With money in hand, I shall buy cloth and grain.

"Ugh..." As the foreign object was expelled, the child’s purple-red face slowly returned to its natural color. Having survived the ordeal, he began to cry loudly out of sheer terror.

"My son, you scared your mother to death!" the woman sobbed, clutching the child to her chest as the other family members gathered around to comfort them.

Seeing the large crowd of relatives, Meng Yun surmised that this family must have been holding a banquet. The child had likely been running around while eating a rice ball, which had caused him to choke.

As it turned out, Meng Yun’s guess was spot on. The family belonged to Yu Sheng, the owner of the town’s Yu Grocery Store, and his wife, Liu. The child was their only son, seven-year-old Yu Haoxuan. Today was the sixtieth birthday of Yu Sheng’s mother, and with over twenty grandchildren and relatives present, the child had been playing while eating, leading to the accidental choking.

"Thank you, benefactor!" The Yu family approached to express their gratitude. Yu Sheng pulled two banknotes from his robe. "Benefactor, words cannot express my gratitude. Thank you so much for today; without you, my son would be gone." The grown man’s eyes were red with tears, a sight that moved Meng Yun deeply.

"There is no need for thanks. Just go back and soothe the child. In the future, be careful—never let him run around while eating, as it can truly be life-threatening." Meng Yun pushed the banknotes back toward him.

"Benefactor, if you don't take this, I won't be at peace. You may not know, but my wife and I have been married for nearly twenty years and he is our only child. You haven't just saved his life, but the lives of my wife and my parents as well. You must accept this money." Yu Sheng made to kneel.

"Don't kneel, I'll take it." Meng Yun was becoming numb to people forcing money on her today.

"Where are you from, benefactor? Once my mother hears you saved her eldest grandson, she will certainly want to come and thank you in person," Yu Sheng said excitedly.

"I simply lent a helping hand today, so don't give it another thought. Hurry back now, so the child's grandmother doesn't worry," Meng Yun replied.

"Very well, thank you, benefactor." Yu Sheng left, carrying his son and accompanied by his wife and family. In secret, however, he signaled a relative to follow and observe where their benefactor lived, intending to pay a formal, kneeling visit of thanks another day.

With such a scene unfolding at the entrance of Huichun Hall, many patients immediately began lining up for treatment.

"Dr. Wen, I apologize for the interruption, but my husband and I must be heading back now," Meng Yun said with a smile.

"Wait, young lady, was the method you used to save the child what I think it was?" Dr. Wen asked.

"Yes, it is about using external pressure to create force within the windpipe, which naturally expels the foreign object," Meng Yun did not hide the truth.

Dr. Wen was astonished; he had not expected this young woman to so freely share a unique, proprietary technique.

"Dr. Wen, remember to make a hollow fist and place it two finger-widths above the navel." To ensure he understood, Meng Yun demonstrated the maneuver on Jin Anchuan once.

"Oh, I see, I understand. Thank you for your generous instruction, young lady." Dr. Wen bowed deeply.

"Most of the people who choke are the elderly and children. Saving them is often akin to saving an entire family. If I can prevent unnecessary deaths, I consider it a great merit." Meng Yun had just heard the notification that her merit points had increased by fifty-five, enough to level up several more times. Sharing the technique didn't bother her; if Dr. Wen used it to save others, she might indirectly earn even more merit.

"You have such a kind heart, young lady. It seems you are well-versed in medicine, perhaps..."

"I don't know medicine, I only have a shallow understanding of pharmacology. I learned this first-aid method from someone else, it's not worth mentioning," Meng Yun said, waving her hands dismissively.

"Very well. If you have any herbs in the future, feel free to bring them here," Dr. Wen said.

"Thank you, Dr. Wen. Goodbye." Meng Yun took Jin Anchuan and left.

After walking for a while, Meng Yun stopped. "Does it hurt?" she asked, pointing to Jin Anchuan’s chest.

"It hurts. That woman looked thin, but she was so strong. It still hurts," Jin Anchuan said, looking aggrieved.

"Then why did you throw yourself in front of me?" Meng Yun touched his chest tenderly; Jin Anchuan was too thin, his chest had almost no meat on it.

"She wanted to hit you. I couldn't let her hit you; it would make my heart ache." Jin Anchuan looked at Meng Yun, his eyes filled only with her.

Meng Yun felt a lump in her throat, moved by his pure words.

"You silly boy, don't rush forward like that again. A few hits wouldn't have done much damage," Meng Yun said.

"That won't do. Mother said you are my wife, and I must protect you so no one can bully you," Jin Anchuan said, putting his hands on his hips and mimicking his mother, Zhou Yaru.

Meng Yun burst into a laugh. This mother-in-law was truly wonderful, and her husband was too. She decided that starting tomorrow, she wouldn't wander about, but would practice on the mountain to awaken her wood-attribute ability as soon as possible. Then, she could treat everyone in the family.

"Come on, we’ve made some money. Let’s go buy some clothes for the family." Meng Yun checked the time; it was nearing the hour of Shen.

Seeing a fabric shop nearby, Meng Yun led Jin Anchuan inside.

Although she wasn't an expert, Meng Yun inspected the fabrics with a knowing air and asked questions. In the end, she chose six bolts: wine-red for Zhou Yaru, midnight blue for her father-in-law, deep blue for Jin Anchuan, sky blue for Jin An'an and Jin Anzhe, water blue for Xiao Qiao'er, and a pale purple for herself.

The shopkeeper, realizing they were big spenders—the couple looked ordinary, but they were clearly wealthy—generously gave them many fabric scraps.

Knowing her mother-in-law and Qiao'er were skilled at needlework, Meng Yun only bought the fabric. Since making shoes was laborious but cheap to buy, she purchased a pair of shoes for each family member, and the fabric scraps would be perfect for making more.

They put everything into a basket, which Jin Anchuan carried.

After paying four taels and eight mace, the couple left the shop.

"A-Chuan, do you think Father and the others have finished selling their vegetables?" Meng Yun looked at the sky.

"They should be finished!" Jin Anchuan looked at the sky as well.

Meng Yun was amused by his imitation of her actions.

"Do you think we should buy some grain?" Meng Yun asked.

"Buy grain," Jin Anchuan repeated.

"Alright, let's buy some." To be honest, she was tired of the coarse porridge. Now that they had the means, it wasn't excessive to eat some white rice. She had seen earlier that shopkeeper Yu had given her a one-hundred-tael banknote; she was now sitting on a small fortune of six hundred taels.

After walking a hundred meters, they spotted a grain shop.

"How much for a catty of white rice? How much for white flour?" Meng Yun asked the clerk.

"Rice is ten wen, flour is eight wen. If you buy over a hundred catties, it's one wen cheaper," the clerk replied.

"Then give me a hundred catties of each, packed into small bags," Meng Yun instructed.

"The bags are two wen each," the clerk added.

"Then give me twenty of them," Meng Yun said, taking out her silver to pay.

Seeing the silver, the clerk called out to the back, and two young men immediately came forward. If he hadn't seen the silver, he would have been worried that he was wasting his time with a woman who looked so shabbily dressed.

The three of them quickly finished packing the rice.

"Young man, could you help me deliver the rice to the city gate?" Meng Yun asked.