Chapter 80: Meeting the Fox Immortal Again

Chapter 80: Meeting the Fox Immortal Again

As soon as Ye Qing heard that there was a telegram for her, she was taken aback and stopped pushing her bicycle. She quickly headed inside.

Xu Xianzhen took out a telegram and handed it to her.

The telegram was from the West District of Shen City, containing only a few words.

——"Have resigned, arriving at Jiaotan shortly."

The unexpected arrival of this telegram left Ye Qing stunned.

Seeing that Ye Qing stood there for a moment without moving, Gu Weidong felt puzzled and couldn't help but come in from outside, asking, "What’s wrong?"

Ye Qing gave the telegram to Gu Weidong.

After taking a look, Gu Weidong asked, confused, "Who's coming?"

Ye Qing said helplessly, "My class teacher."

Gu Weidong understood right away, "The one from Mo River—"

Ye Qing nodded, smiling wryly. "A few days ago, when I sent her a letter, I was worried that the registered mail might get lost, so I sent a telegram ahead of time. I didn’t expect my teacher to be so hasty that she resigned from her school job and is planning to come straight to the Northern Wilderness."

Gu Weidong stayed calm. He folded the telegram and handed it back to Ye Qing. "If she’s coming, let her come. Based on what you’ve told me, your teacher doesn’t seem impulsive. She must have thought this through and likely made other arrangements beforehand. You don’t need to worry too much."

"Besides, even if she came alone without making any arrangements, with your abilities, you can certainly settle her. At the very least, you could get her a temporary job at our village’s health station. Even if there’s no salary, it’s just one more mouth to feed. It’s not a big deal."

After this analysis, Ye Qing felt that she didn’t need to be overly anxious.

Song Chunhua was, after all, a middle school teacher with rich teaching experience and came from a big city. There were no significant issues with her background. In a small place like Jiaotan County, she would definitely find a place to contribute.

If there was really no school willing to take her, Ye Qing could swallow her pride and ask Zhao Jinliang for help. Given the ideas she had freely shared with the military farm recently, it shouldn’t be difficult for Zhao Jinliang to pull some strings and get her teacher a substitute teaching position at the cadre children's school attached to the military farm.

After putting the telegram into her satchel, Ye Qing temporarily set the matter aside. Even if Song Chunhua was to leave on a train the same day she sent the telegram, the journey would take several days. There was no point in worrying now; she could make arrangements once her teacher arrived.

Ye Qing rode her ladies' bicycle, while Gu Weidong's bicycle carried Nie Wei. The three of them returned to Kaoshan Village.

However, what Ye Qing didn’t expect was that as the three of them entered the village and passed by the Wu family’s door, Wu Yueying, who was sitting on the doorstep sunbathing, suddenly rushed out and blocked their way.

Or rather, she blocked Gu Weidong's bicycle.

Ye Qing was truly exasperated. If she remembered correctly, Wu Yueying had just had a miscarriage a couple of days ago. She probably hadn’t even finished discharging the lochia yet. Instead of resting properly indoors, she was out on the road, blocking Gu Weidong’s way. What on earth was this fool planning to do now?

Could it be that after betting everything on Jian Ming, a promising stock, and losing it all, she had realized the value of her ex-fiancé and now wanted to turn back to see if she could still salvage something?

If that was the case, Ye Qing really wanted to pry open Wu Yueying’s brain to see what kind of thought process this woman had.

It had to be said, Ye Qing had hit the nail on the head. Wu Yueying did regret her choices.

She had thought Gu Weidong would end up crippled and forced to retire from the military, only to become a security guard in the county for the rest of his life. So, ever since her rebirth, she had never intended to walk the same path as in her previous life, marrying this loser and enduring eighteen years of hopeless suffering just to find a cheap father for her child.

She thought that with the knowledge of the next eighteen years, as long as she clung to Jian Ming, her child wouldn’t have to call someone else father, and she could avoid eighteen years of detours.

Who would have thought that everything would not unfold as she had anticipated.

The man she believed she would marry in this life, Jian Ming, was directly sent to jail.

And the man she thought would become crippled and sink into oblivion, Gu Weidong, had his leg miraculously recovered thanks to the intervention of the divine doctor Ye Qing.

