Cheng Lan’s eyes were filled with astonishment. What on earth was going on? Could this be her consciousness space?
She could still hear the clamor of soldiers rushing into the estate. Instinctively, she focused her mind, and suddenly, she began to sense something gradually forming in her thoughts.
Good heavens! The image of her own storeroom had appeared in her consciousness!
With a quick scan, she saw that although the family fortune had been nearly squandered by the original owner, there were still a few fine jade treasures left.
I wonder if I can move them directly into the spatial dimension?
As soon as the thought emerged, Cheng Lan immediately put it into action, calming her mind and focusing her energy.
No sooner had the intention formed than a golden jade Buddha statue was suddenly transferred into her spatial dimension!
It actually worked!
Cheng Lan’s eyes lit up. Before the soldiers could break into the storeroom, she used her will to gather all the treasures into her spatial dimension in one go! She even unapologetically took the food from the kitchen as well.
No way was she going to let those scoundrels benefit.
This was accomplished almost instantly. As soon as her consciousness returned, she saw Xiao Yunqing staggering over to Xiao Muchen.
“Brother, big brother, hold on!” The young man’s crimson eyes shed two tears.
Li Xuerong rushed forward, clutching her child, her eyes filled with sorrow and despair. “Husband, stay strong. Don’t leave me and Nannan behind…”
The sound of weeping instantly echoed through the courtyard, but soon, a chaotic rush of footsteps came from the inner courtyard.
Led by Sun Tong, everyone’s hands were empty.
Looking at Cheng Lan, Sun Tong’s expression shifted dramatically, turning pale and then dark with rage. After struggling for a moment, he gritted his teeth and spat out, “Madam Xiao, the Xiao family is truly blessed to have you! Such a grand estate, and not a single copper coin could be found!”
Cheng Lan immediately raised an eyebrow mockingly. Of course—all the treasures had already entered her spatial dimension.
“Bah!”
Sun Tong was so furious he wanted to curse, but when he met Cheng Lan’s icy gaze, he inexplicably swallowed his words.
His face darkened as he shouted, “By the emperor’s mercy, all members of the Xiao household will depart tomorrow morning!”
Suddenly glancing at the half-dead Xiao Muchen, Sun Tong sneered maliciously. “Remember, the Xiao family are now serious criminals of the court. From this moment on, no one is allowed to enter or leave!”
Now that the entire Xiao estate was empty, with no medicinal herbs, let’s see how long Xiao Muchen could last!
With that, Sun Tong left a portion of his men to guard the estate while he swaggered off with the rest.
Suppressing the hatred wildly growing in his heart, Xiao Yunqing, his eyes bloodshot, struggled to support Xiao Muchen. “Sister-in-law, lend a hand quickly!”
Li Xuerong gritted her teeth, hurriedly wiped away her tears, and helped Xiao Muchen. Together, half-carrying and half-dragging him, they brought him back to the inner courtyard.
As they passed by, Xiao Qin’er, holding Nannan, didn’t dare to look back and quickened her pace to escape as well.
Such deep sibling affection.
And what about her? Watching as everyone chose to forget her, Cheng Lan simply returned to her room. Aside from a quilt and two sets of spare clothes, nothing remained.
Knock, knock!
Not long after, urgent knocking suddenly sounded at the door.
Even at this point, Li Xuerong didn’t dare to force the door open.
When the door opened, she immediately lowered her head and pleaded sorrowfully, “Mother, my husband’s injuries can’t be delayed any longer. Second Brother is skilled in medicine—he can treat him! I saw before that you had hidden some private savings. I beg you, just give me a little silver to exchange for some medicinal herbs!”
She knelt down abruptly, tears soaking her clothes, and continued to beg, “I’ll work like an ox or a horse to repay you in the future.”
Indeed, in her memories, Xiao Yunqing was born from a difficult labor and had been frail since childhood.
Perhaps because of this, he had loved reading medical books from a young age. Now, at just eighteen years old, he was already highly skilled in medicine and had achieved success at a young age. When he previously opened his medical clinic, he was revered by the people as a young miracle doctor.
