Chapter 13: My cousin and aunt don’t need to give this batch of medicine to Mingxin Hall…
The other side of Chenjia Village.
Chen Houkang woke up early this morning and, along with his wife, finished harvesting the last batch of medicinal herbs from their fields. He piled the herbs into his warehouse, and the breath that had been lingering in his throat finally subsided.
They have been working hard these days to harvest the medicinal herbs before the rainy season. These herbs are not only the result of their hard work this year, but also their income for the past six months. If they are exposed to rain, they will be in trouble.
Now he could finally relax a little bit. Looking at his wife Chen Ru, who had also worked hard for several days and was so tired that she couldn't even bend her back, Chen Houkang gave her a stiff smile.
"Aju, our family can live the life we have now thanks to my aunt. I must repay this kindness. Last time, I left in a hurry and went to the hospital with bare hands... Seeing that my aunt has been in the hospital for almost half a month, I have to express my gratitude no matter what I say this time.
Just think of this money as a loan from me, okay? I will definitely compensate you and your daughter later."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Auntie is not just yours, she is also my auntie. Do you think you are the only one with a conscience and everyone else's conscience has been eaten by dogs? Don't talk about yours and mine. I don't like to hear such talk."
Chen Ru glared at her husband, as if accusing him of looking down on her.
"I was wondering why you've been tossing and turning like a pancake lately. It's hard to keep it all bottled up inside. I've already prepared the card. Today, while I'm free, I'll go with you to the hospital to see Auntie."
On the fourth floor of the hospital, Shen Jiang was standing by the window calling the bank.
She needed to know how much money she could borrow by mortgaging Mingxin Hall. Turning around, she noticed someone standing behind her. Looking up, she saw it was her uncle, whom she hadn't seen in a few days. Even her aunt had come with them. The couple looked exhausted, dressed simply, and their dark faces revealed genuine worry.
"Uncle, aunt, why are you here?"
Both of them heard what Shen Jiang said to the person on the other end of the phone. The aunt noticed the list in Shen Jiang's hand. She had just walked over from a distance and noticed that Shen Jiang's face was not very good, so she simply took the list from Shen Jiang's hand and looked at it herself.
Shen Jiang's surprise was written all over his face.
Chen Ru saw the words "owed" clearly on the bill and immediately understood. Not one to make polite remarks, she glanced at the signs to her left and right to determine the direction and simply said, "I'll go pay first."
Chen Ru left in a hurry, leaving only her husband and Shen Jiang with her back striding.
Chen Houkang was accustomed to his wife's behavior; her decisiveness and efficiency were the same as when she was young. However... now that he and his niece were left alone, it would be better for him to pay the bill.
"How's my aunt?" Chen Houkang frowned. He hadn't expected that even after coming to the hospital today, he wouldn't be able to see his aunt. He could only wait outside the ICU ward.
"Grandma's condition has stabilized a lot. The doctor said there is hope as long as the family doesn't give up." Shen Jiang didn't say that not giving up requires a lot of money to support it, and she didn't want to borrow money from her younger cousin in disguise.
"Um."
Unsurprisingly, the conversation fell silent again. Shen Jiang thought for a moment and decided to take the initiative, asking her cousin not to leave the herbs for Mingxin Hall. She mentally considered the appropriate words.
My cousin suddenly said, "I'll get treatment even if I have to sell everything I have. If you need money, just tell me. I've saved money over the years. This money was originally given by my aunt, so it's only right that she use it."
Shen Jiang's originally restless heart calmed down as these words lingered in his ears.
She was a little surprised by what her cousin and cousin-in-law, who would only nod and say hello to her when they met in the past, did and said today.
"Yeah!" Shen Jiang condensed all his emotions into this sentence.
The things that the usually taciturn cousin and his aunt did and said when they came to the hospital today made Shen Jiang truly understand these two elders.
Whether it was the cousin's aunt who took the bill and went to pay the fee, or the cousin's uncle who told her that he would sell everything he had to get the treatment, it touched Shen Jiang's nerves which were numb due to fatigue and anxiety.
Shen Jiang's heart felt indescribably soft and soothed.
It turns out she is not fighting alone.
She had been through too much these days. She was afraid that the money in the card was not enough to save her grandmother's life, that her grandmother's reputation would be ruined and she would be nailed to the pillar of shame in traditional Chinese medicine, that she would die at the hands of a dragon and never see her grandmother again, and that her grandmother would really end up in the miserable state she saw in her dream.
Suddenly realizing that someone had been standing silently behind him, Shen Jiang felt a sour feeling in his nose.
If he really went to another world and couldn't come back, his cousin would definitely take good care of his grandmother. Although they didn't have much contact, Shen Jiang had already gotten to know this strange yet familiar elder again.
After the comparison, Shen Jiang suddenly realized what he had felt was wrong before.
Why did my uncle specifically mention that he had advanced the money for Mingxintang? He knew that grandma was in the hospital, and with his usual foresight, he shouldn't have done something so unusual.
Grandma always has very strict requirements for the villagers' planting, so as long as the herbal farmers follow the requirements, they can always get satisfactory and generous rewards in the end.
Even if my uncle didn't advance the money, the villagers would definitely be able to sell the medicinal herbs based on the planting experience that my grandmother had carefully taught them, but the return of the money would be slower than usual.