She had gambled wrong again!

Watching Gu Weidong stride confidently, it was likely he would rise to great heights in the military. How could Wu Yueying bear this?

So, lying on the kang in her room these past two days, after the child was removed from her womb, Wu Yueying pondered endlessly. Both of them were reborn, so how was it that Ye Qing managed to turn her fate around while she had ended up in such a wretched condition?

Thinking back and forth, Wu Yueying refused to admit that the problem lay with herself, believing instead that she had just been unlucky.

Recalling the vigorous appearance of Gu Weidong riding a bicycle with Ye Qing, and reflecting on the events of her previous life, she slowly began to see Gu Weidong’s virtues again.

After all, ever since she married Gu Weidong in her previous life, although they weren’t as wealthy as she had hoped, Gu Weidong handed over most of his salary to her every month, allowing her to buy whatever she wanted without interfering too much in her spending.

Moreover, shortly after marrying into the Gu family, they had moved into a new house far from her in-laws, at her insistence. Since Gu Weidong worked mostly in the county, she lived with her child at her own parents' home, rarely cooking for herself. Even the child was taken care of by her mother, so she hadn’t endured much hardship in those eighteen years.

But at that time, her heart was set on Jian Ming, her white moonlight, and she had never truly noticed the virtues of the man beside her.

Now, thinking back, she realized she had been blinded by the heavy filter of her first love, failing to see the goodness of the man next to her.

Only now, with Jian Ming in prison and her illusions shattered, did her stubborn mind begin to shift.

Had she known that Jian Ming might run into trouble, she should have remained calm after being reborn, dragging her feet with Gu Weidong while she secured Jian Ming and confirmed his plans to go abroad before dumping Gu Weidong, instead of rushing to cancel the engagement and ending up empty-handed.

But now that things had come to this, did it mean she had to resign herself to her fate? Obviously not. Wu Yueying didn’t believe she had no chance to turn the tables.

After all, she had been married to Gu Weidong for eighteen years, and she believed she understood him well. That man valued his brief military career and his comrades more than anything. In her previous life, he had argued with her more than once over his distant comrades, even considering adopting the orphaned child of a comrade. It was only because she had firmly opposed it that the matter was abandoned.

So, Wu Yueying thought she could use this to her advantage, appealing to Gu Weidong’s preferences to gain leverage for herself.

By showing full support for Gu Weidong’s military career and even using her foresight to help the struggling military wives with business, she could increase her value.

If she started a company in the future, she could generously offer reemployment opportunities to his wounded comrades who had been forced to leave the military. Over time, this would surely win Gu Weidong’s heart back, and they could rekindle their relationship, bringing her closer to becoming an officer’s wife.

The more Wu Yueying thought about it, the more she was convinced her plan was foolproof. So, ignoring Ye Qing’s previous advice to rest and recover from her miscarriage, she hurried to the end of the village to find Gu Weidong.

Because of the cancelled engagement, she had nearly come to blows with the Gu family, so when she arrived at the Gu household, she was met with disdain and sarcasm from Gu Weixi and Gu Weinan. Gu Weinan stood at the gate, not even letting her inside, let alone allowing her to see Gu Weidong.

It was only later, returning dejected from the end of the village, that she overheard a few kids chattering about going to the Zou family to play with wolves. One of the children mentioned that Ye Qing had gone to the county early in the morning with the Liberation Army uncle from the neighboring Gu family to handle some matters.

Only then did Wu Yueying realize that Gu Weidong wasn’t even in the village.

So, she waited silently at her own doorstep, which led to the scene where Ye Qing and the others were intercepted by Wu Yueying upon their return.

"Brother Weidong, can we talk?"

After successfully intercepting Gu Weidong, Wu Yueying adopted a pitiful look. Her large, moist eyes beseeched Gu Weidong.

She knew very well that she was beautiful and was adept at using her appearance as a weapon. She knew men fell for it, and Jian Ming had quickly fallen under her spell, succumbing to her coquettish advances. She was confident this tactic was invincible, and a naive soldier like Gu Weidong, who had seen few women in the military, wouldn’t stand a chance.