However…
“Sun Tong deliberately forbids anyone from entering or leaving. Even if you had the money, you wouldn’t be able to step out of the Xiao family’s gate.”
After saying this, Cheng Lan looked at her daughter-in-law, who was crying her heart out, sighed, and waved her hand. “Forget it, take me to see him first.” After all, the medicinal herb storage in her spatial dimension was right there.
By now, Li Xuerong was completely at a loss. She could only cover her mouth, turn around, and lead the way while sobbing.
Cheng Lan followed.
Once inside the room, the voices abruptly stopped. Everyone stared at Cheng Lan as if she were a ferocious beast.
Her gaze fell on Xiao Muchen lying on the bed. His face was as pale as paper, and the bedding beneath him was stained red with blood. He looked nothing like the tall and mighty son she remembered. It was true—if he didn’t receive treatment soon, he would surely die.
“What medicine is needed?”
Xiao Yunqing clenched his fists, glaring at her coldly, almost gritting his teeth. “You give the money, and I’ll have my sister-in-law find someone to buy it.”
“You can’t leave. Do you think Sun Tong would give you that chance?”
Cheng Lan’s voice turned slightly cold. “However, I once hid some medicinal herbs for emergencies. Tell me what you need, and I’ll go look for them.”
She had no choice but to use this excuse. Her spatial dimension could not be exposed.
Xiao Yunqing’s eyes were filled with hatred and suspicion. Exchanging a glance with Li Xuerong, he thought to himself that the family had nothing left, and even trying to bribe the guards might not work!
She was their only hope. No matter how unwilling he was, they had to try.
Gritting his teeth, he spat out a few words: “Danggui, Sanqi, Taoren, Honghua, Yuanhu…”
After finishing, he frowned and questioned, “Did you remember?”
Cheng Lan nodded and turned to leave the room.
Unbeknownst to her, Xiao Yunqing didn’t believe her at all. With reddened eyes, he stood up and said, “We can’t delay any longer, and who knows what tricks that venomous woman is up to. Hold on here, I’ll think of another way!”
Cheng Lan, unaware that the entire family distrusted her, returned to her room. Her consciousness entered her Chinese medicine warehouse, where she quickly found everything he needed—whole Danggui, Han Sanqi…—and placed them on a tray.
As she turned to leave, she saw Xiao Yunqing walking quickly past the corridor.
“Xiao Yunqing, where are you going?”
Why wasn’t she calling him “second son” anymore?
Xiao Yunqing turned his head coldly, and upon seeing the tray of medicine, shock flashed in his eyes.
A mix of emotions surged within him, finally tinged with a trace of grief and indignation. “You… how much more have you hidden away?” Was it truly that there was nothing left, or had she selfishly hoarded everything for herself?!
He leaned toward the latter possibility, his heart sinking heavily, treating the person before him as a stranger.
“First, give it to your elder brother—” Before Cheng Lan could finish her sentence, Xiao Yunqing snatched the tray, his face dark, and strode back.
She sighed helplessly and rubbed her forehead. Such were the sins of the original host.
With another sigh, she followed.
Xiao Yunqing worked swiftly, grinding the medicine into powder, carefully measuring and mixing it, then began deftly cleaning each of Xiao Muchen’s wounds, meticulously picking out and cutting away the shredded flesh.
Every movement was precise and flawless, without a single mistake!
This was even more steady than the so-called masters Cheng Lan had seen in her previous shop. A look of admiration flashed in her eyes. “Impressive medical skills.”
Little did she expect, the entire family would cast her complicated glances, filled with both fear and resentment.
Suddenly snapping back to reality, she remembered how she had spent all day barging into his pharmacy, causing a scene without paying, accusing him of poor medical skills and claiming he had killed patients. This led to his business and reputation steadily declining, transforming him from a young prodigy doctor into someone despised by all.
His pharmacy closed down, and not a single medical clinic in the capital dared to hire him.
In other words, the original owner had personally destroyed her own son’s medical career!
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