"Uncle, what about your medicine?" Shen Jiang tried to find a common topic between the two of them.
Unexpectedly, my cousin had more to say this time: "It's been stored in the warehouse. We'll start preparing it tomorrow. If you're in a hurry, it will be available next month."
"Mingxintang doesn't need it for the time being. If you have other sales channels, you can sell it to others first."
Shen Jiang waited for a long time but received no response. Instead, she noticed something strange beside her. She turned her head in surprise and saw her little cousin staring at her angrily.
"Is Mingxin Hall closed in the future?"
Shen Jiang was stunned for a moment: "Who said that? I will open Mingxin Hall as soon as grandma is discharged from the hospital."
"Then I can't sell my medicine," said my cousin, looking serious. "My aunt said that medicine from outside is not good, and it's better to be reliable when grown by my family. My aunt taught me the skills to prepare it herself, so I must supply my medicine to my family."
Shen Jiang was frozen in place by his simple words, and said something inexplicably: "Mingxintang recently received a batch of fresh medicinal herbs. How about you help me prepare them?"
Chen Houkang nodded: "Okay. I'm free these few days, otherwise I'll go to Mingxin Hall this afternoon to start preparing it."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, Shen Jiang couldn't help but sigh that his little cousin was really honest.
"No, no need. Let's do it tomorrow. The herbs won't arrive at the store until tomorrow."
"Oh, I see."
The two of them ran out of topics again.
Fortunately, my cousin Chen Ru also came back at this time. The couple usually didn't interact with their niece much, so she was not surprised to see her husband and niece fell into silent silence. She chose the empty seat next to her husband and sat down.
She didn't know what to talk about with Shen Jiang. Recently, someone in the village was buying medicine at a price 40% to 50% higher than the market price. She definitely couldn't tell Shen Jiang about this. If she did, it would only make Shen Jiang feel upset.
Although she and her husband had refused the pie that fell from the sky, she knew that her uncle's family would definitely pocket this windfall. As for the villagers, they would definitely hope that the medicine would be sold at the highest price possible.
Her sister-in-law loves to show off all day long that she has two sons, but Chen Dabao hangs around like a street urchin all day long. Chen Xiaobao is smarter than his brother, but he is full of bad intentions and has not learned his lesson at a young age.
Chen Ru always found it funny when she saw her sister-in-law showing off her son.
What's wrong with giving birth to a daughter? In her opinion, her daughter is much more promising than those two good-for-nothings.
Chen Ru's heart softened when she thought of her precious daughter. She had been admitted to a key university and even obtained a master's degree. She was the most educated girl in the village. She was much more promising than her two uneducated cousins.
Her daughter had been clamoring to stay in the big city after graduation, and she'd even wondered if she was secretly dating someone. But then news of the Mingxintang incident hit the internet, and she suddenly changed her tune, saying she'd return to Nanze City to work after her graduation defense this year.
That would be great. Next year, when her little one comes to live back home, she can prepare delicious food for her every day. I heard that the takeout food outside is very poisonous.
Counting the days, my daughter will be able to come home again during the Dragon Boat Festival next month.
Looking at Shen Jiang, who was only a few years older than her daughter, Chen Ru's heart softened. It seemed that her aunt had not raised this child in vain. She looked gentle and handsome, and could handle things better than men at critical moments.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Shen Jiang gave the opportunity to visit his grandmother in the ward to his younger cousin.
My cousin didn't refuse, but his dull face showed a rare look of nervousness. He was in a panic when putting on the isolation suit, and my cousin's wife looked down on him.
The way they looked made Shen Jiang laugh.
Their actions and expressions today were more vivid than anything she had seen in the past twenty years or so. It was as if two soulless paper figures had suddenly come alive before her eyes.
Shen Jiang’s current plan is to transport back those rare and high-quality medicinal materials from the Dragon Mountain. Good medicinal materials are scarce in the market now. Once they meet a doctor like grandma who has strict requirements on medicinal materials, those medicinal materials will have no worries about sales.
She didn't count on the Traditional Chinese Medicine departments of those large hospitals. They strictly controlled the purchase of Chinese medicine from several large domestic Chinese medicine companies. She could neither meet their threshold nor the quantity they needed.
But there are many small clinics like theirs in China. Shen Jiang is confident that as long as she can bring back the medicinal materials, her grandmother's medical expenses will soon be settled.
Shen Jiang also wanted to keep the herbs for her own use, but Mingxintang's reputation crisis hadn't been resolved yet, and the number of patients willing to come for treatment was extremely small. Furthermore, since she was the only young doctor at Mingxintang, she probably wouldn't have many patients, and she simply didn't have the time to waste.
The dream did not mention when grandma came out of the ICU, but Shen Jiang clearly remembered that Su Qing went to work at Mingxintang as soon as she graduated, and at that time she had taken grandma back home to take care of her.
Grandma's condition will definitely improve by mid-June at the latest. At least she has to get through these few days.
Shen Jiang had thought about trying to treat her grandmother with traditional Chinese medicine, but the ICU was under strict nurse supervision and it was impossible for her to bring the medicine in.
But maybe.
She can prepare medicinal materials for grandma's follow-up treatment in advance.
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