Although Chen Ying told Xiaoshel to cook whatever she usually ate, Xiaoshel still went out and bought some pork ribs to make braised pork ribs.
Combined with the green vegetables grown at home, they had a thoroughly satisfying meal.
After dinner, Lin Xiaolong decided to begin treating his father.
Chen Ying stood aside once again, intending to watch closely how Lin Xiaolong treated his father.
Lin Xiaolong's father was not suffering from a mere leg ailment; his legs had been broken by someone, and because he failed to receive timely medical treatment, he was left disabled.
Lin Xiaolong knew how to practice acupuncture, but she could not understand how acupuncture could possibly restore broken legs.
Lin Xiaolong first examined his father carefully, especially the broken parts of his legs, running his hands over them repeatedly for quite a while. Then, he let out a long breath and said, "It can be treated."
"That's wonderful, Xiaolong! If I can stand up, our family will have even more hope," Lin Qiusheng said with emotion.
"Brother, then hurry up and treat Dad," Lin Xiaosue urged.
"What's the rush? Your brother knows what he's doing," Wang Ju said with a smile.
"Xiaosue, bring me the herbs I asked you to mash," Lin Xiaolong instructed.
"Here they are." Lin Xiaosue quickly brought over the herbs her brother had asked her to mash, along with the stone mortar.
Lin Xiaolong first dipped the silver needles into the juice of those herbs, and then began performing acupuncture on his father's two legs.
His father's legs were not broken because the fractures had failed to heal properly; rather, because medical help had not been sought in time, the bones had not recovered ideally after being set.
The crucial point was that, because time had been wasted, he was discharged directly from the hospital without any recuperation period following the treatment. This caused the meridians in both legs to remain unhealed, turning him into a disabled man confined to bed.
Lin Xiaolong's primary task was to repair his damaged meridians and then use a special medicinal formula to help him recover quickly.
If treated properly, his father would be able to get out of bed in about a week.
In about a month, he would make a full recovery.
Treating his father was a long process. It took a full three hours just to finish the acupuncture session.
By this time, Lin Xiaolong was once again in the same state he had been in after treating his mother: pale, weak, and drenched in sweat.
"Dad, try extending your leg and see if you have any feeling," Lin Xiaolong said after withdrawing the needles.
Lin Qiusheng tried extending his leg. Those two legs, which previously had lost all sensation, actually moved! They slowly stretched out and then pulled back, though the movement was very slow.
Even so, this once again left Lin Xiaosue, her mother, and Chen Ying completely dumbfounded.
This was simply too miraculous!
Putting everything else aside, just based on this miraculous medical skill alone, Lin Xiaolong was bound to have a very promising future.
"This is good. Dad, try moving it back and forth whenever you can; it will help your recovery. Tomorrow I'll figure out some medicine for you. In a week you'll be able to stand, and in less than a month you'll make a full recovery."
"Good, wonderful! Xiaolong, you truly are your parents' pride."
"Brother, you are amazing."
"Son, our family finally has hope."
The family of three all had tears of emotion in their eyes.
As for Chen Ying, she looked at Lin Xiaolong with eyes full of admiration. "Xiaolong, your acupuncture skills are incredible. Could you teach me sometime when you have free time?"
She said this with a guilty conscience. After all, miraculous acupuncture skills like this were definitely someone's closely guarded secret and not easily passed on to outsiders.
Making such a request was actually rather presumptuous of her.
"No problem, Sister Chen Ying. It's just that I need to go back and rest now—I'm too tired." Lin Xiaolong stood up weakly.
"Right, it's too late, I should be going too." Chen Ying stood up and only then realized it was already the middle of the night.
Wang Chun's Probe
The next day, Lin Xiaolong slept until past nine in the morning before getting up.
Continuously using his true qi to clear his parents' meridians yesterday had completely exhausted him, leaving him—someone currently only at the first level of the Longyang Formula—utterly drained.
Otherwise, late as it was last night, he definitely would have walked Chen Ying home.
Having slept for so long, his energy was restored. Lin Xiaolong practiced the Longyang Formula in a cross-legged position for a while, after which he became full of vigor.
He jumped off the bed and walked into the main room.
He saw his mother walking slowly; apart from her pace, she was no different from an ordinary person. Meanwhile, his father was on the bed, gently exercising his legs by extending them back and forth.
The excitement on both of their faces was plain to see.
This qualitative change in their bodies gave them hope for life. Right now, they couldn't wait to be full of vitality just like before, living a good life and never letting their two children suffer again.
"Xiaolong, how are you feeling?" Wang Ju asked her son with concern.
"I'm fine. Where is Xiaosue?" Lin Xiaolong noticed his sister was not at home.
"She went to the cherry orchard."
