Chapter 109 Granny Ma's "Miracle Medicine" Business
Starting in the twelfth lunar month, the residents of the compound gradually began to stock up on New Year's goods in preparation for the upcoming New Year.
This was Cheng Jiajia's first time celebrating the New Year in this world, and she took it very seriously.
Whenever she had a day off, she and Yu Junsheng would start buying things for the house like hamsters. If the weather here weren't so unsuitable, Cheng Jiajia would have liked to make some cured meat, what a pity.
The other neighbors in the courtyard were similar; whenever they had free time, they would buy things for their homes.
People nowadays value the rituals of the Lunar New Year, believing that only by celebrating it well can the coming year be prosperous. Even the most frugal families won't be so concerned about such things anymore.
However, the Qin family home, which is usually bustling at this time of year, was unusually quiet and deserted.
In the past, the Qin family would celebrate the New Year together as a whole, with the two elders preparing the New Year's goods.
This year, due to the division of the family property and the incident where the eldest and second wives were beaten up by the Wu family at the hospital, the relationships between the different branches of the family are not as close as before, and they have even had some disagreements with each other. Naturally, it's impossible for them to celebrate the New Year together. So, they each prepared their own celebrations.
The night before, Aunt Hao mentioned in the yard that the supply and marketing cooperative would have fresh fish available the next day, and everyone was excited.
Fresh fish are a rare commodity in the northern part of the city, and they are usually snapped up as soon as they arrive.
So everyone was eager to get up at dawn to queue up and grab the fish.
In the Qin family, in previous years, the three brothers would do this kind of work together, so they could look out for each other. But this year, for various reasons, they went their separate ways. To be precise, the eldest and second sons left the third son behind.
Qin Ziwen could only go alone.
Qin Ziwen didn't take it seriously, but when he left the compound and turned into an alley, everything went dark, as if something had covered him.
Before he could even cry for help, a hail of fists rained down on him, each punch landing squarely on his flesh, causing Qin Ziwen's vision to blur with pain.
He quickly begged for mercy, "Ah! Help! Hero, spare my life!"
"I was wrong, I was really wrong!"
No matter what, it's always good to admit your mistake first.
The two men who had assaulted the man exchanged a glance. One of them, shorter, sneered and spoke in a gruff voice,
"Kid, blame yourself for messing with the wrong person. Do you think you can screw over just anyone?"
"Our boss said that today we're here to avenge his wife's daughter!"
After saying that, the man kicked Qin Ziwen hard again, saying, "Brother, don't blame me!"
Qin Ziwen's face contorted in pain, but his mind began to wander.
Having been tricked by him, and his sister-in-law's daughter... these two factors combined made Qin Ziwen easily think of Bai Xiaohui and her daughter.
Yes, yes!
It must be that Bai Zhenzhu is holding a grudge against Bai Xiaohui for wronging her, so she sent her lover outside to take revenge on them!
It must be them!
Qin Ziwen slammed his fist into the ground, gritting his teeth.
Bai Zhenzhu, Bai Xiaohui! You just wait!
The movement was too forceful, aggravating the injuries on my body, and sending out a series of excruciating pains.
"hiss!"
Qin Ziwen's expression twisted again.
By the time he slowly lifted the sack covering his body, the two figures had already vanished without a trace after beating him.
"grass!"
No one noticed that Qin Ziwen had been beaten up one-sidedly. When it was dawn, some people wondered why Qin Ziwen had injuries on his face. He only said that he had fallen, but in his heart he held a grudge against Bai Xiaohui and Bai Zhenzhu, and even hated Qin Weimin more.
If he hadn't been scheming to get Bai Xiaohui a job, none of this would have happened.
...
No one knows what Qin Ziwen is thinking.
After that day, Aunt Ma often boasted in the yard about her eldest grandson, her wealthy "godfather." Every time Cheng Jiajia and Yu Junsheng heard it, they felt embarrassed for Ma Gaosheng.
It wasn't until Fu Jiaojiao came over and got three more doses of medicine that she started to think about other things again.
Why?
Fu Jiaojiao bought three doses of medicine and paid four yuan and fifty cents, so Aunt Ma made a net profit of three yuan.
Three yuan—that's equivalent to three or four days' wages for a worker in the city.
The key point is that this money is much easier to earn than working a regular job.
It didn't cost her any money or effort; all she had to do was talk. Grandma Ma thought this money was incredibly easy to earn.
Her eyes darted around, and she started plotting something else.
If you can make money off Fu Jiaojiao, can't you also make money off other people?
For example, Yu Junsheng's young wife in the Second Hospital, isn't she pregnant yet?
What woman doesn't want to have children? The other young wives who married into the family at the same time as her are all pregnant. I don't believe Cheng Jiajia isn't anxious.
And then there are the other women in the courtyard who have given birth to daughters but not sons; I don't believe they don't want to have sons.
After a brief consideration, Aunt Ma realized that this miracle drug had great potential in the market.
Cheng Jiajia then discovered that Aunt Ma had recently taken to coming to the Second Hospital to show off the folk remedies for conceiving a child that she had obtained.