The reality was that Gu Weidong was suddenly intercepted by this woman, and it felt as disgusting as if he had swallowed a fly. Especially after seeing Wu Yueying's nauseating expression, he felt an immediate psychological discomfort:

"Did a fever from your illness burn your brain? Are you trying to kill someone with that disgusting way of speaking? Can't you straighten out your tongue?"

"Also, I only have two younger sisters. Who are you to try and get close to me and want to talk? Our matters were already sorted out, so what is there left to discuss with a cripple like me?"

"If you want to talk, sure! I'll go get a table and move it under the big camphor tree at the village entrance, and I'll call all the village aunties and grannies to come listen to what you have to say!"

Wu Yueying: ...Damn, is Gu Weidong sick?

Ye Qing: ...I never knew Gu Weidong could speak Northeastern dialect so fast, like a wound-up clock. If it weren't for my exceptional hearing, my brain might not have kept up.

Nie Wei: ...To treat a girl so harshly, this guy is done for. He'll probably never find a partner in his life!

Wu Yueying had prepared a whole speech to negotiate with Gu Weidong, but she lost the first battle and completely forgot what she was going to say after being confronted by him.

"Get out of the way!" Gu Weidong really didn't give Wu Yueying any face, and after the confrontation, he prepared to leave.

But Wu Yueying stood stiffly in the middle of the road, refusing to move and let him pass.

Gu Weidong's anger flared up, and regardless of whether his words were harsh or if the girl could handle them, he went all out right there:

"What, do you think I, Gu Weidong, am a garbage collector, only fit to find a partner in the trash? Act like a human being, girl, we live in the same village, don't treat me, Gu Weidong, like a fool, okay? If you stay out of my way and don't provoke me, I won't dig up the past. But if you're not smart enough, don't blame me for being ruthless and exposing your dirty little secrets!"

Wu Yueying's face turned pale, thinking that her miscarriage had been secretly told to Gu Weidong by Ye Qing, and she immediately glared at Ye Qing with hatred and resentment.

Seeing Wu Yueying's expression, Gu Weidong couldn't help but laugh in frustration:

"Why are you looking at her? This has nothing to do with her. Use your brain and think about how you came back, idiot! If someone like you can be blessed by heaven, shouldn't the person you've wronged for half their life deserve more mercy?"

Gu Weidong's words made Wu Yueying's head buzz.

She suddenly realized something and looked up at him with eyes full of horror and disbelief:

"You, you—"

Gu Weidong wasn't afraid to show his cards. With Wu Yueying's shrunken brain and idiotic behavior, she couldn't possibly pull off anything fancy.

He just wanted to get rid of this trouble as far away as possible and never have to deal with her again. Every time he saw this woman, it reminded him of how failed and stupid his previous life had been.

"So don't waste your efforts. I know all about your dirty little secrets, and there's nothing to discuss between us. Go cool off where you came from, and don't block my path, understand?"

The fantasy of becoming an official's wife that Wu Yueying had been holding onto instantly turned to ashes.

Gu Weidong was also reborn, which explained why his legs weren't crippled. So from the moment she demanded to break off the engagement, this man had been deliberately playing along, treating her like a fool, letting her ruin her reputation while he pretended to be innocent and pitiful, playing the perfect victim, gaining the moral high ground, and reaping the benefits!

This was too insidious!

Wu Yueying finally realized she had been played by Gu Weidong! From the beginning, this man had no intention of marrying her. If she hadn't cried and made a scene about wanting to break off the engagement, the one who would have lost patience in the end would have been Gu Weidong himself!

Unfortunately, you can't buy hindsight, and by writing that letter to break off the engagement, she had already lost the advantage and initiative, and from there, one mistake led to another until she was completely at this man's mercy.

At this point, Wu Yueying realized just how deep and terrifying Gu Weidong's schemes were. She was no match for this man!

Seeing Gu Weidong's eagle-like, sinister eyes staring at her, Wu Yueying's breath hitched, and she stumbled back, falling to the ground in fear.

Gu Weidong sneered and rode away on his bicycle.

Ye Qing was also left completely speechless about Wu Yueying.

