Although Liu Cuihua and her daughter didn’t say anything, they still didn’t believe that Mingxi was truly capable.
Lin Jianguo stayed for a while before leaving. He had been taking frequent leave recently, which created a very bad impression. Later, he would need to find ways to reverse people’s perception of him.
Before Mingxi arrived, he had been praised as a talented young man whenever people mentioned him.
But since Mingxi’s arrival, everything had changed. Just as the gossip about their divorce began to fade, his mother and sister had dealt him another heavy blow.
How annoying!
After resting overnight, Liu Cuihua and her daughter went to find Mingxi early the next morning.
However, Mingxi had already gone out to gather herbs at daybreak.
She knew many medicinal plants, and the hospital was willing to purchase more herbs. Thus, the wives in the compound started following her to collect herbs and sell them to the hospital.
This created an additional source of income for everyone, and most people were grateful to Mingxi.
“Gathering herbs? What does she know about medicinal plants? She can’t even identify all the vegetables, let alone herbs!”
When Lin Hongmei heard Doctor Xu say that Mingxi had gone to gather herbs, her face was full of disbelief.
Doctor Xu and Doctor Liao exchanged glances, confirming that these two were here to pick a fight.
Doctor Liao glanced at them disdainfully and said sarcastically, “Doctor Ming learns herbs to treat illnesses and save lives. Not knowing vegetables means she doesn’t want to cook for beasts.”
At first, Liu Cuihua and her daughter didn’t realize Doctor Liao was insulting them; they were still wondering what livestock their family had raised.
By the time they understood, Doctor Liao and Doctor Xu had already called someone to escort them out.
“If you’re not sick, don’t come here. You’re wasting time for those who need medical attention. If you delay someone’s treatment, can you take responsibility?”
Doctor Xu’s words sounded somewhat like a villain picking a fight, but they effectively left Liu Cuihua and her daughter speechless.
They dared to lose their temper with villagers, but here, they didn’t dare act recklessly, fearing it would affect Lin Jianguo.
Liu Cuihua had scolded Lin Hongmei the previous day, telling her to control her temper here.
Mingxi, unaware that her two colleagues had fiercely stood up for her, was busy leading a large group to gather herbs, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Although Doctor Liao and Doctor Xu were practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, they still had much to learn. Many Chinese medicine books had been destroyed previously, and with numerous frauds using TCM as a cover for nonsensical practices, fewer people were studying traditional Chinese medicine.
While Doctor Liao and Doctor Xu’s professional skills were somewhat lacking, fortunately, they were still willing to learn.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, dressing so seductively just to gather herbs. How is this like a doctor?” An old woman looked at Mingxi’s back and pursed her lips, saying, “Women should dress modestly.”
“Lin Dahong, Doctor Ming is dressed quite modestly. She looks good because she’s naturally beautiful, not because of her clothes. Are you jealous, old woman? Didn’t you wear bright colors and makeup when you were young?”
Tu Da Niang retorted without holding back, and everyone around laughed upon hearing this.
Seeing that she had lost face, Lin Dahong quietly shut her mouth.
Wasn’t she just concerned for Doctor Ming? What woman dresses as seductively as her? Those brand-new clothes and shoes must have cost a fortune.
If she were to marry, what man could afford to keep her?
Mingxi only heard the chattering behind her and thought it was the aunties and older women chatting among themselves.
Every time she spotted a medicinal herb, she would pick it up and explain it to everyone, making sure they remembered what it looked like.
After gathering the herbs, she would carefully inspect them to prevent anyone from mistaking weeds for medicine.
Such incidents had happened before—there were always a few bad apples among the good folks.
By noon, Mingxi decided to head back.
“Ladies, I have patients to attend to this afternoon, so I’ll be going back first. Once you’ve collected the herbs, follow the usual procedure. Processed herbs will fetch a higher price, while unprocessed ones will be cheaper. The hospital pharmacy accepts them all.”
Standing on higher ground, Mingxi’s face was flushed with exhaustion—her physical stamina was still too weak.
The crowd responded to her enthusiastically, except for one young sister-in-law who wore a headscarf and kept her head lowered.