"The medicine that sorceress has is not easy to get. If I weren't a distant relative of hers, she probably wouldn't have bothered with me. I've heard that people with real skills are like that."
“You all know my daughter-in-law. She’s been married into the family for so many years and hadn’t gotten pregnant. But after taking a few doses of this miracle medicine, she’s pregnant. Isn’t that amazing?”
Hu Mei, Ma Da Niang's daughter-in-law, is a living advertisement for her; she's extremely useful.
Sure enough, an older woman whose daughter-in-law had only given birth to a granddaughter immediately believed it to some extent, "Oh my, is that really true? This medicine is so effective?"
Aunt Yan was also very tempted, because her second daughter-in-law had only given birth to two children who were considered "money-losing babies," and there had been no further signs of pregnancy over the years. She really wanted to buy a few doses of this medicine to give to her so that she could give her second son a son as soon as possible. How could she manage without a son?
But she had just offended the whole family because of the fertility drug, and her third son had been acting gloomy lately, and she didn't know what he was thinking. She was a little afraid to do these things again.
So he stood at the back, pursed his lips, and didn't say anything.
Aunt Ma leaned closer, seemingly mysterious, but spoke in a voice that everyone could hear, "Let me tell you quietly, my neighbor Jiaojiao has been asking me for that miracle drug. You all know her situation; she really needs to have her own child soon."
As if to confirm what Aunt Ma had said, just then, a familiar, indescribable smell wafted from the front yard.
Oh my god, no need to ask, it must be Fu Jiaojiao brewing the medicine.
This is the third time recently. They keep saying that Hu Mei is already pregnant, so why is she still taking this medicine?
It turns out that Fu Jiaojiao got to eat it.
The older women didn't look too good; it was just that the smell, that smell... it was so distinctive, ugh!
Aunt Ma had a "I wasn't lying to you, was I?" look on her face. "Right? I wasn't bragging! Just you wait and see, it won't be long before she's pregnant!"
Cheng Jiajia: "..."
She didn't know if Fu Jiaojiao could get pregnant, but she knew that if the whole courtyard was filled with this smell, someone would definitely rebel.
This flavor is just... amazing! amazing! amazing!
Cheng Jiajia suppressed the churning in her stomach, her expression contorted for a long time.
Honestly, I hope this medicine won't cause any health problems.
Why did Fu Jiaojiao have to be so foolish as to eat this? I clearly reminded her to go to the hospital for a check-up.
Sigh, I can't carry it, I really can't.
Cheng Jiajia didn't think to stop Fu Jiaojiao from taking the medicine.
First, she had already reminded her, but the other person wouldn't listen, so what could she do? It wasn't her who made her drink the medicine, so she had nothing to feel guilty about. Second, their relationship wasn't that close yet. The other person clearly wanted to have a child very urgently, and if she suddenly went to stop her from taking the medicine, the other person might think, "You can't have children yourself, so you don't want others to have them either."
Don't say it's impossible. Cheng Jiajia has already seen enough of the diversity of species in her previous life, and she doesn't want to test human nature again.
So Cheng Jiajia listened to the commotion and then prepared to go back inside. She really couldn't stand the smell and planned to close all the doors and windows when she got back.
Although many people were skeptical about the medicine because of its taste, two middle-aged women couldn't resist her persuasion and bought a dose, hoping to brew it for their daughters-in-law so they could have another grandson soon.
Aunt Ma suddenly earned 2 yuan.
She couldn't stop smiling, which strengthened her resolve to sell the miracle drug in the compound.
Seeing Cheng Jiajia passing by and about to slip away, Aunt Ma quickly grabbed her, "Little Cheng, let me tell you, this miracle drug really works. You and Yu have been married for so long and there's still no progress. Why don't you buy a few and try it? I'll ask the fortune teller for a few and give you a discount."
Cheng Jiajia was startled and politely declined, "Thank you, but Yu Junsheng and I are both in good health and don't need any medicine."
After a few more words of persuasion, Aunt Ma saw that Cheng Jiajia was still unmoved, so she said angrily, "The Yu family boy is now a full-time employee in the technical department of the machinery factory. He's in high demand. If you don't have a baby soon, aren't you afraid he'll divorce you?"
My goodness, where did this old-fashioned Qing Dynasty antique come from? This person and Aunt Yan must have a lot to talk about.
Just as Cheng Jiajia was thinking this, she heard Aunt Yan agree in a serious tone, "That's right, Xiao Cheng, is a woman still a woman if she doesn't give birth? It's best to have a boy, so that you can capture Junsheng's heart."
These two are really birds of a feather.
Cheng Jiajia looked at the two of them with a forced smile, "You two don't need to worry about that. By the way, I heard that the neighborhood committee is currently promoting something about breaking down feudal superstitions. Aunt Ma, isn't it inappropriate for you to openly promote this kind of thing? If you get caught, you'll be paraded through the streets as an example. Aunt Yan, your thinking is still not right. I heard that the neighborhood committee also has some kind of ideological education class. Should I go and ask them to come and give you a lesson?"