With such a great opportunity from being reborn, if she could just stand on her own feet, even if her education and IQ weren't enough, as long as she was willing to work hard and endure hardships, riding the wave, she could rise with those advanced insights alone. Not to the level of living a life of luxury like those from elite families, but at least surpassing more than ninety percent of ordinary people.

But look at what this girl has been up to since she came back. She’s either clinging to some potential prospects or chasing after another high-quality man, always thinking about how to rely on a man to live a good life. She never once thought about self-reliance and fighting her way through with her own hands.

At first, Ye Qing thought Wo Yueying wouldn’t learn her lesson until she hit a wall, believing that after suffering enough with Jian Ming, she would eventually wake up.

Who knew she had overestimated this woman. As soon as Jian Ming was out of the picture, she set her sights on Gu Weidong. Now that Gu Weidong refused to cooperate, she’ll probably start looking for the next suitable candidate.

The concept of an independent woman probably doesn’t even exist in Wo Yueying’s mind. From start to finish, she’s been like a decorative vase or a parasitic plant, relying on her good looks. Originally, her beauty could have been a powerful tool in her career, but she had no idea how to wield it as a weapon. She only wanted to hook a man to be her long-term provider. Without a man to depend on, she couldn’t survive!

This kind of person is hopeless. Ye Qing couldn’t be bothered to waste any more energy trying to guide or help her.

Ye Qing was afraid that if she meddled, this woman would cling to her like a leech, taking advantage of her kindness. Ye Qing wasn’t a fool. The only reason she helped Wo Yueying last time was out of respect for Captain Wu. But she couldn’t keep helping Wo Yueying without expecting anything in return, especially when this woman was ungrateful and might turn on her at any moment. As long as she wasn’t out of her mind, she would stay far away from this kind of person and not want to get involved at all.

So even when she saw Wo Yueying sitting on the ground, she didn’t say a word and rode away on her bicycle without a second thought.

When she got home, it was already evening, so the three of them didn’t rush into the mountains that night. Instead, they decided to rest at home and head out early the next morning.

However, lying on the kang that night, Ye Qing found herself unable to sleep.

Wo Yueying’s situation made Ye Qing realize a serious and very real problem.

Before, she had mentioned the concept of women’s rights to Gu Weinan and Meng Jia. Regarding the current phenomenon of women being relegated to domestic roles to bear children and raise them, she had raised sharp points, believing that women couldn’t be kept like livestock. They needed to work and occupy the top positions in the hierarchy to earn the right to make the rules and truly hold up half the sky.

But back then, she had only thought about the issue of work, believing that economic independence would determine whether women could hold their heads high. She hadn’t realized that some girls lacked intellectual independence. Even if you taught these women the skills to make a living, they would still be unable to stand on their own. They might even, despite having the ability to support themselves, still choose to throw themselves into a man’s arms, wanting to be a pampered wife who didn’t need to think or strive.

The problem was that there were quite a few women like Wo Yueying who relied entirely on men. As long as women’s consciousness didn’t awaken, these people would never have a moment of clarity. In their eyes, the real skill was being kept by a man.

Ye Qing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, she sat up, lit an oil lamp, took out paper and pen, and began writing.

She wanted to write a novel related to women’s consciousness. Combining the current environment, she aimed to create a truly independent and enlightened rural woman with strong will, dreams, and the courage to chase them, possessing both vision and great love, someone who could bloom in adversity.

Not one of those women who endured humiliation and repaid evil with kindness, suffering endlessly, even for children who weren’t their own, only to be misunderstood and let down by those children in the end. And in the final act, she would have to smile and forgive everything to be considered great.

Perhaps inspired by Wo Yueying’s situation, or maybe because she had read too many works about women’s awakening before she traveled through time, Ye Qing, who had never been good at writing, found her thoughts flowing easily. She quickly came up with a complete outline for the story and began writing the first chapter of the novel *Liqiu*.

"When early autumn came, the wild grass on the nearby hills had been mostly eaten by the production team’s flock of sheep.

Li Qiu had to lead the flock into the farther mountains.

While tending the sheep, she repeatedly read a textbook.

