Chapter 66: Secretly Gathering Herbs on the Mountain
Her second sister-in-law, Yin Yaling, was a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine herself. Seeing Shanshan frown in deep thought, she couldn’t help but want to laugh.
’This child... I believe she knows a thing or two.’
’But to say she could diagnose a serious illness?’
Logically, it seemed impossible, yet emotionally, she couldn’t help but believe her a little.
After all, Shanshan had once accurately pointed out the old, lingering injuries inside her husband—problems that even Western medical instruments couldn’t detect.
Thinking back on it, it was all too coincidental.
Yin Yaling pulled back her hand and silently lowered her head to continue sorting vegetables, but a seed of doubt had already been quietly planted in her heart.
"Shanshan, can you tell your Second Aunt? Your three uncles... what’s really wrong with them?"
Shanshan blinked her big, watery eyes.
Her small face tilted up, looking slightly bewildered.
"I don’t know. It feels like they aren’t sick..."
She subconsciously bit her lip, hesitating for a moment.
In the end, she swallowed the second half of her sentence—the part about them seeming possessed.
Yin Yaling couldn’t help but smile.
She could clearly sense that her husband’s stamina had been getting worse lately. He walked slower than before and had to lean against the wall to catch his breath when going upstairs.
That kind of exhaustion wasn’t something you could fake.
But what was wrong?
She couldn’t put her finger on it either.
His pulse was fine, his diet was normal, and his sleep was decent.
She had searched through all her medical books but couldn’t find any corresponding illness.
Only now did she understand. Shanshan had been running off these past few days, saying she was going out to play, but she was actually sneaking off to the mountains to gather herbs.
Fortunately, she was only picking common wild herbs.
These medicinal ingredients were unremarkable, with mild properties, and could be found everywhere in the countryside.
You could dig them up anywhere on the nearby mountains; even old herb farmers wouldn’t give them a second glance.
But once the girl got serious, she wouldn’t even stop to eat.
When they called her home for lunch, she was crouching by the stream washing herbs, refusing to come back even when her hands were red and numb from the cold.
When she still hadn’t returned after dark, the whole family grew frantic and searched all over the mountain.
They eventually found her sitting on a rock, hugging a pile of damp leaves and counting her herbs by the moonlight.
By the time she returned carrying two large bags of herbs, the house was in an uproar.
The courtyard gate was wide open, and her aunts were pacing back and forth anxiously.
Ling Anxun was already standing at the entrance to the main hall.
"Still no sign of her?"
"Uncle, don’t worry! The whole village is out looking. Shanshan is so clever, she’ll definitely be fine."
Her cousin, Ling Zhiwei, hurriedly tried to comfort him.
He hadn’t even had time to take off his schoolbag; one strap was still hanging crookedly from his arm.
One look at his uncle’s expression and he flinched, shrinking back. He quietly took two steps backward, wishing he could hide himself in a corner.
’It’s over, it’s all over...’
’Uncle’s face right now is scarier than New Year’s firecrackers.’
’If Shanshan walks in now, she’s definitely in for a good spanking.’
As he grumbled to himself, he was already starting to pray for Shanshan.
Suddenly, a small figure appeared at the doorway.
"I’m back!"
Shanshan’s clear voice cut through the heavy silence in the room.
"Shanshan! You’re finally back!"
Yin Yaling was the first to rush over, pulling her into a tight hug.
Ling Zhiwei saw that she was covered in mud, her pants rolled up to her knees, and her shoes filled with sand.
’This is it. Something big is about to happen.’
He silently made the sign of the cross in his mind, praying his uncle would go easy on her because of her age.
"Dad, I picked a lot of medicine!"
Shanshan wriggled out of her Second Aunt’s embrace and stood on her tiptoes.
"First Aunt said First Uncle’s back always hurts and he gets dizzy a lot. This one is for his back, and this one is for the dizziness..."
As she spoke, she carefully took out a few dried herbs from her cloth pouch and held them in her palm.
"This is for Third Uncle. His bones have been aching lately, and he grimaces every time he moves. He just needs to boil this in water and drink it!"
She then shoved a bundle of herbs into her Third Aunt’s hands.
"You have to soak these herbs in clean water for a full two hours first. After they’ve softened, add three slices of fresh ginger. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat, then turn it down to a low simmer and let it stew for two hours. That’s how you get the full medicinal effect."
Shao Tingxiu took the damp bundle of herbs, a flicker of an awkward smile on her face.
She subconsciously snuck a glance at Ling Anxun, who was standing in the corner.
Seeing his slightly furrowed brow and cold gaze, her heart tightened. She quickly lowered her head and gave a placating smile.
"Oh, thank you, Shanshan... you’re so thoughtful. But... how do you know how to use these herbs and what they can treat? You’re still so young..."
Shanshan’s eyes widened.
She opened her mouth and her throat moved, but she found she couldn’t explain it at all.
"I just know! Please don’t forget to brew the medicine for Third Uncle."
Her tone was light, with an air of gentle instruction.
After speaking, she didn’t forget to give a little blink.
One by one, people started walking in from the courtyard, their feet covered in mud but their faces full of warmth.
Shanshan didn’t stop, handing out small bundles of herbs to each person.
Her movements were practiced, and she added a few words of instruction for each.
Only on her final round did she slowly turn to face Ling Anxun.
"Dad, there’s really none for you this time. These herbs aren’t for you."
Ling Anxun narrowed his eyes slightly.
His voice was very low.
"The medicine is all handed out. So now, can you answer my question? Why did you go out without telling anyone in the family? You just disappeared without a word. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
His face was taut, his brow furrowed with suppressed anger.
Shanshan had never seen him like this. Her heart suddenly stuttered, skipping a beat.
He looked exactly the same as when she first met Cao Daqiang.
In that critical moment, Yin Yaling reacted instantly, stepping forward and sweeping Shanshan into her arms without hesitation.
She frowned, staring sternly at Ling Anxun.
"Fourth Brother, don’t scare her! Can’t you talk to her properly? Why are you being so harsh? It’s not like she did it on purpose!"
"Second Sister-in-law, don’t shield her..."
Ling Anxun’s brow tightened as he tried to argue.
Before he could finish his sentence, the other family members had already gathered around.
"Oh, come on, Shanshan meant well. Do you have to be so serious about it?"
Her Third Aunt sighed, patting the bundle of herbs in her hand.
"Look at her, running around for everyone. She personally delivered the medicine to each of us. Don’t scold her!"
"That’s right, that’s right! Our Shanshan is the most considerate child; she’s never caused trouble, not since she was little. This time, she was just trying to help everyone. She heard there was some kind of plague in the mountains and just wanted to help the family prevent illness. Besides, she’s back now, and no harm was done. She can just be more careful in the future, right? You don’t have to keep harping on it!"
Ding Qin also nodded lightly.
"That’s right, the child knows her limits. We trust her judgment."
Ling Anxun hadn’t even had a chance to vent his anger before he found himself being lectured by the entire family.
He rolled his eyes heavily, clenched his jaw, and his chest heaved a few times.
In the end, he said nothing. He just grabbed Shanshan’s wrist and strode toward his room.
The door slammed shut with a BANG, and the room instantly fell silent.
Strangely, the churning anger he had felt just moments before began to fade the instant the door closed.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t angry, nor that he didn’t care.
It was just that when he saw the terrified look on Shanshan’s little face, his heart suddenly felt heavy.