Indeed, the decoction worked faster than the pills. Just after lunch the next day, Yang Zhengkang personally came to Jin Yue's home.
"Comrade Xiao Shu, good news! Wonderful news!"
"My mother only drank your medicine three times yesterday, and this morning her sneezing has almost stopped—just an occasional one or two. At noon, she even said she wanted to eat steamed buns. She hasn't been able to eat anything for days."
Even the most composed person couldn't contain his excitement at this point. "I truly regret not listening to her earlier and coming to find you sooner. We wouldn't have dragged it out until now."
Jin Yue smiled inwardly, thinking that if he had come earlier, she might not have been willing to let his mother take her medicine.
To put it bluntly, if others hadn't been at their wits' end, she wouldn't have gotten this chance to try desperate measures for a desperate situation.
"Please come with me again, Comrade Xiao Shu. My mother is elderly and really can't manage the back-and-forth travel." He paused. "Such great kindness is beyond words. If there's anything I, Yang, can help with, just say the word."
Jin Yue's heart skipped a beat, an idea stirring within her. She was afraid of missing the opportunity if she didn't speak up, but also worried that speaking too soon would make her seem overly eager.
Watching Jin Yue leave in the sedan car again, the neighbors in the compound were stunned.
"Is… is it really your Jin Yue who cured them, Teacher Shu?"
"But that was a strange illness even the specialists at the Provincial Hospital couldn't handle…"
"Am I seeing things? Wasn't that the same important leader from yesterday?"
"Oh my, what medicine did Jin Yue tell me to buy yesterday? I'm going to get it right away!"
Aunt Zhao sneered, "Pah! Who was it yesterday saying Jin Yue was just showing off what she'd barely learned? If you've got guts, don't take it now either."
…
In less than half a day, news that Shu Jin Yue could practice medicine had spread like wildfire. Whether people had witnessed it or not, everyone exaggerated yesterday's events into something miraculous. When Jin Yue returned home, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She swore that Old Lady Yang's condition really wasn't some mysterious, hard-to-treat illness!
What surprised her even more was that an unexpected visitor came to the Shu family that very night.
In the freezing cold, the man wore only a white shirt, with a faint glimpse of a red undershirt underneath. "Xiao Su, come out for a moment."
The Shu family was just about to have dinner when Xu Duan stood outside their window.
Inside and out, the only person who could be remotely connected to the surname "Su" was Shu Jin Yue. But they weren't familiar—they'd only met twice at most. Was she supposed to go out just because he told her to, especially at night?
She wasn't going out.
And Xu Duan seemed very patient. If she didn't come out, he wouldn't leave.
An awkward silence hung between inside and outside. Ultimately, Zhao Wan Qiu, not daring to offend this influential figure, invited him in to sit, asking Teacher Shu to fetch a bowl and chopsticks so he could join them for dinner.
Tonight, they were having a rare improved meal: dough drop soup with tomatoes, two eggs beaten in, sprinkled with scallions, and a dab of chili oil. Those who liked it sour added a few drops of vinegar. Shu Wen Ming, eating with garlic cloves, was devouring it noisily.
Jin Yue saw there was no extra soup left in the pot and didn't want the elderly couple to "sacrifice" their share for an outsider. Reluctantly, she got up and went under the eaves.
Although she was bundled up, having just left the warm kang, she still shivered from the cold. He unobtrusively positioned himself to block the wind and his first words were—
"Don't get too close to Yang Zhengkang."
Jin Yue thought to herself, how could this person be so strange? It was only their third meeting, and he suddenly came out with this abrupt statement—why should she listen to him?
She blinked, tilting her head back with considerable effort just to get a clear view of his face.
While others could afford good cotton-padded jackets or even down coats—wearing just one or two layers to stay warm, looking sharp without any bulk—she only had two shabby cotton-padded coats. The outermost layer was an old coat Shu Wen Yun had worn four years ago. Layer upon layer, she had piled on six or seven pieces, and combined with her yellowish, frizzy hair, she looked like a scrawny, unkempt chick.
