Chapter 66 Girl, do you still have any of that medicine?

The villagers looked at the bicycle with nothing more than envy; they harbored no other thoughts. In the youth courtyard, it wasn't just Xu Lin who owned a bicycle; Wu Siyu and Qian Li had pooled their money to buy one together. Not long after Fu Yaqin was sent down to the countryside, she bought one herself—truly, she had no shortage of money.

Su Liang and Qin Fang, who had come to find someone to be a nanny without even checking the situation, had really brought misfortune upon themselves. Moreover, Wangzhuang Brigade was not poor; the brigade had even bought two communal bicycles. So, in truth, Xu Lin didn’t stand out much at all.

Having asked for leave, Xu Lin sped into the county town and went straight to the Zheng family’s house, where she happened to run into Yu Tong, who was just about to leave. Upon seeing Xu Lin, Yu Tong’s eyes lit up.

“Sister, you’re finally here! If you hadn’t come, I would’ve gone to the countryside to find you tomorrow,” Yu Tong exclaimed, her face brimming with enthusiasm. She grabbed Xu Lin’s hand and ushered her inside. “Sister, you’re amazing!”

She gave a big thumbs up, barely able to contain her excitement. Without comparison, there could be no harm—or rather, without comparison, Xu Lin’s skill would never be so evident.

After the hospital check-up, not only were all the fragments removed from her mother-in-law’s body, but her old ailments had nearly completely healed. Once her mother-in-law’s arms and legs were fully recovered, she would be even healthier and stronger than before. Most importantly, she no longer had to endure constant pain. Though her mother-in-law never complained and always wore a smile in front of others, living together made it impossible not to notice. They all knew she put on a brave face so as not to burden them, but she had truly suffered in silence.

Her husband would often cry for her in secret, never giving up on seeking out renowned physicians. But skilled doctors were so hard to find these days—many of the best traditional medicine practitioners had gone into hiding.

“You flatter me,” Xu Lin replied cheerfully, modestly taking a seat with Yu Tong’s help.

“I’m not exaggerating at all. Every time Doctor Sun checks on my mother-in-law’s recovery, he’s astonished. He’s examined the little medicine pills you gave her again and again, but can’t figure out what ingredients you used—he can only say the effect is extraordinary,” Yu Tong chattered on, all the while making Xu Lin a cup of malted milk, feeling that even sweetened water didn’t express her respect enough.

“Sister, my mother-in-law is insisting on being discharged. Do you think she’s ready?” Yu Tong asked, sitting beside Xu Lin.

“Yes, she can be discharged,” Xu Lin replied, taking out a small pill. “This is a tonic I prepared for Grandma Zheng. If you’re still worried, I can go to the hospital and check on her myself.”

“That would be wonderful!” Yu Tong exclaimed, slapping her thigh in delight. “Sister, you must stay for lunch today—you can’t refuse this time!”

“All right, I’ll trouble you then,” Xu Lin agreed with a smile. After chatting a bit longer, Yu Tong eagerly led her out the door.

As they walked down the hospital corridor, the wailing from a nearby ward caught Xu Lin’s curiosity.

“Why are those people screaming so miserably?” she asked.

“Oh, them,” Yu Tong said with a hint of disdain, lowering her voice as she took Xu Lin’s hand. “They’re members of the Committee for Thought Work. Somebody attacked them from behind.”

“No way! Who would dare lay a hand on them?” Xu Lin feigned surprise, though inside, she was delighted. If she guessed right, it must have been A Song and Liuzi’s gang. She wondered if Zhou Xuemei had taken part as well. Ha! After losing so much treasure, they surely had a lot to worry about.

“I heard it was some local gangsters. One of the Committee’s team leaders was even kidnapped and hasn’t been found yet,” Yu Tong said, her anger rising at the mention. The incident had kept Old Zheng up at night, and with her mother-in-law in the hospital, he hadn’t had time to take care of her. Yu Tong had been running back and forth between home and the hospital these days, so much that her legs had grown noticeably thinner.

Oh dear, that Wu Chenguang was so useless—kidnapped just like that, without even putting up a fight. Xu Lin found this rather disappointing, but it made her realize just how powerful A Song and his gang must be—to dare attack a Committee team leader and even abduct him. It would take real influence to pull something like that off.

While they talked, they arrived at Grandma Zheng’s ward. The old lady was lying in bed, staring bored at the hospital ceiling. At the sound of footsteps, she immediately looked toward the door, her face lighting up with a radiant smile when she saw Xu Lin.

“Girl, you’re here! Come, come, let Grandma have a look at you. I feel like I could be discharged already, but Old Sun just won’t let me go. What do you think? Can I leave?” Grandma Zheng waved her uninjured arm, genuinely disliking hospitals—she always felt that once you checked in, you’d never get out. Very inauspicious indeed.

“Hello, Grandma Zheng. I came to see you,” Xu Lin said with a smile, coming to the bedside and gently taking the old lady’s hand.

Yu Tong followed, beaming. “Mom, I knew you wanted to see Sister Xu.”

“Of course! This girl is my benefactor. I never thought I’d ever get a good night’s sleep again,” Grandma Zheng said, gratitude shining in her eyes as she held Xu Lin’s hand. She could endure pain, but that didn’t mean she wanted to live with it.

“Grandma Zheng is truly blessed—there are many good days ahead,” Xu Lin replied, glancing over the old woman’s face. She wasn’t just being polite; the lady really was blessed with good fortune and longevity. Judging by her features, she had more than thirty years left to her life—truly, the longer she lived, the better things would get. The thought of Grandma Zheng living to see with her own eyes the prosperous era they were building filled Xu Lin with excitement. She figured that when the day came, the old lady would die with a smile, carrying good news to her departed friends.

“Thank you for your kind words. I’m not afraid of death, but I don’t want to die yet. I want to live a long, long life and see our country grow strong step by step,” Grandma Zheng declared, eyes shining with determination. Xu Lin was moved, nodding repeatedly, while Yu Tong wiped away tears beside her.

After chatting for a while and checking her pulse, Xu Lin found that Grandma Zheng was recovering well. As long as her medicine was changed on schedule, there was no reason she couldn’t be discharged.

At that moment, Sun Huaisheng arrived, having heard the news. He hurried over to Xu Lin and asked, “Girl, do you still have any more of that medicine?”

“I do, but not much. It’s very difficult to make, and it uses only the best ingredients,” Xu Lin replied. Sun Huaisheng had no doubt about that—such potent effects couldn’t be achieved with ordinary herbs.

He pulled Xu Lin aside and lowered his voice. “I’ll be honest with you—I have a grandson in the army, and his missions are extremely dangerous. I want to buy some of your medicine to send to him. Would that be possible?”

“Can’t you prepare it yourself?” Xu Lin asked.

Sun Huaisheng could only sigh. “To tell you the truth, I always thought the medicine I sent him was the best, but compared to yours? It’s nothing, absolutely nothing!”

It was rare to see someone so dismissive of their own handiwork.