"I'll go take a look at the fields." Lin Xiaolong turned and walked away.
"Hey, at least eat your noodles!" Wang Ju called out from behind.
"I'm not hungry."
In the blink of an eye, Lin Xiaolong stepped out of the courtyard and headed straight for the cherry orchard at the foot of the mountain.
The location of the Lin family's cherry orchard was prime real estate, situated right next to a reservoir at the foot of the mountain.
The water in this reservoir flowed out from the Longyang Lake deep within the mountains, which is why the reservoir was called the Longyang Reservoir. Outsiders who did not know better might think Longyang Lake and the Longyang Reservoir were the same thing, but that was not the case at all.
These five mu of land had been leased by Lin Qiusheng back before his accident. Because of the superior location, the rent at the time was 1,000 yuan per mu—far higher than the 600 yuan per mu charged elsewhere—and the contract had been signed for ten years all at once.
After buying the rights, Lin Qiusheng planted large sweet cherries there. Five years had passed, and the trees were now in their peak fruiting period. If not for Lin Xiaosue dropping out of school to tend to it, this cherry orchard would have been ruined.
Fortunately, Xiaosue was hardworking and well-educated, keeping the cherry orchard in immaculate order.
Right now, the cherries in this orchard were the largest and ripened much earlier than those in other orchards. The earlier something ripened, the more valuable it was, and many people looked on with envy.
At that moment, Xiaosue was watering the cherry orchard. Looking at the large cherries hanging on the trees, a smile blossomed on her pretty face, despite her being drenched in sweat.
If she watered them one more time and the weather cooperated, the cherries would probably be ready to be picked and sold in three days.
With their sweet taste and great appearance, these cherries should fetch a good price.
When that time came, they could ease the burden of paying off the family's debts.
Thinking of her brother's promise to raise 150,000 yuan within a week to pay back Liu Erhu, the local bully, Xiaosue grew worried again.
Why on earth had her brother agreed to pay back that 150,000 yuan within a week?
That was 150,000 yuan! He would have to average over 20,000 yuan a day.
In a place like Longyang Village, let alone earning 20,000 yuan in a day, saving 20,000 yuan in an entire year was already considered impressive.
"Sigh!" Xiaosue let out a heavy sigh.
The burdens of life had forced this beautiful girl to experience the bitterness and hardships of the world far too early.
"The cherries at home are doing so well, what is there to sigh about?" At that moment, a woman's voice rang out from the roadside.
Xiaosue looked over and saw village accountant Wang Chun wiggling her way toward her.
"Accountant Wang? Is something the matter?" Xiaosue asked.
She actually loathed this woman. Because of her family's special circumstances, when Xiaosue had previously wanted Wang Chun to help her family apply for a minimum-subsistence allowance, Wang Chun had demanded 3,000 yuan upfront, claiming it was needed to grease some palms.
Xiaosue still clearly remembered the sarcastic tone Wang Chun had used back then: "It's over 2,000 yuan a year, and that money goes to someone either way. If you don't bribe people, why should they give it to your family? If this gets approved, you'll make your money back in a year and a half, not to mention that once you apply, the coverage lasts for several years."
Xiaosue had almost been moved to tears of anger at the time. Where on earth could her family scrape together 3,000 yuan?
Besides, wasn't that money simply what Wang Chun herself wanted? Her family was in such dire straits, yet Wang Chun still dared to make such an exorbitant demand—her heart was truly pitch black.
However, no matter how much she detested this person, she couldn't show it. After all, Wang Chun was an accountant, and there was no telling when they might need her help in the future.
"Xiaosue, you really are stubborn. I heard Erhu found you a good job—going to the karaoke lounge in town to drink and sing with people makes money fast. It's much easier than farming here, look how sunburned your skin is," Wang Chun said hypocritically.
"Accountant Wang, then why don't you go?" Xiaosue's single remark nearly choked Wang Chun to death.
Wang Chun frowned. "If I weren't the village accountant, I would have gone long ago."
"Then you should go ahead. Anyway, I'm not going to a place like that." Xiaosue continued watering the field, too lazy to bother with someone like Wang Chun.
Wang Chun gave a cold snort inwardly, thinking that a poor family still dared to be so unappreciative—they deserved to suffer.
However, she had a purpose for coming today, so she didn't dare give Xiaosue a cold shoulder.
Taking two steps forward, she said, "Xiaosue, Sister is only saying this for your own good. Since you're not willing to go, then we won't go. But I heard your brother claimed he'd pay back the 150,000 yuan you owe Erhu within a week. That's 150,000 yuan! Where is he going to get that kind of money? He's bragging all the way to the heavens."
"That's none of your business. At worst, we'll just hand over our homestead to him and our whole family will move into the shack here."