The textbook, whose cover and first few pages were missing, was something she had found by chance while tending sheep in the mountains.

There were many words in the book that she didn’t know, but she studied it very seriously, using the not-so-accurate pinyin to spell out the unfamiliar characters.

As it was getting dark, Li Qiu hurriedly led the flock down the mountain and back to the village.

When she reached the village entrance, she overheard a group of old women discussing her family. Apparently, her older sister, Li Chun, had just returned to her natal home, limping after being beaten by her husband.

Hearing this news, Li Qiu ran home.

When she burst into the house, she saw her elder sister, bruised and swollen, looking haggard and emaciated, weeping. But instead of comforting her sister about the injuries, their mother was nagging about how Li Chun shouldn’t have come back to her natal home.

‘He hit you because you did something wrong. Just change and it won’t happen again. Men lose their temper like that. You need to be more obedient and tolerant. If you run back to your natal home every time something happens, where does that leave your husband’s face? Go back and apologize to your man, or people in the village will laugh at us.’

Her mother’s scolding successfully persuaded Li Chun to return, but it left an indelible impact on Li Qiu’s young heart, who was still under fourteen years old."

Why is it that, despite being her elder sister's close relatives, when the elder sister is being bullied, her parents turn a blind eye and don't bother to stand up for her?

Why is it that once a woman is married, if she's beaten, she’s supposed to just accept her fate and endure it?

Li Qiu couldn’t understand it, and she wanted to find answers in books.

But the books only taught women to be virtuous and obedient; no one taught women how to be independent and live the life they desired.

The first chapter wasn't very long, but Ye Qing managed to bring to life, with just a few strokes, a rural girl who, despite lacking formal education, was beginning to awaken to her feminist consciousness.

Next, Ye Qing intended to use Li Qiu’s perspective to depict the difficult situations rural women faced before and after marriage, and then gradually guide the character of Li Qiu to rebel against her arranged marriage and break free from her predetermined fate, which she could see clearly ahead of her.

Ye Qing was in the process of refining the detailed outline when suddenly, she heard Murong Ah Po's voice from behind:

"Qing girl, why are you up so late with the lamp on?"

Ye Qing instinctively replied, "Grandma, I'm writing something, I'll be done soon, you—"

Halfway through her sentence, she realized something was off and abruptly stopped speaking.

She whipped around, staring in surprise at the old lady lying on the kang:

"You can see the light from my kerosene lamp?"

The old lady was startled, then belatedly realized something, and nodded with a smile:

"Yes, it’s very blurry, like there’s a thick curtain in front of my eyes, but I can sense the light."

With that, the old lady pointed in the direction where Ye Qing had placed the kerosene lamp,

"It’s in that direction, isn’t it?"

Ye Qing was utterly delighted: "Yes, yes, that’s where I placed the kerosene lamp!"

With this interruption, Ye Qing forgot all about writing and quickly moved closer, carefully feeling the old lady's wrist, forehead, and corners of her eyes. After examining her for a good while, she confirmed:

"It does seem like there's been some improvement. At this rate of recovery, the eight to ten months of treatment I mentioned earlier might be significantly shortened. By next spring, when the pear trees in the village are in full bloom, you’ll be able to see the snow-white petals fluttering in the air. That scene won’t be any less beautiful than the wutong flowers in Shanghai, wouldn’t you agree?"

The old lady's face was full of anticipation, but she still shook her head seriously:

"No matter how beautiful the pear blossoms are, they’ll never compare to the wutong flowers in my heart.

Because in that city, I used to admire the flowers with my husband and children, and no matter how beautifully the pear blossoms bloom, they can never accompany me to see them again.

Ye Qing gently pinched the old lady's shoulders:

"That’s all the more reason to take good care of your health and live to be a hundred. Once your eyes are healed, you can travel the world with those honor medals, seeing the blossoms and the prosperous spring scenery on behalf of your husband and son. Wouldn’t that be worth it?"

The old lady was taken aback, a mix of helplessness and amusement on her face:

"Don't try to sweet-talk me. Do you think your grandma has gotten so old and confused? These days, without a letter of introduction, you can't even go to the county, let alone travel the world. The most I can do is walk from one end of the village to the other, so where am I going to see all those blossoms?"

