Chapter 156 – Buying Land (2)
Although Tian Qingquan placed his hopes on Yan Xiaosi, he couldn’t fully trust her words. Just yesterday, their son Tian Baogen suddenly became unconscious. In desperation, they took him to Ge Dongshu for treatment, but Ge Dongshu said he was beyond help.
Xu Chunmei, with swollen, red eyes, choked out, “Yesterday, we took Baogen to Doctor Ge. He said Baogen’s illness was incurable. But Baogen is our only son; we can’t give up on him. That’s why we thought of selling the three acres of land to get money for his treatment in Xize County.”
Standing beside the bed, Yan Xiaosi lifted the blanket off Tian Baogen, unbuttoned his shirt, and rolled up his pant legs to examine him. She also checked his pulse. Tian Baogen’s body was burning hot, and he was covered in red sores on his limbs, neck, and abdomen.
“Sister-in-law, Doctor Ge said it’s incurable because his medical skills are limited. Baogen has scabies. I can cure it,” Yan Xiaosi declared.
Xu Chunmei, who was in despair, stopped crying when Yan Xiaosi named the illness so confidently. Her swollen eyes were now filled with trust and pleading as she stared at Yan Xiaosi. Even Tian Qingquan, who had been somewhat doubtful, was now convinced.
Tian Qingquan asked excitedly, “Xiaosi, it’s called scabies? How do you treat it? What medicine is needed? Tell me, and I’ll go to town to get it right away.”
Yan Shuxiu scoffed and tried to provoke doubt, “Tian Qingquan, don’t let Yan Xiaosi fool you. He’s articulate and good at deceiving people.”
Yan Xiaosi ignored her, not wanting to waste her breath on such a foolish woman. “Sister-in-law, do you have a sewing needle?”
Ignoring Yan Shuxiu, Xu Chunmei quickly nodded, “Yes.”
“Please get the needle and light an oil lamp. I need to treat Baogen.”
“I’ll do it right now.”
Before Xu Chunmei could move, Tian Qingquan hurried to fetch the needle and light the lamp.
Soon after, Tian Qingquan brought a clean needle and an oil lamp to Yan Xiaosi.
She took the needle, heated it over the lamp’s flame, and asked Tian Qingquan and his wife to hold their son down. “Brother Qingquan, sister-in-law, I need to insert a few needles into Baogen. It might hurt a bit, so hold him down to prevent him from moving if he wakes up in pain.”
Once Tian Qingquan and Xu Chunmei were holding Tian Baogen, Yan Xiaosi began the treatment, inserting nine needles into various parts of his body. Less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, the previously unconscious Tian Baogen suddenly sat up on the bed.
“Baogen, Baogen, you’re finally awake,” Tian Qingquan and his wife exclaimed excitedly. Xu Chunmei was about to embrace her son when Yan Xiaosi held her back. The next moment, Tian Baogen leaned over the bed, vomiting violently.
The vomit was foul-smelling. Yan Shuxiu, disgusted by the odor, asked impatiently, “What did you feed him? It smells so bad it could kill someone.”
No one paid attention to her.
After Tian Baogen stopped vomiting, Yan Xiaosi explained to Tian Qingquan and his wife, “Brother Qingquan, sister-in-law, Baogen developed scabies because of excessive toxins in his body. What he just vomited isn’t all the toxins. As long as he expels all the toxins from his body, his illness will naturally be cured.”
“Mom, Dad, I’m hungry,” Tian Baogen said, having just finished vomiting.
This delighted Tian Qingquan and his wife, especially Xu Chunmei. They had been terrified these past few days as Baogen was feverish and refused to eat or drink.
Xu Chunmei handed her son to her husband and got up from the bed, “Baogen, what would you like to eat? Mom will make it for you right away.”
Yan Xiaosi advised, “Sister-in-law, Baogen has just woken up and his stomach is still weak. He can’t eat anything heavy. Just make him some plain vegetable porridge.”
Xu Chunmei nodded and headed to the kitchen to cook the porridge.
Tian Qingquan helped his son lie down and cleaned up the vomit before saying to Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, you are as clever as your father. Since you’ve cured Baogen, our three acres of land are yours.”
With his son’s condition improving, Tian Qingquan was overjoyed. He immediately went to get the land deed from his storage chest and handed it over to Yan Xiaosi.
Yan Xiaosi took the deed and promptly handed over fifteen taels of silver to Tian Qingquan.
Tian Qingquan, accepting the silver, reminded her, “Xiaosi, you should take this deed to the government office to register the land transfer. Then, those three acres will officially belong to your family, and you can use them as you wish.”
Yan Shuxiu stood frozen, watching Yan Xiaosi complete the purchase from Tian Qingquan, her tongue pressing against her back teeth in frustration. She hadn’t secured the land and wondered how she would explain this to the old master back home.
That day, learning that Tian Qingquan wanted to sell the land, and especially those fertile three acres near the village entrance, the old master had expressed his desire to buy it. She had eagerly come to negotiate with Tian Qingquan, but now, having failed, she dreaded the scolding from the old master and the mockery from Yan Shujing.
“Yan Xiaosi, we’ll see,” Yan Shuxiu said coldly, leaving angrily with her servant.
Tian Qingquan was a bit worried, “Brother Xiaosi, we’ve offended the Yan family. What should we do?”
Yan Xiaosi reassured him with a relaxed expression, “Brother Qingquan, don’t worry. Yan Shuxiu’s anger is directed at me. If she complains, it will only be about me in front of the old master. Your family won’t be affected.”
She knew Yan Shuxiu and Yan Shujing’s characters very well.
“But what about you?” he asked.
Yan Xiaosi smiled, “I’ll deal with whatever comes my way. No matter how domineering the Yan family is, they can’t just kill me, right?”
The Yan family, those troublemakers — Yan Xiaosi didn’t want to dwell on them anymore. She changed the subject and said to Tian Qingquan, “Brother Qingquan, just acupuncture won’t be enough. Baogen also needs to take some detoxifying medicine. Do you have a pen and paper? I’ll write a prescription for you.”
“I do, I’ll go get them right now,” Tian Qingquan responded, quickly fetching the writing materials Baogen used for his studies.
Yan Xiaosi took the pen and swiftly wrote a prescription, handing it to Tian Qingquan, “I don’t have these herbs with me at the moment. You can get them at a pharmacy in Daxing Town according to this prescription. These herbs aren’t expensive. Make sure to treat Baogen properly. In addition, you should change his clothes daily, frequently wash his bedding, and keep the room well-ventilated and clean. Every day, prepare a bath with honeysuckle vines and sulfur boiled in water for him. With this treatment, Baogen should recover within ten days.”
Xu Chunmei quickly finished cooking the vegetable porridge and brought it out to feed Baogen.
After watching Baogen eat half a bowl of porridge and lie down, Yan Xiaosi prepared to take her leave.
“It’s getting late. Brother Qingquan, sister-in-law, take good care of Baogen. I need to head back to the mountains.”