Xiaosue had backbone. Although she also felt her brother was being overly boastful this time, in front of outsiders, she would never speak ill of her brother.
"Well, that's true too. Your brother isn't quite right in the head, so it's no surprise he'd talk big like that," Wang Chun said with a sigh.
"My brother is already well. Besides, our family's matters don't require outsiders sticking their noses in." Xiaosue picked up her shovel and walked away directly.
"Hmph! Little bitch, actually giving me the cold shoulder. Truly ungrateful."
Despite saying that, Wang Chun hurried away.
She had come here precisely to test whether Lin Xiaolong had truly recovered.
Yesterday, many people in the village were spreading rumors that Lin Xiaolong's mind was clear again, but she hadn't believed it. However, having it personally confirmed by Lin Xiaosue's lips today immediately filled her with worry.
If Lin Xiaolong's mind was really clear, this was no good thing; she had to tell Liu Dabiao right away so they could figure out a way to shut his mouth.
Just as Wang Chun left, Lin Xiaolong arrived.
Seeing Wang Chun scurrying away from his family's cherry patch, Lin Xiaolong's expression instantly turned gloomy.
What was this stinky woman doing here?
She definitely didn't have any good intentions.
Later on, he would have to question Xiaosue properly and make sure this woman wasn't digging any traps for their family.
Spiritual Liquid
Lin Xiaolong entered the cherry patch and felt a pang of heartache when he saw his sweating sister.
"Brother, why are you here?" Xiaosue's face immediately lit up with a smile when she saw him.
With her brother well and their parents soon to recover their health, Lin Xiaosue had never felt life was so full of hope.
"Xiaosue, let me take over. Go home and rest," Lin Xiaolong said, stepping forward.
"Brother, what are you saying? This isn't even tiring work. Besides, you just recovered and need to rest properly. I don't want you regressing to how you were before." Xiaosue was genuinely worried that her brother's recovery might be temporary.
"Don't worry, your brother is completely healed. From now on, with me handling things at home, nobody will ever bully you guys again. Also, you should get ready over the next couple of days to go back to school. You might need to do some serious catching up on your studies, though."
"I... I'm not going," Xiaosue said after a moment of hesitation.
"Xiaosue, you have to go to school. Your grades are so good, it would be a waste not to. Don't worry about the tuition, I'll figure something out," Lin Xiaolong assured her.
"Brother, how can you figure it out? Paying back 150,000 yuan in a week—let alone a family like ours, even Liu... even Liu Erhu couldn't make 150,000 yuan in a week," Xiaosue said, growing worried again.
"You don't need to worry about this, your brother has his own methods." Lin Xiaolong gently patted his sister's shoulder. "You don't have to stress over these things anymore, your brother is here."
"Mmhmm."
Although she felt her brother was still boasting, Lin Xiaosue felt a lot more at ease inside.
After all, everything at home was moving in a positive direction. At worst, they could really just move into the shack in the cherry patch. As long as the family was healthy, everything would get better.
"By the way, Xiaosue, what was Wang Chun doing here?" Lin Xiaolong asked.
"Who knows what madness she was up to?" Xiaosue recounted what Wang Chun had said when she came over earlier.
"Just ignore people like that from now on."
After hearing this, Lin Xiaolong already understood what Wang Chun had come for.
It was nothing more than fear that he would expose their scandalous behavior.
Hmph, he could actually make good use of this matter.
Lin Xiaolong wanted his sister to go home and rest, but Xiaosue stubbornly refused, so Lin Xiaolong didn't press the issue further and strolled around the fields to inspect the cherries.
He had to admit, his sister was truly capable. Even while taking care of three patients at home, the cherry trees here were exceptionally well-tended, and the fruit hanging on the branches was noticeably more abundant and larger than what grew in other people's fields.
At this time of year, cherries had not yet hit the market in large quantities. Whichever family's cherries hit the market first would undoubtedly fetch a price much higher than usual.
He had heard that in some places, cherries were grown in greenhouses, hitting the market over a month earlier than regular cherries. Such cherries were typically used for entertaining guests or given as gifts, selling for seventy or eighty yuan a jin.
Unfortunately, the cost of building a greenhouse was very high, and nobody in Longyang Village dared to take that risk.
Under the current circumstances, naturally, whoever's fruit ripened early and had good quality would make a lot more money than everyone else.
Lin Xiaolong suddenly remembered the small jade bottle he found in the cave yesterday.
He took it out to look at it, and the green liquid inside seemed to have increased just a tiny bit compared to when he first picked it up yesterday.
What on earth was this?
Unable to contain his curiosity, Lin Xiaolong pulled out the stopper. The moment it was removed, a dense wave of spiritual energy, almost tangible in its richness, wafted out from inside.
