RFGCF 10

Chapter – 10

Two Lives for One

It went without saying that Ye Xiaohua had worn herself thin convincing Qin An and Chunyue, let alone the young master’s parents.

Fortunately, Qiuyue was Lady Qin’s most trusted personal maidservant, and Qin An was the steward of the vast Qin estate—a man who had always been diligent and reliable without any missteps. Although the Qin couple were understandably reluctant to gamble with their son’s life, the current situation was dire. Their infant, only a few months old, had been suffering from dysentery for days.

The once-plump, fair baby now had a sallow, lifeless face and had even started passing blood. When the couple heard Chunyue describe how Ye Xiaohua had accurately detailed the young master’s condition, they were momentarily taken aback.

“Can you really do this?” Qin Shuhe drew a sharp breath, as if he were making a bet on something, and asked solemnly.

Ye Xiaohua wanted to roll her eyes unceremoniously, but that would have been rude. Instead, she replied coolly, “I’m already here. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’d just be losing out on some silver, but as for the young master…”

Qin Shuhe looked at the little girl before him. Her gaze was unnaturally calm for her age, her eyes clear and honest—not like someone trying to deceive. He considered himself well-traveled and experienced in reading people, and he could detect not a trace of panic or cowardice on her face.

Perhaps…

“Young Master Qin’s life is a life, and mine is a life too. To me, they’re the same—no distinction between noble and lowly. So, if I didn’t have the skills, I wouldn’t dare take on work from the Qin family. I’m a timid person—I wouldn’t dare trade one life for another.”

Qin Shuhe looked at the little girl in surprise. What a spirit she had—*all lives are equal, noble or lowly.* She had backbone. And with that calm, composed demeanor of hers, he might as well let her see Huai’er. If she was a fraud, she would slip up eventually.

Qin Shuhe made up his mind. “You’re timid? Girl, I’d say you’re quite bold!”

Ye Xiaohua didn’t bring Xiaodouzi inside with her. Instead, she entrusted him to Chunyue. After chatting with her for a bit, she found that although Chunyue had a bit of a temper, she was still a decent person.

Ye Xiaohua followed Qin Shuhe into the room and washed her hands first. The Qin family was truly wealthy—even their washbasin was made of silver. It looked like she was going to make a tidy sum this time.

Even a grown man—let alone an infant—would be as weak as a wet noodle after several days of dysentery, clinging to walls just to walk, or too feeble to even stand.

The little one lay there with his eyes closed, barely showing any signs of life. The wet nurse had just changed his diaper. Lady Qin, seeing her son in this state, wept softly, her heart aching as if she wished she could bear the suffering in his place.

They were both mothers. Seeing this scene reminded Ye Xiaohua of her own so-called mother in this life—and she could only let out a wry chuckle.

After drying her hands, Ye Xiaohua walked to the bedside and took the pulse of the swaddled young master Qin Huai. Qin Shuhe watched her practiced movements and felt a bit more trust in her.

The little one’s mouth was tightly shut, so she couldn’t see his tongue coating. He was too young to understand speech, so Ye Xiaohua had no choice but to give him a gentle pinch. That did it—Young Master Qin burst into a loud cry. Clearly, he had a temper and had been spoiled rotten by his family, unable to tolerate the slightest discomfort.

“What are you doing?” Lady Qin glared at Ye Xiaohua, her face full of displeasure.

But as the baby cried, his mouth opened wide—lots of noise but little substance, and quite feeble at that. However, Ye Xiaohua seized that moment to observe his tongue coating. She confirmed her diagnosis with certainty—it was exactly as she had said.

“Master…” Lady Qin had never really trusted Ye Xiaohua from the start, but since the head of the household was Qin Shuhe, she seized on this moment as if she’d caught Ye Xiaohua in a mistake, tattling to her husband.

But Qin Shuhe noticed that Ye Xiaohua had been peering into Qin Huai’s mouth, her gaze shifting left and right. He raised his hand to silence Lady Qin.

The diagnosis was confirmed. Now came the treatment. Ye Xiaohua once again thought of the silver acupuncture needles she’d carried in her past life. But on second thought, the Qin family was wealthy—a set of silver needles shouldn’t be a problem.

“I need silver needles.” Ye Xiaohua turned to look at Qin Shuhe.

Qin Shuhe found this girl remarkable. She wasn’t asking—she was directly demanding. Not many people dared to speak to him like that, telling him what they wanted and what they didn’t.

Still, despite all his thoughts, he gave only a single word: “Alright!”

Ye Xiaohua didn’t know what method Qin Shuhe used to procure them—his household certainly wouldn’t have had such things lying around. But they arrived quickly enough. She opened the case and examined them. Though they weren’t as comfortable to use as the set she’d had in her past life, they would suffice.

When it came to healing, the only thing that mattered was whether the skill was genuine. There was no such thing as “good” or “bad” needles.

Lady Qin shuddered at the sight of those long silver needles. Holding her child, she whispered softly to Qin Shuhe, her voice low, but her expression made it clear she still didn’t trust Ye Xiaohua.

Ye Xiaohua sterilized the needles and turned back to the couple. She could see that no matter how reluctant Lady Qin was, she still obeyed her husband. “May I begin the acupuncture now? Or would you prefer to wait for another doctor? But if we delay, the young master will face greater danger and more suffering.”

“Perhaps we should wait a bit longer,” Lady Qin ventured.

Qin Shuhe looked down at Ye Xiaohua. “You understand the consequences?”

“Of course. Though I don’t like being threatened, it seems I can’t do my work without accepting your threat.” Ye Xiaohua cast a calm glance at Qin Shuhe, their eyes meeting without a flicker of avoidance.

The corner of Qin Shuhe’s mouth lifted slightly, and the heavy gloom on his face began to dissipate. “Begin.”

“Master…” Lady Qin clutched her child protectively, refusing to let Ye Xiaohua near.

Ye Xiaohua understood her feelings. And the deep maternal love she showed for her child made Ye Xiaohua unbothered by her distrust. A mother’s protectiveness and worry were things she had never experienced in either of her lives. She wasn’t angry—she was just envious of that little brat in the swaddling clothes.

She had been about to explain herself to Lady Qin, but Qin Shuhe spoke first. “My dear, I know you think I’m mad for letting a child treat Huai’er. I think I’m mad too. But think about it—Huai’er has been like this for days. We’ve seen nearly every doctor in town and tried all sorts of medicine, yet nothing has worked. The little girl said they misdiagnosed him. Maybe they really did.”

“But…” Lady Qin looked at Qin Shuhe, then at the small, scrawny Ye Xiaohua. She still couldn’t bring herself to entrust her child’s life to her.

“Don’t worry. If anything happens to Huai’er, her life and her little brother’s life will be forfeit.” Finally, Qin Shuhe turned back to Ye Xiaohua, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes—a heavy warning. “And she’s not stupid!”