Yan Shu washed the pot clean, and Mrs. Han and the others carried the stones back. They arranged the stones, set the pot on top, and Qi Zhiqing went to borrow a fire starter. Mrs. Han then began to heat the pot.
Yan Shu stirred the dough lumps together and dropped them into the pot once the water boiled. Only then did Mrs. Han notice that Yan Shu had used white flour. Startled, she said, "Shu'er, why are you using white flour?"
"Mother, with all that bran, it scratches the throat. How could we drink that?"
Mrs. Han said nothing, but her brows remained tightly furrowed, her face full of disapproval.
White flour tasted good, but it wasted grain!
They only had five sacks of wheat, and she had seen that there was still plenty of straw and chaff. If they ate white flour every day, they would never last until the autumn harvest.
"Mother, we'll have something to eat. Don't worry!"
Through the courtyard wall, she could see the distant mountains. With the mountains there, there would be herbs, and with herbs, they could earn money to buy grain.
Mrs. Han naturally didn't understand what Yan Shu meant, but thinking that this was her first day of marriage and that she had come here for the marriage for good luck, she truly felt sorry for her. Let her have one good day of food!
Just as the meal was ready, Qi Zhishan walked over happily and said, "Mother, Mother, I've brought the doctor!"
Mrs. Han looked up in surprise. That fast? By the speed, he shouldn't have even reached the town yet!
But seeing a man in his thirties behind her son, along with a thirteen-or-fourteen-year-old youth carrying a medicine box, she hurriedly said, "Doctor, you've come! Quick, take a look at my son—how is he?"
Shao Jishan nodded faintly and followed Mrs. Han into the room. Seeing the man lying on the bed, his eyes flickered, then he began to take his pulse. After finishing, he asked, "Do you still have any medicine at home?"
Mrs. Han nodded hurriedly and said, "My mother-in-law had the doctor prescribe six days' worth of medicine, and there's still one packet left! I'll get it for you right away." With that, she hurried off and hurried back.
Shao Jishan looked at the medicine, furrowed his brow, and cast a displeased glance at Mrs. Han. This foolish woman—she must have been trying to save silver by using only half the dosage. Was she trying to kill someone?
Fortunately, this man had a strong fate!
Yan Shu also noticed that the dosage was only half. If she guessed correctly, Old Madame Qi had deliberately done this to save money. Looking at the ingredients, if used in full, they wouldn't cure the poison, but they could at least alleviate it.
But by doing this, the old woman hadn't just failed to treat the poison—she had accelerated the man's toxicity. If Yan Shu hadn't forced out some of the poison today, even if the man recovered later, he would be frail or prone to injuries in his bones and tendons.
That Old Madame Qi was truly detestable. Didn't she know that medicine was three parts poison, and that different dosages produced different effects?
She would find an opportunity to teach that old woman a lesson!
"This medicine can't be used anymore! I'll write you a new prescription. Go to the county town and get six doses."
Hearing "six doses," Mrs. Han was instantly troubled. They only had ten taels of silver, and going to the county town to buy that much medicine wouldn't be enough.
Yan Shu said, "Doctor, we've just divided the family, so we don't have much silver. This medicine was bought by Grandmother through Second Uncle. But I know some herbs—why don't you tell me which ones you need, and I'll gather them from the mountain."
Shao Jishan glanced at this woman, noticing her bright, delicate beauty, and paused for a moment. In this countryside, there was actually such a pretty woman.
"You know herbs?"
Seeing everyone looking at her, Yan Shu said, "My neighbor next door was a doctor, and I was close with his daughter, so I learned to recognize some herbs."
Shao Jishan nodded and said, "I still have some herbs with me. I'll prepare two doses for you first."
"How much silver will that be?" Mrs. Han asked with some worry.
Hearing that the medicine had been obtained by someone else, Shao Jishan's attitude toward Mrs. Han softened. He said, "My daughter and I originally came to seek out relatives, but unfortunately they had moved away after making their fortune, and we have nowhere else to go for now.
If you say I'm your distant relative and let the two of us stay here for a while, I can give you the herbs for free and guarantee I'll cure your son's illness."
Mrs. Han hadn't expected that this youth was actually a woman, nor that such a good deal would come her way. Thinking back to when she herself had come here as a disaster refugee and was bought by Qi Dalang to be his wife, no one in the village knew where her relatives were. If she said this person was her cousin, the Village Chief would certainly believe it.
So she said happily, "If you don't mind, you can be my distant cousin."
Shao Jishan nodded, wrote out the prescription, and had his daughter Shao Yaoling prepare the medicine first, while he went with Mrs. Han and Qi Zhishan to see the Village Chief.
Yan Shu watched Shao Jishan leave and furrowed her brow. How could such a coincidence happen in this world?
Still, this was fine. Judging by his prescriptions, his medical skill was good. He'd cure the illness without costing them any silver, which just happened to solve their family's current predicament. And with such a doctor as a relative by marriage, once he left, she'd have a source to explain her own medical knowledge.
She smiled at Shao Yaoling and extended her hand in introduction. "My name is Yan Shu. From now on, we're family. Please take good care of me."
Shao Yaoling glanced at Yan Shu. "…" What are you holding your hand out for?
Yan Shu realized what she was doing, chuckled softly, and withdrew her hand, saying, "Can I call you Ling'er? Have you eaten? We just finished making the meal."
"We've already eaten! I'll go grab the medicine from the carriage outside." She said flatly, then turned and walked out.
Before long, Shao Yaoling returned, carrying not only two doses of medicine but also a small bottle. She said, "This is for your mother. Apply it to her face, and she'll be better in a couple of days."
Yan Shu took it and thanked her. As Shao Yaoling turned to leave, she sniffed the contents—it was a top-quality ointment for reducing swelling and bruising. Even she herself couldn't have concocted anything better than this.
With such impressive medical skill, why would she come to Qingshan Village?
And what a coincidence that Qi Zhishan happened to run into her!
Before long, Mrs. Han and Qi Zhishan returned. Mrs. Han said with a smile, "Shu'er, the Village Chief agreed to let Dr. Shao stay. She's renting that house at the west end of the village. The family that lived there moved to town last year, so once the place is cleaned up, it'll be ready to live in."
Then she turned to Qi Wuniu beside her and said, "Wuniu, Miss Shao doesn't know the way. Take her over there! She's just outside our door!"
Qi Wuniu glanced at the pot of food, nodded, and ran out.
Yan Shu invited everyone to eat first—they still needed to head to the old house to help afterward.
Qi Zhishan stared at the white dough lumps, thick and sticky, and froze for a moment. He didn't think he'd ever eaten a meal made from fine flour before. The first time he did, it was after severing ties with his family.
Beside him, Qi Zhiqing first sniffed the food, catching a faint fragrance. Slightly excited, he took a gentle sip, then exclaimed in delight, "Mother, Second Brother, this is so fragrant and delicious!" With that, he gulped it down eagerly.
But because he drank too fast, he choked all at once.
Yan Shu smiled and patted Qi Zhiqing on the back, saying warmly, "Slow down, there's plenty more in the pot. You can have more after you finish!"
Qi Zhiqing nodded happily. This sister-in-law was truly kind—she even made them food with white flour. Unlike the sisters-in-law of his other friends, who put on a nice face but secretly bullied the younger kids behind their backs.