"Could the liquid inside this be spiritual liquid?" Fearing that the spiritual energy would dissipate and go to waste, Lin Xiaolong quickly jammed the stopper back in.
This spiritual energy was simply too abundant! He could make good use of the spiritual energy from the liquid inside to cultivate the Longyang Formula tonight.
A wave of joy washed over Lin Xiaolong. Suddenly, a bizarre thought popped into his head.
This item was immensely useful for his cultivation of the Longyang Formula—it was definitely a treasure.
If he used it on these cherry trees, I wonder if it would have any effect?
He acted on the thought immediately. Lin Xiaolong found the largest cherry tree and poured a single drop of the spiritual liquid from the jade bottle into the water at the base of the tree.
Let's see.
It would be best if it worked.
If it had no effect, at least he wouldn't be wasting such precious material.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
At that moment, Xiaosue's voice came from not far away.
"I'm right here," Lin Xiaolong replied.
Lin Xiaosue walked over. "I'm done watering. Brother, let's go home."
"So fast?"
"Yeah, our plot has the best location. Being close to the Longyang Reservoir makes watering the most convenient, and a lot of people are jealous."
Talking as they went, the two of them walked out.
Inside the village committee office.
Wang Chun arrived at Liu Dabiao's office.
She immediately turned around, closed the door, and bolted it from the inside.
"Chun'er, what's this? Want to spice things up in the office?" Liu Dabiao asked with a chuckle.
"Biao Ge, what time is it, and you're still making jokes like this?"
"What's wrong? Has the sky fallen?"
"Biao Ge, I went to ask Lin Xiaosue about it today, and that big fool Lin Xiaolong is really healed! What are we going to do? If he were an idiot, nobody would believe what he says, but now that he's well, people will definitely believe him!" Wang Chun said in a panic.
Liu Dabiao's brow furrowed. After a moment, he said through clenched teeth, "Don't worry, he wouldn't dare talk nonsense. In this village of Longyang, I, Liu Dabiao, call the shots. Even if he tells people about our affair, it does him no good. Besides, he doesn't have any evidence. If he dares to spout nonsense, I'll dare to have the police station come and arrest him directly for defamation and spreading rumors."
"That's true, Biao Ge. You always keep a cool head. If he were still an idiot, he might talk nonsense, but now that he's normal and lacks evidence, he probably won't dare run his mouth," Wang Chun said, suddenly enlightened.
"Hehe, doesn't that call for a celebration?"
Liu Dabiao stood up and pulled Wang Chun into a tight embrace.
"Don't, Biao Ge, I've been itching really badly down there lately. Chen Ying said it might be a venereal disease, let's get it checked and treated first," Wang Chun said with concern.
"Damn it, I didn't feel anything until you mentioned it, now I'm itching like crazy too. Did you go messing around outside?" Liu Dabiao had been feeling the same way lately, but since he frequently fooled around at the karaoke lounge his brother Liu Erhu ran in town, he figured he caught the infection there and hadn't dared to tell Wang Chun.
Now that Wang Chun brought it up herself, Liu Dabiao immediately shifted the blame onto her.
"Biao Ge, don't you dare frame me! Apart from Datou, you're the only man I have, how could I have picked it up?" Wang Chun aggrievedly protested.
"If it wasn't you, could it be me?" Liu Dabiao snapped.
"Could it be Datou?" Wang Chun suggested. "Ever since I got together with you, I haven't let him touch me much. Could he have gone out looking for wild women?"
"Yeah, that's very possible. From now on, you shouldn't let him touch you at all."
"Don't worry, we play our own games now, nobody interferes with the other."
Venturing into the Mountains to Gather Herbs
"The real question is, what do we do about this illness?" Wang Chun was genuinely afraid that Chen Ying would spread the word. Once you catch something like that, you really couldn't survive in Longyang Village anymore.
"Let's take some time off to get checked at the city hospital. There won't be many acquaintances there, so we don't have to worry about people finding out." Liu Dabiao had a raging headache over this as well; after all, he was a village head, and if people found out, he wouldn't even have the face to remain in his position.
"That's great, let's go as soon as possible, I can barely stand it."
"We'll go this afternoon, find a hotel to stay at tonight, and get a thorough checkup tomorrow."
"Alright."
In the afternoon, Lin Xiaolong gave his parents another massage before heading out, preparing to venture into the mountains.
Having promised to pay Liu Erhu 150,000 yuan within a week, the only method Lin Xiaolong could think of was going deep into the mountains to gather valuable medicinal herbs.
Previously, when he was a fool, he couldn't tell the difference between ordinary weeds and truly precious medicinal ingredients at all.