Chapter 9: Ways to Make Money

The eldest son, Da Sha, was so frightened that he opened his mouth and cried loudly. Fan Lihua had no choice but to put down her youngest son's arm and comfort him. After she soothed the eldest son until he stopped crying and returned to the small room, she found that the youngest son's arm had already been bandaged, and he was sitting on the edge of the kang, holding a large floral bowl as he ate.

“Does it still hurt?”

“No, it’s cool and actually quite comfortable.”

Chen Haichao smiled indifferently at his mother and continued to eat his rice with his head down.

What miraculous medicine did Li Taohua use? Fan Lihua was full of questions. She pushed the door to the second son's room, wanting to ask where Li Taohua had gotten the medicine, but the door was bolted from the inside.

Chen Yunchao heard the noise and knew it was his mother, but he didn’t plan to open the door. He had already slipped under the warm quilt, and getting up again would be freezing cold.

“Mom, do you need something?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Her son only asked without opening the door; he was probably lying down. Fan Lihua turned to leave but was still curious about what medicine her daughter-in-law had used on the youngest son. She called out loud again:

“You don’t have to open the door if you’re already in bed. I just want to ask, how does Taohua have medicine? Where did she get it? Medicine can’t be used carelessly, and she doesn’t know medical skills.”

Fan Lihua’s questions troubled Chen Yunchao deeply. He had just witnessed Li Taohua skillfully cleaning and dressing Chen Haichao’s wound, her movements as practiced as a hospital doctor’s. She even reminded Chen Haichao not to let the wound get wet and to avoid going outside to prevent catching a cold. Her demeanor was more professional than a doctor’s—focused and authoritative like a medical expert.

“Mom, you should get some sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

Chen Yunchao glanced at the woman beside him, who was probably already asleep. Otherwise, she would have sat up to respond to his mother’s loud voice.

After two seconds of silence by the door, the sound of slippers fading away could be heard.

Fan Lihua’s words were heard clearly by Li Tian’er. She was thinking about how to brush off this matter. She had grabbed the medicine in a hurry back then. Now that she thought about it, given Li Taohua’s status and role in the family, it was indeed inappropriate for her to secretly keep medicine or handle wounds. The reason Li Tian’er’s technique appeared professional was that she had received special training during her volunteer work.

Lost in thought, Chen Yunchao’s hand rested on her shoulder, and he leaned his head close to her cheek.

“Really asleep?”

His low voice whispered into Li Tian’er’s ear, making her feel ticklish. She held still without moving.

---

“Don’t sleep yet, talk to me.”

Chen Yunchao propped himself on the kang with both hands, facing Li Tian’er closely. Suddenly, his interest was reignited—how could he let her fall asleep?

Pretending to sleep any longer would be too fake. Li Tian’er slowly opened her eyes and feigned surprise as she stared at the man’s face less than a foot away from hers.

“What are you doing? What is there to talk about?”

“Why so quiet with me? When we were kids, you loved playing house with me. You liked cooking and washing clothes for me…”

Chen Yunchao fully unleashed his literary talent, describing their childhood memories as beautifully as blooming flowers.

Li Tian’er’s mind was filled only with wild horses running wildly. If this man was so affectionate toward Li Taohua, why had he neglected her for three years? Even now, his sweet words failed to win her favor or raise his popularity points.

“I’m tired.”

Li Tian’er turned to the other side again. Chen Yunchao seemed to have anticipated this; he was faster than her. As soon as she turned, she fell straight into Chen Yunchao’s embrace. Seizing the moment, Chen Yunchao held her close, his face pressed against hers, ready to whisper more sweet nothings and take advantage of the opportunity.

Li Tian’er was furious—this man was utterly wicked. Today she had truly seen his two-faced nature: one face shown openly, another hidden in darkness.

“Go away, don’t touch me. Or I’ll scream—unless you’re afraid your big brother will hear.”

Chen Jiangchao had just woken up startled from sleep and cried again; he was probably still dawdling and unwilling to go back to sleep. If this foolish older brother was provoked to come over, the Chen household would have no peace tonight.

Li Tian’er’s words worked as expected. Chen Yunchao, though saying couples don’t need to shout, obediently withdrew back under his quilt.

By the next day, the wound on Chen Haichao’s arm had completely healed. Fan Lihua still didn’t believe it. She unwrapped the bandage and saw the wound had already scabbed over, with no redness or swelling around it. Surprised, she asked again about the medicine used last night.

“I made the medicine myself. When I was studying, I liked reading medical books. The bullet hole on Haichao’s arm wasn’t big, so it was quite easy to treat.”

Li Tian’er tried to brush off the question with a few words, but Fan Lihua was serious. Li Tian’er showed her the medicine bottle. Fan Lihua sniffed it left and right, blinking her eyes in confusion.

A skillful housewife can’t make a meal without ingredients. Even if her daughter-in-law could make medicine, she’d still need the herbs to make it.

“I gathered the herbs myself in the mountains. Do you suspect I stole medicine somewhere?”

“That’s impossible. There’s only one barefoot doctor in the village, and he doesn’t make his own medicine; he gets it from the county. This medicine bottle looks special. What’s inside?”

“There’s a lot in there. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

Li Tian’er didn’t want to explain further to Fan Lihua. The more she explained, the more complicated it became. If she had the energy, she’d rather think about how to escape this family and rebuild her life.

Chen Haichao couldn’t stay home long, but following Li Tian’er’s professional medical advice, he couldn’t go out to play either. Bored, he paced around anxiously. Seeing Chen Yunchao come out, he grabbed his second brother and called for the eldest brother to come play cards with them.

Chen Yunchao, still a bit downcast after being embarrassed in front of Li Tian’er last night, was pulled to the kang table to play cards, showing no spirit.

Chen Jiangchao clapped his hands and cheered, delightedly dancing about.

Fan Lihua, freed from having to keep the eldest son tethered, happily went out to visit neighbors.

“Second brother, second sister-in-law knows medical skills. She can make medicine to treat people and earn money,” Chen Haichao said as he grabbed cards.

Chen Yunchao said nothing.

If the woman ignored him, he could slowly fight back. When he was first assigned to the county agricultural technology station, he won An Qi by perseverance. Could Li Taohua, no matter how strong, be stronger than An Qi, who grew up in the county town? He wouldn’t miss out on this lucrative opportunity.

Li Tian’er sat on the warm kang, holding two bags of medicines freshly brought from the Fortune Base Pharmacy. Suddenly, she had a good idea to make money.

Chen Haichao was right—why couldn’t she treat villagers and earn some medical fees? As long as her medicine worked quickly without side effects, there would be no shortage of patients.

She didn’t understand medical science, but all the medicines from Fortune Base Pharmacy came with descriptions of the ailments they treated. As long as she could assess symptoms and prescribe accordingly, that would suffice. Besides, villagers mostly suffered from common colds, flu, or diarrhea. Serious illnesses requiring surgery would still need to be treated in large hospitals.

Moreover, she had three limited-use miracle pills capable of curing rare and difficult diseases, even bringing the dying back to life.