Xu Duan sighed inwardly, turning sideways to block the biting north wind completely. Guessing that she was still young and might not grasp the complexities of the situation, he softened his tone: "Their affairs… are complicated. When looking for a job, you can’t just grab at any opportunity out of desperation."
Bathed in the light filtering through the window, his features stood out sharply—his well-defined brows, straight nose, and slightly pursed lips—all so strikingly handsome.
Yes, handsome.
Jin Yue had to admit, even with a clear conscience, that Uncle Xu was truly good-looking. Not like those fair-skinned, delicate-faced pretty boys she’d seen on her phone, nor like the common sun-tanned soldiers. His handsomeness carried a more mature, masculine charm, yet wasn’t so stern as to feel unapproachable.
He seemed like a very good-looking, easygoing person.
And so, captivated by his "good looks," Shu Jin Yue completely forgot to question how he had learned so quickly that she knew Yang Zhengkang and was planning to ask him for help securing a job—something even her parents weren’t aware of.
Even after leaving Liu Ye Hutong, Xu Duan couldn’t help shaking his head at the memory of her bewildered expression. So young, with so little life experience—not only was her thinking simplistic, but every thought was written plainly on her face.
Most importantly, after all that talking, he still had no idea if she had understood his meaning… Oh well, who asked her to be Su Jin Yue?
Strangely enough, when luck turns sour, misfortunes seem to pile up all at once, but when fortune smiles, all sorts of good things come your way.
Sure enough, early the next morning, just as Jin Yue was about to head out to explore possible ways to earn some money, a head popped in through the front gate. "Shu Jin Yue?"
Jin Yue was taken aback. Before her stood a girl with round eyes, and her voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"You don’t remember me? I’m the one you saved that night—Yao Qingqing!"
She was struggling to carry a net bag of apples and two cans. "I should’ve thanked you properly that very night, but I was still shaken up. Please don’t be upset."
"It’s fine, come on in."
Jin Yue invited her inside and poured her a glass of plain water. "No need to be so formal. Anyone would’ve helped in that situation."
Apples and canned goods were much harder to come by before the New Year, making this gift quite substantial.
"Hey, no need to stand on ceremony with me. So this is your home? You haven’t told me how many people are in your family." Yao Qingqing had a naturally outgoing personality, and since Jin Yue had nothing else to do, she started sharing about her family.
"Four siblings in your family—that’s wonderful. In my family, it’s just me and my brother, and now my brother’s gone too, so it’s only me left…" She took a deep breath, steering clear of that topic, and instead asked where her older brothers and sisters worked.
Drawing from her limited life experience, Jin Yue concluded that this girl was straightforward, speaking her mind without filter. So she kept her answers simple, and the two quickly warmed up to each other.
Yao Qingqing's parents were both teachers at the Geological University. While on an expedition, they encountered a landslide and never returned, leaving behind their two children and a large courtyard house. After graduating high school, Yao Qingqing began working as an accountant in the university's finance office, essentially taking over her parents' positions. Her brother joined the military for training and earned several commendations.
"I thought better days were coming—I could continue as an accountant while following him as a military spouse, but my brother… Although the authorities compensated our family with another job opportunity, I'd rather have my brother alive."
Jin Yue offered a few words of comfort before suddenly realizing, "They arranged another job for your family?"
"Yes, they said anyone could take it as long as I agreed. My brother's fiancée's family came making a scene again yesterday. Besides the house, they also wanted to secure this job for their son. I refused—I'm not stupid."
"I'd rather give it to anyone but them!" The thought infuriated her: her brother had just sacrificed his life, and they were already hastily seeking a new match for his fiancée while forbidding her from mentioning their engagement, afraid it would tarnish the fiancée's reputation and hinder their ability to "hold out for the highest bidder."
Jin Yue, however, wasn't focused on that. Her heart stirred with nervous excitement, unsure how to broach the subject.
But opportunities like this came only once—she needed to survive!
"You said anyone can take this job—is that really true?"
"Absolutely! I enjoy being an accountant at the university and don't want to switch jobs. Do you know what this job is? It's at the epidemic prevention station! Every day, it's either catching rats, eliminating mosquitoes, or giving vaccinations. I couldn't handle it—I've been afraid of injections since middle school."