Mingxi had noticed this sister-in-law earlier; she was rather introverted, and Mingxi had heard others say she had a scar on her face.
People said that before the scar, she had been cheerful and outgoing, but after the injury, she became like this.
Mingxi had already taken note of this sister-in-law. Some scars she could treat, though it would take some time.
She was skilled in acupuncture and herbal medicine, and because she also cared about beauty, she placed importance on fading skin scars.
Currently, she was using an ointment she made herself, applying it as a face mask every night. Now, the skin on her face was much better than when she lived in the countryside.
Although it couldn’t compare to the face masks made from Spirit Spring and Spirit Grass that protagonists in era novels used, it was still better than the skincare products of this time. The only drawback was that the production process was complicated and couldn’t be mass-produced.
As she passed by the sister-in-law, Mingxi whispered, “Sister-in-law, come see me at the hospital this afternoon. I’ll see if I can help fade your scar.”
The sister-in-law suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly reddening. She nodded vigorously, holding back tears.
Mingxi smiled at her before leaving.
Tu Da Niang noticed her daughter staring in the direction Mingxi had left and asked concernedly, “Xiaoli, what’s wrong?”
Tu Xiaoli wiped her tears, looked at her mother, and said in a choked voice, “Doctor Ming said she can fade my scar. She has a way to treat it.”
Tu Da Niang was stunned for a long moment before she processed the words. Once she did, she couldn’t hold back her tears either.
Her daughter used to be such a cheerful person, but after an accident, she had become like this.
Although her son-in-law didn’t mind, what young woman would want such a large scar on her face?
Her son-in-law was young and capable, and he had been promoted again in the past two years. Many people had remarked how unfortunate it was that he had such an “ugly” wife.
Tu Da Niang would always scold those people when she heard, but she feared her son-in-law might secretly think the same.
Now, mother and daughter suddenly saw hope, and even their herb-gathering became more energetic than before.
The people around them were astonished.
“What’s wrong with those two? Did they take the wrong medicine?”
Mingxi ate lunch at the cafeteria, where she saw Liu Cuihua and her daughter.
Zhao Qingling was also with them, and all three wore bright smiles, seeming to get along quite well.
Mingxi knew many people were watching for her reaction, but she acted as usual, ordering two of her favorite dishes and sitting in a corner.
It wasn’t long before someone sat down opposite her.
Zhao Qingling carried her meal over and sat down.
Mingxi: …
Shouldn’t you be spending time with your future mother-in-law and sister-in-law instead of sitting with me?
Mingxi wanted to move to another spot, but Zhao Qingling grabbed her arm.
“Dr. Ming, please don’t go. There’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
Mingxi thought this female protagonist’s thought process was truly peculiar. Her, Mingxi! The ex-wife of the man she liked!
“Um… Comrade Zhao, I think you might have the wrong person. What could I possibly help you with?”
If you’re sick, I could help with that, but what else could I possibly assist you with?
Mingxi’s eyes were filled with question marks.
Zhao Qingling smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, “I know you’re a good person, Dr. Ming. I want to know what Lin Jianguo’s mother and sister like.”
Mingxi thought seriously for a moment before answering earnestly: “They like hitting and scolding people. The hitting is the kind that goes slap-slap right across the face, and the scolding is the kind where they put their hands on their hips, spray saliva everywhere, and curse at people.” After saying this, she nodded affirmatively.
Zhao Qingling’s smile instantly froze. R-really? Like that?
“Th-then, could there be some misunderstanding between you?” Zhao Qingling found it hard to believe that the mother and sister of the man she liked were like this.
Mingxi shook her head: “No misunderstanding at all. I lived with them for two years, so I know them better than anyone. They enjoy bullying women, especially daughters-in-law.”
“Hmm, if you don’t believe me, you can send someone to ask around in their hometown. The Lin mother and daughter are quite famous in our area!”
Mingxi gave a thumbs up with full-faced praise, though anyone who didn’t know better might think she was genuinely complimenting them.
Zhao Qingling completely deflated. Was it really like that?
Although she hadn’t interacted much with Mingxi during this time, she trusted Mingxi’s character.
But on one side were her beloved’s family members, and on the other was the upright Mingxi. Who should she believe?