too much.”
Madam Zhou rolled her eyes at her son for ruining the mood. She gently swayed her body, coaxing the granddaughter in her arms, and narrowed her eyes with delight.
“If you ask me, our sweet baby is simply different from other children.
“I’ve seen plenty of children, but a child as easy to care for as our sweet baby is something I’ve never encountered before.
“Our sweet baby knows that her parents have a hard time. She’s being considerate of you two!”
After hearing Madam Zhou’s words, Xiaorenshen immediately wanted to clap her hands in agreement.
Qin Shiqian, however, grabbed one of her hands and stopped her two little palms from coming together.
“Her scald hasn’t healed yet, so you can’t move around carelessly. It’ll hurt if you clap your hands together.
“Right, Wife, shouldn’t it be time to change Sweetie’s medicine?”
“It is.” Madam Zhang hurriedly took out the scald ointment Xiaohua had brought that day.
Madam Zhou carefully untied the strips of cloth wrapped around the child’s hand. As she did so, she gently blew on it.
“Poor little thing. Grandma will blow on it for you. Once Grandma blows on it, it won’t hurt anymore.”
But after the cloth was removed, all three of them were stunned.
Madam Zhou stared at her granddaughter’s smooth fingers for a long time, then looked at the other hand before asking in confusion, “Are you two sure the child was scalded?”
“How could it be fake? The scald had raised blisters and broken the skin. It nearly broke my heart… Huh?”
As Qin Shiqian spoke, he leaned closer and examined the hand for a long while. In the end, he could find only a faint mark.
He turned to Madam Zhang. “Aunt Yu’s scald ointment is far too effective, isn’t it?”
“This…” Madam Zhang was also at a loss for words.
Of course, it was a good thing that the child had recovered.
But she had clearly seen it before. Her daughter’s tender little hand had been scalded badly enough to form blisters, and the skin had broken in places.
The medicine had only been applied for one day. How could it have healed so quickly?
Even the Imperial Medical Bureau did not possess such ability.
Could Old Madam Yu have prepared immortal medicine?
“Should we keep applying the ointment?” Qin Shiqian asked.
Hearing this, Xiaorenshen immediately pulled her hand back and burrowed into Madam Zhou’s arms.
The ointment would not cause her any harm, but applying it still felt uncomfortable.
Madam Zhou immediately hugged her granddaughter tightly. “Are you stupid? Haven’t you heard that all medicine is poisonous to some degree? She’s already healed, so why would you keep applying it?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Shiqian put the ointment away. “Right, right. Then we won’t apply it anymore.
“You two rest at home. I’ll go up the mountain and set a few traps to see if I can catch anything. I’ll dig up some wild greens while I’m there.”
“Your leg hasn’t completely healed yet, so take it easy,” Madam Zhou reminded him, though she did not tell him not to go.
After all, he was the only able-bodied laborer in the household. Madam Zhang had just given birth and needed nourishing food to regain her strength. If he did not go, who else could?
Qin Shiqian moved his injured leg around where he stood. “Mother, don’t worry. I know my limits.
“It’s actually almost healed.
“Look, I don’t even need to lean on my crutch to walk anymore.”
After Madam Zhou woke up, Qin Shiqian seemed to have found his backbone again. He felt that the pressure weighing on him had been reduced by more than half, and his naturally lively personality had resurfaced as well.
“All right, all right. Injuries to the muscles and bones take a hundred days to heal. Don’t get too pleased with yourself.”
Madam Zhou looked as though she could not bear to watch him, but the corners of her mouth quietly curled upward despite herself.
Although Old Master Qin’s life or death was still unknown, Madam Zhang had been able to give birth to a new member of the Qin family under such circumstances. That could still be considered a good omen.
In the end, Qin Shiqian obediently left the house with his crutch.
He had not gone far when he saw Old Madam Yu approaching from the other end of the road.
Old Madam Yu had just heard what Xiaohua had done and felt that she had wronged the Qin family. When she encountered Qin Shiqian, she could not help feeling guilty. Her first thought was to quickly avoid him.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shiqian waved at her frantically and even quickened his pace to reach her.
“Aunt Yu, thank you for having Xiaohua bring over the scald ointment.”
Only after hearing that this was what he wanted to discuss did Old Madam Yu smile. “You’re welcome. It’s nothing. I made the ointment myself, and it wasn’t worth much money.”
“The child’s scald frightened me half to death. We didn’t have anything at home. We really have you to thank.”
At his words, Old Madam Yu’s heart gave a jolt.
She suddenly remembered the day Xiaohua had added Chinese goldthread to the medicine.
At the time, she had never imagined that the person who had been scalded would be a newborn infant from the Qin family.
What exactly was Xiaohua trying to do?
The more Old Madam Yu thought about it, the colder her back became.
Just then, Xiaohua suddenly appeared from somewhere, making Old Madam Yu shudder in fright.
Xiaohua glared at Old Madam Yu from where Qin Shiqian could not see. Then she immediately turned around and smiled brightly. “Uncle Qin, where are you going?”
Qin Shiqian replied cheerfully, “I’m going up the mountain to dig up some wild greens and see whether I can trap a pheasant or hare.
“Your aunt has just given birth, so she needs some good food to nourish herself.”
Seeing how good Qin Shiqian’s mood was, Xiaohua rolled her eyes and asked, “Has the little sister’s scald gotten better?”
At these words, Old Madam Yu’s heart began to tremble.
Chinese goldthread could indeed reduce swelling and pain when used properly, but it was poisonous after all. It was not something a small infant could endure.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shiqian became excited at once. “Better? It’s completely healed after just one application.
“There isn’t even a scar. You can’t see anything unless you look closely!
“If I manage to catch a pheasant or hare this time, I’ll definitely send some to your family!”
After saying this, Qin Shiqian headed straight into the mountains.
Only then did Old Madam Yu secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Xiaohua, however, slammed the basket in her hand onto the ground and cursed angrily, “That little wretch is damn tough!”
Old Madam Yu hurriedly glanced around in fright. After making sure there was no one nearby, she lowered her voice and said, “Xiaohua, what exactly are you trying to do?
“We already make a very good living by treating people’s illnesses and telling fortunes.
“Look at the village. Aside from the Ginseng Boss’s family, ours is now the best-off.
“That Qin family girl was only born a few days ago. How exactly has she offended you?
“You have a perfectly good life, so why are you doing this?”
Xiaohua gave her a sidelong glance and sneered. “A good life? Don’t be so shortsighted.
“I’m destined to go to the capital and enjoy wealth and glory.
“While you’re still useful to me, do your work properly and help me. I definitely won’t mistreat you in the future.”
Watching Xiaohua walk away after saying this, Old Madam Yu felt half her heart turn cold.
She understood this granddaughter, whom she had raised since childhood, less and less.
This child was only a little over eight years old, yet she made someone who had lived most of her life feel afraid.
Old Madam Yu even began to suspect that Xiaohua had been possessed by some unclean thing.
Every day, Old Madam Yu recited scriptures and worshiped the Buddha at home, praying only that the Bodhisattva would return her original, well-behaved granddaughter to her.