Chapter 178: Everyone Calls Me Osmanthus

Chapter 178: Everyone Calls Me Osmanthus

The thought that this woman could help treat her child overpowered the fear in her heart.

The woman knelt before He Zhiran. "Please, Miss, save my daughter."

He Zhiran hurriedly helped her up. "I can treat your child, but I need you to answer some questions for me."

The woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, ask away!"

"May I ask, how are the Zhou, Zhao, and Cui families related?"

Upon hearing this question, the woman seemed nervous.

She looked around cautiously before whispering, "Miss, you just arrived at West Ridge Village yesterday and offended Village Officer Cui. He immediately sent word to the Zhao and Zhou families not to have any dealings with you."

He Zhiran frowned. "What would happen if there was a connection?"

The woman sighed. "A few years ago, one of my uncles took pity on the people the government sent here and secretly gave them some dried food. The Cui family found out and reported it to Village Officer Cui.

Village Officer Cui came with a group of men and almost broke my uncle's leg."

He Zhiran gasped in shock. "A mere village officer is so tyrannical. He bullies people without reason, and you don't resist?"

The woman shook her head helplessly. "The Cui family has an influential relative who's a county official. How dare we ordinary folk offend them?"

He Zhiran asked further, "How are the Zhao, Jiang, and Cui families related?"

"On the surface, both the Zhao and Zhou families seem to get along well with the Cui family. But secretly, we all despise the Cuis."

After hearing the woman's account, He Zhiran understood that if she wanted to rent from either the Zhao or Zhou families, her first priority would be to intimidate Village Officer Cui. Otherwise, neither family would have the courage to lease their homes to her.

Having learned what she needed, He Zhiran kept her promise and set about treating the child.

She first touched the child's forehead, relying on her experience to discern that the fever was certainly above 39 degrees Celsius.

After He Zhiran took the child's pulse, she was completely certain that the child had caught a cold.

Due to the high fever that had persisted for too long, the child was now listless. Even when touched by her somewhat cold hand on the forehead, there wasn't much of a reaction.

Under such circumstances, intravenous therapy would be the best treatment method.

Unfortunately, He Zhiran couldn't openly use injection methods for treatment.

As a fallback, she could only opt for medication.

Her consciousness entered the space, where she selected several pediatric medicines appropriate for the symptoms from the pharmacy in the infirmary and wrapped them in oil paper. Then, she discreetly retrieved them from her space using the cover of her sleeve.

Handing the packets of medicine to the woman, she carefully explained how to administer them.

"Sister-in-law, these are fever reducers. Feed the child with them as soon as you get back. Also, this is for treating the inflammation in the child's throat, and this is for treating the cold. Take the cold medicine half an hour after the fever reducer.

Moreover, we're temporarily staying at the foot of the mountain. If the child's condition worsens, you can find me there."

The woman clutched the handful of medicine packets tightly and knelt down before He Zhiran once more.

"Thank you, Doctor, for the medicine. My maiden name is Zhou, and I married into the Zhao family. Everyone usually calls me Osmanthus," she said.

He Zhiran hastily helped her up. "No need to be formal, Sister Osmanthus. From now on, we're all neighbors in this village, and helping each other out is only natural."

Osmanthus expressed her gratitude once more before hurrying back home with her child in her arms.

Mo Jiuya and the others had observed their exchange, and their thoughts aligned with He Zhiran's.

In the present circumstance, unless the arrogance of the Cui family is subdued, there would be no hope of renting a house from either the Zhou or the Zhao families.

Xie Tianhai and Fang Chuanzhou were both feeling indignant at this moment.

"Niece-in-law, I shall immediately proceed to the Cui residence to reason with them."

To this, He Zhiran didn't object, but she didn't intend to follow along.

The reason was simple: the Cui family had suffered a setback at their hands the day before, and Village Officer Cui was surely in the city early this morning, seeking an audience with Magistrate Cui to lodge a complaint. Even if they were to go to the Cui residence now, they would not find Village Officer Cui present.

Though they couldn't meet Village Officer Cui, causing a ruckus would still bother them.

Mo Jiuya understood this logic as well. Glancing at his two uncles, both of whom were weak scholars, he expressed his concern, "Uncles, the Cui family is large and influential. You two might be at a disadvantage. It's better to go back and gather more people to join you."

Noticing the undertone, Xie Tianhai was puzzled, "Nephew, are you not planning to come with us?"

Looking at the sky, Mo Jiuya replied, "My wife and I originally intended to go into the city today to purchase some herbs. We thought it wouldn't take long to find a house, so we came along. However, if we go to reason with the Cui family, it might take a while. In that case, we won't have enough time to enter the city."

Xie Tianhai nodded, "Go ahead and attend to your matters, Nephew, and your niece. We'll call our family members and head to the Cui residence to settle the issue."

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran believed that even if Village Officer Cui wasn't home, their presence would make an impact, at least showing the Cui family that they weren't to be trifled with.

To avoid another encounter with the sticky rice ball, He Zhiran chose to wait where she was, while Mo Jiuya went back alone to fetch the mule cart.

Soon, he drove the mule cart back and waited for He Zhiran to settle in before setting off.

The journey into the city was not a short one, and usually, the villagers of West Hill Village relied on the Cui family's ox carts for transportation.

However, today there were no ox carts waiting at the village entrance to ferry passengers.

The reason was simple: Village Officer Cui had left at dawn, riding an ox cart to report to County Magistrate Cui about the incident.

As the villagers grumbled in disappointment, they lifted their heads and noticed a mule cart approaching from a distance.

None of them knew who owned the cart, assuming it was just another purchase by someone from the Cui family.

Someone strode forward, blocking Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran's path.

The mule cart was forced to stop, allowing the villagers to see that the driver was a stranger.

Although the Zhao and Zhou families didn't recognize the pair, they had heard about the group of new exiles that the authorities had sent the day before.

With this in mind, they could roughly guess the identities of the two newcomers.

The Zhao and Zhou families hastily retreated, their actions resembling those of people escaping a terrifying calamity.

He Zhiran and Mo Jiuya didn't find this odd; they had already learned the general situation from Osmanthus's account.

Seeing the villagers clear a path, Mo Jiuya, indifferent to the commotion, urged the cart forward, intent on resuming their journey.

Just then, a villager ran out from the crowd.

Dressed as a scholar, he carried a roughly sewn cloth satchel in his arms. He approached Mo Jiuya somewhat awkwardly and bowed slightly.

"Brother, I'm in a rush to get to the academy. Would it be possible for you to give me a ride?"

No sooner had the scholar finished speaking when someone chased after him.

"Zechuan, come back here."

Zhao Zechuan glanced over his shoulder at the approaching figure. "Big Brother, you're afraid of the Cui family, but I'm not. We're all fellow villagers; why should we let the Cui family push us around?"