Chapter 132
In the following three days, Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun had to prepare two large basins of medicinal balls every day. Despite the overwhelming aroma of the herbs, they were happy. After deducting all their costs, they made a daily net profit of 960 yuan. Adding the initial 148 yuan, they had earned a total of 3,000 yuan in just four days. Earning money so effortlessly made Jiang Yexun, who had never been fond of studying, suddenly realize the importance of knowledge.
Finally, on the third day, after enduring the taste of their medicine and food, Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao brought their new formula and freshly gathered herbs to the large courtyard.
As they arrived at the yard, Aunt Lin greeted them with a smile. “The old master knew you’d come today. He had me prepare snow pear stewed with rock sugar. Should I get it for you now?”
“Thank you, Aunt Lin,” Su Xiaoxiao said politely but somewhat distant. Then they went into the small building.
Inside the room were not only Grandpa Zhang, Grandma Wang, but also the middle-aged man who had been in the photo with the leader last time. This time, he was present as well, holding a book in his hand. When he heard their footsteps, he placed the book on his lap.
Su Xiaoxiao met his gaze, her eyes widening for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
“Why were you looking at me like that just now?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked with a friendly smile.
Su Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and answered honestly, “I thought you resembled my brother in your demeanor…”
“Come on! You’re already trying to get close to our family, and it’s not enough. You have to drag your brother in, too?”
Zhang Hanyu was annoyed at how often his grandparents praised these two. Now he had to hear her praising her brother, too. It made him feel like this whole family was trying to leech off his family more than their distant relatives. It was more irritating than dealing with annoying relatives.
“Zhang Hanyu! Is this how you usually speak at home and school?” Zhang Zhiyuan sternly scolded.
Then, he apologized to Su Xiaoxiao. “I’m sorry; I’ve been in the military most of the time, and I’ve neglected the discipline of these two children. If they’ve offended you in any way before, please accept my apology.”
“It’s okay. They caused some trouble for me before, but I’ve managed to deal with it myself,” Su Xiaoxiao said awkwardly, waving her hand. She was actually feeling quite embarrassed.
When she had initially seen Zhang Hanyu’s side profile and felt that it resembled her brother, and then noticed Zhang Hanyu’s father, she even thought he resembled her brother. But looking closely, they were indeed quite different.
Zhang Hanyu resembled his father more in some ways, while their similarities with her brother were primarily in their demeanor. However, with one person looking similar, then another, and with the strange behavior of Peng Huijing, these thoughts continued to bubble up.
Su Xiaoxiao was inclined to dismiss the speculation, but whenever she noticed something unusual, the idea grew even stronger in her mind.
“By the way, over the past few days, my father has been using the medicine you prescribed, and he’s seen significant improvements in his complexion and overall well-being. We’re very grateful,” Zhang Zhiyuan said as he stood up and retrieved a gift box from the coffee table, offering it to Su Xiaoxiao.
“This is a small token of our appreciation. Though it doesn’t compare to the favor you did for my father, we hope you can accept it without reluctance.”
“No need, I only prescribed some medicine,” Su Xiaoxiao quickly declined. She wanted the Zhang family to owe her gratitude rather than receive gifts.
However, Zhang Zhiyuan insisted firmly, “This is just a small token of our appreciation. I personally selected it, and it’s not worth much. The debt of saving my father’s life is immeasurable. If we didn’t offer any gift, others would ridicule us for having no manners.”
With his words, Su Xiaoxiao had no choice but to accept the gift with both hands. “Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Zhang Zhiyuan said with a smile, waving his hand.
Just then, Aunt Lin brought in the stewed snow pear with rock sugar. Grandpa Zhang immediately invited Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun to sit beside him.
“Look at you two, we’ve made a deal that you would come to visit us regularly in Beijing. I think you don’t take your promises seriously.”
“Grandpa Zhang looks forward to your visits every day, you know,” Grandma Wang chimed in with a smile.
Su Xiaoxiao smiled somewhat awkwardly. They couldn’t tell them the truth, that they had been focused on making money in the black market these past few days, could they? So she had to come up with an excuse.
“It’s our first time in Beijing, and everything seems fascinating, so we’ve been exploring and having fun.”
“If you want to explore Beijing, let me know. Uncle Zhang has a camera you can use. You can enjoy yourself and take photos at the same time,” Grandpa Zhang suggested, giving Zhang Zhiyuan a glance.
Zhang Zhiyuan immediately stood up, planning to retrieve the camera from his room.
Zhang Hanyu and Zhang Xiyue watched them, and the warm interaction between Su Xiaoxiao and Zhang’s family made their eyes turn red with anger.
“Grandpa Zhang, Uncle Zhang, there’s no need. We’ve finished our sightseeing. We’ll be returning to Dai City in a couple of days, and my brother will be anxious if we stay longer.”
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the warmth of the Zhang family, Su Xiaoxiao had to change the subject.
“By the way, Grandpa Zhang, how do you feel about your health now? Have you been to the hospital for a checkup?” Su Xiaoxiao asked with concern, looking at Grandpa Zhang.
“I’m very energetic. I can eat, go up and down the stairs without collapsing midway. Although it’s still a bit challenging, it’s only been three days,” Grandpa Zhang said about his condition, which immediately made him more spirited. He then received a checkup report from Doctor Lin, who was beside him, and handed it to Su Xiaoxiao.
“Take a look at this; it’s the results of my checkup this afternoon. Doctor Lin said that my body is recovering well.”
Su Xiaoxiao took the medical report. It was only two thin sheets of paper, but they contained a lot of information. Su Xiaoxiao checked the first set of data and nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, Grandpa Zhang, your health is in good condition, and your recovery is even better than I expected.”
Afterward, she took out the receipt and the remaining money from her pocket and handed them to Grandpa Zhang. She also pointed to the stack of medicines on the coffee table. “You’ll need to take this medicine for a week to treat the previous damage caused by taking the wrong medication. We have to return to Dai City, and when we come back to Beijing before you finish this course, I’ll give you the final medicine for nourishing your vitality and replenishing your blood. If your health improves and all the medical indicators from the hospital are excellent, and you feel particularly good, you can stop taking the medicine. However, if you ever feel weak or short of breath, you can follow the previous prescription and take it for another three days.” Su Xiaoxiao explained the detailed treatment plan.
Grandpa Zhang, looking at the remaining hundred yuan, smiled happily and said, “This medicine is much cheaper than the medicine used to treat leukemia. It can significantly reduce the financial burden on the average person.”
“Indeed, the following medicines will cost around four to five yuan per week. If the government promotes and subsidizes them, the prices could be even lower,” Su Xiaoxiao nodded. Traditional Chinese medicine for treating aplastic anemia is not expensive, and it doesn’t even cost fifty yuan for one or two months.
“What’s more, when I’m better, I will actively promote the mass production of these medicines. Comrades who get sick should recover as soon as possible and should no longer suffer from this illness,” Grandpa Zhang said with deep emotion. Those who took ineffective medicine previously had to spend several hundred yuan per month, and many families couldn’t afford it. However, for aplastic anemia, with government subsidies and widespread promotion, the cost could be reduced to just thirty to forty yuan. This could save many lives.