After saying that, she suddenly remembered something and covered her mouth in feigned surprise, "Oh dear, you two might end up being classmates, hahaha!"
Aunt Ma: "..."
Aunt Yan: "..."
Damn it, who is this little bitch cursing?!
She doesn't want to go to the neighborhood office for classes and be classmates with anyone!
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing disdain in each other's eyes, and then simultaneously looked away.
Pah! She wouldn't be classmates with such a snobbish and spineless person!
Cheng Jiajia left those words behind and went home, not paying attention to what was happening behind her. Little did she know that the two people she thought would find common ground actually disliked each other.
But even if I knew, I wouldn't care.
...
On the other side, Fu Jiaojiao finished brewing the medicine and poured the black liquid from the medicine pot into a porcelain bowl. An unpleasant smell wafted in the air, and Fu Jiaojiao pinched her nose.
Old Lady Zhu glared at her from the side, "What kind of rubbish do you cook at home every day? It stinks! I've lived my whole life and I've never heard of any medicine that can make you have a child, or any effective folk remedy. They're all just scams to make money!"
Even so, Old Lady Zhu was a little apprehensive. In fact, she had heard of some folk remedies for fertility back in her hometown. She only said that on purpose because she didn't want Fu Jiaojiao to give birth to her child.
She heard that Hu Mei's hen, which couldn't lay eggs, got pregnant after drinking this medicine, which shows that the medicine really is quite effective.
Could it be that this little slut is really pregnant?
If Fu Jiaojiao has her own child, will there still be room for her two beloved grandchildren in this house?
Her eyes flickered a few times, and she deliberately mocked, "I think you're really desperate to have a baby. You'll put anything in your mouth, aren't you afraid of ruining your health? Then the family won't have money to take you to the doctor!"
Unfortunately, no matter how much she mocked her, Fu Jiaojiao acted as if she didn't exist, as if she didn't exist at all.
Old Lady Zhu had made a fool of herself and could only watch helplessly as Fu Jiaojiao pinched her nose and drank a bowl of 'miracle medicine' with a pained expression.
Fu Jiaojiao's expression twisted for a moment, and she almost vomited.
However, she still insisted on swallowing the 'medicine'.
She absolutely must have a child of her own!
She can only spend her money on her own children!
This kind of persistent determination made my mother a little uneasy.
So she took advantage of her lunch break to go find Zhu Ziqiang.
“Daqiang, it’s not that I don’t want her to have a child, I’m just afraid that she’ll be even more mean to Dadan and Erdan if she has her own child. You know her personality, she can’t even tolerate these two kids now, what will happen to Dadan and Erdan if she has her own child?”
Zhu Ziqiang was silent for a moment, then only told his mother not to worry.
rest assured?
Old Lady Zhu's eyes flickered a few times, and she understood what was going on. Her son probably didn't want Fu Jiaojiao to give birth either, and he likely already had a way to get rid of her.
So from then on, I stopped interfering with Fu Jiaojiao's drinking of folk remedies.
No matter how much medicine that little slut drinks, it's all in vain. She even thought darkly that it would be best if she could really ruin her body with the medicine, so that the problem would be solved once and for all.
That evening, as usual, Fu Jiaojiao sought out Zhu Ziqiang to do *that*.
Zhu Ziqiang paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, covered up on her without hesitation.
...
Although she said she wouldn't interfere in Fu Jiaojiao's affairs, the next day on her way to work, Cheng Jiajia still wrapped a complaint letter in a stone and threw it in the neighborhood office. If the neighborhood office didn't take any action, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
Sigh, I'm just that kind of person.
Meanwhile, Aunt Ma was still running her "miracle drug" business in the courtyard with great enthusiasm.
Although I let Cheng Jiajia, a big fish, escape yesterday, I just tricked two aunties who prefer sons and want to have grandsons, earning an extra 2 yuan.
Aunt Ma was overjoyed, feeling that this business was making money too quickly.
She's so smart!
She, Ma Daya, is the smartest old lady in this courtyard!
Just as Aunt Ma had this smug thought in her mind, she heard a scream from the front yard, "Ah! Father, Father, the wicked stepmother has fainted!"
"Fu Jiaojiao, Fu Jiaojiao, are you alright? How did you suddenly faint?"
"I told you, I told you this medicine shouldn't be taken! This little bitch is just desperate to have a baby, she'll put anything in her mouth, isn't she afraid of drinking herself to death? Look, look, now look what's happened!"
"Alright, Mom, you watch over her, I'll go borrow a car to take her to the hospital."
Aunt Ma's heart sank. It was all over; her miracle drug business was doomed!
Sure enough, the two older women immediately returned, snatched their money back from Aunt Ma, and threw the medicine into her arms.
He rolled his eyes and spat, "Pah! We wouldn't dare feed this to anyone!"
Aunt Ma scrambled to her feet, chasing after them, shouting, "No, don't listen to their nonsense! How could there be anything wrong with this medicine?!"
"Nonsense, they're all talking nonsense!"
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