Ye Qing laughed: "I'm not trying to sweet-talk you. Just because you can't go now doesn't mean it'll always be that way. The situation won't stay the same forever. When the policies loosen up in the future, I'll take you traveling. Rivers, lakes, the Five Sacred Mountains—wherever you want to go, I’ll accompany you. If you don’t believe me, I’ll even write it down."

The old lady waved her hands, her worried expression replaced by a smile:

"No need for that. I’ll remember what you said. If the day comes when we can travel everywhere, and you dare to break your promise, just watch out for my cane."

Ye Qing grinned, and the two of them chatted and laughed for a while longer before each returned to their kang to sleep.

Early the next morning, Ye Qing set off into the mountains with Gu Weidong and Nie Wei.

Under Ye Qing’s guidance, the three of them quickly found the cave. On a protruding rock on the cliff, they discovered the 300-year-old mountain ginseng Ye Qing had mentioned.

Nie Wei’s face turned red with excitement, and he was about to rush into the cave when Ye Qing stopped him.

"Hold on. I’ll check first to see if the ginseng-guarding snake is still there."

Ye Qing’s words stunned the other two.

Ye Qing quickly explained how she had found the ginseng:

"The white-browed pit viper is extremely venomous. A bite can be fatal without antivenom. Although the temperature has been dropping and the viper may have gone into hibernation, it’s better to be cautious. If the snake is still there, we’ll need to come up with a plan to lure it away first."

Both men were locals from Jiaotan County and had either heard of or witnessed the deadly power of the white-browed pit viper. Upon hearing that the 300-year-old mountain ginseng was guarded by such a snake, they felt a chill down their spines and dared not rush into the cave. Instead, they carefully inspected the area around the cave, like using searchlights.

After searching thoroughly several times and finding no sign of the snake, they felt relieved.

"It’s possible the snake was startled the last time I was here and has since left," Ye Qing said.

She took another careful look at the ginseng on the cave ceiling and noticed that the cluster of bright red wild fruits under its stem and leaves was gone. It was unclear whether they had been taken by birds or small animals such as squirrels.

This suggested that the white-browed pit viper hadn’t returned in some time. If the snake had been there, small animals wouldn’t have dared to come near, and not a single ginseng fruit would have been missing.

Only then did they feel safe enough to enter the cave and take out the tools they had prepared.

The location where the ginseng was growing was somewhat peculiar. They had to climb the rocks while carefully prying away the stones around the ginseng’s roots. They had to be extremely cautious not to damage the roots, as any harm would cause the ginseng’s medicinal properties to rapidly degrade during the preparation of the herbs. This task was thus quite challenging.

As a result, they spent an entire day and night in the mountains, exhausting themselves until the next morning when they finally managed to extract the ginseng intact from the cliff.

However, after this ginseng-digging experience, Nie Wei had a completely new appreciation for this young girl, Ye Qing.

"Ye Qing, in my entire life, I haven’t admired many people, but among the women I’ve met, you are definitely the best!"

Regardless of how long the ginseng-digging took, Ye Qing stayed with them the whole time. She didn’t just sit around but actually climbed up the rock wall to take over their work. Her effort was no less than Gu Weidong's or Nie Wei's. Even though her hands were covered in blisters, she didn’t utter a single word of complaint.

This was a girl from a big city like Shen City. She looked small and delicate, like a young lady, but she harbored immense energy within her. Ye Qing had endured no less hardship in the apocalyptic times. When the extreme cold came, she followed the military to break the ice at the reservoir and dig out frozen farmed freshwater fish. That work was even more difficult than this ginseng-digging, but she had gotten through it all the same.

Holding the intact old mountain ginseng in her hands, Ye Qing felt an incredible sense of attachment. This was something that only existed in legends in the future world, and now it was actually lying in her hands. The feeling was so wonderful and unreal.

With the item finally in hand, the heavy stone in Nie Wei’s heart finally fell to the ground.

The three of them sat in the cave resting for a while before Nie Wei tentatively asked Ye Qing:

"Ye Qing, can I ask you for a favor?"

