CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: NOTHING TO DO, BORED

The news that Luo Er’s family’s little cripple was no longer limping spread through half of Kao Village by the time Beisitian and her brother returned from herding sheep, but the siblings pretended as if nothing had happened.

When this news reached Yang Wulang’s ears, he personally stated that the reason Luo Anping was no longer limping was due to Beisitian’s ancestral secret remedy, and everyone was surprised—a young widow who could heal?

This was like the sun rising from the west; becoming a doctor is no overnight matter. Could she really master it just like that?

At this, Yang Wulang sighed without speaking, causing many to speculate there had to be more to the story. Some smart ones thought of Du Bapi. When Doctor Bei was around, this Du Bapi was quite arrogant, nearly selling the little girl to an old scoundrel. After Doctor Bei’s death, Du Bapi became even more reckless.

Could it be that Doctor Bei secretly taught Beisitian the means to survive?

Their speculation was mostly correct. The original owner indeed secretly learned traditional medicine from Beidewang, but in such circumstances, she wasn’t even an amateur; she barely recognized some herbs and could only write a couple of simple prescriptions that might or might not be effective.

There were those who speculated this way, but the majority still didn’t believe it.

When Qin Hongmei heard about this, she leisurely walked into Luo Er’s house, only to be startled by a fierce bout of barking as soon as she stepped in.

Qin Hongmei jumped in fright, only to see it was a little creature without fully grown fur, its bark still carrying a milk-like tone, barking wildly. In a bad temper, she kicked it away.

Zhuangzhuang dodged aside and continued barking at Qin Hongmei as if a thief had entered the house.

Qin Hongmei, annoyed by the barking, lashed out with another kick, but being too far, couldn’t reach Zhuangzhuang, merely trying to scare it.

"Aunt-in-law acts as though she’s at her own home wherever she goes," Beisitian remarked sarcastically, carrying a small basin from the outer room.

"Why wouldn’t I, since a single stroke can’t write two Luo characters. Why would I be unfamiliar with my second brother’s house?" retorted Qin Hongmei, who never liked losing in verbal exchanges, even subtly trying to gain the upper hand in front of Old Mrs. Luo.

"True enough. Although the families have split, a single stroke can’t write two Luo characters. So, is Aunt here to visit Ping’an today?" Beisitian said, scattering chicken feed from her basin into a makeshift pen, where three chicks pecked happily at the ground.

Only then did Qin Hongmei notice that Luo Er’s family had bought three chicks. They must have come into some money.

"Of course, I’m here to see Ping’an," Qin Hongmei said, eyeing the three chicks with a smile.

Seeing her expression, Beisitian laughed, "Come empty-handed?"

Qin Hongmei hesitated and then pouted, "You cheeky girl, visiting one’s own kin doesn’t require bringing something. Don’t be so money-minded!"

Without waiting for Beisitian to retort, she moved closer, smiling, "When did you buy the chicks? Great for chicken and mushroom stew, your grandmother’s favorite!"

With a glance at her shameless demeanor, Beisitian felt disgusted. When someone becomes shameless, they truly become invincible.

"So, grandma loves chicken and mushroom stew, huh? No wonder Aunt’s hen hatched chicks—that must be for grandma’s stew. I’ll go share this happy news with her shortly," Beisitian said.

On hearing this, Qin Hongmei’s face fell instantly. If this cheeky girl went and said it to that old witch, she would insist on having them stewed fresh.

"The chicks were bought for our Ping’an. I almost forgot Aunt has some; had I known, I wouldn’t have bought them. After all, we’re family~" Beisitian said, with a regretful look on her face.

Seeing this, Qin Hongmei’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that this cheeky girl was now getting increasingly annoying. Not only could she not gain anything, but she also couldn’t even win a verbal tussle.

"I’ll go see Ping’an now," Qin Hongmei said, avoiding the topic and rushing into the east room.

Inside the room, Mrs. Qin had already heard Qin Hongmei’s voice. She never liked dealing with her in the past, and ever since finding out that Qin Hongmei was to blame for her blindness, a knot had formed in her heart.

If it weren’t for Beisitian advising her to do nothing for now, she’d want to get up and grab her by the collar to question her.

"Sister-in-law, how’s Ping’an doing?" Qin Hongmei asked cheerfully.

"He’s fine," Mrs. Qin replied in a muffled voice, ignoring her further.

Mrs. Qin had always been like this, so Qin Hongmei didn’t mind, looking at Luo Anping sitting on the bed and asked with a smile, "Ping’an, is your leg completely fine now?"

Luo Anping nodded.

"Did your sister heal you?"

Luo Anping nodded again.

"When did your sister become a doctor?" Qin Hongmei asked again.

Luo Anping looked at her without speaking, and Mrs. Qin snorted coldly, "Oh, since when did Sister-in-law care about our family’s affairs?"

"What do you mean, we’re one family..."

"Sister-in-law, we’ve split households," Luo Anguo said, looking up.

Qin Hongmei was instantly silenced. She could ignore others mentioning the split, but when Luo Anguo said it, she had no retort.

The households split because of Luo Anguo’s paralysis. Back then, the matter caused such a stir, and over the years, the brotherly bonds had thinned because of it.

Whenever Qin Hongmei visited, Luo Anguo rarely spoke. She usually pretended he wasn’t there, but didn’t expect such a sharp response this time.

"If Sister-in-law has no business, please head back. Ping’an can walk now, and everyone who needed to has already visited," Luo Anguo continued.

When Luo Anping was severely injured, Qin Hongmei never showed up. Her door was tightly shut. Now that he’s well and walking, she comes by pretending to be family, acting all innocent.

Luo Anguo’s usual silence didn’t mean he was stupid.

Old Mrs. Luo, aided by Luo Xuqiang, visited twice, secretly bringing two little sponge cakes for Luo Anping.

Old Mrs. Luo wasn’t foolish either. While she could pressure Qin Hongmei with seniority and inheritance when it came to eating and drinking, she had to sneak around to give anything to Luo Anping.

This gesture made Luo Anguo feel somewhat better.

After being chided by Luo Anguo, Qin Hongmei’s face fell completely. If it were with a sister-in-law, it could be brushed off as a petty squabble, but being told off by a brother-in-law like this, even the thickest-skinned would feel embarrassed.

With her mouth pursed and face cold, Qin Hongmei saw no one offering her a way out and had to use an excuse about needing to attend to matters with the old lady to leave.

Hearing this from outside, Beisitian’s lips curled into a smile. As long as her family members weren’t total pushovers, everything was manageable.

Beisitian naturally didn’t take Qin Hongmei seriously. Her verbal sparring with her was merely to pass the time. She was bored!

If she really wanted to deal with Qin Hongmei, she’d do it like with the Ba Wang Zhang Family—until now, they’re still worshiping Huang Daxian, unaware of whom they’ve offended.

Qin Hongmei was reserved for Mrs. Qin.