RFGCF 09

Chapter – 09

Reviving the Dead, Healing the Bones

Just as Ye Xiaohua was about to free herself from Zhou Er’s grip on her own, Qin An turned back after all. He shot a glare at Zhou Er, his tone still fierce. “Is your medicine shop trying to go out of business?”

“Huh?” Zhou Er was stunned for a moment, then put on an ingratiating smile. “No, not at all.”

“It certainly looks like you are, the way you’re bullying two little children.”

Only then did Zhou Er realize that Qin An was standing up for the two brats. Anyone else he might have dared to talk back to, but he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend the Qin family. “I… I wasn’t! They just came here to… to sell something earlier.”

Ye Xiaohua watched Zhou Er with contempt—such an utter snob. Just then, a gentle breeze blew past, carrying the scent of medicinal herbs from Qin An’s clothing into her nose. From the mix of herbal aromas, she deduced that the young master of the Qin family was suffering from dysentery.

There were several types of dysentery. The peony and angelica root scents on Qin An indicated that the young master had been treated for *cold-damp dysentery*, but the fact that he hadn’t recovered—and had instead worsened—meant the diagnosis was wrong. It should have been *damp-heat dysentery* instead.

Ye Xiaohua understood the situation clearly, and her composure steadied.

She had intended to earn some silver from this anyway—such excellent medical skills from her past life shouldn’t go to waste. And as it happened, although Qin An looked fierce, he was quite righteous. Seeing him sweating with anxiety, she figured she’d return the favor.

The woman outside urged him again. Qin An took one last deep look at the two siblings, sighed, and prepared to leave. But then he felt someone tugging at the hem of his robe. He turned around and saw it was that scrawny little girl.

“Let go.” Qin An thought to himself—this is exactly why people say it’s hard to be a good person. He’d only spoken up for her, and now this girl was trying to latch onto him?

Another urging call made Qin An even more agitated. “Girl, this is a matter of life and death. Go play with your little brother.”

The man strode away, but Ye Xiaohua led Xiaodouzi out of the shop as well. “I know how to treat illnesses. I can help your young master.”

Qin An frowned, his face full of frustration and regret. He really shouldn’t have meddled—now he’d picked up a real nuisance. “Shoo, shoo. You’re just a kid, don’t talk nonsense. This is a life we’re talking about, not a game.”

“I really do know how to treat illnesses.” Ye Xiaohua knew that in her current state, it was hard for anyone to believe her. She was a highly skilled physician—especially with her acupuncture needles. In her past life, she could revive the dead and heal the bones. Too bad she couldn’t have brought them along when she crossed over.

Even Qin An himself didn’t know why he was entertaining a child’s nonsense. *When desperate, one tries anything*—apparently it wasn’t just ignorant women and children who did such foolish things. Even a clear-headed man like him could have his moments of confusion.

But there was no helping it. Today had been particularly unlucky. The town already had few doctors, and he’d already visited several shops—none had a physician in attendance. The nearest place with a doctor was dozens of li away.

“You’re… not joking, are you?”

Ye Xiaohua’s gaze was clear and resolute, her dark eyes shimmering with confident light. “If you don’t trust me, you can take me to see your young master first, while simultaneously sending someone to fetch a proper doctor. That way, neither option is delayed.”

“Oh, Qin An, would you hurry up! What are you going on with those two kids for? You’re driving me crazy!” The woman had clearly reached the end of her patience, her voice dragging out long and sharp, her expression a mask of urgency.

Qin An was caught in the middle, seemingly wrestling with a decision. Ye Xiaohua knew this was the time to strike while the iron was hot. “I can save him.”

Those four simple words left Qin An completely stunned. He ignored the woman’s impatient nagging and took another careful look at Ye Xiaohua. To the naked eye, she appeared to be only seven or eight years old. Could a child like this really heal the sick?

“Do you know which family I work for?” The moment the words left his mouth, Qin An regretted them. Why was he even bothering to talk to a child?

Ye Xiaohua understood his meaning. She was being asked to treat the young master of the Qin family—any mistake would have dire consequences for her. But whether it was the Zhangs, the Lis, the Wangs, or the Qins, if they were sick, she would treat them.

“The wealthy Qin family.”

“And you still dare—”

“I said, if I can treat him, I can treat him. But if you want me to do it, everything must be done my way.”

“You?” The woman’s voice shot up. “A big-talking little girl! If you fail to cure him, do you think your life could even compensate for the loss? Qin An, stop wasting time with her! If you bring her back, the master and madam will have your head!”

Ye Xiaohua knew she’d have to demonstrate some skill to be taken seriously. One, so she wouldn’t miss out on the silver. Two, because the Qin family’s young master’s life was hanging by a thread—she might as well do a good deed.

“Pediatric dysentery isn’t usually a big deal. But your young master has been misdiagnosed. If it isn’t corrected in time, his life will be forfeit.”

Qin An glanced at the chattering woman, then raised his hand to silence her. His eyes lit up, unable to hide his surprise. “How did you know our young master has dysentery?”

He hadn’t mentioned a single symptom of the young master’s illness since walking in. This girl was interesting.

Ye Xiaohua curved her lips into a faint, slightly childish smile. But Qin An no longer dared to treat her as an ordinary child.

“I don’t just know what illness your young master has. I can even describe his current symptoms. Has he already started passing blood? Is the stool thick and sticky like jelly, with a foul, putrid stench?”

Before Qin An could answer, the woman on the carriage jumped down and nodded frantically. “Yes, that’s exactly it! You…”

Ye Xiaohua looked up steadily at Qin An. “I told you—I can treat him, so I can treat him.”

The woman saw that Ye Xiaohua did seem to have some real skill—otherwise she couldn’t have described things so accurately. A child couldn’t just make that up. And hadn’t she just said they could take her to see the patient while also sending for another doctor?

It was a no-loss situation. What if the girl actually could cure him?

Their eyes met, and they both arrived at the same decision. In the end, the maidservant Chunyue took Ye Xiaohua back to the Qin residence—it was only a few steps away, they could walk—while Qin An drove the carriage to fetch the nearest doctor.

After all that talking, she’d finally secured her chance. Ye Xiaohua took a deep breath. But beside her, Chunyue, upon further reflection, was still worried. If anything went wrong, she’d be in deep trouble too.

“Little girl, both Qin An and I are putting our lives in your hands.”

Ye Xiaohua replied calmly, “Easy, easy. No problem.”