Screaming internally: I can do it! Rich sister, look at me! Not only am I unafraid of needles—I can even administer injections!
Ever since the old TCM practitioner fell ill, she had taken over giving injections for livestock and villagers across several brigades. By now, whether it was a hip or an arm, she could administer a shot with her eyes closed!
"Qingqing, have you considered transferring this job to someone else?" she tentatively asked.
"I've thought about it, but the labor bureau said if someone else takes it, they must learn public health and epidemic prevention from scratch and pass some exam to qualify. Where would I find such a person?"
Jin Yue nearly jumped with excitement! This was tailor-made for her. Admittedly, public health work—similar to a combination of grassroots clinics and disease control departments in later eras—wasn't something she had direct experience with. Her years in the countryside mostly involved treating illnesses, leaving her lacking in prevention and control knowledge. But who was she?
She was Shu Jin Yue, who had spent years as a wandering spirit with terrifyingly sharp memory retention!
"Qingqing, how about this: name your price and transfer this job to me. Would that work?" she asked with utmost sincerity.
She admitted there might be suspicions of exploiting the situation or repaying kindness with expectations, but Yao Qingqing genuinely didn't need this job at the moment, whereas she desperately needed a lifeline!
"You want to go? Have you studied for it? What if you fail the exam? It's not that I don't want to give it to you—this job was essentially bought with my brother's life. If… if… Oh, I'm not saying you'd waste the opportunity, I'm just a bit worried. Please don't be upset."
Shu Jin Yue realized she was growing fonder of Yao Qingqing by the minute—someone who spoke her mind was far better than those who beat around the bush.
"I know Sister Qingqing didn't mean it that way. To be honest with you, I studied medicine for several years and can treat common and frequently occurring illnesses. I even have some knowledge about health and epidemic prevention. As for exams, as long as they're not too far beyond the scope, I should have no problem."
She then recounted her experiences in the countryside again, highlighting several successful cases to prove she truly knew how to treat illnesses—
"In our first year, among the female educated youth who went with us, there was an older sister who suffered from daily nausea and vomiting, couldn't eat anything, and had a mysteriously swelling belly. The production brigade members all said she had loose morals and had gotten involved with someone. She went to the health clinic but couldn't be treated, then went to the county hospital where they ran many tests but found nothing. Yet her belly kept growing larger. Guess what happened in the end?"
"What? Could it really be…" Yao Qingqing blushed, both embarrassed and intensely curious.
"In the end, after three doses of my medicine, she experienced vomiting and diarrhea, and within a week her belly shrank back down."
"Ah?" Yao Qingqing looked utterly astonished and immediately pressed for details about the condition.
Jin Yue patiently explained to her what summerheat-dampness meant and what gallbladder fu stagnation-heat referred to, making complex concepts vivid and accessible. Yao Qingqing listened in stunned silence, unable to recover her composure for a long while.
"In the second year, we encountered an elderly man in his eighties running a high fever. The county hospital had issued a critical condition notice, telling the family to take him home to prepare for the worst. They happened to pass through our village entrance, thinking to find that old TCM practitioner—my master—as a last resort. But my master had already passed away. When they heard I was his disciple, they asked me to try. To be honest, I was really nervous…" And so on.
Jin Yue wasn't naturally inclined to boast, but to seize this opportunity, she had to swallow her pride and promote herself.
Of course, she didn't exaggerate in the slightest—every case had been rescued through her own hands and could withstand scrutiny. As for Old Lady Yang's strange illness from yesterday, it actually wasn't that strange after all, so she didn't mention it.
Half an hour later.
Yao Qingqing gazed at her with admiration. "Jin Yue, you're amazing. I wish you were my real younger sister."
That night when she had been drowning in icy water, suffocating, her chest hurting as if about to explode, later losing all sensation as her soul seemed to float away—she thought she was doomed. Yet this girl had revived her with just a few moves.
What did that prove? It proved this young sister before her truly had real skill!
"If someone as capable as you, a little miracle doctor, isn't qualified to fill in at the epidemic prevention station, then who would be?"