"Stop fighting! Stop fighting!" Once Bai Tian realized what was happening, he didn't hesitate for a second. He lunged forward to grab Matchmaker Wang's arms. While he shouted words of mediation, he was actually interfering in a way that made it easier for his wife and daughter to land their blows.
"Hurry up and stop! Stop hitting her!" Old Mrs. Bai also wailed in anxiety. She truly wanted to break up the fight, but unfortunately, no matter how much she screamed, no one paid her any attention.
The commotion at the Bai house alerted the neighbors on both sides. By the time everyone managed to pull them apart, the usually haughty Matchmaker Wang looked like a wilted eggplant. Her hair was a mess, her hairpins had been torn out, and the white powder and rouge on her face were smeared with nosebleed. With one eye bruised purple and black, she looked like a painted face from an opera.
"Bai Banxia, I'll remember you! Don't even think about getting married for the rest of your life!" Matchmaker Wang spat a final threat, picked up a shoe that had been trampled off, and fled.
"That’s none of your concern! Why don't you let your own daughter marry Wang Han instead!" Bai Tian felt immensely gratified, and his shout rang out exceptionally loud.
His daughter had been truly impressive today. That Matchmaker Wang deserved a beating!
Once the crowd dispersed, Old Mr. Bai emerged from the inner room with a dark expression. His health had been extremely poor over the past two years, and his arthritis had been acting up recently, so he rarely left his room except for meals.
"Having no skills day in and day out, yet doing nothing but offending people for the family—if you're so capable, then don't bother eating dinner," the Old Master scolded.
Old Mrs. Bai opened her mouth to speak. she felt some pity for her youngest son. Those two "money-losers" could go hungry for all she cared, but her youngest son had been weak since birth; he couldn't afford to skip a meal.
"Father is right to scold us. These two are just senseless. I’ll go back to the room and discipline them." Bai Tian quietly signaled to Bai Banxia and her mother, then pulled them along as they scurried back to their own room.
The Bai family courtyard was small, and the house was dilapidated. Bai Tian's family of three squeezed into a single shabby room with only one earthen kang bed. Beside the bed was a worn-out wooden chest; there wasn't even a stool in the room.
Bai Banxia looked at the solitary earthen kang, feeling a sense of awkwardness.
Her experiments had been nearing their final stages; how did she end up in this godforsaken place?
To be this old and still have to squeeze onto one bed with her parents—no matter how she looked at it, she was a giant third wheel.
Her predecessor had been taciturn by nature, so her parents didn't think it was strange that she wasn't speaking; they simply assumed she was tired.
After a short while, Bai Tian slipped out of the room. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he crept back in.
"Wife, daughter, get up and eat something." He lowered his voice, smiling as he pulled two coarse grain steamed buns from his robes.
He stuffed one into Bai Banxia’s hand and broke the other in half, handing one piece to Zhang Lingzhi.
"Mother gave them to me. I didn't take a single bite; I brought them back so we could eat together." As Bai Tian spoke, he pulled an egg from his robes like a prized treasure. "Look, there's this too."
Bai Banxia’s stomach gave an uncooperative growl. After all that commotion, she was indeed hungry.
"Craving it, aren't you? This egg smells wonderful," Bai Tian said with a bit of a smug grin.
He peeled the shell and carefully split the egg, handing half to his daughter and half to his wife.
Bai Banxia took a bite of the steamed bun. It was hard, dry, and slightly bitter, but it was filling. Then she swallowed the egg in one go. Mmm, it really did taste good!
She felt like crying. She had never thought a plain boiled egg could taste this delicious; this life was truly too miserable.
At that moment, she heard a gulping sound. She looked up to see her mother swallowing her saliva.
"Husband, you eat it. Nourish your own body." Zhang Lingzhi couldn't help but swallow again, but she still pushed the egg back toward her husband.
"Stop talking nonsense. If Mother finds out later, she'll blow her top again." Bai Tian’s expression hardened as he stuffed the half-egg directly into his wife’s mouth.
Bai Banxia saw her father's nonchalant expression, but as soon as he turned around, he hurriedly licked the tiny bit of egg yolk residue off his fingers.
Recalling how she had just swallowed her portion in a single bite, she suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment.
In her previous life, she was born into a secluded medical sect. Her parents had died young, and she had almost never felt the warmth of family. She had grown up diligently studying medicine, eventually becoming a lead researcher for China's high-level secret project, the "Divine Doctor System."
In the silence of the night, she had occasionally felt lonely and lost, as if she had no place to belong.
But now, this sudden change actually made her heart feel warm.
Seeing Bai Banxia dazing off, Zhang Lingzhi thought she was affected by the rumors. Heartbroken, she said, "Banxia, don't worry about what the outsiders say. At worst, you just won't get married. Your father and I will take care of you for the rest of our lives."
"Father, Mother, I won't let people bully me anymore, and I'll make sure you live a good life," she said earnestly.
Bai Tian froze for two seconds before laughing out loud with joy. "Good, good! Our daughter has grown up. Today, you were like this."
He gave her a thumb's up. He had always said his daughter needed to be tougher, and now she had finally seen the light.
Bai Banxia wanted to say more to them, but she was afraid that being too eager would make her behavior seem too abnormal. She would take it one step at a time.
The immediate priority was to find a way to make money and improve their lives, or at least ensure the family could eat their fill.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Bai Banxia shouldered a wicker basket, grabbed a small trowel, and headed out.
The best time for work is the morning. From her predecessor's memories, she had realized there were some medicinal herbs on the back mountain. Her predecessor didn't understand herbs and thought they were just weeds—what a waste.
If she could still find them, she would harvest and process them to sell, which would bring in some silver.
Climbing the mountain would also serve as exercise. To her surprise, after less than fifteen minutes of climbing, she was panting and her legs felt weak.
Beep, beep, beep. Blood sugar dropping. Nutritional supplement recommended…
It was a prompt from the Divine Doctor System. Additionally, the system had a new discovery: the predecessor's body was "falsely fat" due to the improper use of medication. Since it had been a long time, the specific drug could not be identified.
No wonder the Bai family lived in such poor conditions and the predecessor was often hungry and malnourished, yet she had still gained weight. This had caused her to be constantly suspected by her grandmother of stealing food from the house.
But it didn't matter. If there was an illness, she would treat it. She also had ways to exercise and lose weight. A slender waist wouldn't be a problem, and neither would restoring her health. Health was the capital one needed to strive for a better life.
After adjusting her breathing for a while, she continued up the mountain, picking a few wild fruits along the way to stave off hunger. Her condition gradually improved.
Walking and resting like this, it took her nearly an hour to find the place from her memory, where she discovered a cluster of wild Bai Zhi (Angelica).
The Bai Zhi had small, inconspicuous white flowers, but the roots could be used as medicine.
Bai Banxia took off her basket and carefully dug out the Bai Zhi roots, placing them inside.
By the time she finished, the sun had already risen. The sunlight spilled onto her long eyelashes, as if plating them in gold, making her look quite beautiful.
The descent was relatively smooth, but just as she reached the foot of the mountain, she saw her mother rushing toward her.
"Daughter, what were you doing? I was worried sick!" Zhang Lingzhi cried out.
"What happened?" Bai Banxia frowned. Surely that Matchmaker Wang wouldn't dare come back?
Zhang Lingzhi grabbed her hand urgently and started pulling her along, shouting at the top of her lungs as they went, "Something huge has happened! Quick, quick, don't ask so much. I’m taking you to your maternal grandfather's house!"