Ye Qing was taken aback and instantly guessed what Nie Wei was going to ask. She smiled and said:

"Nie Wei, are you being too polite? When I asked you to help me deliver something to my relative, you didn’t hesitate at all. You even said that Gu Weidong’s friends are your friends and told me to come find you in the county if I ever needed your help. Now that it’s your turn, why are you being so polite?"

Nie Wei felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head.

It felt a bit too pushy to ask for another favor when the old mountain ginseng had just been obtained. But this matter was very important to him, and he wouldn’t be able to rest unless he asked. No matter the outcome, he had to try, or he would never be able to let it go.

He had arrived at Kaoshan Village the day before and, upon meeting Grandpa Miao, Gu Weidong's grandfather, learned that the elderly man had become paralyzed due to a cerebral hemorrhage. It was Ye Qing who had been helping with the treatment, and the old man was already showing signs of improvement.

This left Nie Wei both astonished and overjoyed. He couldn't help but recall his former leader, who was also bedridden and unable to care for himself. His health had been steadily declining, and recently, the supply of old mountain ginseng ran out, resulting in his breathing becoming shallow and labored.

The hospital offered no solutions, and despite the efforts of numerous doctors brought in by the leader’s family and friends, nothing proved effective. They could only watch as the elderly man lay in bed, gradually wasting away. No one knew how long this state would persist.

Initially, Nie Wei believed his former leader’s condition was untreatable. Being an ordinary person, he had no connections to renowned doctors. The only option he could think of was to try and obtain some old mountain ginseng.

However, after meeting Old Man Miao the other night, Nie Wei began to entertain another idea.

"My former leader’s condition is truly dire. We’ve tried both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and both suggest he may not survive the winter. I saw how effectively you treated Grandpa Miao, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to examine my leader in the county town?"

"Don’t worry, if you can’t help after examining him, that will be the end of it. I won’t bother you anymore."

For Ye Qing, this was not a significant issue. In fact, when she heard Nie Wei was searching for wild ginseng the other day, she had considered offering to make a house call.

However, she hesitated because Nie Wei’s leader was likely a wealthy and influential person, likely having their own personal doctors and a complete medical team. A young barefoot doctor like her offering to help might seem dubious, and they might not even allow her to enter.

Since Nie Wei had raised the matter directly, Ye Qing didn’t hesitate and nodded immediately.

"Alright, take the ginseng back first. Then, go and ask your leader’s family for their consent. If they all agree to let me treat him, come back to Kaoshan Village and find me."

Ye Qing had experienced situations where patients' families doubted her abilities, so getting their approval was a necessary step for her. The prerequisite for treating any patient was mutual trust and respect between the doctor and the patient's family. This was Ye Qing's principle and also a means of self-protection.

Nie Wei was very pleased that Ye Qing had agreed. He thanked her repeatedly and assured her that he would bring the money for the ginseng the day after tomorrow.

Ye Qing wasn't in a hurry about the ginseng. Although she had found it, all three of them had contributed to digging it up. Logically, the ginseng should be shared among the three of them. However, both Nie Wei and Gu Weidong opposed the idea of splitting it three ways, insisting that the ownership of the old mountain ginseng belonged solely to Ye Qing, and so did the money from selling it.

Ye Qing couldn't convince them otherwise, so she let the matter drop for the time being.

After resting for a while and replenishing their energy with some food, the three prepared to head back.

As they stepped out of the cave, they were greeted by two sleek, yellow-furred foxes. The foxes were grinning at Ye Qing with their heads tilted.

Seeing these "Fox Immortals," Ye Qing was also happy.

"It's you two! Are you here to steal the ginseng fruits again? You're in for a disappointment this time. Other animals have already taken all the fruits this year, and I've dug up the ginseng root. There won’t be any more ginseng fruits here. You’ll have to find another old mountain ginseng, but be careful not to run into the guardian snake again."

The foxes looked at Ye Qing, let out a low whimper, and then the female fox, who had nearly lost her life to the white-browed viper, stepped forward and rubbed her chin against Ye Qing's palm.

The fox then opened her mouth and, to Ye Qing's surprise, produced something from her pointed fox mouth.